In this age of Internet chat，videogames and reality television，there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied．Yet，despite the competition，my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories．She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest，a competition she won last year．

    As a writer I know about winning contests，and about losing them．I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher．I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories．What if she doesn.t win the contest again？That’s the strange thing about being a parent．So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface．

A revelation（启示）came last week when l asked her，”Don’t you want to win again？” “No,” she replied，“I just want to tell the story of an angel（天使）going to first grade．”

I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them．Telling myself that l was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall. I offered suggestions for characters，conflicts and endings for her tales．The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly“guided”by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson．I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it．

Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks．Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade，I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience．

While stepping back was difficult for me，it was certainly a good first step that l will quickly follow with more steps，putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked．All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment，grow and find their own voices．

1.What did the author say about her own writing experience？

    A．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers．

    B．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer．

    C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations．

    D．She was constantly under pressure of writing more．

2.Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest？

    A．She wanted to share her stories with readers．

    B．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help．

    C．She believed she possessed real talent for writing．

    D．She had won a prize in the previous contest．

3.The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because       ．

    A．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing

    B．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much

    C．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

    D．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer

4.What’s the author’s advice for parents？

    A．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in．

    B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience．

    C．A writing career，though attractive，is not for every child to pursue．

    D．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions．

第二节　完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
When I was 16 years old，I made my first visit to Disneyland in America．It wasn't the first time I had been _16_．Like most English children I learned French 17_school and I had often been to France，so I  18_  speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand _19  ．But  __20_ I went to America，I was really looking forward to _2l_ a nice easy holiday without any _22_ problems．
_23  wrong I was! The misunderstanding began _24_ the airport。I was looking for a _25_ telephone to give my friend Danny a _26_ and tell her that I had arrived．A  _27  old man saw me looking lost and asked _28_ he could help me.
“Yes，”I said，“I want to give my friend a ring．”“Well，that's nice，”he said，“Are you getting _29 ？ But aren't you a bit young?”“_30_ is talking about marriage?”I replied．“I just want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived．Can you tell me  31  there’s a phone box?”“Oh!”he said，“there's a phone downstairs．”
When at last we did meet up，Danny explained the misunderstanding to me．“Don't worry，”she said to me，“I had so many  _32  at first．There are lots of words which the Americans  _33_ differently in meaning from us British．You'll soon get used to  34  funny things they say．Most of the  _35_ , British and American people understand each other!”
16. A．out                   B．away              C．outside                 D．abroad
17. A．from              B．during            C．at                      D．after
18. A．get used to         B．was used to      C．used to                D．used
19. A．English        B．French          C．Russian               D．Latin
20. A．when             B．while               C．if                      D．for
21. A．buying             B．having         C．giving                  D．receiving
22. A．time              B．human         C．1anguage            D. money
23. A. Too                B. What a          C．What                  D．How
24. A．with              B. to                        C．over                         D．at
25. A．cheap             B．popular        C．public                  D．good
26. A. letter               B. ring                  C. news                     D. information
27．A. friendly            B. strange             C. stupid                      D. tough
28．A．how              B. if                     C. where                    D. what
29．A. to marry           B. to be married     C. marrying                 D. married
30．A．You              B．She             C．Who                   D．He
31．A．where          B．in which      C．over there            D．that
32. A．trouble           B．difficulties     C．things                  D．fun
33. A．write             B．speak           C．use                      D．read
34. A．every             B．these           C．some                    D．all the
35. A．chance                 B．situation          C．condition                      D．time

If you want to learn anything at school, you need to listen to your teachers. Unfortunately, millions of kids can’t hear what their teachers are saying. And it’s not because these students are goofing off. Often, it’s the room’s fault. Building architecture and building design can create echo(回声)-filled classrooms that make hearing difficult.
Children with hearing impairments（损伤）suffer most from noisy classrooms. They sometimes can’t hear questions that other students ask in class. Compared with kids with healthy hearing, they have a harder time picking up new vocabulary words by hearing them in talking.
Even kids with normal hearing have a harder time in the classroom when there’s too much noise. Younger children in particular have trouble separating important sounds – like a teacher’s voice – from background noise. Kids with learning disabilities and speech impediments（障碍）and kids for whom English is a second language also have a harder time learning in noisy situations.
In recent years, scientists who study sound have been asking schools to reduce background noise, which may include loud air-conditioners and pipes. They’re also targeting outdoor noises, such as highway traffic. Noise reduction is a big deal. Why? Because quieter classrooms might make you smarter by letting you hear your lessons better.
“It’s so obvious that we should have quiet rooms that allow for access to the lesson,” says Dan Ostergren, a hearing scientist. “Sometimes it surprises me that we spend so much time discussing this topic. I just want to go. Why is this hard for anyone to grasp?”
【小题1】The underlined part “goofing off” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “     ”.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题3分，满分60分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Sarah Williams went to a boarding school. Here is one of the letters she wrote to her parents from the school:
Wentworth Girls’ school
Beachside
July 20th
Dearest Mom and Dad,
I’ m afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school principal is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer.
The trouble started last night when I was smoking in bed. This breaks the rules, of course. We are not supposed to smoke at all.
As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away.
Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire.
There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too. Soon the whole room was burning.
The principal phoned for the fire department. The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was in flames. Many of the girls are in the hospital.
The principal says that the fire was all my fault and you must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I’m very sorry about this.
Much love,
Sarah
P. S.  None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams. I just want you to know how bad the things could have been!
56．Sarah wrote home to        .
A．tell her parents about the fire               B．ask for a lot of money
C．tell her parents she had failed her exams       D．tell her parents she had to leave school
57．Why did Sarah tell her parents the story about the fire?
A．She wanted to worry them.
B．She wanted to make them laugh.
C．She wanted to make them less angry at the real news.
D．She wanted to warn them about what the principal was going to do.
58．The letter before the P. S. was ________.
A．mostly true            B．partly true                     C．all true            D．completely untrue
59．Sarah said the principal was angry because ________.
A．she had failed her exams                          B．it was her fault that had caused the fire
C．she had not made the phone call in time        D．she had been caught smoking in bed

完形填空 （满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。

When Carol was diagnosed, her cancer had   21   to her bones. We calmly talked about what to expect. I reviewed choices for   22  and printed out new research. But   23   , I cried and struggled. Only half the patients are alive two years after diagnosis.

Carol began treatment afterwards. She felt almost   24   and went right back to work. Carol hates the idea of being   25   as a “sick” person. She likes her life   26   . Last winter, Carol suddenly found   27   difficult to swallow. She slept a lot and was slow to wake in the morning. There was continuous pressure in her chest and   28   I saw her looking thoughtful. One day, she told me, “I think I   29   never leave the hospital,” she continued, “I just want to enjoy the little things---   30   is out of the window.” We had never spoken of that before.   31   we began an African safari, a trip she had dreamed of for years.

Morning and afternoon, we went diving and rolled into the clear water    32   down like peas in honey. In the evenings, we spent time on the pier, watching the sun set. One of the young couples on the island wondered if we were sisters. We laughed. “Friends for 34 years,” I said. I could see by their   33   that they didn’t really understand that kind of time. We have been friends   34   than they have been alive.

   35   dives, we talked about where to go next. I made lists    36   she slept. Our plans were now more theoretical, and the big trip to the South Pacific one day seemed a long way off. Cancer has become part of our   37  . We are well aware that our bodies are temporary gifts. Not knowing what comes next means   38   is possible. Perhaps I will be hit by a truck, or my heart will stop. Life is   39   .

We took our last dive of the trip. When we reached the deep blue water, we spread our arm out like wings and pretended to   40   .      

. A. spread        B. delivered       C. developed           D. sent   

A. directions B. medicine        C. instructions        D. treatment

A. in danger    B. in tears       C. in private          D. in trouble

A. same       B. common      C. usual               D. normal

A. looked      B. considered      C. thought         D. felt

A. as it is        B. to good purpose C. of general interest  D. in a way

A. this       B. one         C. it              D. that

A. now and then B. more or less   C. here and there      D. sooner or later

A. should          B. might       C. must                D. need

A. what        B. which       C. that                D. when

A. Still      B. Yet         C. Then                D. Even

A. sinking        B. swimming        C. dropping            D. disappearing

A. words      B. voices      C. faces               D. actions

A. longer     B. older           C. closer          D. elder

A. Among      B. With         C. Between         D. Beyond

A. because        B. though      C. since               D. while

A. leadership B. scholarship C. friendship          D. membership

A. everything B. nothing     C. anything            D. something

A. dangerous  B. colorful        C. difficult           D. different

A. enjoy      B. dance           C. sing                D. fly