Honey from the African forest is not onl...

On a hill 600 feet above the surrounding land, we watch the lines of rain move across the scene, the moon rise over the hills, and the stars appear in the sky. The views invite a long look from a comfortable chair in front of the wooden house.

Every window in our wooden house has a view, and the forest and lakes seldom look the same as the hour before. Each look reminds us where we are.

There is space for our three boys to play outside, to shoot arrows, collect tree seeds, build earth houses and climb trees.

Our kids have learned the names of the trees, and with the names have come familiarity and appreciation. As they tell all who show even a passing interest, maple（枫树）makes the best fighting sticks and white pines are the best climbing trees.

The air is clean and fresh. The water from the well has a pleasant taste, and it is perhaps the healthiest water our kids will ever drink. Though they have one glass a day of juice and the rest is water, they never say anything against that.

The seasons change just outside the door. We watch the maples turn every shade of yellow and red in the fall and note the poplars’（杨树）putting out the first green leaves of spring. The rainbow smelt fills the local steam as the ice gradually disappears, and the wood frogs start to sing in pools after being frozen for the winter. A family of birds rules our skies and flies over the lake.

1.What can be learned from Paragraph 2?

2.By mentioning the names of the trees, the author aims to show that           .

3.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

4.What is the main purpose of the author writing the text?

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1.The voucher can be used for a stay at the chosen B&B on           .

2.How much should be paid for a two-night stay in October 2012 at a chosen B&B?

3.By taking up the offer, the voucher holders can choose to           .

One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文) showing how it was used.

This was a huge task. So Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford.

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff's most valued contributors.

But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline(拒绝) to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell（地窖） at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally insane.

Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.

In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined（下定义） 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.

1.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary           .

2.How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?

3. Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because           .

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

I went to my favorite restaurant one evening to have supper. I knew the owner very well. __36 _ I was waiting for the soup to arrive, I looked around to see if I knew anyone in the restaurant. It was __37_ that I noticed a man sitting at the corner table __38__ watching in my direction, as if he knew me. The man had a newspaper open __39__him, which he was __40__ to read, though all the while I could see that he was keeping an eye on me. When the waiter brought the soup, the man was clearly __41_ by the familiar way in which the waiter and I talked to each other. He became even more puzzled as time went on and it grew more and more obvious that I was well__ 42__ in the restaurant. In the end he got up and went to the kitchen. After a few minutes he came_ 43__ again, paid his bill and left without__ 44__ looking in my direction.

When I finished and was__ 45__ to pay my bill, I called the owner over and __46__him what the man had wanted. The owner at__47_ didn’t want to tell me. I __48__ “Well”, he said “ that man was a detective.” “__49__?” I said, much surprised. “he followed you here because he_ 50__ you were the man he was looking for,” the owner said. “He showed me a photo of the__51__ man. He certainly looked __52__ you! Of course since we know you here. I was able to make him __53 _that he had made a mistake.” “It’s__ 54__ I came to a restaurant where I’m where I’m known,” I said, “otherwise I __55__have been taken to police station!”

1.A While               B. After               C. Before              D. Until

——How are you getting on with your work these days?

——______.