I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma．I remember the day when my big sister dropped the bomb: “There is no Santa Claus,” she laughed．“Even dummies know that!”

　　I fled to Grandma because I knew she always told me  21 ．After I told her everything, she said “No Santa Claus? Don’t believe it. Now,  22 your coat, and let’s go.”

　　“Go? Go where?” I asked．

　　“Where” 23  to be the General Store．As we walked through its doors, Grandma   24 me ten dollars．That was a lot in those days．“Take this money and buy something for  25 needs it．I’ll wait for you in the car．”

　　The store seemed big and  26 , full of people hurrying to finish their Christmas shopping．For a few moments I just stood there, 27  , holding that bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for．

　　Suddenly I thought of Bobbie who sat right behind me．I remembered he didn’t have a coat．I fingered the bill with growing  28 ．I would buy Bobbie a coat．

　　“Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the   29  asked me kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down

　　“Yes,” I replied shyly．“It’s…for Bobbie.”

　　The nice lady smiled at me．I didn’t get any  30 , but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas．

　　That evening, Grandma helped me  31  the coat and wrote, “To Bobby, From Santa Claus” on it．Then she  32 me over to Bobbie’s house．

　　Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie’s house, and she and I crept 33 and hid in the  34 ．Then Grandma gave me a sign．“All right, Santa Claus, get going．”

　　I took a deep 35 , dashed for his front door, threw the present down, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety．Together we  36 breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open．Finally it  37 , and there stood Bobbie．

Forty years haven’t dimmed the thrill of those  38 spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie’s bushes． 39 ,  I realized: Santa was alive and well, and we were  40  his team．

1.                A．the reason      B．many things      C．stories   D．the truth

2.                A．put on         B．put away        C．put up    D．put down

3.                A．used           B．turned out      C．found out D．turned up

4.                A．lent           B．took           C．paid D．handed

5.                A．anyone         B．whomever       C．someone who  D．those who

6.                A．crowded        B．varied          C．noisy D．convenient

7.                A．satisfied        B．confused        C．curious   D．amazed

8.                A．worry          B．disappointment   C．happiness D．excitement

9.                A．counter        B．desk           C．shelf D．goods

10.               A．money         B．gifts           C．change    D．encouragement

11.               A．make          B．wrap           C．undo D．design

12.               A．drove          B．took           C．led   D．asked

13.               A．quickly         B．painfully        C．nervously  D．noiselessly

14.               A．bushes         B．darkness        C．doorway   D．car

15.               A．courage        B．look           C．step D．breath

16.               A．waited         B．whispered      C．crept D．stood

17.               A．came          B．sounded        C．did   D．appeared

18.               A．moments       B．days           C．time D．people

19.               A．Today          B．That year       C．That night  D．Since then

20.               A．on            B．for            C．at    D．of

完形填空

　　All kinds of people came in to have their shoes shined. Most folks were friendly. But this man was different.

　　“How much do you make a week, boy?”he asked me. I felt he was __1__ at me.

　　He kept giving a sharp __2__ around every now and then. All the time I kept __3__ where I'd seen his face. Suddenly I knew. I'd seen his __4__ in the post office many times. He was the big robber: __5__ by the police in three states!

　　“You know, ”he was saying,“it's imagination people __6__. You'll never get anywhere as a shoeshine boy.”

　　I kept brushing on his shoes as __7__ as I could. The sooner I finished, the better. He said,“When I was sixteen, I had __8__ $ 2 500 of my own.”

　　That reminded me of something. Was it $ 2 500 or $ 5 000 or $ 25 000? I wasn't __9__. I knew a big reward was __10__ for him.

　　But what could I do about it? __11__ him with a can of shoe polish（擦亮剂）? A man his __12__ could grind（压碎）me into the floor. If only someone would come in! He kept talking away（喋喋不休）.“Along with __13__, it takes courage. The courage to take a chance. Start something on a shoestring（鞋带）.”

　　Suddenly I saw Officer Dailey __14__ across the street. Then, real fast, I began tightening the man's shoestrings.

　　The policeman was at the window when I cried out,“Officer Dailey, __15__! This man's a robber.”

　　“__16__,”the man shouted angrily. He started to jump off the stand. But he didn't go the __17__ he planned. He fell flat on his face and knocked himself out cold.

　　“That was __18__ clever of you,”the officer said. “You'll get a reward of $ 7 500 for him.”

　　“Well, it really wasn't my __19__,”I said.“It was his. He told me that __20__ you had courage and imagination, you could start something big on a shoestring.”

阅读理解

"Earthquake! "The word flashed in my brain. A roaring sound filled my ears. I tried to slide beneath my desk. The desk did a wild tap dance, slipping and sliding towards the center of the room. I twisted my body and grabbed at the windowsill behind me, somehow kicking free of my dancing chair. I tried to stand. My legs skated away as if on a bucking escalator.

　　 My fingers shaked, grasped and help the windowsill tightly. Somewhere through the roar sounded the terrified scream of some wounded animal. I looked behind me and tried to steady my gaze on the other kids but the scene was a dizzy nightmare. Some of the class were sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs and desks. One girl was screaming. A boy was trying to claw his way across the floor to the door in a crazy overarm crawl.

　　 My grip froze me to the windowsill.

　　 I cried aloud, "I'm going to die. I'm going to die. Save me, I'm not ready to die, I'm not ready!"

　　 I hunched forward on my knees and pressed my face against my clenched fingers. I looked at the backs of my fingers and stupidly noticed the fragile pale hairs growing out of the pores. The fingers would soon cease to exist. Somehow the impending horror of my death was too terrible to even cry about.

　　  Suddenly, I became aware that the rocking had ceased. Perhaps I wasn't going to die.

1. The roaring sound was made by ________.

A. a wounded animal

B. people screaming

C. children running

D. an earthquake

2. When the narrator clenches his fingers he is ________

A. afraid

B. angry

C. injured

D. impatient

3. Paragraph 2 describes the_________

A. injuries suffered by the narrator

B. effects of a bad nightmare

C. disorder in the classroom

D. narrator's fear of death

4.At the end of the passage there is a feeling of______

  A. panic

B. hope

C. sorrow

D. excitement

I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma．I remember the day when my big sister dropped the bomb: “There is no Santa Claus,” she laughed．“Even dummies know that!”
　　I fled to Grandma because I knew she always told me  21 ．After I told her everything, she said “No Santa Claus? Don’t believe it. Now,  22 your coat, and let’s go.”
　　“Go? Go where?” I asked．
　　“Where” 23  to be the General Store．As we walked through its doors, Grandma   24 me ten dollars．That was a lot in those days．“Take this money and buy something for  25 needs it．I’ll wait for you in the car．”
　　The store seemed big and  26 , full of people hurrying to finish their Christmas shopping．For a few moments I just stood there, 27  , holding that bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for．
　　Suddenly I thought of Bobbie who sat right behind me．I remembered he didn’t have a coat．I fingered the bill with growing  28 ．I would buy Bobbie a coat．
　　“Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the   29  asked me kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down
　　“Yes,” I replied shyly．“It’s…for Bobbie.”
　　The nice lady smiled at me．I didn’t get any  30 , but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas．
　　That evening, Grandma helped me  31  the coat and wrote, “To Bobby, From Santa Claus” on it．Then she  32 me over to Bobbie’s house．
　　Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie’s house, and she and I crept 33 and hid in the  34 ．Then Grandma gave me a sign．“All right, Santa Claus, get going．”
　　I took a deep 35 , dashed for his front door, threw the present down, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety．Together we  36 breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open．Finally it  37 , and there stood Bobbie．
Forty years haven’t dimmed the thrill of those  38 spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie’s bushes． 39 ,  I realized: Santa was alive and well, and we were  40  his team．