When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

Jack brought the couple their food very fast because        .

A．the manager asked him to do so

B．he respected the elderly

C．the couple wanted him to do so

D．he wanted more pay

When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became        .

A．nervous                                                     B．satisfied

C．unhappy                                                    D．excited

In Jack’s hometown,        .

A．people dislike being called “old”

B．people are proud of being old

C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

After this experience, Jack        .

A．lost his job in the restaurant   

B．made friends with the couple

C．no longer respected the elderly

D．changed his way with older people

Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

When I decided to get married, my father decided to share some wisdom. “Lori, it is just as easy to love a rich man as it is to love a poor man, “ he said. My boyfriend didn’t have much money, but I loved him. “What?” I cried. “ How can you say that? I want to marry for love, NOT for money.” “ But why not marry someone you love who has money?” he asked. “Rich men are materialistic（物质主义的）. I’d rather marry a poor man who loves me,” I said and he gave in.

And as we went on, with my family growing, I learned why my father put such importance on money. We had to cover the rent, car, electricity, food, and medical bills. We were under lot of pressure. The worries over whether we would be asked to move out or if we had the money to wash our clothes at the Laundromat this week made me question if I did the right thing by marrying a “poor” man.

I realized that I had entered the ranks of the poor. Not that I’d ever been rich. Most of my life, I considered us in the lower middle-class rank. We had a house of our own, food on the table, cars, clothes, and money for college. But now, as I listened to an apartment neighbour talk about her monthly “Mother’s Day” gift, I realized she was talking about her welfare check（政府发放的救济金）. And another young mother tried to “help” me out by connecting me with a friend who stole baby clothes from a department store. “ For a small cut,” she said, “ I could return my ‘purchase’(购买的东西）for cash.” It made me sick. How poor was I?

I had a college education but wasn’t using it. I insisted on not missing a minute of our children’s childhood and it came at a price. My husband was working as hard as he could and it wasn’t enough. But somehow we made it.

The kids grew. Today, we look back and see the great values gained by going through those hard years. My children are not materialistic. They never thought they were poor growing up because we always managed to give a little bit of food, money, or clothes to the “poor”. They were satisfied with the simple things in life that come free such as a beach day or a horse back ride from their dad.

We had our worries, but we still treasured our very favorite part of the day when we’d nest (栖息地）under the covers and talked about our future, the kids and how much we loved each other. Sure our financial(财政的) troubles caused a lot of fights, but we didn’t leave each other. We began to live a better life. We moved to a better community(社区）with good schools for the kids. And soon, we’ll face a new challenge with wealth. But we’ll never give up.

My father died three years ago. Before he died, he knew I made the right choice. I’m proud of my decision.

1..The writer argued with her father because _________________.

2..After getting married, the writer questioned if she had done the right thing to marry her husband because___________.

3..After their children were born, the writer_______________.

4.. Why didn’t the writer’s children think they were poor growing up?

5..What do you think is the theme(主题）of the story?

根据所提供的语境和首字母提示，写出完整单词。（每小题1分，共15分）
【小题1】A close friendship        (逐渐地)grew up between them.
【小题2】Because of the computer, now we can c____________（交流） with other people on the Internet.
【小题3】Susan came home so thin and weak that her own children hardly __________(辨认)her.
【小题4】It’s ________ ( 正好,确切) twelve o’clock when I came back from work.
【小题5】Her husband has gone abroad on business. She is quite ______(牵挂) about him.
【小题6】The boy felt u________ because he didn’t do well in the exam.
【小题7】The hotline helps many t________who are between thirteen to nineteen years old.
【小题8】I stopped and smiled when I saw him, but he_______ me and walked on.
【小题9】She has a very large v____________ and she can read English novels now.
【小题10】His n___________ language is not Chinese but he can speak it fluently.
【小题11】What the British call “petrol” the Americans call “g____________”.
【小题12】A_________, I’ve known Barbara for years since we were babies.
【小题13】I don't say "yes" - not that I d         with you.
【小题14】Judging from his a_______, he must be from North East of China next to each other.
【小题15】Jane and Mary are good friends; the former is a teacher, and the l_______ is a nurse.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

My sister was sick for a long time before they found out what was the matter with her. She had so many tests , and no answers came, till one day we heard the words we were dreading " Your sister has a rare blood vessel cancer, hopefully we can remove it, but we have only seen 5 cases ,and don't even know if she will survive"

My wedding day was in November, and the family spent most of their time going to the hospital ,so I was on my own with all the arrangements. Not that I minded, we were just waiting to find out what was going to become of my sister.

Finally the surgeons decided amputation was the answer after extensive radiation therapy to shrink the tumour. She was tired and lethargic, and tried hard to put on a brave face, but the fear showed in her eyes.

Fortunately, when the surgery came, the doctors found they could remove the tumour without amputation, but at a great cost. The whole leg muscle was removed , and became infected, and it took many months for my sister to become well enough to leave the hospital, but was unable to stand, let alone walk.

The day of our wedding came around, and still my sister remained unwell, and was not coming to the wedding. I felt sad inside at the thought of it, but she had survived the ordeal ,and that was enough for now.

It was the only dark spot on the happiest day of my life.

As the wedding car pulled up, I saw the family moving around the church ,and felt a slight pang....Jayne was not going to be here to share all this... I stepped out of the wedding car, and rearranged my gown and dress... the church started the bridal march... ...and as in a dream, there was my sister, standing up, supported by two crutches, smiling. I think I am the only bride who stopped in the middle of the bridal march to walk over and kiss my sister on the cheek. It cost my sister so much pain to be there ,to stand and even walk a little. She could not manage it for long, but she did it for me, even when her own future looked uncertain. In my bridal book, there is a page for gifts... and next to my sister’s name is the entry..."Jaynes gift...my sister walked on my wedding day"

And her gift is the one we remember most...

51. From the second paragraph, we can learn that ______.

A. The family didn't care much about my wedding

B. I was worried about the arrangement of my wedding

C. I was angry that I had to arrange my wedding by myself

D. I think I should care more about my sister's illness

52. What does the underlined word "amputation" mean?

A. chemical treatment                                 B. removing the tumour

C. cutting off the leg                                      D. removing the whole leg muscle

53. What's only the dark spot on my happiest day

A. my sister's leg was infected.                    B. My sister could not attend my wedding.

C. My sister was unable to walk.                D. My sister failed to survive the cancer.

54. What's the best title of this passage?

A. My sister's gift.      B. My sister's illness.  C. My brave sister.    D. My happiest day.

When I decided to get married, my father decided to share some wisdom. “Lori, it is just as easy to love a rich man as it is to love a poor man, “ he said. My boyfriend didn’t have much money, but I loved him. “What?” I cried. “ How can you say that? I want to marry for love, NOT for money.” “ But why not marry someone you love who has money?” he asked. “Rich men are materialistic（物质主义的）. I’d rather marry a poor man who loves me,” I said and he gave in.
And as we went on, with my family growing, I learned why my father put such importance on money. We had to cover the rent, car, electricity, food, and medical bills. We were under lot of pressure. The worries over whether we would be asked to move out or if we had the money to wash our clothes at the Laundromat this week made me question if I did the right thing by marrying a “poor” man.
I realized that I had entered the ranks of the poor. Not that I’d ever been rich. Most of my life, I considered us in the lower middle-class rank. We had a house of our own, food on the table, cars, clothes, and money for college. But now, as I listened to an apartment neighbour talk about her monthly “Mother’s Day” gift, I realized she was talking about her welfare check（政府发放的救济金）. And another young mother tried to “help” me out by connecting me with a friend who stole baby clothes from a department store. “ For a small cut,” she said, “ I could return my ‘purchase’(购买的东西）for cash.” It made me sick. How poor was I?
I had a college education but wasn’t using it. I insisted on not missing a minute of our children’s childhood and it came at a price. My husband was working as hard as he could and it wasn’t enough. But somehow we made it.
The kids grew. Today, we look back and see the great values gained by going through those hard years. My children are not materialistic. They never thought they were poor growing up because we always managed to give a little bit of food, money, or clothes to the “poor”. They were satisfied with the simple things in life that come free such as a beach day or a horse back ride from their dad.
We had our worries, but we still treasured our very favorite part of the day when we’d nest (栖息地）under the covers and talked about our future, the kids and how much we loved each other. Sure our financial(财政的) troubles caused a lot of fights, but we didn’t leave each other. We began to live a better life. We moved to a better community(社区）with good schools for the kids. And soon, we’ll face a new challenge with wealth. But we’ll never give up.
My father died three years ago. Before he died, he knew I made the right choice. I’m proud of my decision.
【小题1】.The writer argued with her father because _________________.