We all remember seeing hitchhikers（搭便车的人）, standing by the side of the road, thumb sticking out, waiting for a lift. But it is getting rare nowadays. What killed hitchhiking? Safety is often mentioned as a reason. Movies about murderous hitchhikers and real-life crime have put many drivers off picking up hitchhikers. That no single women picked me up on my journey to Manchester no doubt reflects the safety fear: a large, strangely dressed man is seen as dangerous.

But the reason may be more complex: hitchhiking happens where people don’t have cars and transport services are poor. Plenty of people still hitchhike in Poland and Romania. Perhaps the rising level of car ownership in the UK means the few people lift hitchhiking are usually considered strange. Why can’t they afford cars? Why can’t they take the coach or the train?

Three-quarters of the UK population have access to a car; many of the remainder will be quite old. The potential hitchhiking population is therefore small. Yet my trip proves it’s still possible to hitchhike. The people who picked me up were very interesting-lawyer, retired surgeon, tank commander, carpenter, man who live in an isolated farmhouse and a couple living up in the mountains. My conclusion is that only really interesting people are mad enough to pick up fat blokes in red,

spotted scarves. Most just wanted to do someone a good turn; a few said they were so surprised to see a hitchhiker that they couldn’t help stopping.

The future of hitchhiking most likely lies with car-sharing organized over the Internet, via sites such as hitchhikers. org. But for now, you can still stick your thumb out(actually, I didn’t do much of that, preferring just to hold up my destination sign) and people-wonderful, caring, sharing, unafraid people-will stop.

In the UK, with its cheap coaches and reasonable rail service, I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it. But having enjoyed it so much, I’m ready now to do a big trip across Europe and beyond. In the 1970s a female friend of my wife’s hitchhiked to India. How wonderful it would be to have another go, though Afghanistan might be a challenge. I wish I’d got that tank commander’s mobile number.

1.The author tried to hitchhike but was rejected by single women drivers because_____________ .

A. they were not heading towards Manchester      

B. they thought most hitchhikers were dangerous

C. hitchhiking had been forbidden and they didn’t want to break the law

D. he was a strong man in strange clothes who seemed dangerousZxxk

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. That some people refuse hitchhikers may reflect the safety fear.

B. Car ownership levels are lower in Romania than in the UK.

C. 40% of UK people don’t have access to cars.

D. Increased car ownership has reduced the need for hitchhiking.

3.The “fat blokes in red, spotted scarves” in Paragraph 3 most likely means          .

A. murderous hitchhikers              

B．friendly and talkative hitchhikers

C. typical hitchhikers              

D．strange hitchhikers like the author

4.According to the author, future hitchhikers are more likely to                 .

A. visit websites and find people to share cars with 

B. stand by roads with their thumbs sticking out

C. stick out signs with their destinations written on

D. wait for some kind people to pick them up

5.From the last paragraph, we know that the author                    .

A. frequently hitchhikes in Britain           

B. plans to hitchhike across Europe

C. thinks public transport is safer for travel

D. is going to contact the tank commander

1.Probably most injuries happen to skaters’ wrists because ________.

A. few skaters wear wrist guards               

B. The wrist is the most fragile body part

C. skaters often push out their hands when falling 

D. skaters don’t know how to protect their wrists

2.________ are the majority in the study.

A. Those who wore helmets          

B. Those who wore wrist guards

C. Those who wore knee pads        

D. Those who wore no protective gear

3.To reduce injuries greatly, a skater should at least wear __________.

A. a helmet and elbow pads         

B. wrist guards and knee pads

C. elbow pads and wrist guards     

D. the whole set of protective gear

4.This passage is most probably be found in __________.

A. a poster     B. science fiction    

C. collection of choice stories    D. newspaper

5.What was the main point of the study?

A. To encourage people to learn skating.           

B. To advise skaters to wear safety pads.

C. To advertise for skating protective gear.       

D. To introduce ways of protecting skaters.

He almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front her Mercedes and got out.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt.

He said, “I am here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened, had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were many people who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

1.This story most probably took place_______.

A. in a garage   B. on a highway    C. in a busy street    D. near a gas station

2.When the man approached the old lady, the first thing he did was to______.

A. ask what was wrong with her car       

B. get the old lady out of her car

C. change her tire as soon as possible     

D. make her know he wanted to help her

3.The underlined part in Paragraph 6 suggests that________.

A. the old lady had got ready to pay the man

B. the old lady was grateful to the man

C. the man had a lot of difficulty changing the tire

D. the man didn’t stop changing the tire

4.Which of the following words can best describe the man?

A. Warm-hearted and sensitive.  

B. Careful and serious.

C. Thoughtful and helpful.      

D. Generous and open-minded.

5.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______________.

A. the man was happy after helping the old lady

B. the man received a lot of money from the old lady

C. the man made the old lady feel cold and depressed 

D. the man felt extremely frustrated all the way home

“Hey, Dad, are you going to come to my award ceremony tonight?” I __31___asked my father. “I have to work late tonight. I doubt if I’ll be able to __32__ it on time. I am just too busy right now,” he replied.

My mind could not ___33__the idea that he would be too busy working late. He was also too busy to __34__ my horse show, football games and the 15th birthday party. He always used the same __35__. Why had I even taken trouble to ask? __36__, there was always a slight hope that tonight would be __37__.

As my mother and I arrived at school, two friends__38__ me. “Jill, meet my dad. Dad, this is my friend Jill.” I shook the hand of a tall man. Camera flashes lit up the room, and claps filled the __39__ as students accepted their awards. My name was finally called, __40__ three others. I followed my classmates to the __41__. When I reached out my hand to shake the __42__, a big smile lit up her face. The blinding flash from my mother’s camera ___43__ my eyes and I knew my dad wasn’t there. I walked back to my seat __44___.

Back at home, seeing my dad’s car in the garage. I told myself he would not be __45__. But the strong smell of alcohol hit me as soon as I __46__inside, and I could feel my tears __47__ . I followed the sound of his drunken words and saw him __48__ on the couch.

__49__ did Father lie to me? I threw my award on the floor, walked to my bedroom, and shut the door. Tears rolled down my face. I wondered if I would ever be more__50__ than his whiskey bottle.

1.A. confidently B. eagerly C. proudly D. fearfully

2.A. reach B. keep C. take D. make

3.A. create B. support C. appreciate  D. accept

4.A. watch B. avoid C. attend D. speed

5.A. excuse B. reply C. promise D. trick

6.A. Besides B. Thus C. Otherwise D. However

7.A. active B. formal C. different D. serious

8.A. recognized B. greeted C. encouraged D. showed

9.A. air B. audience C. school D. playground

10.A. rather than B. other than C. except for D. along with

11.A. stage B. position C. office D. exit

12.A. Jill’s B. teacher’s C. mother’s D. father’s

13.A. fixed B. touched C. hurt D. inserted

14.A. successfully B. disappointedly C. delightedly D. hopefully

15.A. drunk B. woken C. forgiven D. hidden

16.A. stepped B. noticed C. examined D. glanced

17.A. getting off B. taking down C. building up D. turning around

18.A. learning B. lying C. putting D. carrying

19.A. How B. Where C. Why D. Whether

20.A. perfect B. comfortable C. fortunate D. important

Our class team is short of one person for the coming football match. Why don’t you join us?

— _______.

A. It’s my pleasure  B. Don’t mention it  C. It’s up to you   D. It is really not my cup of tea

There are _____ to show that Rome will win the bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

A. signals     B. marks     C. signs      D. symbols

Playing QQ’s “Happy Farm” by planting, watering, fertilizing and harvesting vegetables, fruits and flowers, we can find out _______ all the excitement is about.

A. that          B. if              C. when             D. what

---Where is your new home now?

   ---In the new developed zone. But I _____ downtown for five years.

  A. have lived     B. had lived            C. lived        D. was living

---Did you enjoy the movie?

   ---Sure, it is _____ a beautiful country town with a variety of cultures.

  A. put on         B. set in               C. taken on         D. got in

Written in a hurry, _____.

A. they found many mistakes in the report      

B. Sam made lots of mistakes in the report

C. there are many mistakes in the report       

D. the report is full of mistakes