I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s for Elizabeth.”

I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter

They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.

As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.

I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.

My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace—it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

Now the present of her desk told, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside--- a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.

Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk____________.

   A. after Mother died.

   B. before she became a writer.

   C. when she was a child

   D. when Mother gave it to her

2. The passage shows that _____________.

   A. mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter

   B. mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done

   C. mother cared much about her daughter in words

   D. mother wrote to her daughter in careful words

3.The word “gulf” in the passage means ____________.

   A. deep understanding between the old and the young

   B. different ideas between the mother and the daughter

   C. free talks between mother daughter

   D. part of the sea going far in land

4.What did mother do with her daughter’s letter?

   A. She had never received the letter.

   B. For years, she often talked about the letter.

   C. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life.

   D. She read the letter again and again till she died.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

   A. My Letter to Mother        B. Mother and Children

   C. My Mother’s Desk         D. Talks between Mother and Me

 

1Climate is the average weather usually taken over a 30-year time period for a particular region and time period. Climate is not the same as weather, but rather, it is the average pattern of weather for a particular region. Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere (大气).

The climate is changing. Many agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats (威胁) facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities (极端性) in weather patterns.

Is the Earth getting warmer? Yes! The Earth has warmed by about 1°F over the past 100 years. But why? Well, scientists are not exactly sure. The Earth could be getting warmer on its own, but many of the world’s leading climate scientists think that things people do are helping to make the Earth warmer.

Global Warming may be a big problem, but can you make a difference? Yes! There are several little things you can do to make a difference. Try carpooling. This will help reduce the amount of fossil fuels going into the atmosphere. Whenever you use electricity, you help put greenhouse gases into the air. Turn off lights, the television, and the computer when you are through with them. Also, planting trees is fun and a great way to reduce greenhouse gases. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the air. Finally, don’t forget about recycling.

1.Climate is         weather.

A. the same as          B. different from

C. a kind of            D. part of

2. The Earth has warmed by about 1°F over the past 100 years         .

A. only because of human activities

B. but scientists are not exactly sure of the reasons.

C. and we can do nothing to it.

D. and it’s getting warmer on its own

3.Global Warming may be a big problem, but we can do the following things to make a difference except          .

A. carpooling                   B. saving electricity

C. cutting down more trees      D. recycling

4.What can be the best title of the article?

A. Climate and weather.

B. Weather and climate changing.

C. Climate changing and global warming.

D. Weather and global warming.

 

阅读理解。

Once there was a clever farmer. Though he was poor, he decided one day to take the king a roast goose (烤鹅) as a present. He had not had     1    to eat that day, and soon the     2    of the roast goose became too much for him as (当…时) he     3    it to the king, so he ate one of its legs.        When he came before the king and gave him the goose, the king     4    saw that it had only one leg.        Now, the king     5    was born with one bad leg, so he had never been able to     6    properly (正常地). When he saw the goose with only one leg, he thought the farmer had     7     this to laugh at him. Of course he was very     8   . The farmer was told that if anybody laughed at the king, he would be    9    at once.        "Where is    10    leg of the goose?" the king asked.        "All the geese (goose的复数) in this    11   of the country have one leg only," the farmer answered.        "Do you think I'm a fool (傻子)?" the king shouted. "   12    ," said the farmer, "if you look out of the window, you will see geese with one leg by the   13   ."         The king looked, and there the geese were    14    on one leg beside the water. The king at once told one of his men to    15   them with a big stick, and of course, they    16    their other legs and ran away.         "There," said the king. "You were lying (说谎). That    17    that the geese here have two legs, like all other   18   in the country."         "But it doesn't show anything," answered the farmer, "if your men threw a big stick like that at me, I would grow two    19   legs myself to help me to run away    20   ."

(     )1. A. less       (     )2. A. head        (     )3. A. returned    (     )4. A. at once      (     )5. A. once       (     )6. A. come        (     )7. A. kept       (     )8. A. sorry        (     )9. A. helped      (     )10. A. other      (     )11. A. city        (     )12. A. Certainly not (     )13. A. hole        (     )14. A. swimming     (     )15. A. fill       (     )16. A. sent up    (     )17. A. shows      (     )18. A. geese      (     )19. A. slower      (     )20. A. more slowly

B. all           B. neck           B. carried        B. at last        B. really          B. walk            B. done            B. worried        B. killed          B. another        B. village        B. Of course        B. forest          B. resting        B. lock           B. put down        B. talks          B. animals        B. faster          B. more carefully

C. little        C. smell           C. sent        C. by then     C. himself         C. see        C. made         C. sad          C. saved         C. that        C. farm          C. That's nothing C. lake       C. flying       C. hit            C. did with       C. sees     C. legs       C. less       C. faster

D. much               D. temperature            D. handed             D. on time               D. yet                       D. eat                  D. found               D. angry                 D.covered                   D. the other            D. part                 D. Never mind            D. house               D. lying               D. keep                    D. moved away            D. knows                  D. farmers               D. more                    D. Earlier

Hearing the front door open, I ran down to the kitchen and waited. I saw may dad come in, with the white envelope in his hand. I had waited all day for this, so I reached over him for it as soon as he set foot into the house. Angrily, he   41   the envelope on the table and said it was nothing to get excited about, and that it was just a piece of paper. I grabbed (抓取) it and ran upstairs. I wondered why my dad did not understand how   42   I was to see my mid-year report card for my first year inmiddle school. I was really   43   by how he refused to consider all my hard work.

I saw my class rank (等级) :1/139. I did not believe what I saw. I felt my lip ( 嘴唇) form a smile and wanted to run downstairs to tell everyone. Then I   44   what my da had said----it was nothing to get excited about. I wanted to share my happiness with someone, but felt lonely.

I realized that I had become distant (远离的) from my family. We used to   45   late watching Disney movies,and my brothers, sisters and I would play tennis in the backyard all the time. I wondered when all that   46  . I just no longer took part in them. My school work   47   all my time and energy

While I had been busy with my study, I had also built a   48   between me and my familly. I was only trying to become a person everyone could be   49   of.

I wanted to go downstairs, say sorry for my rude behavior and for every refused movie and tennis game, and be   50   of my family again. I knew I had to do something ----because without their support, my achievement meant nothing.

41. A. caught     B. cleaned up     C. picked up     D. threw

42. A. anxious    B. scared        C. sad           D. frustrated

43. A. beaten     B. hurt          C. bothered       D. troubled

44. A. remembered B. realized       C. forget         D. listened to

45. A. come back  B. go down      C. stay up        D. keep out

46. A. begun      B. stopped       C. improved      D. appeared

47. A. set up      B. gave up       C. used up        D. put up

48. A. wall       B. bridge        C. road           D. hous

49. A. famous     B. careful        C. proud         D. afraid

50. A. hope       B. pride          C. child         D. part

通读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后各题所给的四个选项中选择能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。

Most teachers agree that the first lesson of a teacher is often unforgettable. I remember getting into the class with the     1     of  a beginner teacher: nervous, careful, excited... The school I     2     my first lesson in was well-known to hold the most troublesome (顽皮的) students in the city. With this in    3    , I was more nervous than I should be. But I tried my best not to     4     it out and went into the class. The first thing I did was taking a look at the whole class. My eyes     5     on a big black student. He was sitting in the back     6      of the class with no one in front of him. His body was much    7     than mine. I thought it would be better to leave that boy untouchable. As soon as I started my lesson writing on the blackboard, I heard some noise from the back. I     8    the students to find out who did it, but the class looked very    9     . I went on writing and the noise went on. Then I stopped my lesson to solve this problem because I believed that if I lost control (控制) of the class from the    10     I wouldn't be able to get it back. I thought the big boy made the noise. To my   11    , a small boy was the source (根源) of trouble. Days went     12     and I discovered that the big boy was good and quiet and the great source of trouble came from a group of small-sized students who became under control after some weeks. From then on, I realized that judging (判断) by appearance can often be wrong, not only with students!

(     )1. A. ideas     (     )2. A. started    (     )3. A. head     (     )4. A. make     (     )5. A. stopped   (     )6. A. line     (     )7. A. higher    (     )8. A. faced     (     )9. A. common    (     )10. A. beginning   (     )11. A. competition (     )12. A. out

B. feelings      B. found       B. mind         B. bring       B. caught       B. row         B. lighter     B. wondered      B. angry         B. example      B. congratulation B. down

C. thoughts   C. opened     C. school     C. work      C. pointed    C. room      C. larger     C. discussed   C. quiet      C. matter     C. surprise    C. away

D. ways        D. finished        D. hand        D. show            D. warned      D. part            D. thicker        D. described   D. crowded        D. end          D. difference  D. on