Hello! My name’s Alice. I’m a high school student. I’m very busy every week. From Monday to Friday I go to school. I do homework in the evening. I’m so tired that I want to have a good rest at weekend. But my mother often asks me to go shopping with her on Saturday morning. I never enjoy these visits. When my mother goes shopping and I sit on a box and wait for her. Last Saturday, there was more noise than usual and everyone was in a hurry. My mother bought lots of things, such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. After an hour and a half, a woman came up to me, “Excuse me,” she said. “Are you Alice? Your mother has finished shopping now, but her bags are very heavy. She wants you to carry them home for her.”
（ 　）56. Alice’s mother often ________ on Saturday morning.
　　　 A. stays at home　　 B. goes shopping　　　 C. visits her friends
（　 ）57. Alice ________ when her mother goes shopping.
　　　 A. waits for her mother in a car　　

B. sits on a chair and reads a book
　　　 C. sits on a box and waits for her mother
（ 　）58. Mother bought _______ last Saturday.
　　　 A. some food　　 　 B. something to drink　 　 C. some beautiful clothes
（ 　）59. Alice has waited for her mother ________.
　　　 A. for half an hour　 　 B. for hours　　 　　　 C. for an hour and a half
（　 ）60. Mother wanted Alice ________.
　　　 A. to put the food in the bags　

　　 B. to carry the bags home
　　　 C. to pay for these food

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　

I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s for Elizabeth.”

I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter

They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.

As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.

I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.

My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace—it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

Now the present of her desk told, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside--- a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.

Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk____________.

   A. after Mother died.

   B. before she became a writer.

   C. when she was a child

   D. when Mother gave it to her

2. The passage shows that _____________.

   A. mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter

   B. mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done

   C. mother cared much about her daughter in words

   D. mother wrote to her daughter in careful words

3.The word “gulf” in the passage means ____________.

   A. deep understanding between the old and the young

   B. different ideas between the mother and the daughter

   C. free talks between mother daughter

   D. part of the sea going far in land

4.What did mother do with her daughter’s letter?

   A. She had never received the letter.

   B. For years, she often talked about the letter.

   C. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life.

   D. She read the letter again and again till she died.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

   A. My Letter to Mother        B. Mother and Children

   C. My Mother’s Desk         D. Talks between Mother and Me

 

 

 

Several weeks ago, our headmaster, Mr. Gaudi, told us that our school had been chosen to compete on Smart Aleck—a game show which my best friend Carla and I both love. Carla has a good imagination, and I know a lot of history, so we thought we’d be good __35__ for the team.

A few days later, Mr. Gaudi held a meeting with everyone interested in the__36__ . He told us that Smart Aleck uses a five member team. He also said that three more people would be needed as backup（替补）. Unluckily four times that many students were at the meeting. So Mr. Gaudi said we would have a __37__ and the top eight scorers would become the team and the backup. Everybody agreed that this was a __38__ way to decide.

Yesterday, all of the hopefuls went to the dining hall after school. We would have to decide the starting line-up（阵容）.Mr. Gaudi acted as the host. After a couple of hours, all the __39__ on the team were set except one. Carla and I __40__ for that last position. We had to hold a one-on-one competition between the two of us. The winner would be on the team and the loser would be the backup.

Midway through our two-person competition, I was starting to pull ahead.__41__ I saw the look on Carla's face. I waited for a second and knew what I had to do. As much as I wanted to be on Smart Aleck, Carla wanted __42__ even more. So, starting with my next question, I held back and let Carla __43__, just by a little bit. Her expression as she __44__ she would be on the show made up for my not being on the team. And since I will go as backup, I'll still have the fun of seeing the show up close.

Was I __45__ by not trying as hard as I could? I don't think so. No one noticed, and Carla and I didn't __46__ it. It won't hurt the team because Carla will be a very good competitor on the real show. I think that making my best friend happy was the right thing to do.

1.A.choices                 B.pairs                C.leaders                     D.fans

2.A.course                  B.work                C.trip                           D.show

3.A.direction     B.discussion      C.competition            D.conversation

4.A.special                  B.hard                          C.fair                                     D.funny

5.A.places                   B.rules                C.names                      D.orders

6.A.tied                       B.clapped          C.cried                         D.returned

7.A.Still                        B.Never              C.Then                         D.Again

8.A.us                          B.it                                C.me                                      D.her

9.A.wait                       B.turn                          C.move                        D.win

10.A.accepted  B.realized          C.considered              D.decided

11.A.coming    B.refusing          C.helping                     D.cheating

12.A.mean                  B.plan                          C.regret                       D.say

 

Long ago, Bluebird’s feathers were the colour of dust. She did not like her ugly colour. She was attracted by the colour of the lake near her home. It was as blue as the sky after a storm. Bluebird wanted to be the colour of that beautiful lake very much. Flapping her wings one morning, Bluebird flew from her tree to the blue lake. Then she bathed in the water three times. After each bath, she sang, “Blue water. Still water. I went in. I am blue.” Bluebird repeated this every morning. On the third day, she came out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers.
Now Coyote was a trickster(骗子)—and hungry too. He stayed behind Bluebird’s tree for a long time every day and watched her go to the lake. He pretended(伪装) to be interested in everything she did. He wanted Bluebird for lunch, but he was afraid of the blue water. On the third morning, Coyote saw Bluebird come out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers. Impressed, he sat next to Bluebird’s tree and waited for her. When she returned, he asked, “How did you get blue feathers? I want to be blue like the mountains too.” Bluebird didn’t believe Coyote, but she taught him how to bathe three times each morning and how to sing her song. Coyote did what she said, and after three days of bathing in the lake, his white fur turned deep blue.
Convinced(确信的) that blue fur was even more beautiful than blue feathers, Coyote forgot all about being hungry. He ran as fast as he could to the top of the hill. Standing on his back legs, he raised his front legs off the ground and howled. But Coyote slipped(滑倒) and rolled down the hill. He couldn’t stop himself, and the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur. He rolled and rolled until he hit into Bluebird’s tree heavily. No matter how much he tried, foolish Coyote could not shake the dust from his fur. And so the fur of all coyotes had the dull colour of dust to this very day.
【小题1】How many times did Bluebird bathe every morning before she had beautiful blue feathers?

A．Three times.

B．Four times.

C．Five times.

D．Six times.

【小题2】Why was Coyote a trickster?

A．He wanted to fly like Bluebird near the mountains.

B．He wanted to eat Bluebird but pretended to be curious.

C．He wanted to swim in the lake but was afraid of the water.

D．He wanted to sing Bluebird’s song but didn’t know the words.

【小题3】Where did Coyote go after his fur turned blue?

A．To the lake.

B．To the tree.

C．To the cave.

D．To the hill.

【小题4】Why did Coyote forget all about being hungry?

A．Because his fur had the dull colour of dust.

B．Because the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur.

C．Because he thought blue fur was much more beautiful.

D．Because he hit into Bluebird’s tree and hurt himself.

【小题5】What words does the writer use to help you imagine the colour blue?

A．sky, lake, mountains

B．bird, coyote, storm

C．flapped, climbed, bathed

D．fur, feathers, dust