I was in my third year of teaching writing at Ralph High School in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before:

    "Dear Mr. McCort, Mikey's grandmother, who is eighty years of age, fell down the stairs from too much coffee and I kept Mikey at home to take care of her and his baby sister so I could go to my job. Please excuse Mikey and he'll do his best in the future. P.S. His grandmother is OK."

    I had seen Mikey writing the note at his desk. l said nothing. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. The writers of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually boring: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off."

    The students always said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject, but when they produced excuse notes, they were excellent. So I decided to give the first class to study the art of the excuse note.

    “Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam to God' or 'An Excuse Note from Eve to God'. "Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. They had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.[来源:学|科|网Z

    The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. But suddenly I saw the headmaster at the door. He entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said. "I'd like you to see me in my office." My heart sank,

    When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that lesson, that task, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you."

1.What did the writer do when he found the students dishonest?

A. He reported them to the headmaster.

B. He lectured them hard on honesty.

C. He had them take notes-n class.

D. He helped improve their writing skills.

2.We can learn that when Mikey was absent from the class, he was____.

A. somewhere enjoying himself

B. taking care of his baby sister

C. looking after his grandmother

D. studying the art of the excuse note

3.How did the writer usually find out his students' parental excuse notes were dishonest?

A. They were written in boring words.

B. He called their parents and found out the truth.

C. They were more like stories than facts.

D. The handwriting clearly looked like children's.

4.Which of the following is true?

A. The writer has many years of teaching experience.

B. The students are good at writing excuse notes.

C. The headmaster was angry with the writer.

D. Most of the excuse notes were written by the parents.

5.Which of the following best describes the writer as a teacher?

A. Honest.               B. Strict.                   C. Hardworking.    D. Wise.

Ⅰ．听力情景反应：根据听到的内容选择正确答案。

1．

[　　]

A．Yes. They'll write to me soon.

B．Yes, but I haven't read it.

C．Yes. They'll come here next month.

2．

[　　]

A．The same to you.

B．Thank you very much.

C．That's all right.

3．

[　　]

A．Quiet.　　B．Quickly.　　C．Slowly

4．

[　　]

A．Three years ago.

B．For about three years.

C．Just now.

5．

[　　]

A．Yes, I like meat.

B．Too much meat is not good.

C．No, I'm full. Thanks.

Ⅱ．听力对话理解 根据听到的对话内容回答问题。

6．Who is the woman going to meet?

[　　]

A．Her close friends.

B．Her classmates.

C．Her teachers.

7．Which statement is true from the dialogue?

[　　]

A．The man hasn't done the exercises.

B．The man is too lazy.

C．The man is tired of doing the exercises.

8．Who does best in English?

[　　]

A．The man.　　B．The woman.　　C．Jim.

9．Where was the man probably born?

[　　]

A．In the north of China.

B．In Shanghai.

C．In a town near Guangzhou.

10．What does the woman want to know?

[　　]

A．The colour of his bike.

B．The colour of his motorcycle.

C．His black motorcycle.

Ⅲ．听力篇章理解：根据听到的对话或短文回答问题。

听第11段材料，回答11～13小题。

11．What do you think the speakers are?

[　　]

A．A husband-and-wife looking for work.

B．Travellers visiting the city.

C．Businessmen on business.

12．When do the shops usually close?

[　　]

A．At 4:30 pm.　　B．At 5:00 pm.　　C．At 5:30 pm.

13．What do they want to eat?

[　　]

A．Chinese food.

B．French food.

C．We have no idea about it.

听第12段材料，回答第14～16小题。

14．According to the conversation, what kind of weather is usual for march?

[　　]

A．Cool.　　B．Very hot.　　C．Dry.

15．Where has the man lived for ten years?

[　　]

A．In Florida.

B．In New York.

C．In California.

16．Where was the man born?

[　　]

A．In Florida.

B．In New York.

C．In California.

听第13段材料，回答第17～20小题。

17．Why did he call the head waiter when he finished the meal?

[　　]

A．To praise him.

B．To pay for the meal.

C．To tell him he had no money.

18．Why did he tell the waiter what happened a year ago?

[　　]

A．To tell the waiter he couldn't pay for it again.

B．To let the waiter to answer for it.

C．To tell the waiter he could afford the meal now.

19．What's the meaning for“in full view”?

[　　]

A．With the help of.

B．In the face of.

C．To make fun of.

20．What do you think was the result of the story?

[　　]

A．The waiter apologized for what he had done.

B．The man was once again driven out of the hotel.

C．The man paid for the meal.

Reading comprehension. 阅读理解.

Dear sister:

　　I've been happy here in New York. But when holidays are coming near, I really feel “There's no place like home,” just like the English proverb says, “East, west, home is the best.

　　You must be doing well in English class. The letter you sent to me was written in good English.

　　Well, I want to bring my friend Diana to our home. I dare not tell Mama directly. If Dad and Mum say that will be all right, please write to me as soon as possible.

　　Diana is a poor girl whose parents died last month in a terrible accident. She has to spend the holidays alone. She wants to see China and try everything that we Chinese do. She has learned Chinese for two years and can speak a little. She has great curiosity about our family life and will ask you many questions about it. Isn't it a good chance to understand each other? I'm sure you'll learn many things from her.

　　Please give my love to our father and mother!

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Your sister,

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    Mei

Choose the best answer. 选择最恰当的答案, 用A, B, C或D表示, 填入括号内.

(1) Where is Mei's family?

[　　]

A．In New York.

B．In China.

C．In England.

D．In Beijing.

(2) Why does Mei write this letter to her sister?

[　　]

A．To tell her sister that she will come back for holiday.

B．To tell her family that she will not come back this holiday.

C．She wants to bring Diana home. She wants her sister to ask her parents whether they agree.

D．To tell her family that she will bring Diana home.

(3) What happened to Diana?

[　　]

A．Her parents died last month.

B．Her mother died last month.

C．She lost her grandmother last month.

D．She lost her father.

(4) Does Diana want to see China?

[　　]

A．No, she doesn't.

B．Yes, she does.

C．Yes, she is.

D．No, she isn't.

(5) How does the writer feel when she writes the letter?

[　　]

A．She misses her family.

B．She doesn't want to go back.

C．She wants to stay in New York.

D．She misses her family a little.