1. Keeping calm is the most important thing you should remember in time of e__________.
2. Tom d________ to be praised by the boss as he has worked so hard that nobody can imagine.
3. The news of Gaddafi's death was b_______ over the radio throughout the world immediately.
4. Ann was very annoyed at his rude b__________ at her birthday party.
5. I don't understand what you are saying. Would you please give me an __________(解释)?
6. After a few days of fever, she began to ________ (恢复) from it.
7. People often work out outdoors on the weekend and do something ________(挑战性的).
8. George likes living in Australia, where he had an _______ (令人愉快的) time several years ago.
9. She g_______ from Luhe No. 1 Middle School last July and then went to America for further study.
10. I felt ________ (尴尬的) about what a mess my house was.

I remember my math teacher Mr. Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger.

 I was not very good at English and math. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn.

One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken to the “big prison for kids”.

 I tried really hard for weeks. I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things.

The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr Young would give me an E, just like he always did.

I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage (孤儿院) was going to send me to the big prison if I got another E on my report card. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned. I smiled at him and said, “Mr. Young, do you know how the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”

He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side and said nothing.

“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young. Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that,” I said.

The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While on the school bus, I opened it: Geography, B+; Mechanical Drawing, C-; English, D-; History, C-; Gym, B+; Art, C; Math, D-.

That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received. Because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.

From the second paragraph we can infer that the boy is ______ in some subjects.

A. mind-blowing     B. slow-witted     C. fun-loving     D. badly-behaved

Where may the boy live according to the passage?

A. In an orphanage.        B. In a big prison.    

C. In the school dormitory.  D. In his home.

. What grade should the boy have got in the math test this time?

A. D-.            B. C.             C. B+.             D. E.

The underlined word “tucked” in the passage most probably means “________”.

A. stuck             B. listed              C. hid           D. copied

The reason why the boy remembers Mr Young is that ______.

A. he missed one of his fingers     B. he treated his students very well

C. he understood the boy          D. he taught his students in a special way

I’d be＿＿＿, if you could give me an early reply.

A. pleasant     B. grateful   C. satisfied     D. helpful

Give me an undisturbed hour and I ______ the work Tom has left unfinished.

I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer, none came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace. It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work though she’d never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
【小题1】The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.