When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs―two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the “head” of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at the table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and trees. It was the holy (神圣的) and protected place that was his, and ours through him.

After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When they came to visit me at their old house. Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that “head” place in my Dad’s presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child’s first birthday.

Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, “Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side.” He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, “My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit.” But I didn’t.

When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don’t know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the food, our lives experienced a change, which we continue to live with.

It wasn’t easy, but I sense that there is also something good in the change which has occurred. I am beginning to learn that “honoring one’s father” is more than the question of which place to occupy at the dining table. It also means listening, wherever we sit and whatever positions we own, to the stories Dad longs to tell. We may then, during these magical moments, even be able to forget about whose chair is whose.

48. Where did the writer’s mother sit when one of the children was away?

       A. She didn’t change her chair.                    B. She moved her own chair next Dad’s.

       C. She moved to an empty chair on the side.   D. She sat opposite to Dad.

49. How did the writer feel when he told his father to sit on the side?

       A. He didn’t feel bad because his father was going to sit there anyway.

       B. He felt happy at having carded out the difficult task.

       C. He was thoroughly satisfied with the new seating arrangement.

       D. He regretted what he had done and wanted to blame his wife.

50. What happened during the meal after the family had all taken their new seats?

       A. The writer’s children removed their grandfather from his usual place.

       B. The writer’s father didn’t appear to mind where he sat.

       C. The writer’s father shared his favorite dishes with the grandchildren.

       D. They became tense and nervous about their future as a family.

51. What did the writer learn about “honoring one’s father”?

       A. Fathers always long to tell stories about their early years.

       B. Providing the fight chair is the only way to honor one’s father.

       C. Respect for one’s father doesn’t depend only on where he sits.

       D. The family should dine together at the same table as often as possible.

1. The Five-star Red Flag______our motherland.

2. I live in a house______with trees and flowers.

3. Be careful not______the soup with too much salt.

4. Our new chemistry lab______next month.

5. The mayor suggests that our school ______a foot team.

6. I need one more stamp before my collection______.

7. We all think it’s not right for the kids______in the street all day long.

8. Before leaving his hometown, he______down and smelt at the yellow soil.

9. The old couple______a child last year and has been treating him as their own son adopted

10. At grade school, my classmates______me because I was fat.

Surround, kneel, adopt, tease, spoil, organize, complete, stand for, hang around, and come into use

1. The Five-star Red Flag______our motherland.

2. I live in a house______with trees and flowers.

3. Be careful not______the soup with too much salt.

4. Our new chemistry lab______next month.

5. The mayor suggests that our school ______a foot team.

6. I need one more stamp before my collection______.

7. We all think it’s not right for the kids______in the street all day long.

8. Before leaving his hometown, he______down and smelt at the yellow soil.

9. The old couple______a child last year and has been treating him as their own son adopted

10. At grade school, my classmates______me because I was fat.

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A,B,C and D. Fill in each blank with a word or phrase that best fits the context.

One evening after dinner, Mr. And Mrs.Bond called a family meeting. " We've had to make a _______decison," Mr. Bond announced. " You see, your mother has been offered a post as co-director of a TV station in Chicago. However, the station is not here. After thinking long and hard about it, we've ________ that the right decision is to move to Chicago."

    Marc looked ________, while his sister Rachel breathlessly started asking when they'd be moving. " It's surprising but exciting!" she said. Marc simply said, " I can't leave my _______. I'd rather stay here and live with Tommy Lyons!"

   The Bonds hoped that by the time they moved to Chicago in August, Marc would grow more ________ the idea of leaving. However, he showed no signs of accepting the decision, refusing to __________ his belongings.

    _______ the morning of their move, Marc was nowhere to be found. His parents called Tommy Lyons' house, but Mrs. Lyons said she hadn't seen Marc. Mrs. Bond became increasingly anxious while her husband felt angry with their son for behaving so ________.

   What they didn't know was that Marc had started to walk over to Tommy's house with a faint idea of hiding in Lyons' attic(阁楼) for a few days. But as he walked along, all the _______ landscape of his neighbourhood _________ him of the things he and his family had done together: the green fence he and his mother had painted; the trees he and his sister used to climb while playing hide- and- seek; the park where he and his father often took walks together. How much would these mean without his family, who made them special in the first place? Marc didn't take the _____ to answer that question but instead, he hurried back to his house, ______ if there were any boxes the right size to hold his record collection.

1.A. different         B. quick           C. wise              D. final

2.A. known          B. recognized       C. concluded          D. insisted

3.A. shocked           B. puzzled         C. disappointed        D. excited

4.A. classmates       B. friends          C. neighbours         D. parents

5.A. delighted at      B. pleased with      C. accustomed to      D. worried about

6.A. pack            B. abandon         C. tie               D. pile

7.A. Before          B. In              C. On               D. During 

8.A. rudely          B. irregularly        C. irresponsibly       D. naughtily

9.A. beautiful        B. familiar          C. splendid           D. modern

10.A. recalled         B. convinced        C. warned            D. reminded

11.A. time            B. courage          C. strength          D. patience

12.A. looking         B. wondering        C. asking            D. expecting

Mrs. Hammond was old and blind, but she was determined to do everything for herself. She even used to go for walks by herself once a day for  36 , and found her way by  37  things with her white stick. She learned where everything was, so she never lost her way.

     One day, some men came and cut down some of the familiar trees at the side of one of the paths which she  38  . When she reached that place that evening, she did not  39  the trees with her stick, so she was in  40  .

    She  41  for a while and listened, but did not  42  any other people, so she went for a kilometer or two, and then she heard  43  beneath her. “Am I  44 ? I suppose so,” she said, “I must be on a  45 , and there must be a river under me. I've been told that there's a river in this part of the country, but I don't know its exact  46 . How am I going to get  47  to my house from here?”

     All at once she heard a man's friendly  48  near her. “Excuse me, can I help you?” “How kind of you!” Mrs. Hammond answered. “Yes, please. Some of the trees which I follow have been  49  today, and if I hadn't been 50  enough to meet you, I don't know  51  I'd have done. Can you please  52  me to get home?”

 “Certainly,” the man answered. “Where do you live?”

  Mrs. Hammond told him, and the man took her to her house. She told the man how pleased she was that she had met him. But the man said. “I want to  53  you.”

    Mrs. Hammond asked, “Whatever for?”

 “Well,” the man said quietly, “I was balanced (悬在) on the edge of that bridge for ages in the  54 , because I was trying to make up my mind to  55  myself into the river and drown myself. But I'm not going to do it now.”