Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours(绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement(限制) and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when 1 had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was bent. He was reeled by h, mama days before our planned trip to Boise, I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'd get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshopper in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car window, at baby p.gs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons(见识).

We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet mc up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey-and the best part of yourself.

46. Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents' home?

A. It was less tiring.

B. It would be fester and safer.

C. Her kids would feel less confined.

D. She felt better with other drivers nearby.

47. The author stopped regularly on the country roads to ______.

A. relax in the fresh air

B. take a deep breath

C. take care of the lamb

D. let the kids play with Banner

48. What does the author discover from the trip according to Paragraph 6?

A. Freeways are where beauty hides.

B. Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life.

C. Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one's health.

D. One should follow side roads to watch wild animals.

49. Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?

A. To give herself some time to read.

B. To order some food for them

C. To play a game with them

D. To let them cool down.

50. What could be the best title for the passage?

A. Charm of the Detour

B. The Road to Bravery

C. Creativity out of Necessity

D. Road Trip and Country Life

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意， 然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

       In the United States there was an unusual story telling of the daughter of a mechanic（技工）．One day while walking along the bank of a lake, the girl   36   to see 20 eggs laid by a wild goose．After some time the girl __37____ the mother would not return to her eggs and she __38___ to take them home．There she carefully ___39___ the eggs in the heat of a lamp．Several days___40___ the eggs broke and the baby geese came into the ___41___ ．

       Geese are known to take the first living thing they see as their mother．___42___ , to these young geese, the girl was their mother．

       As they __43____, the girl was able to ___44____ her birds to run across the grass, but she could not teach them to ___45___ ．The girl became increasingly worried about this, both when___46___ and in her dreams．Later, she had an ___47___ : She would pilot a plane to guide them in ___48__ ．She asked her father for a plane and he assembled （组装） a small aircraft for her．

       Caring about___49___ safety, the father decided to pilot the plane himself．However, the birds did not ___50____ or follow him, and __51____ slept in the grass．

       One day, the girl ___52___ into the plane, started it and soon left the ___53___ ．Seeing their mother take to the air, the birds ___54___ flapped（拍打） their wings and ____55__ ．She flew the plane freely in the sky, her young birds following．

A．managed       B．attempted          C．happened      D．supposed

A．realized      B．expected           C．imagined      D．admitted

A．helped       B．decided             C．afforded       D．meant

A．placed        B．protected          C．treated          D．examined

A．ago        B．out                C．later          D．long

A．family       B．lake               C．home         D．world

A．But         B．Also              C．Thus          D．Still

A．increased       B．improved          C．rose           D．grew

A．ask        B．lead                C．want          D．allow

A．fly           B．race               C．swim         D．sing

A．asleep       B．away             C．around          D．awake

A．idea         B．opinion             C．explanation      D．excuse

A．sky          B．space             C．flight           D．plane

A．his           B．her                C．their          D．its

A．respect     B．remember         C．recognize      D．receive

A．so         B．instead              C．hardly          D．too

A．climbed       B．looked              C．reached         D．fell

A．house       B．floor             C．water           D．ground

A．secretly       B．disappointedly        C．patiently       D．eagerly

looked away      B．set out              C．went by        D．turned back

Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.

The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.

The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divide the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”

After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.

1.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because      .

A. he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one

B. his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother

C. elder brother should of course have the bigger one

D. he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer

2.We can conclude from the passage that      .

A. it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work

B. it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough

C. it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves

D. it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple

3.The writer tells the story by      .

A. organizing it in the order of time

B. making a comparison between two men

C. providing some scientific information

D. describing it in the order of space

4. It is implied in the passage that      .

A. we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot

B. in order to get what we want, we should play hard

C. giving children apples will lead them to become criminals

D. a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing

 

 The children helped to carry their mother’s       from the shops.

   A. purchases    B. matters    C. commodity    D. goods

 

任务型读写（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

The USA is the first country where Mother’s Day appeared.

On May 9th, 1906,an American Anne Jevis’s mother died. Ann was in deep sorrow. In order to memorize her mother, she put forward a proposal to fix a day as Mother’s Day. On May 7th ,1914,the Congress of the USA passed a law ,making the second Sunday of May “Mother’s Day”.

Today millions of Americans observe Mother’s Day in some ways. They buy more than 150,000,000Mother’s Day greeting cards. Companies produce more than 1,000 different kinds. Most of the cards show pictures of flowers, hearts or other things that people feel are linked to being a mother. They have messages that express a person’s love for his or her mother. Some are humorous. And some have no words. People can express their own feelings for their mother. Many people give flowers for Mother’s Day. It is one of the busiest days of the year for the flower industry. Many people have written songs about mothers and Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is a time for young children to do special things for their mother. Some would make a special gift or draw a special picture. One family activity on Mother’s Day is to have the children cook the early morning meal .Then they serve the food to their mother while she is still in bed. Or they might clean the house so she does not have to do it. Fathers might take care of the children that day so the mothers can rest, or take a walk, or read a book. Many mothers feel that this free time on their special day is a very good Mother’s Day gift.

Some families will get together for a meal at a local eating place. This means that mothers do not have to cook on their special day. Coming out to dinner has become a tradition on Mother’s Day. As a result, restaurants are extremely crowded that day. It has become one of the busiest days of the year for the restaurant industry in the United States.

Now Mother’s Day has been an international festival and more than 40 countries have accepted this festival.

                       Title:76      Day

Date	The 77        Sunday of May
78.	Anne’s 79.           at her mother’s death
82.             to celebrate	Cards are sent with flowers or hearts to express80.
	81.          written for mothers
	Special things done by children	Make special gifts
		Draw special pictures
		Cook and serve the early morning meal
		Clean the house
	Special things done by fathers	Look after children
	Get together for a meal at a local eating place, which makes restaurants very83.
84.	An international festival celebrated in over 85.        countries