"Mom, I have to go get help," Maddie cried.

McRae realized it was their only hope. If she tried to go herself, she knew, Maddie wouldn't be able to hold on to the two toddlers（学步婴儿）, and all three children might drown. But Maddie was still recovering from foot surgery and had been out of a cast for only a week. How was she going to manage? They were stranded in the middle of the swelling torrent (激流) in complete darkness, more than 25 feet from the creek bank.

McRae looked at her small, determined daughter. "I'm thinking, this is the last chance I may get to talk to her. What do I need to tell her?" she recalls. "I love you!" she shouted over the roaring water. "I'm proud of you. Be careful!"

"I know I can do it," Maddie replied. The 95-pound sixth grader grabbed a thin, weak branch hanging over the SUV and began to climb across the creek. Reaching the bank, she jumped into "a whole bunch of prickly (多刺的) bushes," then took off running. "I was in my power," she recalls.

With the cold water now swelling up to her chest and her arms growing numb around the two toddlers, McRae could see her daughter's figure as she moved quickly up the hill toward the nearest neighbor's back pasture（牧场）. Suddenly she heard Maddie scream.

"I ran into an electric fence," Maddie recalls. "It really hurt." Barefoot and soaking wet, she tried to climb it four or five times, thrown back each time by a shock meant to contain horses. Finally she found a cold spot near the gate and got over. McRae saw a porch light go on at the top of the hill.

1.The underlined word in the second paragraph can be replaced with “_______”.

  A. trapped                 B. struck                      C. ranged                                   D. swapped

2.The mother didn’t go to search for help herself in that________.

  A. her daughter was more determined            

B. her foot was recovering from surgery

  C. she was not accustomed to walking in darkness 

D. she doubted if Maddie could do with her sisters

3.Which of the following is true of Maddie?

  A. She ran all her way in search of help.          B. She goes to primary school.    

  C. She is in the middle of the three sisters.              D. She had an operation a fortnight ago.

4.What contributes most to their success according to the author?

  A. The whole family’s confidence.   

B. The mother’s intelligence and patience

  C. McRae’s great determination              

D. Mum’s encouragement and daughter’s determination

1.In the accident, ten passengers were injured in all, two children i___________.

2.We live o_______ the school, so we often go to school on foot.

3.The famous actress c___________ suicide in 1985 at the age of 26, making her fans very sad.

4.His o_________ intention was to become a pilot, but now he is a car driver.

5.With the mid-term exam a____________, all the students are busy with their studies.

6.Many parents intend to have their children _________ (教育) in American colleges so that they can have a better future.

7.The wedding ______________（仪式）will be held on Feb.14th, which is Valentine’s Day.

8.Ba Jin has made great ____________（贡献）to Chinese literature.

9.The old government was _____________（推翻）and a new one replaced it.

10.With the climate becoming worse and worse, people ___________（逐渐地）realize the importance of protecting forests.

11.Apparently s__________ to criticism, the bull forgot all about the matador and charged at the drunk.

12.When the bull got close to him, he c__________ stepped aside to let it pass.

13.As there were strange marks on the X-ray p__________ taken of the mummy, doctors have been trying to find out whether the woman died of a rare disease.

14.I had all the usual s__________ of someone giving up smoking: a bad temper and an enormous appetite.

15.Children who play t__________ from school are unimaginative.

16.I smoked with __________(集中，专心) and pleasure as I was sure that this would be my last cigarette.

17.Dressed in dark glasses and old clothes, they had taken special __________(预防措施) so that no one should recognize them.

18.“Oh, is it?” said the sheriff with a __________(冷笑).

19.She __________(跺，踩) out the letters “SOS” in the snow.

20.It was not long before a helicopter arrived on the scene to rescue the __________(幸存者) of the plane crash.

完形填空

　　School was over and I was both mentally and physically tired. I sat at the very foot of the bus because of my 1 to get home. Sitting at the front makes you 2 out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies.

　　Janie, the driver, tries to break the 3 atmosphere by striking the match of 4 . I try to mind my manners and 5 listen, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day. On this day, 6 , her conversation was worth listening to.

　　“My father's sick.”she said to no one in 7 .I could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes. With a sudden change of attitude and interest, I asked, “What's wrong with him?”

　　With her eyes wet and her voice tight from 8 the tears, she responded,“Heart trouble.”Her eyes lowered as she 9 .“I've already lost my mum, so I don't think I can stand losing him. ”

　　I didn't respond. I was 10 . My heart ached for her. I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great 11 my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, 12 still is, for her. I wouldn't like anyone to go 13 that.

　　Suddenly I realized Janie wasn't only a bus driver. That was 14 her job. She had a whole world of family and concerns, too. I had never thought of her as 15 but a driver.

　　I suddenly felt very 16 . I realized I had only thought of people as 17 as what their purposes were in my life. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as 18 .

　　For all I know, I'm just another person in 19 else's world, and may not even be important. I 20 not have been so selfish and self-centered . Everyone has places to go, people to see and appointments (约会) to keep. Understanding people is an art.

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I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch (牧场). He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for the youth. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man, the son of a horse trainer who would go from ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.”

“That night he wrote a paper describing his goal of owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch. He put his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note reading, ‘See me after class.’ The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, ‘Why did I receive an F?’ The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’”

“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.’”

Monty then turned to the group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.’”

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. Monty’s high school life was interrupted because his father asked him to help him train horses.

   B. Monty received an F because his teacher thought it was impossible for him to realize his dream.

   C. Monty decided not to rewrite his paper because his father supported him.

   D. Monty’s teacher was serious, responsible, strict and warm-hearted.

2.The underlined word “gumption” in the last paragraph means ______.

   A. hope           B. idea             C. determination         D. belief

3.What can you learn from the passage?

   A. Trying and getting real experience is a way of feeling better about yourself and gaining more       confidence in your abilities.

   B. The easiest way for you to grow as a person is to surround yourself with people smarter than you.

   C. Don’t be afraid of those who might have a better idea or who might even be smarter than you.

   D. Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs．
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, "I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house.” It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of a horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.”
That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch．He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch．”
He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, "See me after class.”
【小题1】Why can the writer use Roberts's house to raise money for youth at risk programs?