My father was 44 and knew he wasn’t going to make it to 45. He wrote me a letter and hoped that something in it would help me for the rest of my life.

Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter, some of his words have lived in my heart. Only part always times out. “Right now, you are pretending to be a time-killer. But I know that one day, you will do something great that will set you among the very best.” Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself. “You will do something great.” He didn’t know what that would be, and neither did I, but at times in my life when I’ve felt proud of myself, I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask. “Is this what you were talking about, Dad? Should I keep going?”

A long way from 12 now, I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress. Lately, though , I’ve come to believe he’d want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in, somebody else. It’s time to start writing my own letters to my children. Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had. Our kids don’t hold back because they’re afraid to fail. They’re only afraid of failing us. They don’t worry about being disappointed. Their fear－as mine was until my father’s letter－is of being a disappointment.

Give your children permission to succeed. They’re writing for you to believe in them. I always knew my parents loved me. But trust me. That belief will be more complete, that love will be more real, and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts; “Don’t worry; you’ll do something great.” Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back.

We learn from the text that the author _________      

A. lost his father when he was young

B. Worked hard before he read his father's letter

C. Asked his father's permission to believe in himself

D. Knew exactly what great thing his father wanted him to do

What does the author tell us in the 3rd paragraph? 

A. Children need their parents’ letters.    

B. Children are afraid to be disappointed.

C. His children’s fear of failure held them back.

D. His father’s letter removed his fear of failing his parents.

Which of the following is true of the author? 

A. He got no access to success.         B. He wrote back to his father at 12.

C. He was sure his parents loved him.    D. He once asked his father about the letter.

The main purpose of the text is to _______.

A. describe children’s thinking             B. answer some questions children have

C. stress the importance of communication   D. advise parents to encourage their children

第二部分：阅读理解（第一节20小题, 第二节5小题；每小题2分, 满分50分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, “I lost my job. I am a complete, utter failure.” A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face. “What great news!” she responded.
“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,” YC he objected, completely without hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash. “Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped. “To whom does it belong?”
“It’s ours!” Sophia replied. “I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece. The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.   
41．Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A．Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news  
B．Nate was too sad to speak any more
C．Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate  
D．Neither husband nor wife had any idea what to do
42．Sophia saved money because ______.
A．she knew her husband would lose his job one day  
B．she knew their life would be in difficulty
C．she was very careful with money  
D．she was trying to help her husband in every possible way
43．From the passage we can know that Sophia was ______.
A．kind and brave                                    B．careful and encouraging
C．friendly and warm-hearted                    D．honest and determined
44．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Sophia’s Achievement.                        B．A great writer’s struggle to success.
C．Great encouragement in hard times.      D．Failure is the mother of success.

  My First Day

I was still shy in the presence of a crowd. And my first day at the new 36 made me a laughing stock（笑柄） of the classroom .I was sent to the blackboard to write my   37 . I knew my name, and knew how to write it , but standing at the blackboard with the  38  of so many pupils on my back made me  39  inside and I was unable to write a single letter.

“Write your name,” the teacher called to me. I  40 the white chalk to the blackboard, as I was about to write, my mind went blank, I could not remember my name,  41 the first letter. Somebody laughed and I became  42 .

“Just forget us and write your name,” the teacher called and walked to my side,  43 at me to give me confidence.

“What is your name?” she asked.

“Richard,” I   44

“Then write it.”

I turned to the blackboard and lifted my hand to write, but then I was  45  again. I tried to  46  my senses but I could remember nothing. I realized how totally I was 47 and I grew weak and leaned my hot forehead  48 the cold blackboard. The room burst into a loud  49 and my muscles froze. I sat and  50  myself. Why did I always appear so dumb  51  I was called upon to perform in a crowd? I knew how to write as well as any other pupil in the classroom, and there was no  52 I could read better than any of them, and I could talk  53  when I was sure of myself. Then why did strange  54  make me freeze? I sat with my ears and neck  55 , hearing the pupils around me whisper, hating myself.  

【小题1】I had a very happy day today because we had no school though it is Tuesday today. I played football with my friends on the playground in our school. Then we had a big dinner with a lot of our friends.
【小题2】Today was a special day. After the bell rang for the lesson, we all sat up straight, waiting for our maths teacher. Today in former years we would place something on the top of the door so that when someone entered, it would fall onto that person. But this year, we put nothing on the top of the door. But as our maths teacher was entering, we all shouted “Take care”. The teacher got a surprise and raised his head but saw nothing. We all laughed and said “April fool”.
【小题3】Early this morning I got up and woke up my sister Jane. Together we went from door to door to call on my friends. It was a day for us to play. We gathered on the square of the town with our New Year’s gift. We exchanged our gifts and played all kinds of games on the square. How happy we were!
【小题4】This evening we had a Halloween party in the open. We were all dressed in witch’s outfit and wore masks. We sang and danced happily. We couldn’t figure out who was who though we were all such close friends or neighbors.
【小题5】Today I gave a kiss to the girl I love most in front of all my classmates. I didn’t say anything before. But today I was brave enough to kiss her on the face with my classmates and my history teacher near at hand.

I always_____follow the instructions of my doctor when taking medicine.

A. generously  B. purposefully   C.faithfully   D. permanently