1 . I grew up with a four-year gap（差距）between myself and my younger brother. It was an enough distance in age to keep us close as we got older, but also enough of an age gap to make sure we lived our own lives in completely different ways. Having a younger brother while I was a girl was a lot of work for there was a lot of fighting.

However, as we've got older, we've become closer, and I've learned several things in life from my younger brother that I didn't realize I needed before.

My younger brother is one of the most talented and creative souls I've known. He's constantly feeding his creativity with new art forms, new instruments. He always seeks to understand and learn more about the world around him. He's helped remind me through his actions and words that giving up on creativity is something a person should never do.

My younger brother has always been a more introverted type, and if you speak to him, you're lucky to get over three words out of him at a time. Because of this, he's certainly learned the whole “actions speak louder than words”thing. But, I've realized from my brother that I needn't speak to fill the silence. Sometimes, it's necessary to spend some of your time in silence and reflect in it.        My younger brother has also been through hard times, but he's able to focus on learning from the hard times, unlike me, who tends to hold on to every little thing from my life. It's always been difficult for me to let things go and move on, but my younger brother has been an inspiration for me to try harder at letting go.

1. What does the author think of growing up as the older sister?

A．It is a great advantage.

B．It tends to be enjoyable.

C．It is troubling but inspiring.

D．It isn't always fun and easy.

2. What does the author's younger brother's actions suggest to her?

A．She should focus on the past and the present

B．She should never stop feeding her creativity.

C．She should move on with the past kept in mind.

D．She should explain every little detail of something.

3. What might the introverted people be like according to paragraph 4?

A．They are quiet.

B．They are quick.

C．They are noisy.

D．They are friendly.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Good Relationships between My Brother and Me

B．The Inspirations My Younger Brother was Given

C．Lessons My Little Brother Helped Me Learn

D．The Great Qualities of My Little Brother

2 . I arrived at my mother’s home for our Saturday family dinner. The smells of food flew over from the kitchen. Mother was pulling out quilt after quilt from the boxes proudly showing me their beauties. I knew they were all made herself. She was preparing for a quilt show on TV. When we began to fold and put them back into the boxes, I noticed something at the bottom of one box. I pulled it out. “What’s this？”I asked. “Oh？”Mom said，“That’s Mama’s quilt. ” I spread the quilt. It looked as if a group of school children had made the pieces together. “Grandmother made this？”I asked in surprise. My grandmother was a master at making quilts. This certainly didn’t look like any of the quilts she had made. “Yes, right before she died. I brought it home with me last year and made some changes，” Mom said，“I’m still working on it. See，this is what I’ve done so far. ”I looked at it more closely. She had made a line straight（直的）At the center of the quilt, she had stitched a piece of cloth with these words:“ My mother made many quilts. She didn’t get all lines straight. But I think this is beautiful. I want to see it finished. Her last quilt. ” “Oh，this is so nice，Mom. ”I said. I was sure now that by completing my grandmother’s quilt, my mother was honoring her own mother. I realized that I held in my hands a family treasure. It started with the loving hands of one woman，and continued with the loving hands of another.

1. When the writer got home，his mother________.

A．was cooking dinner

B．was preparing for a quilt show

C．was watching TV

D．was changing her mama’s quilt

2. How did the writer’s mother deal with her mama’s last quilt?

A．She took it to a TV show.

B．She brought it home and made some changes.

C．She gave it to her daughter as a family treasure.

D．She made some changes with a group of children.

3. From this passage we know the writer’s grandmother________.

A．was highly thought of by her daughter

B．wasn’t good at making quilts

C．was dead many years ago

D．lived with the writer before she died

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The writer wanted to know what their family treasure was.

B．The writer’s mother wanted to learn how to make a beautiful quilt.

C．The writer’s mother wanted to honor her own mama by finishing the quilt.

D．The writer’s mother wanted to take her mama’s quilts to the show.

3 . Do you always concern yourself with your kid’s play dates? Do you send them upstairs to get changed?     1     Put that red pen back in your purse, because micromanaging your kids is likely to do more harm than good.

Micromanaging or over-parenting comes in many forms. However it presents itself, it can give children the impression that parents don’t have confidence in them, and this can lead to problems. Kids who are micromanaged could also grow used to an unearned level of success, which may do harm to their attitude towards work and life. Parents who micromanage their kids sometimes struggle with a sense of control.     2    

So what should parents do? For modern parents, it can be a balance between healthy involvement in your kid's life and micromanaging. It can be especially difficult to know where the line is when it comes to the internet. We live in a digital age.     3     To help you walk that fine line, parents should be frank about it. If they're hiding their phone or acting secretively, a slightly different conversation about the health of their online activity might be needed.

Breaking a micromanaging habit isn't easy.     4     You could relax your grip in fairly inconsequential areas, like letting your child decide what clothes to wear. The plus side is that if you back off about little things, your words might carry more weight when it comes to the big things.     5     Therefore, you can let your children succeed, fail, and figure out life on their own.

A．But like any bad habit, start small.

B．Do you like talking with your kids?

C．Micromanaging can be a sign of anxiety in them.

D．Do you stay with them while they're doing homework?

E．You can also form a healthier relationship with your kids.

F．Keep your eyes open for the changes in your kids' behavior.

G．It's important for parents to care about their kids' activity online.

4 . Leaving junior high school, and going up to the big school was a very frightening change for me. I went there with no friends. The only two people who came from my previous school were two girls, Donna Davis and Sakjinda Rai, but I developed little friendship with them.At first I was scared (害怕的) and looked stupid. But after a few months, I tried keeping my arms open and making friends with people around me.

After an unsuccessful relationship with Amit Sharmar, who ran away from me whenever I said hello to him, Sher Bhachu joined me, and we seemed to have a bit in common. So I made my first friend, and I wasn't on my own any more! But after a few days，he broke his leg, and was off for a couple of months! I was on my own again!

Anyway, when Sher finally did return, I introduced him to another friend of mine，Graeme Parker. They got on like a house on fire, but unfortunately that little threesome (三人一组) only managed to last about a week or two before they had a bit of fight，and poor Graeme went his own way. Shortly after that we met and later joined another gang. Others later joined at various stages, including Chris Elemen, Venay Maru, Amandeep Vidhani, Yaser Ghauri and Paul Barrance. It was with these people that I spent most of my life in senior high school.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author felt frightened in the new school with no friends at the start of his senior high school time.

B．The author's junior high school was not very good.

C．The author didn't like Sakjinda Rai at all.

D．The author had tried his best to make friends with Donna Davis.

2. After a short time, the author was alone without friends again because ________.

A．they quarrelled about something

B．they found they had nothing to share

C．the author moved to another school

D．his friend was off because of injury

3. According to the last paragraph, we can learn that ________.

A．the author missed his little threesome

B．the author made more friends as time went on

C．the author and Graeme had a bit of fight

D．Graeme Parker and Sher Bhachu were close friends

4. The real purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ________.

A．introduce some friends to readers

B．prove senior high school life is hard

C．show his attitudes toward life in senior high school

D．tell readers his friendship in senior high school

5 . Although people often say we look alike,they also say that our personalities are completely different from each other.They describe me as intelligent and dependable,but consider him as self-centered.

He is my younger brother, Bob. He was born only 18 months after I was born.We did not get along well with each other. Maybe I was unhappy, even at the age of 18 months, about the new arrival. Another problem was that Bob was often sick. I must have felt cheated out of my parents' attention. I didn't understand why the two people I wanted to be with were always with him. We were fighting all the time.

Then, just over a year ago, doctors thought my brother could have cancer. Suddenly I felt as if the whole world was going black. It was at that point in my life that I realized just how much he meant to me. The day he went into surgery(手术) was one of the most terrible days in my life. When the test result came back negative(阴性), I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off my family and my brother.Although Bob has to go every few years for tests just to make sure that he is healthy, right now he is the picture of health.

Now, with me away at college, our relationship has improved greatly. Suddenly, he is more responsible, and is showing it. When I am home on breaks, he treats me with some respect. He even tries to include me in some of his activities with his friends.

Many years ago, I had wished that my baby brother would go away. But now, I will never find another person like him. He has the ability to make me laugh now, instead of upsetting me. I won't give him up for anything.

1. What might be the most possible reason for their fighting?

A．The author's being self-centered.	B．The two brothers' age difference.
C．Bob's being younger than the author.	D．More of their parents' attention to Bob.

2. What was the turning point of their relationship?

A．Bob was thought to have a bad disease.	B．Bob began to show respect to the author.
C．The author showed understanding to Bob.	D．The author was away to attend university.

3. How does the author regard Bob now?

A．As a person who can go away.	B．As a person who must be changed.
C．As a person who will not upset him.	D．As a person who will never be replaced.

6 . Nowadays,being a parent has become harder than ever before.When it comes to useful parenting methods,advice from experts is different.One of the things researchers and educators agree on,however,is that if you want to raise successful children,you must"give them wings and let them fly."    1     But how do you go about it?Here are some tips to raise independent kids.

Let go.It's natural to want to help your kids but raising independent kids requires you to fight the urge(欲望）to help at all times.    2    Providing unnecessary help means you're taking away important chances to build independence.The golden rule is:if they can do it, don't insist on doing it for them.

Be present.Raising independent kids is difficult.It requires you to find the right balance between being present and letting go.    3     You need to create the environments that allow them to feel confident enough to go out on their own.

    4    Competitiveness draws the attention of many parents.    5     Your kid is unique.It's important to find out what he or she likes and to focus on developing his or her personal strengths.Research has shown that the activities to show children's unique abilities help lead them towards a meaningful life and help them develop confidence in their abilities.

A．Be their model.

B．Focus on their strengths.

C．Kids need to take chances.

D．You must inspire independence.

E．The competition among parents is very fierce.

F．They are worried that their kids will get left behind.

G．Your presence is necessary to help your kids become independent.

7 . Too many people 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 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 rely on one another to speak and act honestly.

Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You don’t have to give your lunch money or your clothes,  of course．Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interests. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.

Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a 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 friendships, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.

1. Which of the following is NOT true in the passage?

A．Always tell your friend the truth.

B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value.

C．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend.

D．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem.

2. What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To tell us how to help friends.

B．To tell us how a good friendship starts.

C．To encourage us make more good friends.

D．To advise us how to keep friendships long.

3. The best title of this passage is_______.

A．How to Be a perfect Friend

B．A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed

C．Three Important Points in Life

D．Honesty Is the Best Habit

8 . Jim found himself exhausted during a trip. When he came home, he went to see a doctor. “The reason why I was fatigued (精疲力竭),” Jim says, “was that my kidneys were gone.”

Jim, 69, a former Air Force pilot, immediately started dialysis (透析) three times a week. A person of his age on dialysis usually lives only about four years. Transplants are a long-shot alternative. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that 13 people die every day while waiting for a donor with the right blood and tissue types.

Jim’s wife, nephew and four family friends offered but weren’t a match. Jim was so discouraged that he was even considering not attending a reunion of some Air Force buddies (铁哥们). But his wife encouraged him to reunite with his old friends, among whom was one he hadn’t seen for nearly 50 years: Doug Coffman. The two had met. When they both were learning Vietnamese before they went overseas.

Doug, then 70, felt a strong bond with his band of brothers, even though he hadn’t seen some of them for decades. Their connection went beyond the battlefield in ways most, soldiers never experience.

Doug had received help from his friends when he was in trouble, so he felt like it was a time that he could pay that ahead by donating a kidney to Jim. Fortunately, series of testing revealed not only that Doug’s tissue type matched Jim^’s but also that he had the kidneys of a 35-year-old.

The transplant was a success. “It’s pretty miraculous to be able to take an organ out of one person’s body—a living organ—put it in another person’s body, and have it work.” Doug says. “And there’s nothing finer than knowing I’ve helped another person live a better life.”

1. From paragraph 2 we know that kidney transplant is ________.

A．expensive	B．dangerous
C．a matter of luck	D．an unwise choice

2. How old was Jim when he went overseas?

A．About 17.

B．About 19.

C．About 22.

D．About 25.

3. What can we infer from Doug’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Doug is happy to donate a kidney to Jim.

B．Jim is having a better life than Doug.

C．The kidney transplant was very successful.

D．Modern medical science is very advanced.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To share his good luck.	B．To tell us to pay it forward.
C．To introduce a kidney transplant.	D．To encourage us to make friends.

9 . We all know friendship is a good thing. But do you know that friends have a huge influence on your happiness and quality of life? Good friends add special meaning to life. They help you share the good times and get over the difficult ones. Among other things, good friends can:

Improve your mood. Happiness can be infectious(传染的). Spending time with happy and positive friends can raise your emotion as well as your attitude toward life.

Help you reach your goals. Whether you are trying to get fit, give up smoking, or otherwise improve your life, encouragement from a friend can really increase your chances of success.

Reduce your stress and depression. Having an active social life can improve your immune system(免疫系统) and help reduce loneliness.

Support you through hard times. Even if it’s just having someone to share your problems with, friends can help you deal with serious illness, the loss of a job or loved one, the breakup of a relationship, or any other challenges in life.

1. According to the text, good friends can help you ________.

A．keep young	B．contribute more to society
C．realize your goals	D．win a fight against another classmates

2. What can we infer(推断)from the text?

A．Friendship makes people work longer.

B．If you want to succeed, you should make more friends.

C．With friendship people will be no sadness.

D．With friendship people can deal with challenges better.

3. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Challenges in our life	B．The best way to make friends
C．The advantages of friendship	D．The meaning of life

10 . “What's your ‘Thing of the Day’？”I asked my fourteen-year-old son as he got a piece of potato onto his plate. This is a question our four kids and whichever friends are staying for supper expect to be asked each evening at suppertime. Usually, it's followed with, “Uhh……Umm…We had pizza for lunch. ”And then I have to refuse the response and ask for something meaningful-either something he learned or something that happened with his friends.

But, this day, my son surprised me as he went into great detail about how he had been honestly wronged by a couple of classmates and laughed at in front of the class. I asked more questions and learned that the teachers were aware of the situation. The issue had been dealt with as much as the teachers and staff were able to. It was really just a matter of kids being mean and deciding to play a trick on someone.

I thought about the situation all night. I vacillated between meeting the teachers, meeting the parents of the classmates, and not doing anything since the story had been told to me in a matter-of-fact way-not overly excitedly.

I waited until the next day after school. On the car ride home, I questioned my son what about today after yesterday's situation. My son was surprised that I brought it up again. “What？No, it's over, Mom. They're my friends. They were just being stupid. They apologized. Forgive and forget, you know？We're all good. ”

I was worried that perhaps he was trying to hide his concern or sadness about the thing. But as I watched him over the next days and weeks, everything seemed “normal”. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could live the “forgive and forget” way of life？

1. How are children's usual answers to the author's daily question？

A．Serious.

B．Worrisome.

C．Meaningless.

D．Detailed.

2. Why was the author sleepless that night？

A．Her son was made fun of unkindly.	B．Her son invited his friends to dinner.
C．Her son was punished by his teacher.	D．Her son lied to her about his mistake.

3. What does the underlined word “vacillate” in paragraph 3 probably mean？

A．Give suggestions.

B．Make sense.

C．Persuade oneself.

D．Be undecided.

4. What did the author learn from the whole story？

A．It is good to forgive and forget.	B．It is necessary to watch her son.
C．It is difficult to understand children.	D．It is surprising for her son to apologize.