It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

46. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.

47. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

48. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

   A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

   B. Because he had no children or relatives.

   C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

   D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

49. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

50. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times                           B. What He Valued Most

   C. An Old Gold Watch                             D. The Lost Childhood Days

School was over and I was both mentally and physically tired, I sat at the very front of the bus because of   1  to get home.Sitting at the front makes you   2  out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies. Janie, the driver, tries to break the uncomfortable atmosphere by striking the match of   3
I try to mind my manners and  4  listen, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day.On this day, however, her conversation was worth listening to.
"My father’s sick," she said to no one in  5 .I could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes.With a sudden change of attitude and interest, I asked, "What’s wrong with him?"
With her eyes wet and her voice tight from   6  the tears, she responded, "Heart trouble." Her eyes   7 as she continued."I’ve already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can   8 losing him.”
I couldn’t respond.I was  9  .My heart ached for her.I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great   10 my own mother was thrown into when my father died.
I saw how hard it was, and still is, for her.I wouldn’t like anyone to go through that.Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver.That was just her job.She had a whole world of family and concerns too.I had never thought of her as anything but a  11  .I suddenly felt very   12  .I realized I had only thought of people as   13  as what their purposes were in my life.I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver.1 had judged her by her job and regarded her as unimportant.
For all I know, I’m just another person in someone else’s world, and may not even be important.I should not have been so selfish and self-centered.Everyone   14 a place to go to, people to see and appointments to   15 .Understanding people is an art.

【小题1】
A.determination B.decisionC.attemptD.anxiety
【小题2】
A.makeB.standC.thinkD.find
【小题3】
A.topicB.messageC.discussion D.conversation
【小题4】
A.devotedlyB.carelesslyC.trulyD.sincerely
【小题5】
A.commonB.silenceC.particularD.surprise
【小题6】
A.avoidingB.clearingC.keepingD.fighting
【小题7】
A.glancedB.closedC.loweredD.saddened
【小题8】
A.mindB.regretC.bearD.miss
【小题9】
A.angryB.interestedC.curiousD.shocked
【小题10】
A.painB.pityC.disappointment D.mercy
【小题11】
A.daughterB.workerC.driverD.passenger
【小题12】
A.selfishB.confusedC.worriedD.sad
【小题13】
A.longB.oftenC.farD.well
【小题14】
A.takesB.hasC.findsD.needs
【小题15】
A.stayB.remainC.keepD.put

Rosa Parks was an African-American woman who began the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a bus . She stood up for what she believed was right , and her courage inspired countless others to do the same.
Born in Alabama in 1913 , Mrs. Parks grew up on a farm just outside Montgomery in a town called Pine Level . She was home-schooled until she was 11. She later attended the Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery. She briefly attended the Alabama State Teachers College for Negroes , but had to drop out to take care of her mother and grandmother when they became ill.
Mrs. Parks married Raymond Parks in 1932 . He encouraged her to finish her education . This was very uncommon at that time , especially for a woman. Less than 7 percent of African-Americans studied in a high school in the 1930s.
Mrs. Parks also succeeded in gaining the right to vote, which was very difficult for blacks under the segregation laws( 种族隔离制度 ) . In 1943, she began working as a secretary for the NAACP----National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Mrs. Parks made her historic decision on December 1,1955. She recalled in her autobiography(自传) :
“When the driver saw me still sitting, he asked if I was going to stand up and I said , ‘ No, I’m not.’ Then he said , ‘ Well , if you don’t stand up , I’m going to have to call the police and have you arrested .’ I said , ‘ You may do that.’”
Mrs. Parks died on October 24,2005. “ She sat down in order that we might stand up,” said civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson. “ Her imprisonment opened the doors for our long journey to freedom.”
【小题1】 From the passage we can infer that in Rosa Parks’ time black people ______________.

A.were not allowed to take buses
B.only stood in the buses
C.were looked down upon
D.had no right at all
【小题2】From the second paragraph we know that Rosa Parks ____________________.
A.began to learn at the age of 11
B.studied at home until she was 11
C.attended the Industrial School when she was 11
D.graduated from the Alabama State Teachers College
【小题3】 Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat to a white person because ________________.
A.she was tired after a day’s work
B.there were empty seats on the bus
C.she didn’t want to stand on the bus
D.she wanted to be treated equally
【小题4】 In this passage the phrase “ stood up for ” in the first paragraph probably means “___________”.
A.acted to protectB.paid attention to
C.looked forward toD.gave up to

E
A year after graduation, I was offered a position teaching a writing class. Teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered, though several of my stories had been published. I accepted the job without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Davis. My father went by the same name, and I liked to imagine people getting the two of us confused. “Wait a minute” someone might say, “are you talking about Mr. Davis the retired man, or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar?”
The position was offered at the last minute, and I was given two weeks to prepare, a period I spent searching for briefcase (公文包) and standing before my full-length mirror, repeating the words, “Hello, class. I’m Mr. Davis.” Sometimes I would give myself an aggressive voice. Sometimes I would sound experienced. But when the day eventually came, my nerves kicked in and the true Mr. Davis was there. I sounded not like a thoughtful professor, but rather a 12-year-old boy.
I arrived in the classroom with paper cards designed in the shape of maple leaves. I had cut them myself out of orange construction paper. I saw nine students along a long table. I handed out the cards, and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets as I required.
“All right then,” I said. “Okey, here we go.” Then I opened my briefcase and realized that I had never thought beyond this moment. I had been thinking that the students would be the first to talk, offering their thoughts and opinions on the events of the day. I had imagined that I would sit at the edge of the desk, overlooking a forest of hands. Every student would yell. “Calm down, you’ll all get your turn. Once at a time, once at a time!”
A terrible silence ruled the room, and seeing no other opinions, I inspected the students to pull out their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of deep disappointment.
【小题1】The author took the job to teach writing because ______.

A.he had written some storiesB.he wanted to be expected
C.he wanted to please his fatherD.he had dreamed of being a teacher
【小题2】Before he started his class, the author asked the students to ______.
A.write down their suggestions on the paper cards
B.cut maple leaves out of the construction paper
C.cut some cards out of the construction paper
D.write down their names on the paper cards
【小题3】What did the students do when the author started his class?
A.They began to talk.B.They stayed silent.
C.They raised their hands.D.They shouted to be heard.
【小题4】The author chose the composition topic probably because ______.
A.he got disappointed with his first classB.he had prepared the topic before class
C.he wanted to calm down the studentsD.he thought it was an easy topic

When people hear that I’m the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, they all have the same question: How did a 22-year old woman row a 19-foot boat for 70 days through high winds and crashing waves? Well, the biggest  difficulty for me wasn’t physical. By the time I decided to do the ocean row, I had already biked 3,300 miles cross-country, run across the Mojave Desert, and swum the 325-mile length of the Allegheny River. No, the tough part would be mental: How would I handle the loneliness, the boredom of the vast sea?

I set off on January 3, 2010. I set my sights on getting past the quarter-way mark, which would take about 20 days.

Day 20, January 22, was gray and cloudy. I could have done something to celebrate, such as treating myself to a chocolate bar. But I didn’t.

I was suffering from terrible loneliness. I hadn’t seen landing over two weeks. Every day was beginning to feel the same. Eating, rowing, sleeping, watch the sky, watch the ocean.

Then, around sunset, I saw something move on the horizon. They were dolphins! They circled my boat. Suddenly I felt so grateful. They had come to help me celebrate, just when I needed them. I rowed at full strength for the next 20 minutes with the dolphins around. By the time we went our separate ways, I was no longer lonely. Better yet, I knew I would be okay.

I did make it, all 2,817 miles. I hit the coast of Guyana, South America, on March 14, after 70 days and five hours at sea. My ocean row raised $70,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which funds drinking water programs around the world. I know some athletes spend the entire journey imagining the end, and that helps them get through. But for me, the secret is to focus on the moment, where you experience the personal growth—those moments of awareness of being connected to the sun, the weather, and the waves. And, on the best day of my life, those dolphins, which freed myself from terrible loneliness.

1.

Which is the step taken as part of preparation for the tough row?

A.swimming the 325-mile length of the river

B.answering the same question raised by people

C.running 3,300 miles cross-country

D.biking across the Mojave Desert

2.

What does the underlined part mean?

A.I didn’t have any chocolate bar for energy.

B.I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate my first goal.

C.It’s a pity not to celebrate my passing the quarter of the way

D.It’s a pity not to treat myself to a chocolate bar on Day 20.

3.

What can be implied from the last two paragraphs?

A.Imagination was an effective way to help me get through.

B.The Blue Planet Run Foundation helped me a lot.

C.The dolphins accompanied me to reach my destination

D.The unexpected dolphins swept away my loneliness

4.

Which can be the best title of the passage?

A.The day I stopped being lonely

B.The only challenge for a 22-year old

C.How to overcome loneliness at sea.

D.How to row alone across the Atlantic

 

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