My grandson, Daniel, and I have always been very close. When Daniel’s father remarried after a divorce, Daniel, who was eleven, and his little sister, Kristie, came to live with us. My husband and I were more than happy to have kids in the house again.

    Things were going along just fine until the diabetes (糖尿病) I’ve lived with most of my adult life started affecting my eyes, and then more seriously, my kidneys (肾). Then everything seemed to fall apart.

    Three times a week, I had to go to the hospital to be hooked up to a dialysis machine (透析机). I was living, but I couldn’t really call it a life — it was an existence. I had no energy. I dragged myself through daily chores and slept as much as I could. My sense of humor seemed to disappear.

    Daniel, seventeen by then, was really affected by the change in me. He tried as hard as he could to make me laugh, to bring back the grandma who loved to clown around (开玩笑) with him. Even in my sorry state, Daniel could still bring a smile to my face.

    But things were not improving. After a year on dialysis, my condition was deteriorating (恶化) and the doctors felt that if I didn’t receive a kidney transplant within six months, I would surely die. No one told Daniel this, but he knew — he said all he had to do was look after me. To top it off, as my condition worsened, there was a chance that I would become too weak to have the transplant surgery at all, and then there would be nothing they could do for me. So we started the tense and desperate wait for a kidney.

    I was adamant (坚决的) that I didn’t want a kidney from anyone I knew. I would wait until an appropriate kidney became available, or I would literally die waiting. But Daniel had other plans. The time that he took me to my dialysis appointments, he did a little secret research on his own. Then he announced his intention to me.

    “Grandma, I’m giving you one of my kidneys. I’m young and I’m healthy …” He paused. He could see I wasn’t at all happy with his offer. He continued, almost in whisper, “And most of all, I couldn’t stand it if you weren’t around.” His face wore an expression of appeal mixed with determination. He can be as stubborn as a mule (驴) once he decides on something — but I’ve been told many times that I can out-stubborn any mule!

    We argued. I couldn’t let him do it. We both knew that if he gave up his kidney, he would also give up his life’s dream; to play football. It was all he ever talked about. And he was good, too. Daniel was co-captain and star defensive tackle (防守阻截队员) of his high school team; he expected to apply for a football scholarship and was looking forward to playing college football. He just loved the sport.

    “How can I let you throw away the thing that means the most to you?” I pleaded with him.

    “Grandma,” he said softly, “compared to your life, football means nothing to me.”

    After that, I couldn’t argue anymore. So we agreed to see if he was a good donor (捐赠者) match, and then we’d discuss it further. When the tests came back, they showed Daniel was a perfect match. That was it. I knew I wasn’t going to win that argument, so we scheduled the transplant.

    Both surgeries went smoothly. As soon as I came out of the anesthesia (麻醉) , I could tell things were different. I felt great! The nurses in the intensive care unit had to keep telling me to lie back and be quiet — I wasn’t supposed to be that lively! I was afraid to go to sleep, for fear I would break the spell (魔法) and wake up the way I had been before. But the good feeling didn’t go away, and I spent the evening joking and laughing with anyone who would listen. It was so wonderful to feel alive again.

    The next day they moved me out of ICU and onto the floor where Daniel was recuperating (复原) three doors away. His grandfather helped him walk down to see me as soon as I was moved into my room. When we saw each other, we did not know what to say. Holding hands, we just sat there and looked at each other for a long time, overwhelmed by the deep feeling of love that connected us.

    Finally, he spoke, “Was it worthwhile, grandma?”

    I laughed a little ruefully (懊悔). “It was for me! But was it for you?” I asked him.

    He nodded and smiled at me. “I’ve got my grandma back.”

    And I have my life back. It still amazes me. Every morning, when I wake up, I thank God —and Daniel — for this miracle. A miracle born of the purest love.

1.Grandma’s diabetes brought about all the following EXCEPT that _______.

A. her eyes and her kidneys were affected

B. grandma became quite a different person

C. Daniel had to be sent back to his father

D. everything was thrown into confusion

2.When grandma was at her lowest, what did Daniel do to bring her back to her usual life?

A. He tried his best to make her laugh.     

B. He helped her with the daily chores.

C. He gave up his dream of going to college.     

D. He searched desperately for a good donor match.

3.How did grandma feel when Daniel announced his intention to give her one of his kidneys?

A. She was moved by his selfless decision.

B. She wasn’t at all happy with his offer.

C. She felt relieved that an appropriate kidney was available.

D. She was enthusiastic about having a kidney of someone she loved.

4.What would giving up a kidney mean to Daniel, according to the passage?

A. He wouldn’t be young and healthy thereafter.

B. He didn’t have to search for a good match any more.

C. He could apply for a full scholarship to a college he desired.

D. He would also give up his life’s dream: to play football.

5.How was grandma when she came out of the anesthesia after the surgery?

A. She was feeling low.                B. She was full of life.

C. She was exhausted.                D. She was the way she had been before.

6.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Grandma got her life back thanks to Daniel’s selfless donation.

B. Grandma thought her returning to life was a miracle of pure love.

C. Daniel agreed with grandma that the transplant was worthwhile for her, not for him.

D. Much as he loved football, grandma’s life meant the most to Daniel.

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

A little boy is telling his Grandma how everything is going wrong: School, family problems, severe health problems, etc. Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks the child if he would like a snack, which of course he would.

"Here. Have some cooking oil."

"Terrible!" says the boy.

"How about a couple of raw eggs?"

" Terrible! Grandma."

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Grandma, those are all awful!"

To which the Grandma replies, "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! Life works the same way. Many times we wonder why we have to go through such bad and difficult times, but when we put these things all in a suitable way, they always work for good!”

“The trials of life serve a meaningful purpose in making us stronger. Don’t lose heart if life is not easy for you right now, but encourage yourself and know you will be much stronger mentally and physically because of the trials of life.”

[写作内容]

1.以约30个词概括短文的内容；

2.然后用120个词以“Facing the Trials of Life”写一篇文章, 内容包括：

1）你阅读短文后的感受；

2）讲述你经历的一次困难或考验；

3）你认为应当如何看待生活中的考验。

[写作要求]

1）可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事, 也可以参照阅读材料的内容, 但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2）文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

[评分标准]

概括准确, 语言规范, 内容合适, 篇章连贯。

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

A little boy is telling his Grandma how everything is going wrong: School, family problems, severe health problems, etc. Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks the child if he would like a snack, which of course he would.

"Here. Have some cooking oil."

"Terrible!" says the boy.

"How about a couple of raw eggs?"

" Terrible! Grandma."

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Grandma, those are all awful!"

To which the Grandma replies, "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! Life works the same way. Many times we wonder why we have to go through such bad and difficult times, but when we put these things all in a suitable way, they always work for good!”

“The trials of life serve a meaningful purpose in making us stronger. Don’t lose heart if life is not easy for you right now, but encourage yourself and know you will be much stronger mentally and physically because of the trials of life.”

[写作内容]

1.以约30个词概括短文的内容；

2.然后用120个词以“Facing the Trials of Life”写一篇文章, 内容包括：

1）你阅读短文后的感受；

2）讲述你经历的一次困难或考验；

3）你认为应当如何看待生活中的考验。

[写作要求]

1）可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事, 也可以参照阅读材料的内容, 但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2）文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

[评分标准]

概括准确, 语言规范, 内容合适, 篇章连贯。

“Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.” This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, it was written by an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 53.

We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing(惊人的) and can even change our lives. Every week, School Edition carries a story on Page 6 of some great new invention. Remember the smart home, the magic see-through-coat and robots searching Mars?

 But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?

You are rushing to computer to finish your homework. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all right to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?

 Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.

Our family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today.

 The grandparents, with their daughter and grandsons Benjamin, ten and Thomas, seven, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house.

They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.

The grandma Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.”

She believed life was less materialistic(物质享受的) . “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” she said.

The boys said they fought less. Probably they said, because there was less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things”.

Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!

(1) Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your emails every day.

(2) Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying(烦人的) .

(3) Make sure you spend more time talking to your family. Set aside one evening a week when you don’t turn on the television. Play cards and chat instead.

(4) Get a low-tech hobby. Every day, do something in the old fashioned way, such as walking to have a face-to-face meeting instead of using the email or telephone, or making a birthday card.

1. The writer uses the quote(引语)  at the beginning of the story to __________.

A. share a truth about life

B. tell us what was like long ago

C. point out that whatever time you live in, you experience some big problems and they may be the same

D. make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen

2. Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940s house?

A. Because they loved to live simple lives.

B. Because they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions.

C. Because they were troubled by modern inventions.

D. Because living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them.

3. The writer gives the example of “a family in UK back in time” to __________.

A. show the new inventions also bring people some problems

B. show the life in the past is better than that of today

C. explain why new inventions are so useful

D. test the life without new inventions is terrible

4. What do you think the underlined word “available” in the first suggestion offered by the writer means?

A. Able to be found by others. 　　　　　　　　　　   B. Online.

C. Free. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Busy.

5. According to the passage, the writer seems to think that__________.

A. technology brings us nothing but bad effects

B. technology sometimes makes people feel stressed and tired

C. the problems that technology brings can not be avoided

D. human beings are still not able to deal with the problems that the technology brings