14. Here we buy eggs____ the dozen.

By now we’ve (already) nearly stopped writing to each other .

       But ______we kept in touch regularly .

A．all the time     B.at times    C.at one time    D.In no time

In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion.

And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades.

Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films.

As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet.

    “Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to Disneyland is ridiculous right now,” she said. “For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun.”

A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as “Jonas Brothers” sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets.

The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less

depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies.

Which of the following is not a reason for the improvement of the movie industry?

A. A growing number of people are going to the cinema.

B. People are richer with the development of economy.

C. More comedies are made than serious films.

D. People have to pay more to watch a movie.   

Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because ________.

A. she tried to escape reality                           B. she was a crazy movie fan

C. she was fond of Disneyland                        D. she wanted to please her kids

．According to the text, which of the following number is not used to describe the shooting up of the movie industry?

A.17.5%              B. $1.7 billion                C. $60                 D. $25 million

The passage is developed mainly by ________.

A. presenting the effect and analyzing the causes       

B. following the order of time

C. describing problems and drawing a conclusion             

D. making comparison of ideas

B
Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whirr,” she said weakly.
“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.
Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”
It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.
44．When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?
A. She wanted to tell her sons her will.
B. She wanted to have something to eat before she died.
C. She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.
D. She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.
45. Which of the following statements is NOT right?
A.    Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.
B.    Mom was always making her teaching fun.
C.    Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.
D.    Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.
46. What does the writer think of his mother?
A.    He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching at home.
B.    His mother should forget her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.
C.    His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.
D.    His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.
47. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A. Once a teacher, always…  B. Mom’s will  C. A teacher’s life  D. A teacher’s devotion

C