15. She was just too busy yesterday, ______ she would surely have gone there with you.

　　A. however B. for

　　C. therefore D. otherwise

　　16. He found it hard to concentrate on his writing ______ so many people around.

　　A. when B. during

　　C. because D. with

　　17. When she was five, the girl’s father decided to ______ a pianist of her.

　　A. develop B. build

　　C. make D. do

　　18. ______ automobile pollution, the air quality in this city has become worse.

　　A. As a result of B. In spite of

　　C. But for D. As for

　　19. Her friends did not expect her to ______ all their suggestions.

　　A. turn down B. turn over

　　C. take off D. take away

　　20. The motor isn’t ______ enough to push the car up the hill.

　　A. tough B. powerful

　　C. strong D. big

　　II.阅读理解。认真阅读下面两篇短文，每篇短文后有五个问题，根据短文的内容从A、B、C、D四个选项中选择一个最佳答案，并将所选答案的字母写在答题纸相应的位置上。

　　(本大题共10小题，每小题2分，共20分)

　　Passage 1

　　Nikolai arrived in the United States from Eastern Europe with his wife and two small children. Despite the fact that Nikolai spoke three languages (Russian, German, and Polish), neither he nor his wife spoke any English. They came to the United States as refugees. Nikolai thought he was fortunate to have located a distant cousin, who sponsored him and his family and offered them temporary housing in the apartment building that he owned. Very soon Nikolai began picking up English words. He needed a job to support his family, but because of his poor English and lack of formal education, he worried about his job prospects in the United States.

　　A neighbor in the apartment building told him that job advertisements were frequently posted on a nearby bulletin board (公告牌). Nikolai went to the bulletin board together with an acquaintance, who read and spoke both Russian and English, to see what jobs were available. Nikolai listened intently as the acquaintance read several job announcements to him. One particular job listed on the board caught his attention. A nearby military base was advertising for barbers. What made the announcement most attractive to Nikolai was the fact that the announcement included the words “license not required”. Nikolai had never cut anyone’s hair, but he remembered watching sailors give each other haircuts. It seemed pretty easy since the haircuts all looked about the same — just cutting off all the hair. He spent the evening practicing short sentences that he had learned from his cousin that afternoon, including “Hello, it’s nice to meet you” and “Yes, I can!”

　　The next day Nikolai took the first bus out to the base.After showing the ad to an MP at the front gate，he received a map of directions to the barber shop.After an exchange of greetings，the barber shop manager asked Nikolai，“Can you give someone a haircut?”

　　“Yes，” Nikolai answered，“I can.Cut it all off!”

　　Not only did Nikolai get the j ob，but within just two years，he had learned to do the job so well that he became the manager of the barber shop.He was the one who now did all of the hiring.His English language skills had improved immensely, and he was often invited over to the top officers’ homes for dinner.He also fell in love with country music，since many of the base personnel were from southern states，and this type of music was constantly played in the shop.

　　21.When Nikolai first came to America he felt fortunate for the following reasons EXCEPT ______.

　　A.he had a distant cousin to help him

　　B.he found temporary housing

　　C.he could support his family

　　D.he spoke three languages

　　22.Nikolai went to the bulletin board in order to ______.

　　A.look for job information

　　B.post notices on the board

　　C.read job announcements

　　D.list job opportunities

　　23.Why did Nikolai decide to apply for the job at the barber shop?

　　A.He had a barber’s license.

　　B.He thought it easy to get the job.

　　C.He had watched barbers cut sailors’ hair.

　　D.He had given other people haircuts before.

　　24.Nikolai came to love country music because ______.

　　A.the music was popular in southern states

　　B.the music reminded him of his hometown

　　C.he often heard the music in the barber shop

　　D.he wanted to improve his English language skills

　　25.Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this passage?

　　A.“Can You Give Someone A Haircut?’’

　　B.“License Not Required’’

　　C.“Cut It All Off”

　　D.“Yes，I Can!”

　　Passage 2

　　There are several places in the world that are famous for people who live a very long time.These places are usually in mountainous areas，far away from modern cities.

　　Hunza is high in the Himalayan Mountains of Asia.There，many people over one hundred years of age are still in good physical health.Men of ninety are new fathers，and women of fifty still have babies. What are the reasons for their good health? Scientists believe that the people of Hunza have these three benefits：(1) physical work;(2)a healthful environment with clean air and water;(3)a simple diet.

　　People in the Caucasus Mountains are also famous for their longevity.In this area，although birth records are not usually available，a woman called Tsurba probably lived until age 160.In general，the people not only live a long time，but they also live well.They are almost never sick，and when they die，they have not only their own teeth but also a full head of hair, and good eyesight.

　　Vilcabamba， Ecuador is another area famous for the longevity of its inhabitants.There are few serious diseases there.One reason for the good health of the people might be the clean，beautiful environment：the temperature is about 70°F all year long;the wind always comes from the same direction;and the region is rich in flowers，fruit，vegetables，and wildlife.

　　In some ways，the diets of the inhabitants in these three regions are quite different. Hunzukuts eat mainly raw vegetables，fruit and chapattis — a kind of pancake;they eat meat only a few times a year.The Caucasian diet consists mainly of milk，cheese，vegetables，fruit, and meat;most people there drink the local red wine daily.In Vilcabamba，people eat a small amount of meat each week，but the diet consists largely of grain，corn，beans，potatoes，and fruit.

　　Apart from calories，natural food，their mountains，and their distance from modern cities，inhabitants in these three regions have other things in common.Because these people live in the countryside and are mostly farmers，their life is physically hard.Thus，they do not need to go to health clubs because they get a lot of exercise in their daily work.In addition，although their life is hard, the people do not seem to have the worries of city people. Their life is quiet. Consequently，some experts believe that physical exercise and freedom from worry might be the two most important secrets of longevity.