It was ___ he said ___ disappointed me.

A. what; that     B. that; what    C. that; when    D. it; when

It was ___ he said ___ disappointed me.

A. what; that       B. that; what           C. that; when     D. it; when

It was very cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a “shelter” on the river bank. His “shelter” was a tarpaulin(油布)tied to rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away . He had been living there for over a month .I never saw him with warm clothing or food . I knew what I wanted to do .

When I told my parents what I wanted to do they were alarmed . They said l could be putting myself at risk ,  taking a box to a homeless person at night ! But I knew , in my deep heart ,that I would be safe .

I got a box .My parents watched as I added warm gloves , a heavy blanket…into the box until it was full ! Then , I put a Christmas card on top . It said," Even though we hardly know each other , I want to wish you a merry Christmas !” I put ten one-dollar bills inside it as well.

My father insisted he went there with me as it was 10 pm on Christmas Eve. I said he could drive me but he had to stay in the car. He agreed .

I took the box and walked towards his “house” . I called ,"Sir, I have a Christmas box for you !” 

“Go away !” he shouted.

“Sir,” I repeated .

“Go away !” he shouted.

“Why ?” I asked him .

He walked over and I expected to see an angry face .Instead I saw two of the most beautiful , gentle, blue eyes I have ever seen.

“Merry Christmas!” I said.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked .

“Because you matter to me” I said . With that I gave him the box .

Tears came to his eyes and he thanked me .I got back to the car and watched him carry the box like it was filled with gold . I didn't want to embarrass(使困窘) him by watching him any more so Dad and I left .

56. The underlined word “alarmed” can best replaced by _____ .

A. pleased               B. worried

C. disappointed           D. surprised

57. Why did the author ask his father to stay in the car ?

A  Because he wanted to prove he was brave .

B  Because he believed the homeless man was bad .

C. Because he wanted to protect his father from being hurt .

D. Because he didn't want the homeless man to feel bad.

58. when the homeless man saw the author first , he was _____.

A. quite angry      B. very excited

C .quite puzzled    D. very curious

59. The author’s purpose in writing the text is to tell readers that____.

A. it is easier said than done

B. poverty is the mother of health

C. where there is a will , there is a way

D. a willing helper does not wait until he is asked

It was at least two months before Christmas when nine?year old  Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle. As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade, or so we thought. We bought the latest rage, Baby?Sitter's Club dolls, and a doll house. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23rd, she said that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.” It was just too late , what with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last?minute gifts, to take the time to select the “right bike” for our little girl. So, here we were Christmas Eve around 9:00 p.m., with Almie and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, nestled snug in their beds. Now we could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child.” What if I make a little bicycle out of clay (泥) and write a note that she could trade the clay model in for a real bike?” her dad asked. “This is an expensive item and she is ‘such a big girl,' it would be much better for her to pick it out.” So he spent the next four hours painstakingly working with clay to make a tiny bike. On Christmas morning, we were excited for Almie to open the little hear shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud. “Does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?” Beaming, I said, “Yes.” Almie had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I'd rather keep this than get a real bike.” At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle on the planet!

1?Choose the right time order of the following events.

a?The girl asked for a new bike.

b?The girl opened the little heart shaped package.

c?The parents bought the girl a modern and popular doll.

d?The father made the girl a bike with clay.

e?The girl would rather keep the clay bike than get a real one .

A?a, b, c, e, d        　　　　　　　　　B?a, c, d, b, e

C?a, c, b, d, e        　　　　　　　　　D?a, b, d, c, e

2?Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A?The parents wanted the girl to have the clay bike for ever.

B?Tears were in the girl's eyes because she didn't like the present at all.

C?The girl never lost her desire for a bike.

D?The parents paid little attention to the daughter's desire for a bike.

3?Why did Dad make the clay bicycle?

A?He wanted his daughter to buy a real one .

B?He didn't want to disappoint his daughter.

C?He thought his daughter would like it .

D?He wanted to give his daughter a surprise.

4?What can be inferred from the last sentence?

A?The parents were happy and encouraged.

B?The parents felt comfortable and relaxed.

C?The parents were moved and felt proud of the girl.

D?The parents felt disappointed and sorry for the girl.

He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, with many boys around her, while he was so normal, with nobody paying attention to him.

       At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed. They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, thinking, “Please let me go home.”

       Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”

       Everybody stared at him—so strange！His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.

       She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?”

       He replied, “When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea. I liked playing in the sea, and I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood. I miss my hometown so much. I miss my parents who are still living there.” While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That’s his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has responsibility of home. Then she also started to speak, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.

       They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he was kind-hearted, warm and careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to the salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, then they were living a happy life… And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee.

       After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you—the salty coffee.”

       “Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. Actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.”

       “I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.”

       “Now I’m dying, I’m afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don’t like the salty coffee. What a strange bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!”

       “Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.”

       Her tears made the letter totally wet.

       Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?”

       “It’s sweet,” she replied.

60. After ordering some salt to put into the coffee, the young man must have felt ___.

   A. touched              B. satisfied            C. disappointed             D. embarrassed

61. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Salt coffee is more delicious and sweeter than sugar coffee.

B. The man ordered the salt coffee in order to create a chance to date with the girl.

C. The man had to have the salty coffee all his life to keep his word.

D. The woman hardly believed the man’s explanation at the first date.

62. From the passage we can see that the man is ___.

A. caring and kind-hearted                  B. shy and sly

C. dishonest but responsible          D. warm and understanding

63. It is implied in the passage that the woman ___ when reading the letter left by her husband.

A. was cheated by his husband’s behavior

B. was touched by his husband’s white lie

C. felt sorry to know the truth too late

D. felt angry about his dishonesty