1 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap.
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is. “ What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”， “pitiful”， and “dying”， which sounded ominous.
“Christmas was coming. Don't expect any presents this year，” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. “If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes were filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He's all right？” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home！”
“Thank God！”   I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home.   I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1. What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?

A．He got a baby brother.	B．He got a Christmas gift.
C．He became four years old.	D．He received a doll.

2. What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Impossible.	B．Boring.
C．Difficult.	D．Fearful.

3. The sock the author hung in the living room are probably used to ________.

A．decorate the room	B．receive gifts
C．amuse his doll brother	D．wear on Christmas

4. Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?

A．Excitement.	B．Happiness.
C．Sadness.	D．Disappointment.

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A sad Christmas day	B．Life with a lovely baby
C．A special Christmas gift.	D．Memories of a happy family

2 . This was my grandmother’s first Christmas without grandfather. When we reached her house, it did seem a little _____ without grandfather.

Grandfather had always said the Christmas _____ was the most important. So we set to work assembling (组装) the beautiful _____ tree that was stored in grandfather’s closet (储藏柜). After we finished, we stepped back to _____ our work. It looked wonderful. But something was _____.

＂Where’s the star?＂I asked. It was my grandmother’s _____. As we emptied box after box and found no star, my grandmother’s eyes _____ with tears. Grandfather had given it to grandmother fifty years ago. Now, on her first Christmas without _____, the star was gone, too.

＂Let’s _____ in the closet where the tree was, ＂my sister Donna said. We ______ under beds and over shelves, inside and outside ______ we had excluded every possibility. We could see grandmother was ______, although she tried not to show it. By now, it was ______ outside, and time for bed, as Santa would soon be here.

The next morning, my sister and I ______ early to see what Santa had left under the tree. After breakfast, the family sat together to ______ presents.＂The last gift is to grandmother from grandfather. ＂Father said, in a puzzled voice.

＂From who?＂There was ______ in my grandmother’s voice.

＂I found that ______ in the closet when we got the tree down, ＂Mother explained.

My grandmother opened it. Her face lit up when she pulled out a(n) ______ golden star. There was a note attached. Her voice trembled (颤抖) as she read it:

Don’t be ______ with me, dear. I broke your star while putting away the tree. Thought it was time for a new one, I hope it brings you as much ______ as the first one. Merry Christmas.

1.

A．empty

B．cold

C．slow

D．absent

2.

A．wish

B．tree

C．spirit

D．work

3.

A．unique

B．artificial

C．widespread

D．alive

4.

A．follow

B．show

C．judge

D．admire

5.

A．losing

B．happening

C．missing

D．falling

6.

A．doubt

B．reward

C．honour

D．treasure

7.

A．filled

B．covered

C．put

D．removed

8.

A．them

B．it

C．her

D．him

9.

A．stop

B．move

C．start

D．stay

10.

A．hid

B．searched

C．lay

D．found

11.

A．as

B．until

C．because

D．though

12.

A．disappointed

B．amazed

C．excited

D．shocked

13.

A．snowing

B．raining

C．blowing

D．darkening

14.

A．cheered up

B．picked up

C．woke up

D．took up

15.

A．pack

B．open

C．pick

D．exchange

16.

A．happiness

B．fright

C．surprise

D．hope

17.

A．gift

B．book

C．note

D．letter

18.

A．big

B．old

C．shining

D．broken

19.

A．generous

B．angry

C．strict

D．important

20.

A．sadness

B．concern

C．peace

D．joy

3 . Mark Twain tells a boy’s story in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is a poor child, without a mother or home. His father drinks too much alcohol and always beats him.

Huck’s situation has freed him from the restriction of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He smokes.

Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped from slavery(奴隶制). They travel together on a raft(木筏) made of wood down the Mississippi River.

Mark twain started writing “Huckleberry Finn” as a children’s story. But it soon became serious. The story tells about the social evil of slavery, seen through the eyes of an innocent child. Huck’s ideas about people were formed by the white society in which he lived. So, at first, he does not question slavery.Huck knows that important people believe slavery is natural, the law of God. So, he thinks it is his duty to tell Jim’s owners where to find him.

Later, Huck comes to understand that Jim is a good man. He finds he cannot carry out his plan to inform Jim’s owners of his whereabouts(下落). Instead, he decides to help Jim escape. He decides to do this, even if God punished him.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The outline (概要) of The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.

B．The childhood of Huckleberry.

C．The reason why Mark Twain wrote the story.

D．The effect of slavery.

2. The underlined word “restriction” probably means _________.

A．something that you are expected to do.

B．something that you are not allowed to do.

C．something that you are able to do.

D．something that you look forward to.

3. The underlined expression “he does not question slavery” means that ________.

A．he is sure about everything of slavery.

B．he has no question to ask the owner of the slaves.

C．he thinks that slavery is reasonable.

D．he believes that slavery is wrong.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Huck is a white boy.

B．Huck’s childhood is a reflection(反映) of that of Mark Twain’s.

C．It ’s Huck’s situation that makes him decide to travel with Jim.

D．Huck will be punished by God for what he does.

5. Why does Huck change his mind at last?

A．He has made friends with Jim.

B．He finds out the weakness of slavery.

C．God tells him to do so.

D．He finds that Jim is a good man.

4 . Long, long ago, in a dense forest there were thousands of tall and beautiful trees. They were happy, but____ of themselves. Among them there also a(an) ____ tree whose branches were badly twisted. All the trees made ______ of that ugly tree.
“How are you, hunchback?” the other ____ always shouted and their laughter made the ugly tree ____. The ugly tree thought, “I wish I were as ____ as the other trees. Why did God do this to me? Neither can I provide shade to the travelers. Nor can the ____ make their nests on me. Nobody needs me.”
One day, a woodcutter came to the____. He took a look at the trees and said, “These trees are lovely. I must ____ them.” As soon as he picked up his axe, the trees became ____. “Chop, Chop, Chop” went the woodcutter’s axe and one by one the trees started to fall.
“None of us is going to ____,” screamed one of the beautiful trees.
But when the woodcutter came near to the ugly tree. He had just raised his axe when suddenly he noticed how ____ the ugly tree was. “Hmm! This crooked tree seems to no ____ to me.”, he thought. Then he moved towards another beautiful tree. The ugly tree breathed a huge sigh of ____. He realized that by making him ugly, God had actually given him a boon. From that day on, the ugly tree never ____. He was happy with his crooked branches. He never forgot how he had escaped from the woodcutter’s axe, only because he was crooked and ugly.1.

A．proud

B．short

C．tired

D．full

2.

A．strong

B．ugly

C．thin

D．straight

3.

A．light

B．fun

C．sense

D．use

4.

A．directions

B．persons

C．trees

D．animals

5.

A．surprised

B．angry

C．sad

D．moved

6.

A．short

B．long

C．hard

D．beautiful

7.

A．fish

B．pets

C．hens

D．birds

8.

A．forest

B．shop

C．office

D．hospital

9.

A．cut

B．put

C．bring

D．take

10.

A．puzzled

B．frightened

C．amused

D．satisfied

11.

A．appear

B．escape

C．remove

D．lie

12.

A．soft

B．flexible

C．bent

D．tall

13.

A．doubt

B．harm

C．use

D．way

14.

A．desperation

B．anger

C．sorrow

D．relief

15.

A．complained

B．grew

C．spoke

D．Waited

5 . It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and that they seldom give their children a free hand.

It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.

Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.

Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.

1. ____are to blame for the quarrels between parents and their children according to this passage.

A．Parents

B．Young people

C．Both parents and their children

D．Neither parents nor their children

2. According to the passage, young people prefer to _______.

A．do things without thinking carefully ahead

B．ask for advice before they really start to do anything

C．think in the same way as their parents do

D．be very strict with themselves

3. According to the passage, young people want to make a new culture of their own because____.

A．they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people

B．they do not want to get into trouble

C．they feel they are as clever as old people

D．they want to show they have grown up

4. The underlined word “this” in the third paragraph stands for _______.

A．the young people’s choice

B．their being accepted by their parents

C．developing a new culture of their own

D．their parents’ dislike of their choice

5. If a young man intends to control his own life, it’s better for him to _______.

A．do everything according to his own wish.

B．be responsible for what he does

C．do everything beyond his parents’ control

D．do everything the way his parents do.

6 . Sir Emest Shackleton was not only a great explorer, but also an intelligent man. He once found himself and two of his men at the top of an icy mountain ridge (山脊) . They had no way to get down to its side. Their destination had been the tiny Whaling Station of strummers, near the South Pole. Shackleton knew if they didn't get down from the ridge, no one would ever hear from them again.
Shackleton knew there was only one thing to do. He explained that they would all have to slide down. He instructed the two men to wind(绕) their ropes into a coil(卷) .Then each of the men sat down on a coiled and slid down the icy slope into the darkness. When they found themselves at the bottom, unhurt, Shackleton said, "You know, we shouldn't do that kind of thing too often." The laughter broke the tension all the men were feeling. They arrived later than expected, but safely at the Whaling Station.
1. Sir Shackleton was ______

A．both brave and bright

B．neither brave nor smart

C．either shy or foolishD courageous and stupid

2. It would be _______ if they couldn't slide down the ridge.

A．safe

B．dead

C．dangerous

D．good

3. They had ______ way to get down the ridge.

A．many

B．two

C．only one

D．no

4. They did not get ______ when they got to the bottom.

A．hurt

B．ached

C．burned

D．damaged

5. They were all ______ when hearing what Sir Shackleton said.

A．tense

B．relaxed

C．worried

D．nervous

7 . Lily , a____girl , always thought of losing weight . Although she was twenty-one years old , she stayed at home and did nothing instead of looking for a job . Last year , her father , who was a ____ , made a____ to go to Guangzhou to do trade with the local people . Lily had never been to Guangdong, so she asked her father to go with her . Lily was only one child in his family , so his father loved her very much . He couldn’t stand her ____requests and eventually he was forced to show his____by smiling .
Lily ____ her father to Guangdong . Several days later , A friend of her father ____ her to work in a ____ . Lily had never thought of being a barber , but she was tired of staying at home all days , she wanted to have a try .
When firstly arriving in the new barbershop, Lily felt it hard to____herself to the environment, especially in the____of others’ help. Realizing this, her workmates encouraged Lily to practice more ____ in her spare time so that she could ____ Lily kept to her belief--nothing is impossible, and ____she cheered herself up ____the difficulties. She finally adjusted herself to the barbershop one month later and all her workmates ____her on her success. To put it simply, Lily’s adjustment is the process of helping each other.1.

A．tall

B．strong

C．stout

D．weak

2.

A．teacher

B．merchant

C．driver

D．professor

3.

A．decision

B．suggestion

C．friend

D．program

4.

A．peaceful

B．powerful

C．hopeless

D．endless

5.

A．idea

B．approval

C．suggestion

D．plan

6.

A．accompanied

B．left

C．found

D．joined

7.

A．refused

B．hired

C．recommended

D．admitted

8.

A．cinema

B．bookshop

C．supermarket

D．barbershop

9.

A．adjust

B．make

C．enjoy

D．help

10.

A．appearance

B．front

C．absence

D．back

11.

A．on air

B．on purpose

C．on his own

D．in purpose

12.

A．get ahead

B．get on

C．get off

D．get ready

13.

A．however

B．therefore

C．because

D．but

14.

A．regardless of

B．except

C．as well as

D．except for

15.

A．wished

B．hit

C．celebrated

D．congratulated

8 . Liz had been bleeding for a long time! She was my closest professional colleague and good friend at the time when we worked in an IT company. It was her first day back at work after an operation and I thought she should have taken a few more days to recover.
Realizing that we couldn’t stop the bleeding, we headed to the emergency room and spent hours there waiting to be seen. After the treatment, I drove her to my apartment. I had to leave her in my apartment while I dashed off to take a final exam for a very important course I was taking. Upon my return, we decided Liz was in a good enough condition to sustain a trip back from my Northern Virginia apartment to her home in Maryland.
Although it was nearly midnight and we were both exhausted, we still decided to set off. Unfortunately, in a not particularly safe part of town, we heard my car make a strange noise, and then ti was shaking violently as we drove along. Quickly, I stopped the car in the road and found a tire had blown out. Not knowing how to change a tire and feeling scared, I was trying out to figure out what to do next. Liz, weak from losing all that blood all day and weighing only about eighty pounds to begin with, came out and tried to help me. I had to scream at her to get back in the car and relax.
Within seconds, a taxi pulled up behind us. A huge man appeared and began walking toward us. I felt that the blood drained out of my face and I nearly fainted in fear.
“Got a flat tire, girls?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered in a trembling voice.
In no time at all, the man changed the tire for us and rushed off back to his taxi. He refused any payment and did not even tell me his name. He would never know how badly we needed his services that particular evening. And I, with a grateful heart, will never forget his kindness.
1. The author thought that Liz was bleeding because         .

A．she worked too hard in an IT company

B．she had an operation but didn’t rest enough

C．she hurt herself in the workplace carelessly

D．she had a long trip from her house to the company

2. What was the author doing when Liz was in her apartment?

A．She was seeing a doctor.	B．She was waiting for help.
C．She was taking an exam.	D．She was travelling in Maryland.

3. According to the paragraph 3, which of the following is true?

A．The author decided to send Liz back because they rested well.

B．The car’s tire blew out when they reached a safe place in the town.

C．The author felt puzzled as she didn’t know how to change tire.

D．Liz came out to help because she was strong enough.

4. Seeing the man coming out of the taxi, the author felt         .

A．frightened

B．delighted

C．annoyed

D．Excited

5. The passage is intended to         .

A．report a medical emergency

B．show us how to change a car tire

C．warn us of the danger in the town

D．tell us about a midnight assistance

9 . Megan’s Library of Love Book Drive began in 2006, in memory of a student who passed away. The idea to send books to a school in ____ was created by Megan’s classmates at Cedar Groove-Belgium Middle School as a tribute to her.
The project formed out of the desire to honour memories of Megan, to help our community heal, and to make a ____ in the life of others. Students have many ____of Megan, but the most vivid was her love for her family and the diligent help she gave to her classmates. They combined this with her ____ for learning and reading to create the Library of Love.
This project honours Megan’s special qualities. In the ____ of one of her classmates, “Megan was a good daughter, a good student and a good friend. We are all blessed to have been a____ of Megan’s life.
Every February, on Megan’s birthday, fifth grades at Cedar Groove-Belgium Middle School____ donations of newly-purchased books and send them to a school in need. The “love books” are truly a ____ of love meant to ____ reading and learning. Students earn the money for postage by writing letters to local ____ The fifth grades also have the ____ of labeling every book with a Library of Love sticker, sorting books in categories, and ____ all the books for shipping.
In the two years since the Library of Love ____ began, students have collected over 5,000 newly-purchased books to send to schools in need. In 2006, 3,149 books were sent to St. Bernard’s Parish to help to ____ their school library after Hurricane Katrina devastated the community. In 2007, 1,613 books were sent to Whited Mountain School in Alaska, which was ____ by a fire. Students look forward to sending the gift of reading to other schools in the future.1.

A．debt

B．need

C．trouble

D．practice

2.

A．mark

B．contribution

C．difference

D．start

3.

A．images

B．expressions

C．comments

D．memories

4.

A．enthusiasm

B．interest

C．preference

D．determination

5.

A．looks

B．words

C．case

D．diary

6.

A．company

B．favor

C．witness

D．part

7.

A．collect

B．abandon

C．devote

D．present

8.

A．force

B．signal

C．measure

D．gift

9.

A．push

B．inspire

C．reward

D．combine

10.

A．libraries

B．post offices

C．hospitals

D．business

11.

A．ability

B．pleasure

C．responsibility

D．chance

12.

A．packing

B．fastening

C．check

D．settling

13.

A．project

B．assignment

C．organization

D．campaign

14.

A．repair

B．refill

C．rebuild

D．remove

15.

A．broken

B．hurt

C．closed

D．damaged

10 . At the age of 16, Clara Barton was advised to become a teacher since she was quite shy. She taught in Massachusetts for ten years, and was invited to Bordentown, New Jersey to teach in a school. She saw that these communities needed complimentary education for their citizens, and she took action by creating a free school, one of the first in her state. But later, ignoring her, officials named a male instead as the head teacher. Disappointed, she left her job and moved to Washington D.C., becoming the first woman employed by the US Patent Office.
Clara Barton was forever changed by her experience with the army in the Civil War. She saw doctors use leaves when dealing with injuries since they had nothing else. The medical supplies were well behind the army, who were moving faster than their medical supply lines. She brought in a truck of medical supplies that she collected personally some years ago. Miss Barton continued to work on the battlefields throughout the war.
She helped in the identification of 13,000 dead Union soldiers. This non-stop work made her fully exhausted, and upon recommendation by her physicians, she traveled to Europe where she recovered energy and enriched herself.
While in Europe, and still in poor health, Miss Barton was moved by the hardship on people brought about by the France-Prussia war. She helped in their relief effort, which encouraged her to create the Red Cross, which served the whole army and common people under a neutral flag.
Clara Barton returned to America and then began the establishment of the American Red Cross. The US government did not think there would ever be another war after the Civil War. But she convinced them that the Red Cross would be valuable to serve in times of natural disasters as well. This was her lasting legacy (遗产), an agency that still provides aid to all people today.
1. What does the underlined word mean in the first paragraph?

A．Public.

B．Personal.

C．Free.

D．Advanced.

2. . Why did Clara Barton bring her personal medical supplies
A There were no medical supplies for the army at all.

A．The army’s supplies couldn’t catch up with them.

B．The army’s supplies weren’t good enough to treat soldiers.

C．The enemies cut off the connection between the army and medical supplies.

3. Clara Barton set up the Red Cross because of _______.

A．her experiences in Europe

B．her poor health

C．the lack of supplies for the army

D．her work in the US Patent Office

4. The US government agreed to establish the Red Cross because Clara Barton _______.

A．gave a lot of her legacy

B．said there might be wars in the future

C．explained it would help people in peacetime as well.

D．claimed it could save people from the France-Prussia war.

5. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．The history of American Civil War.

B．A general introduction to Clara Barton.

C．Clara Barton’s contributions to the US.

D．The Establishment of the American Red Cross.