56．（8分）\"I Went Skydiving at 84!\"
As a young girl growing up in the 1930s，I always wanted to fly a plane，but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that．I got a taste of the dream in 2001，when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday．But the experience turned out to be very dull．Around that time，I told my husband that I wanted to skydive．So when our retirement community （社区）announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have．I decided to write about my dream．
In the essay，I wrote about my desire to skydive，stating Gorge Bush Sr．did it at age 80．Why not me？I was just 84and in pretty good health．A year went by and I heard nothing．But then at a community party in late April 2009，they announced that I was one of the winners．I just couldn't believe it．Inspired by this．I decided to realize my dream，even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it．
On June 11，2009，nearly 40of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane．My instructor，Jay，guided me through the experience．The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in，but I wasn't frightened﹣I was really just looking forward to the experience．When we reached 13，000feet，Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane．When we first hit the air，the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe．For a second I thought，\"What have I gotten myself into？\"But then everything got calmer．We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute （降落伞），then we just floated downward for about five minutes．Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt﹣much better than the hot air balloon．I was just enjoying it．
Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life．I hope other people will look at me and really one of the greatest experiences of my life．I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don't stop living just because you are 84years old．If there's something you want to experience，look into it．If it's something that is possible，make it happen．
56．What happened to the author in 2001？ A．She flew an airplane． B．She entered a competition．
C．She went on a hot air balloon ride． D．She moved into a retirement community． 57．The author mentioned George Bush Sr．in the essay to ．
A．build up her own reputation B．show her admiration for him C．compare their health condition D．make her argument persuasive 58．How did the author feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane？ A．Excited． B．Scared． C．Nervous D．Regretful
59．What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving？ A．The beautiful clouds．B．The wonderful view．C．The company of Jay D．The one﹣minute free fall． 60．（6分）Submission Guidelines
Before sending us a manuscript（稿件），look through recent issues（刊物）of the Post to get an idea of the range and style of articles we publish．You will discover that our focus has broadened to include well﹣researched，timely and informative articles on finance，home improvement，travel，humor，and many other fields．
The Post's goal is to remain unique，with content that provides additional understandings on the ever﹣evolving American scene．
In addition to feature﹣length（专题长度的） articles，the Post buys anecdotes，cartoons，and photos．Payment ranges from 25to400．
Our nonfiction needs include how﹣to，useful articles on gardening，pet care and training，financial planning，and subjects of interest to a 45﹣plus，home﹣loving readership．For nonfiction articles，indicate any special qualifications you have for writing about the subject，especially scientific material．Include one or two published pieces with your article．We prefer typed articles between 1，000and 2，000words in length．We encourage you to send both printed and online versions．
We also welcome new fiction．A light，humorous touch is appreciated．We are always in need of straight humor articles．Make us laugh，and we'll buy it． Feature articles average about 1，000to 2，000words．We like positive，fresh angles to Post articles，and we ask that they be thoroughly researched．
We normally respond to article submissions within six weeks．You are tree to submit the article elsewhere at
the same time．
Please submit all articles to Features Editor．The Saturday Evening Post，1100Waterway Boulevard．Indianapolis．IN 46202，（317）634﹣1100．
60．Before sending a manuscript to the Post，a contributor is advised to ． A．get a better understanding of American issues B．find out the range of the articles in the Post C．increase his knowledge in many fields D．broaden his research focus
61．To submit nonfiction articles，a contributor must ． A．provide his special qualifications B．be a regular reader of the Post C．produce printed versions D．be over 45years old
62．From the passage we can learn that the Post ． A．allows article submissions within six weeks B．favors science articles within 2，000words C．has a huge demand for humorous works D．prefers nonfiction to fiction articles． 63．（8分）Students and Technology in the Classroom
I love my Blackberry﹣it's my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me．I also love my laptop computer，as it holds all of my writing and thoughts．Despite this love of technology，I know that there are times when I need to move away from there devices（设备）and truly communicate with others．
On occasion，I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers．My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas．Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom，I have a rule﹣no laptops，iPads，etc．When students were told my rule in advance of the class，some of them were not happy．
Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology．There's a bit of truth to that．Some students assume that I am anti﹣technology．There's no truth in that at all．I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students．
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations and truly engagecomplex ideas．Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on out information for ideas．I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas．I want them to push each other to think differently and to make connections between the course material and the class discussion．
I've been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create．Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge，they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom
I'm not saying that I won't ever change my mind about technology use in my history class，but until I hear a really good reason for the change，I'm sticking to my plan．A few hours of technology﹣free dialogue is just too sweet to give up．
63．Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with ． A．the course material B．others'misuse of technology C．discussion topics D．the author's class regulations 64．The underlined word\"engage\"in Para.4probably means ． A．explore B．accept C．change D．reject
65．According to the author，the use of technology in the classroom may ． A．keep students from doing independent thinking
B．encourage students to have in﹣depth conversations C．help students to better understand complex themes D．affect students'concentration on course evaluation
66．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the author ． A．is quite stubborn
B．will give up teaching history
C．will change his teaching plan soon
D．values technology﹣free dialogues in his class． 67．（8分）As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past centuries，a new electrical generating（发电）and transmission （输送） system for the 21th century will leave a lasting mark on the West，for better or worse．Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct physical effect on the scenery，but in the ways that they affect the surrounding community．The same is true of big solar plants and the power lines that will be laid down to move electricity around．
The 19th century saw land grants（政府拨地） offered to railroad companies to build the transcontinental railroads，leaving public land in between privately owned land．In much of the West，some of the railroad sections were developed while others remained undeveloped，and in both cases the landownership has presented unique challenges to land management．With the completion of the interstate highway system，many of the small towns，which sprang up as railway stops and developed well，have lost their lifeblood and died．
Big solar plants and their power lines will also have effects far beyond their direct footprint in the West．This is not an argument against building them．We need alternative energy badly，and to really take advantage of it we need to be able to move electricity around far more readily than we can now．
So trade﹣offs will have to be made．Some scenic spots will be sacrificed．Some species（物种） will be forced to move，or will be carefully moved to special accommodations．Deals will be struck to reduce the immediate effects．
The lasting effects of these trade﹣offs are another matter．The 21th century development of the American West as an ideal place for alternative energy is going to throw off a lot of power and money in the region．There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good．But it is just as likely that they will be spent wastefully and will leave new problems behind，just like the railroads and the highways．
The money set aside in negotiated trade﹣offs and the institutions that control it will shape the West far beyond the immediate footprint of power plants and transmission lines．So let's remember the effects of the railroads and the highways as we construct these new power plants in the West． 67．What was the problem caused by the construction of the railways？ A．Small towns along the railways became abandoned． B．Some railroad stops remained underused． C．Land in the West was hard to manage． D．Land grants went into private hands．
68．What is the major concern in the development of alternative energy according to the last two paragraphs？ A．The transmission of power． B．The use of money and power． C．The conservation of solar energy． D．The selection of an ideal place．
69．What is the author's attitude towards building solar plants？ A．Cautious B．Approving C．Doubtful D．Disapproving 70．Which is the best title for the passage？ A．How the Railways Have Affected the West B．How Solar Energy Could Reshape the West
C．How the Effects of Power Plants Can Be Reduced
D．How the Problems of the Highways Have Been Settled．
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