A few months ago, I had the responsibility of delivering some donations (捐赠物) to the local City Mission, a place where the homeless, and often the injured can find shelter from a life that has been turned upside down for them.

It was late autumn, and already the promise of winter was whispering through the open windows of the Mission's storage area.

After setting the donations near the sorting table, I said goodbye to the worker, and headed back through the dining area towards the door.

I was careful not to notice the people sitting at the tables, choosing to leave before feeling the guilt (罪过) of my " having", in the midst of so many who have nothing.

But it was not to be.

"Not yet," I heard a woman's voice say. "Not till we pray (祈祷)."

I was behind them when the mother bowed her head and began one of the most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard, and I stopped where I was to look over at the table.  A young mother was there with her two young boys, one about three years old on her left, the other, about five, on her right. Both were waiting, heads bowed, eyes closed.

My heart broke as I watched and listened. She was in a leg cast (腿上打着石膏), and scars (伤疤) covered her arms, her face and head.

One of the younger ladies working at the Mission had come to stand beside me, and she whispered, "She's a single mom; her husband just took off one day and didn't come back. She came here when their apartment caught fire. She was burned getting her kids out."

She started to say something else but stopped.

We were silent ... and the words this young mother said in our silence will always follow me, "... and thanks for the fruit on the ground, when I just can't reach the tree."

54. By saying "Not yet", the woman probably wanted to______.

A. thank the author for sending the food   B. ask her children to pray before eating

C. blame those who have too much       D. pray for the happiness of her children

55. Why did the woman come to the City Mission?

A. Because her husband left her and her children.

B. Because she suffered from a serious disease.

C. Because her house caught fire suddenly.

D. Because she was out of work.

56. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the woman was ______.

A. happy to find the fallen fruit on the ground

B. regretful for not climbing the tree for the fruit

C. satisfied to pick up the fruit for her children

D. grateful very much for the help she received

A few months ago, I had the responsibility of delivering some donations (捐赠物) to the local City Mission, a place where the homeless, and often the injured can find shelter from a life that has been turned upside down for them.
It was late autumn, and already the promise of winter was whispering through the open windows of the Mission's storage area.
After setting the donations near the sorting table, I said goodbye to the worker, and headed back through the dining area towards the door.
I was careful not to notice the people sitting at the tables, choosing to leave before feeling the guilt (罪过) of my " having", in the midst of so many who have nothing.
But it was not to be.
"Not yet," I heard a woman's voice say. "Not till we pray (祈祷)."
I was behind them when the mother bowed her head and began one of the most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard, and I stopped where I was to look over at the table.  A young mother was there with her two young boys, one about three years old on her left, the other, about five, on her right. Both were waiting, heads bowed, eyes closed.
My heart broke as I watched and listened. She was in a leg cast (腿上打着石膏), and scars (伤疤) covered her arms, her face and head.
One of the younger ladies working at the Mission had come to stand beside me, and she whispered, "She's a single mom; her husband just took off one day and didn't come back. She came here when their apartment caught fire. She was burned getting her kids out."
She started to say something else but stopped.
We were silent ... and the words this young mother said in our silence will always follow me, "... and thanks for the fruit on the ground, when I just can't reach the tree."

1. 1.

   By saying "Not yet", the woman probably wanted to______.

   1. A.
      thank the author for sending the food  
   2. B.
      ask her children to pray before eating
   3. C.
      blame those who have too much      
   4. D.
      pray for the happiness of her children
2. 2.

   Why did the woman come to the City Mission?

   1. A.
      Because her husband left her and her children.
   2. B.
      Because she suffered from a serious disease.
   3. C.
      Because her house caught fire suddenly.
   4. D.
      Because she was out of work.
3. 3.

   From the last paragraph, we can infer that the woman was ______.

   1. A.
      happy to find the fallen fruit on the ground
   2. B.
      regretful for not climbing the tree for the fruit
   3. C.
      satisfied to pick up the fruit for her children
   4. D.
      grateful very much for the help she received

Staying so many days in the desert without enough water,he                     at last.

A.broke in

B.broke off

C.broke out

D.broke down

I was a freshman in college when I met the Whites. They were completely different from my own family, yet I felt at home with them immediately. Jane White and I became friends at school, and her family welcomed me like a long-lost cousin.

In my family, it was always important to place blame when anything had happened.

“Who did this?” my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen.

“This is your entire fault, Katherine,” my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher broke.

From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told to each other. We set a place for blame at the dinner table.

But the Whites didn’t worry about who had done what. They picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died.

In July, the Whites sisters and I decided to take a car trip from their home in Florida to New York. The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently turned sixteen. Proud of having a new drivers license, Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip. She showed off her license to everyone she met.

The big sisters shared the driving of Sarah’s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached less crowded areas, they let Amy take over. Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat. After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel. She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping. The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car.

Jane was killed immediately.

I was slightly injured. The most difficult thing that I had ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died. Painful as it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child.

When Mr. and Mrs. White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room. Sarah had a few cuts on the head; Amy’s leg was broken. They hugged us all and cried tears of sadness and of joy at seeing their daughters. They wiped away the girl’s tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches(拐杖).

To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, “We are so glad that you are alive.”

I was astonished. No blame. No accusations.

Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign.

Mrs. White said, “Jane is gone, and we miss her terribly. Nothing we say or do will bring her back. But Amy has her whole life ahead of her. How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death?”

They were right. Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago. She works as a teacher of learning-disabled students. She’s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane.

How did the author’s parents differ from the Whites?

   A. The author’s parents were less caring.    B. The author’s parents were less loving.

   C. The author’s parents were less friendly   D. The author’s parents were less understanding

How did the accident happen?

   A. Amy didn’t stop at a crossroad and a truck hit their car.

   B. Amy didn’t know what to do when she saw the stop sign.

   C. Amy didn’t slow down so their car ran into a truck.

   D. Amy didn’t get off the highway at a crossroad.

The accident took place in _____.

   A. Florida     B. California       C. South Carolina       D. New York

The Whites did not blame Amy for Jane’s death because _____.

   A. they didn’t want Amy to feel ashamed and sorry for the rest of her life

   B. Amy was badly injured herself and they didn’t want to add to her pain

   C. They didn’t want to blame their children in front of others

   D. Amy was their youngest daughter and they loved her best

From the passage we can learn that _____.

   A. Amy has never recovered from the shock   B. Amy changed her job after the accident

   C. Amy lost her memory after the accident    D. Amy has lived quite a normal life

The French Revolution broke out in 1789. At the time France was in a crisis. The government was badly run and people's lives were miserable. King Louis XIV tried to control the national parliament and raise more taxes. But his effort failed. He ordered his troops to Versailles. The people thought that Louis intended to put down the Revolution by force. On July 14, 1789, they stormed and took the Bastille, where political prisoners were kept. Ever since that day, July 14 has been the French National Day. Louis tried to flee the country in 1792, to get support from Austria and Prussia. However, he was caught and put in prison. In September 1792, the monarchy(君主制) was abolished_. In the same year, Louis was executed. A few months later his wife, Marie also had her head cut off. The Revolution of France had frightened the other kings of Europe. Armies from Austria and Prussia began to march against France. The French raised republican armies to defend the nation. The Revolution went through a period of terror. Thousands of people lost their lives. In the end, power passed to Napoleon Bonaparte.
【小题1】What's this passage about?