My name is Jack. My best friend John lives in my neighborhood. We often play together after school. My grandparents live near my house, too. So it's  1   for us to get together on some important festivals.

     In my neighborhood, there is a small playground. John and I often go there to  2  . John 3   it and he is on the school football team. Sometimes a few friends come to  4   us. Sometimes, just we two practice passing the ball. There is a  5  called '' Good Neighbor" in my neighborhood. It sells all kinds of foods, drinks, school things and the things that we need in our everyday life. The things in the supermarket are  6   .So people living here like to  7  there. Sometimes I go with my mother. Sometimes I ask  8  to buy my favorite food for me.

     I usually  9  with the housework at home. I wash the dishes after meals and clean the rooms. I always wash my own clothes. All my  10  say that I am a good boy at home.

What about your neighbors and neighborhood? Can you tell me?

1．A．hard                 B．easy           C．surprising            D．wrong

2．A．go skating            B．play hockey    C．go shopping        D．play football

3．A．is good at             B．hates          C．is away from        D．loses

4．A．meet                B．watch         C．join               D．help

5．A．restaurant             B．coffee shop    C．supermarket         D．bookstore

      6．A．expensive             B．cheap         C．old                 D．dirty

7．A．shop                B．stay         C．travel             D．exercise

8．A．you                 B．them           C．him               D．her

9．A． help                B．play            C．learn              D．walk

10．A．teachers            B．neighbors      C．students            D．pen-pals

When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the disadvantages of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker. I said in a voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.” And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me the cheek. It’s already two weeks late.”
And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather anxious .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” Then she talked more loudly. “What does he want? I’ll come to New York and say it in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuses. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is clear and direct. It was the language that helped me form the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
【小题1】Why was the author’s mother poorly treated?

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?