1 . One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father’s layoffs (失业), I could tell my mother was unhappy. I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother’s Day gift.
One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions (时尚) and styles. I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mother’s Day present.
“Do you think she’d like a purse?” she asked. I told her. I thought she might.
She took out an Italian handbag made of leather. She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it.
“How much money do you have?” she asked.
“Twelve dollars,” I said.
“You’re in luck,” she told me. “It’s only $11. You have a dollar left over for the card.” She gift-wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm.
When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, “Where did you get this?”
“I bought it at the Agins. It cost me $11.” I said.
My mother was shocked into silence.
It wasn’t until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me. I always felt bad that I never had a chance to properly thank her.
“You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day,” my mother said, “Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough. But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I’ll never forget.”
1. The author bought his mother a purse to ________.| A．surprise his mother | B．make his mother happy |
| C．show his ability of making money | D．thank his mother for buying him a bike |
| A．She wasn’t expecting a gift from her son. |
| B．The purse was bought from the Agins. |
| C．The author bought a card to go with the purse. |
| D．The Agins charged so little money for the purse. |
| A．she is good at making money | B．she is kind and thoughtful |
| C．she knows how to choose presents | D．she is critical and mean |
| A．An Unforgettable Event | B．A Considerate Mother |
| C．A Priceless Mother’s Day Gift | D．A Kind-hearted Shop Owner |
Gift No. 1
Offer to Be your mother's health friend. Promise to Be there for any and all doctor's visits
whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The Best part ? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortaBle pillows to encourage Better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day By picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构) Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful But inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will Be told that she has helped the chosen charity.
1. What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
| A．Take notes. |
| B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. |
| D．Give her gifts. |
| A．Keeping her medical information together. |
| B．Buying all gifts for her from one company. |
| C．Making a list of her medical check－ups. |
| D．Storing her medicines in a safe place. |
| A．In Gift No. 1. | B．In Gift No. 2. |
| C．In Gift No. 3. | D．In Gift No. 4. |
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be well－organized |
| C．get extra support | D．give others help |
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a "boy". Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males send them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere--on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy is a mixture--he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker (鞭炮), but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half-eaten apple, a three-foot rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature--he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, "Hi, Dad!"
1. The whole passage is in a tone of ________.| A．humor and affection | B．anger and disappointment |
| C．hope and expectation | D．confidence and imagination |
| A．He has altogether five fingers. | B．He is slow, foolish and clumsy. |
| C．He becomes clever and smart. | D．He cuts his hand with a knife. |
| A．ice cream | B．comic books |
| C．Saturday mornings | D．Sunday schools |
| A．He feels curious about their noise. |
| B．He is tired of these creatures. |
| C．He is amazed by their naughtiness. |
| D．He feels unsafe staying with them. |
Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.
As a young girl, my parents forced me to do so many things that I didn’t like. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music and I also hated them. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched(丰富) my life in so many ways. I now realize that my parents and teachers wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just part of our life. They might seem so huge at the time, but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no challenges and lived a life like that. Life would be really boring and meaningless. The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps(碰撞) on our road to success, we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. The underlined word “obstacles” (in Paragraph 2) roughly means things that ______.
| A．are related to your studies |
| B．you easily achieve |
| C．make you happy |
| D．make it difficult for you to do something |
| A．She is fearful | B．She is grateful |
| C．She feels trapped | D．She feels hateful |
| A．life without challenges is dull |
| B．life needs no pains but sunshine and happiness |
| C．we should give up faced with challenges as the future is ours |
| D．we shouldn’t easily pay a little hard work in growing up |
| A．life is full of hardships |
| B．growing pains can turn into growing gains in a positive way |
| C．everyone is painful in growing up |
| D．everyone should do what they don’t like when young |
5 . Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like a walk in the park.” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”
Things started well, but just after eight o'clock, his three little “good kids”---Mike, Randy, and Alex --- came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted “breakfast, daddy.” When food had not appeared on within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍) . Mike chanted “Where’s my toast, where’s my toast” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their eyes. Someone named “Not me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o'clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the fish bowl refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating kitchen wall with his color pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the sitting room, but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly 11:17, Brad called the daycare center(日托所).“I suddenly have to go into work and my wife is away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes?” The answer was obviously “yes” because Brad was smiling.
1. When his wife left home, Brad expected___________.| A．go out for a walk in the park |
| B．watch TV talk show with his children |
| C．enjoy his first day off the work. |
| D．read the newspaper to his children |
| A．Drawing on the wall | B．Eating apple jam |
| C．Feeding the fish | D．Reading in a room |
| A．Because he wanted to clean his house. |
| B．Because he suddenly had to go to his office |
| C．Because he found it hard to manage his boys |
| D．Because he had to take his wife back home. |
| A．by space | B．by comparison |
| C．by process | D．by time |
One day while walking through the woods, the old man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then came out easily.
But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, or they would be smaller. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled （枯萎）wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any difficulties, it would cripple (无能) us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.
1. The old man cut the cocoon in order to ____.
| A．kill the butterfly |
| B．play with the butterfly |
| C．make the butterfly come out easily |
| D．have the butterfly |
| A．the old man broke its wings |
| B．it was too small |
| C．newly born butterflies can’t fly |
| D．it came out of its cocoon without enough struggle |
| A．That old man was fond of everything except the butterfly. |
| B．It was the old man that stopped the butterfly flying. |
| C．The old man realized his mistake. |
| D．It’s not hard for the butterfly to come out of the cocoon. |
| A．We should help others. |
| B．Without others' help we can still succeed. |
| C．Struggles in our life can make us stronger. |
| D．Butterflies can fly without people’s help. |
But despite her worries，she let me go on my own. As I moved into my teens，she continued to give me space to grow and learn，even when it might have been difficult for her. When I reached my senior year，I decided to move away for college. Once again I found that I differed from my peers：While many of them wanted to stay close to home，I couldn’t wait to be out in the world on my own. While my mom may not have been happy at the thought of my going away，she was supportive and excited for me.
One big thing I realized during my senior year，as my mom granted me more freedom，was that she actually believes in me and trusts me. That means a lot. Most of my life，and especially when I was little，the main person I tried to impress in my schoolwork or other things was my mother. I knew she expected nothing but the best from me. Sometimes it was hard to live up to her standards；getting a single B on my report card would make me feel bad because I knew she wanted me to have all A’s.
I know that her high standards have helped me stay focused on what’s important，like education，and made me who I am. I am thankful for her support and involvement in my life .Most of all I respect her. She is the strongest woman I know and that’s why I have turned out so strong and independent.
1. When the author decided to go to Puerto Rico，his mother________.
| A．wanted to go with him |
| B．worried about his safety |
| C．didn’t allow him to do so |
| D．asked his grandmother for advice |
| A．be different from his peers |
| B．keep away from his mother |
| C．be independent in the outside world |
| D．make his mother unhappy |
| A．had a high expectation of him |
| B．was too strict with him |
| C．used to expect nothing from him |
| D．cared little about his learning |
| A．his long way to becoming independent |
| B．his good relationship with his mother |
| C．the importance of a mother’s trust and support |
| D．his mother’s deep love for him |
8 . My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs. Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night light, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find night times the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you，” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think at messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.
1. The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ________.| A．she watched the scene with her daughter |
| B．the scene was very exciting and interesting |
| C．the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson |
| D．as a mother, she understood how much a mother loved her children |
| A．didn’t get used to the change for a long time |
| B．often cried as she missed her daughter so much |
| C．realized she hadn’t done enough for her daughter |
| D．failed to have a good sleep every night |
| A．Happiness. | B．Anger. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Excitement. |
| A．To call her daughter any time. | B．To wait for her daughter’s calls. |
| C．To say good night to her daughter. | D．To wait for her daughter’s messages. |
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.
1. According to the passage, winners .
| A．blame themselves rather than others |
| B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| A．improve | B．accept | C．avoid | D．consider |
| A．excuses for their failures | B．chances for self-development |
| C．challenges to their colleagues | D．barriers to greater power |
| A．A Winner’s Opportunity. | B．A Winner’s Problem. |
| C．A Winner’s Secret. | D．A Winner’s Achievement. |
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes, ” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three...”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam, ”he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Er, well...” the woman looked at the child. “I mean... she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs... let me see...￡13.50. So if the railway pays for you hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since it’s me who made the mistake...”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.
1. Harry was worried because __________.
| A．he owed the woman ￡12 |
| B．he thought he might have done his work wrong |
| C．the Jersey timetable was wrong |
| D．the little girl didn’t have a return ticket |
| A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do |
| B．because he had a little girl about the same age |
| C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice |
| D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl |
| A．they must follow the law without other choice, even though the mistake was his |
| B．he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn’t want to |
| C．the woman had to pay him￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel |
| D．she should pay￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she should go without paying |
| A．she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticket |
| B．she was so angry that she didn’t want to say anything more with the young man |
| C．she was moved by Harry’s kindness |
| D．she knew she would have to pay for her child’s ticket if she held on to her idea |
| A．Angry. | B．Peaceful. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Nervous. |
