About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的).Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air,children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below. I was one of those children, carefree and happy. I live on a street that is only one block long. I have lived on the same street for sixteen years. I love my street. One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end.When I think of home, I think of my street. Only I see it as it was before. Unfortunately things change. One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become.Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors.

It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won't be around much longer. I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car. In contrast to these people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days. The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home. The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days. It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever.

The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings”as friends and peers move on. Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home. The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street. We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle. Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on. Children who rode tricycles now drive cars. The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways. Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison. Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days.

Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes. For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill. The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street. We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag. The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill. When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same. It is a piece of my childhood. It is a visual reminder of being a kid. Without the hill, my_street_will_be_just_another_pea_in_the_pod.

There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change. But something happened. People grow up, and people grow old. Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved. In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors. I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction. It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child.

1.The writer calls up the memory of the street________.

A. every year when autumn comes

B. in the afternoon every day

C. every time he walks along his street

D. now that he is an old man

2.The writer finds it hard to accept the fact that________.

A. many of his good neighbors are growing old

B. the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow

C. the life of his neighbors has become very boring

D. the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life

3.What does the writer mean by saying “my street will be another pea in the pod”?

A. His street will be very noisy and dirty.

B. His street will soon be crowded with people.

C. His street will have some new attractions.

D. His street will be no different from any other street.

4.Which could be a good title for the passage?

A. The Past of My Street Will Live Forever

B. Unforgettable People and Things of My Street

C. Memory Street Isn't What It Used to Be

D. The Big Changes of My Street

Dear Kate,

It's really good to know you are covering for me while I'm away on the training course. Thanks so much. Knowing that you'll be teaching the kids has made me relaxed. I'm sure you'll get on fine with them. I thought I should leave you some notes on a couple of things that are planned for this week, and other advice that will hopefully see you through to next Friday!

• Tuesday: The class is going to visit the Dinosaur Museum. Make sure they take their notebooks and remind them on Monday to bring a packed lunch and the entrance money.

• Thursday: I've promised them they can watch a Disney DVD as a special treat. It's in my locker. There are some worksheets (活页练习题) to go with it. By the way, don't worry about marking them — I'll do it when I'm back.

• You know, the head teacher is on the warpath about being late, so be warned! If you get to school even a minute past 8:15, she's likely to give you a real telling-off.

Seriously, though, you'll have a great week — the kids are wonderful. Don't let Mark and Jack sit together and you shouldn't have any disciplinary (纪律的) problems! Which reminds me, if you do have any problems, just tell the head. She's very supportive when it comes to discipline. One last thing — could you leave notes on what you do, please?

Best wishes,

Stef

1.Why did Stef write the letter to Kate?

A. To talk about the training course.

B. To invite her to the Dinosaur Museum.

C. To tell her what to do when she's away.

D. To ask if she's ready to teach her students.

2.On Tuesday, students should take the following things EXCEPT _____.

A. a notebook

B. a worksheet

C. a packed lunch

D. the entrance money

3.The underlined part “on the warpath” in Paragraph 4 can best be replaced by “_____”.

A. angry B. easy

C. doubtful D. happy

4.We can infer from the letter that Mark and Jack _____.

A. always sit together

B. might not get along well

C. are very good students

D. don't like Disney movies

In late summer or early fall the large, yellow seed heads of sunflowers will be ripening. If gardeners can keep off the birds and other wildlife trying to eat the seeds, they can have a large harvest. The bright yellow blooms will make a rainbow garden, brightening up any space.

However, planting the sunflower seeds is a skilled job. Plant seeds no deeper than the full length of itself. Smaller sized sunflowers can be spaced a foot apart. Larger varieties will need to be spaced as far apart as three feet. This allows ripe plants enough space for the seed heads to ripen without knocking the ripe seeds off before gardeners have a chance to harvest them.

Most sunflower seeds, especially those with eatable seeds, are large enough to handle without the need for seed sorters. This is why sunflowers make an excellent choice for a children's garden as well. Gardeners will want to mix plenty of soil fertilizers into the ground as sunflowers tend to be heavy feeders.

Sunflowers can be slow starters and the tiny new plants don't seem to grow very rapidly. Gardeners should protect the new plants as they begin to grow. Once they get going, sunflowers are able to out-grow many weeds, making them easier to grow in the home vegetable garden than many other plants.

Most pests and diseases are not a bother to the sunflower, however, more than one gardener has said that their lovely looking plants were destroyed overnight by hungry squirrels, mice or birds. To preserve their harvest, gardeners can cover the ripening seed head with stockings or net cloth to help keep the destroyers off the seeds.

Planting sunflower seeds is easy and can help even the smallest gardener feel successful in their gardening attempts.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to plant sunflowers.

B. Different kinds of sunflowers.

C. Ways to preserve sunflowers.

D. Tips on making your garden bright.

2.Why should enough space be left between sunflowers?

A. To prevent birds from eating sunflower seeds.

B. To offer the sunflowers enough sunlight.

C. To protect the ripe seed heads before harvest.

D. To help the sunflowers grow stronger.

3.Why do children love to grow sunflowers in their garden?

A. They want to decorate their garden with sunflowers.

B. The seeds are easy to plant and unnecessary to sort.

C. They want to share their own harvest with their parents.

D. Sunflowers don’t need too much soil fertilizer.

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