It was a dark and stormy night. The ferocious wind shook the windows wildly, as though someone outside were beating on the glass. It was also New Year’s Eve. We were having our annual party and had a house full of people just starting to celebrate.
Suddenly, we heard loud explosions. Looking outside and up into the hills, we saw sparks( 火花 ) flying from electrical transformers( 变压器 ). One area after another went dark up in those hills. Then there was the loudest explosion of them all and our house went dark too. I tried to find every candle we had and lit them. The candles made everything look lovely. But we had problems. We had fifteen people standing around and we still had to cook dinner. How would we do that without electricity?
The barbecue! Why not cook on the barbecue? We men went outside, some holding flashlights and others cooking. We did a wonderful job. The women stayed inside and got the salads ready. Everything was delicious. There were still a few hours to go before the beginning of the new year, so we all sat around the dining room table and sang up until a few minutes before midnight. We couldn’t watch the ball drop in Times Square on television but that wouldn’t stop us from celebrating. I stood on a chair and, with the help of someone’s watch to tell us the time, we all counted down and I dropped a tennis ball! We all screamed Happy New Year. We didn’t need electricity for that!
Nowadays, we still get together with the same group to celebrate the New Year and we still talk about that special night. I don’t think we have ever laughed so much as we did on that New Year’s Eve.
56 . What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 1? (1 word)
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57 . What made dinner preparation difficult according to Paragraph 2? (no more than 6 words)
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58 . How did the people celebrate on New Year’s Eve according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)
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59 . How does the author feel about that particular New Year’s Eve? (no more than 8 words)
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60 . What do you think is the most necessary quality when dealing with an unexpected difficult situation? Please explain why. (no more than 25words)
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【导语】本文是一篇记叙文。文章主要记叙了作者经历过的一个突发事故,新年夜变压器爆炸,十五个朋友面面相觑,没有电还需要做年夜饭,但作者和朋友一起努力,度过了一个美好的新年夜。
56 .考查词义猜测。根据文章第一段 “The ferocious wind shook the windows wildly, as though someone outside were beating on the glass.( 狂风猛烈地摇动着窗户,好像外面有人在敲打着玻璃。 )” ,结合常识可知,风肯定很大才会像窗外有人敲打着玻璃;形容风特别大可以用形容词 fierce“ 猛的 ” 、 strong“ 强的 ” 或 violent“ 暴力的 ” 。故答案为 Fierce./ Strong./ Violent 。
57 .考查细节理解。根据文章第二段 “We had fifteen people standing around and we still had to cook dinner. How would we do that without electricity?( 我们有 15 个人站着,我们还得做晚饭。没有电,我们要怎么办呢? )” 可知当时有 15 个人共同准备迎接新年,如何在断电的情况下准备这么多人的晚餐,变得很困难。故答案为 No electricity./ The power failure./ There was no electricity./ Electricity was gone. 。
58 .考查细节理解。根据文章第三段 “Why not cook on the barbecue?( 为什么不在烧烤架上做呢 )” 、 “so we all sat around the dining room table and sang up until a few minutes before midnight.( 所以我们都坐在餐厅的桌子旁,一直唱到午夜前几分钟。 )” 和 “we all counted down and I dropped a tennis ball!( 我们都开始倒数,然后我掉了一个网球! )” 可知,大家在烧烤架上做了饭、唱了歌,也做了新年倒数。故答案为 They cooked on the barbecue, sang, and counted down./ By cooking on the barbecue, singing, and counting down. 。
59 .考查推理判断。根据文章第四段 “Nowadays, we still get together with the same group to celebrate the New Year and we still talk about that special night. I don’t think we have ever laughed so much as we did on that New Year’s Eve. ( 现在,我们仍然聚在一起庆祝新年,我们仍然谈论那个特别的夜晚。我想我们从来没有像那个新年前夜那样笑得那么开心过。 )” 可知,作者认为那一夜是特别的,是充满欢笑的。故答案为 It was the most exciting one./ It was a night filled with laughter./ It was special./ Exciting./ Pleasant./ Unforgettable./ Joyful./ Different./ Memorable./ Unique. 。
60 .考查推理判断。本题要求考生基于对篇章整体内容的理解,对青年人面对突发事件应如何面对给出自己的想法,为开放性试题。故参考答案为: It is courage, for it gives us strength, which enables us to deal with difficulties.
I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old. My brother and his friends were all ___36____ of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday. When they ___37____ that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought ____38___ for performance. However, at the last minute, one of the friends couldn’t go, so my brother __39_____ me the ticket. I was really ___40____!
I remember the buzz (嘈杂声) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our __41____ . After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became ___42____. I could barely make out the stage in the ___43____. We waited. Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band ___44____ the stage. My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn’t ____45___ what he was saying. The first song was already starting and the music was as ____46___ a jet engine. I could ___47____ the drum beats and bass notes in my stomach.
I can’t recall any of the songs that the band played. I just __48_ that I really enjoyed the show and didn’t want it to _ 49_. But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished. We left the 50_ and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement. I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just 51_from a long sleep. My ears were still 52_with the beat of the last song.
After the 53 , I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music. Once in a while, 54_, I listen to one of their songs and 55_I’m back at that first show.
40. A. relaxed B. embarrassed C. excited D. encouraged
41. A. seats B. entrance C. spots D. space
42. A. comfortable B. quite C. serious D. nervous
43. A. silence B. noise C. darkness D. smoke
44. A. fell upon B. got through C. broke into D. stepped onto
45. A. forget B. hear C. repeat D. bear
46. A. loud B. heard C. sweet D. fast
47. A. feel B. touch C. enjoy D. digest
48. A. realize B. understand C. believe D. remember
49. A. continue B. delay C. finish D. change
50. A. party B. theatre C. opera D. stage
51. A. escaped B. traveled C. benefited D. woken
52. A. aching B. burning C. ringing D. rolling
53. A. competition B. performance C. interview D. celebration
54. A. though B. otherwise C. instead D. besides
55. A. decide B. regret C. conclude D. imagine