My first time taking part in the English corner was very interesting.  I went there with my classmate, who also wanted to  ___36______his spoken English . We agreed with each other that if we couldn`t find ___37_____person to join us , we could at least talk with each other in English . At the same time we could also encourage each other . At the beginning , ___38____of us talked actively with the other people , but then we met an American teacher . He was ___39_____and invited us to join his group . We attended their discussion , ___40____we didn`t say anything , either . The American __41_____was very surprised and said , “Anything is OK, If you don`t say anything , __42____do you come here ?”

     The second time I attended the English corner , I felt more ___43_____..I first invited a girl whose spoken English was very good  After talking , I knew she learned English all by herself . She was busy ___44____in a company , but she came to the English corner every week . She said I would __45____in the end if I persisted(坚持)in practicing it .

Now my English is very good !

（   ）36. A. speak  B. say  C. learn  D improve

（   ）37.A. other   B. many C. another  D. no

（   ）38.A .both   B any   C. neither  D. either

（   ）39.A. happy B .excited C. surprised D. nice

（   ）40.A. and  B. but  C. or  D. so 

（   ）41. A. classmate B. teacher C. doctor D scientist

（   ）42.A . why  B. when C. where D. how

（   ）43. A. embarrassed B. confident C. careful D. honest

（   ）44.A. working B. living C. learning D. speaking

（   ）45.A.speak  B. do  C. succeed  D. understand

For me, Christmas always began in the middle of the cold,    windy month of November. My sister, Alison, and I each sat down in front   of the fire and wrote a letter to Father Christmas telling him about all the presents we wanted. We seriously wrote “Father Christmas, the North Pole” on the envelope, before giving them to our mother to post.

With December our excitement grew each day—as we opened the new year calendar, Christmas cards arrived in the post, Christmas lights appeared in the streets, and we attended the town carol service. And of course, there was snow everywhere, enough snow to make snowmen, and to have exciting snowball fights in the school playground.

On Christmas Eve, the whole family helped to decorate(装饰) the house, put up the Christmas tree. Then, in the afternoon, when Auntie Kathleen and my two cousins arrived, everything was ready. Before we went to bed, we left some wine and biscuits for Father Christmas and then put our stockings (长筒袜) at the end of our beds. We tried to stay awake as long as possible to see Father Christmas but the next thing we knew it was morning. Christmas morning!

At the bottom of the bed was the stocking, now full of all kinds of small presents and sweets. Christmas morning was bright and sunny, so my cousin David and I went out into the garden to play with our new presents. Lunch was always late, but what a lunch! A big turkey with all the vegetables followed by Christmas pudding (布丁). We sang Christmas carols happily, laughed at jokes, put on silly paper hats and laughed again.

After lunch, the adults slept on the sofas in front of the Queen’s speech on television while we all played cards. Then we had tea, with a huge Christmas cake covered with snowmen. It didn’t seem possible, but we carried on eating. By bedtime all of the children were very tired. As soon as we turned off the light, we all fell into a deep, happy sleep.

1  What does the underlined word “them” in the first paragraph refer to(所指)？                        A. Letters.                                                 B. Presents.       

C. The writer’s parents.                                  D. The writer’s cousins.

2  Who do you think may read the children’s letters?

A. Father Christmas.                                        B. Nobody.                                         C. Their parents.                                          D. Their classmates.

3  What probably happened on Christmas Eve?

A. The writer stayed awake all night.                   

B. Someone put presents in the writer’s stocking.

C. The writer saw Father Christmas.      

D. Some children played with their new presents.

4  What happened after lunch?

A. The adults watched a film about the Queen.  B. The children made a snowman.

C. The adults played cards.                    D. The children had a lot to eat.

5  Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. History of Christmas                        B. Memories of Christmas

C. Western festivals                                  D. Father Christmas

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 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.

One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and asked God for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. 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（哽咽）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 and 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 was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I attended a parent –– teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were surprised 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 as the underlined word “withdrawn” in the  first paragraph?

2.There was silence on the other end of the line because _ _________.

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

4.From the passage we can learn that _____________.

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

Classes resumed (恢复) Thursday for the students of a school in Newtown, Conn, where a gunman last month killed 20 children and 6 adults in the second-largest school shooting in U.S. history.
With their school still being treated as a crime scene, more than 400 students of Sandy Hook Primary School attended classes in neighbouring Monroe.
Returning students, teachers and administrators were met by a large police presence outside their new school. Several officers guarded the entrance and checked IDs of parents dropping off children.
Law-enforcement officers guarding the new school called it “the safest school in America.”
Students found the same chairs and desks, when possible. Their classroom walls were painted the same colours and hung with the same pictures. Other details, such as the location of bookshelves and cubby holes, were replicated (复制) as much as possible.
The school district said parents who wanted to be close to their children were welcome to visit and stay in classrooms or an auditorium.
Newtown superintendent Janet Robinson said officials would do their best to make the students feel at ease.
“We will be doing a normal day.” She said.
【小题1】The students of Sandy Hook Elementary School resumed classes in a new school in Monroe because       .