My father enjoys bike riding．Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved going biking with my dad．36 , as I became a teenager, other things began to draw my 37 ．Suddenenly, It was important to do things with 38 ．I saw my dad every evening at home．Why did I have to 39 my Sundays to all-day bike trips with him , too? If my indifference（冷漠） hurt him, my father kept 40 , but he would always let me know when he was planning a bike trip 41 I wanted to come．

It was a Sunday morning, and I was in low 42．Two of my friends had gone to the movies without inviting me．Just then my father 43 my room．“It’s a beautiful day．Want to go for a 44 today, Beck?”  “Leave me alone! ” I impatiently 45．Those were the last words I said to him before he left the house that 46 ．

Several hours later, the police called us, 47 us that Dad had a traffic accident．My father’s injuries were serious．It took several days before he could 48 speak．Beside his bed I held his hand gently, 49 of hurting him．

“Daddy … I’m sorry …”

“It’s OK, sweetheart．I’ll be OK．”

“No,” I said, “I 50 what I said to you that day．You know, that morning?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t 51 anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident．I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though．” He 52 a weak smile．

I felt regretful for my 53 words, for I never wanted him to leave me alone．My teacher once told me that 54 have immeasurable power．They can hurt or they can heal．And we all have the 55 to choose our words．I intend to do that very carefully from now on．

1.A．Therefore       B．Instead     C．Besides       D．However

2.A．attention        B．sight       C．effort       D．energy

3.A．Dad            B．friends     C．teachers       D．brothers

4.A．start            B．save       C．devote        D．waste

5.A．silent           B．busy       C．asleep        D．awake

6.A．unless          B．in case      C．so that      D．as if

7.A．spirits          B．conditions    C．emotions    D．hopes   

8.A．left            B．checked      C．entered       D．knocked

9.A．ride            B．walk        C．picnic         D．game

10.A．whispered       B．warned      C．announced     D．shouted

11.A．moment        B． morning     C．afternoon      D．evening

12.A．asking         B．reminding     C．informing    D．warning

13.A．eventually      B．generally     C．strictly    D．broadly

14.A．tired           B．afraid        C．aware       D．sorry

15.A．discuss         B．think         C．care        D．mean

16.A．hate           B． forget        C．remember    D．like

17.A．got            B．expressed     C．exchanged    D．managed

18.A．thoughtless     B．careless       C．powerful   D．cheerful

19.A．apologies       B．promises       C．smiles     D．words       

20.A．experience     B．honor         C．power        D．desire

B

By now there were several people standing around me, my mom, and the little broken bush(灌木丛).

“Son, would you like me to call an ambulance?” some men said.

“No,” my mom yelled. “I’m fine. Please go away!”

“She’s learning to ride,” I tried to explain to all those who were not going to go away.

“Oh, all right!” My mom sat up and brushed the grass and leaves off her sweater. Finally she stood up. Everyone began to clap(鼓掌), and my mom’s face turned bright pink.

“Thank you very much, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” Mom took a few steps around to show them that she wasn’t hiding a broken leg. Everyone clapped again and then went on their way.

“Enough for today?” I asked hopefully.

“No,” she said in a way that surprised me. “I almost had it, and then I let myself get scared. I know I can do it this time!” Now this sounded more like my mom, for I’d never known my mom to be afraid of anything before. I helped her pull the bike out of the bush and push it up the hill.

She didn’t look quite so pale this time. She got on the bike again and went down the hill. I ran down the hill after her. She had ridden quite a way ahead of me when she looked back over her shoulder, smiling. Then she gave me a thumbs-up(翘拇指) sign.

“No, no!” I yelled. “Use both hands!”

But it was too late. Again.

“Mom! Are you hurt?” I ran up to her in the grass.

This time she was laughing. “Did you see me? I did it! I really did it!” Then she stopped and looked at me. “I mean,” she said, “we did it.”

60. From the passage we can learn that the author ____.

A. was helping his mother learn to ride a bike   

B. went on a picnic with his mother by bike

C. was learning to ride a bike by himself           

D. could ride a bike as well as his mother could

61. Those people were not going to go away because they ____.

A. would wait until the police came                  

B. wanted to see if the author’s mother was OK

C. thought it was a terrible traffic accident

D. worried about the little broken bush

62. The underlined word “it” (in paragraph 8) most probably refers to ____.

A. the ambulance   B. the sweater    

C. the skill of riding a bike   D. the courage to stand up

63. What happened after the author’s mother gave him a thumbs-up sign?

A. She forgot how to ride a bike.               B. She broke one of her legs.

C. She was hit by something.                     D. She fell off the bike.

It was getting dark and snow was coming down. Joe was driving home. He’d been unemployed since the factory closed. Most of his friends had left, but he stayed on. After all, he was born here.

Suddenly he saw a lady standing on the side of the road and pulled up. She was worried. No one had stopped to help her. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry. Joe knew how she felt and said, “My name is Joe and I’m here to help you.” All she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Joe changed the tire, but he got dirty and his hands were hurt. She wanted to pay Joe and said any amount would have been all right. Joe never thought twice about the money and there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed.

Later the lady went in a dingy-looking restaurant to grab a bite to eat. The cash register was like the telephone of an out-of-work actor----it didn’t ring much. The waitress, who was nearly eight months pregnant, brought a clean towel to her with a sweet smile. The old lady remembered Joe. After the waitress brought the change from a 100-dollar bill, she found the lady gone and something written on a piece of paper, “Someone once helped me out----the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don’t let the chain of love end with you.”

That night the waitress gave her sleeping husband a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Joe.”

What do we know about Joe from this passage?

A. On his way home after work, he helped an old lady.

B. He had worked in a factory in his hometown before.

C. He would move away to fulfill his dream soon.

D. Though he was poor, he didn’t care about money at all.

The saying “she wanted to pay Joe and said any amount would have been all right” in Paragraph 2 suggests that _____.

A. the old lady was very grateful to Joe’s timely aid

B. the old lady was much worried to be hurt by Joe

C. the old lady wanted to show off her fortune to Joe  

D. the old lady’s car was very difficult to repair for Joe

Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A. The restaurant was not only light but also clean.

B. The old lady did have a big meal in the small restaurant.

C. The waitress was more than eight months pregnant.

D. The old lady left the remaining money to the waitress.

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Acts of luck                          B. A warm-hearted man

C. The chain of love             D. A generous lady

  I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old. My brother and his friends were all ___36____ of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday. When they ___37____ that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought ____38___ for performance. However, at the last minute, once of the friends couldn’t go, so my brother __39_____ me the ticket. I was really ___40____!

    I remember the buzz (嘈杂声) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our __41____ . After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became ___42____. I could barely make out the stage in the ___43____. We waited. Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band ___44____ the stage. My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn’t ____45___ what he was saying. The first song was already starting and the music was as ____46___ a jet engine. I could ___47____ the drum beats and bass notes in my stomach.

I can’t recall any of the songs that the band played. I just __48_ that I really enjoyed the show and didn’t want it to _ 49_. But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished. We left the  50_ and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement. I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just  51_from a long sleep. My ears were still 52_with the beat of the last song.

After the 53 , I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music. Once in a while, 54_, I listen to one of their songs and 55_I’m back at that first show.

1. A. members    B. friends      C. fans          D. volunteers

2. A. guessed     B. discovered   C. thought        D. predicted

3.A. flowers     B. drinks       C. clothes         D. tickets

4.A. booked      B. offered      C. returned        D. found

5. A. relaxed      B. embarrassed   C. excited         D. encouraged

6. A. seats        B. entrance      C. spots          D. space

7.A. comfortable   B. quite         C. serious         D. nervous

8.A. silence       B. noise         C. darkness        D. smoke

9.A.fell upon    B.got through     C.broke into     D.stepped onto

10.A.forget       B.hear            C. repeat         D. bear

11. A.loud         B.heard           C. sweet          D. fast

12.A.feel         B.touch           C. enjoy          D. digest

13. A.realize      B.understand      C.believe         D. remember

14.A.continue     B.delay           C.finish          D. change

15. A.party        B.theatre         C. opera          D. stage

16. A.escaped      B.traveled        C. benefited      D. woken

17. A.aching       B.burning         C. ringing        D. rolling

18. A.competition   B. performance     C. interview      D. celebration

19. A.through      B.otherwise       C. instead        D. besides

20. A.decide       B.regret          C. conclude       D. imagine

任务型阅读（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

Everyone needs a break, and vacations are not meant for serious study. Instead, they’re a great way to take a break and enjoy a good book. The Spring Festival is coming up so this is the perfect time to discuss some great English language literature to take on a long train journey or while you’re hanging out with the family.

Before getting into the recommendations, we need to determine your English reading comprehension level so you don’t pick a book which is so challenging that it’s stressful or so simple that it’s boring.

If you’re at the beginner level, there are two options: reading a children’s book or reading a book that you’ve read in Chinese translation. This will help you get over any unfamiliar words or phrases, since you’re already familiar with the story. If you’re at the intermediate level, popular books like pop fiction, mysteries and thrillers are good options, as they’ll be guaranteed page turners and that will increase the possibility of your getting all the way through the book. For advanced readers, science fiction, classic works of literature or contemporary prize winners （Booker, Nobel, Pulitzer） are good options.

The most important thing is to pick a book that you’re really interested in. When I pick up a new book in Chinese, the first few chapters are always really hard to get through, as I have to get accustomed to the way the individual author uses the language. But after the first few chapters, things get a lot easier, especially if I get involved in the story. Some of my favorite Chinese-language eye candy are books that are series like Brothers by Yu Hua or The Dancer by Hai Yan. I like them because there’s always a lot of action and story development to keep me involved, which helps me make it through those first few chapters.

Another great way to keep yourself motivated over the holiday is to find a friend who’s interested in reading the same book. You can make goals that you both want to achieve and discuss plot lines or vocabulary issues with each other by SMS or e-mail. I’m currently doing that with my friend Laura. We’ve been doing this since we were classmates in Chinese at college.

Some quick recommendations: Harry Potter, start with the first book and go on from there; the Narnia series; anything by US writer Michael Crichton or British writer Agatha Christie; and if you like horror, US writer Stephen King is always unusual and fun. But really you should just find a topic or author that you’re interested in, and the rest will go from there. Happy reading!

－from 21st Century （January 21, 2009）