A man who knows how to write a personal letter has a very powerful tool. A letter can be enjoyed, read and   36  . It can set up a warm conversation between two people far apart (远离的);it can keep a   37   with very little effort.

I will give   38  .A few years ago my older brother and l were not getting   39 .We had been close as    40    but had grown apart. Our meetings were not   41  ; our conversation was filled with arguments and quarrels: and every effort to clear the air seemed to only   42   our misunderstanding. Then he   43   a small island in the Caribbean and we   44   touch. One day he wrote me a letter. He described his island and its people, told me what he was doing, said how he felt, and encouraged me to   45  . Rereading the letter, I was   46   by its humor（幽默）and clever expressions. These were all qualities for which I had   47   respected my older brother but   48   he no longer had them. I had never known he could write so  49  . And with that one letter we became friends   50  .

It might never have occurred to   51   to write me if he had not been in a place where there were no   52  . For him, writing was a necessity. It also turned out to be the best way for us to get back in touch. Because we live in an age of  53   communication（通讯）, people often   54   that they don’t always have to phone or email. They have a   55   . And that is to write.

1.A. received             B. rewritten                C. returned                          D. reread

2.A. record                          B. promise                  C. friendship                        D. secret

3.A. an example                  B. a lesson                   C. an experience                D. a talk

4.A. through               B. together                 C. along                                 D. away  

5.A．brothers           B. children                  C．fellows                           D．classmates

6.A．normal              B. necessary               C．pleasant                         D．possible

7.A．deepen             B. start                         C．express                          D．settle

8.A．toured                        B. stopped                 C．reached                         D．moved to

9.A．lost                     B. kept in           C．needed                          D．got in

10.A. think                           B. write                        C．enjoy                     D．read

11.A．driven                      B. beaten                    C．surprised                       D．honored

12.A．never                       B. seldom           C．sometimes           D．once

13.A．realized                   B. judged           C. thought                            D. expected

14.A．well                           B. often                       C. much                                D. soon

15.A．later                          B. anyhow                  C. too                                    D. again

16.A．us                             B. anyone                    C. someone                          D. my brother

17.A. mail services    B .transport  services       C. phones                    D. relative

18.A．poor                        B. easy                                 C. popular                            D. busy

19.A．believe       B. decide                                     C. argue                                D. forget

20.A.  habit                        B. choice                              C. method                            D. plan

Of all living creatures on earth, insects are the most plentiful. Some　 36　 are very useful to man, for example, bees,　 37　 we get honey and wax, and silkworms, which　 38　 us with silk. Other varieties,　 39　 , are extremely harmful, and do a great　 40　 of damage, especially to crops. Locusts （蝗虫） are perhaps the most dangerous of all,　 41　 they will eat almost any green　 42　 , and when millions of them　 43　 on cultivated land（耕地）they soon leave it　 44　 . In some countries they are the farmer’s　 45　 enemy. Another nuisance is the common　 46　 , not only because it　 47　 us indoors and out - of- doors, but because it spreads diseases.

　　Scientists have given much time and　 48　 to the study of insects. It needs the most careful and　 49　 observation. Thanks　 50　 their discoveries we now know almost all　 51　 is to be known about the habits of these hardworking insects, bees and ants, which live in　 52　 better planned in some ways than our　　53　 . But the most valuable work has been done in trying to give　 54　 to men, animals and crops from the　 55　 which insects cause.

　　36．A. members  B. forms  C. qualities  D. varieties

　　37．A. by which  B. from which  C. of which  D. in which

　　38．A. give  B. produce  C. offer  D. supply

　　39．A. however  B. meanwhile C. therefore  D. what's more

　　40．A. majority  B. number  C. amount  D. quantity

　　41．A. and  B. for  C. if  D. when

　　42．A. grass  B. field  C. fruit  D. plant

　　43．A. settle  B. attack  C. pass  D. cross

　　44．A. bare  B. nothing  C. empty  D. untouched

　　45．A. hardest  B. greatest  C. serious  D. wildest

　　46．A. insect  B. creature  C. fly  D. enemy

　　47．A. dislikes  B. bites  C. worries  D. hates

　　48．A. understanding  B. ideas  C. comprehension  D. thought

　　49．A. serious  B. patient  C. curious  D. long

　　50．A. for  B. of  C. to  D. with

　　51．A. that  B. which  C. there  D. what

　　52．A. societies  B. crowds C. teams  D. organizations

　　53．A. world  B. nation  C. selves  D. own

　　54．A. help  B. protection  C. living  D. defense

　　55．A. injury  B. wound  C. sickness  D. ruin

  She is only 12 years old but lives only with her younger sister. Her parents are far away from home, and she has to take care of her younger sister. She is He Can, a student at Anqing Jiangzhen Middle School in Anhui, one of the “stay-at-home children” in her town. To make money, these kids’ parents go to big cities to find jobs. Their children have to stay at home because they have to go to school.    

       He Can’s parents left home when she was only four. They only come back for the Spring Festival every year. Because she had to live with different relatives at different times, He Can went to eight different primary schools.    

       “I used to complain,” she said. “But later I understood my parents. They have to go away to make a better life for us.” He Can said her frequently (频繁地) changing life also has a good side.    

       “When I went to a new school, I had to try to make friends,” said He Can. “I became outgoing. Now I’m not afraid of talking to people.”    

       He Can said her relatives were kind to her. They taught her how to cook and wash clothes.     

       When He Can was going to start junior high school, her parents agreed to let her live out with her younger sister. She rents a house near the school. Sometimes their grandmother comes over and helps them.    

       Every day, He Can gets up at 6:00 am and cooks breakfast. Then the two girls go to school. They have supper at 6:00 pm. Then He Can does chores and helps her sister take a shower. She usually goes to bed at 9:30 pm.    

       Though busy, He Can is still a top student in her class. She said the secret is never to put things off until tomorrow.    

       “I think my life is OK,” she said. “But if possible, I would like my parents to settle down (安顿下来) and live with us.”

Why does He Can live only with her younger sister?

A. Because their parents don’t like them.       

B. Because their parents have to work in a big city.

C. Because they enjoy living by themselves.   

D. Because their schools are too far away from their home.

Where did He Can live before she started junior high school?

A. In her relatives’ houses.                   B. In her own house.

C. In a house she rented.                    D. In her school.

What does He Can think of changing schools so often?

A. She hates it and complains a lot about it.  

B. She thinks it good for her growth.

C. She enjoys it because she can make more friends.

D. She thinks it bad for her studies.

What is He Can’s secret of being top at studies though busy?

A. She often asks her relatives for help.  

B. She exercises a lot to make herself stronger.

C. She gives her sister some work to do. 

D. She tries to finish everything before going to bed.

Officials in the Midwestern U. S. town of Joplin, Missouri, say the death from Sundays’ big tornado reaches 116 and that search efforts continue for possible survivors trapped in rubble (碎石). Search and rescue teams are conducting their third sweep through the nearly 10 kilometer – long and one – kilometer wide area of destruction left by the tornado. They are working as quickly as possible while weather conditions remain relatively stable. More storms are forecast for the area.

Joplin Fire Chief Mitch Randles said there are areas with large piles of rubble that might hold survivors. “We are still finding individuals. We did rescue seven individuals from underneath rubble yesterday and, of course, we are also finding dead folks as well.” Said more folks and that is why we are doing these searches. We want to make every opportunity that we can to find everybody that is in the rubble and that has survived to this point.”

Randles said the current sweep involves a slower pace that previous searches and that he plans a fourth search, possibly on Wednesday, using specially trained dogs. “We are searching every structure that has been damaged or destroyed in a more in-depth manner, “he said.” I have dogs and dog handlers coming from all over the country do help us in that effort.”

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr said the Red Cross and other volunteer organizations are helping people who were left homeless by the tornado and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is on hand to help. “Joplin is a great city. We have suffered a great loss, “said Rohr.” We will recover and we will recover strongly and we have a lot of help and a lot of volunteers to make that easier.”

The tornado that struck Joplin was classified by the Natioonal Weather Service as an F – 4, with winds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. It lasted only 20 minutes, but it killed more that 100 people, injured more than 400 others, and destroyed or heavily damaged some 2,000 homes, businesses, churches and a hospital. Authorities have registered more than 1,700 calls about missing people and they hope to resolvemost of those cases soon, as victims are identified and survivors come forth and reunite with loved ones.

This was the worst tornado to strike the United States in 60 years. It was the latest in a wave of violent storms that have swept Midwestern and southern states in recent weeks, leaving more than 300 people dead an causing more than $2 billion dollars in damage.

1.What kind of disaster (灾害)of this article is talking about?

A．tornado           B．earthquake        C．flood             D．drought

2.The best headline for this newspaper article would be          .

A．Difficulties in the Rescue

B．The Great Loss Brought by the Tornado

C．Search for Survivors After the Disaster

D．Worst Tornado in the USA

3.The word “resolve” in Para 5 probably means         .

A．cover            B．settle             C．overcome         D．challenge

4.The number of death caused by the tornado that struck Joplin reached more than       .

A．100              B．300              C．400              D．1,700

5.From the text, it can be inferred that           .

A．many victims might be under the ruins

B．it was impossible to find out survivors

C．the tornado lasted several weeks

D．the bad weather influenced the rescue greatly

.

Ⅱ. 完形填空（共20小题，计20分）

In the past, most American mothers were at home to take care of their children during the day. Now, __36__, many mothers are working. More than half of the American women __37__ young children have __38__ outside the house.

American families settle the child care __39__ in different ways. Some parents permit __40__ children to stay home alone after school. The parents __41__ be sure the children, usually not younger than 10 years old, understand __42__ rules and can deal with emergencies (紧急情况). Other parents say they would __43__ permit their children to be at home alone. They usually __44___someone to take care of the __45__.

Some parents in the U.S. find their own way to __46__ the cost of child care in__47__.  Each person in one group __48__for the children of other group __49__ at different times. Some parents ask local__50__, schools and social organizations to help __51__ activities for the children. These child care choices often cost __52__ or no money. Many American parents, however, still __53__ with the problem of __54__ good child care at a __55___ price.

36.   A. therefore           B. otherwise            C. thus                   D. however

37.   A. like              B. as                       C. with              D. from

38.   A. children           B. jobs                        C. houses               D. money

39.   A. problem            B. question                   C. chance                     D. choice

40.   A. older              B. younger                   C. sicker           D. happier

41.   A. can               B. must                   C. may               D. ought

42.   A. dangerous      B. safety                       C. funny                D. true

43.   A. rather               B. certainly                   C. always              D. never

44.   A. send             B. stop                       C. pay                D. invite

45.   A. house             B. neighbors                 C. old              D. children

46.   A. protect           B. end                    C. reduce       D. increase

47.   A. schools             B. groups                     C. clubs         D. hospitals

48.   A. cares             B. sends                  C. asks             D. pays

49.   A. strangers           B. members                  C. officials       D. teachers

50.   A. shops            B. members                 C. churches       D. restaurants

51.   A. equip            B. offer                       C. play                  D. join

52.   A. much                      B. little                        C. enough             D. more

53.   A. enjoy                      B. discuss                     C. quarrel         D. struggle

54.   A. taking            B. finding                    C. losing           D. suffering

55.   A. high               B. low                   C. reasonable         D. real