B
Deep into the night, the bus pulled into a Howard Johnson’s restaurant and everybody got off the bus except Vingo. The young people began to wonder about him, trying to imagine his life:perhaps he was sea captain; maybe he had run away from wife; he could be an old soldier going home. When they went to the bus, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself. After a long time, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in prison in New York for the last four years, and he was going home.
“Well, when I was in prison I wrote to my wife. I said, Martha, I understand if you can’t stay married to me. I said I was going to be away a long time, and that if she couldn’t stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, if it hurt her too much, well, she could just forget all about me. I told her she didn’t have to write to me, and she didn’t. Not for the three and a half years.”
“Last week, when I was sure freedom was coming through, I wrote to her. I told her if she had a new young man, I would understand. But if she didn’t, if she would take me back, she should let me know. We used to live in this town, Brunswick, and there’s a great big oak tree just as you come into the town. I told her if she could take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and if she didn’t want me, forget me, no handkerchief and I’d keep going on through.”
Soon all the others were in it. When they were 20 miles from Brunswick, the young people took over window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the ex?con’s mask. Then it was 10 miles, and five, and the bus became very quiet.
Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying, doing small dances. All except Vingo.
39.In the story, the yellow handkerchief probably means_______.
A.happiness     B.sadness         C.I hate you         D.I still love you
40.The bus became quiet when it came near the town because all the passengers_______.
A.got tired after a long journey        B.got too sad to say anything
C.were anxious to see the oak tree      D.were touched by the story
41.The underlined part “All except Vingo” probably implies_______.
A.he found no handkerchief on the oak tree
B.he feared that his wife was playing a joke
C.he felt he could not match his wife any longer, afraid to face her
D.he had complicated feelings at the moment:guilty, grateful as well as excited
42.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Going Home                       B.A Handkerchief and an Oak Tree
C.A Long Bus Journey                  D.A Story of an Oak Tree

One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.

Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in park use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the woods.

Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment to their lives. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest, Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes be is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.

Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.

Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for the landscapes. As parents, we should devote some of our energy to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.

1. According to the author, what causes kids’ getting lost in a “sea of technology”?

A. The wild places of the world

B. The kids themselves

C. The outdoor activities

D. TV and computer games

2.The underlined words “that place” in paragraph 2 can most probably refer to _______.                  

A. a hill          B. a library          C. a bar            D. a classroom

3.According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _______.

A. the fault on the part of their parents

B. the natural experience in their growing up

C. the result of their own carelessness in play

D. the effect of stress from computer

4.What’s the author’s opinion on children’s experiencing the nature world?

A. It leads to children’s escape from school.

B. It’s helpful only in a limited way.

C. It helps develop children from all sides.

D. It increases the chance of getting injured.

Sure, human dads can play games with their kids and help with homework, but can they give birth? Daddy sea horses can! This Father’s Day, while you’re praising your daddy, you may also remember that some of the best dads in the world can be found in the animal kingdom:

Sea horses: The “Mr. Moms” in the sea, male sea horses, carry up to 2,000 fertilized eggs in small bags in their stomachs until they hatch. Even after the babies are born, they stay inside the bag until they are ready to live by themselves.

Darwin’s rheas: Thought your dad was overprotective? Darwin’s rheas, also known as South American ostriches (鸵鸟), are so protective of their children that they have even been known to attack small airplanes on the ground if they get too close to their home!

Marmosets: These little monkeys do everything but give lectures on how to give birth! Devoted dads assist during their babies’ birth. They also let Mom get some rest by taking care of the kids when she’s not nursing them.

Sand grouse: These pigeon-like birds live in areas where water is rare, so fathers fly as many as 50 miles to get water for their kids. After they dip their breast feathers in the water, they fly home and let their chicks suck the water from their bodies.

Fathers in the animal kingdom are not that different from our own beloved dads. This Father’s Day, when you are honoring your dad, honor animal dads, too, by practicing kindness toward all animals.

1. The underlined “they” in paragraph 2 refers to      .

A. fertilized eggs   B. their stomachs    C. male sea horses    D. baby sea horses

2. According to the passage, which animal is the most protective?

A. A sea horse   B. A Darwin’s rhea     C. A marmoset    D. A san grouse

3.The passage mainly tells readers       .

A.  how clever and brave animals are

B.  how to honor animal dads on Father’s Day

C.  animal dads are different from human dads

D.  some interesting facts about male animals

They were going to Fort Lauderdale — three boys and three girls — and when they boarded the bus, they were carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags, dreaming of golden beaches and sea tides as the gray, cold spring of New York went behind them.

As the bus passed through New Jersey, they began to notice Vingo. He sat in front of them, completely in silence.

Deep into the night, outside Washington, the bus pulled into Howard Johnson’s, and everybody got off except Vingo. The young people began to wonder about him. When they went back to the bus, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself.

    “Want some wine?” she said. He smiled and took a swig from the bottle. He thanked her and became silent again. After a while, she went back to the others, and Vingo nodded in sleep.

In the morning, they awoke outside another Howard Johnson’s, and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He ordered black coffee and some cookies as the young people talked about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again, and after a while, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in prison in New York for the past four years, and now he was going home.

“Are you married?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” she said.

“Well, when I was in prison I wrote to my wife,” he said, “I told her that I was going to be away for a long time, and that if she couldn’t stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, and if it hurt her too much, well, she could jus forget me. I’d understand. Get a new man, I said — she’s a wonderful woman. I told her she didn’t have to write me. And she didn’t. Not for three and a half years.”

“And you’re going home now, not knowing?”

“Yeah. Well, last week, when I was sure the parole (假释) was coming through, I wrote her again. We used to live in Brunswick, just before Jacksonville, and there’s a big oak (橡树) just as you come into town. I told her that if she didn’t have a new man and if she’d take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I’d get off and come home. If she didn’t want me, forget it — no handkerchief and I’d go on through.”

“Wow,” the girl exclaimed, “Wow.”

She told the others, and soon all of them were in it, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children.

Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as if protecting himself against still another disappointment.

Then Brunswick was ten miles, and then five. Then, suddenly, all of the young people were up out of their seats, shouting and crying.

Vingo sat there astonished, looking at the oak. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs — 20 of them, 30 of them, maybe hundreds, flying in the wind. As the young people shouted, Vingo slowly rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the bus to go home.

1.At the beginning of the story, the young boys and girls ______.

A. showed a great interest in Vingo     B. didn’t notice Vingo at all

C. wanted to offer help to Vingo        D. didn’t like Vingo at all

2.The underlined part “Howard Johnson’s” is most probably a(n) ______.

A. bus station  B. apartment      C. hospital   D. restaurant

3.How did Vingo feel on the way home?

A. Ashamed.     B. Relaxed.     C. Nervous.     D. Disappointed.

4.The paragraphs following this passage would most probably talk about ______.

A. Vingo’s experience in prison

B. the young people’s travel to Fort Lauderdale

C. Vingo’s three lovely children

D. the dialogue between Vingo and his family

C

　　This summer vacation,Xiaokai,a high school student in Guangzhou,planned to spend his time surfing the Internet,playing basketball and watching TV.

　　But Xiaokai's parents tried to make him read some classics at home.In their yees,reading the classics would do his son much more good than other activities.

　　Though his room was full of the classic books,he had just finished reading one of them,The Old Man and the Sea.

　　"I picked up the book just because it was not very thick,"he said."Nothing impressed me at all after reading."

　　Xiaokai is not alone in today's China.Now most of the teenagers are fond of reading martial arts stories,cartoons and popular magazines.Theose classics cannot get them interested at all.

　　Parents areworrying about this phenomenon(现象).They always tell their chilren to read the classsics,which is supposed to help their children improve their academic studies.

　　Ms Li made a classics reading plan for her daughter,but her daughter refused to carry it away.She just finished less than 10 pages of the Dream of Red Chamber(阁楼) during the whole summer vacation. Ms Li sighed,"What's wrong with the children today?"

　　It is the same with teachers.One middle school Chinese teacher once prepared a chart(图表) of Interpersonal relationship in the best-known novel Dream of Red Chamber for his students. They were asked to remember how the characters are related to each other while preparing for the final exam.

　　To improve the situation in which the fastfood culture (快餐文化) seems to be winning over teenagers,parents are expected to understand their children's interests, and guide them to read the books instead of forcing them,according to some experts.It is not necessary for the kids to read the classics in their childhood.They can read classics after having their own life experience.

　　64.Xiaokai read only one classic book because _______.

　　A.he didn't have more

　　B.he wasn't interested in the classics

　　C.it took him a lot of time

　　D.he just acted on his parents' advice

　　65.When the writer says"Xiaokai is not alone",she means that ________.

　　A.many others don't like classics either

　　B.some parents and teachers support Xiaokai

　　C.Xiaokai is not the family's only child

　　D.Xiaokai often reads together with others

　　66.Which belong,or belongs,to the fastfood culture according to the article?

　　A.The old Man and the Sea.

　　B.The Dream of Red Chamber.

　　C.Martial arts stories.

　　D.The books filling up Xiaokai's room.

　　67.Who would be more likely to stand on the side of that Chinese teacher?

　　A.The students.    B.The parents.      C.The experts.     D.The writer.