1 . I will always remember my mother's last few days in this world.
On February 14th, 2000 my class went on a field trip to the beach. I had so much fun. When we returned to school, my teacher told me to go to the headmaster's office. When I got into the office, I saw a police office. Suddenly I realized something was wrong. The police office told me what had happened and we went to pick my sister up. After that, we went to the hospital and waited. Time went slowly. Finally, we got to see our mother. It was terrible.
On the next day, the headmaster came and told my two teachers what had happened. I was taking a rest that day. I knew it had something to do with my mother. I kept thinking that she either died or had gotten better. How I wished that she had gotten better. When my teacher took me outside, my sister ran up to me. She started crying, “She's gone. Teresa, mommy's gone. She's dead.” I couldn't believe it. We jumped into the car and drove straight to the hospital. Most of my family were there. The silence was terrible. I knew I had to say goodbye.
Today when I look back, I still miss my mother very much, but I know that I will live. My mother was a strong mother, who had the biggest heart. My mother was an angel walking on the earth. I will always remember her as living. When someone is asked who their hero (英雄) is, they usually say someone famous, like Michael Jordan or Britney Spears, When someone asks me who my hero is, I tell them, my mother. My mother lives every day. That is what makes her a true hero.
1. Who brought the writer the bad news that her mother was ill?| A．Her sister. | B．The headmaster. |
| C．Her teacher. | D．The police officers. |
| A．Her mother had been very ill. | B．Her mother had been dead. |
| C．Her mother had gotten better, | D．Her sister came to see her. |
| A．the writer is afraid of her mother | B．the writer is proud of her mother |
| C．the writer feels sad about her mother | D．the writer feels sorry for her mother |
| A．famous | B．free |
| C．rich | D．great |
2 . When I was a kid, I was close to my dad, but as I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did no talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father’s requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fisting was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart.
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I’m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like two kids enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.
1. Why did the author and his father become further apart?| A．They had different views on things | B．They lived very far from each other |
| C．They only communicated by phone | D．They seldom went to see each other |
| A．Because his father invited him to go fishing. | B．Because he decided to live in a different city |
| C．Because his father was ill and needed caring | D．Because he regretted being rude to his father. |
| A．The author’s car broke down |
| B．The author’s father intended him to be a fisherman |
| C．The author was unwilling to come back |
| D．The author’s father used to think it was useless to attend college. |
| A．Forgiving Is Difficult | B．Fishing Bring Us Together |
| C．Memories of Old Days | D．My Beloved Father |
3 . Friendship makes life colorful. A teenager who has some good friends is surely more popular than one with few. So people all want others to be their friends, but they don't give friendship back. That is why some friendships don't last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don't tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven't been honest, you may lose your friend's trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and makes a friendship grow. You should share your ideas and feelings with your friends. These can be very valuable to them. They tell your friends what is important to you. By sharing then you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with problems. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be the first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend's place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.
1. According to the passage honesty is ________.| A．something countable | B．more important than anything else |
| C．as important as money | D．the base of friendship |
| A．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
| B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value. |
| C．Discussing your problem with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．Always tell your friend the truth. |
| A．Honesty Is the Best Policy | B．A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed |
| C．How to Be Friends | D．Three Important Points in Life: |
4 . The Friends of Charles Dickens
Dickens was born in 1812. His father, a clerk in the navy pay office, was thrown into debtors' prison. The miserable treatment of children and the institution of the debtors' jail became topics of several of Dickens, novels。.
Wilkie Collins (1824-1889)
Although twelve years younger than Dickens Wilkie Collins became one of Dickens best friends. Collins was a popular novelist who developed the mystery novel style. The Moonstone is one of his best. He and Dickens wrote The Frozen Deep . Wilkie was the son of the painter William Collins. He was born in London and lived in Italy and France as a child.
John Elliotson (1791-1868)
Elliotson was Dickens's family doctor for many years and thus they became good friends. Elliotson was an early advocate for the use of the stethoscope (听诊器). He also believed in the use of acupuncture (针灸).
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Poe was an American author best known for his poems and short fiction. The Fall of the House of Usher and The Murders in the Rue Morgue are two of his most popular works Dickens and Poe's friendship began in Philadelphia while Dickens was on his first tour of the United States. They talked about literature and seemed to enjoy one another's company However，two years later Poe broke off the relationship because he was angry about an article on American poetry. The article was written by Thackeray, but Poe believed that Dickens was behind the article.
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)
William Makepeace Thackeray was a novelist His best known work is Vanity Fair. He was also a friend of Charles Dickens. While Dickens and Thackeray were friends, the relation ship wasn't always smooth. They had several serious quarrels. One quarrel involved Dickens siding with Edmund Yates after Yates insulted Thackeray.
1. Who had taken care of Dickens' health for years?| A．Collins. | B．Poe. | C．Elliotson. | D．Thackeray. |
| A．A traffic accident. | B．Their ideas on running companies. |
| C．A poem written by Dickens. | D．An article written by Thackeray. |
| A．Vanity Fair. | B．The Moonstone. |
| C．The Fall of the House of Usher. | D．The Murders in the Rue Morgue. |
5 . There are three different kinds of friends in our life. I classify (分类) them according to how well I know them and how well they know me.
The first type of friend is just an acquaintance (熟人). This means that you only know their name. You might not even remember what they look like if you go away for a short vacation. You don’t miss them when they are elsewhere. It is also this type of friend who gives you the most amount of aggravation (恼怒). Since most of the time you are placed in a position where you have to act friendly, you would not normally tell an acquaintance when he or she is doing something that makes you feel angry, such as tapping the fingers on a table or shouting loudly. I call them “pest friends”.
The second kind of friend is a “guest friend”. They are just social partners. You meet them at a certain location and at the end of the meeting you go your separate way and they go theirs. You don’t talk too often with this sort of friend, and you don’t share each other’s secrets.
Lastly, we have “best friends”. This sort of friend is there when you need them. They know you as a person and they are there through thick and thin. Best friends are the ones that you can lean and depend on no matter what happens. If you need a listening ear, they will be the one to lend support.
Friends come in all different shapes and sizes. Every friend has an impact on our life. . .
1. According to the writer, when a friend of the first type acts in an annoying way, you .| A．can tell him/her about it directly |
| B．should stay away from him/her |
| C．should advise him/her to correct his/her behavior |
| D．may find it hard to tell him/her not to do so |
| A．They are only social partners. |
| B．You don’t talk very often with them. |
| C．You don’t share your secrets with them. |
| D．They are called “pest friends” by the writer. |
| A．he/she is your friend for sure |
| B．he/she agrees with whatever you say |
| C．you spend most of your time together |
| D．he/she is with you even when there are difficulties |
| A．How to make friends. |
| B．How friends influence our life. |
| C．How to improve friendship. |
| D．How to get along well with the third type of friend. |
| A．What a true friend is like. |
| B．Three kinds of friends in our life. |
| C．The role that friends play in our life. |
| D．Why there are different kinds of friends. |
When your Laker dream comes true tomorrow， you need to figure out a way to invest in the future of your family． This sounds simple， and you may think it's a no﹣brainer， but take some time to think on it further．
I said INVEST．
I did not say GIVE
Let me explain．
Purely giving material things to your siblings（兄弟姐妹） may appear to be right decision． So you buy them a car， a big house， pay， all of their bill． You want them to live a beautiful comfortable life， right？
But the day will come when you realize that as much as you believed you were doing the right thing， you were actually holding them back．
You will come to understand that you were taking care of them because it made YOU feel good， it made YOU happy to see them smiling and without a care in the world ﹣ and that was extremely selfish of you． While you were feeling satisfied with yourself， you were slowly eating away at their own dreams and ambitions． You were adding material things to their lives， but subtracting the most precious gifts of all．
Invest in their future， don't just give．
Use your success， wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose． Put them through school， set them up with job interviews and help them become leaders in their own right． Hold them to the same level of hard work and dedication that it took for you to get to where you are now， and where you will eventually go．
I'm writing you now so that you can begin this process immediately， and so that you don't have to deal with the hurt and struggle of weaning（断绝） them off of the addiction that you facilitated That addiction only leads to anger， hatred and jealousy from everybody involved， including yourself．
As time goes on， you will see them grow independently and have their own ambitions and their own lives， and your relationship with all of them will be much better as a result．
Trust me， setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and headache， some of which remains to this day．
Much love，
1. What might be the best title of his letter？| A．To My Younger Self |
| B．For My Dear Family |
| C．To My Beloved Son |
| D．For My Older Self |
| A．Independence and growth |
| B．wealth and health |
| C．love and dedication |
| D．success and leadership |
| A．The writer will stop offering his siblings help in the future． |
| B．The writer didn't think it a good fortune to become successful early． |
| C．The writer intends to remind others not to care too much about materials |
| D．The writer was once troubled by the relationship between him and his family． |
7 . The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life. I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid. It was Carlos.
“My, you’re tall,” he said.
Of course, the class began to laugh. Angry, I walked to my seat without a word.
I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest. That would be the last straw. But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else. I didn’t know why I considered Reed my friend. Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I. Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington. “Take that seat,” Mr. McCarthy told the proud newcomer Carlos, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room.
Carlos smiled broadly. “But I need a couple of dictionaries.” Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him. He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side.
It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice president. “How come?” I kept asking myself. “How come this shrimp(虾) who’s only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular.”
So on that morning, I stopped Carlos and said, “It doesn’t seem to bother you—being short.” He looked up at me. “Of course I mind being short. But there isn’t anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself.” “You seem to get along great,” I admitted. “But what about me? Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is.” “The trouble with you is you’re afraid to be yourself. You’re smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty.” I felt myself turning red...
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．The writer cared much about Reed’s attitude. |
| B．Carlos isn’t popular with the classmates. |
| C．The writer is always confident with herself. |
| D．Carlos always makes fun of the writer. |
| A．Carlos is as tall as the writer |
| B．Carlos fell love with the writer later |
| C．the writer is very tall |
| D．Reed, Carlos and the writer became good friends later |
| A．Handsome and proud | B．Humorous and confident |
| C．Diligent and helpful | D．Hardworking and popular |
| A．A girl and a boy. | B．My shortcomings. |
| C．My helpful classmates. | D．A change in my life. |
I had an interesting conversation with a reporter recently --- one who works for you. In fact, he’s one of your best reporters. He wants to leave.
Your reporter gave me a copy of his resume(简历) and photocopies of six stories that he wrote for you. The headlines showed you played them proudly. With great enthusiasm, he talked about how he finds issues(问题), approaches them, and writes about them, which tells me he is one of your best. I’m sure you would hate to lose him. Surprisingly, your reporter is not unhappy. In fact, he told me he really likes his job. He has a great assignment (分工), and said you run a great paper. It would be easy for you to keep him, he said. He knows that the paper values him. He appreciates the responsibility you’ve given him, takes ownership of his profession, and enjoys his freedom.
So why is he looking for a way out?
He talked to me because he wants his editors to demand so much more of him. He wants to be pushed, challenged, coached to new heights.
The reporter believes that good stories spring from good questions, but his editors usually ask how long the story will be, when it will be in, where it can play, and what the budget is.
He longs for conversations with an editor who will help him turn his good ideas into great ones. He wants someone to get excited about what he’s doing and to help him turn his story idea upside down and inside out, exploring the best ways to report it. He wants to be more valuable for your paper. That’s what you want for him, too, isn’t it?
So your reporter has set me thinking.
Our best hope in keeping our best reporters, copy editors, photographers, artists --- everyone --- is to work harder to make sure they get the help they are demanding to reach their potential. If we can’t do it, they’ll find someone who can.
1. What does the writer think of the reporter?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Imaginative. | C．Ambitious. | D．Proud. |
| A．Finding the news value of his stories. | B．Giving him financial support. |
| C．Helping him to find issues. | D．Improving his good ideas. |
| A．An editor. | B．An artist. | C．A reporter. | D．A reader. |
| A．keep their best reporters at all costs |
| B．give more freedom to their reporters |
| C．be aware of their reporters’ professional development |
| D．appreciate their reporters’ working styles and attitudes |
