D
I love charity(慈善) shops and so do lots of other people in Britain because you find quite a few of them on every high street. The charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods, all at very good prices. You can get things you won't find in the shops anymore. The thing I like best about them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods.
The first charity shop was opened in 1947 by Oxfam. The famous charity's appeal to aid postwar Greece had been so successful it had been flooded with donations(捐贈物). They decided to set up a shop to sell some of these donations to raise money for that appeal. Now there are over 7,000 charity shops in the UK. My favourite charity shop in my hometown is the Red Cross shop, where I always find children's books, all 10 or 20 pence each.
Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public. Every morning you see bags of unwanted items outside the front of shops, although they don't encourage this, rather ask people to bring things in when the shop is open.
The shops have very low running costs: all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡110 million a year, funding（資助）medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more. What better place to spend your money? You get something special for a very good price and a good moral sense. You provide funds to a good cause and tread lightly on the environment.
69. The author loves the charity shop mainly because of _______.
A. its convenient location            B. its great variety of goods
C. its spirit of goodwill              D. its nice shopping environment
70. The first charity shop in the UK was set up to ____.
A. sell cheap products               B. deal with unwanted things
C. raise money for patients           D. help a foreign country
71. Which of the following is TRUE about charity shops?
A. The operating costs are very low.
B. The staff are usually well paid.
C. 90% of the donations are second-hand.
D. They are open twenty-four hours a day.
72. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
A. What to Buy a Charity Shops.
B. Charity Shop: Its Origin & Development.
C. Charity Shop: Where You Buy to Donate.
D. The Public's Concern about Charity Shops.

D
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied, "You mean fortunately．" He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to complain as I approached it but now I tell myself the following; This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally as I wend my way up the incline I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free．I have a smug smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome． We cannot achieve anything with an easy life, Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a University degree．  Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote, " Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved．"
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity．From time to time, we all face hardships, problems, accidents, and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying experts in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said, "Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind, you’11 never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything．Go to school, join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible．"
The biographies of great people are filled with examples of how they took kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
68．The writer has a smug smile of satisfaction as he reaches the top of the hill because________．
A．he was actually killing two birds with a stone
B．compared with those silly people, he was smarter
C．he lost weight by cycling to the town center every day
D．he was informed of a short route from his house to the town
69．The writer quoted Helen Keller and her saying as an example to demonstrate_________．
A．one cannot achieve anything with an easy life
B．only disabled persons can experience hardship deeply
C．one' s success is determined by nothing but his/ her attitude
D．it' s rare for a deaf and blind person to gain a University degree．
70．From this passage we know that Douglas Bader was a person of___________．
A．individual and creative character        B．stubborn yet charming personality
C．great bravery and strong will           D．excellent speaker with great influence
71．In writing style, the last paragraph serves as____________
A．a(chǎn)n explanation        B．a(chǎn) demonstration    C．a(chǎn)n introduction  D．a(chǎn) summarization

D
I read about it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. I read it, and I couldn't believe it, and I read it again. Then perhaps I just stared at it, at the newsprint spelling out his name, spelling out the story. I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared(隆隆響) outside.
It was not to be believed and I kept telling myself that, as I walked from the subway station to the high school. And at the same time I couldn't doubt it. I was scared, scared for Sonny. He became real to me again. A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles(涓涓細(xì)流)of ice water all up and down my veins(血管), but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my heart was going to come spilling(溢出) out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.
When he was about as old as the boys in my classes his face had been bright and open; and he'd had wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness. I wondered what he looked like now. He had been picked up, the evening before, in a sudden search on an apartment down-town, for selling and using heroin.
I couldn't believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldn't find any room for it anywhere inside me. I had kept it outside me for a long time. I hadn't wanted to know. I had had suspicions(懷疑), but I didn't name them, I kept putting them away. I told myself that Sonny was wild, but he wasn't crazy. And he'd always been a good boy, he hadn't ever turned hard or evil or disrespectful, the way kids can, so quick, so quick, especially in Harlem. I didn't want to believe that I'd ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition I'd already seen so many others.
67. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to ____.
A. the swinging light of the subway car    B. the news of Sonny’s being arrested
C. everything trapped in the darkness       D. newspaper
68. We can learn from the passage that ____.
A. the news on the paper was unbelievable.
B. I was too scared to believe the news
C. I was ill because a great block of ice was in my belly
D. Sonny and I hadn’t seen each other for a long time
69. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Sonny and I were brothers.
B. Sonny had always been a good boy before being arrested.
C. I didn’t care about Sonny.
D. Many young men turned bad in Harlem.
70. Which of the following can best describe the author’s feelings towards Sonny?
   A. Concern, affection, expectation.            B. Concern, hatred, expectation.
C. Affection, regret, sympathy.                  D. Regret, understanding, sympathy.

D
I don’t like getting up too early unless I have to. When you’re filming, you’ve got make-up on, which doesn’t happen often. As I’m not filming at present I’ll get up at 8.30.
Work normally means Matt coming over to my house about 10 am. We’re writing at the moment. We’ll chat for a bit before going to my study. One of us will have an idea for a sketch (梗概), we’ll talk about the characters and when we feel we have enough we’ll start writing.
Matt and I met at the National Youth Theatre in 1990 and started doing shows together in ’95, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. We know we’re onto something if we’ve made each other laugh, and that’s a really special moment. It’s not always like that, but we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can be honest and go. Some days you’re not in the mood to be funny—like writing when my dad was dying of cancer, or when Matt was separating from his partner.
We stop for lunch and sometimes go to Wagamama in Camden, but the last time we were followed by paparazzi (狗仔隊), which gets you down—who wants to be pictured eating noodles?
When I’m not writing with Matt I work on other projects. My second children’s book comes out later in the year. It’s called Mr. Stink. The first one I dedicated to my three-year-old nephew, Eddie. Both books have been illustrated by Quentin Blake; it’s been a thrill to work with him—like 20 years ago reading a Roald Dahl book and looking at those drawings, then one day that person illustrates your work… magical.
At 5 I go swimming in Soho. My trainer makes me do horrible exercises, but I always feel better after.
Being in all day, I like to go out in the evening and look smart, but not like I’ve come out of the City. I’m a tall, broad guy and well-dressed.
For dinner I’ll meet friends. When you’re a single guy it’s great to have some good female friends. Or I might take my mum to the theatre, as I know she really appreciates it. I like watching TV comedy shows to see what everyone’s doing. When you see something impressive it makes you work harder. I also love Larkin’s poems: they don’t try to transcend (超越) the commonplace; they’re much more straightforward.
Poetry is great to dip into before going to bed, rather than falling asleep reading a novel and being confused over what you’ve read or not. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in seven years; unfortunately, I rely on pills. I’ve tried everything. If I could wish anything for myself, I’d wish I could sleep better.
67. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. the author spends much time with his friends
B. the author and Matt are both famous in the district
C. the author doesn’t care much about what to wear
D. the author works at home and seldom goes out every day
68. Where does the passage most likely appear?
A. In a travel diary.                         B. In a news column.
C. In an online diary.                    D. In a research paper.
69. Why does the author read some poetry before going to bed?
A. Because poetry can often bring him some funny ideas.
B. Because poetry is much easier to understand than novels.
C. Because poetry is very abstract and reflects unusual things.
D. Because poetry can be of some help for him to kill time.
70. What might be the best title for the passage?
A. A day’s work with Matt                 B. A new life-style 
C. A life in the day                       D. A good way to write

D
I grew up in a small town. I was only ten years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable (馬廄). He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace. I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged.
One night, a woman executive (董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I had my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man.
68. Why was the writer once known as a singing cook?
A. He was a cook at a country music club.
B. He sang for guests while he worked as a cook.
C. He often sang while cooking.
D. He liked singing better than cooking.
69. Who first recognized the writer’s talents and helped make him successful?
A. His brother.      B. His manager.    C. His father.           D. A businesswoman.
70. It can be inferred from the passage that the ______.
A. writer’s success is partly due to his father     B. writer’s family was very poor
C. writer succeeded easily                   D. writer’s first record was a total failure