2 . She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been six years old. A beautiful brown-haired, freckle-faced girl, bearing the image of innocence.

It was pouring heavily outside. We all stood there just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others annoyed because nature messed up their hurried day. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Her voice was so sweet that it broke the hypnotic trance (昏昏欲睡) we were all caught in. Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it lets up a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she pulled her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'if God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I dare say you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came in or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now, some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life, a time when innocent trust can be nurtured (培育) so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, maybe we just need washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they rushed past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran, too. I got wet. I guess I just needed washing.

1. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word "affirmation"?

A．Happiness.

B．Approval.

C．Disagreement.

D．Love.

2. What do we know about the mother in the story?

A．Her husband had been cured of cancer.

B．She was strong-willed and considerate.

C．She was in despair and pretended to forget what she said.

D．Her daughter completely understood the situation her family was in.

3. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．The mother should not tell her child about the family misfortune.

B．Parents should act more bravely than their children.

C．Parents should grasp every opportunity to influence their children positively.

D．Children must learn to show gratitude and understanding to their parents.

4. The best title for the passage might be "________."

A．Running Through the Rain	B．A Determined Mother
C．Waiting in the Rain	D．A Wonderful Experience

3 . When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother's Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to shout at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing (令人相信的)，“This is Mrs. Tan. "

And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don't send me check already two week late. "

And then, in perfect English I said: "I'm getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived. "

Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss. "And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can't tolerate (容忍) any more excuse. If I don't receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week. "

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.

When I was a teenager, my mother’ s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.

1. Why was the author's mother poorly served?

A．She was unable to speak good English.	B．She was often misunderstood.
C．She was not clearly heard.	D．She was not very polite.

2. From Paragraph 2,we know that the author was________.

A．good at pretending	B．rude to the stockbroker
C．ready to help her mother	D．unwilling to phone for her mother

3. After the author made the phone call, ________.

A．they forgave the stockbroker   ·	B．they failed to get the check
C．they went to New York immediately	D．they spoke to their boss at once

4. What does the author think of her mother's English now?

A．It confuses her.	B．It embarrasses her
C．It helps her understand the world.	D．It helps her tolerate rude people.

5 . The Secret Garden-A Classical Novel about Hope and Redemption

The Secret Garden is a popular work of children's literature.The novel is set in theearly1900s! The main character is Mary Lennox, a 10-year-old British girl.     1    Mary is then sent to live with her wealthy uncle Archibald Craven, who owns a large estate in the countryside. At first, Mary is bored by the people she meets as well as the slow pace of rural life. One day, a maid tells Mary about a hidden garden that Mrs.Craven kept before her death.The tale of Mrs. Craven's secret enclosure awakens Mary's curiosity. She makes it her mission to find out more about the mysterious garden.

While exploring the property, she sees a robin resting on a mound of dirt. Mary digs through the soil and finds the key to the locked garden door.     2     She decides to do whatever it takes to bring the secret garden back to life.

Meanwhile, Mary starts to hear haunting cries on the estate at night. One evening, she follows the sounds and discovers Mr. Craven’s son, Colin. Mary learns that Colin is ill and can’t walk.    3    

Mr. Craven ordered his servants to care for Colin but would never visit because his son reminded him of his wife.

Mary and Colin become good friends. Mary convinces Coin that he can use his mind to overcome his illness.     4     There, they meet Ben Weather-staff, one of Mr. Craven’s servants. They all decide to work together to restore the area. When their work is finished, they plan a surprise for Mr. Craven. He arrives at the garden and finds the flowers in bloom, just like they were when his wife was alive. More importantly, he’s overjoyed to lean that Colin has become a healthy boy. Their relationship is repaired, and they look forward to a brighter future.

A．Once a year, Ben visits the garden to honor Mrs. Craven's memory.

B．Her life is turned upside down when her parents suddenly die from a terrible disease.

C．Due to his poor health, doctors predicted he would die an early death.

D．At the start of the novel, many characters are suffering and going through hard times.

E．One day, she puts him in a wheelchair and takes him to the secret garden.

F．Inside, she finds that many of the forgotten plants are almost dead.

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Goosehead guide to life

Ashley Powers mother bought a computer for her when she was eight. When she was thirteen, she was surfing the Internet regularly, but she     1    not find anywhere for teenagers to meet and talk. And one day she thought, "If I had my own website, I'd make it a really interesting site for teenagers."

So, when Ashley was sixteen, she launched her own website, called Goosehead. She had no idea how big a success it     2     (be), but three years later, the site was the most successful teen site in the USA! It was getting 100,000 hits every day, and Ashley had about 30 employees.

After a few years, the website closed down. Then Ashley, who lives in Los Angeles,    3    (ask) to write a book called The Goosehead Guide to Life. The book is about     4    to design a website and start a business. It begins with a section called All About Ashley,     5    Ashley tells readers what it's like     6    (be) the boss of a company when you're only sixteen - not always easy! "I was so happy. But it was crazy in a lot of ways. I got very stressed. I mean. I was only sixteen - I didn't even have a car! If you were sixteen and you had your own company, you'd be stressed too!"

In her book, Ashley talks about the problems facing teenagers today, and about the importance of friendship, but also about being independent. "Learn to love your friends but not rely on them. I did that by     7     (create) Goosehead on my own."

Ashley says that The Goosehead Guide o Life is not a book of teenage advice. "It isn't a book that's going to tell you what to do. I hope you can work that out for     8    ,”she says.“I just want to provide a little inspiration to teenagers. Maybe    9     reading my story, you'll launch your own website. But perhaps you've got a better idea? Well, if I were you, I'd just do it,     10    it is. Maybe it won't work-but maybe it will!"

7 .

John Blanchard was studying the crowd making their way through the station. He was looking for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose.

When reading a book in a Florida library a year before, John became interested not in the contents of the book, but in the notes penciled in the margin. The handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and beautiful mind. He discovered the former owner’s name in the front of the book: Miss Hollis Maynell.

He located her address and wrote a letter introducing himself. The next day he was shipped overseas to serve in the army. During the next year, they grew to know each other through the mail and their friendship developed. John requested a photograph, but she refused, saying if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return home, their first meeting was suggested — 7:00 p.m. at the Grand Central Station in New York.

She wrote, “You’ll recognize me by the red rose I wear on my coat.” So now John was in the station to meet the girl with a rose.

As a pretty and slim girl in green came over, John noticed her blue eyes like flowers in spring. He walked directly towards her, entirely forgetting she was not wearing a rose. As John came closer to her, he saw another woman with a red rose stood nearby. Well past 40, this woman had graying hair done under a worn hat. Seeing the girl in green walk quickly away, John felt as if he were split in two.

He desired to follow that girl, but longed for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and supported him.

The woman looked gentle and sensible. John went to her, saying, “I’m Captain John Blanchard. You must be Miss Maynell. I am glad to meet you here. May I take you to dinner?”

She replied with a smile, “I don’t know what this is about. But the lady in green who just went by, begged me to wear this rose on my coat. She said if you asked me out to dinner, I’d tell you she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”
1. John was eager to know the former owner of the book because he ______.

A．was very interested in the contents of the book

B．was impressed by the notes written by its owner

C．wanted to improve his handwriting

D．wanted to discuss the book with her

2. What happened to John after getting in touch with Miss Hollis Maynell?

A．He served in the army abroad.

B．He went overseas for vacation.

C．He went on a business trip in New York.

D．He visited Miss Maynell.

3. What do we know about the woman with a rose?

A．She was Miss Maynell’s close friend.

B．She was a waitress in the big restaurant.

C．She was probably a passerby.

D．She was paid to meet John at the Station.

4. Which would be the best title of the text?

A．An Interesting Book	B．A Woman With a Rose
C．A Brave Soldier	D．A Love Test