Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children．In spite of the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and Albert, had a dream．They both wanted to pursue their talent for art．After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement．They would toss a coin．The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother who attended the academy．Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy．
Tossing a coin, Albrecht Durer won and went off to Nuremberg．Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation（轟動）．By the time he graduated, he had earned considerable fees for his outstanding works．
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant（勝利的）homecoming．Albrecht drank a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled him to complete his dream．“And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn．Now you can go to Nuremberg to look for your dream, and I will take care of you．”
Tears streaming down his pale face, Albert sobbed, “No．．．no．．．It is too late for me．Look．．．look at what four years in the mines have done to my hands！The bones in every finger have been broken at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis（關(guān)節(jié)炎）so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less draw delicate lines with a pen or a brush．”
To show thanks to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands”, but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed it “The Praying Hands”．The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, let it be your reminder—no one ever makes any success alone！

1. 1.

   Why did the two brothers work out the agreement？

   1. A.
      They were so curious as to make a joke．
   2. B.
      Their family couldn’t afford the academy．
   3. C.
      One of the brothers was supposed to go into mines．
   4. D.
      They wanted to support the other sisters and brothers．
2. 2.

   The underlined word “whose” in Para．2 refers to _____ ．

   1. A.
      the Durer family’s
   2. B.
      the miners
   3. C.
      Albert’s
   4. D.
      Albrecht’s
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true about Albrecht Durer？

   1. A.
      He began to earn his living after graduation
   2. B.
      He did perfectly well at the academy
   3. C.
      He wanted his brother to go to the academy
   4. D.
      He created great masterpieces
4. 4.

   Which of the following is the correct order of the story？
   a．Albrecht went to Nuremberg
   b．Albert supported his brother
   c．The Durer family held a festive dinner
   d．Albrecht drew his brother’s injured hands
   e．The brothers tossed a coin．

   1. A.
      b, a, c, d, e
   2. B.
      a, e, c, d, b
   3. C.
      e, a, c, b, d
   4. D.
      e, a, b, c, d
5. 5.

   What can we learn from the story？

   1. A.
      One can achieve success simply on his own
   2. B.
      Any success requires the help of others．
   3. C.
      It’s other people who contribute to one’s success
   4. D.
      Nobody could succeed without good guidance

For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A,B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
When I was a college student, I did a lot of travelling abroad. That was because a professor  50 me to do so. She said,“Now is the time for you to travel around the world,    51    your knowledge through actual experiences and have fun!” I agreed with her.
Since I started to work for a    52   company, however, I have done most of my travellling through the Internet. By using the Internet, I have seen the sights of many cities on my computer screen. And I have really made business   53  , too. With the help of the Internet, I have also got    54   about food in different countries.
Therefore, I was beginning to feel that actual trips were   55  necessary when I happened to read a famous chef’s comment on the Internet. He said,“It is very difficult to have real Italian food in a foreign country, because we enjoy food and the atmosphere around us at the same time. So why don’t you fly over to Italy and enjoy real Italian   56  ?” Those words reminded me of my   57  advice. As information technology   58  ,you might be able to do without making some real trips. But this also means that you will miss the various   59  you can get from travelling.
Today there are people who   60  direct communication with others and spend much of their time on the Internet. It is not surprising to see a group of people   61  not with each other but into their micro phones. It seems as if such people are   62  by an invisible wall. They seem to be losing out on a good chance to   63  and talk with other people. I do not think that they are taking good advantage of information technology. We should use information technology as a tool to make our daily communication more fruitful. However, we should never let it   64 our time for face-to-face communication. Let’s make use of information technology more  wisely, and have great fun in experiencing the actual world.

For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A,B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
When I was a college student, I did a lot of travelling abroad. That was because a professor1me to do so. She said,“Now is the time for you to travel around the world, 2 your knowledge through actual experiences and have fun!” I agreed with her.
Since I started to work for a3company, however, I have done most of my travellling through the Internet. By using the Internet, I have seen the sights of many cities on my computer screen. And I have really made business4, too. With the help of the Internet, I have also got 5about food in different countries.
Therefore, I was beginning to feel that actual trips were6necessary when I happened to read a famous chef’s comment on the Internet. He said,“It is very difficult to have real Italian food in a foreign country, because we enjoy food and the atmosphere around us at the same time. So why don’t you fly over to Italy and enjoy real Italian7?” Those words reminded me of my8advice. As information technology9,you might be able to do without making some real trips. But this also means that you will miss the various10you can get from travelling.
Today there are people who11direct communication with others and spend much of their time on the Internet. It is not surprising to see a group of people12not with each other but into their micro phones. It seems as if such people are13by an invisible wall. They seem to be losing out on a good chance to14and talk with other people. I do not think that they are taking good advantage of information technology. We should use information technology as a tool to make our daily communication more fruitful. However, we should never let it15our time for face-to-face communication. Let’s make use of information technology more  wisely, and have great fun in experiencing the actual world.

1. 1.
   1. A.
      promised
   2. B.
      allowed
   3. C.
      hurried
   4. D.
      encouraged
2. 2.
   1. A.
      build up
   2. B.
      use
   3. C.
      practice
   4. D.
      exchange
3. 3.
   1. A.
      computer
   2. B.
      food
   3. C.
      clothing
   4. D.
      machine
4. 4.
   1. A.
      plans
   2. B.
      bargain
   3. C.
      progress
   4. D.
      trips
5. 5.
   1. A.
      information
   2. B.
      taste
   3. C.
      cooks
   4. D.
      feelings
6. 6.
   1. A.
      even more
   2. B.
      no longer
   3. C.
      much
   4. D.
      actually
7. 7.
   1. A.
      shoes
   2. B.
      dishes
   3. C.
      customers
   4. D.
      situations
8. 8.
   1. A.
      friend’s
   2. B.
      parents’
   3. C.
      professor’s
   4. D.
      boss’
9. 9.
   1. A.
      produces
   2. B.
      advertises
   3. C.
      forms
   4. D.
      advances
10. 10.
    1. A.
       news
    2. B.
       pleasures
    3. C.
       troubles
    4. D.
       places
11. 11.
    1. A.
       avoid
    2. B.
       keep
    3. C.
       lose
    4. D.
       enjoy
12. 12.
    1. A.
       meeting
    2. B.
       talking
    3. C.
       communicating
    4. D.
       travelling
13. 13.
    1. A.
       stopped
    2. B.
       met
    3. C.
       surrounded
    4. D.
       hurt
14. 14.
    1. A.
       look at
    2. B.
       employ
    3. C.
       travel
    4. D.
       meet
15. 15.
    1. A.
       spare
    2. B.
       increase
    3. C.
       reduce
    4. D.
       make use of

I was working as a consultant in a beer company, helping the president and senior vice-presidents form and carry out their new planning projects. It was really a great challenge.
At the same time, my mother was in the final stages of cancer.
I worked during the day and drove 40 miles home to be with her every night. It was tiring and stressful, but it was what I wanted to do. My commitment was to continue to do excellent consulting during the day, even though my evenings were very hard. I didn’t want to bother the president with my situation, yet I felt someone at the company needed to know what was going on. So I told the vice-president of Human Resources, asking him not to share the information with anyone.
A few days later, the president called me into his office.
I figured he wanted to talk to me about one of the many issues we were working on. When I entered, he asked me to sit down. He faced me from across his large desk, looked at me in the eye and said, “I hear your mother is very ill”.
I was totally caught by surprise and burst into tears. He just looked at me, let my crying subside(平息), and then gently said a sentence I will never forget: whatever you need.
That was it. His understanding and his willingness to both let me be in my pain and to offer me everything were qualities of sympathy（同情）that I carry with me to this day.
【小題1】When the author was working in a beer company, his mother        .

I was working as a consultant in a beer company, helping the president and senior vice-presidents form and carry out their new planning projects. It was really a great challenge.
At the same time, my mother was in the final stages of cancer.
I worked during the day and drove 40 miles home to be with her every night. It was tiring and stressful, but it was what I wanted to do. My commitment was to continue to do excellent consulting during the day, even though my evenings were very hard. I didn’t want to bother the president with my situation, yet I felt someone at the company needed to know what was going on. So I told the vice-president of Human Resources, asking him not to share the information with anyone.
A few days later, the president called me into his office.
I figured he wanted to talk to me about one of the many issues we were working on. When I entered, he asked me to sit down. He faced me from across his large desk, looked at me in the eye and said, “I hear your mother is very ill”.
I was totally caught by surprise and burst into tears. He just looked at me, let my crying subside(平息), and then gently said a sentence I will never forget: whatever you need.
That was it. His understanding and his willingness to both let me be in my pain and to offer me everything were qualities of sympathy（同情）that I carry with me to this day

1. 1.

   When the author was working in a beer company, his mother        

   1. A.
      was concerned about him
   2. B.
      drew the president’s attention
   3. C.
      was seriously ill
   4. D.
      was proud of her son
2. 2.

   Although he felt tired and stressed, he felt it his duty        

   1. A.
      to help plan some new projects
   2. B.
      to avoid bothering the president
   3. C.
      to tell the vice-president his difficult situation
   4. D.
      to do his job well and look after his mother
3. 3.

   Most probably, the president got the information from        

   1. A.
      a relative of the author’s
   2. B.
      the vice-president
   3. C.
      the author’s good friends
   4. D.
      the author’s workmates
4. 4.

   Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

   1. A.
      Understanding Is Nowhere
   2. B.
      Generous President
   3. C.
      Sympathy Is Needed
   4. D.
      An Unforgettable Memory