I believe everyone has a particular childhood birthday that stands out more than any other. For me, it was the year my father’s factory closed down, casting a shadow of uncertainty over our family. I was only a child. Looking back, I cannot recall the exact year, but the events of that birthday will live forever in my heart.
Dad, who had devoted years to the factory, never let on to me that we were having financial difficulties. I knew only that Dad usually worked long hours but was now home more than I had ever remembered. Mom, a homemaker, sought work in the local clothing factories, but jobs were rare. Time after time, she was told no openings were available. With Dad’s poor unemployment check as our only income, my parents carried the weight of our situation. They made every effort to hide the difficult reality from me.
As a carefree child, my mind was filled with excitement and eagerness for my upcoming birthday. What would my birthday gift be? What surprise was waiting for me? These questions crowded my mind, and I had no idea that my parents were worried about having no extra money to buy me a gift.
One day, when Mom was cleaning the house, she found some of my old clothes. Her eyes shone as she carefully examined each piece. “I know what to do!” she cried, her voice filled with excitement.
The days leading up to my birthday seemed to be no different from usual. But every night after I went to bed, Dad and Mom would be busy at the sewing (缝纫) machine for a long time. Dad designed, and Mom cut and sewed. They poured all their love and creativity into what they were doing, working hard to transform those old clothes into something special.
My birthday finally arrived. After a simple meal together, the moment came to open my parents’ gift. As I unwrapped it, my heart sank. Inside was a dress that looked very familiar, and I realized with a pang of sadness that it was a hand-made present using some of my old clothes. Disappointment washed over me, for I had no idea about the financial difficulty our family was facing. Overwhelmed with emotions, I swiftly closed the door to my room and let my tears flow freely. In the midst of my sorrow, I noticed a card nestled in the gift box, as if waiting to be discovered.
(一)阅读理解。
阅读以上短文，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。
1. Who is the main character in this story?
| A．I. | B．Dad. | C．Mom. |
| A．The author’s parents hid the reality because they were afraid to make her angry. |
| B．The author’s mom was very concerned before she found some of the old clothes. |
| C．The author’s parents made the present themselves because they were good at it. |
| A．The making of birthday gifts. | B．Financial difficulties. | C．Personal growth. |
| A．Grown-up and responsible. | B．Innocent and reasonable. | C．Self-centered and mean. |
| A．I was so disappointed by the hand-made gift that I refused to talk to my parents. |
| B．I was first disappointed by the gift and the card but later cheered up by aunt’s gift. |
| C．I was moved by the card, understood my parents and helped out with the housework. |
(二)读后续写。
6. 根据已给文章内容和下面所给段落开头语续写一段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
注意：1. 续写词数应为75 左右；
.2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 2:
I took out the card from the box of the dress.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A. Mauritius, an island lying off the southeast Africa in the Indian Ocean. The pleasant tropical climate and scenery provides the perfect setting to enjoy everything. The sea is full of colorful life that lives around the coral reef. This makes Mauritius a wonderful place for swimming and diving.
B. Las Vegas is really a fascinating city, where you can dine in the finest restaurants, shop in the most chic stores, and watch world-class entertainment. Maybe you will become a millionaire or lose all your money overnight. What’s so clever about Las Vegas is that it makes absolutely certain that you have such a good time that you don’t mind losing a bit of money along the way. That’s why they don’t even call it “gambling” any more, but “gaming”.
C. Few cities leave the visitors with such vivid impressions, the whole city is something of a work of art. And annual film festival is held with a refreshing emphasis on art. Few cities can compete with the thousands of cafes, bars and restaurants that line every Parisian street. And along the street you will be fascinated by the beautiful window shows of various clothes.
D. Kitzbuhel is a paradise for all the skiers. With fine weather and breath-taking scenery, it is a world-class ski report. Every winter, thousands of people come from all parts of the world to challenge themselves.
E. Jerusalem is regarded as a holy place by Jews, Muslims and Christians. For Jews, it is where their ancestors built the first and second temples. For Christians, the city was the scene of Jesus’ life. However, since the war broke out, people there have suffered a lot, the situation has been tense, and peace is just a dream.
F. The old Nile brought about the civilization of Egypt; people there regard it as “the mother river” of them. On both sides of the Nile stand noble pyramids which were built as the tombs of the ancient pharaohs (法老). Along with the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, the Great Sphinx is one of the greatest and most studied monuments of human history.
现在，请阅读下面信息，根据他们的实际情况，进行相应的信息匹配。
1. Smith is a professor who does research on ancient buildings. This month, his university gives a reward to him for his great contributions. So now an idea of traveling to a new place to continue his study has come into his mind.
2. Though Lola is a woman reporter, she is brave enough to go deep into the places at war. This year, she was honored as “Rose of Front”. Next month, she will go to a place at war. She is confident to do her work well and give people the most brief and real reports.
3. Alice and Simon are going to get married. They want to hold an underwater wedding in a special place, which has beautiful scenery, silver sand, delicious seafood and luxurious hotels, where they can enjoy themselves.
4. Jane is a modern girl, who is a crazy fan of rock music and films. She has a romantic dream, that is, one day, she will go to a beautiful place to appreciate all the attractive music and films with a cup of coffee in her hand.
5. Tom is really depressed these days. Owing to his bad management, his company closed. He wants to go to a place to try his fortune so that he can start his business again in the near future.
