This is the letter that Mr. White wrote before his death about his three books for children:

Dear Reader:

I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all -- there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.

Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.

As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn（谷仓） is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation（拯救） on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)

Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -- as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction is trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.

Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either -- you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true -- books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send autographs（亲笔签名，手稿） -- I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren.

Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet（喇叭，小号） . But real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too -- truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.

Yours sincerely,

E.B. White

1.What does the author do?

2.What caused the author start to write?

3.Why does the author think he can’t seng his autographs?

4.How long had the author been writing the story of Chariotte’s web?

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(冲突) . It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end, they fell apart.
One morning, a man with a carpenter’s toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said, “I have a job for you. Look at the farm across the creek（河沟）. My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer（推土机）to dig the creek last week to spite(刁难) me. So I want you to build me a fence, an 8 – foot – high fence,  in order not to see his place any more.” The carpenter smiled and said, “I see. I’ll try to do a job that satisfies you.” Then the elder brother went downtown.
At sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide! To his surprise, there was no fence there at all! Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder.
“No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other work for you,” said the elder brother.
“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but I have so many more bridges to build.”
【小题1】What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

短文改错（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（??），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词；

      2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Today I attended a meeting holding by our school. At the meeting more than thirty students

 praised. For our happiness, Bruce, monitor of our class, who was among them. We all felt

proud of him. Then the headmaster gave them a talk. He wanted us to learn these model

students and hoped that more and more students will be praised at the next school meeting.

I was great encouraged and make up my mind to work harder. Next week there will be an

English exam. I’ll try to get good mark.

After my 21 second－graders finished reciting the text, they settled back in their seats. But Duane remained __1__. Duane was a bright and lovable student, __2__ his mother, a single parent, had many problems such as drinking. __3__ that he might have had a bad night, I walked over to him to see what was wrong. As he looked up, I could see the __4__ in his dark eyes.

“ Mrs. Brown, aren't you going to open my present？” he asked __5__. “I put it on your desk.”

Getting back his gift from my desk, he handed it to me. I noticed my gift __6__ to be a matchbox. Duane told me that this was really a jewelry box __7__ a matchbox. As I opened it, the __8__ of two beer caps surprised me. Duane __9__ me that they were two silver earrings. He had noticed that I  __10__ wore earrings and wanted me to have some pretty ones.

I was __11__ by Duane's creativity and thoughtfulness. __12__ birth, one of my ears was slightly deformed (畸形的). Fearing that wearing earrings might __13__ to the ear, I avoided wearing them. But how could I __14__ to wear these precious earrings given by this __15__ child?

As I placed the earrings on my ears, my __16__ clapped, and Duane stood proudly beside me.

Since then, the matchbox remained on my desk. It __17__ me of Duane's act of kindness and the lessons he taught me. Although his __18__ at home was bad,  Duane continued to see the good in life. Although poor, he still wanted to __19__. Whenever I see Duane's gift on my desk, I feel encouraged. If I am having __20__ reaching a student, I'll try to be like Duane and give that student a piece of my heart.

1. A. sitting            B. crying          C. standing       D. speaking

2. A. unless            B. though          C. so           D. since

3. A. Wondering         B. Thinking       C. Finding       D. Pointing

4. A. hope              B. joy             C. hurt         D. determination

5. A. disappointedly      B. angrily          C. happily      D. shyly

6. A. happened          B. appeared        C. used         D. ought

7. A. as well as          B. more than       C. except for   D. rather than

8. A. shape             B. color           C. design       D. sight

9. A. persuaded         B. fooled          C. told         D. encouraged

10. A. only             B. often           C. once         D. never

11. A. frightened        B. touched         C. knocked      D. influenced

12. A. Since             B. Until          C. Before       D. By

13. A. do harm           B. draw attention

C. add weight         D. have an effect

14. A. refuse            B. offer           C. agree         D. wait

15. A. generous          B. honest          C. special       D. sad

16. A. hands             B. class           C. audience      D. friends

17. A. convinced          B. reminded

C. proved            D. showed

18. A. performance       B. experience

C. situation           D. health

19. A please             B. take            C. give          D. accept

20. A. chance            B. possibility       C. intention      D. difficulty

根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

A：Hello! This is Li Mei Calling from Jilin．May I speak to Carla?

C：Just a moment，please． ___1___

B：Hello?

A：Hi，Carla! This is Li Mei calling from Jilin．How are you?

Bt Oh，hi，Li Mei! How nice to hear your voice! I’m fine，thank you．

A：Thank you so much for giving me such a lovely time in Trindad．

B： ___2___  I hope you can come again some day!

A：I’d love to ! I wonder，though，if you are interested in visiting me during the Spring Festival this year． __3___.

B：Oh．I’d love to, but I don’t know if I will be free then. What time of year is it?

A： ___4___ but this year it’s at the beginning of February．

B：I’d love to come.  I’ll try to find out if I can take off work then．It’s very kind of you to invite me!

A：Oh，don’t mention it! I hope you can come! Say hello to Hari for me! I hope he can come to

China with you．

B：That would be fun! Thanks a lot for calling !__ 5___

A：OK, great! Have a good day!

B：Thanks，you too，bye!

A：Bye!

A .Oh．sorry．he isn’t here at the moment

    B. I’ll get her for you

    C. It was a pleasure having you here．

D. It is always the same each other．

E. I’d love to show you one of our Chinese festivals．

F. I’ll let Hari know you called．

G. It’s different every year．

温馨提示:

请将补全对话答案涂在机读卡上   E=AB        F=AC      G=AD