“Do you want to come with me?” Sally asked her brother. “I’m going to meet some friends at the bike course（赛道，路线）down the block. We’re going to practice for the race next week.”

“No, thanks,” Mark replied. “Sam’s coming over to play basketball.”

Sally rode off on her bike while Mark waited for his friend. Mark was fast,   35   he usually did well in most sports. He didn’t think it would   36   if he practiced the course. It could be hilly or sandy, and Mark knew he would   37   speed along.

The race day finally arrived. “My stomach feels like I ate some butterflies,” Sally told Mark when she saw so many kids around. Then they   38   the other riders at the start line.

“Sally is always nervous,” Mark thought. “Don’t worry.   39   will do fine,” he said. As soon as the starter shouted “Go!”, Mark’s legs pumped up and down like two machines. He moved   40   to the front.

A few minutes later, there wasn’t anyone ahead of him! Mark raced along the course. He rode past some pine trees. Then the path looped(环绕)around a pond. Mark was surprised that the course was so   41  .

His tired legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. All at once, a flash of color caught his eyes. There was a line of bike riders on the course ahead of him! “How could this be?” Mark said to himself. “I must have taken a wrong   42   and made one more loop in the course,” he thought.

Mark pushed his achy muscles(肌肉)harder. He realized his   43   alone wouldn’t be enough this time;   44   the course was just as important. He managed to ride past a couple of bike riders, but he couldn’t   45   the riders who were in the lead.

After the race Mark saw his sister. “Wow, you must have done a good job in the race. What place did you get?” Mark asked.

“Third place!” Sally answered excitedly.

“That’s great! I came in ninth place. But I’ll do better next year because I’ll be     46   enough to practice the course with you,” Mark made a face at his sister and replied.

35. A. but                           B. as                        C. and                      D. or

36. A. help                          B. move                   C. care                     D. come

37. A. just                           B. even                     C. never                   D. still

38. A. joined                       B. passed                  C. visited                  D. invited

39. A. I                              B. You                      C. They                    D. She

40. A. quickly                     B. quietly                  C. clearly                  D. carefully

41. A. hard                         B. wide                    C. long                     D. tidy

42. A. chance                      B. turn                     C. step                     D. ride

43. A. patience                    B. spirit                    C. speed                   D. imagination

44. A. accepting                  B. changing              C. knowing               D. finishing

45. A. leave                         B. touch                   C. face                     D. reach

46. A. honest                      B. smart                   C. brave                   D. confident

A：Hello, Li Lei!   1  didn’t you come to school on time this morning?

B：There was a traffic accident．

A：How did it happen?

B：When a girl was coming to school  2  bike, a car hit her and she was badly hurt．

A：What happened then?

B：I was just on the way to school, and I helped the driver take the girl to the hospital．The doctor looked her over at once．She was saved at last．

A：How is she now?

B：She’s feeling much  3 ．

A：Great! You have   4   a good job．But I think safety is above (在……之上) all．We should try  5  best to keep safe．

B：You’re right．

Christmas was coming and my ten-year-old Alice told her father and me that she wanted a new bike.  Her bike was too   1  , and it needed repairing as well.

As Christmas   2 ,  her dream for a bike seemed to disappear, we thought, for she didn't say it again. We were busy  3  some beautiful story books, a doll house, a holiday dress and toys. Then to our surprise, on December 24, she said she really wanted a bike more than   4 .

Now we didn't know   5  to do. It was just too late. We were busy with Christmas dinner and packing  6  presents, parents' presents, a brother's present and friends' presents till midnight. So there was   7  time to take to buy the "right hike" for our little girl. Thinking we were parents who would make their child unhappy, we felt sorry and   8 .

Suddenly my husband had an idea. "What about making a little bike with clay (黏土) and writing a note that she could trade in (交换) the model bike for a real one?" So he spent the next five hours carefully __9__ with clay to make a small bike.

  10  Christmas morning, we were so excited for Alice to open the little box with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. She opened and read the   11  loudly. She looked at me and said, "So, does this mean I can trade in this bike for a real  12 _?" Smiling, I said, "Yes!" Alice had tears in her eyes when she replied, "I would  13  trade in this beautiful bike Daddy made me. I __14 _ keep it than get a real bike. This is the best Christmas present   15  I have ever got in my life!"

1.                A．new           B．old            C．beautiful  D．modern

2.                A．came nearer     B．was over        C．went by  D．passed

3.                A．buy            B．bought         C．to buy    D．buying

4.                A．something else   B．anything else     C．else something D．else anything

5.                A．what           B．how           C．why D．where

6.                A．children        B．children's       C．boy  D．girls

7.                A．enough         B．no             C．much D．still a little

8.                A．happy          B．excited         C．sad  D．angry

9.                A．works          B．worked         C．working  D．to work

10.               A．In             B．On            C．At    D．For

11.               A．book          B．story           C．note  D．newspaper

12.               A．one           B．ones           C．some D．any

13.               A．usually         B．certainly        C．never D．of course

14.               A．am going to     B．would like to     C．had better D．would rather

15.               A．who           B．those          C．what  D．that