It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat with my friend Katie and the dog when the phone call came, the call that made that bright, beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one.

I had just put on my suit, shorts, and tank top, and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day. I ran into my parents' room to find Dad. When I saw him on the phone, he was crying. I'd never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could have happened?

"Max, I'm so sorry," I heard him say. That's when it hit me. I knew that Suzie had died.Max has been my dad's best friend for years. Suzie, his daughter, had a rare disease that mainly affected her body. Her brain was OK. She knew what was going on; she knew that shehad problems and was different from other kids. Once she told her dad that she wished she could die and be born in a different body. Yet although she couldn't live a normal life ，she was still happy.

When Suzie and I were little, we spent quite a bit of time together. As we grew up, we grew apart. She lived in New York, and I lived in the Midwest. When Suzie was ten she had to live ina hospital in Virginia. About eight months before she died, Max gave us her number at the hospital and we talked at least twice a week until the end. Suzie was always so excited to talk to us and wanted to know every detail about my life. She wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate. In a way, she lived through me.

    After we found out about her death, we made our plans to go to New York for the funeral. When she was alive, I sent her a Beanie Baby and she sent one back to me. I had bought her another one but never had the chance to send it to her, so I took it to put in her casket(棺材).

Her funeral was very different from any funeral I'd ever been to. After they lowered her casket, each one of us put a shovelful of dirt over her. I remember crying so hard, I felt weak. My cheeks burned from the tears. My whole body was shaking as I picked up the shovel, but I'm glad I did it.

When Suzie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give to her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted especially my health and the gift of life.

1.The author's family cancelled their ride because______.

    A．Katie couldn't join them for the ride

    B．the weather was too terrible for a ride

    C．they couldn't find their dog

    D．Max's daughter passed away

2.What does the underlined part “In a wav, she lived through me.” mean?

    A．Suzie got to know what life outside hospital was like by sharing my experience.

    B．Suzie was financially dependent of me.

    C．Suzie managed to pull through her illness with the help of my family.

    D．Suzie was too weak to live her own life.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

    A．Suzie was the only person helping the author with difficulties.

    B．The author feared that she might also get the same disease as Suzie.

    C．The author benefited a lot from talking on the phone with Suzie.

    D．The author didn't understand Suzie was her true friend until Suzie's death.

4.What is the most important lesson the author learned from Suzie's death?

    A．Never let go of a friend even if you are apart.

    B．Be thankful for what we have in our life.

    C．Talking with a friend can cure your illness.

    D．We can learn more from our friends than they do from us.

The sun shines brightly as I leave school, get into my car, and head for Bradley Hospital. This year, as a senior at Seekonk High School, I have been given the opportunity to leave the usual classroom setting once a week to volunteer.
I   1  to spend this valuable time working with mentally disabled children at Bradley Children’s Hospital. I work   2  a teacher in the outpatient/pre-school section, in a classroom with two children— a classroom very different from   3  I have ever known. The difference of this classroom is   4  the children have been diagnosed with a mental disease. One child is autistic and non-verbal（自闭和不说话的）, using supportive   5 . The other has a condition called PDD (one step above autism), and is   6  non-verbal. Both childrenrequire strong   7  and a lot of attention. This combination creates an atmosphere which is both demanding and sympathetic.
My   8  in the classroom is not only to help the teacher, but to become part of the children’s   9  experience. I work one-on-one completing academics with a student.   10 , we work as a group on such activities as cooking, artwork, abstract reasoning. Everyday activities, which may be taken for granted by others,   11  a lot of strength from the children. This has opened my eyes vastly.
One of the   12  reasons why I volunteer to take the work is that I desire to help those who are less   13 . However, it has also helped me to realize my competence. I now know that I have the   14  to work with the disabled. I have lost my fear, and I   15  myself a lot more.
It is true that my work is very   16 ; there are many days that I   17  Bradley exhausted emotionally and physically. There have been times when I have left on the edge of tears   18 . But pity doesn’t heal, love does. And I have grown to love these children in my own way,   19  I see them only once a week. This experience has been both rewarding and satisfying. I’ve learned also that I do have the ability to make a difference in their lives, no matter how small it may be. One smile makes it all   20 .

The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children-cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances-that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".

But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.

At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either.  I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them. 

I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.

Then one day I saw an ad. For foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance, I rang up the number.

I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.

1.How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?

2.The underlined phrase “was tied up with” in the second paragraph means “        ”.

3.In the third paragraph, the poor mother did all the things just to         .

4.What did the empty-nested mother think of her husband?

5.Thanks to the foster daughter, the author         .

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从第31至第40小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Dear Mr. Takashhi,

I am writing to apologize for any misunderstandings that occurred when I showed you around Beijing the other day. I noticed that you were a bit   31   when I put the business card you gave me in my   32   without looking at it. And   33   did not know why you kept making an OK sign and why you   34   so many things. After reading a magazine article, I know that Japanese people give out their business cards   35   they greet others and they would like others to look at their cards carefully. So I should have read your   36   before I put it in my pocket. And I also know why you bought so many things   37 . Because gift-giving is expected in Japan and on a trip, you must bring back lots of   38 . As for the OK sign, I now know it is a request for small change.

I feel very sorry for not having known these   39   habits earlier. I hope you can forgive me for all these misunderstandings. I hope   40   our next meeting will be happier.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hualing

1. A. pleased       B. upset            C. excited          D. encouraged

2. A. hand          B. box              C. watch            D. pocket

3. A. I             B. you              C. we               D. nobody

4. A. made          B. saw              C. bought           D. eat

5. A. unless        B. before           C. after            D. when

6. A. faces         B. books            C. cards            D. clothes

7. A. there         B. here             C. home             D. everywhere

8. A. gifts         B. photos           C. pictures         D. sweets

9. A. strange       B. rare             C. unusual          D. cultural

10. A. which        B. that             C. when             D. where

The sun shines brightly as I leave school, get into my car, and head for Bradley Hospital. This year, as a senior at Seekonk High School, I have been given the opportunity to leave the usual classroom setting once a week to volunteer.
I   21  to spend this valuable time working with mentally disabled children at Bradley Children’s Hospital. I work   22  a teacher in the outpatient/pre-school section, in a classroom with two children— a classroom very different from   23  I have ever known. The difference of this classroom is   24  the children have been diagnosed with a mental disease. One child is autistic and non-verbal（自闭和不说话的）, using supportive   25 . The other has a condition called PDD (one step above autism), and is   26  non-verbal. Both children require strong   27  and a lot of attention. This combination creates an atmosphere which is both demanding and sympathetic.
My   28  in the classroom is not only to help the teacher, but to become part of the children’s   29  experience. I work one-on-one completing academics with a student.   30 , we work as a group on such activities as cooking, artwork, abstract reasoning. Everyday activities, which may be taken for granted by others,   31  a lot of strength from the children. This has opened my eyes vastly.
One of the   32  reasons why I volunteer to take the work is that I desire to help those who are less   33 . However, it has also helped me to realize my competence. I now know that I have the   34  to work with the disabled. I have lost my fear, and I   35  myself a lot more.
It is true that my work is very   36 ; there are many days that I   37  Bradley exhausted emotionally and physically. There have been times when I have left on the edge of tears   38 . But pity doesn’t heal, love does. And I have grown to love these children in my own way,   39  I see them only once a week. This experience has been both rewarding and satisfying. I’ve learned also that I do have the ability to make a difference in their lives, no matter how small it may be. One smile makes it all   40 .