At the top of a three-storey brick house Sue and Johnsy had their studio. In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia(肺炎), touched one here and there with its icy fingers. Johnsy was struck down, and she lay, hardly moving, on her bed looking through the window at the blank side of the next brick house.

One morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway(走廊).

“She has one chance in ten,” he said, “And that chance is for her to want to live. She has made up her mind that she’s not going to get well. I will do all that I can. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession(队列), I subtract 50 percent from her chance to live.”

After the doctor had gone, Sue went into the workroom and cried. Then she came into Johnsy’s room with her drawing board, whistling.

Johnsy lay hardly moving with her face toward the window. Sue stopped whistling, thinking she was asleep.

She arranged her board and began a drawing. As Sue was sketching, she heard a low sound. She went quickly to the bedside.

Johnsy’s eyes were open wide. She was looking out the window and counting backward.

“Twelve,” she said, and a little later “eleven”; and then “ten”, and “nine”; and then “eight” and “seven”, almost together.

Sue looked out the window. What was there to count? There was only the blank side of the brick house twenty feet away. An old ivy vine(常春藤) climbed halfway up the brick wall. Its branches clung(紧紧缠着), almost bare, to the bricks.

“What is it, dear?” asked Sue.

“Six,” said Johnsy, in almost a whisper. “They’re falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred. There goes another one. There are only five left now”.

 “Five what, dear? Tell me.”

 “Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls, I must go, too. Didn’t the doctor tell you?”

 “Oh, I never heard of such nonsense,” said Sue. “What have old ivy vine leaves to do with your getting well? Why, the doctor told me this morning that your chances for getting well real soon were ten to one! Try to take some soup now.”

 “There goes another. No, I don’t want any soup. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I’ll go , too.”

 “Johnsy, dear,” said Sue, bending over her, “will you promise me to keep your eyes closed, and not look out the window until I’m done working? I need the light or I would draw the shade down.”

“Tell me as soon as you have finished,” said Johnsy, closing her eyes, “because I want to see the last one fall. I’m tired of waiting. I want to turn loose my hold on everything and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves.”

1.By saying “Pneumonia touched one here and there” (in the first paragraph), the author means that _________.

A.some people were affected by the illnesses of others

B.pneumonia caused damage to the ivy vine

C.two people became ill

D.many people came down with the illness

2. How did Johnsy feel about the situation during the passage?

A. confident      B. hopeless        C. tired           D. curious

3.We can learn from the passage that _____________.

A.Sue came into the room whistling perhaps because she thought Johnsy might like the music.

B.Johnsy’s life was compared to the carriages in a funeral procession

C.Sue told a lie to Johnsy about the doctor’s words

D.Johnsy wanted to know about the falling ivy leaves to meet her own curiosity

4.The underlined word “subtract” in the third paragraph probably means “________”.

A. reduce      B. hope        C. add          D. doubt

5.The passage is probably taken out of ______________.

A. a newspaper    B. a novel

C. a medical report     D. a girl’s diary

Western New Bridge Library Announcement

                                                                  2008-3-10

What’s On Stage
An acrobatic show: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe (剧团) will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills will run down your spine(脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.
Time: 7:30 p.m., September 13-19
Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Exhibitions
Joint Show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.
Time: 9:00 a. m.-5:00 p.m. until September 10
Place: Huangshicheng Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District
Oil paintings: The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil painting by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wondrous variety of life in unique styles.
Time: 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. until September 15
Place: 136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District
Literature museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.
Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., daily
Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District (Shaoyaoju area)
Concerts
Beijing rocks: “The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.
Time: September 16
Place: The Olympic Center
Belgium orchestra：La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orehestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world in memory of the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.
Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11-14
Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities
【小题1】 What do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned above?

阅读下面对话，并根据所给字母提示，在橫线上写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式，使对话通顺。

M：Now we have five-day (1) c___________ every week, so we have more spare time than before.

W：Yeah. How do you spend your spare time, Timmy?

M：I have an (2) i___________ in playing the violin and I’ll continue to (3) p ___________ playing it.

W：Do you often go to a concert?

M：Yes , I like (4) l___________ to music. At present my major objective is to learn from others.

W：Do you like classical (5) m___________ or pop?

M：I like both. How do you spend your spare time then, Lily?

W：(6) P___________ the piano is my favorite activity.

M：Our hobbies are (7) s___________ to each other. I hope we can often (8) e___________ experience together.

W：So do I, but I’m weak in the theory of music.

M：Me, too. Would you like to go with me to my uncle’s ? He’s a (9) p___________ at the Institute of Music.

W：I’d be glad to go with you. I will ask him for his (10) a___________.

I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old. My brother

and his friends were all 36  of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday. When they 37  that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought 38  for performance. However, at the last minute, one of the friends couldn’t go, so my brother  39  me the ticket. I was really 40 !

I remember the buzz (嘈杂声) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our 41 . After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became 42 . I could barely make out the stage in the 43 . We waited. Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band 44  the stage. My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn’t 45  what he was saying. The first song was already starting and the music was as 46  as a jet engine. I could 47  the drum beats and bass notes in my stomach.

I can’t recall any of the songs that the band played. I just 48  that I really enjoyed the show and didn’t want it to 49 . But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished. We left the 50  and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement. I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just 51  from a long sleep. My ears were still 52  with the beat of the last song.

After the 53  , I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music. Once in a while, 54 , I listen to one of their songs and 55  I’m back at that first show.

1.                A．members       B．fans            C．friends   D．volunteers

2.                A．guessed        B．thought         C．discovered    D．predicted

3.                A．flowers         B．drinks          C．clothes   D．tickets

4.                A．offered         B．booked         C．returned  D．found

5.                A．relaxed         B．excited         C．embarrassed   D．encouraged

6.                A．seats           B．entrance        C．spots D．space

7.                A．comfortable     B．serious         C．nervous  D．quiet

8.                A．silence         B．darkness        C．noise D．smoke

9.                A．fell upon        B．got through      C．stepped onto  D．broke into

10.               A．forget          B．bear           C．repeat    D．hear

11.               A．loud           B．hard           C．sweet D．fast

12.               A．enjoy          B．touch          C．feel  D．digest

13.               A．realize         B．understand      C．believe    D．remember

14.               A．continue       B．finish          C．delay D．change

15.               A．theatre         B．party          C．opera D．stage

16.               A．escaped        B．traveled        C．woken    D．benefited

17.               A．aching         B．burning        C．rolling D．ringing

18.               A．competition     B．performance    C．interview  D．celebration

19.               A．besides        B．otherwise       C．instead    D．though

20.               A．decide         B．regret          C．imagine   D．conclude