This week was busier than usual, and I was very tired today. All I wanted to do was to go home and enjoy a bowl of good hot soup.
But when I saw my daughter’s car, I knew that it was Bryan’s night. Since his parents separated, I had tried to have my six-year-old grandson spend a few hours with me at least once a week. I had always tried to make it a special time for him. We did many interesting things; Bryan loved all these activities, and so did I. But today I had to give up our evening. I said how tired I was feeling. “Bryan, I’m sorry. Tonight I don’t feel like having fun or playing games. We’ll have our night together some other time.” I saw the sadness in Bryan’s eyes. He said, “I like soup, Grandma.” I knew he meant “Please don’t send me away. Please let me stay.” I saw the shadow (阴影) in Bryan’s eyes. Something else was changing. Maybe he thought I wouldn’t want to have him come any more — not tonight, not next week, not ever. Finally, I said OK. I was glad to see his eyes light up. After I put the soup on the stove (炉子) and turned on the TV, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, there was a coat over my legs, and the soup was gone. Bryan was on the floor, reading a coloring book and watching a television show at the same time. The poor boy must have been so bored (烦躁的)! When he found I was awake, he ran over and gave me a big hug. “I love you, Grandma,” he said. “Haven’t we had a nice time together?” His big smile and happy eyes told me that this time he meant exactly what he was saying. That was the keyword — together. We had done nothing exciting or special. But we were together.
【小题1】What does the underlined part (in Paragraph 2) mean?

A.It was time to cook hot soup for Bryan that night.
B.This was the evening when Bryan stayed with his grandma.
C.Bryan would have a good rest that night.
D.Bryan would stay with his parents that night.
【小题2】Why didn’t the author want to stay with her grandson that night at first?
A.She was too tired to have fun or play games with him.
B.She was sick and wanted to have a good rest.
C.She was too busy and had to work overtime that night.
D.She had to prepare soup for the whole family.
【小题3】How many times did the author describe Bryan’s eyes?
A.1.B.2.C.3.D.4.
【小题4】From the passage, we can infer that _____.
A.Bryan’s parents separated so he had to live with his grandma
B.Bryan was sad that night because his grandma didn’t play with him
C.the author wouldn’t want to stay with her grandson any more
D.the author and her grandson loved each other very much

For some people, the prospect of starting college, especially going away to school, is scary. It’s probably the first time that you’ll be totally responsible for your own schedule. What if you intend to go to college but just don’t feel ready to start yet-for whatever reason-and you don’t want to take on a full-time job after graduation? You might want to take a year off to pause and regroup. This practice is common in some countries, like the United Kingdom, where it’s called a “gapyear”.
Taking time off doesn’t mean you should ignore the idea of applying to college. In fact, you may want to consider making your college plans before you become involved in other things, especially if you’ll be travelling. Apply to schools and make your choice, then ask for a deferred admission. Rachel took a year off and worked in New York City between college and medical school. She says that she had to be extremely well organized about planning for medical school so she didn’t miss any of her deadlines. “Not only did I have to apply to schools and make plans to take my MCAT exams, I also had to make all my living arrangements and other plans for my year off!”
Even if you decide not to apply to college, it can be a great idea to take a year to do something you may not have an opportunity to do again. Lots of volunteer organizations would welcome your time and energy and would provide you with a wonderful learning experience. If you take a year off you will learn some great life skills-like living on a tight budget! If you take a year off you’ll pay your way while you are traveling or doing volunteer work.
【小题1】What’s the best title of the passage?

A.Taking Time Off
B.Disadvantages of a “Gap Year”
C.Plans after Graduation
D.How to Apply to College
【小题2】Going on a “gap year” means _____.
A.asking for a year’s leave to rest at home
B.taking a year off to pause and regroup
C.ignoring the idea of applying to college
D.travelling around the world before going to college
【小题3】The author takes Rachel for example in the second paragraph in order to show _____.
A.it’s not easy to take a year off
B.it’s interesting to take a “gap year”
C.what taking time off is like
D.how to apply to schools
【小题4】Which of the following is NOT the benefit of taking a year off?
A.You’ll learn some great life skills.
B.You’ll make full preparation for starting college.
C.You’ll earn much money by taking on a full-time job.
D.You’ll gain a wonderful learning experience by joining in a volunteer organization.

As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more widespread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I’m writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei, the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said, “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic (审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one’s thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的) and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.
【小题1】Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A.The Importance of Handwriting and Typing.
B.To type or to Handwrite.
C.Writing by Computer will Replace Writing by Hand.
D.Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters.
【小题2】Which of the following statements is NOT the advantage of handwriting?
A.Handwriting contains the writer’s emotion.
B.The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting.
C.Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence.
D.Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value.
【小题3】The underlined expression “taking stock in” probably means ___________.
A.getting bored withB.getting dependent on
C.becoming curious aboutD.getting curious about
【小题4】We can draw the conclusion from the passage that ___________.
A.more and more students will give up writing on a computer.
B.writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day.
C.more and more students will pay attention to handwriting.
D.the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality.

Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, "Versed".
"I'm delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win," said Armantrout.
"For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising."
Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master's in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think.
In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Versed."
"This book has gotten more attention," Armantrout said, "but I don't feel as if it's better."
The first half of "Versed" focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not. "Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry," said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD.
"Versed", published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2,700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May.
【小题1】According to Rae Armantrout, __________

A.her 10th book is much better
B.her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected
C.the media is surprised at her works
D.she likes being recognized by her readers
【小题2】Which of the following is true of Rae Armantrout?
A.She published a poetry textbook.
B.She used to teach Denise Levertov.
C.She started a poets' group with others.
D.She taught creative writing at UC Berkeley.
【小题3】What can we learn about "Versed"?
A.It partly concerns the poet's own life.
B.It is mainly about the American army.
C.It is a book published two decades ago.
D.It consists of three parts.
【小题4】Rae Armantrout's colleagues think that she __________.
A.should write moreB.has a sweet voice
C.deserves the prizeD.is a strange professor
【小题5】What can we learn from the text?
A. "Versed" has been awarded twice.      B. Cancer made Armantrout stop writing.
C. Armantrout got her degrees at UCSD.      D. About 2,700 copies of "Versed" will be printed.

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