Eight-year-old Jesse Arbogast was playing in the sea late one evening in July when a 7-foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation(人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.

Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boys’ arm.

At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, we wouldn’t have had a chance.”

According to the local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in an area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in an area where swimming is allowed.”

When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight against a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”

1.What was the boy doing when the accident happened?

2. In which way did the boy’s uncle help with the operation?

3.How was his uncle in time of danger?

4.According to Jack Tomosvic, _______.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel（纪录片） as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
“Jack, did you hear me?”
“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.
Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.
“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.
“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.
“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important… Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.
Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before they had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture… Jack stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.
“The box is gone,” he said.
“What box?” Mom asked.
“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
“Now, I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.
Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.
“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.
Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.
“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.
Inside he found these words carved: “Jack, Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”
“Oh, My God! This is the thing he valued most…”
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.
“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.
【小题1】Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

I have a good memory of my grandfather，Jack. He was sitting in his armchair in the front room.

 I sat next to him. We were reading aloud，our heads bent over the page in front of us，a finger marking the words；separated by seven decades，brought together by words. It's a common scene in British families；however，in our case，the usual order of things is reversed（颠倒）．Granddad had been blind since I was tiny，so I was reading to him.When reading aloud，people usually read something that's of interest to the listener. So I didn't read children's books；I read the sorts of things Granddad liked to hear about. Much of the vocabulary in Granddad’s reading material was far beyond me. When I met unfamiliar words，I'd spell them out.

   Granddad would help me. It must have been painful for him to hear news；but he never hurried me along or complained. Our reading wasn't really about getting knowledge. It was a way for us to spend time together.

My grandfather wasn't always blind. He had been a good carpenter（木匠）．The first Christmas of my parents' marriage，he built my mother a bookcase，which now belongs to my son Jonah，providing a link between four generations.

I was a fortunate child；I spent a lot of time with my grandfather，and he opened the world to me in a particular way. Reading was our way of building a relationship that has had a lasting effect on me. In the school holidays，I sometimes accompanied him on trips to the seaside with the local association for the blind. This might seem strange，but I felt that my personal value was realized because I could finally do something for Granddad.

A decade later，I found a position in a nursing home，which reminded me of my early experiences；reading to senior citizens was a connection back to Granddad. More than simple conversation，reading aloud is a connection between two individuals and it can have a big emotional（情感的）effect on elderly people.

1.What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The author's grandfather was born blind.

B．The author is seventy years younger than her grandfather.

C．The author often sat opposite to her grandfather while reading.

D．It's quite common in Britain that children read to their grandfathers.

2.Why didn't the author choose to read children's books?

A．To expand her  knowledge.

B．To make her vocabulary  bigger.

C．To show off in front of her grandfather.

D．To satisfy the needs of her grandfather.

3.How did the author feel during the trips with Granddad?

A．Proud.        B．Troubled.

C．Curious.      D．Embarrassed.

Eight-year-old Jesse Arbogast was playing in the sea late one evening in July when a 7-foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation(人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.
Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boys’ arm.
At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, we wouldn’t have had a chance.”
According to the local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in an area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in an area where swimming is allowed.”
When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight against a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”
【小题1】What was the boy doing when the accident happened?

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

46. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.

47. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

48. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

   A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

   B. Because he had no children or relatives.

   C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

   D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

49. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

50. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times                           B. What He Valued Most

   C. An Old Gold Watch                             D. The Lost Childhood Days