I’m lying on my back in my grandfather’s orchard (果园)，looking up at the branches above me.It is one of the last days of summer.Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler.Some kinds of apples are already ripe (成熟的)．Others will be ready to pick soon.I think of my grandmother’s apple pie，and how I used to make it with her.She died last year，before the apple harvest，and I have not had her pie since.I really miss her.I hear bees busily humming about，visiting the late summer flowers.The gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.

The sky is as blue as my grandfather’s eyes.Above me，big white clouds race across the sky like pieces of cotton blowing in the wind.School starts in another week，and time seems to have slowed down.

“Sophie！” calls my grandfather.“Is that you？” I stand up，take his hand，and tell him all about my day as we walk through the orchard.We talk about apples，and bees，and Grandma.He tells me that he misses her too.

He puts his rough，brown farmer’s hand around my shoulder and pulls me close.“You know，Sophie，” he says，“I spent the morning in the attic (阁楼)，and you’ll never guess what I found.It’s the recipe (烹饪法) for Grandma’s apple pie.I used to help her make it sometimes.I can’t do it all alone，but you used to help her too.Maybe between the two of us，we can work it out.Want to try？”

“But it won’t be the same without Grandma，” I tell him.

“That’s true，” he says，“but nothing_is_the_same_without_Grandma.Still，I don’t think that she would want us never to have another apple pie.What do you say？” I nod yes，and we walk towards home...towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen，making Grandma’s famous apple pie.

1．We learn from the passage that Sophie________.

A．likes to watch clouds in the attic

B．comes to the orchard after school

C．enjoys Grandma’s apple pie very much

D．picks many apples in the orchard

2．Sophie’s grandfather spent the morning in the attic________.

A．looking for Grandma’s recipe for apple pie

B．helping Sophie’s grandmother make apple pie

C．trying to make apple pie all alone for Sophie

D．talking about apples，and bees，and Grandma with Sophie

3．Both Sophie and her grandfather used to________.

A．help Grandma make apple pies

B．spend summer afternoons in the orchard

C．enjoy fresh fruit in the farmhouse kitchen

D．walk alone among the apple trees

4．The underlined part in the last paragraph shows________.

A．how much Sophie’s grandmother loved Sophie

B．how much Sophie’s grandfather likes apple pies

C．how much Sophie loves her grandfather’s orchard

D．how much Sophie’s grandfather misses Grandma

5．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．My grandfather’s orchard 　　　　　　　　 B．My grandmother’s apple pie

C．A morning in the attic 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．The last days of summer

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried , the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
◆ One night I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as a head teacher. “ I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences(缺席).” Before he could say another word I choked up(哽咽). And said sadly, “ I love my son. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The head teacher seriously said, “ Thank you for your time.”
◆ Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. He was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I took part in a parent-teacher meeting.I noticed that his teachers were surprised at the way he had turened himself around. On our way home, he said, “ Mum, remember that call from the head teacher last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but I heard what you said, It really hit me how much I was hurting you.That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
阅读短文内容, 选择正确答案。（5分）
【小题1】Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “withdrawn”?

A．Quiet and lonely.	B．Relaxed and excited.
C．Active and lively.	D．Happy and easygoing.

【小题2】According to the first report card, Karl __________.

A．often went to school late	B．did well at school
C．did a good job at school	D．failed in the exams

【小题3】When the mother said “ it’s out of my hands” to the head teacher, she meant that she __________. 

A．didn’t know what to do about her son	B．would drive her son away from the house
C．had no money to support the family	D．would have to hang up

【小题4】Who telephoned Karl’s mother that day?

A．The head teacher.	B．The school adviser.
C．Karl himself.	D．The passage doesn’t tell us.

【小题5】From the passage we can learn that __________.

A．children in single-parent families always have mental problems

B．mother’s love is important to teenagers’life

C．parents should give their children everything that they need

D．school education still works well without the support from parents

My class will put on a short play in English at the end of the year. Yesterday our English teacher gave us copies of the play.
“Choose a character in the play whom you’d like to be, ”she told us. “This afternoon learn a few lines of this part for homework. Then tomorrow you can say those lines in front of the class. Ill decide who play each part.”
I wanted to have one of the bigger parts in the play, so I choose the part of the king. He has a lot of lines to say. I learned them by heart.
This morning in our English lesson we had to say our lines. I acted the part of the king. When I said my lines, I put a lot of expression into my acting. I thought I acted really well.
Everyone in the class read a part and then the teacher who would play each part.
Many of the students in my class couldn’t act at all. They couldn’t even read without making lots of mistakes. I was sure that I would get a big part in the play.
However, the teacher gave me the part of a soldier. He has only one line. It is, “Yes, sir!”
I was very disappointed. At the end of the lesson I went up to her and asked her why I had such a small part.
“You put too much expression in your acting,” she said. “Good acting is not big acting. It is acting the audience can believe in.”
I think I know what she means.
【小题1】 What did the boy want to do in the play?

A．To get a morning eating part
B．To organize the play
C．To get a large acting part.	D．To work the lights.

【小题2】How did the boy feel when the teacher told the class they would put on a play?

A．Bored.

B．Sad.

C．Excited.

D．Unhappy.

【小题3】Why didn’t the teacher give him the part of the kings?

A．He did not act correctly.	B．He did not know the lines.
C．He was not handsome.	D．He was too short.

【小题4】 What does the underlined word “expression” in the passage mean?

A．表情

B．建议

C．模仿

D．服饰

I do not need a calendar to tell me when it is winter. All I need is my nose. When I wake up in the morning and smell the tasty treats my mom is cooking downstairs, I know winter has arrived.
The first one is the smell of chocolate. During the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) my mother makes her special hot chocolate. She always adds a peppermint candy cane (薄荷味拐棍糖) to the drink and tops it with cream.
The hot chocolate gets me out of bed, but it is my mother’s chocolate fudge (软糕) that makes me run downstairs. It is a thick chunk (块) of chocolate that tastes like heaven. My mother adds nuts. That gives it more texture (质感).
But my mother isn’t done yet. She also makes a treat she calls “window panes (窗玻璃)”. She takes a few different colored marshmallows (棉花糖) and melts them together with chocolate. The final product looks like a colorful church window, so we call it “window panes”.
These tasty holiday treats are usually eaten after a meal as a dessert. But don’t tell Santa Claus because I secretly eat them all day long.
【小题1】What wakes “me” up in the morning?

A．The alarm clock.

B．My mom.

C．The noise upstairs.

D．The smell of food.

【小题2】 In the author’s eyes, the taste of the chocolate fudge is ____.

A．terrible

B．wonderful

C．awful

D．so so

【小题3】With nuts, the chocolate fudge tastes _____.

A．softer

B．sweeter

C．harder

D．hotter

【小题4】The “window panes” the author mentions refer to _____.

A．special hot chocolate drink	B．decorations on the window
C．chocolate cake with fruits on it	D．a mixture of marshmallows and chocolate

【小题5】Why does the author look forward to the winter?

A．There is plenty of time to play around.	B．The food his mom cooks is mouthwatering.
C．It’s great fun to play outdoors.	D．He can have a good rest during the winter.

I do not need a calendar to tell me when it is winter. All I need is my nose. When I wake up in the morning and smell the tasty treats my mom is cooking downstairs, I know winter has arrived.
The first one is the smell of chocolate. During the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) my mother makes her special hot chocolate. She always adds a peppermint candy cane (薄荷味拐棍糖) to the drink and tops it with cream.
The hot chocolate gets me out of bed, but it is my mother’s chocolate fudge (软糕) that makes me run downstairs. It is a thick chunk (块) of chocolate that tastes like heaven. My mother adds nuts. That gives it more texture (质感).
But my mother isn’t done yet. She also makes a treat she calls “window panes (窗玻璃)”. She takes a few different colored marshmallows (棉花糖) and melts them together with chocolate. The final product looks like a colorful church window, so we call it “window panes”.
These tasty holiday treats are usually eaten after a meal as a dessert. But don’t tell Santa Claus because I secretly eat them all day long.
【小题1】What wakes “me” up in the morning?

A．The alarm clock.

B．My mom.

C．The noise upstairs.

D．The smell of food.

【小题2】 In the author’s eyes, the taste of the chocolate fudge is ____.

A．terrible

B．wonderful

C．awful

D．so so

【小题3】With nuts, the chocolate fudge tastes _____.

A．softer

B．sweeter

C．harder

D．hotter

【小题4】The “window panes” the author mentions refer to _____.

A．special hot chocolate drink	B．decorations on the window
C．chocolate cake with fruits on it	D．a mixture of marshmallows and chocolate

【小题5】Why does the author look forward to the winter?

A．There is plenty of time to play around.	B．The food his mom cooks is mouthwatering.
C．It’s great fun to play outdoors.	D．He can have a good rest during the winter.