Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree.

“Dad, can we watch when you trim(修剪) the tree?” My eldest son, Dan, nine, and his seven-year-old brother John, asked.

“I won’t be cutting this year,” my husband Bob said. “Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it?”

Dan and John seemed to grow six inches in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. “We can handle it,” Dan promised. “We won’t let you down.”

A few days before Christmas, Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they’d need and brought them out to the yard, where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the living room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence. I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears.

I felt worried. The tree was central to our holiday. I didn’t want the boys to feel ashamed every time they looked at it. I couldn’t lower the ceiling, and I couldn’t raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution.

“We can’t make the tree taller,” I said. “But we can put it on a higher position.”

Dan nodded his head sideways. “We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let’s try it!”

When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath.

“What a good idea!” he declared. “Why didn’t I ever think of such a thing?”

John broke into a grin. Dan’s chest swelled with pride.

1.The underlined part “grow six inches” (Para. 4) implies the brothers felt         .

A. proud   B. nervous         C. embarrassed          D. Scared

2.What happened after the brothers moved the Christmas tree into the living room?

A. They rushed to school.

B. They began to decorate the tree.

C. They got angry with each other.    

D. They found the tree was cut short.

3.How could the short tree be turned into a perfect one?

A. By making the tree taller.

B. By lowering the ceiling.

C. By placing it on a coffee table.

D. By raising the floor.

4.What Bob said in the last but one paragraph showed         .

A. he was a little disappointed

B. he was too stupid to think of the idea

C. he appreciated what the brothers had done

D. he should not have given them the task

 

 

A little stream flowed down from a high mountain far, far away through many villages and forests, until it reached a desert. The stream then thought, “I’ve been through countless obstacles. I should have no problem crossing this desert!” But when she decided to start her journey, she found herself gradually disappearing into the mud and sand. After numerous tries, she found it was all in vain and was very upset. “Maybe it’s my destiny(命运) ! I’m not destined to reach the vast ocean in the legend, ” she murmured sadly to herself.

At this time, a deep voice came, saying, “If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river.”

It was the voice of the desert. Unconvinced, the little stream replied, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I can’t.”

“That’s because you stick to what you are. If you’re willing to give it up, and let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach your destination,” said the desert in its deep voice.

The little stream had never heard of such a thing. “Give up what I am now and disappear into the breeze? No! No!” She could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before. Wouldn’t it be self-destruction to give up what she was now?

“How do I know if this is true?” asked the little stream.

“The breeze can carry the vapor across the desert and release it as rain at an appropriate site. The rain will form a river again to continue its course,” answered the desert very patiently.

“Will I still be what I am now?” asked the little stream.

“Yes, and no. Whether you’re a river or invisible vapor, your inner nature never changes. You stick to the fact that you’re a river because you don’t know your inner nature,” answered the desert.

Deep down, the stream vaguely remembered that before she became a river, it was perhaps also the breeze that carried her halfway up a high mountain, where she turned into rain and fell onto the ground and became what she was now. Finally the little stream gathered her courage and rushed into the open arms of the breeze, which carried her to the next stage of her life.

Perhaps you can try asking yourself these questions: What is my inner nature? What is it that I cling (紧抓) to? And what is it that I really want?

1.When reaching the desert at first, the little stream was ________ to cross it.

A.upset  B.confident    C.pessimistic  D.hesitant

2.The desert suggests that the stream ________ in order to cross the desert.

A.change its form            B.disappear into the desert

C.stick to what it is D.turn to another stream for help

3.Finally the stream successfully crossed the desert with the help of ________.

A.the rain       B.the desert   C.the breeze  D.the mountain

4.In the text the writer compares the stream to ________.

A.the Truth     B.the courage   C.the course of life      D.the obstacles in life

 

I am always eager to do experiments, especially chemistry ones. It's   _26_  to work with test tubes and beakers(烧杯) , even though sometimes my efforts end in__27___. Experiments were fun for me  __28  a recent accident.

The   29  happened when I was heating a big test tube with an alcohol burner(酒精灯) , chatting to my partner while waiting for__30____ changes. All of a sudden, the tube cracked. Even though I jumped from my seat when I heard the crack, the hair on my forehead was __31____ as I was leaning too close to the test tube.

  __32___ I had no time to be sad about my hair: the liquid in the test tube poured onto the table and caught fire. I'd never  33 _ anything so bad! My___34___went blank (空白)for a moment. Then I quickly covered the fire with a damp cloth to__35____.

The teacher told me that the test tube broke in half at the bottom because we didn't dry it properly before __36___ it.

We calmed down and did the experiment, again. But our hearts were still __37____ rapidly even after we walked out of the lab.

But my bad __38___ didn't end there! Since all __39     was focused on the flames while we were in the lab, I didn't see the liquid falling onto my trousers.

During the following class, I felt a __40___ in my leg. Soon it became more and more painful and I touched the area with my fingers,   _41_  to make things better. But to my great    42___ , the material of my trousers turned into powder! “Vitrio(硫酸)! ! !”The terrible word came into my mind. I rushed out right away to wash and examine my poor skin.  _43_  , it was not a serious injury.

After changing my __44____I sat down and told myself: danger is no joke! It's very important to have a serious___45___ in chemistry class. Doing scientific experiments as a learner is no laughing matter.

1.

A.exciting

B.moving

C.dangerous

D.difficult

 

2.

A.success

B.failure

C.loss

D.waste

 

3.

A.but

B.except

C.besides

D.until

 

4.

A.incident

B.change

C.disaster

D.accident

 

5.

A.physical

B.chemical

C.biological

D.historical

 

6.

A.broken

B.burnt

C.blown

D.pulled

 

7.

A.And

B.Instead

C.But

D.Or

 

8.

A.felt

B.heard

C.experienced

D.imagined

 

9.

A.head

B.stomach

C.ear

D.mind

 

10.

A.leave it out

B.let it out

C.give it out

D.put it out

 

11.

A.boiling

B.holding

C.heating

D.cooking

 

12.

A.striking

B.beating

C.knocking

D.hitting

 

13.

A.feeling

B.time

C.chance

D.luck

 

14.

A.effort

B.sense

C.attention

D.spirit

 

15.

A.push

B.pain

C.bite

D.touch

 

16.

A.failing

B.managing

C.trying

D.planning

 

17.

A.disappointment

B.joy

C.surprise

D.comfort

 

18.

A.Fortunately

B.Obviously

C.Unexpectedly

D.Generally

 

19.

A.coats

B.shirts

C.socks

D.trousers

 

20.

A.heart

B.attitude

C.thought

D.preparation

 

完型填空(共20小题;每小题1分,满分20分)

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。

"Hey, Tahlia! How's the model?"

    I had just taken a bite of my hot dog __21__ I heard a familiar voice yelling at me from across the crowded school yard. I saw a group of popular girls who were all __22__.

"What kind of __23_ are you going to do? An ad for a Frankenstein movie?" More laughter. My stomach twisted into a tight knot. How could they humiliate (羞辱) me like this, __24__ the entire school? As I walked into the cafeteria, I __25__ the dark scars on my right hand.

At 9 months old, I knocked over a tea pot and dumped boiling water allover my hands and stomach. My parents __26__ me to the hospital, but I had to have skin graft (移植) operation. I was in so much pain! But what __27__ me most were the cruel things people said about how I looked, __28__ that day at lunch.

The girls were being supermean to me because they'd heard I was considering doing some modeling. A close friend had suggested that I shouldn't let my scars limit me and that I might __29__ a good model.

But after that __30__ at school, I was sure I'd made a huge mistake. Upon arriving home, I covered the mirror with a blanket, fell on my bed and sobbed.

    The next day, I __31__ myself to go to school. At lunch my best friend Jesse tried to encourage me: "You can't __32_ forever, Tahlia. So what if you have a few scars? Just go outside and show them that you're just as good as they are." Although I knew he was right, I couldn’t __33__ standing up for myself like that.

However, that night as I sat on the bed, my friend's words replayed in my mind. I'm __34__ hiding from myself, I thought. How stupid! Slowly, I stood up, walked over to the __35__, and tossed the blanket aside. There, in the mirror I saw a slim, dark-haired, blue-eyed girl, looking just fine, __36__ with a few scars.

The next day I wore a comfortable T-shirt to school. What's more, I had lunch outside the cafeteria, __37__ beside those mean girls. They were shocked that I should dare to walk into their territory. I felt __38_ too—free and happy.

Sometimes people still look at me strangely. They __39_ and stare, but I don't let it get to me. I have applied to several modeling companies, and at least one company is considering me for jobs. Maybe I'll never __40_ posing on the runway, but I do know one thing: I'm done.

1. A. as            B. when             C. while            D. before

2.A. applauding         B. cheering         C. laughing         D. quarreling

3. A. modeling      B. writing     C. drilling         D. acting

4. A. in spite of       B. in view of       C. in terms of      D. in front of

5.A. looked into        B. searched for     C. wondered about   D. glanced at

6.A. presented      B. sent             C. rushed           D. handed

7. A. hurt          B. beat             C. disappointed     D. puzzled

8. A. for           B. like             C. on           D. after

9.A. impress            B. make             C. consult      D. defeat

10.A. effect            B. phenomenon   C. challenge      D. scene

11. A. forced           B. expected         C. reminded         D. preferred

12. A. apologize        B. beg          C. hide             D. complain

13.A. consider      B. imagine      C. appreciate       D. resist

14. A. hardly           B. ever             C. even             D. gradually

15. A. blanket      B. bed          C. chair            D. mirror

16. A. while            B. though       C. but          D. because

17. A. right            B. still            C. therefore        D. anyhow

18.A. sensitive         B. uncomfortable    C. different        D. tense

19.A. compare       B. associate        C. wave             D. whisper

20.A. give up       B. end up       C. put up       D. set up

 

 

On a Friday night, a poor young artist stood at the gate of the New York railway station, playing his violin. The music was so great that many people stopped to put some money into the hat of the young man.

The next day, the young artist came to the same place, and put his hat on the ground gracefully. Different from the day before, he took out a large piece of paper and laid it under his hat. Then he began to play the violin. It sounded more pleasant than ever.

Soon he was surrounded with people who were attracted by the words on that paper. It said, “Last night, a gentleman named George Sang put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Please come to claim (认领) it soon.”

After about half an hour, a middle-aged man rushed through the crowd to the violinist and said, “Yes, it’s you. I knew that you were an honest man and would certainly come here.” The young violinist asked calmly, “Are you Mr George Sang?” The man nodded. The violinist asked, “Did you lose something?” “It’s a lottery ticket,” said the man. The violinist took out a lottery ticket on which George Sang’s name was seen. “Is it?” he asked. George nodded and took the lottery ticket and kissed it, then danced with the violinist.

The violinist was a student at an arts college and had planned to attend advanced studies in Vienna. Later his classmate asked the violinist, “At that time you needed money to pay the tuition (学费)and you had to play the violin in the railway station every day to make money. Why didn’t you keep the lottery ticket for yourself?”

The violinist said, “Although I don’t have much money, I live happily. But if I lose honesty I won’t be happy forever.” Through our lives, we can gain a lot and lose so much. But being honest should always be with us.

1.What did the young artist do at the railway station on Friday?

A.He played the violin to make some money.

B.He waited for the train to Vienna.

C.He came to buy a train ticket to Vienna.

D.He walked around the New York railway station.

2.According to the words on the paper, which sentence below is TRUE?

A.It asked a gentleman named George Sang to claim his hat.

B.It asked a gentleman named George Sang to claim his important thing.

C.It was a lottery ticket and he needed to find the owner.

D.It was a lottery ticket and the owner is unknown.

3. From this article, we can learn that ____.

A.we should share with others if we find something valuable

B.we should know the importance of honesty and lead a happy life

C.keep the lottery if you find one

D.playing the violin could make you feel happy

 

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