I’m five years old, and my mother is washing the kitchen floor. I’m telling her about a new girl in school, and she suddenly looks up at me and says, “ Who are your two best friends ? ”

I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been friends with Jill since I was three or so , and I really like Jaime , a friend in kindergarten .

“ Jill and Jaime .”

“ Well , what about Karen and Cindy ?”

“ I don’t know who their best friends are ,” I say .

“ No ,” she says . “ I’m saying , why aren’t they your best friends ?”

“ But they’re my sisters .”

“ Yes , but they can still be your best friends . Friends may come and go, but your sisters will always be there for you .”

At that time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food , attention , and what to watch on television . How could my sisters be my best friends ?

But my mother never let the three of us forget it : Sisters are lifelong friends . Her wish—like most parents’—was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for brothers and sisters. She gave birth to three daughters. She had given us each a gift—our sisters.

As we grew up, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together , side-by-side , even holding hands when we crossed the finish line . The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.

It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn’t have to. She already knows.

46. How old was the writer when she wrote the passage ?

A. 5 .               B. 9 .              C. 23 .               D. 28 .

47. According to the writer , why can’t her sisters become her friends ?

A. Because they are older than her .          B. Because they don’t like her .

C. Because they often fought with each other .  D. Because they have their own friends .

48. What did the writer feel when her mother said her sisters could be her best friends ?

A. Strange .          B. Excited .          C. Interested .           D. Pleased .

49. What might be the most suitable title for the passage ?

A. My best friends .                       B. The greatest gift .     

C. My sisters and I                        D. My mother’s dream .

50. What can we learn from the passage ?

A. My mother used to give us some gifts .

B. My mother’s sisters are her best friends .

C. My sisters and I always get along well .

D. My sisters and I become good friends now .

Hello, I’m Peter in the second grade. Now I have one thing to say: It’s not easy being a kid. Being a kid might look like fun, but sometimes it’s not fun at all.
Yesterday I was playing outside with my friend. We were having a good time. But suddenly, my mother said, “Peter, it’s time to come inside now. It’s getting dark.” When you’re an adult, no one can tell you what to do or when to do it.
When you are a kid, you have to get up early in the morning and go to school. At school, you have to study math, English, science and history. After school, you have to do your homework. When you are an adult, you do not have to go to school and you never have homework to do.
When you are a kid, the older kids sometimes pick on you. When I was walking home from school on Monday, Tom and Steve bothered me. Steve took my schoolbag and put it in a tree. It made me very mad. When you are an adult, no one can pick on you.
When you are a kid, you have to go to bed early. On school nights, my mom asks me to go to bed at 9:00 pm. But I do have parents who love me, which is really great. So I think I like being a kid, even though it’s not easy being a kid.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。
【小题1】 What was Peter doing when his mother called him home yesterday?

   “How are you?” is a nice question. It’s a friendly way that people in the United States greet each other. But “How are you?” is also a very unusual question. It’s a question that often doesn’t have an answer. The person who asks “How are you?” hopes to hear the answer “Fine”, even if the person’s friend isn’t fine. The reason is that “How are you?” isn’t really a question and “Fine” isn’t really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying “Hello” or “Hi”.

  Sometimes, people don’t say what they mean, either. For example, when someone asks “Do you agree?”, the other person might be thinking, “No, I disagree, I think you are wrong …” But it isn’t very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say “I’m not sure.” It’s a nicer way to say that you don’t agree with someone.

   People also don’t say exactly what they are thinking when they finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says “I’ve to go now.” often, the person who wants to stop gives an excuse: “Someone’s at the door.” “Something is burning on the stove.” The excuses might be real, or it might not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn’t want to talk any more, but it isn’t polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn’t hurt the other person.

  Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people often don’t say exactly what they are thinking. It’s an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it’s all part of the game of language.

35. If you have different opinions from someone, it is polite to say “_______”.

   A. You’re wrong                        B. I’m not so sure if you are right

   C. Of course, I disagree                  D. No, I don’t agree with you

36. Which of the following is a polite way to finish a talk?

   A. I have no time to talk with you now.     B. I want to stop.

   C. I have to go now.                     D. I don’t want to talk any more.

37. According to the passage, when a person says “Something is burning on the stove”, it

means that _______.

   A. he is giving an excuse                      B. he is hurting someone’s feelings

   C. he is talking to a person at the door          D. he is going to another place

38. One of the rules of the game of language is probably ________.

   A. “Always say what you mean”               B. “Don’t disagree with people”

   C. “Usually say exactly what you are thinking”  D. “Be polite”