3 . I still remember that busy autumn evening as I hurried with my eldest daughter, Athena, to get to her classroom on time for the parent-teacher night. We walked in and all eyes were on me. A few adults quickly quieted their kids’ whispers. A classmate yelled to my daughter, “What’s wrong with your mom’s face?” Shocked, I started to explain my condition, but my six-year-old daughter looked at him and said, “It’s my mom’s birthmark! Don’t be rude!” I was extremely proud of how she handled that situation.

I was quite young when I realized I looked different because of my large facial birthmark. I always thought I would be alone because of it. Being compared to Batman’s evil Two-Face made me believe I could never find love. But I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who saw me for who I am inside. When I had my first daughter, I was overjoyed, but I began to worry if the world would judge my children. I always worried I might pass my condition onto my children; I didn’t want them to grow up feeling judged. Unfortunately, my facial difference has impacted my children. My daughters get disinvited from birthday parties or sleepovers, or I learn certain kids are no longer friends with mine after their parents saw me at school.

When my kids were young, I explained how my special purple skin was rare and we talked about acceptance and never judging others on how they look. When my girls kiss my purple-skinned cheek, I feel “normal” around them and their unconditional love. With time going by, both my daughters have become my strongest supporters. Thanks to them, I’ve begun to feel more self-confident as I try to be a good role model.

Their worldviews are similar to mine. We see the world a little differently and with a kinder, more accepting heart. As the saying goes, your daughters will grow up to be your best friends. I know that will be the case for me!

1. What happened when the author went to attend the parent-teacher night?

A．Athena was praised by others for her bravery and optimism.

B．Athena defended her mother against her classmate’s rudeness.

C．Some parents criticized their kids because of their misbehaviour.

D．The author felt shocked at her daughter’s response to her classmate.

2. According to paragraph 2, which of the following views might the author agree with?

A．Friendship needs to be watered by love.

B．We should treat our children as best friends.

C．We should accept other people’s differences.

D．Our ability to handle difficulties can be developed.

3. How are the daughters influenced by the author’s birthmark?

A．They have to drop out of school.

B．They have the same physical condition as me.

C．They have difficulty maintaining friendships.

D．They feel worried because they are often judged.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A birthmark to live with.	B．My strongest supporters.
C．A kind and accepting heart.	D．The confidence to be different.

5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

Miguel opened the door to his grandpa’s shoe shop. Grandpa was drawing a customer’s foot onto a piece of paper. He didn’t look up. Miguel sat down. He looked at the cut leather, hammer (锤子) and pliers (钳子).

The tools reminded Miguel of something else he loved. Grandpa always gave him a piece of candy whenever Miguel helped clean up. Miguel knew he wasn’t supposed to take candy without asking. But he was hungry then. It looked like Grandpa would be busy for a while. “Maybe I don’t need to wait,” Miguel thought.

Miguel reached secretly for the candy box. He hurried and put it in his mouth. Pretty soon the customer left. Grandpa was busy picking up a piece of leather and putting it in some water. Miguel ate the rest of the candy as fast as he could. Then he walked over to Grandpa.

Grandpa looked up from his work. “Hello!” he said with a smile. Miguel hugged Grandpa. He hoped Grandpa couldn’t tell he’d eaten a piece of candy. “It looks like you’re busy today,” Miguel said. “Do you need any help?” “Sure! Could you pass me that thread (线)?” Miguel nodded. He pulled it between his hands. “Wow, that’s strong.” Miguel said. Grandpa laughed, “It has to be, to last through the wear and tear of life.” Grandpa pulled the thread through the leather.

“You know, we need to be more like this shoe,” Grandpa said. Miguel looked at the leather, “Um. We do?” “Yes, indeed. We need to stay strong. That way temptations (诱惑) won’t make us fall apart,” Grandpa said with a nod.

Miguel suddenly thought of the candy. He knew he should tell Grandpa about it. Grandpa took an old shoe off the shelf, “See this big hole?” Miguel nodded. “This was once a small hole that could have been fixed easily. But the owner waited, and now it’s going to be much harder to fix. Bad habits and bad choices are like that hole. It is best to fix them early.”

Paragraph 1:
They kept talking as Grandpa worked.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Miguel told him all about taking the candy. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . When my sister Diane began playing the violin, she was seven. How did she sound? Terrible. But she didn’t ___. At twelve, she asked our parents if she could ___ a full-time music school. They said no. Actually, everyone agreed that my sister lacked talent.

I was better at my ___. My teacher had told my parents that I had great potential. So my parents found the best piano teacher in the area to ___ me. But the only time when he was available was Saturday at 3 pm. Back then, I was ___ by the British TV show The Avengers, which was ___ every Saturday at 3 pm. I let nothing take up my The Avengers hour. So I ___ this amazing opportunity. Today, I don’t even have a ___ in my house.

My sister became an engineer, but she ___ stopped making music. When she was in her 40s, she changed her career. She went back to college, got a ____ in music education, and became a music teacher. She starts kids off on their first instrument and gives them all the encouragement and support she never ____.

Recently, she and a pianist pal put on a recital (音乐演奏会). A big crowd of friends and family ____ for her. As she played, I looked around at the ____. Everyone was obviously enjoying the music. It occurred to me that I was the only person who remembered that 7-year-old kid making those perfectly ____ sounds and knew how far she had come, despite ____.

Talent is important. But enthusiasm is even more important.

1.

A．admit

B．advance

C．quit

D．improve

2.

A．attend

B．join

C．leave

D．visit

3.

A．major

B．project

C．composition

D．instrument

4.

A．examine

B．train

C．correct

D．challenge

5.

A．frightened

B．serious

C．fascinated

D．particular

6.

A．aired

B．filmed

C．designed

D．commented

7.

A．jumped at

B．opened up

C．waited for

D．turned down

8.

A．tutor

B．musician

C．piano

D．violin

9.

A．already

B．even

C．never

D．once

10.

A．degree

B．chance

C．scholarship

D．sponsor

11.

A．expected

B．provided

C．imagined

D．received

12.

A．paid off

B．showed off

C．stayed up

D．turned up

13.

A．audience

B．students

C．spotlights

D．platform

14.

A．sweet

B．bad

C．powerful

D．pleasing

15.

A．everybody

B．everything

C．something

D．somebody

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Friendship is a kind of treasure in our lives. It is actually like a bottle of wine. The longer it    1     (keep), the sweeter it will be. It is also like a cup of tea. When we are thirsty, it will be our best     2     (choose), but when we have enough time to enjoy ourselves, it is also the most fragrant drink.

However, in this fast-developing modern society, the reality is not that. More and more people forget     3     (enjoy) the beauty of life and the beauty of friendship; they work hard in order to gain a     4     (high) position in society and to earn more money for their work. Of course, we don’t deny that it is important to find a better place in our     5     (life), but we wish more and more people could pay a little more attention     6     themselves and their friends. All of us have to spare some time for personal lives. We have to find the chance to express our emotion and love. When     7     (stay) with our friends, we can release ourselves     8     (complete). We can do whatever we want, we can laugh together, talk together,     9     even cry together. I should say that being together with our best friends is the most wonderful moment of our lives.

As we know, we would feel lonely if we didn’t even have a friend, but it doesn’t mean we could depend on our friends all the time. There is     10    famous motto saying that “A friend is like a quilt with cotton wadding, but the real thing that keeps you warm is your own temperature.”