My parents were in a huge argument, and I was really upset about it. I didn’t know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend’s house. Though I knew I wouldn’t tell her about my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. I was in the middle of packing up my things when suddenly the power went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.

     I was really disappointed because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I’d stay with him until the power was restored. He was quite happy and said, “Great opportunity.”

   “What is?” I asked.

   “To talk, you and I,” he said. “To hold a private little meeting about what we’re going to do with your mom and dad, and what we’re going to do with ourselves now that we’re in the situation we are in.”

    “But we can’t do anything about it, Grandpa,” I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same “boat” as I was.

      And that’s how the most unbelievable friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting there in the dark, we talked about our feeling and fears of life---from how fast things change, to how they sometimes don’t change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talk about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be.

     Suddenly, the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “ I guess that means you’ll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!”

56. I wished to get out of the house because ________.

   A. I was angry about my parents’ quarrel        B. I found nobody to share my feelings with

   C. I wanted to escape from the dark house           D. I planned to tell my friend about my trouble

57. Grandpa was happy to see me because___________.

   A. he could discuss the problem with me         B. he had not seem me for a long time

   C. he was afraid of darkness                          D. he felt quite lonely

58. What can be inferred from the passage?

   A. The grandchild was eager to leave.                 B. They would have more chats.

   C. The lights would go our again.                   D. It would no longer be dark.

Edward Estlin Cummings was a poet well-known for how he wrote his poems He wrote his poems with capital (大写的) letters in the words . For example, the title of one of his poems is “The little horse is newlY” The “Y” is a capital letter. He also used “i” instead of “I” to refer to himself in the poems.
Edward was born on October14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Edward’s father was also named Edward. Young Edward’s mother was named Rebecca. She loved to spend time with her children. She also taught Edward Jr how to write poems. Edward’s sister was born 1896 and her name was Elizabeth. Edward’s father was the first professor of Sociology at Harvard University. He later became the minister of one of Boston’s respected churches. He was the one who taught his son to use his hands as well as his mind. Edward Jr used his hands to paint abstract art.
E.E.Cummings was a very smart boy. Edward was 12 when he became a freshman in high school. He loved circuses, ballets, music and amusement parks.
Edward graduated from Harvard in 1916. During World War I , he joined the army and was sent to France where he drove an ambulance. He and his friend from Harvard were arrested because people thought they were German spies. They were kept in one room where they slept , ate , talked and tried to deal with their fears and boredom. Edward wrote his first book, published in 1922, called The Enormous Room, based on his wartime experiences.
E.E.Cummings was a poet that made his own rules in poetry. He was one of the most popular poets of the 20th century.
【小题1】Which is a special feature of E.E.Cummings’ poems?

第二节：单词拼写（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
A. 根据首字母写出单词的正确形式。
She suddenly a____ the danger, so she sounded her horn loudly until the lion turned and walked away.
He has to play for the passers-by in the street or subway so that he can earn some extra money to pay for his expensive i____ he has bought for his studio.
P____, I think the team that won first place cheated.
B. 根据中文和首字母提示写出单词的正确形式。
The President’s message will be b____ (广播) on all stations tonight.
The elegant lady has earned a r____ (名声) as a well-known poet.
Since he is a person of a_____ ( 中等的 ) intelligence, he isn’t a quick learner.
C. 用括号内的单词的正确形式填空。
7.    Even great ______ （music）require constant practice.
8.    The children were waiting _____ ( patient ) for the movie to start because they
had been kept too long and couldn’t wait to see it.
9.    This invention will have wide _____ ( apply ) in teaching.
10.  Much to our _____ ( relieve ), no one was badly hurt in the accident.

What! ________ to go there with _______?  No!

As De Witt Wallace lay in bed recovering from injuries that he unfortunately came by in World War I, he found there was a wealth of interesting information to read. Realizing few people would have the time to get through all this information, he knew exactly what to do. In 1920, this young American submitted a sample magazine containing shortened articles to publishers across America. However, all turned him down.
Undeterred, De Witt and his new bride Lila Bell Acheson published the first issue of Reader’s Digest in February 1922. Working from home, the Wallaces printed 5,000 copies, which were sold by mail to 1,500 people and priced at 25 cents. From these humble beginnings grew the world’s most widely–read magazine.
The magazine became popular and, by 1935, sales topped one million. In 1938, the first international edition was published in the United Kingdom. During World War Ⅱ, editions were published for the first time in Latin America and Sweden. After the war Reader’s Digest moved into Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland. In 1950, Reader’s Digest published its shortened Books (now known as Select Editions in Australia). In 1959, music, the first non–print product line, was introduced. In 1962, Reader’s Digest revolutionized direct mail by introducing easy–to–enter Sweepstakes and a year later the first Reader’s Digest general book was published. In 1986, video was added to the Reader’s Digest product line.
In 1973, the Wallaces gave up active management of Reader’s Digest. De Witt died in 1981, aged 91; Lila in 1984, aged 94. With no heirs(继承人) to the Wallace empire to take control, Reader’s Digest became a public company in the early 1990s and is now headed by a Chief Executive Office and Chairman of the Board.
【小题1】What is the purpose of De Witt Wallace creating the earliest magazine?