Once when I was six years old I saw an amazing picture in a book called True Stories from Nature about the primeval（原始的）forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor(大蟒蛇) in the act of swallowing an animal. In the book it said：“Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole without chewing（嚼）it. After that they are not able to move and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion（消化）.”
I thought deeply then over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. I showed my work to the grown-ups and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. But they answered：“Frighten? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat？”
My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing. I drew the inside of the boa constrictor so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. That's my Drawing Number Two.
The grown-ups' response this time was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of ba constrictors whether from the inside or the outside and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar. That is why at the age of six I gave up what might have been a great painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
So then I chose another profession（职业） and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
In the course of this life I have had lots of chances to meet with a great many people. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them. Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried showing him my Drawing Number One which I have always kept. I would try to find out if this was a person of true understanding. But whoever it was, he or she would always say: That is a hat. Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors or primeval forests or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge and golf and politics and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such an intelligent man.
【小题1】The writer drew his first picture in order to ________.

Mark Twain，an American writer, published more than 30 books, hundreds of
short stories and essays and gave lectures around the world throughout his career. 
Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. Thou
gh he had little school education, he became the most famous writer of his time
. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Cl
emens, but he is better known all over the world as MarkTwain, his penname. 
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not
expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care,
he managed to survive. As a boy, he causedmuch trouble for his parents. He use
d to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to sc
hool, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of
the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times. After his father's d
eath in 1847, Mark twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him wit
h food and clothing. Then, he worked as  a river-boat pilot (领航
员)and later joinedthe army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During t
his period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time
writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books
including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him fam
ous, and brought him a great fortune. Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts
in bad investments（投资） and he had to write
large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died and then on
e of their childrenpassed away.At the age of 70, his hair was completely white.
He bought many white suits and neckties. Hewore nothing but white from head to
foot until his death on April 21, 1910.
【小题1】 When Mark Twain was a little baby,          .

What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males send them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere –--  on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature destroying the world and himself with it
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion (消化) of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker(鞭炮), but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature – he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
【小题1】The whole passage is in a tone (语气) of _________.

What Is a Boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night．

Boys are found everywhere—on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket．

When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.

A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.

He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines． He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.

Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.

A boy is a magical creature—he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”

1.The whole passage is in a tone of _________．

A．ambition and expectation                 B．respect and harmony

C．humor and affection                     D．confidence and imagination

2.By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means        .

A．he has altogether five fingers              B．he is slow, foolish and clumsy

C．he becomes clever and smart              D．he cuts his hand with a knife

3.According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________．

A．ice cream                             B．comic books

C．Saturday mornings                      D．Sunday schools

4.What does the writer feel about boys?

A．He feels curious about their noise．

B．He is fed up with these creatures．

C．He is amazed by their naughtiness．

D．He feels unsafe staying with them．

第二部分：阅读理解（第一节 20小题，第二节5小题；每题2分，满分50分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night．
Boys are found everywhere－on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to． Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them． A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket．
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble – maker and a noise． When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it．
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand．
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines． He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime．
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper． Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes． Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things．
A boy is a magical creature – he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
41．The whole passage is in a tone of _________．
A．humor and affection                 B．respect and harmony
C．ambition and expectation             D．confidence and imagination
42．By saying “he has five thumbs on each hand.”, the author means        .
A．he has altogether five fingers               B．he is slow, foolish and clumsy
C．he becomes clever and smart          D．he cuts his hand with a knife
43．According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________．
A．ice cream   B．comic books       C．Saturday mornings   D．Sunday schools
44．What does the writer feel about boys?
A．He feels curious about their noise．             B．He is fed up with these creatures．
C．He is amazed by their naughtiness．      D．He feels unsafe staying with them．