We thought we had it all---a beautiful house, three healthy children and one more on the way, two cars, a couple of four-wheelers for entertainment---and we loved it. Then, the market turned and my husband’s job at a construction company was gone. The company was closing down for good.We both started looking for jobs right away, but there weren’t any to be found. With each passing day we were getting increasingly worried and we continued to work together in order to pull our family through. The more we pulled together, the closer we got. I felt feelings of admiration for my husband that I hadn’t felt in years.

That’s why it was so hard for me to watch him blame himself for our present situation. I continually asked him to stop, but he seemed to want to punish himself for not having a job.

Finally, one afternoon I pulled him aside and said, “We have four healthy children and each other. That’s what’s important. That makes you a rich man.”

“ But what if we lose the house? They’ll hate me—you’ll hate me,” he replied.

I smiled at him and put my hands on both sides of his face to make him look me in the eye. “No matter where we live I will be happy –as long as I have you.” I smiled again. In all the struggling together I had found that deep love for him that I had on the day we said “I do”.

  I could see his shoulders and neck relaxed. He held me close and we were able to talk and plan and dream together in a way that we hadn’t for quite some time. It was a turning point for us as a couple and a family.

We are still struggling for out better life, but I consider us well-off because we have something that money can’t buy and no one can take away from us.

The underlined sentence in the second paragraph means that________.

       A．they became closer as they struggled together    

B．they hoped to find jobs in the same company

       C．neither of them had the courage to ace difficulty

       D．they were trying to make their relationship closer

We can learn from the passage that________.

       A．they both found good jobs at last.

       B．both of them were worried about joblessness.

       C．her husband was to blame for the unemployment

       D．they didn’t love each other when they got married

Which of the following can best describe their present life?

       A．Bitter but easy.         B．Comfortable and happy.

       C．Hard but warm.          D．Well-off and relaxing.

The best title of the passage might be________         .

       A．We Have It All            B．We Find It Again

       C．A Perfect Couple            D．A Hard Time

It was an afternoon in the winter, some friends and I were talking at a restaurant. We talked and talked and soon swimming became the __26___. Suddenly I hit upon an idea. “ Wouldn’t it be ___27_ if we went swimming? Others went swimming in winter, and __28__ couldn’t we? Besides, we could be ___29__ if we did. ” I told them about this and they all said it was a good idea indeed.

Early in the morning, three days _30____, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, ___31__ for a bus to take us to the __32__. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, but all the same, it was very cold, __33__ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us ___34__. We all felt that we should go back, but no one wanted to __35__.

 We soon reached the sands. There was nobody there, but we were not to be discouraged. _36__ we were proud that we were the __37___ ones that dared to challenge the weather. Besides, the sun could keep us warm. So we __38__ ourselves quickly.

But things were not going to be so nice as we thought. The sea wind was blowing, we felt _39___ cold and we shook from head to feet. At last we decided to ___40__ the sea water. We put our feet in first, only to take them back___41___. The water was unbelievably cold. __42___ I suggested that we should all jump in at the same time. We all went back ten steps. I gave the order and we all rushed forward. We jumped. That feeling I had when I was in the water I shall never __43  . I was up and rushed again to the seaside. So _44___ my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible and went home.

We four did not go to school the next three days, for we all _45_ a bad cold. We missed the lessons, but we had this unforgettable experience.

A. topic           B. object           C. center          D. opinion

A. lucky           B. interesting       C. surprising       D. happy

A. how            B. what            C. why           D. that

A. ill              B. worse           C. better          D. stronger

A. past             B. later            C. before        D. since

A. meeting          B. asking          C. looking       D. waiting

A. sands            B. swimming pool   C. river         D. lake

A. though           B. only            C. since         D. even

A. warm            B. cold            C. cool          D. hot

A. talk about        B. speak out       C. think over      D. shout at

A. Instead          B. For            C. Unless         D. Sometimes

A. lucky           B. only            C. happy         D. younger

A. enjoyed         B. helped          C. changed        D. dressed

A. a little          B. such            C. a bit           D. very

A. go into         B. go down         C. take off         D. jump into

A. quickly         B. carefully        C. finally          D. bravely

A. Next           B. Last            C. Then           D. When

A. forget          B. remember       C. tell             D. believe

A. do             B. did            C. had             D. were

A. felt            B. became         C. caught          D. turned

It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor. On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life." At my inquiry, he answered, "Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave."

As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague's words no longer existed. When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher. It obviously isn't the money. Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change. He was working at Nintendo Corporation. His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade. With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired. I thanked him, but declined his kind offer.

A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades, I found a note a student had slipped in with her homework. She thanked me for being her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class — not about math, but about life — would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away. As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher.

Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of blue hats and gowns, I did so with renewed dedication (奉献) and a deeper sense of satisfaction — I will always be grateful that I am a teacher.

Hearing his colleague's description of graduation for the first time, the author         .

A. quite agreed with his colleague        B. thought it very funny

C. was very puzzled                   D. was very sad.

The computer science student called up the author because he         .  

A. wanted to inform the author of his present job

B. tried to persuade the author to work with him

C. wanted the author to share his joy and satisfaction

D. thought the author wasn't fit to be a teacher

The underlined part blue hats and gowns refers to         .  

A. university colleagues                  B. life memories

C. graduates' clothes                     D. decorations in the hall

The author wrote this passage to         .  

A. express his devotion to being a teacher

B. compare two different graduation ceremonies

C. talk about the meaning of graduation

D. give advice on how to be a good teacher

The reason why he earns less than the computer science student is that         . 

A. he was only a young professor   

B. he didn't do well in his work

C. he taught his students more about life than math

D. salaries for different careers are different

It was an afternoon in the winter. Some friends and I were talking at a restaurant. We talked and talked and soon swimming became the ___1____. Suddenly I hit upon an idea. “Wouldn’t it be ___2___ if we went swimming? Others went swimming in winter, and __3___ couldn’t we? Besides, we could be ___4__ if we did. ” I told them about this and they all said it was a good idea indeed.
Early in the morning, three days __5____, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, ___6___ for a bus to take us to the __7___. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, but all the same, it was very cold, __8___ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us ___9__. We all felt that we should go back, but no one wanted to __10___.
We soon reached the sands. There was nobody there, but we were not to be discouraged. __11___ we were proud that we were the __12___ ones that dared to challenge the weather. Besides, the sun could keep us warm. So we __13__ ourselves quickly.
But things were not going to be so nice as we thought. The sea wind was blowing, we felt __14___ cold and we shook from head to feet. At last we decided to ____15__ the sea water. We put our feet in first, only to take them back___16___. The water was unbelievably cold. ___17___ I suggested that we should all jump in at the same time. We all went back ten steps. I gave the order and we all rushed forward. We jumped. That feeling I had when I was in the water I shall never ___18___. I was up and rushed again to the seaside. So __19___ my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible and went home.
We four did not go to school the next three days, for we all __20__ a bad cold. We missed the lessons, but we had this unforgettable experience.

It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat with my friend Katie and the dog when the phone call came, the call that made that bright, beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one.
I had just put on my suit, shorts, and tank top, and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day. I ran into my parents' room to find Dad. When I saw him on the phone, he was crying. I'd never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could have happened?
"Max, I'm so sorry," I heard him say. That's when it hit me. I knew that Suzie had died.Max has been my dad's best friend for years. Suzie, his daughter, had a rare disease that mainly affected her body. Her brain was OK. She knew what was going on; she knew that shehad problems and was different from other kids. Once she told her dad that she wished she could die and be born in a different body. Yet although she couldn't live a normal life ，she was still happy.
When Suzie and I were little, we spent quite a bit of time together. As we grew up, we grew apart. She lived in New York, and I lived in the Midwest. When Suzie was ten she had to live ina hospital in Virginia. About eight months before she died, Max gave us her number at the hospital and we talked at least twice a week until the end. Suzie was always so excited to talk to us and wanted to know every detail about my life. She wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate. In a way, she lived through me.
After we found out about her death, we made our plans to go to New York for the funeral. When she was alive, I sent her a Beanie Baby and she sent one back to me. I had bought her another one but never had the chance to send it to her, so I took it to put in her casket(棺材).
Her funeral was very different from any funeral I'd ever been to. After they lowered her casket, each one of us put a shovelful of dirt over her. I remember crying so hard, I felt weak. My cheeks burned from the tears. My whole body was shaking as I picked up the shovel, but I'm glad I did it.
When Suzie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give to her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted especially my health and the gift of life.
【小题1】The author's family cancelled their ride because______.

A．Suzie was the only person helping the author with difficulties.

B．The author feared that she might also get the same disease as Suzie.

C．The author benefited a lot from talking on the phone with Suzie.

D．The author didn't understand Suzie was her true friend until Suzie's death.