Dear Karen,

As you probably know, it’s my sister Suzie’s 16th birthday in a week. We’re planning a surprise party for her. Julie’s going to pick her up from school as usual on Friday but she’s not taking her home. She’s bringing her to the Palace Hotel, the big modern one near the station. We’re having a meal there and we’ve also hired (租用) the ballroom (舞厅) for a party in the evening. I hope you can come!

All her friends from school are coming and quite a few of the people from our village, too. Of course, Mum and Dad are coming up from England and I’ve managed to persuade (说服) our other sister, Marie, to come over from Australia. She’s bringing her kids with her, too.

After the party we’re going to have another one on Saturday! Well, not really a party. We’re inviting the family and close friends (that includes you) for a meal at the house. If the weather is nice, we’d like to have a barbecue in the garden. Julie’s going to make a special cake for Suzie.

Anyway, we hope to make it a really special weekend for Suzie. On Sunday we’re all going for a walk in the country. You know how she loves walking and we’re all going to need a bit of exercise after all that lovely food. We’re hoping to go up to the lake. Marie said she wanted her kids to feed the ducks just like Suzie and she did when they were very young. I’m sure Suzie will love that too.

It would be great if you could come over for the weekend. We would all love to see you.

Let me know as soon as you can.

Best,

David

1.Who is Karen?  ______

A. David’s cousin.                                            B. David’s friend.

C. David’s sister.                                              D. David’s classmate.

2.David and Julie are planning to have Suzie’s birthday party ______ on Friday evening.

A. at the Palace Hotel                                              B. at the house

C. in the garden                                                       D. beside the lake

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned?   ______

A. To make a special cake.                                     B. To have a barbecue.

C. To go swimming.                              D. To feed the ducks.

4._____ won’t come for the meal at the house on Saturday because David doesn’t invite them /her.

A. Karen                                                                    B. People from their village

C. Suzie’s Mum and Dad                                D. Marie and her kids

5.Why is David planning a walk in the country on Sunday?

Because he thinks ______.

A. Suzie loves walking very much

B. Suzie used to take a walk there after dinner

C. it is special for Marie’s kids to go for a walk in the country

D. Suzie can feed the ducks in the river when going for a walk

---What should we do first if we want to ______our village?

—Could you tell me ______?

—Of course, last night.

A．when you reached our town               B．when did you reach our town

C．how you came to our village               D．how did you come to our village

---What should we do first if we want to ______our village?

Born into a farmer’s family, life was not easy when I was a kid. We were so poor that we often did not know where our next meal was coming from. I had to sell cabbages at the marketplace to support my family.
A storyteller once came to the marketplace, and I went to listen to him. My mother was unhappy with me for forgetting my job. But that night, while she was making clothes for us under the weak light of an oil lamp, I couldn't help retelling stories I'd heard that day. She listened impatiently at first, since in her eyes professional（职业的） storytellers were smooth-talking men—nothing good ever came out of their mouths. But slowly she was attracted by my retold stories, and from that day on, she never gave me any task on market days, unspoken agreement to enjoy new stories. As a repayment（回报）for Mother's kindness and a way to show off my memory, I'd retell the stories for her in lively detail. Soon, she wasn't the only member of my audience, which later included my elder sisters, my aunts, even my stubborn grandmother.
I knew she was worried about me. Talkative kids are not well thought of in our village, for they can bring trouble to themselves and to their families when they talk too much. Mother often reminded me not to talk so much, wanting me to be a silent and modest teenager. However, my natural desire（渴望）to talk never went away, and that is what makes my name – Mo Yan, which means ‘no speaking’. This strong wish to talk also improved my ability to express myself, which is important for writers who are also considered as storytellers.
【小题1】Mo Yan lived a/an ________ life when he was young.