B
　　　Human civilization has truly come a long way．From using animals for transport to the super fast automobiles that we have today．From using flint to making fire to using one touch lighters．But there are some things that we will never let go of．Some ancient traditions that have been brought down through the ages are still followed today．
　　　Groundhog Day(土拔鼠节)，falls on the 2nd of February every year．It is observed in the United States and Canada．While this day may be a public holiday and a bank holiday，it is not a compulsory holiday declared by the government．But this is not so for all the states．State-wise holidays may vary．
　　　Ever heard of Punxsutawney Phil? Groundhog Day is observed because of this groundhog．The day is indeed about a groundhog．Punxsutawney is the name of an apparently weather forecasting groundhog．He lives in his burrow(洞穴)on Gobler’s Knob，Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania，for a short period before the 2nd of February every year．On the 2nd of February，Phil comes out from his burrow and looks for his shadow．If he sees his shadow and goes back into the burrow，then America will have an extended winter of six weeks，But if he cannot see his shadow，and he remains outside．It means winter will soon end and spring will arrive very shortly .Phil has been‘predicting’the length of winter in this manner for almost a century and they have always been almost 100％ accurate．    
　　　Groundhog Day is celebrated in some parts of the USA and Canada．The largest celebration is held at Punxsutawney，Pennsylvania．People come in scores to visit Punxsutawney Phil．They wait eagerly, camping days in advance，to see the small groundhog appear from his burrow，check for his shadow and either go back in or stay out．People cheer when they hear it is time for winter to end and celebrate by eating sweets and singing and dancing．Today．the Groundhog Day is a widespread tradition and an exciting event．
46．People celebrate Groundhog Day because ______________.
A．some sweets are provided on Groundhog Day
B．more and more people love groundhogs
C．the groundhog predicts the beginning of spring
D．Punxsutawney Phil is worth respecting
47．What does the author intend to tell us in Paragraph 1？
A．Human civilization has a long history．
B．Some old traditions should be carried on．
C．Human civilization develops very fast．
D．Some old traditions have disappeared．
48. We learn from the passage that Punxsutawney Phil ____________．
A．forecasts the weather based on his shadow
B．witnesses the history of human development
C．organizes celebrations on Groundhog Day
D．gives performances on Groundhog Day
49．We may infer from the passage that ________________．
A．groundhogs will replace TV weathermen soon
B．groundhogs can forecast the weather accurately
C．Groundhog Day is becoming popular in the US and Canada
D．a longer shadow of a groundhog indicates a longer winter
50．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Winter will end if the groundhog goes back into the burrow.
B．Groundhog Day is a compulsory’holiday in the US and Canada．
C．A groundhog will remain outside if he sees his shadows on 2nd，Feb．
D．The celebration in Punxsutawney attracts large numbers of visitors．

C
　　The adolescent girl from Tennessee was standing on the stage of a drama summer camp in New York．But the girl didn’t feel joyful．She was not the leggy，attractive Hollywood type．In fact，she described herself as stupid．
　　This girl was Reese Witherspoon，who had wanted to be a country singer and admired and respected Dolly Patton very much．
　　That day at the end of the camp her coaches told her to forget about singing．They suggested she think about another career．She took their words to heart．After all，why shouldn’t she believe the professionals?
　　But back at home in Nashville，her mother—a funny，happy，optimistic woman—wouldn’t let her feel depressed．Her father，a physician，encouraged her to achieve in schoo1．So she worked hard at everything and was accepted at Stanford University．
　　And at 1 9，she got a part in a low-budget movie called Freeway, which prepared for her role in the movie Pleasantville．But her big break came with Legally Blonde．
　　“If you can’t sing and you aren’t charming，play to your strengths．If you’re going to make it in this business，better focus on what you’re good at，”she told the interviewer later．
　　And then came the offer that took her back to her Nashville—playing the wife of a country star Johnny Cash，a singing role．
　　All of a sudden the old fears learned on that summer stage were back．She was so nervous on the stage．But she didn’t give up on the movie or herself．She spent 6 months taking singing lessons again．She learned to play the Autoharp．And the hard work built up her confidence．
　　Last March，Reese Witherspoon walked up on another stage，the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood，and accepted the Oscar as Best Actress for her heartbreaking，heartwarming singing role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line．
51．Why was Reese Witherspoon sad that day?
A．The experts advised her to give up singing．
B．Dolly Parton told her to leave the stage．
C．The coaches described her as foolish．
D．The professionals considered her ignorant．
52．What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A．Reese was an optimistic girl．
B．Her parents supported her a lot．
C．Her parents were disappointed with her．
D．Reese blamed herself all day long．
53．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Reese’s mother was a physician．
B．Freeway was Reese’s big break．    
C．Reese won the Oscar for Walk the Line．
D．New York was Reese’s home town．
54．How did Reese succeed in playing the singing role?
A．She did her best to make herself leggy and attractive．
B．She tried hard to forget about that summer stage．
C．She practised Autoharp lessons for more than 6 months．
D．She regained her confidence through hard work．
55．What can we learn from Reese’s experience?
A．Two heads are better than one．
B．When in Rome，do as the Romans do．
C．Where there is a will，there is a way．
D．Hope for the best，and prepare for the worst．
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