As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did.
In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000.
A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death,  the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case.
As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?" he asked.
"The letters?"
'I guess you never knew. "
"Knew what?"
" Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

听力

第一节：听下面5段对话，选择正确答案．

1．What does the man think of Bill's composition?

[　　]

A．It is good except for his spelling.

B．It's not so good as his spelling.

C．It needs improving.

2．What is the woman looking for?

[　　]

A．A post office.

B．A doctor's office.

C．A headmaster's office.

3．What factory will be built in the city?

[　　]

A．A car factory.

B．A computer factory.

C．A tractor factory.

4．What condition is the woman's bike in?

[　　]

A．It's very old.

B．It's a newly-bought bike.

C．It looks new.

5．Who is in New York?

[　　]

A．Anna Smith.

B．Bill Brown.

C．Anna's secretary.

第二节：听第6段材料，回答第6～8题．

6．What's the weather like today?

[　　]

A．It's rainy.

B．It's cloudy.

C．It's snowy.

7．Where are the children going to plant trees?

[　　]

A．On the hill.

B．At the foot of the mountain.

C．On the other side of the river.

8．What's carried the tools and the small trees?

[　　]

A．A train.

B．A bus.

C．A truck.

听第7段材料，回答第9～11题．

9．What's wrong with Mrs Jones?

[　　]

A．She' s got a toothache.

B．She's got a headache.

C．She has a pain in her ear.

10．What's the time when Mrs Jones went to see the doctor?

[　　]

A．It was one.

B．It was six.

C．It was four.

11．How should she take the medicine?

[　　]

A．One pill three times a day.

B．Three pills three times a day.

C．Two pills three times a day.

听第8段材料，回答第12～14题．

12．What are they talking about at first?

[　　]

A．An exam.

B．The boys' English.

C．A football match.

13．What do we learn according to the dialogue?

[　　]

A．The girl is very good at English.

B．The girl likes football better than the boy.

C．The boy didn't do well in the exam.

14．What do we know about the boy?

[　　]

A．He isn't so good at football as at English.

B．He is interested in football.

C．He doesn't like to watch TV.

听第9段材料，回答第15～17题．

15．What do you think is the possible relation between the two speak ers?

[　　]

A．The man is the woman's husband.

B．The woman is a guest to the man's house.

C．The man is a guest to the woman's flat.

16．What were others doing and why did the woman go out?

[　　]

A．Having dinner, because she wanted to see her old house.

B．Having a concert, because she thought of her parents.

C．Having a party, because she wanted to look at the lights.

17．What can we learn about the woman?

[　　]

A．She worked hard .and was successful.

B．She lived a happy life in the past.

C．She doesn't have to work in the morning.

听第10段材料，回答第18～20题．

18．What did Peter find when he woke up in the morning?

[　　]

A．His house was surrounded by the flood.

B．There was water all over the floor.

C．His car was upside down in the street.

19．What is the usual rainfall of the whole month of June in Peter's hometown?

[　　]

A．About 16 inches.

B．About 60 inches.

C．About 6 inches.

20．What does the passage mainly talk about?

[　　]

A．A loss in June.

B．A big flood in Peter's hometown.

C．A fight against the natural disaster(灾害).

As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did.
In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000.
A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death,  the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case.
As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?" he asked.
"The letters?"
'I guess you never knew. "
"Knew what?"
" Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.

1. 1.

   It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

   1. A.
      great chances to help other people
   2. B.
      happy occasions to play with baby chickens
   3. C.
      exciting experience* with a lot of fun
   4. D.
      good opportunities to enjoy chocolate cookies
2. 2.

   The writer provides the detail about the businessman to show that_____.

   1. A.
      Dad had a strong sense of duty
   2. B.
      Dad was an honest and reliable man
   3. C.
      Dad had a strong sense of honor
   4. D.
      Dad was a kind and generous man
3. 3.

   According to the passage, which of the following impressed the writer most?

   1. A.
      Dad read letters for a blind lady for years.
   2. B.
      Dad paid for the stamps for a young girl.
   3. C.
      Dad delivered some eggs to Marian.
   4. D.
      Dad answered children's Christmas letters every year.
4. 4.

   The method the writer uses to develop Paragraph 4 is______.

   1. A.
      offering analyses
   2. B.
      providing explanations
   3. C.
      giving examples
   4. D.
      making comparisons
5. 5.

   What surprised the children most when they received letters in reply from Santa Claus every year?

   1. A.
      Santa Claus lived alone in the cold North Pole.
   2. B.
      Santa Claus answered all their letters every year.
   3. C.
      Santa Claus had unique mailboxes for the children.
   4. D.
      Santa Claus had so much information about their families.
6. 6.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The Mail
   2. B.
      Christmas Letters
   3. C.
      Special Mailboxes
   4. D.
      Memorable Travels