阅读下面短文, 从短文后面各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中, 选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, “Are all people the same even if they are different in color?”

I thought for a minute, and then I said, “I’ll explain, 21 you can just wait until we make a quick 22 at the grocery store(百货商店). I have something 23 to show you. ”

At grocery store, we 24 some apples --- red, green and yellow ones. Back home, I told Adam, “It’s time to 25 your question.” I put one apple of each 26 on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a 27 look on his face. 

 “People are like apples. They come in all 28 colors, shapes and sizes. On the 29,  some of the apples may not 30 look as the others. ” As I was talking, Adam was 31 each one carefully. 

Then, I took each of the apples and peeled（削皮）them, 32 them back on the table, but 33 a different place. 

 “Okay, Adam, tell me which is which.”

He said, “I 34 tell. They all look same now. ” “Take a bite of 35. See if that helps you 36 which one is which. ”

He took 37, and then a huge smile came cross his face. ’People are 38 like apples! They are all different, but once you 39 the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside. ”

He totally 40 it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else. 

21. A. although            B. so                          C. because                D. if        

22. A. stop                  B. start                       C. turn                      D. stay        

23. A. expressive         B. encouraging            C. informative           D. interesting     

24. A. bought              B. counted                  C. saw                      D. collected      

25. A. check               B. mention                  C. answer                 D. improve       

26. A. size                   B. type                       C. shape                   D. class        

27. A. worried             B. satisfied                  C. proud                   D. curious       

28. A. ordinary            B. normal                    C. different               D. regular       

29. A. outside              B. whole                     C. table                     D. inside        

30. A. still                   B. even                       C. only                     D. ever        

31. A. examining          B. measuring               C. drawing                D. packing       

32. A. keeping             B. placing                   C. pulling                  D. giving        

33. A. on                    B. toward                   C. for                       D. in         

34. A. mustn’t             B. can’t                      C. shouldn’t              D. needn’t       

35. A. each one           B. each other               C. the other               D. one another    

36. A. admit                B. consider                 C. decide                  D. believe

37. A. big bites            B. deep breaths            C. a firm hold            D. close look 

38. A. just                   B. always                    C. merely                  D. seldom

39. A. put away           B. get down                C. hand out               D. take off 

40. A. made                      B. took                     C. got                       D. did 

One day, a teacher was speaking to a group of students about how to manage time. He gave such an interesting example that his students would never   26  .

He put a wide-mouth jar(罐) on the table. Then he    27  some rocks and carefully placed them into the jar, one at a time. When   28  rocks would fit inside, he   29  , “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in class shouted, “Yes.” “Really?” The teacher pulled out a bag of small stones. He put   30  small stones in and shook the jar. The small stones went   31  into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group   32  , “Is this jar full?”

“Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” the teacher replied. He brought out a box of sand and   33  some sand on the jar and it went between the rocks and small stones. Again he asked the   34  question, “Is this jar full?

“No,” the class shouted. Once more the teacher said, “Good.” He poured a cup of water into the jar   35  it was full. The he asked, “What is the point here?” One student   36  his hand and said, “The point is that if you try really hard, you can   37  put more things in.”

“No,” the teacher replied, “that’s not the   38  . What I want to tell you is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you will never get others in at all.   39  are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Time with your friends, your education or your dreams? Remember to put the   40  in first, or you’ll never get others in at all?”

1.                A．remember      B．like            C．forget    D．think

2.                A．handed out      B．took out        C．carried away   D．put away

3.                A．no more        B．not more        C．no many  D．not many

4.                A．answered       B．read           C．asked    D．said

5.                A．no            B．few            C．any  D．some

6.                A．up            B．out            C．down D．away

7.                A．no more        B．once again      C．a third time    D．a fourth time

8.                A．sent           B．put            C．bought   D．collected

9.                A．same          B．different        C．difficult   D．common

10.               A．since          B．till             C．while D．because

11.               A．offered        B．placed         C．raised D．shook

12.               A．always         B．already         C．never D．hardly

13.               A．point          B．example        C．promise   D．story

14.               A．When          B．What          C．Who  D．Why

15.               A．sand           B．small stones     C．big rocks  D．water

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit (追寻) of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral（葬礼） is Wednesday.”  Memories flashed（闪现）through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence (影响) in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things that he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore （撕）open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope（信封）. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

1.Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A．Because he had no children or relatives.

B．Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

C．Because he thought he had to keep his word.

D．Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

2.Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A．He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B．He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C．He had missed his son and his family for days.

D．He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

3.Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A．College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

B．Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C．Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

D．His present busy life washed away his children memories.

4.Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

A．Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B．Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C．Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D．Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

5.Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Good Old Times

B．The Lost Childhood Days

C．An Old Gold Watch

D．What He Valued Most

Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星),and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.

Images of the Mars caves from Northern
Arizona University
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.Each as large as a football field,they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars,there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,”said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke,a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia,yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm,suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said:‘Wow,that’s a cave’,”Dr.Clarke said excitedly.“People have been looking for these for a long time;now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold,radiation-soaked(充满辐射的),dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,”he said.“If there are gases coming out,they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria.A cave is also a protection from radiation;the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago.The outside of the tubes cooled,forming solid walls,while something hotter inside allowed the remaining lava to flow out,forming caves.
【小题1】What does the passage mainly talk about?

请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, “Are all people the same even if they are different in color?”

I thought for a minute, and then I said, “I’ll explain, 21 you can just wait until we make a quick 22 at the grocery store. I have something 23 to show you. ”

At grocery store, we 24 some apples --- red, green and yellow ones. Back home, I told Adam, “It’s time to 25 your question.” I put one apple of each 26 on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a 27 look on his face. 

 “People are like apples. They come in all 28 colors, shapes and sizes. On the 29,  some of the apples may not 30 look as delicious as the others. ” As I was talking, Adam was 31 each one carefully. 

Then, I took each of the apples and peeled（削皮）them, 32 them back on the table, but 33 a different place. 

 “Okay, Adam, tell me which is which.”

He said, “I 34 tell. They all look the same now. ” “Take a bite of 35. See if that helps you 36 which one is which. ”

He took 37,  and then a huge smile came cross his face.”People are 38 like apples! They are all different, but once you 39 the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside. ”

He totally 40 it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else. 

1.A. although       B. so                 C. because       D. if        

2.A. stop          B. start            C. turn          D. stay        

3.A. expressive         B. encouraging         C. informative D. interesting     

4.A. bought          B. counted            C. saw          D. collected       

5.A. check             B. mention           C. answer      D. improve       

6.A. size           B. type             C. shape      D. class        

7.A. worried         B. satisfied           C. proud       D. curious       

8.A. ordinary        B. normal        C. different       D. regular       

9.A. outside         B. whole          C. table        D. inside        

10.A. still         B. even             C. only          D. ever        

11.A. examining       B. measuring       C. drawing        D. packing       

12.A. keeping      B. placing              C. pulling D. giving        

13.A. on           B. toward                 C. for            D. in         

14.A. mustn’t      B. can’t            C. shouldn’t     D. needn’t       

15.A. each one             B. each other       C. the other     D. one another    

16.A. admit          B. consider           C. decide     D. believe

17.A. big bites     B. deep breaths       C. a firm hold   D. close look 

18.A. just             B. always         C. merely     D. seldom

19.A. put away         B. get down         C. hand out      D. take off 

20.A. made          B. took             C. got           D. did