When I was a child, my parents often took me to an old house in a thick forest. No other children ever stayed there. I didn’t even have the choice of playing with a brother or sister.
I could never understand what the attraction(吸引) of the house was, even for my parents, who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book. The woman in the house, my father’s distant cousin, was a terrible cook and her food was inedible.
One day, when I was wandering around the garden behind the house, I noticed a wooden house which had clearly been abandoned(被遗弃的). As I walked towards it, I heard a noise, like an animal moving hurriedly away. Then I saw a man with a long beard standing at the door. I was greatly surprised.
“Please don’t tell them you saw me,” he said. “They never use this place, and I have nowhere else to live.” “Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone. But are you all right out here? I mean—do you have enough to eat?” The old man shook his head.
The same evening, I took a small plastic bag into the dining room and, while no one was looking, emptied some of the food into it. Later, I got out of the back door secretly and gave the food to the old man, whose name I had discovered was Taff.
I had never seen anything else as lovely as the smile of satisfaction on Taff’s face when he ate the food. From then on, my visits to the old house had a purpose, and I enjoyed every minute of the rest of my stay.
【小题1】 How did the writer feel about staying in the old house at first?

 Have you felt annoyed when a mobile phone rings during the class? Something must be done to stop this. Now in New York City, USA, a rule is carried out* in schools. Students can’t even bring mobile phones to school. Is it a good thing or not?

Anxious* parents say that mobile phones are an important tool* in holding New York City’s families together.

“I worry about it,” said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, a mother of a middle school kid. “It’s necessary in our everyday life. We have a washing machine*, we have running water, and we have mobile phones. A number of Americans think mobile phones connect* them to children on buses, getting out from subways, walking through unknown* places.

 “I have her call me when she gets out school,” said Lindsay Walt, a schoolgirl’s mother. “No one in New York is going to let their children go to school without a mobile phone.

 What about the mobile phone owners, the students? Most of the students said that mobile phones were necessary and the mobile phone was like an extra* hand or foot for them.

 “I feel so bored,” said May Chom, 14. “There is also no way to listen to music on the way to school without my phone. It will be a really, really boring trip.

1.Elizabeth Lorris Ritter is worried that ______________.

A. students are not allowed to bring mobile phones

B. students spend too much time in listening to music on the mobile phones

C. students bring mobile phones to school and they often ring during the class

D. no rule is carried out to stop students from bringing mobile phones to school

2.____________ American parents disagree with the rule that students can’t bring mobile phones to school.

A.  Some.       B. Many      C. Few     D. No

3.May Chom likes to ______________.

A. go to school without a mobile phone    

B. chat with her friends on the mobile phone on the way to school

C. walk through interesting places with a mobile phone

D. bring a mobile phone to school

4.This writer wants to tell us the __________ in carrying out* the rule not to use a mobile phone in school.

A. importance  B. problem     C. happiness      D. hopeless

Have you felt annoyed when a cell phone (手机)rings during the class? Something must be done to stop this. Now in New York City, USA, a rule is carried out（执行） in schools. Students can’t even bring cell phones to school. Is it a good thing or not?

Anxious（焦虑的） parents say that cell phones are an important tool in holding New York City’s families together.

“I worry about it,” said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, a mother of a middle school kid. “It’s necessary in our everyday life. We have a washing machine, we have running water, and we have cell phones.”

 A number of Americans think cell phones connect them to children on buses, getting out from subways, walking through unknown places.

 “I have her call me when she gets out school,” said Lindsay Walt, a schoolgirl’s mother. “No one in New York is going to let their children go to school without a cell phone.

 What about the cell phone owners, the students? Most of the students said that cell phones were necessary and the cell phone was like an extra(额外的)hand or foot for them.

 “I feel so empty,” said May Chom, 14. “There is also no way to listen to music on the way to school without my phone. It will be a really, really boring trip.”

1.. Elizabeth Lorris Ritter is worried that ______________.

A. students are not allowed to bring cellphones

B. students spend too much time in listening to music on the cellphones

C. students bring cellphones to school and they often ring during the class

D. no rule is carried out to stop students from bringing cellphones to school

2.. ____________ American parents disagree with the rule that students can’t bring cellphones to school.

    A. Many       B. Some        C. Few     D. No

3. May Chom likes to ______________.

    A. go to school without a cellphone    

B. chat with her friends on the cellphone on the way to school

C. walk through unknown places with a cellphone

    D. bring a cellphone to school

4. This writer wants to tell us the __________ in carrying out the rule not

to use a cellphone in school.

   A. importance  B. problem     C. happiness      D. impossibility (不可能)