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.

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

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

   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 childhood memories.

2.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

3.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.

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

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

   C. My lost friend                   D. The Lost Childhood Days

阅读下列各小题，根据括号内的汉语提示，用句末括号内的英语单词完成句子。

1.He stated that his lateness ________________(因车辆过多) on the motorway.(due)

2.She lost everything she owned as a direct ________________(这次时间的后果)．(consequence)

3.It tends to rain here a lot in summer ____________(而非) be dry.(rather)

4.Little Jim is unwilling to come here even if there is ________________(各种活动) for children.(range)

5.The population of the country is growing ________________(以稳定的速率) per year.(steady)

6.As I couldn’t ____________(忍受) the noise，I quit my job.(put)

7.The rain ________________(对比赛将没什么影响)，so long as you try your best.(difference)

8.It will take a lot of energy to get them ________________(支持这项政策)．(advocate)

9.________________(代表我的同事以及我自己) I thank you.(behalf)

10.We discussed everything —____________(去哪里，做什么等等)．(so)

The church seems cold this morning, even after all the people, friends and family, fill the benches. I sit here in silence, in shock and denial. This was not supposed to happen. What about our dreams, or our plans? We were going to raise our children, travel the world, and grow old together. I’m only 37, a typical housewife. I don’t know if I can do all this alone—two children, no father. What do I do or say?

The faces of so many people confuse me as they come to pay their last respects. Some have real sorrow; I can see it in their eyes. The others seem to just say, “I told you so.” Those famous last words: I-told-you-so. How I can’t stand them. And the pointing fingers as so-called family and so-called friends pick me out of the crowd for others to see. I want to scream and wake up but I can’t do anything but sit there. How can they be so blind? I fell in love with a man. Love knows no boundaries .

He was a good man, hardworking, caring and kind. He was retired from the Navy and a gentleman. He was sensitive to others’ needs, the kind of man that knew what to do or say, how to humor any situation and calm everyone’s fears. I remember our first child was a big surprise to both of us. I remember when I told him the news. He fell off his chair, saying over and over in disbelief, “But I’m almost sixty.” After a few months he started planning our next and even doing his famous little dance whenever he discussed the idea.

A man, thirty years older than I, lies in a coffin. Flowers, the American flag and his VFW comrades surround him, paying tribute（颂词）to him as the man he really was. And I sit alone here, with our two children, in silence, praying that this cold morning at church is only a nightmare and I will awake to his loving arms again.

1.What can we know from the passage about the writer?

A. She married a man much older than she. 

B. She is going to give birth to their second child.

C. She lost her husband, who was as old as she.

D. She lost her father, whom she loved deeply.

2.From Paragraph Two, we can see ______.

A. the writer didn’t really love the man

B. some of her family members didn’t understand her

C. some of her family members and friends were blind

D. she thought her marriage to the man was a mistake

3. Which of the following can best replace the underlined words “But I’m almost sixty”?

A. I can’t believe it.

B. That’s a lot of trouble.

C. That should have happened long ago.

D. It can’t be my child.

4.Which of the following can’t be used to describe the writer’s feelings for the man?

A. Sad.         B. Loving.        C. Inseparable        D. Complaining.

It was late Wednesday night when the dreadful phone call reached our home . I rememeber laying in my bed trying to fall asleep when I heard the phone ring . Interested in who would be calling so late I sat up, so I could hear the phone call better . To my surprise , I heard my mom burst into tears , “ Get the car , dear ! Andrea has been in a car accident .”
We ran every red light on the way to the hospital and our tires screeched(发出刺耳声) around every corner . We got to the hospital , but were not allowed to see Andrea . The next morning , after wearing masks , we were allowed to go to the ICU to see Andrea . Well , the least I could say was that everything was injured in her body and she lost all of her memories . It was a fatal car accident .
Over the next two months , I lived more at the hospital than I did at my house . I watched as Andrea worked so hard to gain back everyday motor skills . She never once complained or pitied herself , and her determined spirit was shining through . After two weeks in the ICU and two months of regular hospital treatment , Andrea came home . She missed several months of school , so it was hard for her to catch up . Andrea had many tasks to accomplish , and no matter how hard it was , she stuck to it until the job was done . Though she was busy dealing with the pain and the therapy , she always found time to love and play with me .
I’ll never forget the impact that this incident made on my life . I admire my sister for her strong-willed personality and her determined spirit . Today she is perfectly normal , despite the scars and the pins holding her leg in place . I couldn’t ask for a better sister or a hero in my life .
1. The writer wanted to hear the call better , because_______.
A. he sensed that something terrible had happened
B. he might be curious about who would phone so late
C. he wanted to scold the person who phoned so late
D. he wasn’t sure whether the telephone concerned him
2. From the underlined sentence in the second paragraph , we can learn that________.
A. the family didn’t obey the traffic rules
B. the writer’s father wasn’t good at driving
C. the whole family were anxious to see Andrea
D. their house was very far from the hosptial
3. It was mainly________that made the author’s sister recover from the car accident .
A. the family’s encouragement        B. Andrea’s strong will
C. the treatment                    D. the eagerness to study
4. What would be the best title for the passage ?
A. A Miracle Happening to My Sister   B. My Sister—the Hero in My Life
C. An Accident Changed My Sister     D. An Incident Which Influenced Me Much

“Oh please God, no, no!” Stephen Eldredge cried out when he saw his wife, Shelli, badly wounded on the side of the road. She had broken actually every long bone in her body, along with her pelvis, jaw, and cheekbones. He was terrified his bride would bleed to death.
Stephen and Shelli had married just six months before near their home in South Jordan, Utah. They were in Hawaii on a family vacation with two of their sons. The family had rented electric motors and headed towards a nature preserve near Waikiki. But Shelli had fallen behind and the family turned back to make sure she was okay.
Shelli lost so much blood that her heart couldn’t function properly and she went into shock at the hospital. Physicians were able to make her come to herself. On the first and second days there, she lived through half a dozen operations. On day three, the worst of Stephen’s fears came true. Shelli didn’t wake. She had shown heart failure and lung failure. “I thought every heartbeat would be her last,” Stephen says.
As days passed with no change, one doctor gently asked if it was time to let Shelli go. An MRI（核磁共振）showed her brain didn’t have much chance of supporting life. Stephen couldn’t bear the thought of trapping his wife’s beautiful spirit in a body that would never work. If he kept her alive, what kind of life would she have ? He called family, religious leaders, and physician friends in Utah for guidance.
And he decided there still was a chance.
The family moved Shelli to a Utah hospital closer to home. In the next few weeks she started opening her eyes, but it wasn’t entirely clear how conscious she was. Nearly seven weeks after the accident, Stephen was joking with his sister in the hospital room when he saw Shelli smile, a big toothy grin. “Did you understand that?” he asked. She smiled again. Stephen fell to his knees in thanks.
Shelli’s recovery has been slow but steady. Initially, she couldn’t remember much of the previous months, including her own wedding. Shelli has endured 17 operations so far and may require more surgery. She will definitely need more months of recovery. But she is able to walk. “She’s got her life back. She’s able to love and be loved, and be the person she was.” Elovie says.
When Shelli hears about each step in her recovery, she calls it “miracle after miracle”. As for his experience, Stephen says, “This is a story of fear that was slowly replaced by faith.”
【小题1】 We learn from the first two paragraphs that           .