A light drizzle was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the Methodist Church, eager to get home and play with the presents that Santa had left for us and our baby sister, Sharon. Across the street from the church was a Pan American gas station where the Greyhound bus stopped．It was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing outside the locked door, huddled under the narrow overhang（屋檐） in an attempt to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I raced to keep up with Jill.

　 Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town，I noticed that the family were still there, standing outside the closed gas station.

　 My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, ‘‘I can't stand it!” ‘‘What?” asked my mother. ‘‘They've got children. It's Christmas. I can’t stand it.” When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children—two girls and a small boy. My father rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas,” he said.

“Howdy ,’’the man replied.

‘‘You are waiting for the bus?’’ my father asked.

The man said that they were. They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and prospects of a job.

　 “Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn is just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there and some benches”. My father said. ‘‘Why don't you all get in the car and I'll run you up there.”

　 The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.

　 Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three gloomy（郁闷的）faces gave him his answer.

　 “Well I didn't think so,” my father said, winking at my mother，“because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We'll just go to get them before I take you to the bus stop.”

　 All at once, the three children's faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.

　 When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls spied Jill's doll and immediately hugged it to her breast. I remember that the little boy grabbed Sharon's ball. And the other girl picked up something of mine.

All this happened a long time ago, but the memory of it remains clear. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.

56. According to the passage, what do we know about the family with three children?

A．They led a thrifty and simple life．

B．They were invited to another city．

C．Their living condition was quite poor．

D．They had missed a bus to Birmingham．

57．The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to　　　　　 .

　 A．the light drizzle

　 B．the annual Christmas dinner

C．one of American gas stations

D．the family standing outside the closed gas station

58．The three children of the family were gloomy probably because 　　　　　　．

A．they didn't have new clothes to wear

　 B．they hadn't got any present for Christmas

　 C．they were unwilling to move to another city

　 D．they worried about the friends they had made

59．Which of the follow words can best describe the father?

　 A．Kindhearted．　 　 B．Enthusiastic．

　 C．Energetic．　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Determined．

60．How did the children of the author's family look at the incident?

　 A．They considered it the most valuable experience in their life．

　 B．They were a bit annoyed because their gifts were taken away．

　 C．They treasured the experience which brought them pleasure．

D．They admired their father for his generosity and kindness．

The greatest source of inspiration for me has always been my father．Though he's been gone for 17 years, his1  still resonate（产生共鸣）．He taught me how to run my own2  in life．But the most inspiring thing he taught me was to3   ．

One incident is4  in my mind．It happened when I was a teenager．My sister and I weren’t very fond of a so-called friend of5   ．Dad was a very generous man, and as he'd done with so many people, he'd given this fellow great help．But when he asked for a favor 6  , the guy didn't deliver．

Dad’s outlook（人生观）on most things was "Live and let live．" In this case, however, his calmness7  Terre and me, and we let him know it．

"How can you be nice to that man?" we said to him．"You've been so kind to him,8  he's not being kind back．Why would you want to give him the time of day again?"

My father shrugged（耸肩）and said to us, "I do not bend my back with9  ．"

I didn't 10   it at first, but over the years I came to understand the11   ．Holding a grudge（怨恨） doesn't 12   the person you're angry with, but it changes you．It makes you 13  and gives you more weight to drag around．

After my father died in 1991, a（n）14  came from a fellow I'd had a quarrel with years before to15  his sympathy．He wrote: "I thought I'd tell you how sorry I am16  the loss of your father．I know he 17  the world to you．I just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts．"

Much moved, I wrote back．I thanked him for his 18   ．And then, because he'd 19   our disagreement, I recalled Dad's20  words．"I am my father's daughter," I wrote．"And like him, I do not bend my back with yesterday．"

1．A．lectures              B．suggestions          C．lessons             D．pictures

2．A．engine                B．race                  C．route                   D．car

3．A．forgive               B．persuade           C．forget               D．excuse

4．A．vital                    B．obvious             C．visual                D．vivid

5．A．sister’s               B．mine                 C．father's             D．mother’s

6．A．in exchange         B．in turn               C．by return           D．by turn

7．A．relaxed                B．moved                 C．interrupted        D．bothered

8．A．and                    B．however             C．still                   D．so

9．A．anger                  B．disappointment  C．worry               D．yesterday

10．A．make                B．get                    C．work                D．hear

11．A．reason               B．word                C．philosophy        D．sentence

12．A．change              B．hurt                  C．upset                D．disturb

13．A．stronger              B．weaker                C．rougher               D．heavier

14．A．news                  B．letter                 C．message            D．information

15．A．explain              B．express              C．produce            D．present

16．A．in                     B．with                  C．about                  D．at

17．A．showed             B．represented          C．equaled             D．meant

18．A．kindness           B．sympathy          C．understanding     D．consideration

19．A．referred            B．mentioned         C．reminded           D．retold

20．A．well-known       B．exciting               C．inspiring              D．forgiving

完型填空

　　While my father was an officer of the British army in South Africa, we lived in a two-storied(两层楼的) house.One 　1　 my father and 　2　 and I were sitting together. He was 　3　 the window. I suddenly 　4　 that he was turning very pale. I sat 　5　 , for I did not want to 　6　 my sick sister. Soon father said in a 　7　 voice, “Kate and Joan, a friend of mine 　8　 here to see me this evening, and I wish to be 　9　 him. Will you go up to your own room?” We 　10　 went to our room and closed the door.

　　Soon I heard a 　11　 like that of a door burst in, and then a climb of feet. They were hurrying 　12　 the narrow stairs. Fearing that there was 　13　 near, I seized the pistol“手枪”on the table. Then I heard my father cry out, “For God’s sake, child, 　14　 the door.” I did so. To my horror, I saw, 　15　 my father’s shoulder, a gorilla（大猩猩）,the worst enemy of the soldier in 　16　 .He was 　17　 my father. I raised the pistol and fired. The animal fell backwards with 　18　loud cry. Father took the 　19　 smoking pistol from my hand, and fried another shot, which 　20　 the gorilla.

　　It happened that father 　21　 us upstairs because he thought he would be able to 　22　 the door─which was twenty feet away─ 　23　 this was the animal reached it. However, the gorilla was too 　24　 for him,and this was the cause of the 　25　 flight up the stairs.

[　　]

A．A o’clock　　　B．night　　　C．evening　　　D．time

[　　]

A．sister　　　B．brother　　　C．mother　　　D．doctor

[　　]

A．towards　　　B．opposite　　　C．inside　　　D．behind

[　　]

A．knew　　　B．learned　　　C．felt　　　D．noticed

[　　]

A．still　　　B．lonely　　　C．sadly　　　D．unhappily

[　　]

A．hurt　　　B．frighten　　　C．lose　　　D．trouble

[　　]

A．loud　　　B．sad　　　C．calm　　　D．pleasant

[　　]

A．was　　　B．comes　　　C．would be　　　D．is coming

[　　]

A．friendly to　　　B．alone with　　　C．helpful to　　　D．careful with

[　　]

A．promised　　　B．trembled　　　C．obeyed　　　D．replied

[　　]

A．sound　　　B．cry　　　C．voice　　　D．shout

[　　]

A．to　　　B．down　　　C．through　　　D．up

[　　]

A．some difficulty　　　B．a thief　　　C．some danger　　　D．shout

[　　]

A．o;pen　　　B．close　　　C．pull　　　D．draw

[　　]

A．on　　　B．above　　　C．over　　　D．from

[　　]

A．South America　　　B．Africa　　　C．South Asia　　　D．Europe

[　　]

A．aiming at　　　　B．marching towards

C．shooting at　　　D．running after

[　　]

A．an exciting　　　B．a calm　　　C．an angry　　　D．a natural

[　　]

A．an exciting　　　B．a calm　　　C．an angry　　　D．a natural

[　　]

A．still　　　B．yet　　　C．even　　　D．already

[　　]

A．hit　　　B．murdered　　　C．frightened　　　D．killed

[　　]

A．had taken　　　B．had sent　　　C．had driven　　　D．had forced

[　　]

A．push　　　B．lock　　　C．guard　　　D．defend

[　　]

A．until　　　B．when　　　C．before　　　D．though

[　　]

A．quick　　　B．huge　　　C．heavy　　　D．stupid

[　　]

A．anxious　　　B．fearless　　　C．excited　　　D．hurried

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
From its opening lines – “ ‘You my lucky piece,’ Grandma says.... Her hand is wrapped around mine” – Heidi W. Durrow pulls us into her first novel, a moving story encircling us as firmly as that protective grandmotherly grip.
When we meet Rachel Morse, the daughter of an African-American GI and a Danish woman, she is just moving into the Portland, Oregon., home of her strong-minded paternal grandmother and her warm, classy Aunt Loretta. We soon learn that Rachel has survived a fall from a nine-story apartment building in which her mother, brother, and baby sister all died. Three months earlier, Rachel’s mother had left her alcoholic husband in Germany, following her “orange-haired” lover to Chicago. But Nella hadn’t been prepared for boyfriend’s drinking and racism, or for the looks and questions she gets as the mother of three brown children.
Rachel’s “new-girl feeling” in her grandmother’s home goes beyond her recent tragedy. Having grown up with a Scandinavian mother in the more colorblind society of an overseas Army base, this is her first time in a mostly black community. Her light-brown skin, “fuzzy” hair, and blue eyes raise questions about her racial identity that are entirely new and puzzling to her.
Starting sixth grade in her new school, Rachel notes, “There are fifteen black people in the class and seven white people. And there’s me. There’s another girl who sits in the back. Her name is Carmen LaGuardia, and she has hair like mine, my same color skin, and she counts as black. I don’t understand how, but she seems to know.” Several years later, in high school, her status remains uncertain. “They call me an Oreo. I don’t want to be white. Sometimes I want to go back to being what I was. I want to be nothing.”
Winner of the Bellwether Prize, created by Barbara Kingsolver to celebrate fiction that addresses issues of social injustice, “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” comes at a time when bi-racial and multicultural identity – so markedly represented by President Obama – is especially topical.
But set in the 1980s and focusing on one unusually sympathetic girl overcoming family tragedy and feeling her way through racial tensions, Durrow’s novel surpasses topicality.
Like Rachel, Durrow is the light-brown-skinned, blue-eyed daughter of a Danish mother and an African-American father enlisted in the Air Force. With degrees from Stanford, Columbia Journalism School, and Yale Law School, it’s no wonder she gives her heroine discipline and brains.
Rachel’s life, however, is clearly not Durrow’s. No, there’s alcohol and drug addiction; deaths by fire, trauma, and infection. There are mothers who lose their children, and a saintly drug counselor who loses his beloved girl-friend. Through it all, what makes Durrow’s novel soar is her masterful sense of voice, her assured, delicate handling of complex racial issues – and her heart.
After hearing the blues music for the first time, Rachel feels what her mother called hyggeligt – “something like comfort and home and love all rolled into one.” She wonders what might have happened if her mother had known about such soulful music, “that sometimes there’s a way to take the sadness and turn it into a beautiful song.”
This, of course, is precisely what Durrow has done in this powerful book: taken sadness and turned it into a beautiful song.
60. What should be the direct cause of Rachel coming to Portland, Oregon?
A. Her mother left her alcoholic father.
B. A deadly tragedy happened to her family.
C. Her grandmother wants her to come and stay with her.
D. There was too much racism where she used to live with her mother.
61. Durrow’s life is different from Rachel’s in that _____________.
A. Durrow has to struggle through her life, depending on herself.
B. Durrow is troubled in her life by racism, living in a poor neighborhood.
C. Durrow has come through life much easier, with a better family background.
D. There’s alcohol and drug addiction in Durrow’s suffering-laden neighborhood.
62. Why does the writer of the book review mention President Obama in this writing?
A. To show the progress in America’s black community.
B. To highlight the racial harmony in the United States.
C. To indicate Obama’s influence in helping Durrow win the Bellwether Prize.
D. To remind readers of the background when the novel was written and won the Bellwether Prize.
63. The blues music Rachel hears is, deep at the bottom of her heart, most suggestive of ______.
A. bravery          B. hope           C. sadness         D. beauty

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

From its opening lines – “ ‘You my lucky piece,’ Grandma says.... Her hand is wrapped around mine” – Heidi W. Durrow pulls us into her first novel, a moving story encircling us as firmly as that protective grandmotherly grip.

When we meet Rachel Morse, the daughter of an African-American GI and a Danish woman, she is just moving into the Portland, Oregon., home of her strong-minded paternal grandmother and her warm, classy Aunt Loretta. We soon learn that Rachel has survived a fall from a nine-story apartment building in which her mother, brother, and baby sister all died. Three months earlier, Rachel’s mother had left her alcoholic husband in Germany, following her “orange-haired” lover to Chicago. But Nella hadn’t been prepared for boyfriend’s drinking and racism, or for the looks and questions she gets as the mother of three brown children.

Rachel’s “new-girl feeling” in her grandmother’s home goes beyond her recent tragedy. Having grown up with a Scandinavian mother in the more colorblind society of an overseas Army base, this is her first time in a mostly black community. Her light-brown skin, “fuzzy” hair, and blue eyes raise questions about her racial identity that are entirely new and puzzling to her.

Starting sixth grade in her new school, Rachel notes, “There are fifteen black people in the class and seven white people. And there’s me. There’s another girl who sits in the back. Her name is Carmen LaGuardia, and she has hair like mine, my same color skin, and she counts as black. I don’t understand how, but she seems to know.” Several years later, in high school, her status remains uncertain. “They call me an Oreo. I don’t want to be white. Sometimes I want to go back to being what I was. I want to be nothing.”

Winner of the Bellwether Prize, created by Barbara Kingsolver to celebrate fiction that addresses issues of social injustice, “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” comes at a time when bi-racial and multicultural identity – so markedly represented by President Obama – is especially topical.

But set in the 1980s and focusing on one unusually sympathetic girl overcoming family tragedy and feeling her way through racial tensions, Durrow’s novel surpasses topicality.

Like Rachel, Durrow is the light-brown-skinned, blue-eyed daughter of a Danish mother and an African-American father enlisted in the Air Force. With degrees from Stanford, Columbia Journalism School, and Yale Law School, it’s no wonder she gives her heroine discipline and brains.

Rachel’s life, however, is clearly not Durrow’s. No, there’s alcohol and drug addiction; deaths by fire, trauma, and infection. There are mothers who lose their children, and a saintly drug counselor who loses his beloved girl-friend. Through it all, what makes Durrow’s novel soar is her masterful sense of voice, her assured, delicate handling of complex racial issues – and her heart.

After hearing the blues music for the first time, Rachel feels what her mother called hyggeligt – “something like comfort and home and love all rolled into one.” She wonders what might have happened if her mother had known about such soulful music, “that sometimes there’s a way to take the sadness and turn it into a beautiful song.”

This, of course, is precisely what Durrow has done in this powerful book: taken sadness and turned it into a beautiful song.

1.What should be the direct cause of Rachel coming to Portland, Oregon?

  A. Her mother left her alcoholic father.

  B. A deadly tragedy happened to her family.

  C. Her grandmother wants her to come and stay with her.

  D. There was too much racism where she used to live with her mother.

2.Durrow’s life is different from Rachel’s in that _____________.

  A. Durrow has to struggle through her life, depending on herself.

  B. Durrow is troubled in her life by racism, living in a poor neighborhood.

  C. Durrow has come through life much easier, with a better family background.

  D. There’s alcohol and drug addiction in Durrow’s suffering-laden neighborhood.

3.Why does the writer of the book review mention President Obama in this writing?

  A. To show the progress in America’s black community.

  B. To highlight the racial harmony in the United States.

  C. To indicate Obama’s influence in helping Durrow win the Bellwether Prize.

  D. To remind readers of the background when the novel was written and won the Bellwether Prize.

4.The blues music Rachel hears is, deep at the bottom of her heart, most suggestive of ______.

  A. bravery          B. hope           C. sadness         D. beauty