“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity，” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to.

Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’ re a Chinese，you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump (樹樁) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.

A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’ s not about going to a temple to burn some incense (香) in hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’ s practical advice you can follow each day.

Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups：those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper，” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.

It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “l(fā)ucky”，in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.

I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners，my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’ s studies I think not.

As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.

Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.

57．Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’s point?

A. Make the best of a bad job.                      B. Rome was not built in a day.

C. All is not gold that glitters.                       D. A good heart conquers ill fortune.

58．What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?

A. She became famous through her family background.

B. She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks in her life.

C. She is a British talk show host.

D. She became successful by her own effort.

59．The writer quoted the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show________.

A. luck is in your own hand

B. bad luck can turn into good

C. you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you

D. man can conquer nature

60．From the experiment, Wiseman drew the conclusion that________.

A. lucky people are quick-minded                B. unlucky people are slow to read

C. lucky people often have an open mind         D. unlucky people are more creative

U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday on campaign trail he can make the case for a second term, and voters will come to see him as the candidate best prepared to serve as president by next year’s elections, according to an interview he gave to the U.S. media.

In an exclusive interview he gave the Associated Press, Obama acknowledged that the state of the economy could be his biggest hurdle to clear in winning  reelection.

“I think the economy’s going to continue to improve, and I think I’m going to be able to make an effective case that… I am the person who is best prepared to finish the job so that we are on track to succeed in the 21st century,” Obama said in the video interview conducted in Chicago, where he attended fund-raising events the previous night.

“I think I can make that case, and I think that, in the debates that take place over the next 18 months, the American people will feel that I deserve a second term,” he said.

Chicago is Obama’s home, and the president’s reelection campaign headquarters is also located there. He made the reelection announcement on April 4. According to a Gallup poll released on Friday, Obama’s approval rating stood at 41 percent, an all time low. Gallup said the figure was fueled by economic dissatisfaction.

53. The best headline for this article is“ ______”.

A. Obama says he deserves a second term

B. Obama becomes the American president again

C. Obama has planned to resign from president

D. There are lots of hurdles in front of Obama

54. The underlined word ‘case’ in paragraph one means_______.

A. a success                 B. a failure                  C. a pleasure               D. a sorrow

55. The biggest problem that Obama might meet with in the president’s reelection is _______.

A．that all the people object to him                  B．that his competitor is stronger than him

C．the economic problem                        D．that he didn’t do well at his last post

56. Who probably writes this passage?

A. an official                 B. a journalist               C. a secretary              D. the common people

The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie.

The latest big screen offering from Sony Picture, 2012, arrives in theaters on Friday, with a 200milliondollar production about the end of the world supposedly based on myths (虛構(gòu)的故事) backed by the Mayan calendar. It is claimed that the end of time will come as a Planet X — or Nibiru — heads toward or collides with the Earth.

Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet’ s existence, but the US space agency denounced such stories as an “Internet hoax(惡作劇) ”. “There is no factual basis for these claims，” NASA said in a question and answer posting on its website. “If such a collision were real, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012，” it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years，” added NASA.

There is another planet, Eris, floating in space. But the small planet similar to Pluto will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the Earth, according to NASA.

Initial theories set the disaster for May 2003, but when nothing happened the date was moved forward to the winter in 2012 to coincide with the end of a cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar.

NASA insisted the Mayan calendar in fact does not end on December 21, 2012, as another period begins immediately afterward.

And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our planet would be “negligible”， NASA said.

“And while comets and asteroids (小行星) have always hit the Earth, big hits are very rare，” NASA noted. The last major impact was believed to be 65 million years ago，resulting in the end of dinosaurs.

“We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs，” the space agency said.

49．________played a key role in the spread of the rumors.

A. A new book                                   B. The Internet and a new Hollywood movie

C. NASA                                       D. An Indian calendar

50．The film 2012 is________.

A. about the end of the world                 B. based on the scientific prediction

C. well accepted in the science field            D. about a romantic love story

51．We can infer that________.

A. people didn’t take the rumor seriously

B. Planet X — or Nibiru does exist

C. astronomers have been tracking Planet X for over ten years

D. the rumor caused a panic among some people

52．Which of the following is the best title?

A. New Hollywood movie 2012            B. December 21, 2012, NOT the end of the world

C. End of the ancient Mayan calendar     D. How rumors came into being

Western New Bridge Library Announcement

45．Tim wants to polish his writing, it is best for him to attend the related activity on________.

A. Monday                  B. Tuesday                 C. Thursday               D. Friday

46．Which of the following descriptions about the annual Children’s Gathering is true?

A. Tickets are a must in order to attend it.

B. Only those who have received an invitation are admitted in the Gathering.

C. You have to make a reply to the invitation to make sure you get a seat.

D. You’d better apply in advance because there are not enough seats for everyone.

47．If there is an emergency, you should________.

A. call the Help Desk                              B. contact hld @ wnbl. corg

C. stay in the library and wait                             D. ring 926  3637

48．The announcement is mainly intended for________.

A. staff members of the library                            B. parents of the school children

C. the school children                             D. volunteers of the activities

Every day people often saw a boy sing in a park. In fact, they didn’t know the fact that this boy had cancer for a long time and he had no more time left. He looked very optimistic and he didn’t feel self-contemptuous（自卑的）at all.

One day, he was wandering in the park. Suddenly a good smell flew over and it attracted him to come under a peach. To his joy, he saw a girl dancing pleasingly.

“You are great! You look like a dancing butterfly!” watching her for a long time, then he said.　

“Thank you!” this girl looked up and said shyly.

“Are you blind?” said the boy amazedly.

The girl made no reply, but she nodded hard.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!” said the boy in a hurry.

“Never mind!” the girl seemed to be easy.

They knew each other in this way.

From then on, they often met each other. And while the boy was singing, the girl danced for him.

Time passed quickly! Many days passed before they knew it.

“Look! How beautiful the peach blossoms are! They are just like you!”said the boy unconsciously（無意地）.

“But I can’t see.” the girl lowered her head.

“I’m sorry!” the boy couldn’t help regretting. He felt his heart bitten hard by a snake, “How foolish I am! How can I say such words before her?” His heart was soon covered by an inexplicable idea.

Several days later, the girl told the boy happily that her eyes would be cured quickly because someone was willing to contribute his cornea（角膜）to her. Hearing the girl’s words, the boy also smiled happily.

That day, darkness seemed to come earlier than ever. The boy said many words to the girl: “I had never believed there was forever in the world. But I know I am mistaken! There is forever indeed — friendship. Now I have to go and I am afraid that we can’t meet each other again, either. I will treasure our friendship up in my memory!”

Hearing the boy’s words, the girl couldn’t help crying. Then the boy sang again while the girl danced.

Later the boy went quietly, but he was regretless, because he gave the last song in his life to the girl.

Soon the girl’s operation succeeded, she saw everything and knew the truth, too. To people’s surprise, the peach didn’t blossom that year.

When the girl came to the appointed place with tears, she seemed to see the boy singing and walking to her in the setting sun.

41. From the passage we know that the girl was as _____ as the boy though she was disabled.

A. helpful                      B. self-contemptuous            C. old                   D. optimistic

42. From the passage we can infer that it was _____ that the boy said, “Look! How beautiful the peach

blossoms are! They are just like you!”

A. unconsciously            B. mockingly                       C. foolishly            D. on purpose

43. What do the underlined words “an inexplicable idea” refer to?

A. The fact that the boy had an incurable disease and was dying soon.

B. The idea that the boy would like to contribute his cornea to the girl.

C. The idea that the friendship between them would last forever.

D. The fact that the girl was very pitiful and badly needed help.

44. What’s the best title of this passage?

A. The Friendship                                       B. An Unselfish Boy      

C. The Last Song in Life                                   D. A Touching Story

通讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后在21---40各題所給的四個選項中選出一個最佳答案。

In the city of Fujisawa, Japan, lives a woman named Atsuko Saeki when she was a teenager, she 21 of going to the United States. Most of what she knew about American22 was from the textbooks she had read. "I had a 23   in mind: Daddy watching TV in the living room, Mummy   24  cakes and their teenage daughter off to the cinema with her boyfriend."

Atsuko 25 to attend college in California. When she arrived, however, she found it was not her 26 world.' "People were struggling with problems and often seemed 27  " she said. "I felt very alone."

One of her hardest 28  was physical education. "We played volleyball." she said. "The other students were  29  it, but I wasn't."

One afternoon, the instructor asked Atsuko to 30  the ball to her teammates so they could knock it31 the net- NO problem for most people, but it terrified Atsuko. She was afraid of losing face32  she failed.

A young man on her team  33  what she was going through. He walked up to me and 34 , "Come on. You can do that".    

"You will never understand how those words of 35  made me feel.. Four words: You can do that I felt like crying with happiness"

She made it through the class. Perhaps she thanked the young man; she is not 36 .

Six years has passed. Atsuko is back in Japan, working as a salesclerk. "I have 37 forgotten the words." she said. "When things are not going so well, I think of them."

She is sure the young man had no idea how much his kindness   38  to her.  "He probably doesn't even remember it," she said. That may be the lesson. Whenever you say something to a person cruel or kind---you have no idea how long the words will 39 . She's all the way over in Japan, but still she hears those four 40  words: You can do that.

21. A. learned           B. spoke                C. dreamed              D. heard

22. A. way             B. life                   C. education              D. spirit

23. A. photo            B. painting               C. picture                D. drawing

24. A. baking           B. frying                C. steaming               D. boiling

25. A. hoped           B. arranged              C. liked                  D. attempted

26. A. described        B. imagined              C. created               D. discovered

27. A. tense            B. cheerful                     C. relaxed                D. deserted

28. A. times            B. question              C. classes                D. projects.

29. A. curious about     B. good at               C. slow at                D. nervous about

30. A. kick             B. give                 C. carry                 D. hit

31. A. through          B. into                 C. over                   D. past

32. A. after            B. if                   C. because                D. until

33. A. believed          B. considered                   C. wondered              D. sensed

34. A. warned          B. sighed               C. ordered                D. whispered

35. A. excitement       B. encouragement        C. persuasion              D. suggestion

36. A. interested        B. doubtful              C. puzzled                D. sure

37. A. never            B. already               C. seldom                D. almost

38. A. happened         B. applied               C. seemed                D. meant

39. A. continue         B. stay                  C. exist                  D. live

40. A. merciful         B. bitter                 C. simple                 D. easy

—David．I’ve looked through your plan．Could I make some suggestions?

—　　

A．It’s my pleasure． B．Go ahead．　 　　　 C．With pleasure． 　　 D．Take it easy．

 Jack’s speech was heard by a group of five judges, all of ____ agreed that it was the best one this

year.

A. who                         B. which             C. that              D. whom

 I can’t say which wine is the best--- it’s a _____ of personal taste.

A. affair                       B. event                     C. matter                    D. variety

 Our food supply _____. We’d better get some in case there’s ____ left.

A. is running out, none                                B. has run out of, none

C. is using up, nothing                                D. has used up, nothing