Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read. A The Thunderbird is one of the most readily recognized creatures of American Indian mythology．While the vast majority of biologists believe the Thunderbird myth to be nothing more than a spiritual symbol, some zoologists believe that the hard may actually exist． I still vividly recall seeing an impossibly large raptor（猛禽）when I was five years old, which a few people have said might be the Thunderbird．Standing in my grandmother’s back yard in Alabama, I recall watching an enormous black bird with a swallow - like tail flying directly over me from an oak tree． Its wingspan seemed to be at least three times my height, which would have made it at least fourteen feet across． While the early childhood memory is often unreliable, I clearly remember the details of the "Thunderbird"．To this very day, I sometimes stand on my grandmother' s yard, eyeballing the old oak tree, but I have not yet seen another bird that resembles the giant bird．I have seen eagles, and hawks - but never another Thunderbird． Other modern sightings of what may have been thunderbirds have also occurred．In 1977, three boys were playing in a neighborhood in Illinois．They reported that two large birds chased after them．One of the boys was attacked and suffered somewhat serious injuries, He was carried a few feet off the ground, before the bird dropped him and disappeared into the wilderness． Several people interviewed the boys and their story remained the same, even under the pressure．the description of the birds somewhat matched the Andean condor（秃鹰）; however, these massive condors have never been known to exist in the United States． Another sighting came in 2002, in Alaska, when many people reported seeing a bird with a fourteen - foot wingspan．After being investigated, it was finally concluded that the bird was most likely a particularly large sea eagle, which typically has a wingspan of six to eight fickle． I will probably never know what the strange -looking giant bird from the oak tree was, and biologists will probably never be able to fully confirm the identity of the giant raptors spotted in Illinois and Alaska．If the Thunderbird does indeed exist, it will probably continue to remain mysterious． 1．What's the best title for the passage? A．A massive bird spotted in America B．Could the thunderbird actually exist? C．Some strange birds sighed by people D．Sea eagle, condor, raptor or thunderbird? 2．What can be leant from the passage? A．Three Thunderbirds have been witnessed so far． B．The Thunderbird are similar to sea eagles in size． C．Three boys were injured by the Thunderbird in 1977. D．The huge bird left a deep impression upon the author． 3．The underlined word "eyeballing" in Paragraph 3 can be best replaced by________. A．shouting at B．facing C．looking at D．shaking 4．How is the passage mainly organized? A．By giving examples． B．By following time order C． By making comparisons． D．By presenting a general idea． B I had an experience some years ago which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to conduct two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died "full of years," as the Bible would say; both yielded to the normal wearing out of the body after a long and full life. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence (吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon. At the first home, the son of the dead woman said to me, "If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It's my fault that she died." At the second home, the son of the other dead woman said, "If only I hadn't insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the abrupt change of climate, was more than she could take. It's my fault that she's dead." When things don't turn out as we would like them to, it is very tempting to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Priests(牧师) know that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course - keeping Mother at home, delaying the operation would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse? There seem to be two elements involved in our readiness to feel guilt. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds. The second element is the concept that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood. Psychologists speak of the infantile(幼儿的) myth of omnipotence (万能). A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and orders the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that infantile concept that our wishes cause things to happen. 1. What is said about the two dead elderly women? A. They lived out a natural life. B. They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride. C. They weren't accustomed to the change in weather. D. They died due to lack of care by family members. 2. The author had to conduct the two women's funerals probably because ________. A. he wanted to comfort the two families B. he was an official from the community C. he had great sympathy for the dead D. he was priest of the local church 3. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because ________ A. they couldn't find a better way to express their deep sorrow B. they believe that they were responsible C. they had overlooked the natural course of events D. they didn't know things often turn out in the opposite direction 4. In the context of the passage, "... the world makes sense" (Line2, Para4) probably means that_______. A. everything in the world is decided in advance B. the world can be interpreted in different ways C. there's an explanation for everything in the world D. we have to be sensible in order to understand the world 5. People have been made to believe since infancy that ________. A. everybody is at their command B. life and death is an unsolved mystery C. every story should have a happy ending D. their wishes are the cause of everything that happens 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　C My mother has always been a follower of traditional methods when it comes to anything. She cooks traditional food，likes dressing up traditionally and likes the traditional way of shopping. She loves going to markets and going from one shop to another to find out what suits her best. She can walk miles when it comes to shopping along with her friends. She knows all the local markets and shops and knows very well where she can get best discounts（折扣）． However，now she always gets tired when she goes out in the market. So one day I decided to introduce a new shop，which is much larger than usual markets and where she can also get discounts．I am talking about online gift stores. She has a basic knowledge of computers and can operate computers. At the beginning，she was doubtful about shopping from these online gift shops because she wasn’t too sure about the quality of the products. One day I decided to get her some branded things so that she could build trust in these shops. I ordered a Timex watch and a Sisley handbag for her. She never bought things online，but when they were delivered as a gift，she jumped for joy. She could not believe that I had ordered these gifts for her despite her being not much positive about online shops. However，after she saw both the products，she was assured that these online gift shops sent the promised brands and products，she loved her new watch and handbag. After this experience she ordered a gift for her friend's wedding. She chose a gift basket that could be made according to her requirements. They sent a beautifully decorated basket with fine wines and chocolates. The basket was so artistically decorated that it became her friend's favorite gift. Since then she has been consistently shopping online. 1．What can we learn about the author's mother? A. She lives in a traditional way. B. She likes shopping very much. C. She is kind and very humorous. D. She always leads a simple life. 2．Why does the author decide to introduce a new shop to her mother? A. The new shop is much larger. B. She can't go shopping as before. C. There are more goods for her to choose from. D. The goods in the new shop are much cheaper. 3．The author decided to buy his mother some branded things＿． A. in order to please his mother B. so that she could trust in shopping online C. so that she would live a happy life in her later years D. so that she would get a surprise on Mother's Day