A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold, too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on— it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.

She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said, “Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her snug bed in her pajamas (睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now? You know you got us very, very scared.”

1.What does “This thought” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A.The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

B.Her worry about her parents.

C.The idea of going back home.

D.The feeling of getting back home safely.

2.Her father didn’t take care of the garden because _______.

A.he had to look after his wife

B.he was busy looking for her

C.he was not strict in his job

D.he no longer enjoyed working there

3.How did Jennifer probably feel when she came back home?

a. worried    b. crazy    c. tired     d. disappointed     e. shocked     f. excited

A.a, c, e            B.a, b, c             C.b, c, e            D.d, e, f

4.What can we conclude from this passage?

A.In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for days.

B.As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

C.Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was really warm and safe for her.

D.When she found the garden deserted, she realized she got cross.

 

One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.

I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.

It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a winter night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.

Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered.“Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”

He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm, rational(理智的)self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers.“Where are the children?” I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed. Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.

The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.

1.The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because         .   

A.she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter

B.she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones

C.she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help

D.she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night

2.When the author called home that evening, she found that           

A.two younger children had already been in bed

B.the children were preparing a birthday gift for her

C.her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend

D.there was no one answering the telephone

3.What might the children do that evening?

A.They had a birthday party.

B.They framed some photographs.

C.They had their pictures taken.

D.They made some beautiful clothes.

4.What does the author intend to tell us by the story?

A.Modern teenagers are not worth trusting.

B.It is no easy job to look after young children.

C.It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age.

D.Her children have a caring and tender heart.

 

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a passage from the Bible about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that medical checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me?Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?” It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

 

1.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A. with his family                              B. with Evelyn

C. all by himself                               D. with his children

2. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes

B. he could afford time to care for her

C. he was willing to be a good husband

D. she was seriously ill

3.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she would be dying.

4.By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to regret what he did to his wife before

 

One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister. On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girl friend. I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children. Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.

I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out. I called home with this happy news. But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.

It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed. and when the two older children should have been answering the phone. “I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside. Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.

Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered. “Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”

He came on the phone. I was not my usual calm, rational(理智的)self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers. “Where are the children?” I said. He said they were with him. They had done nothing wrong. My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake. This was too good to be believed. Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it. It was only part of the truth.

The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home, celebrating my birthday. My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts. Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.

1.  The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because________________.         .

A. she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter

B. she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones

C. she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help

D. she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night

2.  When the author called home that evening, she found that _______________.

A. two younger children had already been in bed

B. the children were preparing a birthday gift for her

C. her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend

D. there was no one answering the telephone

3.  What can you learn from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?

A. The author didn’t believe what her son had told her.

B. The author had complete confidence in her son.

C. The author believed her son was telling the truth.

D. The author was moved by what her children had done.

4.  What might the children do that evening?[来源: http://wx.jtyjy.com/]

A. They had a birthday party.

B. They framed some photographs.

C. They had their pictures taken.

D. They made some beautiful clothes.

5. What does the author intend to tell us by the story?

A. Modem teenagers are not worth trusting.

B. It is no easy job to look after young children.

C. It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age.

D. Her children have a caring and tender heart.

 

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