Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”

In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.

Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.

Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.

1.The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A. loss           B. wonder    C. lucky thing          D. terrible thing

2. Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A. he was a man difficult to please

B. she never knew when he was coming

C. she was too busy looking after her children

D. he never stayed long enough for a meal

3.What do we know about James’ behavior?

A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.

4.Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A. she paid James the money that she owed him

B. James gave some money to the children

C. she had to wake James up to catch his train

D. James thanked her for the nice supper

阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从每题所给的 A , B , C , D四个选项中选出最佳答案。
It was a winter afternoon．Some friends and l were eating at a restaurant and talking．We talked and talked and soon   36  became the topic．Suddenly I   37  upon an idea．“Wouldn’t it be fun to go swimming ? Others go   38  in winter，but why couldn’t we ?   39  , we could be healthier if we did．”I told them about this , and they all said it was a good idea   40 .
Early the next morning , we four were standing at the bus stop，with bags in our hands  41   
for a bus to take us to the  42 ．The sky was clear；the sun was shining，but it was very cold all the same．  43 0ur heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us wall．We all felt we should go ___44__ but no one wanted to speak out .
We soon reached the sands．There was nobody there，but we were not discouraged．Instead we were   45  that we were the only ones that dared to challenge the weather．  46  we changed our clothes quickly．
But things were not going so  47 ．The freezing sea wind was blowing．We left very cold and  48 all over．At last we made up our minds to   49 into the water．We put our feet in first,   __50__ to take them back very quickly．The water was unbelievably cold．
Then I suggested we all jump in．We all went back ten steps .  I gave the  51 ，and we all rushed forward and jumped in．I shall never forget the moment I was in the water. I was up __52__and rushed again to the shore．So it was with my friends．We   53  0ur clothes as quickly as possible．
On the way back home，we talked about this unforgettable   54 ．The four of us did not __55____ school for the following three days．We all suffered a lot from a very bad cold，but we thought it was all worth it．

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16-35各题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

As I hurried to the kitchen, my dad came in. “Something ____16 ____good,” he said. Following his nose, he ____17____in his chair at the table.

         After dinner I helped with dishes and watched the news. They ____18____ a homeless family with children who’d been forced out of a ____19____ due to overcrowding. That story stuck in my mind the rest of the night. ____20____when I went to bed, I kept thinking about those ____21____chidren.

         I glanced around my room and ____22____my old computer. Here I am worried about getting a new computer ____23____ that family is living on the street in the middle of winter. How could I be so ____24____?

         That night, I prayed for that family and also that if I had won, for God to show me how to ____25____the money and prize wisely.

         The next week seemed to drag as we ____26____ to hear about the contest for the Instant Game Winner from my ____27____a bag of chocolate. Finally, I believed that it was exactly what my mom and dad had thought—a ____28____. Yet I still couldn’t help thinking about the ____ 29____and how God would want me to use it.

         “It’s for real!” My dad ____30____one night after hanging up the phone. “You did win,” he said with a smile. “They’re flying the four of us to Los Angeles in April to ____31____the prize.”

         After a group hug, I caught my breath and thanked God. I realize now that ____32____do affect my everyday life. And that’s why I ____33____to give my parents the Beetle until I’m 18, ____34____$18,000 with my sister for our college fund and give $2,000 to a local ____35____shelter—to help families like the one I saw on television. That’s one sweet choice!

16. A. tastes                       B. feels                                 C. touches                           D. smells

17. A. sat down                 B. got up                              C. put down                        D. set up

18. A. supported              B. stood                               C. showed                           D. stayed

19. A. school                       B. shelter                                      C. shoulder                         D. sight

20. A. Even                          B. Once                                C. So                                     D. Again

21. A. tiresome                  B. stupid                              C. lovely                               D. diligent

22. A. stared at                 B. stepped into                  C. left for                             D. looked after

23. A. while                         B. before                             C. after                                D. since

24. A. proud                        B. wise                                 C. selfish                              D. lovely

25. A. make                        B. use                                   C. get                                   D. earn

26. A. happened                B. moved                             C. began                              D. waited

27. A. buying                      B. selling                              C. forgetting                       D. remembering

28. A. question                  B. trouble                                     C. difficulty                          D. trick

29. A. computer                B. money                             C. chocolate                       D. television

30. A. permitted                B. promised                        C. announced                     D. answered

31. A. offer                          B. supply                              C. receive                            D. refuse

32. A. dishes                       B. families                           C. worries                           D. choices

33. A. decided                    B. came                               C. explained                        D. wrote

34. A. take                          B. cost                                  C. give                                  D. share

35. A. homeless                 B. happy                              C. hopeless                         D. sick

During the Christmas break from college, a young man wanted to borrow his father’s car. He was going to a New Year’s Eve   21   to be held in Vermont. The father was   22   about the son hitting one of the roadblocks that people set up all over the place on New Year’s Eve. However, a(n)   23   reached was that the son would be allowed to use the car, but he would not drink at all.

So he drove to Vermont, got completely   24  , and attempted to drive home. On the way home he hit a roadblock. He was told to   25   the car and stand in a line of people that were being given the sobriety (not drunk)   26  . However, the policeman   27   him out. He was     standing off to the side while the others were   29   the police officer how well they could walk a   30   line, etc.

         At 7:00 am the next morning, his father got up to answer the   31  . There were   32   policemen there. They asked him if he was the   33   of that red FIAT. He replied, “Yes, I am.” One of the policemen asked him if he was driving the car the evening before and he said that his son had been the driver.

         When the young man   34   himself in front of the policemen, he knew he was in some sort of   35  . Upon questioning, he   36   that he was driving the car. But when asked if he had been   37  , he said, “NO!” When the policemen asked if they could see his car, he was unable to remember the   38  . He said that it was in the garage.

         And when the four of them walked out to look at the car, instead of looking at the car he had driven the   39   before, they saw a   40   car parked there.

A. party               B. meeting              C. concert                         D. sports meeting

A. sure             B. worried           C. curious                   D. anxious

A. suggestion    B. condition          C. conclusion                  D. agreement

A. excited         B. tired                C. pleased                   D. drunk

A. stop             B. get out of             C. drive                  D. get into

A. punishment     B. test                 C. education             D. talk

A. gave             B. made            C. missed                    D. found

A. considered      B. required          C. suggested             D. left

A. showing       B. explaining           C. asking                    D. telling

A. long             B. straight            C. calm                   D. direct

A. telephone      B. call                 C. doorbell                 D. question

A. many             B. two                 C. four                       D. one

A. manager       B. father                  C. student                   D. owner

A. stood              B. found              C. put                         D. took

A. danger            B. test                 C. trouble                   D. accident

A. believed      B. told                 C. admitted                 D. said

A. driving         B. hurting            C. drinking                 D. missing

A. drive              B. test                 C. time                          D. line

A. day              B. morning       C. evening                  D. afternoon

A. similar           B. familiar         C. police                     D. damaged

Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”

In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.

Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.

Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.

The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A. loss      B. wonder

C. lucky thing D. terrible thing

Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A. he was a man difficult to please

B. she never knew when he was coming

C. she was too busy looking after her children

D. he never stayed long enough for a meal

What do we know about James’ behavior?

A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.

Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A. she paid James the money that she owed him

B. James gave some money to the children

C. she had to wake James up to catch his train

D. James thanked her for the nice supper

The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.

A. had been dead    B. suffered from loss of memory

C. had run away from him    D. might appear again one day