I live in a big city. It’s noisy and dirty and I got very  36 .At the weekends I like to leave the city and get some  37  air and a good rest. A few weeks ago I decided to go to see my  38 . I was really looking forward to it.
My parents live a long way  39 . I went to see them with James, a friend, and we drove on Friday night. In the middle of the  40  it began to rain. The road became very  41  and it was difficult to drive. We arrived home just after midnight, feeling very  42 . The next  43  it was still raining. James took his  44  to a garage which was very good.
In the afternoon the  45  improved, we wanted to go for a  46 . My parents lent us their car. That was no good. Their car didn’t  47 . We rang up the garage. “Oh,” They said, “Your car  48  be ready till tomorrow.” So it wasn’t  49  to go for a drive. We decided to play a word game. When we didn’t agree  50  a word we looked for a dictionary. It wasn’t there.  51  my mother remembered, “I lent it to your sister. She took it with her when she left.” The word game wasn’t any good  52  a dictionary.
On Sunday my mother dropped a heavy box on her  53  and we had to hire a  54  to take her to hospital. When James and I drove back we got stuck in a car accident. Next time I want a rest, I’ll stay  55 .

It was raining as I got off the train in Nashville, Tennessee. I was tired so I went straight to my hotel.
A big, heavy man was walking up and down in the hotel lobby. Something about the way he moved made me think of a hungry dog looking for a bone. He had a big, fat, red face and a sleepy expression in his eyes. He introduced himself as Wentworth Caswell – Major Wentworth Caswell – from “a fine southern family”. Caswell pulled me into the hotel’s barroom and yelled for a waiter. We ordered drinks. While we drank, he talked continually about himself, his family, his wife and her family. He said his wife was rich. He showed me a handful of silver coins that he pulled from his coat pocket.
By this time, I had decided that I wanted no more of him. I said good night.
I was born in the south myself. But I live in New York now. I write for a large magazine. My boss had asked me to go to Nashville. The magazine had received some stories and poems from a writer in Nashville, named Azalea Adair. The editor liked her work very much. The publisher asked me to get her to sign an agreement to write only for his magazine.
I left the hotel at nine o’clock the next morning to find Miss Adair. It was still raining. As soon as I stepped outside I met Uncle Caesar. He was a big, old black man with fuzzy gray hair. Uncle Caesar was wearing the strangest coat I had ever seen. It must have been a military officer’s coat. It was very long and when it was new it had been gray. But now rain, sun and age had made it a rainbow of colors. Only one of the buttons was left. It was yellow and as big as a fifty cent coin.
Uncle Caesar stood near a horse and carriage. He opened the carriage door and said softly, “Step right in, sir. I’ll take you anywhere in the city.”
“I want to go to 861 Jasmine Street,” I said, and I started to climb into the carriage. But the old man stopped me. “Why do you want to go there, sir?”
“What business is it of yours?” I said angrily. Uncle Caesar relaxed and smiled. “Nothing, sir. But it’s a lonely part of town. Just step in and I’ll take you there right away.”
861 Jasmine Street had been a fine house once, but now it was old and dying. I got out of the carriage.
“That will be two dollars, sir,” Uncle Caesar said. I gave him two one-dollar bills. As I handed them to him, I noticed that one had been torn in half and fixed with a piece of blue paper. Also, the upper right hand corner was missing.
【小题1】The narrator （故事的叙述者）got to Nashville probably _______.

A．was worn by a military officer	B．was a new gray coat
C．was an old yellow raincoat	D．had only one button left

I live in north Celebes which is near Philippines. Since early December 2010 most tropical regions have been frequently hit by rain. Just like my hometown, tropical regions only have two seasons, including the dry season that usually starts from April to September and the wet or rainy season which usually happens from October to March. But, it could be indeterminate. Sometimes the rainy season can come a month earlier or later. It can be prolonged even more than 4 months and so can the dry season. Even during the dry season, rain can occur several times in certain areas.
The prolonged dry season in tropical areas usually causes a lot of losses. It will be very harmful to local farmers, because most of the tropical areas sre regions of the developing countries. Sometimes agricultural and plantation crops will be damaged because of so much dry land and the fact that the river used to flow the water for rice fields are also dry. Rain is very important for plants because rain contains many nutrients that plants are in great need of.
What’s more, if the prolonged rainy season arrives and then floods usually occur in certain areas of low lands. Even for the capital city of Jakarta floods have struck several times during the prolonged rainy season. In addition to floods, the rainy season can cause many diseases. During the dry season, diseases are usually caused by mosquitoes such as dengue fever. While in the rainy season, people who have the weak immune will be more easily attacked by some diseases such as flu, fever, diarrhea, and much more.
If you live in the other places and want to travel to the tropical regions, make sure that you have known much about the season and the effect for these months in which you want to travel as tourists. Only in that way, can you at least prepare to deal with tropical weather.
【小题1】The underlined word “indeterminate” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by “ _____”

My life as a little person is filled with stories. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents．It has taken many years of   36  my confidence to be able to do that．
I didn’t   37  how short I was until I started school．As time went on，I just tried to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be   38  my whole life．I was determined to make my   39  an advantage rather than a disadvantage．My friends became increasingly   40   . They’d help me up the bus steps．If people were cruel，they would take them aside and   41  them．
  42  I lacked in height，I   43  in personality my ability to laugh，even at myself．For example，one time I was   44  the washing machine at my parents’ house to grab the wet clothes．I fell 45   in and yelled for Mother，who was sitting nearby reading the paper．Watching feet   46  everywhere，she laughed and said，“I should leave you in there.” I   47  her．
I’m 47 now，and the   48  have not reduced as I’ve grown older．People ask my friends if I live in a dollhouse．They look   49  when they see me get out of my car on the driver’s side．During those times，I try to keep a good   50   . When people are rude，I   51  myself，“Look what else I have --a great family，nice friends.”
And it’s the children’s questions that make my life   52  ．“Why are you so short? How old are you? Are you a mommy?” When I talk with children，they are left  53  that their questions have been answered．My hope is that in taking time with them，I will  54   them to accept their peers，whatever size and shape they come in，  55 treat them with respect．

I live in a rural area but sometimes we go to the city to go shopping. One day, my daughter and I   21 we needed a day of it. We   22  made the most of it. Like anyone that likes going shopping, we of course had a   23  day.
After we bought all that we needed, it was time to go. On the way to the exit doors, there was a lady   24  the pay phone who wasn’t able to speak English very well. She   25  getting help from people but kept getting   26  all the time. Seeing the   27  in her face, I stopped to see if I could help her. I didn’t really   28  much of what she was saying but I finally got the idea   29  she wanted a  30 . She gave me the coins and I called one of the taxi companies. I   31  that the lady didn’t talk much English but  32   a taxi. They replied they would   33  one out right now. I tried my best to tell that to the lady. Soon she   34  happily. Obviously, she was very   35  to me.
When my kids were   36 , I would do an act of kindness and after we were away from the   37 , I would explain what I did and   38 . I wasn’t trying to   39  but just trying to teach them about acts of   40 . They learned that it was OK to help others and have gone on to do the same.