One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister. On this occasion, the task was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend. I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones. Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out. I called home with this happy news. But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone. “I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside. Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a wintry night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered. “Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone. I was not my usual calm, rational self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers. “Where are the children?” I said. He said they were with him. They had done nothing wrong. My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake. This was too favorable to be believed. Well, it turned out that I shouldn’t have believed it. It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday. My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts. Mounted(裱装) and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
That was the most precious gift of all.
小题1:Shortly after the author left home one evening, she discovered that ____.

A．her son had brought his girlfriend home

B．the father of her son’s girlfriend had come to her home to take photos of the children

C．she shouldn’t have completely trusted her son

D．she should have taken the children along with her

小题2:According to Paragraph 3, “it” means ____.

A．the two younger children have been in bed

B．the older children have been answering the phone

C．the author will give her older son a lesson

D．the older son has gone outside with his girlfriend

小题3:The sentence “It was only part of the truth.” (Para. 5) implies that the children not only enjoyed ice-cream but also ____.

A．had a birthday party	B．framed some photographs
C．had their pictures taken	D．showed off their best clothes

小题4:Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A．Puppy Love	B．Brotherhood
C．Mother and Children	D．A Precious Birthday Gift

Long long ago, there was a small village. This village had a  36  tradition. At the beginning of every year, any boy who had reached the age of 18 was given land and money to build a home. The boy had to   37 his home before winter. If his home failed to endure the cold weather in winter, the villagers could not  38  him in any way.
One   39 , Paul and Marc reached their 18. They   40  their land and money and decided to search nearby villages for ideas on building their homes. In each village, they found the nicest   41  and talked to the owners. Each owner gladly offered   42 .
After Marc saw several homes, he   43 the best ideas and went back to his own land. Paul, 44  , continued collecting more ideas. Soon he had so many great ideas that he began to 45  some of them. But he always believed he could find even better ideas in the next village.
Marc began building his home. He had several false starts,  46  his home gradually rose from his land. By fall, Marc had finished his home. It wasn't perfect, but it was strong and he could  47 it later. Paul enjoyed all the beautiful homes and   48  with home owners. The first snow came and Paul, realizing he was running out of time,  49  back to his land. He built the best home he could in the time he had, but it was   50  . The first winter storm destroyed his home and he froze to   51 . The villagers mourned for him.
Marc  52 the winter. Each year, Marc searched for other good ideas he could use to make his own home look better. He became a leader in the village,  53 a family, and lived a happy, content life.
We all build and improve our own mental homes. It’s   54  and fun for us to search for ideas from other mental home owners, but we only improve our own mental home if we actually  55   the best ideas.

小题1:	A．hopeful B．strange C．literary D．cultural

小题2:	A．find B．make C．buy D．complete

小题3:	A．encourage B．help C．scold D．persuade

小题4:	A．winter B．summer C．spring ` D．autumn

小题5:	A．received B．exchanged C．recognized D．advised

小题6:	A．girls B．jobs C．presents D．houses

小题7:	A．rooms B．drinks C．advice D．attention

小题8:	A．gathered B．expected C．created D．understood

小题9:	A．similarly B．finally C．furthermore D．however

小题10:

A．believe B．forget C．replace D．doubt

小题11:

A．because B．although C．so D．but

小题12:

A．repair B．rebuild C．improve D．sell

小题13:

A．achievements B．conversations C．struggles D．arguments

小题14:

A．rushed B．drove C．flew D．moved

小题15:

A．funny B．weak C．small D．amazing

小题16:

A．death B．blindness C．sadness D．illness

小题17:

A．experienced B．loved C．spent D．survived

小题18:

A．brought B．earned C．raised D．contacted

小题19:

A．easy B．slow C．dangerous D．special

小题20:

A．realize B．bring C．apply D．collect

Sarah came running in. She shouted happily, "Look what I ____36_____." She put a snake skin on the newspaper I was reading and it came so suddenly that it caused me to ____37_____. "Mom, look! Isn't it ____38_____?" said my seven-year-old daughter. I ____39_____ the snake skin and thought that it really wasn't pretty. Everything children see ____40_____is full of beauty in their eyes; they see only ____41_____ and excellence in the world until educated.
"____42_____ did the snake do this?" Sarah asked. I tried to seize the ____43_____ to teach my children that there was almost always something beyond the obvious. I wanted to tell them that there was something else going on ____44_____ what they saw in front of them. "Snakes shed (蜕) their skin because they need to renew themselves," I ____45_____.
"Why do they have to renew themselves?" Sarah asked.
My son Robert laughed and said, "Because they don't ____46_____ what they are and they want to be someone else." I politely ignored him and said that by shedding skins, we could ____47_____ the hidden reality.
"We often need to shed our skin, those coatings that we ____48_____ ourselves with," I said to my children, who listened very ____49_____, with their eyes wide open. "This snake ____50_____ needs this skin. It is probably too hard for him, or he probably doesn't think he looks as ____51_____in it as he once did. It's like buying a new ____52_____."
I'm sure this explanation will not ____53_____ the naturalists. But Sarah was getting to understand that renewal is part of ____54_____. She should learn from it what we need to keep and what we need to ____55_____.

小题1:	A．made B．seized C．caught D．found

小题2:	A．think B．jump C．run D．struggle

小题3:	A．interesting B．smooth C．beautiful D．colorful

小题4:	A．stared at B．took off C．referred to D．brought back

小题5:	A．by accident B．over and over again C．in the future D．for the first time

小题6:	A．honesty B．difference C．value D．fear

小题7:	A．Where B．Why C．How D．When

小题8:	A．information B．possibility C．opportunity D．question

小题9:	A．besides B．for C．without D．around

小题10:

A．talked B．explained C．whispered D．shouted

小题11:

A．keep B．want C．need D．like

小题12:

A．see B．guess C．ignore D．remember

小题13:

A．keep B．store C．cover D．improve

小题14:

A．properly B．attentively C．sadly D．angrily

小题15:

A．once more B．at times C．right now D．no longer

小题16:

A．nice B．healthy C．strong D．big

小题17:

A．hat B．watch C．suit D．home

小题18:

A．move B．satisfy C．correct D．defeat

小题19:

A．experience B．achievement C．progress D．competition

小题20:

A．throw out B．hope for C．find out D．throw away

Richard’s father died when he was five. Later on he   36  his mother. The poor boy had to   37  on his own, so he went to work for a rich farmer, who paid him nothing except food and clothes. An old woman felt   38  for him and often helped him. The boy wanted to go to (the)  39  very much, but he had no money. But he   40  lost heart and found some old books near the school and   41  himself to read and write.
There was a narrow   42  between two mountains which connected the village and the town. One morning people   43  there was a big stone on the path. It brought them   44 : they had to move it away, or they had to cross the mountains to the town.   45  the stone weighed thirty tons at least and even the strongest young man couldn’t move it. They   46  for a long time, but nobody knew what to do.
Richard looked at it carefully for a while and said, “I have a   47  to move it away.” But   48  men believed him. Some villagers even   49  him. The night   50  and people went back. Only the boy stayed there. To their surprise, the villagers found the stone was   51  the next morning. They didn’t   52  who had moved it away. The old woman said Richard had done it all by himself.
“How could he?” the rich farmer called out, “He’s   53  fifteen! He couldn’t move it at all!”
“He   54  a big hole beside the stone.” said the old woman, “and then he could   55  push it into the hole!”
Looking at each other, the villagers couldn’t say a word.

小题1:	A．lost B．loved C．supported D．helped

小题2:	A．study B．think C．live D．work

小题3:	A．angry B．proud C．sorry D．excited

小题4:	A．town B．mountain C．school D．bed

小题5:	A．still B．even C．ever D．never

小题6:	A．asked B．taught C．agreed D．caused

小题7:	A．window B．path C．door D．river

小题8:	A．found B．believed C．asked D．counted

小题9:	A．happiness B．money C．good D．difficulty

小题10:

A．For B．So C．And D．But

小题11:

A．discussed B．stayed C．played D．cried

小题12:

A．book B．question C．text D．way

小题13:

A．few B．most C．many D．some

小题14:

A．cared about B．looked at C．looked after D．laughed at

小题15:

A．fell B．went C．made D．worked

小题16:

A．broken B．heavier C．gone D．smaller

小题17:

A．forget B．remember C．know D．notice

小题18:

A．mainly B．only C．nearly D．already

小题19:

A．put B．set C．dug D．filled

小题20:

A．excitedly B．easily C．luckily D．happily

Long ago there was a poor farmer in Russia. He had been very__1__with everything he had. However，when he found his elder brother was_2__than him，he felt disappointed. So he__3_hard about how he could also be richer. Finally he got an idea. He started to spend less money on food and clothes to__4__some money to buy more land. Once he had enough money，he started__5_for land.
He__6__that on the neighboring land，there were some nomads (游牧民) living there. He bought some gifts and went to__7__their head. He presented the gifts to the head and told him the__8__of his visit. The head welcomed him，accepted the gifts and agreed to his_9__to get the land. The head told him that he could have the land__10__giving him anything. He can take as much land as he could__11__by walking through the land before sunset (日落)．He should start in the morning and whatever distance he could travel during the__12_，he could have it.
The farmer became very__13__when he heard this offer. Now he could have lots of__14__without paying anything. He came_15_the next morning and started running，not walking，__16__he could cover the largest area. To reach his goal，he neither ate food，nor drank water，nor had any rest. He just continued__17__.Without eating，or drinking，or resting he just got very__18__.When he came back to the head in the evening，he__19__right on the spot. Sadly his son buried him in a piece of land about 6 x 4 feet.
Don’t be greedy (贪婪的) or you will__20__everything finally.

小题1:	A．careful　　　 B．pleased C．bored　　　 D．busy

小题2:	A．healthier B．stronger C．richer D．cleverer

小题3:	A．thought B．learned C．tried D．worked

小题4:	A．borrow B．spend C．make D．save

小题5:	A．waiting B．looking C．preparing D．caring

小题6:	A．explained B．hoped C．noticed D．guessed

小题7:	A．see B．follow C．help D．cheat

小题8:	A．chance B．result C．condition D．purpose

小题9:	A．promise B．request C．suggestion D．order

小题10:

A．for B．by C．without D．before

小题11:

A．cover B．farm C．buy D．have

小题12:

A．year B．month C．week D．day

小题13:

A．interested B．sad C．happy D．calm

小题14:

A．land B．crop C．experience D．knowledge

小题15:

A．quietly B．early C．finally D．suddenly

小题16:

A．so that B．even if C．because D．whether

小题17:

A．dreaming B．walking C．speaking D．running

小题18:

A．nervous B．excited C．tired D．worried

小题19:

A．refused B．died C．appeared D．rested

小题20:

A．lose B．face C．change D．defeat

This is a true story. Tristin Saghin enjoyed the movie Black Hawk Down very much，which is about the conflict in Somalia.The battle scenes and the exciting rescues of people who are dying，interested him greatly.
There was just one problem：Tristin was only 9 years old，and it was thought that movie was not for children. When his parents caught him watching it on TV，they made him turn it off，though he had finished his homework and it was not late. Then one day，Tristin and his family were visiting his grandmother in Mesa，Arizona. Tristin’s 2­year­old sister got out of the house and fell in the backyard pool. Realizing the little girl was missing，the family ran outside，only to find the girl had fallen into the water.
Pulled from the pool and placed on the ground，the child wasn’t breathing. The family called the ambulance (救护车)，but no one knew how to do first aid. No one，that is，except for Tristin. A scene in Black Hawk Down describes a doctor giving first aid. Tristin remembered it. Then the 9­year­old gave first aid to his sister at once and saved her life.
His parents don’t stop him seeing the movies he likes any more. Tristin taught himself how to do first aid but he had never thought he could use it to save his little sister’s life. Any skill can be used in time，so you should always learn.
小题1:Black Hawk Down is a(n)________．

A．war movie

B．comedy

C．action movie

D．love film

小题2:Why did Tristin Saghin’s parents order him to turn off the TV?

A．They wanted him to help look after his sister.

B．He often spent too much time watching films.

C．They thought the film was not good for children.

D．He was asked to finish his homework first.

小题3:The author’s purpose in writing the text is to advise readers to________.

A．see more movies	B．learn more skills
C．save others bravely	D．do what they like

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17,1706 in Boston，America. In his life he built a successful printing and publishing business in Philadelphia；he conducted scientific studies of electricity and made several important discoveries；he was a diplomat (外交官) and statesman；he helped establish Pennsylvania’s first university and America’s first city hospital；he also organized the country’s first subscription library (收费图书馆)．
Franklin was also unequaled in America as an inventor until Thomas Edison. Ben had poor eyesight  and needed glasses to read. He got tired of always taking them off and putting them back on，so he decided to figure out a way to make his glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of glasses cut in half and put half of them together. Today，we call them bifocals (双光眼镜)．Another invention of his，an iron stove，allowed people to warm their homes.
He loved to learn about new things. He also thought it was important to make life better with the things that he invented. Electricity was one of the things he experimented with when he retired from his business. Ben discovered that lightning (闪电) and electricity were the same thing. The lightning rod was an important invention that we still use today to protect buildings and ships from lightning damage.
Franklin preferred to have his inventions used freely for the comfort and convenience of everyone. Thomas Jefferson，the third president of America，called Benjamin Franklin “the greatest man of the age and country in which he lived”．To Benjamin Franklin there was no greater purpose in life than to “live usefully”．
小题1:Benjamin Franklin was NOT a________.

A．diplomat	B．scientist
C．businessman	D．president

小题2:The underlined word “unequaled” in Paragraph 2 means________.

A．better than any other	B．worse than any other
C．the same as others	D．confident as others

小题3:Which of the following is NOT Benjamin’s invention?

A．Bifocals.	B．The iron stove.
C．Printing.	D．The lightning rod.

小题4:What was Benjamin Franklin’s purpose in life?

A．To live comfortably every day.

B．To be useful to others.

C．To be a famous person in the world.

D．To earn a lot by inventing things.

Linda British was an outstanding teacher who felt that if she had the time, she would like to create great art and poetry. When she was 28, however, she began to get severe   36 . Her doctors discovered that she had an enormous brain tumor (瘤). They told her that her   37  of surviving an operation were about 2 percent. Therefore,   38  operate immediately, they chose to wait for six months.
The night before the operation after six months, she   39  to give herself away. She made a   40 , in which she would donate all of her body parts to those who needed them in   41 of her death.
  42 , Linda died after the operation. Afterwards, her eyes went to an eye   43  in Bethesda, Maryland, and from there to a recipient in South Carolina. A young man, aged 28, went from darkness to   44 . That young man was so   45  that he wrote to the eye bank thanking them for existing.
  46 , he said he wanted to thank the parents of the donator. They must   47  be magnificent people to have a child who would   48  her eyes. He was given the   49  of the British family on Staten Island. He arrived unannounced and rang the doorbell. After hearing his introduction, Mrs. British   50  and hugged him. She said, “Young man, if you’ve got   51  to go, my husband and I would love you to spend your weekend with us.”
He stayed, and   52  he was looking around Linda’s room, he saw that she’d read Hegel. He’d read Hegel in Braille as well.
The next morning Mrs. British was looking at him and said, “You know, I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before.” All of a sudden she   53 . She ran upstairs and pulled out the last picture Linda had drawn. It was a portrait of her ideal man.
The picture was almost the same as this young man who had received Linda’s eyes.
Then her mother read the   54  poem Linda had written on her deathbed. It   55 :
Two hearts passing in the night
Falling in love
Never able to gain each other’s sight.

小题1:	A．heartaches B．headaches C．stomachaches D．backaches

小题2:	A．risks B．happenings C．chances D．moments

小题3:	A．more than B．other than C．better than D．rather than

小题4:	A．decided B．suggested C．prepared D．liked

小题5:	A．will B．letter C．notice D．poem

小题6:	A．spite B．case C．charge D．view

小题7:	A．Actually B．Unbelievably C．Surprisingly D．Unfortunately

小题8:	A．hospital B．center C．school D．bank

小题9:	A．silence B．daytime C．sight D．delight

小题10:

A．excited B．joyful C．grateful D．proud

小题11:

A．However B．Therefore C．Furthermore D．Yet

小题12:

A．partly B．hardly C．seldom D．indeed

小题13:

A．give up B．give away C．give off D．give out

小题14:

A．news B．address C．gift D．hometown

小题15:

A．ran out B．stood out C．reached out D．turned out

小题16:

A．somewhere B．anywhere C．everywhere D．nowhere

小题17:

A．as B．after C．until D．since

小题18:

A．shouted B．laughed C．waked D．remembered

小题19:

A．last B．first C．past D．recent

小题20:

A．wrote B．spoke C．said D．talked

As a boy growing up in India，I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s’ with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe，where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium，Netherlands and West Germany.
I have vivid memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable，even for someone like me，who is otherwise scared of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe，we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河)，it was simply an unforgettable experience. I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation，but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again，with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me overseas，Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today，I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying，in general，for me，has always been an ordeal (terrible and painful experience)．Flying on Lufthansa，however，is something I always have and always will look forward to.
小题1:Which country does the author live in now?

A．India.

B．Canada.

C．Belgium.

D．Germany.

小题2:What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?

A．Growing up in India.

B．Once staying in Canada.

C．Once traveling to Canada with his father.

D．His father's stories about his traveling experiences.

小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about the author's trip to Europe in 1998?

A．The author traveled with one of his parents.

B．Both their going and return were by air.

C．They traveled in spring that year.

D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months.

小题4:It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.

A．a city in India

B．a city in Europe

C．an airline company

D．a travel agency

小题5:The underlined word “sombre” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”．

A．happy

B．sad

C．angry

D．enjoyable

A Brooklyn man who was quarreling with his girlfriend yesterday threw a dog off the balcony（阳台） of her 23rd-story apartment in TriBeCa, killing it, the police said.
The man, John Jefferson, 43, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, has been charged（指控） with robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and animal cruelty, the police said. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center yesterday for psychiatric evaluation（精神病鉴定）, they said.
The incident began shortly before 11 a.m., the police said, when Mr. Jefferson went to visit his girlfriend, Eugenia Miller, 41, at her apartment on 80 North Moore Street. She had filed a police report on Friday accusing（控告）Mr. Jefferson of stealing from her, but yesterday she allowed him in and they began arguing, the police said.
Mr. Jefferson threatened Ms. Miller with a knife, and she called 911, the police said. When officers arrived at her door, she ran into the hallway and Mr. Jefferson stayed in the apartment, they said. Mr. Jefferson began throwing Ms. Miller’s things off the balcony, first the television, the air-conditioner and clothes, then her dog, Ribsy, the police and witnesses said.
The dog had lived in the neighborhood for more than a decade and was well liked by children. “He was like a person and he would hang out with us guys or go visit kids at the basketball court,” said neighbors.
小题1:The man was taken to hospital because _____.

A．he killed a pet dog

B．he was badly injured

C．his girlfriend asked to do so

D．he needed a psychiatric evaluation

小题2:John Jefferson was accused of the following except _____.

A．his arguing with his girlfriend

B．criminal possession of a weapon

C．animal cruelty

D．robbery

小题3:From the passage we know that _____.

A．the dog was badly hurt and sent to hospital

B．the dog was popular in the neighborhood

C．the dog was able to play basketball

D．the dog never went out