When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said” the phone”. Personally, I could do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual. Because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology.
Point 1 The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic. My daughter comes home from school at 4:00 pm and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been at school with all day. If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about?
Point 2 The mobile phone means that we are never alone. “The mobile saved my life,” says Crystal Johnstone. She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton. Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance(救护车) to her rescue.
Point 3 The mobile removes our secret. It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at and time of day to ask where they are , where they are going, and how their last meeting went.
Point 4 The telephone separates us. Antonella Bramante in Rome says, “We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window. It was easy to get his number. We were so near——but we didn’t meet for the first two weeks!”
Point 5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives. Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously ( 同时地) on chat lines (at least my daughter does. I wouldn’t know what to talk about). We can talk across the world. We can even talk to astronauts (if you know any) while they’re space-walking. And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access(存取) the Internet, the biggest library on Earth.
【小题1】How do you understand ‘Point 1 —The telephone creates the need to communicate,…’？

The sun shines brightly as I leave school, get into my car, and head for Bradley Hospital. This year, as a senior at Seekonk High School, I have been given the opportunity to leave the usual classroom setting once a week to volunteer.
I   1  to spend this valuable time working with mentally disabled children at Bradley Children’s Hospital. I work   2  a teacher in the outpatient/pre-school section, in a classroom with two children— a classroom very different from   3  I have ever known. The difference of this classroom is   4  the children have been diagnosed with a mental disease. One child is autistic and non-verbal（自闭和不说话的）, using supportive   5 . The other has a condition called PDD (one step above autism), and is   6  non-verbal. Both childrenrequire strong   7  and a lot of attention. This combination creates an atmosphere which is both demanding and sympathetic.
My   8  in the classroom is not only to help the teacher, but to become part of the children’s   9  experience. I work one-on-one completing academics with a student.   10 , we work as a group on such activities as cooking, artwork, abstract reasoning. Everyday activities, which may be taken for granted by others,   11  a lot of strength from the children. This has opened my eyes vastly.
One of the   12  reasons why I volunteer to take the work is that I desire to help those who are less   13 . However, it has also helped me to realize my competence. I now know that I have the   14  to work with the disabled. I have lost my fear, and I   15  myself a lot more.
It is true that my work is very   16 ; there are many days that I   17  Bradley exhausted emotionally and physically. There have been times when I have left on the edge of tears   18 . But pity doesn’t heal, love does. And I have grown to love these children in my own way,   19  I see them only once a week. This experience has been both rewarding and satisfying. I’ve learned also that I do have the ability to make a difference in their lives, no matter how small it may be. One smile makes it all   20 .

My daughter Alisa was born blind in her right eye and was bullied (欺侮) pretty severely in school. So I quitted my job as a babysitter and then schooled my daughter heart and soul at home.

A year ago a boy of 14 befriended my daughter on Facebook after reading something Alisa wrote about bullying. Today he messaged her and asked if she would like six tickets to a Colorado Rockies baseball game. They have never met in person but she said, “Sure! That would be great.”

Then I received a call from his mother explaining why her son had chosen my daughter. She said he thought my daughter deserved them because of all the good she does in the community. Her son, she explained, had experienced a similar situation and was also home schooled.

What she said is true. Now my daughter Alisa continues to teach groups of girls in trouble in our community how to look within themselves for the positive and how to be their own person.

Everything taken into consideration, we decided to meet the mother and the boy at a local bike shop. After meeting, the boy approached my car and my daughter gave him a hug and thanked him for his generosity. She told him that she had never been to a baseball game and that she was going to take her entire family, including myself, her dad, little sister, her cousin and an aunt who has brain cancer.

We all thanked one another, got in our car, and went our way. As we drove home my daughter opened the envelope. Inside it were the tickets and ＄100 each to buy hot dogs, pay for parking and not have any worries but a great time.

My daughter has always been the giver and now she and our family are the receivers and I can not tell you how incredibly honored we feel to be on the other end. What an incredible young man to have such a kind idea.

1.What did the author once do according to the passage?

A. She was a ticket seller.                                       B. She was a school teacher.

C. She was a babysitter.                                           D. She was a social worker.

2.How did the boy get to know my daughter?

A. They met when buying tickets to a baseball game.

B. They got in touch via the Internet.

C. They became familiar when talking face to face.

D. They went to the same school and met each other.

3.Why did the boy want to offer free tickets to Alisa?

A. Because Alisa is a disabled girl.

B. Because he has a lot money to share.

C. Because Alisa often helps those in trouble.

D. Because he has a similar situation with Alisa.

4.What can we learn about the boy?

A. He is afraid of meeting strangers.                

B. He always bullies smaller children.

C. He is addicted to the internet.                                  

D. He receives education at home.

5.Which of the following best describes the passage?

A. Good is rewarded with good.                           

B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C. Two heads are better than one.                       

D. Where there is a will, there is a way.

So I’m driving the lovely and patient older daughter to work. At 7 a. m., she pushes the seat
warmer button as her new Honda zooms across L. A., the City of Padded Shoulders.
"Oh, look, I’m low on gas," she says.
First, we pick up her boss, then we pick up her other boss. They are all headed to Staples Center for some awards show. My daughter does something in public relations, I’m not sure what. But when this show comes along, she gets very busy.
"In the past two nights I’ve gotten, like, seven hours sleep," she notes, the implication being that I sleep all the time, which is pretty much true.
In Los Feliz, a dashboard light confirms that we are, indeed, low on fuel. This does not perturb my daughter.
"Don’t worry, we’ll get there," she says.
My daughter says nothing about getting back home, which is my job. I’ve just agreed to drop her off, so she can avoid traffic later. My task is simple, though now full of uncertainty.
I don’t know how I ended up dropping my daughter and her bosses off at 7 a.m. on a Sunday. I just know that J.D. Salinger may now be dead, but I still feel like Holden Caulfield -- at the mercy of too many yammering adults.
Now, I’ve had mixed luck with adults.
Apparently, my daughter’s job in PR is to keep everyone happy while telling the truth as much as possible. I sent her to college to study that. Now she is an expert.
"After you drop us off, you can get gas," my daughter assures me.
I have been her chauffeur for 26 years. By the time she was 3, I’d snapped her into a car seat some 14,000 times. I took her to seventh-grade dances, ski trips, college.
Even after all that, we continue to have a civil relationship, sort of a queen-mum-and-her-
driver sort of dynamic. When I screw up, she just raises her pretty chin and snorts. It’s very British.
By the way, my daughter now has a nicer car than I do, which is a sign she is doing well. Or, as with so many young people, she is up to her hoop earrings in consumer debt.
1．Which of the following statements in NOT true about the author’s daughter?
A．She is fashionable.   B．She always tells the truth.
C．She is doing well in her work.       D．She lives a fast-paced life.
2．The author’s tone suggests that_________.
A．he is feeling left behind when his daughter has grown up and begun adult life
B．he is content with his grown daughter
C．he does not like his daughter’s bosses
D．he will not believe his daughter any more
3．It can be concluded from the passage that_________.
A．the author won’t have any difficulty in getting gas
B．the daughter cares for her father a lot
C．the author has done a lot to help his daughter get where she is 
D．the British people have pretty chin and snort often
4．By referring to J. D. Salinger and Holden Caulfield, the author is most probably_________.
A．recalling his daughter’s childhood
B．mentioning his family members who are now dead
C．comparing his situation to a scene in a famous literary work
D．telling a story about his daughter’s friends
5．What is the best title for this passage?
A．A PR’s Busy Life
B．Relationship Between Dad and Daughter
C．A Loving Father
D．Go Ahead and Fill Her up, Dad

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.?

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “ I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means ______.

A. Unintentionally                               B. Independently

C. Impressively                                  D. Unconditionally

From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.

A. with his family                               B. with Evelyn

C. alone                                            D. with his children

During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.

A. he was determined to be a good husband

B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C. she looked lovely in her new clothes

D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill

The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ______.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before