Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses (吻). So, I really doubt (怀疑) whether (是否) there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to make money to pay the schooling for me. They don’t act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV, and sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even impossible.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt (被子). I asked her if there was love between them. She stopped her work and looked up with surprise. Then she bowed (弯下) her head and continued sewing the quilt. I was very worried because I thought I hurt her. But after a few minutes she said, “Look at this thread (线). Sometimes it appears, but most of the time it disappears in the quilt. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly (几乎不) be seen anywhere or anytime, but it’s really there, and makes the quilt long-lasting.” I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until the next spring.
My mother suddenly got sick seriously and had to stay in the hospital for a one-month treatment. Every morning and dusk (黄昏) after she returned from the hospital, my father helped my mother walk slowly on the country road. There were many beautiful flowers, green grass and trees, and the sun gently shone them through the leaves. All of these made up the most beautiful picture in the world. Reading their eyes, I knew they loved each other deeply. From this experience, I realized that love was just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.
【小题1】The writer thought his parents’ life was not          .

Long ago, Bluebird’s feathers were the colour of dust. She did not like her ugly colour. She was attracted by the colour of the lake near her home. It was as blue as the sky after a storm. Bluebird wanted to be the colour of that beautiful lake very much. Flapping her wings one morning, Bluebird flew from her tree to the blue lake. Then she bathed in the water three times. After each bath, she sang, “Blue water. Still water. I went in. I am blue.” Bluebird repeated this every morning. On the third day, she came out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers.

Now Coyote was a trickster(骗子)—and hungry too. He stayed behind Bluebird’s tree for a long time every day and watched her go to the lake. He pretended(伪装) to be interested in everything she did. He wanted Bluebird for lunch, but he was afraid of the blue water. On the third morning, Coyote saw Bluebird come out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers. Impressed, he sat next to Bluebird’s tree and waited for her. When she returned, he asked, “How did you get blue feathers? I want to be blue like the mountains too.” Bluebird didn’t believe Coyote, but she taught him how to bathe three times each morning and how to sing her song. Coyote did what she said, and after three days of bathing in the lake, his white fur turned deep blue.

Convinced(确信的) that blue fur was even more beautiful than blue feathers, Coyote forgot all about being hungry. He ran as fast as he could to the top of the hill. Standing on his back legs, he raised his front legs off the ground and howled. But Coyote slipped(滑倒) and rolled down the hill. He couldn’t stop himself, and the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur. He rolled and rolled until he hit into Bluebird’s tree heavily. No matter how much he tried, foolish Coyote could not shake the dust from his fur. And so the fur of all coyotes had the dull colour of dust to this very day.

1.How many times did Bluebird bathe every morning before she had beautiful blue feathers?

A. Three times.        B. Four times.        C. Five times.         D. Six times.

2.Why was Coyote a trickster?

A. He wanted to fly like Bluebird near the mountains.

B. He wanted to eat Bluebird but pretended to be curious.

C. He wanted to swim in the lake but was afraid of the water.

D. He wanted to sing Bluebird’s song but didn’t know the words.

3.Where did Coyote go after his fur turned blue?

A. To the lake.         B. To the tree.         C. To the cave.       D. To the hill.

4.Why did Coyote forget all about being hungry?

A. Because his fur had the dull colour of dust.

B. Because the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur.

C. Because he thought blue fur was much more beautiful. 

D. Because he hit into Bluebird’s tree and hurt himself.

5.What words does the writer use to help you imagine the colour blue?

A. sky, lake, mountains  

B. bird, coyote, storm  

C. flapped, climbed, bathed  

D. fur, feathers, dust

完形填空

One night a man came to my house. He said to me, “There is a family with eight 　1　. They have not eaten for days.” After I asked him where the family was, I took some 　2　 with me and left.

When I finally got to that family, I 　3　 those little children were too hungry to say 　4　. I gave the food to the mother. She took half of it, and then 　5　. When she returned, I asked her, “　6　 did you go?” She gave me this simple 　7　, “To my neighbours — they are also 　8　!”

I was not surprised that she gave the food to others, because poor people are always very 　9　. But I was surprised that she gave her 　10　 half the food when her children were still hungry. Usually, when we are in trouble, we always think of ourselves first, and we have no time for others.

1.                A．children        B．workers        C．farmers   D．cooks

2.                A．flowers         B．wine           C．food D．water

3.                A．showed        B．watched        C．looked   D．found

4.                A．a sentence      B．a word         C．it    D．nothing

5.                A．went out        B．came back       C．rushed in D．hurried back

6.                A．When          B．Where         C．How D．Why

7.                A．question        B．decision        C．answer   D．lie

8.                A．ill             B．unhappy        C．tired D．hungry

9.                A．kind           B．sad            C．happy    D．bad

10.               A．people         B．neighbours      C．family D．children

缺词填空(10分)

Sally was a student in a small town. It was going to be her mother’s birthday. She wanted to buy her a present that would be nice and useful but not e       .

She went s     after a quick and simple lunch. After she looked for about forty minutes, she found a shop that was selling cheap umbrellas(雨伞), and she d       to take a black one. She thought, “Mom can carry it when she is w________ clothes of any color.” So she bought a lovely black umbrella and took it to school with her until her class finished. On her way home on the train she felt h       So she went to the buffet car (餐车). She left the umbrella on her s     . But when she returned, it had gone. Sally began to cry. The o_______ passengers(乘客) felt very sorry for her and asked what was the matter. She told them the black umbrella she bought for her mother had gone, and she had to get off at the next station. After the three passengers h______      this , they asked her for her mother’s address(地址) so that(为了) they could send the umbrella to her if someone took it by mistake (弄错) and brought it b       

And now a week passed. Sally g______ a letter from her mother. It said, “Thank you very much for your lovely presents, but why do you send me three black umbrellas?”