1 . When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.

I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was to busy in those days.

Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.

One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call. My father was in the hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.

After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.

1. When the author was a little girl, she       .

A．liked playing on the swing

B．often talked with her father

C．was good at repairing things

D．learned to take care of her family

2. When at college, the author      .

A．received a call from her father every Sunday morning

B．phoned her father every Sunday morning

C．asked her father to call her every Sunday

D．asked her father to talk with her

3. Why did the author fail to have a talk with her father four years ago?

A．She had got tired of talking with him.

B．She was busy painting her house.

C．Her daughter asked her to play.

D．She was busy planning a trip.

4. When did the author begin to regret missing the talks with her father?

A．After her father's sudden death.

B．Many years after her father's death.

C．On her way to the hospital to see her father.

D．As soon as she got the news that her father was ill.

2 . In 1971 we were living in Wichita, Kansas — Lincoln was about seven, Brendan was three and Kristen was a baby. Mom was staying with us during the holidays. On Christmas Eve I stayed up very late. I was totally alone with my thoughts, alternating between joy and sorrow, and I got to think about my paper route(送报), that tree, what my mother had said to me and how dad had tried to make things better.

I heard a noise in the kitchen and discovered that it was Mom. She couldn’t sleep either and had gotten up to make herself a cup of hot tea which made her feel better. As she waited for the water to boil, she walked into the living room and discovered me there. She saw my open Bible and asked me what I was reading. When I told her, she asked if I would read it to her and I did.

When the kettle began to whistle, she went and made her tea. She came back. I told her how happy I was that she was with us for Christmas and how I wished that Dad could have lived to see his grandchildren and to enjoy this time because he always loved Christmas so much. She went very quiet for a moment and then she said, "Do you remember that time on Twelve Mile Road when you bought that tree with your paper route money?"

"Yes," I said, "I’ve just been thinking about it you know."

She hesitated for a long moment, as though something was bottled up so deeply inside her soul that it might take courage to get it out. Finally, great tears rolled down her face and she cried, "Oh, son, please forgive me. That time and that Christmas have been a burden on my heart for twenty-five years. I wish your dad were here so I could tell him how sorry I am for what I said."

1. How many children did the author have?

A．One.	B．Two.
C．Three.	D．Four.

2. What do we learn about the author’s father?

A．He lived with the author.

B．He loved his grandsons.

C．He loved his wife deeply.

D．He had passed away.

3. Why couldn’t the author’s mother fall asleep?

A．Because she needed to care for the children.

B．Because she remembered the previous thing.

C．Because she wanted the author to read for her.

D．Because she was unwilling to live with the author.

4. What is likely to be described in the next paragraph?

A．How they would celebrate the Christmas.

B．How the author’s father supported the family.

C．What happened to the author’s parents in the past.

D．The reason for the author’s parents’ divorce.

3 . US student Vanessa Tahay stands out from the other teenagers in her school. Her skin is dark, her accent is thick, and if you ask her, she will tell you these are the things she is proudest of. Tahay is a poet, and at 18 she was considered among the best in Los Angeles.

When she is on the stage, audiences often go silent. They also laugh, shout and cry. But this doesn’t come easily for someone who comes from a village that sits at the base of a huge mountain range in Central America. When she first appeared at school, she was teased by others for being short and different. She never spoke, so they called her “mouse”.

“How do I defend myself?” Tahay thought. “I don’t know how.”

“Keep going,” her mother would tell her. “At some point, you’ll learn.”

She spent hours after school and on weekends watching the same DVDs: English without Barriers.

Tahay’s elder brother, Elmer, persuaded her to go to the after-school poetry club. In the last six years, her English teacher Laurie Kurnick has turned Cleveland Charter High School’s poetry program into one of the most respected in the city. Her team draws from the likes of D.H. Laurence, Pat Mora and Kendrick Lamar to create poems about their own lives. The poems focus on many things —some funny, some painful.

The first time Tahay read the group’s poems, chills went up her spine (脊柱). “I wish I could write like that,” she thought. “I want to say something.”

She wrote her first poem about her first year in America. She called it Invisible. The day her turn came to recite in front of the team, she broke down crying. She cried for 15 minutes. “I had so much held in,” Tahay said. “I couldn’t even finish it.”

But she kept at it despite her less-than-perfect grammar, spelling and diction (措辞). Still, she wouldn’t tell her friends about her poetry because she worried they would make fun of her.

But with time, her poems changed her. “They gave me pride,” Tahay said. “They told me that I’m worth something.”

“She had this innocence,” Kurnick said. “This willingness to be genuine and show you things you don’t ever see.”

1. What did Tahay’s mother suggest she do when she was teased by others?

A．Fight with them bravely.

B．Report them to her teachers.

C．Ignore them and keep going.

D．Try hard to make friends with them.

2. What are the themes of Tahay and her team’s poems?

A．Their admiration for the great poets.

B．Their appreciation of natural beauty.

C．Their expectations of a better future.

D．Funny and painful stories about their lives.

3. How did Tahay probably feel when she first read the group’s poems?

A．She was cold.	B．She was excited.
C．She was nervous.	D．She was frightened.

4. How did Tahay benefit from writing poems?

A．She felt more confident about herself.

B．She won many national poetry competitions.

C．She became the first student poet in the city.

D．She improved her grammar and spelling greatly.

4 . There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.

I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.

It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.

From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.

The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.

I looked forward to the return journey.

1. The author expected the train trip to be _____.

A．adventurous	B．pleasant
C．exciting	D．boring

2. What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?

A．The friendly country people.	B．The mountains along the way.
C．The crowds of people in the streets.	D．The simple lunch served on the train.

3. Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “relish” in the second paragraph?

A．choose	B．enjoy
C．prepare for	D．carry on

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Comfort in traveling by train.	B．Pleasure of living in the country.
C．Reading gives people delight.	D．Smiles brighten people up.

5 . Justin Foster, a high school student, was last seen Friday night. That evening at 8 p.m. Justin went to play baseball with two friends,    1     both say Justin went home after the game.    2     (witness) also say they saw Justin walking towards his house at 10.45 p.m. Justin’s sister, Kelly,    3     (age) nine, says she heard her brother return home at about 11 p. m. “I didn’t see him, but I heard him put     4     his favourite CD.” Kelly said. “I went to bed, and     5     (wake) up by a bright light outside my window.”

At first, the young girl thought it was the light of the full moon,    6     then she realized that it was moving and coming closer.

“I pulled back the curtains and saw a large spaceship     7     (fly) outside. It had blue lights and there were many windows. Standing inside     8     (be) lots of strange creatures with white skin and large black eyes. I was frightened!”

Kelly said that the spaceship moved towards her brother’s bedroom. “There was    9     flash of light and I heard Justin shout, and then the UFO just disappeared. I     10     (see) Justin since.”

6 . My son Joe was born with clubfeet (畸形足). The doctors told us that with treatment he would be able to walk normally _______ would never run very well. The first three years of his life were spent in _______. By the time he was eight, you _______ he had a problem when you saw him walk.

The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during play, and Joey would _______ and play, too. We _______ told him that he probably wouldn’t be able to _______ as well as the other children. So he didn’t know.

In seventh grade he decided to go out for the cross country _______. Every day he trained with the team. He worked harder and ran more than any of the others. Perhaps he _______that the abilities that seemed to come _______ to so many others did not come naturally to him. Although the ________ team runs, only the top seven runners have the potential to ________ points for the school. We didn’t tell him he probably would never ________ the team, so he didn’t know.

He ________ to run four to five miles a day, even the day he had a fever. I was ________, so I went to look for him after school. I found him running all alone. I asked him how he felt, “________,” he said．He had two more miles to go. The sweat ________ his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever. Yet he ________ straight ahead and kept running. We never told him he couldn’t run four miles with a 103 degree fever. So he didn’t know.

Two weeks later, the name of the team runners were ________. Joey was number six on the   list. Joey had made the team. He was only in seventh while the other six team members were all ________.

We never told him he shouldn’t ________ to make the team. We never told him he couldn’t do it, so he didn’t know. He just did it.

1.

A．however

B．or

C．but

D．though

2.

A．attention

B．development

C．circulation

D．treatment

3.

A．wouldn’t know

B．didn’t imagine

C．shouldn’t find

D．couldn’t identify

4.

A．keep just out

B．jump right in

C．stand only behind

D．sit still away

5.

A．never

B．generally

C．often

D．sincerely

6.

A．live

B．jump

C．run

D．hope

7.

A．competition

B．class

C．game

D．team

8.

A．meant

B．sensed

C．showed

D．noticed

9.

A．eventually

B．suddenly

C．safely

D．naturally

10.

A．entire

B．same

C．other

D．all

11.

A．score

B．collect

C．pay

D．catch

12.

A．join

B．enter

C．make

D．keep

13.

A．liked

B．continued

C．hoped

D．aimed

14.

A．moved

B．excited

C．encouraged

D．worried

15.

A．Never mind

B．Okay

C．Don’t worry

D．Sorry

16.

A．ran down

B．came from

C．dropped off

D．came down

17.

A．stood

B．looked

C．faced

D．glanced

18.

A．made

B．called

C．designed

D．checked

19.

A．sixth-graders

B．seventh-graders

C．eighth-graders

D．fifth-graders

20.

A．expect

B．fight

C．avoid

D．refuse

7 . 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 favorite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be quite easy, just like a walk in the park,” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids well, and you can go to 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 within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum (鼓). Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat (节拍). Mike chanted (咏唱) “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 just 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 jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his color pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family 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 centre. “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 to __________.

A．go out for a walk in the park

B．watch TV talk show with his children

C．read the newspaper to his children

D．enjoy his first day off work

2. Who spilled orange juice into the basket of clean clothes?

A．One of the boys.	B．Brad himself.
C．Brad’s friend.	D．Brad’s wife.

3. Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?

A．Because he wanted to play with his friends.

B．Because he found it hard to manage his boys home.

C．Because his boss asked him to work.

D．Because he had to take his wife back.

4. This passage is developed __________.

A．by space

B．by result

C．by time

D．by cause

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（限填1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

In my living room, there is a plaque that advises me to “bloom     1     you are planted”. It reminds me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s, when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program. The job     2    (responsible) required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program. Dorothy stands out in my memory as one     3     bloomed in her remote area.

Dorothy taught in a remote school near Harlan. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road     4    (wind) around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of     5    (catch) by the same train five times. Rather than feeling excited by this drive through mountains, I found it depressing. The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of     6    (hope).

From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all my gloom disappeared. Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom, I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children     7    (prepare) to show me their     8    (late) projects. Dorothy told me with a smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread they made themselves for dinner.

Lonely     9     she was far away from the modern civilization and convenience, she never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students. Her enthusiasm never cooled down. She passed all the tests     10    (excellent) and I found that Dorothy was really blooming where life had planted her.

9 . Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can not get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman’s kind reaction. She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. “It is OK. It wasn’t your fault.” When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery. Instead, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It’s hard to get a dozen CEOs to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.
Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, “I could buy this place and fire you,” or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.” Those who say such things have shown more about their character than about their wealth and power.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,” Swanson says. “I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables.”
1. What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?

A．He was fired.

B．He was blamed.

C．The woman comforted him.

D．The woman left the restaurant at once.

2. Odland learned one of his life lessons from          .

A．his experience as a waiter

B．the advice given by the CEOs

C．an article in Fortune

D．an interesting best-selling book

3. According to the text, most CEOs have the same opinion about ________.

A．Fortune 500 companies	B．the Management Rules
C．Swanson’s book	D．the Waiter Rule

4. From the text we can learn that ________.

A．one should be nicer to important people

B．CEOs often show their power before others

C．one should respect others no matter who they are

D．CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants

10 . Pat O’Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman, Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood’s face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat’s hands. Pat’s heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly(大胆) up to the company and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?” Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his Mends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(怀疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.” The whole crowed burst into laughter at Pat’s ready wit(机智), and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.

1. This is a story about ________.

A．a rich man who owned a big wood

B．a poor Irishman who lived all by himself

C．a clever man who tried to get something to eat

D．an Irish hunter with a large family

2. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face. Why?

A．He was not expecting Pat at this early hour.

B．He knew Pat was coming for shooting.

C．He didn’t like the poor Irishman at all.

D．Pat had not told him he would come.

3. Why was Lord Northwood surprised?

A．He had not expected such a bold question from Pat.

B．He wondered why Pat ran away.

C．Pat wasn’t afraid of him.

D．Pat had a gun in his hands.

4. What made the whole crowd burst into laughter?

A．Pat’s funny looks

B．Pat’s interesting remarks

C．Pat’s quick and humorous response

D．Pat’s promise to leave fight away