—When can I come for the photos？I need them tomorrow afternoon. 

   —They _____ be ready by 12p. m. 

A. can    B. should    C. might    D. need

A young father was visiting an old neighbor．They were standing in the old man's garden，talking about children. The young man said，“How strict should parents be with their children？”
The old man pointed to a string（绳子）between a big strong tree and a thin young one． “Please untie（解开）that string，” he said．The young man untied it，and the young tree bent over to one side．“Now tie it again， please，” said the old man，“but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again．”
The young man did so．Then the old man said，“There，it is the same with children．You must be strict with them，but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on．If they are not yet able to stand alone，you must tie the string tight again．But when you find that they are ready to stand alone，you can take the string away．”
【小题1】The story is about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿．

Believe it or not, a rain check is not a weather report. A rain check is a small piece of paper. When can you get a rain check? Well, if you are going to a ball game or some other open-air activity and it is called off because of rain or some other reason, you may receive a rain check. With it you may go there again without paying.

You may also receive a rain check at a shop. As you know, sometimes when you go to a shop to buy something which is on sale, it is sold out. You may ask the assistant to give you a rain check and with it you can go again next time to buy what you need at the sale price.

Here’s another way to use this word. If someone invites you to go somewhere, you would like to go very much but cannot, you may say “May I have a rain check?” This means, “I will come next time.” But you can never say “May I take a rain check?” when your teacher gives you some homework.

根据短文内容，判断一下句子的正（T）误（F）。

1.A rain check is a piece of paper with weather report on it.    (  )

2.When a ball game is called off because of rain, we can get a rain check.    (  )

3.We can buy something we need without paying with a rain check.    (  )

4.Sometimes a rain check means “I will come next time.”    (  )

5.Teachers will be glad to give their students a rain check when they ask them to do some homework.    (  )

．—When can we come to visit you?

     —Anytime you feel like________.

A. one            B. it               C .so              D. that

The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace was completed and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the great interior (内部) of Elizabeth’s home. Many parts of the palace’s impressive interior have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.

    The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great bought a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays, a diverse range of art and artifacts (手工艺品) from all over the world and throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Pissarro, and several works by Rodin. The collection is really worth a stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on show in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you’d seen them all. However, we suggest you choose a guided tour instead!

    Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38.

    Open: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sunday till 5 pm.

    Closed: Mondays. Ticket-office closes 1 hour before closing time.

According to the passage, the Winter Palace was built for ______.

A. Catherine the Great.      B. Empress Elizabeth

C. Peter the Great.           D. Empress Elizabeth’s successors

What’s the main reason why many parts of the palace’s impressive interior were remodeled?

A. Catherine the Great and her successors didn’t like the design.

B. Empress Elizabeth wanted to remodel the palace.

C. A huge fire destroyed most of the building in 1837.

D. The building became old itself.

According to the passage, which of the following is CORRECT?

A. The Winter Palace was built between 1753 and 1761.

B. The Hermitage’s collections don’t include works by Monet.       

C. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia.

D. The Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Elizabeth bought a collection of 255 paintings from Berlin.

If you want to visit the museum, when can you go?

A. At 10:30 am on Monday.      B. At 10:00 am on Tuesday.

C. At 11:00 am on Sunday.       D. None of the above.