I spent two months with an American family last year when I studied in America．It is said that “The best house is in the U.S.A．， the best wife is in Japan and the best food is in China．”So I took 36    and pleasure to   37    “the best food” for my American family．Each day，regardless of my poor skill of cooking，I performed my play in  38   way：changing the dishes’colour，the meat’s type or the soup’s style．Thus，my American friends could discover the    39   of eating Chinese food． Because of my“      40    ” job，I was often rewarded by their    41  of  appreciation , such as “very  tasty”，“excellent”etc．But the joke was here： yesterday， I cooked Sichuan－style    42  for dinner．I was   43   at my achievement．When all the family members arrived at the table，they first looked     44  at the fish，then looked at me． “Why do all the fish have their    45   ？” they asked，“It’s horrible！” Horrible or beautiful？ I don’t know． But I    46  know that fish heads are delicious. The    47   is the best part of fish； in    48    only the respectable guest can have the special     49  of enjoying it． Another                      50     thing is：the American friends often said to me“    51 ”as they  52   fruits or other things． According to Chinese tradition，I would simply smile in answer to their kindness 53 actually helping myself to any of the food.     54  ，I said “help yourself” to them whenever I brought home fruits．Dear me，no matter how much or how often I brought home food， as long as it was nice to their taste，they    55  hesitated to use their hands to “help themselves” until all was finished． 

When I was fifteen months old．I fell on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it．And as I grew，this sightless eye , in so many ways controlled me that I walked with my face looking at the floor so people would not see the ugly me．

Yet Mama would hold me in her arms and stroke my hair and say，“If you hold your head up high，it will be OK．And people will see your beautiful soul．”She continued this message whenever I wanted to hide．

As a little child，I thought Mama meant，“Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking．”As a teenager, I found that my mama’s words helped me begin to realize that by letting people look at my face，I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind my eyes．

In high school I was successful both academically and socially．I was even elected class president，but inside me I still felt like a freak(畸形人)．When things got really bad，I would cry to my mama and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, “Hold your head up high and face the world．Let them see the beauty that is inside．”

When I met the man who became my partner for life，we looked each other straight in the eye，and he told me I was beautiful inside and out．Mama’s love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the confidence to overcome my own doubt．

“Hold your head up high” has been heard many times in my home．Each of my children has felt its invitation．The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation．

1.What is TRUE of the writer’s eyes?

     A．She was blind in one eye when she was born．

B．Her blindness was caused by a traffic accident．

     C．She became blind in one eye because of a fall．

D．She lives unhappily because of her blindness．

2.When the writer was a high school student，she ________ ．

      A．was proud of her beauty that was inside

B．was active in taking part in social activities

      C．was filled with doubts and worries about her sightless eye

      D．was good at her study but sometimes lacked confidence

3.What does the underlined word “invitation” mean?

      A．encouragement    B．advantage    C．warmth    D．weight

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

      A．To show the power of confidence．          

B．To express her attitude to her mom．

      C．To explain how to build confidence．          

D．To inspire people to face difficulties

Parents’ blessing will play a great part in the growth of their children. My father wrote me a valuable letter before his death, one part of which always  36 . “I know you will do  37 great that will set you among the very best one day in the future.”
Since I first read his  38  at 12, they have lived in my heart.  39 ,I knew that my dad’s believing in me gave me permission to believe in  40  . “You will do something great.” He didn’t know  41  that would mean, but whenever I felt 42  of myself, I remember my father’s words, and  43  he were here, so I could ask, “Is this what you were  44 about, Dad?”
Many years have passed, and I believe that my father  45 have been proud when I  46 from basic training and became a rescue swimmer. Lately, I’ve come to realize he’d want me to move 47 to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in someone else.
Yes, it’s time to all of us to  48  writing our own letters to our children. They look to us with the same  49  . “Is this it, Daddy? Am I doing fine?” It’s why every child growing up says, “Watch me!” Our children don’t  50   because they are not afraid to fail. They are only afraid of failing  51___.
Remember to give your children  52   to succeed. If you don’t have children, then write a letter to someone who 53 you. They are waiting for you to believe in them. Trust me, love will be 54  real and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts: “  55  ! You will do something great.” Not having that blessing from someone they love may be the only thing holding them back.

Learning Chinese has been like climbing a steep(陡峭的)mountain.

My mother was born in Tokyo,while my father moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong when he was seven years old. At home we speak English. I know some basic Chinese customs :to use chosticks gracefully (得体地)and what to say on Spring Festival to get a red envelope. But I never truly learned to speak Chinese.

Why should I need to learn the language ,anyway? I live in America where everyone speaks English.

I realized I was wrong in ninth grade when I arrived at Philips Academy,a famous boarding school in Massachusetts.The school encourages a global outlook(视野). There I decided to welcome the opportunity to learn Chinese. I met other American-born Chinese and together we spoke Ching-lish outside of the classroom.

I searched for ways to access Chinese culture through dramas such as Meteor Garden (《流星花园》)and music by singers such as S.H.E,Wilbur Pan and Jasmine Leung（梁静茹）. Listening to Chinese music is where I found my favorite singer in the whole world:Jay Chou. Even if I cannot understand what he is crooning（哼唱）, I do feel more Chinese whenever I listen to his music.

Last summer I spent five weeks in China,four of which were taking a language course at a Beijing high school. I was proud when I could understand the dialogue in Intitial D（《头文字D》） and when I could easily translate Fairy Tale sung by Kong Leung（光良）.

Learning Chinese has been a rocky trek（艰苦跋涉）, and I know it will continue to be that way before I arrive at a relative plateau（高地） of fluency（流利）.I hope that one day I will be able to work and maybe even live in China as a true Chinese.

1.The author wrote the text mainly to___.

A.share her experience of learning Chinese

B.tell us why she is interested in learning Chinese

C.show off(炫耀) the progress she made in learning Chinese

D.give advice on how to learn Chinese

2.The author's attitude to learning Chinese changed because___.

A.she found Chinese was interesting to learn

B.she wanted to take a course to pass easily

C.she realized she should have an open mind to the outside world

D. she made friends with some American___born Chinese at the school she studied

3.The author tried all of the following to learn Chinese EXCEPT___.

A.listening to Chinese music

B.practicing speaking Chinese with her parents

C.enjoying Chinese dramas

D.taking a Chinese course in China

4.We can learn from the text that___.

A.S.H.E.is the author's favorite singer[来源:Zxxk.Com]

B.dialogues in Meteor Garden are easy to guess

C.the author enjoys learning Chinese though it is difficult

D.the author can speak fluent Chinese now

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分）
Big things were happening in my life the summer I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents shook my entire world and turned it upside down when they told me they were getting a divorce. I couldn't believe that our family was going to break up. Though I always knew my parents weren't very happy and they often fought, I still wanted my family to stay the same.
My life changed completely after the divorce.My mother and I moved into a small apartment across town,while my father and brother,Bill, stayed in our house.I now became a visitor whenever I went to see my dad and Bill on the weekends. And immediately I had my soon-to-be stepfather,Dan,whom I showed no interest in.I was clearly depressed, especially after Dan and my mother married and I realized that there was no way that things could change back to the way they had been.
Even though I resisted all Dan's attempts to get to know me and wasn't very nice to him, he never gave up on me. Gradually, I began to trust him. I realized that we actually had some things in common, especially when it came to movies and TV shows. We spent a lot of time together hanging out watching TV. That gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other.
Better still, Dan showed an interest in me that I had never experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed advice on school or friends. Once I began to warm up to Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and took short trips. Eventually, I discovered that I finally had the happy family that I had always wanted.
I now realize my parents were right about getting the divorce. Their breakup was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness－ he remarried and had another child, my half-sister, Michelle. 　　　
At 13, I learned an important truth－change is not always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, it is just what we need the most.
61.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.Their parents didn't love each other any longer.       B.The writer didn't want his parents to divorce.
C.Their parents' divorce hurt the writer much.     D.The writer was in low spirits all the time.
62.The writer and Dan have the same interests EXCEPT______.
A.seeing movies     B.surfing the internet     C.having talks D.watching TV
63.What does the author think of his stepfather?
A.Trustful.     B.Interesting.  C.Helpful.      D.Boring.
64.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A.Divorce Is Not Always the Worst.     B.A Devoted Stepfather.
C.There Is a Change in My Life.   D.A True Story.