Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia(怀旧). It's fun to come home. It looks the same. It smells the same. You'll realize what's changed is you. Home is where we can remember pain, live, and some other experiences; We parted here; My parents met here; I won three championships here.

If I close my eyes, I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home. I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glass-top wooden table. To the right of the living room is my first bedroom. It's empty, but it's where my earliest memories are.

There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays, and where I cried on Halloween --- when I didn't want to wear the skirt my mother made for me. I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong. If I sit at this table, I can see my favorite room in the house, my parents' room. It is simple: a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side. Their bed is my safe zone. I can jump on it anytime --- waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.

I'm lucky because I know my first home still exists. It exists in my mind and heart, on a physical property(住宅) on West 64th street on the western edge of Los Angeles. It is proof I lived, I grew and I learned.

Sometimes when I feel lost, I lie down and shut my eyes, and I go home. I know it's where I'll find my family, my dogs, and my belongings. I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I'll be blamed by Mom. But I don't mind, because I want to hear her say my name, which reminds me I'm home.

68. Why does the author call her parents' bed her "safe zone"(Paragraph 3)?

　 A. It is her favorite place to play.

　 B. Her needs can be satisfied there.

　 C. Her grandparents' photos are lined on each side.

　 D. Her parents always play together with her there.

69. What can be learned from the passage?

A. The old furniture is still in the author's fist bedroom.

B. The author's favorite room in her first home is the dining room.

　C. The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles.

D. Many people of the author's age can still find their first physical homes.

70. Sometimes when she feels lost, the author will _______.

A. try to bring back a sense of home

　 B. open the window at night

　 C. lie down in bed to have a dream

　 D. go to Los Angeles to visit her mom

71. What is the author's purpose of writing this passage?

　　 A. To declare how much she loves her first house.

　　 B. To express how much she is attached to her home.

　 C. To describe the state of her family.

　 D. To look back on her childhood.

Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia(怀旧). It’s fun to come home. It looks the same. It smells the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you. Home is where we ran remember pain, live, and some other experiences; We parted here; My parents met here; I won three championships here.

If I close my eyes, I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home. I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glass-top wooden table. To the right of the living room is my first bedroom. It’s empty, but it’s where my earliest memories are.

There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays, and where I cried on Halloween-when I didn’t want to wear the skirt my mother made for me. I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong. If I sit at this table, I can see my favorite room in the house, my parents’ room. It is simple: a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side. Their bed is my safe zone. I can jump on it anytime - waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.

I’m lucky because I know my first home still exists. It exists in my mind and heart, on a physical property(住宅) on West 64th street on the western edge of Los Angeles. It is proof I lived, I grew and I learned.

Sometimes when I feel lost, I lie down and shut my eyes, and I go home. I know it’s where I’ll find my family, my dogs, and my belongings. I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I’ll be blamed by Mom. But I don’t mind, because I want to hear her say my name, which reminds me I’m home.

58. What can be learned from the passage?

   A. The old furniture is still in the author’s fist bedroom.

   B. The author can still visit her first physical mom in Los Angeles.

   C. The author’s favorite room in her first home is the dining room.

   D. Many people of the author’s age can still find their first physical homes.

59. Sometimes when she feels lost, the author will _______.

   A. Open the window at night    B. lie down in bed to have a dream

   C. try to bring back a sense of home  D. go to Los Angeles to visit her mom

60. What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

   A. To express how much she is attached to her home.

   B. To declare how much she loves her first house.

   C. To describe the state of her family.

   D. To look back on her childhood.

It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went with them. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨) might have pierced(穿透) a lung....”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy... I am so sorry....”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.
【小题1】The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.

It was a Sunday morning and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in and said, “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck?”
“No ! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it.    “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital.”
When I reached the hospital，my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911，thank God! If he had moved Daddy，there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib（肋骨）might have pieced（穿透）a lung…” My mother might have said more, but I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: leave me alone.
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him. “Daddy…I am so sorry…” “It’s okay, sweetheart.” “No,”I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day.”
My father never tells lies but he looked at me and said, “I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” I regretted for my thoughtless words.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words.
【小题1】Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?

He's an old cobbler （修鞋匠）  with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris．When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time．Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away．”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time．Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman． “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well．”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” ­­­— without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys．They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap （鞋带） you might as well just throw away the pair．
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled．He wiped his hands on his blue apron （围裙）, looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week．”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf．
“See what I can do?” he said with pride． “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work．”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me．He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft．
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption （消费） rather than a way to realize their own abilities．In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done．
【小题1】Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?