“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby’ s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed(叹息), knowing that his life was to be misfortunate. He cried to his mum “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人)．”

He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’ re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’ s a secret.” The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.

Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”

The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’ s casket棺材. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears.

“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”

1.Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

A. Because her son had a tiny face.　　　　 B. Because she saw her son crying.

C. Because her son was born imperfect.　　 D. Because her son was in her arms.

2.Which word can describe Mother’ s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?

A. Nervous.　　　　　　 B. Sympathetic.　　 C. Proud.       D. Angry.

3.We can infer that the person who donate the ears is_____.

A. A doctor.        B. His father.　　　 C. His mother.     　D. A stranger.

4.From the passage we know the followings are True except________

A, the mother felt sorry for the son without ears   B. the doctor didn’t like the baby

C. the boy meant everything to the mother        D. the father kept the secret until mother died

5.The best title for the passage would be ________.

A. Mother’s hair　　　　　　　　B. An unforgettable memory

C. Who gave me the ears?　　　 　D. Who is my best respectable person?

Centerville High School Essay Contest  “Write All About It”
Calling All Aspiring Authors—Centerville High School Essay Contest
◇Rules
1．Students are asked to present essays of 500 to 700 words of their own work. Any essay containing material plagiarized(剽窃) from another source will be disqualified（取消资格）.
2．Manuscripts should be typed double－spaced，with the student's name，address，and grade level on a separate sheet of paper.
3．Essays must be turned in by 4∶00 p.m. on November 30.They can be brought to Mrs. Elton in Rom 104 or to Mr. Markham in the school library.
◇Essay－Writing Tips
1．Catch your readers' interests—Your opening should immediately pull your readers into your essay. Asking a question or starting with an story，quotation，or surprising statement is a good way to do this.
2．Create a picture—Use active words that show your readers what is happening. Instead of telling your readers vaguely that “the room was disordered”，paint a picture using active verbs and lively adjectives.
3．Have a purpose—Well－written essays do more than just describe an incident or express a viewpoint，and they also communicate a message.
4．Check for mistakes—Read your paper over to check for mistakes. Ask another student to read your paper and make suggestions. Another pair of eyes will often spot a mistake you've overlooked.
5．Format your essay—Neatly type your essay on white paper. Choose an attractive cover for submission. The computer lab will be open after school from 3∶15 to 4∶45 p．m. each day this month so that students can use the computers.
◇Prizes
Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times. Every contestant(选手)will also receive a free pass to enter one school activity or athletic game this year.
First Prize：　　　$150
Second Prize:    Dictionary and thesaurus
Third Prize:     Pen set and journal
Special thanks to the Centerville Writers' Association for the prizes to help encourage our aspiring authors. Good luck to all contestants.
【小题1】The first writing tip given is mostly about________.

When an earthquake hit a small town，many houses fell down.After the earthquake，all the newspapers reported many stories about some of the families who were in trouble.

One Sunday，when I was reading a newspaper，a special picture touched me.It gave the clothing sizes of each family member.I thought that this would be a good chance to teach my children to help those who were less lucky than themselves.I said to my seven?year?old twins，Brad and Brett，and three?year?old Meghan，“We have so much，and these poor people now have nothing.We’ll share what we have with them.”

I filled a box with foods and clothes.While I was doing this，I encouraged the boys to choose their toys and donate some of their less favourite things.Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and games and put them together.Then she walked away.A few minutes later she came back with Lucy，her much?loved doll.She put the doll on top of the other toys.“Oh，dear，”I said.“You don’t have to give Lucy.You love her so much.”Meghan said，“Lucy makes me happy，Mommy.Maybe she’ll make another little girl happy, too.”

I looked at Meghan for a long moment.She taught me a lesson.It’s easy to give something that we don’t want any more，but hard to give what we cherish(珍爱)，isn’t it?

1．The writer has ________ children.

A．one 　　　　　 B．two 　　　　　　C．three 　　　　　 D．four

2．The underlined word “donate” probably means “________”．

A．捐赠 　　　　　B．丢掉 　　　　　C．展出 　　　　　D．放好

3．Lucy is the name of ________.

A．a girl　　　　 　B．a game　　　　　 C．a doll 　　　　 D．an earthquake

4．Which of the following is true?

A．An earthquake happened in the writer’s hometown.

B．The writer let Meghan give her much?loved doll.

C．The writer decided to buy some clothes for those people in trouble.

D．The writer thinks it is more difficult to give what we love a lot.

。

5．What’s the best title of this passage?

A．A Family Story　　　　　　　　　　 B．The Spirit of Giving

C．The Way of Helping Others　　　　　 D．A Sad Experience