With his leg lame and his teeth uneven, the boy thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He   36   played with his classmates, and when asked to answer questions, he always   37   his head without a word.

One spring, his father brought home some saplings (树苗).   38   of his children would plant a sapling and he promised, “Whoever   39   his sapling best shall get a gift.” The boy certainly wanted to get the gift.  40   seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, he     41   an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never   42   it.

Several days later, he was   43   to find it not only didn’t die, but also grew so many fresh _____44  . Compared with those of his brothers and sisters, his appeared greener. His father kept his      45  , bought the boy a gift and said he would become an outstanding   46    after growing up.

From then on, the boy slowly became   47   and confident. One evening, he suddenly   48___   his biology teacher once said that plants   49   grow at night. Why not go to see the tree?  

When he came to the courtyard, he found his father working near the tree! Instantly he   50  : Father had been secretly   51   his tree! He returned to his room, tears   52   in his eyes.

    Decades passed. The boy didn’t become a botanist.   53  , he became the U.S. President. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

  54   is the best nourishment (滋养品) of life.   55   it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!

36. A. ever                         B. seldom                    C. still                          D. often

37. A. held                         B. raised                            C. lowered                  D. covered

38. A. Both                         B. None                       C. One                        D. Each

39. A. likes                         B. protects                  C. grows                            D. watches

40. A. And                          B. So                           C. Before                           D. But

41. A. cared for                  B. got rid of                 C. hit upon                  D. put forward

42. A. appealed to                   B. attended to            C. adapted to                     D. turned to

43. A. surprised                 B. frightened               C. disappointed          D. amused

44. A. roots                        B. leaves                            C. branches                D. seeds

45. A. word                        B. balance                  C. agreement                     D. opinion

46. A. teacher                           B. gardener                C. president                      D. botanist

47. A. satisfied                          B. certain                           C. optimistic                D. independent

48. A. believed                  B. recalled                  C. repeated                D. knew

49. A. generally                 B. hardly                            C. recently                  D. voluntarily

50. A. remembered                   B. understood                    C. wondered               D. admitted

51. A. cutting                            B. decorating                     C. watering                 D. fertilizing

52. A. welling                            B. falling                      C. dropping                 D. crying

53. A. Therefore                B. Besides                  C. Moreover                      D. Instead

54. A. Love                        B. Water                     C. Disability                 D. Father

55. A. So long as               B. If only                      C. Now that                 D. Even though

The advertisement appeared in my e-mail—“1-800-Flowers: Mother’s Day Madness —for just $39.99！” I almost clicked on it, forgetting that those services would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Feiddman, died at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without my mom.

In my childhood, my mom appeared to be a typical suburban housewife of her generation. She sewed many of my sisters’ clothes, including both of their wedding dresses and boy’s suits for me. And on the side, she won several national bridge tournaments(桥牌锦标赛).

My mom left many indelible marks on me. The first was to never lose heart and to be independent. My dad died suddenly when I was 19. My mom worked hard for a couple of years. But in1975, I won a scholarship to study in Britain and my mom surprised us all by announcing that she decided to go with me. When I met difficulties, she always said: “You’re a man, so never lose heart, never be knocked down, and try your best to pursue(追求) your dreams.”

My mom’s other big influence on me is a sense of optimism (乐观). She had taken her knocks. But every time life knocked her down, she got up and kept on marching forward, encouraged by the saying that pessimists(悲观者) are usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes are made by optimists.

How I wish to listen to my mother’s words, and give my best regards on this Mother’s Day, but I have no chance now! My best friends, treasure(珍惜)your mother’s love!

The author mentioned the advertisement to ___.

   A．show he’s tired of the advertisements       B．explain he missed his mother very much

C．make you believe that he was very kind     D．urge the readers to buy the present for their mothers

What experience of the author’s mother surprised the author?

   A．That she volunteered to go to Britain with her son.

B．That she gained knowledge all by herself.

C．That she did all the housework by herself.

D．That she won several national bridge tournaments.

What dose the underlined word “indelible” in the 3rd paragraph probably mean?

   A．be out of control    B．be easy to remember

C．be destroyed easily   D．be impossible to forget

We can know about the author’s mother that_____.

   A．She encouraged the author to pursue his dreams       B．she felt very lonely in her late life

C．She never received a present from her children        D．she passed away before the author’s father

Which can be the best title for the passage?

   A．My Great Mother       B．Mother and I  

C．Treasure Mother’s Love        D．Mother’s Day Madness

The story of Madame Tussaud is as fascinating as that of the exhibition itself. From a housekeeper's daughter to a successful business woman, her life has all the marks of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Madam Tussaud was born in 1761 and named Marie Grosholtz. Her father was killed in battle only two months before Mane's birth. For the first five years of her life, Marie lived in Berne with her mother, who worked as housekeeper for Dr Philippe Curtius. A doctor, with a talent for wax modeling, Curtius became her teacher.

It was Curtius who opened the original wax exhibition in Paris in 1770 and introduced Marie to some famous people. At only 17, she modeled the famous writer Francois Voltaire, followed by a portrait of American statesman Benjamin Franklin when he was in Paris as US ambassador. Both figures are still on display at Madame Tussaud's, London today.

Her work at Curtius successful wax exhibition led to an invitation to the court of Louis XVI and his queen. For nine years she lived at the palace of Versailles guiding the artistic education of the king's sister. Meanwhile the French Revolution was about to erupt. Aware of the political  nrest,Philippe Curtius called Marie back to Paris. Marie7 s connection with the royal family made her guilty. Both she and her mother were arrested. After she was set free, Marie was forced to make death masks (a death mask is a model of a dead person's face, made by coving their face with a soft substance and letting it become hard) of executed (被处决的) nobles. Many were former friends at court, including her former employers, the king and queen.

By 1800 Marie was married with two young children and a poor business inherited from Curtius. Madame Tussaud made the decision to take her exhibition on tour. In 1802, she left France. For the next 33 years, Madame Tussaud traveled the British Isles, exhibiting her growing collection of portraits. In those pre-television days, this was the only way most people had direct contact with the famous people of the time. The exhibition became permanently based in London in 1835, moving to its present site in Marylebone Road in 1884. Her last work, a remarkable self – portrait that is still on show, was completed only eight years before her death aged 89.

The underlined part in Para. 1 implies that Madame Tussaud’s life was         .

       A．complicated     B．successful C．peaceful    D．lonely

Marie got a job at that court of Louis XVI because of        .

       A．Curtius’ recommendation       B．her gift for wax modeling

       C．her mother’s help           D．her friendship with the king’s sister

Marie was arrested during the French Revolution because         .

       A．she had worked for Dr Philippe Curtius

       B．she had modeled the French royal family

       C．she had worked at the place of Versailles

       D．she had refused to make death masks

The last paragraph is mainly about         .

       A．how Marie’s was modeling business became successful

       B．how Marie balanced her family and work

       C．the establishment of Madame Tussaud’s, London

       D．the popularity of Madame Tussaud’s wax exhibition

According toe the passage, how many of the following statements about Marie are TREU?

       a. She hadn’t seen his father since she was born.

       b. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.

       c. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.

       d. She guided the artistic education of the king’s daughter.

       e. In 1842, she completed her last work.

       A．2      B．3       C．4       D．5

Children and young people tend to have certain role models – people they want to be like when they grow   1 . Though at first children would have wished to copy their mother, father or a (n)  2  relative, gradually these role models are thought of as famous people or popular   3 . People have different opinions about  whether  popular stars or other famous people are good role models for children. Charming models, such as Katie Price, are often   4  and thought highly of by young girls. This is the biggest worry of parents and teachers. They wish to   5  their children to have the concept that success is achieved through hard work and   6  rather than an attractive looking.
Most people tend to grow up to be those 7  are close to home — their parents or family friends. Some decide to be like their favorite teacher. A child who loves to   8  may want to grow to be the next Picasso or Van Gogh; Someone who loves to   9  might imagine themselves as a famous writer; if a child enjoys dancing, he or she   10  well admire a famous dancer, but this is not the case. A lot of dance students wish to be like their  11  teacher.
Therefore, the job of a teacher is   12  just providing knowledge of a given subject. They should be able to   13  their students’ trust and  14  them well. Helping youngsters to learn from models, to learn how to accept   15  with grace(优雅) and losing with respect, is central to any parent’s or teacher’s job. Manners are very important and a dance teacher can make use of  his or her position and influence(影响) to introduce  good behaviors to youngsters.

The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony（交响乐） that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children becomes the norm and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”
Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted (father a property developer who later committed suicide), she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5，I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.
Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞） Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.
Brightman says she felt hostility(敌意) “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the US, where I now live, I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be uncomfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”
【小题1】 The first paragraph tells us that _____.