I found the imagination of becoming a grandmother somewhat discouraging. I was younger than I thought a grandmother should be when I got the news that I was going to become one myself. I admit, it was not a role that I was emotionally ready to accept. I had been a young mother, and had certainly hoped my daughter would not face that same challenge. I remarried when she was a teenager, and then had two more children. On getting the news that she was expecting, I remember thinking “What do I know about being a grandmother? —I haven’t even finished raising my own kids yet!” I don^’t like to be unprepared, so I read a few books about grandparenting. That gave me a little help, but I was still uncertain. I thought about other grandmothers I knew, and got a few ideas I liked and a few more that I didn't. But I couldn't quite figure out what kind of grandmother I wanted to be. Then I thought about my own grandmother, Granny, as she’s known by most people, and I knew I had the answer.

I didn’t realize it until that moment, but my own grandmother was the example for the kind of grandmother I wanted to be. I am fortunate that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents when I was a little kid. Here's what I learned from my Granny：

Grandmothers always have a cookie jar. For my entire life, Granny always had a cookie jar full of cookies. When I was a little tiny girl, just at eye level with the counter, Granny would get the cookie jar down for me. When I was a little older I learned how to pull the chair over so I could reach. As I got taller, if I really stretched, I could reach the cookie jar with my finger tips and move it close enough to get it down off the counter to find out what kind of treat was inside. Always the first thing I did when I went to Granny 's house was check the cookie jar and there were always cookies in it. Many years later, I’ll drive my own children to Granny’s house and the first thing Pd do is get us all a cookie.

So grandmothers must have a cookie jar and on my granddaughte’ s first Christmas, my daughter bought me my own cookie jar. She said when they came to see me, her daughter would find the treat the way she did and I did.

1. The writer thought it was a little discouraging to be a grandmother because________.

A. she was not old enough to be one

B. she was not emotionally ready to be one

C. she thought her daughter was too young to be a mother

D. grandmother should be older than she was

2. The underlined phrase “that same challenge ” in the first paragraph refers to” ________”

A. taking care of a grandchild     B. taking care of a baby

C. being a young grandmother       D. being a young mother

3. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that________.

A. the writer has many happy memories of her grandmother’s cookie jar

B. the writer always wanted to know what was inside her grandmother’s cookie jar

C. the writer often drove her grandchildren to see her grandmother’s cookie jar

D. women of the writer ‘s age all have a cookie jar for their grandchildren

4. What kind of grandmother did the writer want to be?

A. One who has a jar filled with many kinds of cookies for children and herself.

B. One who grows up with her grandmother's cookie jar with all kinds of cookies.

C. One who is like her own grandmother with a cookie jar to treat her grandchildren.

D. One who always makes different kinds of cookies to treat her grandchildren.

5. Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

A. Grandmother’s Cookie Jar                 B.Grandmother’s Treat for Children

C. Grandmothers and Grandchildren          D. Happy Memories of Cookies

 

 

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt(收据)? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

         This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion(蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

         I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it.  As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it.  The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture.  The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.

   Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling (卷曲的)black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.

1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was         .

A. doing shopping        B. having a debate

C. leaving for Wyoming     D. reading a message

2.The author's inspiration for the gift came from           .

A. a photo of a flower     B. a story about a kid

C. a call from the mother   D. a text about Christmas

3.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _           .

A. the father          B. the author

C. Edgar Allan Poe        D.  William Blake

4.The author made the gift by        .

A. searching for the poems online

B. drawing the background by hand

C. painting the letters in three colors

D. matching the words with pictures

5.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To show how to design images for gifts

B. To suggest making gifts from one's heart.

C. To explain how computers help create gifts

D. To describe the gifts the author has received.

 

Suddenly all the lights on that crowded underground train went out. Then it stopped in that dark tunnel(隧道).

We waited. We expected the lights to come on again soon. But nothing happened. Then I began to smell something. Yes, I could smell smoke. So I asked myself, “Is this train on fire?” People around me then began to cry out in fear. “The train is on fire!” they cried.

Then the woman standing next to me suddenly fell on the floor. I realized she was overcome by the smoke. Then I saw flames appearing. “If something does not happen soon,” I said to myself, “I will be burnt alive!”

But as I stood there in the dark in that crowded burning train, I could see no way to escape. I thought, “No one can save me from certain death but God. Only God can make a way for any of us to escape death in this train.”

Before the flames reached me, I found the open door and I climbed out of the train into the dark tunnel. Then as quickly as I could, I ran from the burning train down the tunnel. Now as I ran I could hear hundreds of people that were locked in that burning train, crying out for help. I knew I could do nothing to help them, so I ran on.

Then for two hours I kept walking in that dark train tunnel. At last I saw a light in the distance. I asked myself “Why did God enable me to escape death?” I decided, “God must have a purpose for saving my life. He must want me to help other people experience what He could do for them.”

1. What caused the woman next to me to fall?

A. The fire.        

B. Fear.        

C. The smoke.       

D. Anxiety.

2. The passengers failed to escape because ________.

   A. they didn’t find the way out

   B. they were too frightened to move

   C. the fire and smoke were too much

   D. too many people were in their way

3. What would the author most possibly do after he saw the exit from the tunnel?

   A. Going home.                      

B. Blaming himself.

   C. Calling reporters.                   

D. Returning to help.

4.Between which two paragraphs can the following paragraph be put?

I cried, “God, if it is not my time to die, please help me!” Then I heard a noise. It was like a door opening. It was on my right hand side. So in the dark, I at once began to push my way forward to where that noise came from.

   A. Between Paragraph 2 and 3.           

B. Between Paragraph 3 and 4.

   C. Between Paragraph 4 and 5.           

D. Between Paragraph 5 and 6.

 

 

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a.m. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark exvept for a single light in a ground floor window.

I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated. ”

“Oh, you’re such a good man.”  She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “ Could you drive through downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

“ Oh, I’m in no hurry.” She said, “I’m on my way to a hospice (临终医院)。 I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器)

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

At down, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

“How much do I owe you?” She asked.

“Nothing.” I said.

“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment joy.”

The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to           .

   A. Show she was familiar with the city

   B. reach the destination on time

   C. let the driver earn more money

   D. see some places for the last time.

The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he             

   A. wanted to do her a favor

   B. shut off the meter by mistake

   C. had received her payment in advance

   D. was in a hurry to take other passenhers

What can we learn from the story?

   A. Giving is always a pleasure

   B. People should respect each other

   C. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

   D. People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lonely dandelion（蒲公英） standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.

Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.

1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was____________.

A. doing shopping                                     B. having a debate

C. reading a message                                 D. leaving for Wyoming

2.The author's inspiration for the gift came from____________.

A. a photo of a flower                               B. a story about a kid

C. a call from the mother                           D. a text about Christmas

3.The author made the gift by_____.

A. searching for the poems online               B. drawing the background by hand

C. painting the letters in three colors           D. matching the words with pictures

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To show how to design images for gifts.

B. To suggest making gifts from one's heart.

    C. To explain how computers help create gifts.

D. To describe the gifts the author has received