I couldn't ________ what they were saying, for they spoke to me at once.

[　　]

       It had been a very disheartening day. The doctors had given us the worst of news. Our daughter, who had just completed her first brain surgery to remove a tumor (肿瘤) and was going through radiation treatment, was now officially given a two percent chance of survival as this type of cancer had no cure.

       My wife and I decided to take our daughter to lunch before continuing our afternoon conversation. We went to a local restaurant where we sat in silence waiting for the waitress. I noticed a very elderly couple sitting a few booths away, who were also in silence and did not speak a word. I couldn’t help but wonder what challenges they had faced in their life and if they ever faced such terrible news about a child of theirs.

       We eventually ordered our lunch and still sitting in silence we ate what we could. At some point I became intrigued by the old couple. I thought to myself that they hadn’t yet spoken to each other and I wondered if it was the peace they were enjoying or the food or maybe both. However, at some point I lost interest and put my focus back on my lunch.

       Molly was still talking away and enjoying her meal. Her mom and I both listened and tried to be happy in her presence but it wasn’t going very well. All of a sudden I saw a hand come out of nowhere. It was huge and I could tell that it had been afflicted with arthritis (关节炎). I couldn’t take my eyes off that hand. It landed on my daughter’s tiny six-year-old hand and as it did I looked up; it was the old woman who had been sitting with the old man in silence eating their lunch.

       I looked into her eyes and she spoke, but not to me. She looked at my daughter and simply whispered, “If I could do more for you I would…” and then she smiled and moved away to join her husband, who had moved towards the door.

       “Look, a whole dollar,” Molly spoke with excitement as she discovered a crumpled one dollar bill left behind by the old lady. I looked up to thank her, but she was gone. I sat stunned, not sure what had just happened and then I looked over at my wife. In almost unison, we broke out into a smile. The sadness of the day had been wiped out by the crippled hand and generous touch of the old lady. The dollar, although exciting to Molly, was not what made us smile; it was the offer from the old lady, who felt our suffering. The crippled hand symbolized a healing touch and made us realize that we did not have to fight this battle alone.

41. The author was _______, when he first caught sight of the old couple in the restaurant.

   A. curious          B. confused             C. upset                  D. indifferent

42. By saying “If I could do more for you I would…”, the old woman means_______.

   A. she had the ability to cure the disease of Molly

   B. she had the responsibility for the safety of Molly

   C. she was an old friend of the author and can lend some money to them

   D. she would like to help Molly as much as possible

43. What can we inferred from the passage?

   A. The author and his wife were not satisfied with the food in the restaurant.

   B. The old couple had once gone through the same trouble as the author did.

   C. The one dollar bill made the author feel touched by the warmth from others.

   D. The old woman sympathized with Molly because she suffered from serious arthritis herself.

44. What would be the best title of the text?

   A. A girl with cancer                    B. A touch of heaven

   C. A crippled hand                           D. A kind-hearted couple

"Every time we had dinner, I felt awkward when my Chinese mom__２１___asked me to eat more. My mom in American would__２２___push me like that.__２３___I couldn't tolerate it any more, so I asked why she did that. She told me it was because she loved me and really looked__２４___me as her own child and she worried about whether I felt hungry. From that point I understood that Chinese people had__２５___a poor life in the past.__２６___worries parents most is whether their children have enough food. Although their lives have dramatically improved, they are used to__２７___the old concerns. I still don't feel easy with constant___２８__to eat, but when my Chinese mom tries to persuade me__２９___more, I always thank her with a smile__３０___feeling angry."

    This story comes from Tyler, an American youngster who once lived in my neighbour’s home. His Chinese mom is Wang Huirong, a__３１___from Beijing Normal University.

  As economic__３２___between the US and China become more frequent, an increasing number of American teenagers have become interested in Chinese culture, which seems very new and__３３___ to them. Chinese has gradually become a(n) __３４___choice for American high school students studying a second language. Tyler's father has a trade relationship with China stretching back to the beginning of reform and opening-up, which gave Tyler the opportunity to have__３５___to China from a very young age.

    "Only__３６___and opening-up has allowed us to have a lovely American teenager come and visit us frequently. I couldn't even imagine that in the past. Before we actively sought to avoid __３７___relations. None of us could ever have imagined that one day we would live with foreigners __３８___we were from the same family." says Wang with deep feeling.

Tyler's Chinese has improved a lot. When he first arrived at Wang's home he often watched the retiree__３９___ she spoke, but couldn't respond. Wang often felt anxious and asked for my help with translating. But now Tyler has no problem__４０___with us in Chinese.

1.A. eagerly       B. repeatedly           C. friendly             D. warmly

2.A. also          B. never            C. often            D. not

3.A. However       B. But              C. Finally          D. Therefore

4.A. after         B. at               C. for              D. upon

5.A. led           B. leaded           C. live             D. made

6.A. It            B. What             C. That             D. Which

7.A. speaking      B. talking              C. voicing          D. saying

8.A. demands       B. orders           C. requests             D. commands

9.A. eat           B. eating           C. to eat               D. ate

10.A. other than        B. but than             C. instead              D. instead of

11.A. retiree           B. worker           C. professor            D. official

12.A. changes           B. exchanges        C. conflicts         D. improvements

13.A. different         B. difficult            C. challenging          D. exciting

14.A. hot               B. heat             C. cold             D. only

15.A. entrance          B. access           C. door             D. way

16.A. revolution        B. fighting             C. reform           D. motivation

17.A. foreigner         B. aboard           C. civil                D. overseas

18.A. like              B. as if                C. as               D. even if

19.A. as                B. while            C. since            D. for

20.A. chat              B. chatting             C. to chat              D. chatted