1 . I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs and toast. Others had cokes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reach the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself, just to save money. The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning. So when my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us.
Through the years, our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing ,red for falling. My mother, however, would merely be content with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background, I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride and when my children think I am mean because I now thank God everyday for giving me the meanest mother in the world.
1. From the passage we can learn that the writer’s mother was ________.| A．not generous at all | B．very strict with her children |
| C．very mean with money matters | D．very cruel to her children |
| A．Eating differently from other kids. | B．Wearing clean clothes made by mother. |
| C．Going to bed early and getting up early. | D．Letting mother know where they were. |
| A．the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies |
| B．mother was punished for breaking the Child Labor Law |
| C．all the other kids studied better than the writer |
| D．the writer’s family lived a miserable life |
| A．Mother practiced economy in running her home. |
| B．The writer is very thankful for her mother. |
| C．The writer is severe with her children when bringing them up. |
| D．The writer has a deep hatred for her mother. |
You are only three years old, and at this point in your life you are not able to understand this letter. But some day when you
Life can be
Be open to life anyway. You'll find cruelty(残忍)and
You will meet many people who will try to do
Finally, know that I love you and always will. You are
Love
Dad
1.| A．grow up | B．show up | C．cheer up | D．give up |
| A．familiar | B．valuable | C．normal | D．interesting |
| A．unkind | B．peaceful | C．equal | D．simple |
| A．look at | B．run after | C．laugh at | D．look after |
| A．if | B．but | C．so | D．or |
| A．hurt | B．found | C．accepted | D．impressed |
| A．matter | B．work | C．disappear | D．happen |
| A．luck | B．pain | C．difference | D．hope |
| A．protect | B．encourage | C．stop | D．choose |
| A．forgive | B．struggle | C．compete | D．hide |
| A．leave | B．prepare | C．escape | D．fail |
| A．enjoy | B．try | C．miss | D．meet |
| A．success | B．life | C．action | D．sorrow |
| A．earlier | B．better | C．less | D．faster |
| A．you | B．me | C．him | D．them |
| A．challenge | B．drama | C．journey | D．dream |
| A．change | B．pardon | C．follow | D．beat |
| A．somewhere | B．instead | C．afterwards | D．though |
| A．cruelty | B．danger | C．happiness | D．quietness |
| A．starting | B．destroying | C．finishing | D．replacing |
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk.
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle(喧闹) of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. “Moon River” was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer came on. “Here’s one we haven’t heard in a while,” and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. “Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower…”
1. The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons Except that ________.
| A．it was too cold and quiet |
| B．she could only sing one song in the small farm |
| C．there was nothing more that could make her excited |
| D．the place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
| A．left the small farm with Lord |
| B．passed away four years ago |
| C．left for Lord to live her own way |
| D．preferred to be with Lord |
| A．shouted | B．comforted |
| C．recalled | D．sighed |
| A．Mom’s music | B．Cherish(珍惜) life |
| C．My happy childhood | D．Our small farmhouse |
