Last night I had the best gift ever.
My older son was reading a detective novel while my younger son was reading fairy tales. They were each in different rooms, engrossed in their books with no TV, music or anything else distracting (使分心) their attention.
I read a lot during my childhood, curling (蜷缩) up in sofa or lying in bed. Like anyone else, I had lots of other interests, but once I discovered reading, I really enjoyed it. I read everything — books, magazines, newspapers, even the back of food packages if there was nothing else to read at the moment. I must thank my parents for their love of reading. Longing for more information and knowledge, my parents were always reading a lot.
Today’s children are provided with a variety of choices. It is so easy for them to become uninterested in reading and to view it as boring, uncool and unnecessary. There are TVs with astonishing choices of programs; there are MP3 players with thousands of songs at their fingertips; there are the Internet and mobile phones.
I’ve told my sons that reading comes with information, understanding and connection, each of which will help them at every stage in their lives now and forever. So when my sons were reading their books last night, I watched them, noticing them put a bookmark into their books. That’s the most amazing gift that I have ever received.
【小题1】The best title for this passage is _____.

Some families live quite far in the UK．Visiting them can either be an adventure or a chore(麻烦事)．It depends on how much family members like each other．

If all goes well，kids have an exciting time．Your relatives will plan different fun activities and make you happy．Taking you to visit relatives gives your parents a chance to rest．It gives older relatives a good chance to relive the time when they had young kids．If they do not have children of their own，they get to play parent for a while．

I remember that Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the place I liked to go with my grandparents

It is an amusement park on the northwest coast．It is packed with roller coasters(过山车)and candy stalls(糖果摊)．You could race small boats on a lake or scare yourself into death riding the ghost train．I had good memories of my time there．

As you get older，you suddenly become the one who must help your relatives with their kids．I have four COUSINS aged between one and eleven．They are fantastic and I really enjoy seeing them．However，it is very tiring，as they get so excited and energetic(充满活力)．I fall asleep hoping they will remember our good times when they get older．

1.If all goes well，visiting relatives far away can be _____for kids．

    A．dangerous           B．exciting                 C．boring                    D．hard

2.By saying “relive the time”，the author means the old relatives enjoy______．

    A．sharing old memories                               B．eating lots of food

    C．watching old movies                                  D．going out together

3.The author feel tired after playing with his cousins because_________．

    A．his cousins are funny                                B．he enjoys playing with them  

    C．he doesn’t like children                            D．his cousins have too much energy

4.The best title for this passage is      

    A．My Favorite Amusement Park                   B．Fun Playing with Cousins

C．Visiting Relatives in the UK                        D．Childhood Memories

Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.

    "Can we write him a letter?"

    She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."

    My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.

    "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.

    "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.

    She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped (缠绕) the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.

    "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."

The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.

Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend (超越) this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditar. I prayed to be a balloon.

When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________.

    A．felt it hard to answer       B．thought her a creative girl

    C．believed it easy to do so        D．found it easy to lie

When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.

    A．jumped with joy                  B．became excited

    C．started writing immediately              D．was worried that it couldn't be delivered

In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?

    A．An incurable disease.           B．An unforgettable memory.

    C．The hard time her father had.                D．The failures her father experienced.

What would be the best title for the passage?

    A．An unforgettable experience     B．The strong red balloon

    C．Fly to paradise                          D．A great father

Although there are no state controlled survival courses in Britain or the United States, there are various independent organizations offering similar activities.

Students can participate ( take part ) in outdoor training courses through university clubs and societies . Anyone can register ( 登记 ) with such groups , which then organize courses ,training and trips for all members .

One of the most popular outdoor training programmes in both the US and Britain , is Outward Bound ( 户外训练 ) . It was founded in 1941 in Wales and attracts hundreds of thousands of adventurous types every year .

The courses are to broaden minds through experiences that build confidence , self-esteem ( 自尊 ) and character . As well as specialist courses such as canoeing , leadership skills and sailing , participants can take part in week long adventure training camps which include a host of sports and survival training education skills .

Michael Williams , an American student , took part in an Outward Bound course last year . He said : “We learned lots of first aid skills , lots of natural history , lots of environmental facts , and participated in a wildlife preservation ( protecting ) programme . Beyond that , my favorite skills learned were sailing and rock climbing .”

Courses can last up to 40 days and are open to anyone over the age of 14 . Students must be in general good health , but do not need to be experienced in outdoor-sports . There is no selection process ; everyone is welcome , although new participants are advised to pick a course matching their physical power .

Most of the British courses take place in the Beacons in Wales . Another similar organization is the UK Survival School , which includes courses on learning to live with the environment , sailing and winter survival . On a basic survival weekend students will learn how to get water and food , how to make fire and cook with it , to find and build a shelter , control survival life support , how to cross rivers , send off an SOS signal , and to use compasses by day and night .

According to the leaders , such adventures are “an awakening , an exploration into unknown.” Outward Bound believes that participants will “use mind and body traveling some of the earth’s roughest wildness areas .”

1.The advantage of the training courses is that _________________ .

A. participants can make friends with others

B. participants can visit some places of interest

C. participants can experience different adventures

D. participants can learn how wonderful nature is

2. In the Outward Bound course last year , the most exciting experience Michael Williams had was _____________________.

A. learning first aid skills                B. collecting facts of environment

C. preserving wildlife                   D. rock climbing and sailing

3.What’s the writer’s purpose to write this passage ?

A. To introduce the training course to readers

B. To persuade readers to take part in the training courses.

C. To tell readers the danger of this training course

D. To introduce the wonders of the world to readers

Dear Editor,

I’m a Senior I student in a middle school. This term, my favorite teacher, Miss Mao, no longer teaches us. I want to see her, but I’m afraid that she no longer likes me and I don’t want to trouble her. I really miss her. What should I do?

                                                                Tian Yan

Dear Tian Yan,

It’s bad luck that you have lost your favorite teacher, But if she is still in your school , nothing can stop you going to see her. When she isn’t busy, ask her if she minds having a quick chat. You can then tell her she was your favorite teacher------ everyone is happy to know that they are liked!

If she has left the school, it will be more difficult to meet her. It will be hard, but remember people always come and go in their lives. We can’t rely on them to be with us all the time.

You may be sad to say goodbye to her, but we can remember and learn from her. Think of her best qualities.

You could also try looking for similar qualities in your other teachers. Study hard and give your new teacher a chance.In time, you might start to see that he or she has different qualities to learn from.

Finally, you can not completely rely on other people to get you through your studies , or even your life.

                                                          Editor

1.The letters are from________.

   A book      B newspaper   C poster     D advertisement

2.Which of the following does the editor advise Tuan Yan NOT to do?

  A Find a time to see Miss Mao    B Have a short chat with Miss Mao

  C Tell Miss Mao she likes her     D Keep quiet about the thing

3. According to the passage, students can make progress in their studies _______.

  A completely by their favorite teachers  B completely by their favorite classmates

  C mainly by their parents             D mainly by themselves