It was Saturday. As always, it was a busy one, for “Six days shall you labor and all your work” was taken seriously back then. Outside, Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick were engaged in spring cleaning.

Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having brother caught to beat carpets, they had sent him to the kitchen for more string(线). It seemed there was  no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today.

My mother looked at the sitting room, its furniture disordered for a thorough sweeping. Again she

cast a look toward the window. “Come on, girls! Let’s take string to the boys and watch them fly the kites a minute.”

On the way we met Mrs. Patric, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something wrong, together with her girls. There never was such a day for flying kites! We played all our fresh string into the boys’ kites and they went up higher and higher. We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down in the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth, just for the joy of sending it up again.

Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. “Perhaps it’s like this in the kingdom of heaven,” I thought confusedly.

It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to the housed. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was, we didn’t mention that day afterward. I felt a little embarrassed. Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep “the things that cannot be and yet they are.”

The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently cried her desire to “go park, see duck.” “I can’t go!” I said. “I have this and this to do, and when I’m through I’ll be too tired to walk that far.”

My mother, who was visiting us, looked up from the peas she was shelling. “It’s a wonderful day,” she offered, “really warm, yet there’s a fine breeze. Do you remember that day we flew kites?”

I stopped in my dash between stove and sink. The locked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. “Come on,” I told my little girl. “You’re right, it’s too good a day to miss.”

Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath(余波) of a great war. All evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely, but now for a long time he had been silent. What was he thinking of --- what dark and horrible things?

“Say!” A smile sipped out from his lips. “Do you remember --- no, of course you wouldn’t. It probably didn’t make the impression on you as it did on me.”

I hardly dared speak. “Remember what?”

“I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp (战俘营), when things weren’t too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?”

1.Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought________.

A．she was too old to fly kites

B．her husband would make fun of her

C．she should have been doing her housework

D．her girls weren’t supposed to the boy’s games

2. By “we were all beside ourselves writer means that they all ________.

A．felt confused                           B．went wild with joy

C．looked on                             D．forgot their fights

3. What did the author think after the kite-flying?

A．The boys must have had more fun than the girls.

B．They should have finished their work before playing.

C．Her parents should spend more time with them.

D．All the others must have forgotten that day.

4.Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?

A．She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother.

B．She was reminded of the day they flew kites.

C．She had finished her work in the kitchen.

D．She thought it was a great day to play outside.

5. The youngest Patrick boy is mentioned to show that ______.

A．the writer was not alone in treasuring her fond memories

B．his experience in POW camp threw a shadow over his life

C．childhood friendship means so much to the writer

D．people like him really changed a lot after the war

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

It’s fourteen years since I left the Philippines to live with my family in the USA.A month ago,while on summer vacation back in my motherland,I learned a lesson from mosquito(蚊子) bites.Right before   36   Kennedy Airport in New York,my grandma   37   me of the behavior of the native mosquitoes around the   38   like me.She said,“There’s an old saying—the   39   you stay away from the motherland,the sweeter your blood   40   to the mosquitoes.”Not   41    it,I replied,“Grandmaaaa,that’s just an old wives’ tale!”

Well,less than a week   42   my arrival in Manila,I was already carpeted with a   43   of mosquito bites.I took many measures to keep myself from being   44   ，but they all proved useless.

Late one   45   in my cousin’s home,I couldn’t bear the   46   of the bites.Hoping to find some comfort,I   47   my cousin,who was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to mine.Unhappy for being   48   she said,“There is nothing you can do.Go back to sleep.”With a few turns,she slept again.Enviously(妒忌地)   49   her sleep,I hoped a big mosquito would

   50   on her face.However,the mosquitoes would just lightly dance around her forehead and fly away quickly,never biting her.Amazed(惊奇的),I ran to others’   51   ,only to find they were all sleeping   52   as the same thing occurred again and again.

From those bites,I came to   53   my grandma’s silly tale.From then on,I’ve always tried to keep a(n)   54   mind about those strange old wives’ tales   55   they do have some truth to them.

36.A.leaving                 B.passing               C.visiting                            D.finding

37.A.persuaded             B.reminded            C.warned                      D.informed

38.A.students                B.foreigners           C.passengers                 D.visitors

39.A.earlier                  B.longer                C.sooner                       D.later

40.A.grows                   B.goes                   C.flows                        D.remains

41.A.expecting              B.understanding     C.recognizing               D.believing

42.A.after                     B.before                C.when                        D.as

43.A.shade                   B.pile                    C.cloud                        D.blanket

44.A.touched                B.bitten                 C.defeated                    D.discovered

45.A.morning               B.afternoon           C.evening                     D.night

46.A.noise                    B.hit                            C.pain                          D.effect

47.A.woke up               B.shouted at           C.looked for                 D.dropped on

48.A.blamed                 B.interrupted         C.moved                      D.frightened

49.A.having                  B.watching            C.making                            D.helping

50.A.land                            B.fly                     C.fall                           D.wait

51.A.houses                  B.flats                   C.rooms                       D.homes

52.A.joyfully                B.anxiously           C.soundlessly                D.worriedly

53.A.tell                       B.know                 C.remember                  D.accept

54.A.open                    B.active                 C.clear                         D.honest

55.A.and                      B.so                      C.because                     D.until

My first roller coaster experience was not pleasant. It was in the summer of 2009, in Six Flags, Massachusetts, the US. I went    1.   with a group of friends. We were all very excited about roller coaster   2.   waited anxiously for the ride to begin. As the roller coaster got up higher and higher, however, my heart started to beat   3.   hard that I even could see my shirt move up and down. I could feel the wind getting stronger and brushing through my hair. Then the big drop came. I closed my eyes and told    4.   that it would be over in two seconds, but it felt like forever. I was pushed up from my seat as if I    5.  to be thrown out of the car.  6.   the time I finished the ride, I could barely stand up or speak. So when my friends asked me    7.  I thought of the ride, I just answered with silence. No matter how hard I tried, I could not make    8.  sound.

The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2009． The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere． A series of activities was held． There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on, all the teachers and students were very happy． They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities．

Handwriting was for the students in lower grades． Although most of them couldn’t write so well, they were all very careful about it． In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers． They copied some articles from books or newspapers． And then they decorated them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them． How cute and lovely they looked!

Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8． These students are always fond of cartoons, so they got interested in this activity． Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn’t help speaking highly of them．

The most important event was the English show on the last day． The students and teachers presented a lot of English songs and English operas． Each program won storms of applause．

One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot． Just as the headmaster said, “It is a helpful week． It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies．”

1.In this passage, the English week is described as__________．

A．surprising         B．boring            C．enjoyable         D．serious

2.Which of the following is Not true?

A．All the students took part in the handwriting contest．

B．The story writing contest was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8．

C．The English show was the most important event．

D．Teachers also took part in the English week．

3.What does the underlined word “applause” probably mean?

A．Noise            B．Cheer            C．Sound            D．Music

4.What does the writer probably want to tell us at the end of the passage?

A．The activities are a good way to learn English．

B．Students usually don’t like English．

C．The activities last longer．

D．Learning English in the classroom is invaluable．

Summer school is something a kid will never forget. For some, it's a way to advance past their classmates. For most, summer school is a requirement in order to graduate with their classmates. I can remember being forced into taking a summer school course. It was not the school that forced me into this awkward situation, it was my mother.

I was a 16-year-old kid in a new school. My school did not offer summer courses so I had to take my course at an alternative school in the city. It was an experience I will never forget. I was not concerned with making friends. I was there to get credit（学分）for a course that I should have received for the previous semester. It was my doing that landed me in the situation and it was important that I understood this.

The fees were the lowest but the experience was amazing. I enjoyed I didn’t miss the day. The course was from Monday to Friday for an entire month. I passed the course with an A. I was thrown into an awkward situation but actually enjoyed it. My friends didn't even know I took the course. Most of them were still sleeping by the time my course ended each day.

Awkward situations are so important for personal growth. This situation made me feel more independent. I made friends. I finally understood what sacrifice and hard work were all about. While attending college, I remembered how much I enjoyed summer school and I chose to take summer school in my first three years of college. Some kids get pushed too much but some don't get pushed enough. I was never pushed enough.

Enable your children to struggle for success. If your child needs summer school you explain to them why it's important. Some parents are surprised by the situation and may want to be more involved in their children’s education. Follow through and follow up.

1.Most students go to the summer school in order to ____.

A. find good jobs

B. become top students in their class

C. have a chance to make more friends

D. graduate successfully on time

2.What made the author go to summer school for the first time?

A. What he had done.                   B. His mother's wish.

C. His own requirement.               D. Study competition.

3.Which of the following was NOT the benefit got by the author through attending summer school?

A. It helped him get rid of bad habits.

B. It helped him make new friends.

C. It helped him understand what sacrifice and hard work were.

D. It increased his independence.

4.From the last paragraph we can learn that the author _______.

A. does not like summer school at all even though it is useful

B. thinks summer school is unnecessary for children

C. encourages parents to make their children attend summer school

D. is against forcing children to attend summer school