The summer vacation is over. It’s true that time flies.
In the vacation, the weather was very hot, but I enjoyed myself.
I did my homework in the morning. I got up at 6:30a.m. and took a walk in the garden for half an hour. After breakfast I began reading English and Chinese and did some math exercises. It usually took me three hours or more. I worked quite hard and I made great progress(进步).
I spent the afternoon outside. I went swimming and it was fun. I would not go home until it was about five or six o’clock. Sometimes my friends came to see me and we spent some time listening to music.
In this way I spent my vacation happily. I not only studied hard, but also became a good swimmer. Now I’m in good health and high spirits(精神).
【小题1】 The passage mainly tells us___________.
how the writer became a good swimmer
how the writer spent his summer vacation
what the weather was like in summer
where the writer studied in the vacation
【小题2】 How long did the writer spend studying every day?

I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have porridge, eggs or toast. When others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. But at least I wasn’t alone when I was sad. My sister and two brothers had the same mean(刻薄的) mother as I did.?

My mother preferred to know where we were all the time. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. We had to clean clothes and take a bath every day. The other kids got to wear the same clothes for days. We could not lie in bed “sick” in order to miss school.?

The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and get up at eight the next morning. We couldn’t sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept, my mother was brave to break the Child Labour Law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook and all sorts of things at home. I believe she lay awake thinking up all things for us to do. ?

My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Two of her children received higher education. None of us have ever been arrested(taken away by the police) or divorced. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. I am trying to raise my three children this way. I am filled with pride when my children call me “mean”. Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.?

1. How many children does the writer’s mother have??

2. What can you infer(推测) from the passage??

3.The best title for this passage may be     . ?

It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat. Just then the phone call came, the call changed that sunny and beautiful day into a cold and dark one.

When I saw my father answering the phone, he was crying. I’d never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could happen?

“Max, I’m so sorry,” I heard him say. That’s when it hit me. I knew that Suzie had died.

Max has been my dad’s best friend for years. Suzie, his daughter, had a serious illness. She knew she was different from other kids. Although she couldn’t live a normal life, she was still happy.

When Suzie and I were little girls, we spent quite a bit of time together. When Suzie was ten, she had to live in a hospital. About eight months before she died, we talked at least twice a week on the phone until the end. Suzie was always so excited to talk to me and wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate.

When Suzie and I first started calling each other, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted, especially my health and the gift of life.

1.That phone call on a summer day made the author very _________.

A. sad              B. dark             C. cold              D. disappointed

2.Which of the following is Not true?

A. The author’s day had never cried before.

B. Max was the best friend of the author’s dad.

C. Suzie was in bad health, so she was always unhappy.

D. Suzie enjoyed talking to the author on the phone.

3.The underlined word “it” probably refers to _________.

A. all the talks between Suzie and the author on the phone

B. Suzie’s serious illness

C. Suzie’s death

D. the first talk between Suzie and the author on the phone

4.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. The Gift of Life                                                B. A Cold Dark Day

C. Suzie’s Death                                                  D. My Friend Suzie

 What is it like being an actor? Many people think it must be wonderful because we travel to exciting places, wear beautiful clothes and (A)挣钱多. This is only one aspect(方面) of our lives though. We also work very hard.

I played a country girl in my last (B) movie. I had to live in a small village with the other actors for part of the winter. (C)It was really hard for me as I grew up in a city. To help me play a country girl better, I cooked for myself and the others every day. I even walked a few miles sometimes to get water, as there was none in the houses. I wanted to understand how a real village girl lived. I thought it was fun at first. I felt different after a week or two, though.

I did wear some beautiful traditional clothes, but they were not thick enough. I was very cold but I had to keep smiling all the time! One day, I couldn’t do it any longer and I suddenly (D) started crying, “Great!” said the director. “I like it. She is crying with true feelings!” I called my mum to tell (E) Her about it but my mobile phone (手机) wouldn’t work in the village.

I think it is worth doing all this, though. I like it when people tell me they enjoy my plays and ask me to sign a picture. It is also fun to be someone else for a while. I’m very lucky to be an actor.

1.将文中划线部分（A）译成汉语:              

2.写出文中划线部分（B）和（D）的同义词或近义词:                          

3..将文中划线部分（C）改写为: It was really hard for me         I was a city      

4.文中划线部分（E）指代的是:               

5.从文中找出有关赞美方面的两个形容词: