Nine-year-old Barack Obama was looking through a magazine．But the African-American boy was shocked by a series of photos．The pictures were of a black man who destroyed his skin with chemicals that promised to make him white．

For the first time, the boy began to doubt who he was．

However, now the boy who used to struggle with his identity doesn’t see it as a problem any more, but an advantage for his successful career．Last week Obama made history by being elected as the first black president of the United States．He defeated John McCain in a landslide victory．

Obama’s story starts in opposite corners of the world． His white mother was born in the heartland of the US．His black father grew up in a tiny village in Kenya．They met during college in Hawaii, but his father left the family when Obama was just two years old and his mother moved to Indonesia．

At 10, Obama moved back to live with his white grandparents in Hawaii．At his class, a white boy asked Obama if his father ate people．Out of embarrassment, Obama lied to his classmates that his father was a prince．“I kept asking who I am and I ended up trying drugs and drinking”, Obama recalled．

Things came to change after the young man made friends with those with a similar background at college．Their experiences back in Africa helped Obama to finally face up to his African origin．He worked hard to become a star at Harvard Law School and the third black senator in US history．

At the beginning of his campaign for the White House, few people viewed Obama favorably．Many doubted his unusual background, which left him neither “black” enough nor  “white” enough．

But Obama turned his pain of growing up into a tool to make Americans believe: “There is not a black America and a white America, a Latino America, an Asian America．There’s the United States of America． ”

Barack Obama’s victory is “a historic victory that promised change and overcame centuries of prejudice．His success fulfilled Martin Luther King’s dream that a man be judged not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character”, wrote ABC news．

1．The black man destroyed his skin because            ．

A．he wanted to become handsome

B．he expected to know who he was

C．he suffered a serious disease

D．he wanted to change its color

2．We can learn from the passage that            ．

A．Obama’s parents come from the same country

B．the black man who destroyed his skin was Obama himself

C．Obama was once troubled by his identity

D．Africa is where Obama was born

3．Which is the correct order?

a．being elected the first black president of the US

b．returning to live with his grandparents

c．becoming the third black senator in US history

d．going to college

e．going to Africa for his origin

f．joining in the campaign for the White House

A．b, e, d, c, f, a                                  B．f, a, b, e, d, c

C．a, b, e, f, c, d                           D．c, f, d, b, e, a

4．The best title of the passage would be            ．

A．The First President of the US  

B．Martin Luther King’s Dream

C．A Historic Victory  

D．The History of African Americans

Today was a big day for my eldest son, Kevin. He had his first big boy haircut. Before today, we have always stood by his side, told the hairdresser what to do and watched over the whole thing. We’ve been working on the rewards (奖赏) of responsibility with my son for quite some time. Today, he got one of those rewards by having his own haircut.
When they arrived at the shop, his father showed him a book with lots of styles of haircuts for boys. After he made his choice, he waited patiently for his turn. My husband decided he would get his own hair cut at the same time.
When their names were called, Kevin showed the hairdresser the picture of his chosen haircut, which, thankfully, was not a strange haircut. The hairdresser looked to my husband for approval (批准) and he told her his son was in charge.
During his haircut, Kevin talked happily with the hairdresser. My husband, who was getting his haircut in the next chair, kept silent. When all was said and done, Kevin looked quite handsome.
When it was time to pay, he reached into his pocket and took out the cash my husband gave him. He handed it to her and said, “Thanks, it’s all yours.” I guess that’s the six-year-old equivalent (对应的语句) of “keep the change.”
I have to admit I was a little nervous about the whole thing before, but I’m a believer now. My son is growing up and ready for new big boy experiences.
【小题1】When Kevin got his haircut, the author used to      .

Today was a big day for my eldest son, Kevin. He had his first big boy haircut. Before today, we have always stood by his side, told the hairdresser what to do and watched over the whole thing. We’ve been working on the rewards (奖赏) of responsibility with my son for quite some time. Today, he got one of those rewards by having his own haircut.

When they arrived at the shop, his father showed him a book with lots of styles of haircuts for boys. After he made his choice, he waited patiently for his turn. My husband decided he would get his own hair cut at the same time.

When their names were called, Kevin showed the hairdresser the picture of his chosen haircut, which, thankfully, was not a strange haircut. The hairdresser looked to my husband for approval (批准) and he told her his son was in charge.

During his haircut, Kevin talked happily with the hairdresser. My husband, who was getting his haircut in the next chair, kept silent. When all was said and done, Kevin looked quite handsome.

When it was time to pay, he reached into his pocket and took out the cash my husband gave him. He handed it to her and said, “Thanks, it’s all yours.” I guess that’s the six-year-old equivalent (对应的语句) of “keep the change.”

I have to admit I was a little nervous about the whole thing before, but I’m a believer now. My son is growing up and ready for new big boy experiences.

1.When Kevin got his haircut, the author used to      .

A．do her own thing                       B．leave him alone

C．talk happily with her son                  D．manage the whole thing

2.What did the author’s husband do at the hairdresser’s?

A．Picked out a hair style for his son.           B．Talked happily with the hairdressers.

C．Had his own haircut silently                D．Stood together with the author.

3.What was the hair style that Kevin chose like?

A．It was very strange.                      B．It suited him well.

C．It was very bad.                         D．It was more like a girl’s

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his now place and meet his friends.

My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult(成年人)I feared(害怕) him and felt bitter about him He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boy friends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling worried.

On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical(挑剔的)air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad in his new home in Arizona is back to me from where he was.

63. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He was silent most of the time        B. He was too proud of himself

C. He did not love his children          D. He expected too much of her

64. When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel_______.

   A. nervous        B. sorry          C. tired              D. safe

65. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

   A. More critical  B. More talkative  C. Gentle and friendly D. Strict and hard-working

66. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

   A. the author’s son B. the author’s father C. the friend of the author’s father D. the cafe owner

D

A quarrel at home may result in you falling ill. Don’t laugh, it’s true. Family matters including living habits and even the way we speak have a big effect on our health, doctors say.

Wang Xiaoyu, a Senior 2 girl from Xichang, Sichuan Province, fainted (晕倒) in class when she heard her classmates quarrel at the top of their voices. Quarrels between her parents also put the girl into a coma. It is because she is suffering from depression (抑郁症), caused by bad relations at home, doctors explained.

“We don’t get sick or stay well by ourselves,” says Dr Robert Ferrer from the US. Ferrer shows that family forces may explain up to a quarter of health problems, in his recent research. The genes you get from your family may cause illness. If one of your parents has a heart attack, your risk of being affected may double. But effects on health are not only written in our DNA.

Unrelated people who live under the same roof also get similar problems. Diet, lifestyle and environment affect our health, too. Ferrer’s research also found that if teenagers feel they are ignored or unimportant at home they are more likely to get sick.

We may never fully understand all the effects that families have on our health. But just as individual (个别的) problems can have effects on others, a small improvement can have big benefits, Ferrer said.

67. Which of the following can best explain why Wang Xiaoyu fainted in class?

A. Because her classmates often quarreled in class.

B. Because her parents used to quarrel.

C. Because of her depression caused by bad family relations.

D. Because her classmates shouted loudly at her.

68. According to Dr Ferrer, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. We get sick or stay well by ourselves.

B. Only the genes we get from our family have a big effect on our health.

C. Our health has nothing to do with diet, lifestyle and environment.

D. Teenagers who are ignored at home get sick more easily than those who are not.

69. The underlined word “coma” in Paragraph2 probably means ________.

A. surprise                 B. faint        C. tiredness        D. sadness                   

70. The best title for this passage is ________.

A. Family relations.                 B. The reasons why we get sick.

C. Family---- another cause to health    D. A research about health.

When I was a boy, my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to．Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color prints in our city, and so he did．

When I was 16, Dad looked closely at the violin I played and announced that he wanted to make one． He read about violin making, and then became a violinmaker at the age of 43．He bought the tools and materials, opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper, while he worked at a local company． He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments．

Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sound so beautiful． Some experts claimed that it was the unique varnish （油漆） that gave those instruments their beautiful sound． Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish—if that were the answer．

One of Dad’s friends asked him once which kind of wood was used to make violins．When Dad explained that the top was made of spruce （云杉） , his friend said that he had an old piece of spruce Dad might be interested in．

He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him． It proved to be a superior violin and it would become Dad's masterpiece． He was convinced that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself．

Later, the instrument was stolen．Dad's spirit was broken by the robbery, and he stopped making instruments． But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old, selling guitars and violins．　　　

My father has been gone for 14 years now． The violin has been missing for more than 25 years．Somewhere a musician is playing a late 20th century violin with an excellent tone． The owner today may never understand why this ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like a Stradivarius．

56． The author mentions his father's developing color prints　　　　　 .

　　　 A． to show that his father-s real interest was not in making violins

　　　 B． to prove that his father could do anything he wanted to

　　　 C． to give an example proving that his father was an inventor

　　　 D． to describe the real thing that made the author believe his father

57． What did the author’s father think about Stradivarius violins?

　　　 A． The varnish was different from the others,

　　　 B． The way of making them was special．

　　　 C． The wood of the violins was special．

　　 D． They could only be analyzed by chemists．

58． How long did the author’s father live after the violin was stolen?

　　　 A． About 11 years．　　 　　　　　　　　　 B． About 14 years．

　　　 C． About 25 years． 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D． About 80 years．

59． From the underlined sentence, we can learn that the author’s father　　　　　　　　　 .

　　　 A． liked the violin very much

　　　 B． got crazy after this happened

　　　 C． lost interest in instruments

　　　 D． didn't want to become famous