I used to be very close to my father when I was a child. He gave me almost everything I wanted. Whenever I quarreled with my mother, I would turn to my father for comfort. He was everything to me.

Time flies like a bird. As I got older, I became silent and found it hard to start a conversation with my father. The gap(代沟) between us began to grow. He had done so much for me but I always took it for granted（理所当然）.

Last time our school gave us two days off, and daddy gave me a ride home on his motorbike. I was tired and fell asleep on his back. Later my mother said he was very happy because it had been a long time since we got close last. Suddenly I felt a little shamed. I realized that I had paid no attention to him a lot during the last few years.

The next day I stayed in bed and when daddy tried to wake me up to have breakfast, I pretended(假装) that I couldn’t hear him. At last he brought a bowl of noodles to my bed, and said, “Come on, dear, have your breakfast and then continue your dream.” I got so angry with him for troubling my sleep that I shouted, “__________.”

As I said this, I sat up quickly, and the bowl of noodles broke on the floor. Hearing the noise, mum came in and shouted at me, “What do you think your father is? Who else treats you as well as he does?”

I was shocked and didn’t know what to say. Finally I rushed with tears all over my face. I went to the pool where I used to go fishing with daddy. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of daddy’s motorbike. He was looking for me worriedly, but he didn’t notice me as I was sitting behind a tall brush.

I didn’t return home until 10 a.m.. The moment my parents saw me, they rushed to me. Mum hugged me tightly and daddy looked at me with worry in his eyes. “Are you hungry, dear?” he said at last. Before I could say anything, he had gone off on his motorbike to buy food for me.

1.When the writer grew older, he found it         for him to have a talk with his father.

 A. good        B. pleasant         C. a problem        D. fantastic

2.The sentence in this passage “He was everything to me” means ________.

A. My father gave me everything

B. My father would give me whatever I wanted  

C. When my father was angry, he wouldn’t give me anything    

D. I used to depend on him in everything in my life

3.Which of the following can be put in the blank(空白处) in Paragraph 4?

A. Stay with me.       B. Take me out.     C. Leave me alone.       D. Pick me up.

4.The best title for this passage is _________.

A. The gap between the Father and the Son            B. Father’s Love   

C. How to get on with Father                       D. I Love Father

I went home one Saturday afternoon in the autumn of 1993 to get some work done in the garden. While sweeping leaves on the ground, my five-year-old son Nick came over and asked me to write something on a piece of paper to make a sign for him.                       

“What for?” I asked.

“I’m going to sell some of my stones, " he answered.    

    Nick was fascinated with stones and had collected many stones from all over.  “I’m busy to

do that for you. Go and ask your mum for help." I said.

A short time later, Nick returned with a sign, reading. " Stones. One Dollar Each”. He took the sign, a small chair and 4 of his best stones and walked to the road in front of our garden. There he put the stones in a line and sat down on the chair.

After half an hour, nobody passed by. I walked to him and asked him to go back, but he didn't.

Another half hour later, a small car came down the road. I watched as Nick stood up, holding his sign up. A woman rolled down a window and read the sign. I couldn't hear their talk, but I saw the woman turn to the driver and the man reach for his pocket.

I sat in the yard, as Nick ran to me. Waving the dollar, he shouted. "I told you I could sell one stone for a dollar — if you believe in yourself, you can do anything."

1.Why didn't the writer help his son?

A. Because his wife is better at making a sign.

B. Because he didn't know what to write.

C. Because he was busy sweeping leaves.

D. Because he didn’t want his son to sell the stones.

2.The underlined words "was fascinated with" mean “______”.

A. was far from             B. was afraid of

C. was famous for           D. was interested in

3.Nick was a boy ______.

A. who was kind            B. who had a strong mind

C who was honest           D. who had many hobbies

4.Which is the best title(题目) of the story?

A. My son's first sale.         B. Let's collect stones.

C. How to sell a stone.        D. A hobby that can make you rich.

5.From the passage we know _____.

A. the story happened in spring           

B. the car was driven by a woman

C. Nick spent half an hour selling one stone   

D. the writer might be moved(感动)by his son

I live on the twelfth floor of a building. One afternoon I was coming home from a friend's house. It was just after four o'clock. I got quickly into the lift and pressed Button (按钮) 12.
The lift started to go up, but very slowly. And then, halfway up, it suddenly stopped between two floors. I couldn't understand it. I pressed all the buttons from 1 to 14. I called for help very loudly. But nobody answered.
Then suddenly the lights went out, and I was alone in the dark. I started to cry and beat the walls of the lift. I cried and cried until I had no voice left. Then, I felt hopeless, and pressed all the buttons with my open hands. And all at the same time, there was a bell far away. It rang and rang. It was the fire alarm (火灾警报). I thought the whole building was on fire. I said to God quietly, "Just get me out of here. I'll never be bad again."
Just then, I realized the lift was moving very slowly. On the ground floor it stopped, and the doors opened. A man was standing there. "How long have you been in the lift? It is good that you pressed the alarm bell. But haven't you learned to read at your school?" He pointed at a small piece of paper on the wall beside the lift. It said:
"Attention: This lift will be stopped for repairs between 4pm and 5 pm on Thursday March 13."
【小题1】What happened to the lift?