Trees should only be pruned (修剪) when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and, the number of such reasons is small. Pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way.

Firstly,pruning may be done to make sure that trees have desired shape or size. The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches, which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape. Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut out diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the center and so preventing the free movement of air.

One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but it is a wound that will heal (愈合). Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk. It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible. It is important to make the area, which has been pruned, smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness. You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the materials available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose. Pruning is usually done in winter, for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without interference (妨礙) from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed. If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly.

() 41.Why should pruning be done?

A.To make the tree grow taller.

B.To improve the shape of the tree.

C.to get rid of the small branches.

D.To make the small branches thicker.

() 42.Trees become unhealthy if the gardener.

A.to helps a wound to dry

B.to covers a rough surface

C.damages some of the small side branches

D.allows too many branches to grow in the middle

() 43.Why is a special material painted on the tree?

A.To help a wound to dry.

B.To cover a rough surface.

C.To make a wound smooth.

D.To prevent disease entering a wound.

() 44.A good gardener prunes a tree.

A.several times throughout the year

B.as quickly as possible

C.occasionally when necessary

D.regularly every winter

() 45.What was the author�餾 purpose when writing this passage?

A.To discuss different methods of pruning.

B.To introduce some common knowledge of pruning.

C.To explain how trees develop disease.

D.To give practical instruction for pruning a tree.

Passage Three

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents�� home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款臺(tái)), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend�餾 home. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank—you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I�餯 left the lights on all day, and the battery(電池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership—a shop selling cars was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?” I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

“Thank you” two powerful words. They�餽e easy to say and mean so much.

() 46.The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City.

A.to visit a friend

B.to see his parents

C.to pay at the cash register

D.to have more gas for his car

() 47.The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “”.

A.turned offB.moved offC.put up

D.set up

() 48.What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A.He had it pulled back to the gas station.

B.The couple sent him a business card.

C.The couple offered to help him.

D.He called his friend for help.

() 49.The battery of the author�餾 car was dead because.

A.something went wrong with the lights

B.the meeting lasted a whole day

C.he forgot to turn off the lights

D.he drove too long a distance

() 50.By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show.

A.how to write a thank-you letter

B.how to deal with car problems

C.the kind-heartedness of older people

D.the importance of expressing thanks

Ⅳ. Translation 10%

Directions: There are 5 sentences in the following. Translate them into English.

51.I don�餿 mind your(延期做出決定) the decision as long as it is not too late.

52.I suggested he(使自己適應(yīng))his new conditions.

53.I have no objection(再聽聽你的故事).

54.This popular sports car(正在生產(chǎn)出來)out at the rate of a thousand a week.

55.(請(qǐng)你找張空白紙)and write your name at the top?