My teenage son Karl became withdraw after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent(缺席) 95 times from classes and has six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate(毕业), I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged(乞求) him. Nothing worked.

One night o felt so powerless that I got down on my knees(膝盖) and pleaded(恳求) for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope(绳子). I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”

  I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands. “For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.

Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll .In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

1. Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “withdrawn”?

A. Quiet and lonely.                                         B. Relaxed and excited.

C. Active and lively.                                          D. Happy and easy-going.

2.When the mother said “It’s out of my hands” to the headmaster, she meant that she ______.

A. didn’t know what to do about her son       

B. would drive her son away from the house

C. had no money to support the family               

D. would have to hang up

3.Who was it that telephoned Karl’s mother that day?

A. The headmaster                                          B. The school adviser

C. Karl himself                                       D. The passage doesn’t tell us

4.From the passage we can learn that ______.

A. children in single-parent families always have mental problems

B. mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life

C. parents should give their children everything that they need

D. school education still works well without the support from parents

My teenage son Karl became withdraw after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent(缺席) 95 times from classes and has six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate(毕业), I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged(乞求) him. Nothing worked.
One night o felt so powerless that I got down on my knees(膝盖) and pleaded(恳求) for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope(绳子). I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands. “For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll .In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
【小题1】 Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “withdrawn”?

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent(缺席的) 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year . At this rate he would never graduate(毕业), I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged (乞求) him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees(膝盖) and pleaded(恳求) for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope(绳子). I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
  I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands. “For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll .In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
1  Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “withdrawn”?

   A. Quiet and lonely.                               B. Relaxed and excited.

   C. Active and lively.                               D. Happy and easy-going.

2 When the mother said “It’s out of my hands” to the headmaster, she meant that she     _______.

   A. didn’t know what to do about her son           B. would drive her son away from the house

   C. had no money to support the family          D. would have to hang up

3  Who was it that telephoned Karl’s mother that day?

   A. The headmaster                                B. The school adviser

   C. Karl himself                                    D. The passage doesn’t tell us

4  From the passage we can learn that ______.

   A. children in single-parent families always have mental problems

   B. mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life

   C. parents should give their children everything that they need

   D. school education still works well without the support from parents

D

Do you know what a castle is? A castle is a building special to Europe. Castles were built in the Middle Ages by king and other powerful people who live in. Castles were used by people to protect themselves from their enemies. They are big buildings made form stone and wood.

Today there are still castles all over Europe. Some are in ruins(废墟). But some built later are still in good repair and used even today. One example is Windsor Castle, which is a home to the British queen. It is in the country or Berkshire, not far from London.

Castles have walls around them. In the old days, soldiers would stand on the walls to guard the people in the castle. If enemies came they would shoot arrows(箭) and throw stones at them. Castles also had moats. A moat is a river around the wall that makes it difficult for enemies to get in. It could be either dry or filled with water.

Other people form younger countries love European castles. In the US there are rich people who have brought broken parts of castles to their country and rebuilt them. And some people build “replica” castles---modern copies of Castle.

You probably know the Disneyland Castle in California , US. But did you know it is based on a famous castle in Germany built by King Ludwig Ⅱof Bavaria?

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the castle?

2. We can tell from the story that a moat is __________.

3.According to the passage we can know that______________.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?