---I’ll be away in a few days. Would you mind looking after my dog?

---Not at all. _________

A．I can’t spare time  B．I’d rather not     C．You can do it       D．I’d be happy to

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He stopped by the fence in front of the house where he lived with his aunt Polly. He looked at it, and all joy left him. The fence was long and high. He put the brush into the whitewash and moved it along the top of the fence. He repeated the operation. He felt he could not continue and sat down.
He knew that his friends would arrive soon with all kinds of interesting plans for the day. They would walk past him and laugh. They would make jokes about his having to work on a beautiful summer Saturday. The thought burned him like fire.
He put his hand into his pockets and took out all that he owned. Perhaps he could find some way to pay someone to do the whitewashing for him. But there was nothing of value in his pockets —nothing that could buy even half an hour of freedom. So he put the bits of toys back into his pockets and gave up the idea
At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea came to him. It filled his mind with a great, bright light. Calmly he picked up the brush and started again to whitewash.
While Tom was working, Ben Rogers appeared. Ben was eating an apple as he walked along the street. As he walked along, he was making noises like the sound of a riverboat. First he shouted loudly, like a boat captain. Then he said “Ding-Dong-Dong”, “Ding-Dong-Dong” again and again, like the bell of a riverboat. And he made other strange noises. When he came close to Tom, he stopped.
Tom went on whitewashing. He did not look at Ben. Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hello! I’m going swimming, but you can’t go, can you?”
No answer. Tom moved his brush carefully along the fence and looked at the result with the eye of an artist. Ben came nearer. Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he kept on working.
Ben said, “Hello, old fellow, you’ve got to work, hey?”
Tom turned suddenly and said, “Why, it’s you, Ben! I wasn’t noticing.”
“Say —I’m going swimming. Don’t you wish you could? But of course you’d rather work — wouldn’t you? Of course you would.”
Tom looked at the boy a bit, and said “What do you call work?”
“Why, isn’t that work?”
Tom went back to his whitewashing, and answered carelessly.
“Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. All I know is, it suits Tom Sawyer.”
“Oh come, now, you don’t mean to say that you like it?”
The brush continued to move.
“Like it? Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?”
Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush back and forth, stepped back to look at the result, added a touch here and there, and stepped back again. Ben watched every move and got more and more interested. Soon he said,
“Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”
Tom thought for a moment, was about to agree; but he changed his mind.
“No —no —it won’t do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. It has got to be done very carefully. I don’t think there is one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it well enough.”
“No —is that so? Oh come, now —let me just try. Only just a little.” “Ben, I’d like to, but if it isn’t done right, I’m afraid Aunt Polly … ”
“Oh, I’ll be careful. Now let me try. Say —I’ll give you the core of my apple.”
“Well, here —No, Ben, now don’t. I’m afraid …”
“I’ll give you all of it.”
Tom gave up the brush with unwillingness on his face, but joy in his heart. And while Ben worked at the fence in the hot sun, Tom sat under a tree, eating the apple, and planning how to get more help. There were enough boys. Each one came to laugh, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was tired, Tom sold the next chance to Billy for a kite; and when Billy was tired, Johnny bought in for a dead rat —and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, Tom had won many treasures.
And he had not worked. He had had a nice idle time all the time, with plenty of company －and the fence had been whitewashed three times. If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, Tom would have owned everything belonging to his friends.
He had discovered a great law of human action, namely, that in order to make a man or a boy want a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to get.
【小题1】How many characters are mentioned in this story?

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36－55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

There was a rich foreign merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4^th wife most and  36  her with best clothes and  37  her to delicious food.

  He also loved the 3^rd wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to  38  his 3^rd wife to his friends.

  He too, loved his 2^nd wife. 39  the merchant faced some 40  , he always turned to his 2^nd wife and she would always help him out.

  Now, the merchant’s first wife had made great  41  to his business. However, the merchant did not love her and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

  One day, the merchant fell ill. He knew that he was going to die  42  . He told himself, “ Now I have 4 wives with me. 43  when I die, I’ll be alone. How  44  I’ll be!”

  Thus, he asked the 4^th wife, “ I  45 you most. Now that I’m dying will you 46  me and keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4^th wife and she walked away without another word.

  The  47  merchant then asked the 3^rd wife, “ I have loved you so much for all my life. Will you follow me and keep me company?” “ 48  !” replied the 3^rd wife. “ Life is so good over here! I’m going to 49  when you die!”

  He then asked the 2^nd  wife, “ I 50 turned to you for help. Now I need your help again. Will you follow me and keep me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t  51  you out this time!” replied the 2^nd wife.

  Then a 52 pulled out, “ I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter  53  you go.” Broken-hearted, the merchant said, “ I should have taken much better  54  of you while I could have.”

 Actually, we all have 4 wives in our life: our body, our possessions, our friends, and our 55  . We should take good care of our soul all our life.

A wore                      B bought           C dressed               D shared

A gave          B treated           C provided                  D sent

A show off           B turn off         C show out             D turn out

A Wherever      B However         C Whether              D Whenever

A requests           B exercises         C problems             D duties

A friends            B contributions    C differences          D attempts

A soon          B fast             C easily                D bitterly

A So                      B And                  C But                          D For

A lonely                 B friendly             C lovely                          D lively

A respected              B missed               C wanted                     D loved

A like                    B catch              C take                         D follow

A sad                     B hopeless            C anxious                    D lucky

A Yes                 B No                    C Sure                         D OK

A work                 B leave              C remarry                    D stay

A seldom       B always               C sometimes             D never

A advise     B demand             C suggest                     D help

A voice            B sound             C shout                     D laugh

A how                  B where             C when                     D why

A advantage       B pity                    C care                         D control

A wealth            B health             C power                          D soul

It is a beautiful day here and I am sitting under the big tree at the e     of the1.     

garden. I have just returned from a long bike ride to an old castle.       seems 2.  

amazing that at my age I am still      (健康) enough to cycle 20 kilometers in 3.  

An afternoon. It’s my b       in two weeks’ time and I’ll be 82 years old! I think4. 

my long and active life must be        to(由于) the healthy life I live.         5.

This brings me to the real       (原因) for my letter, my dear grandson.   6. 

Your mother tells me that you started s       some time ago and now you find  7.

it difficult to give it     . Believe me, I know how easy it is to begin smoking  8. 

and how tough to s      . You see, during adolecence                      9.

I a    smoked and became addicted to cigarettes.                           10.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Brown,
I’m writing to you from my home in China. I returned           
home safe and sound. When thinking of the wonderful day            
【小题1】______________
I spent in New Orleans, I just can’t help think of both of             
【小题2】______________
you. It was very kind for you to have provided everything             
【小题3】______________
to make my stay there such happy experience. I’ve                  
【小题4】______________
learned so many, not only English but also culture. And I          
【小题5】______________
really enjoy a great deal, the fun and laughter we shared          
【小题6】______________
them with each other. Thank you very much. I’ll always             
【小题7】 ______________
remember this trip as well as your kind.                           
【小题8】______________
Welcome to China when it’s convenient for you. I’ll be very     
【小题9】______________
glad to show you around. And you’ll surely have a pleased              
【小题10】______________
visit here.
I’ll keep in touch and write you later. Please take care!
Yours faithfully,
Li Hua