Sarah ran in, shouting, “Look what I found!”  Over the top of the paper I was reading; came a terrible thing that caused me to jump. It was a snake skin found in our garden.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” said my seven-year-old daughter.
I opened my eyes widely and looked at the snake skin in fear（恐惧地）. I didn’t think it was beautiful, but I learned never to appear nonchalant(冷漠的)with children. Everything they see for the first time is important to their sense of beauty; they see only excellence in the world.
“Why does it do this?”  Sarah asked.
“Snakes shed(蜕) their skins because they need to renew themselves,”  I explained.
“Why do they need to renew（使更新） themselves?” Sarah asked.
“We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with,” I said to my daughter. “We leave some things and find other thing unwanted or unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too little for him, and he probably doesn’t think he looks as smart in it as he once did. ”
As we talked, I knew that she began to understand. Although she couldn’t understand clearly, she would know that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, our rooms, schoolwork and spirit, and see what we need to keep and what we need to leave.  I was careful to tell that this is a natural way, not one to be forced.
“Snakes don’t peel off their skins when they like them. “I explained. “It happens as a natural thing of their growth. ”
“I see, Dad,” said Sarah as she held the snake skin, and then ran off.
I hoped she would remember this; we need to throw some away because they are worthless or unnecessary. Then we can store them as memories in our deep hearts.
【小题1】Father jumped up when her daughter came to him with a snake skin because ＿＿＿＿＿＿.

The most positive(乐观的) person I have ever seen is may dad! He is so positive that I do not  46  hearing a single word from him which is related(相关的) to hopelessness!

Unlike most mums and dads, my dad never says things that make me feel   47 . He is always there to give me encouragement and help.   48  I do wrong things, he always tells me what’s right in a positive way. For example, if I am in   49  , he often tells me to open the books he bought me. Then he asks me to read the   50  that can help me with the problems I’m facing. After that, we have a    51  together.

Even though I’m not always a good kid, my dad   52  shouts or gets angry with me. I know that he’s   53  a day—a day when I grow up and understand things in my life.

I can see the reason that he is so positive is because he believes in 54 . And he believes that whatever  55 , it is under control. So we have nothing to worry about. Be positive!

1.                A．mind           B．keep           C．like  D．remember

2.                A．good           B．bad            C．rich  D．poor

3.                A．When          B．Until           C．Before   D．Since

4.                A．fear           B．trouble         C．surprise  D．danger

5.                A．titles           B．orders          C．stories   D．questions

6.                A．discussion       B．practice        C．meeting  D．review

7.                A．usually         B．ever           C．sometimes D．never

8.                A．looking for      B．worrying about   C．waiting for D．thinking about

9.                A．itself           B．myself          C．himself   D．yourself

10.               A．moves         B．happens        C．appears   D．develops

“My dear lady,” says Holmes. “You’re shivering. Are you old? Do you want a cup of hot tea?”

“I’m not cold,” the woman replies, “I fear for my life!”

“We are here to help you. Don’t worry about anything. I don’t know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(马车).”

“Why, yes. You’re right. But how do you know these things?”

“ I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem.”

“My name is Helen Stoner,” she states, “ My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother’s money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages.”

Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen’s story. He hears every detail.

Helen continues. “My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him.”

“He has no friends at all?” asks Holmes.

“No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now.”

“Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?”

“My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room.”

1.Paragraph 6 beginning with “My name is …” is mostly about_______________.

A．Helen’s dead sister                     B．Helen’s trip to London

C．the house Helen lives in                  D．Helen’s stepfather and the family

2.What is Holmes doing while Helen is telling her story?

A．Walking slowly                         B．Listening carefully

C．standing sadly                          D．Writing quickly

3.Which of the following can best describe the gypsies according to the passage?

A．They are very rich                       B．They are afraid of other people

C．They live on a horse-drawn wagon          D．They move from one place to another

4.The passage is probably from __________.

A．a novel           B．a guide           C．a poem           D．an advertisement

根据短文内容和首字母提示，在下文空格处填入适当的词使短文完整。（每空一词）

Computers can help humans do many things, but humans must give them i 1.  , otherwise , they won’t know what to do. With the help of computers, people can find information they want in s2. . It works very quickly and correctly. The first computers cost much and took u 3.much room. But later they become c 4. and smaller. Now, computers are also compact(精密的). People can p 5.them on their table or c 6. them form place to place.

Robots are moving parts c 7. by a computer. They can work for a very log time w 8.  complaining or getting t 9.  , and they can do many things instead of people . So some people fear that one day many people will l  10. their jobs because of these robots.