“Tom? Are you in bed yet?” called Mrs. White. There was no answer. Mrs. White put down her book and went to her 14-year-old son’s room. Tom was sitting in front of a bright computer screen on which a motorbike was running fast.
“Oh, Tom. You’re still playing on that computer game. You must stop now, because it’s half past eleven. If you don’t go to bed soon, you’ll be very tired tomorrow.” Said Mrs. White.
“But I’ve nearly won the game.” Tom said to Mrs. White. She could see the excitement on his face. She sat beside him.
“You’re always playing on the computer. You spend more time on this machine than on your homework.”
Today more and more families have computers. Parents hope computers can help their children improve their study at school. But many of their children use computers to play games, listen to songs and watch videos instead of studying. We often see that computer net bars are crowded with people, especially young boys. They spend a lot of money competing(竞争) with the computerized(用计算机控制的) machines. The more they lose, the more they want to win. The result is that they don’t’ want to work or study.
In some countries, even scientists hate computers. They say computers cause millions of people to lose their jobs or cause them a lot of trouble. Computer game addiction(瘾) is a serious problem in social life. Something should have to be done to solve the problem.
【小题1】How did Mrs. White feel when she saw her son playing late?

— Tom, you are going to buy a new flat here, aren’t you?

— Yes, but I can’t _____an expensive one.

A. spend           B. cost            C. pay             D. afford

---Tom! You missed ______ “u” in ______word “ unusual ” again!
---Sorry, Miss Green.
A. the, a                       B. an, the                  C. a, the

“Tom, You are late again. So what’s your excuse this time?” said the teacher.What’s the pronunciation of the underlined word?

Saturday morning was bright and fresh. There was a song in every heart, cheer on every face, and a spring in every step.
Tom appeared with a bucket（桶）of white paint in one hand and a brush in the other. His Aunt Polly told him to paint the fence（篱笆）around the garden. It was ninety feet long and nine feet high. He felt very blue.
Then he had a wonderful idea. He picked up his brush and started to work.
Soon Ben came along the road. He was happily eating an apple. He stopped to look at Tom. Tom went on painting and pretended（假装）not to see Ben.
“I’m going swimming,” said Ben. “Do you want to go swimming, Tom? But I guess you can’t. You have to stay and work, don’t you?”       
“Work?” Tom said. “This isn’t work. I’m enjoying myself. Does a boy get a chance to paint a fence like this every day?”
Ben thought about this. Tom continued painting carefully. Sometimes he stopped, stood back to look at the fence like an artist, and then added（增加）a bit more paint in just the right place. Ben was watching Tom paint with great interest. He was getting more and more eager（渴望的）to have a try himself.
After a while, Ben asked Tom if he would let him paint a little. Tom thought about it, and said, “No, Ben, I can’t. You see. Aunt Polly wants it to be done well. Aunt Polly said that I must paint it with great care.”
“Oh, please, Tom,” begged Ben. “I can do it. I’ll be really careful. Just let me try. I’ll give you half of my apple. Well, I’ll give you all of it!”
“Well, all right, Ben,” said Tom. “You must be very careful.”
He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He sat down under the tree, and started to eat Ben’s apple. All day, boys came to make fun of Tom, but they ended up staying to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy was waiting. He gave Tom a kite for a chance to paint. Then Johnny offered him a basketball, and so on.
By late afternoon Tom had got all kinds of toys, and the fence had got three coats of paint. Later Aunt Polly came to look at the painted fence. She was so pleased with Tom’s work that she gave Tom a large cake!
【小题1】Why did Tom pretend not to see Ben when he came and watched him painting?