One cold night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco．There I was walking home around one o’clock in the morning after a  1  practice at the theatre. With the opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines by heart. I was having   2  handling my part-time job at the bank in the daytime and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about  3  both acting and San Francisco. I had  4  too much of city life.

    As I walked down the  5  streets under the tall buildings, I felt very small and cold, so I began  6  both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few homeless people under blankets.

    About a block from my  7  , I heard a sound behind me. I   8   quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me  9  ，so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I   10  what the noise had been. It had been my wallet  11  to the sidewalk.

    Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk   12  for 15 minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.

    Just as I was about to quit the  13  , I heard the garbage truck stop to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice came from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened and out jumped a small blonde man with an  14  look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” He asked, holding up a wallet.

    It was already 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I couldn’t get much sleep, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some  15  of city life. I realized the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

1．A．comfortable       B．serious          C．tiresome         D．fortunate

2．A．comfort           B．desire           C．pain             D．trouble

3．A．setting up        B．giving up        C．holding up       D．picking up

4．A．expected          B．changed          C．controlled       D．possessed

5．A．deserted          B．crowded          C．busy             D．wild

6．A．running           B．jumping          C．moving           D．marching

7．A．bank              B．theatre          C．apartment        D．office

8．A．stood             B．walked           C．turned           D．left

9．A．satisfied         B．confused         C．frightened       D．annoyed

10. A．turn out         B．figure out       C．give out         D．pull out

11. A．belonging        B．adding           C．sticking         D．falling

12. A．aimlessly        B．anxiously        C．skillfully       D．delightedly

13. A．discovery        B．research         C．hunt             D．finding

14. A．amused           B．unpleasant       C．uneasy           D．embarrassed

15. A．production   B．judgment C．friendship   D．appreciation

Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes.Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans.The other is found in 93 t0 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the color of a dark - striped zebrafish(斑马鱼) to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment(色素) gene into a young fish.As with humans, zebrafish skin color is deter-mined  by pigment cells，which contain melanin(黑色素).The number,  size and darkness of melanin perpigment cell determine skin color.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light - skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanin production.This results in less pigrnented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in hu-man ancl zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about l.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra - violetrays of the sun. which can cause skin cancer.
But when modem humans leave Africa to live in northem latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer.lt also could lead to research in-to ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.
【小题1】Scientists have done an experiment on a dark -striped zebrafish in order to

Voyages

By Neil Waldman

Travel with young Abe Lincoln down the Mississippi River, taking his boat down to New Orleans. Along the way, Lincoln finds himself on his own voyage of discovery. It is an amazing experience with risk and excitement.(Chapter book)

The People Could Fly

By Leo Hamilton and Diane Dillon

It tells a folk tale about African people who could fly. Long ago in Africa, people could fly like shing black birds in the sky. Enslaved (被奴役) and sent from Africa, their wings were lost, but an old man uses magic, and helps them fly away to freedom.(Chapter book)

Through Georgia's Eyes

By Rachel Rodriquez and Julie Paschkis

Discover the wideness and wonder of deserts and rivers through the eyes of painter Georgia O'Keefe. Deep-colored paper paitings show the artist's imagination and the amazing sightseeing that inspired her work. (Picture book)

A Horn For Louis

By Eric A. Kimmel and James Bernardin

Louis armstrong was too poor to have a real music instrument, but he had a horn(喇叭). Jazz and blues music was everywhere in the streets of New Orleans. This is teh story of how Louis got his first real "horn", when he was just a boy with a dream of becoming a musician. (Chapter book)

Go, Go America

By Alan Barnard

50 states of fun, with interesting facts — in what state the entertainment capital of the world is, where the first hamburgers were served, what the Cereal Festival is, who hosts the Hog Calling Contest and more.(Picture book)

Stitchin's and Pullin'

By Patricia C. McKissack, Cozbi A. Cabrera

In Gee's Bend, Alabama, generations of women have sewed, talked, sang and laughed, for as long as anyone can remember. Each piece tells a story.

1.If you are interested in adventure, you may prefer ______.

A．A Horn For Louis    B．Go, Go America     C．Through Georgia's Eyes    D．Voyages

2.What do Through Georgia's Eyes and Go, Go America have in common?

A．They are both about the US.               B．They are both written by two authors.

C．There are lots of pictures in both books.      D．There are funny stories in both books.

3.The book, A horn for Louis, is mainly about _____.

A．how jazz and blues music was formed in its birthplace, New Orleans

B．how Louis got his instrument when he dreamed of becoming a musician

C．how Louis got the horn to become a famous musician

D．how Louis worked and supported his whole family

It was three o’clock in the afternoon _____ a villager telephoned to tell me the surprising discovery of an ancient tomb.

A. that             B. which        C. where       D. when