A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess（女家庭教师）Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ”I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”

　　“Forty.”

　　“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”

　　“Two months and five days.”

　　“Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.

　　“Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct？”

　　Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but - still not a word.

　　“Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect （疏忽）, Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”

　　“You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.

　　“But I made a note of it.”

　　“Well... if you say so.”

　　“Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”

　　Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!

　　“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”

　　“Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is !”

　　I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.

　　“Merci （法语: 谢谢）,”she whispered.

　　I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.

　　“For the money. ”

　　“But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you ! I have actually stolen from you ! Why this‘merci’？”

　　“In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”

　　“They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless （懦弱）?Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws（爪）—to be such a fool?”

　　Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”

　　I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world !”

While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her ________.

　　A. a protest　　　　　　　　　　　B. gratitude

　　C. obedience　　　　　　　　　　 D. an explanation

What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.

　　A. nervousness in front of her boss

　　B. acceptance of injustice

　　C. shyness when talking about money

　　D. reluctance to express herself

The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.

　　A. to be more aggressive

　　B. to be more careful in her work

　　C. to protect her right

　　D. to live independently

At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”to show ________.

　　A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety

　　B. his worry about Julia’s future

　　C. his concern on the living condition of working - class people

　　D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited

From the story, we can tell that Julia’s employer was ________.

　　A. greedy but honest

　　B. ill - tempered but warm - hearted

　　C. strict but forgiving

　　D. none of the above

One evening in November, Berlin received a telephone call from Mrs. Green. “Please, Dr Berlin, come to my house. I had 50,000 dollars on my desk and now it is gone.”

Dr Berlin arrived at Mrs. Green’s house at eight o’clock. First he asked Mrs. Green, “When did you see the money last?”

“At seven o’clock. I put it on my desk in my living room. Then I went to wash my hair. I came back at seven thirty and the money was gone.”

“I see.” Dr Berlin said. “Were you alone in the house?”

“No. My sister’s son Jack is here, too.” Then Dr Berlin and Mrs. Green went to Jack’s room.”

“Please, sit down,” Jack said. Dr Berlin sat on the only chair in the room, and the chair was cold. He also saw some books on the ground near his feet.

“What have you been doing this evening?” Dr Berlin asked.

“I came home at six-thirty, and went right to my room. I’ve been sitting in that chair and reading all the evening. I never got up and I never left the room. Maybe somebody came into the house and took my aunt’s money.”

After hearing that, Dr Berlin was clear about who had taken the money.

59. When did Dr Berlin answer the phone from Mrs. Green?

A. At 6:30      B. At 7:00      C. After 7:30  D. At 8:00

60. Where did Mrs. Green put her money?

A. In her living room.   B. In her washing room.

C. In Jack’s room.                  D. In her office.

61. When did the thief take Mrs. Green’s money?

A. Before Mrs. Green came back home.

B. When Jack was reading.

C. After Mrs. Green went to wash her hair.

D. When Dr Berlin was answering the phone.

62. Which of the following is WRONG?

A. Mrs. Green didn’t live alone.     

B. Jack had given a careless reply (回答).

C. Dr Berlin found out who had taken the money.

D. Jack had been really reading books all that evening.

The Best Holiday

 I was unbelievably proud of my nine-year-old daughter. Emily   41   to buy a mountain bike. She’d been saving her pocket money all year,   42   doing small jobs to earn extra money.

 By Thanksgiving, she had collected only $49. I said, “You   43   have your pick from my bicycle   44  .” “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old.” She was right. All my girls’ bikes were 1950’s models, not the kind a kid today would   45   choose.

As Christmas   46   near, Emily and I went bike shopping. As we left one store, she   __47   a Salvation Army volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” she asked. “Sorry, I’m out of   48  .”

  Throughout December, Emily continued to   49   hard. Then one day, she made a   __50   announcement. “You know all the money I’ve been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I’m going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily handed her total savings of $ 58 to a volunteer who was really very   51  .

  52   by Emily’s selflessness, I decided to contribute   53   of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children.    54   I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow (发光). Should I   contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn’t   55   the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later   56   the bikes, the car dealer said, “You’re making two kids very __57  , sir. Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we’re   58   away one chance to win a girls’ mountain bike.”

Why wasn’t I surprised when that second ticket proved to be the   59  ? I like to think it was God’s way of   60   a little girl for a sacrifice beyond her years－while giving her dad a lesson in the process.

– If only you hadn’t made such a terrible noise.   

  ---____. Were you trying to sleep?  

  A. That’s all right     B. Why not    C. Sorry   D. It’s none of your business

Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (旁观者) in the lives of their children and shrug, "It' s their life," and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son' s head. I was asked, "When do you stop worrying?" A nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted (打断) the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry. They all go through this stage, and then you can sit back, relax, and enjoy them." My mother listened and said nothing.

When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring and the cars to come home, the front door to open.

My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother' s wan ( 淡淡的 ) smile and her occasional words, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home."

Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse? Or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?

One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I' ve been calling for three days, and no one answered. I was worried! ! !"

I smiled a wan smile.

1.What can we know about the author’s mother from the passage?

A. She seems to laugh at the author.        

B. She is not concerned about the author.

C. She has a thorough understanding of the author.     

D. She tries to give the author some encouragement.

2.What did the author do in her forties?

A. She was less concerned about her children.          

B. She couldn't stop worrying about her children.

C. She would like her children to see her often.        

D. She became more patient with her children.

3.Why did the author smile a wan smile at the end of the passage?

A. She wanted to learn from her mother.                

B. She stopped worrying about her children at last.

C. She succeeded in tricking her children.              

D. She got a kind of satisfaction from her child's concern.

4.The main purpose of the passage is to tell us that ______.

A. the concern between parents and children is natural

B. parents’ love for their children is selfless

C. parents show more concern for their children        

D. parents will worry about their children all their lives