As I sat beside the window of our classroom that afternoon, my heart sank further with each passing car. This was a day I’d looked forward to for weeks: Miss Pace’s fourth-grade, end-of-the-year party.
I had happily volunteered my mother when Miss Pace looked for cookie volunteers. Mom’s chocolate chips were well-known, and I knew they’d be a hit with my classmates. But two o’clock passed, and there was no sign of her. Most of the other mothers had already come and gone, dropping off their sweet offerings.
The three o’clock bell soon took me away from my thoughts and I took my book bag from my desk.
I decided I would slam the front door, and refuse to return her hug. But when I arrived, she wasn’t at home.
I was lying face-down on my bed upstairs when I heard her come through the front door.
“Robbie,” she called out a bit urgently. “Where are you?”
I could then hear her rushing anxiously from room to room, wondering where I could be. I remained silent.
Coming through the door, she said: “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said. “I just forgot. I got busy and forgot.”
Then my mother did something completely unexpected. She began to laugh! How could she laugh at a time like this? I rolled over and faced her, ready to let her see my rage (愤怒).
But my mother wasn’t laughing at all. She was crying. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I let you down. I let my little boy down.”
I was moved by her tears.
I tried to remember her kind words from times past when I’d skinned knees or cut myself, times when she knew just the right thing to say.
“It’s okay, Mom. We didn’t even need those cookies. There was plenty of stuff to eat. Don’t cry. It’s all right. Really.”
We didn’t say another word. We just held each other. When we came to the point where I would usually pull away, I decided that, this time, I could hold on, perhaps, just a little bit longer.
【小题1】. The author was pretty down because ______.

A．the mother didn’t get to the party because of the traffic jam

B．the mother was sorry for her absence and laughed at herself

C．the author was a caring and thoughtful boy

D．the author was overcome with anger

This is a true story about two friends.
One day a young man said to his good friend, "I can see that some day you will become great and rich." His friend laughed, "Ridiculous! How can you know that?" The first said, "Yes, I can see it from your forehead." The second one said, "Ok, if I become great and rich, I will give you 10,000 rupees." The first friend asked. "Really? If so, then write it down."
The second one really wrote it down. The first man kept the note, but he never took his friend seriously. The agreement was made as a joke. 10 or 12 years later, the friend did become rich and great, while the other remained poor. By that time both friends had separated and were leading their own lives. Even so, the poor friend still preserved the note, although he felt that since it was a joke, he would never receive the money.
Quite unexpectedly, the poor man fell seriously ill. Just before he died, he took out the agreement and called his son, who was only seven years old, "My son, there is something very precious that I have kept for you. After I die…you go to this man and show him what he has written."
Soon the man died. Their friendship had faded so much that the rich man did not even come to see him before he left this world. But after three or four weeks' time the son took the note to the rich man. The boy gave the rich man the note. The rich man read it and asked, "Did I write this?"
The boy said, “I do not know. My father asked me to give it to you before he died." The rich man summoned one of his secretaries and explained, "I promised this boy's father many years ago that I would give him 10,000 rupees if I became rich and great. I have been rich for seven years; please calculate how much interest I have to give him in addition to the 10,000 rupees."
The secretary told him, "An additional 7,000 rupees, which makes it 17,000 altogether."
The rich man immediately issued a check for 17,000 rupees and gave it to the little boy, saying, "Take this directly to your mother.”
This is how a sincere man kept his promise.
56. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The first friend can know others’ future from his or her forehead.
B. The second friend couldn’t believe his friend’s words at first.
C. The first friend wished his friend to help his son after he died.
D. The second didn’t come to see his dying friend because of different life.
57. What do you think of the man who became rich later?
A. He had a bad memory.
B. He is very selfish and unwilling to help others.
C. He is mean with his money.
D. He is a man who keeps his promise.
58. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The poor friend preserved the note because he knew he would get the money sooner or later.
B. The man became rich 3 or 5 years later after he signed the agreement.
C. The rich man gave the boy 17,000 rupees altogether.
D. The little boy knew something about his father’s story.

One very cold day，a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood，I quickly set out with my best friend，Bruce，to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger.
When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down，my best friend suddenly warned me，“Don’t cut down that tree！It’s too close to the power line！﹙电线﹚”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell，there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line，bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all，electricity can’t travel through wood，so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree，pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened，she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree，and when I told him I had，his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed，” he said.
So why am I still alive？It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours，the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt，my mother was still serious. After all，I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience，I learn it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock” of my life.
【小题1】The underlined word “disregard” in the second paragraph means “________”．

There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, were to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penage. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia.I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train.I did not particularlf relish the long train joumey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar I sighed and sat down to read my Economics
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive, I decided to wave back.
From then on my joumey became imeresting.I threw my magazine into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life.Then everything came alive.The mountains seemed to speak to me.Even the trees were smiling.I stared t everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my wat ch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm.Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth I looked at the people all around me.They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrive with, I threw my around him to give him a warm hug.I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.
1.The author expected the train trip to be__________.
A. adventurous        B. pleasnt              C. exciting             D. dull
2.What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?
A. The friendly country people.
B. The mountains along the way.
C. The crowds of people in the streets.
D. The simple lunch served on the train.
3.Which of the following words can best take the place of the word“relish”in the second paragraph?
A. choose                       B. enjoy                       C. prepare for               D. carry on
4.Where was the writer going?
A. Johore Baru.              B. The Causeway.     C. Bunerworth.            D. Singapore.
5.What can we learn from the story?
A. Comfort in traveling by train.
B. Pleasure of living in the country.
C. Reading gives people delight.
D. Smiles brighten people up.

I’ve often puzzled over something that happened to me one winter when I was eight. Over the years I had been wondering if my  31  was nothing more than a kid’s imagination.

   There was a  32  near our house. In winter it was the greatest  33  place in the world. One  34  all I wanted to do was go skating. I had been waiting for weeks  35  the water was frozen solid. Mom had one rule: “Never ice-skate alone.” But I couldn’t  36  any longer that afternoon. So I  37  my skates under my coat and ran to the pond. Several people were skating near the shore, and some kids were playing hockey．I was not really  38  ．

The hockey game had attracted   39  audience, so I skated in the other direction until their cheering  40  . But another noise came soon. The ice was cracking beneath me. Freezing water  41   my body, and I sank like a rock.  My feet  42   the bottom. Just when I thought I wouldn’t last another  43 , I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” someone said. I swung my  44  around. I couldn’t see anybody. But I heard the voice again，“Push your feet into the bottom and you’ll shoot straight up to the surface.” I did as I was told and  45 . I crawled to the shore and lay down,  46  ．The next thing I knew was people were   47    around me, covering me with coats.   

When I awoke, I was home in my own bed. Mom sat next to me,   48  my hand. “I saw nobody there. It must be an angel that came to my  49  ．” I said. Mom smiled, “I just thank God you’re safe.”

    For a long time I thought I would  50  a more realistic explanation if I just thought hard, but I never did.

1.A. attention   B. behavior        C. explanation          D. reason

2.A. river      B. pond         C. lake                 D. dam

3.A. skating    B. fishing      C. swimming         D. skiing

4.A. afternoon B. morning      C. evening              D. night

5.A. after          B. until        C. as                   D. if

6. A. go        B. run          C. sit                  D. wait

7.A. found      B. threw            C. took                 D. hid

8.A. lonely     B. single       C. alone                D. afraid

9.A. noisy      B. happy        C. small                D. young

10. A. changed      B. disappeared      C. increased            D. stopped

11.A. filled        B. controlled       C. covered         D. loaded

12.A. hit       B. dragged      C. set              D. tapped

13.A. day       B. hour         C. minute               D. second

14.A. head      B. hand         C. arm                  D. leg

15.A. left          B．succeeded   C. tried           D. survived

16.A. worried       B. surprised        C. excited          D. exhausted

17.A. lying         B. standing     C. laughing        D. crawling

18.A. raising       B. shaking      C. holding          D. washing

19.A. place     B. mind         C. defense              D. rescue

20.A. take up   B. make up with     C. bring up             D. come up with