For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They’re called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work and their bad condition has become a subject of concern（关心）。

    Lynette Long was once the principal（校长）of an elementary school. Said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of the kids had chains around their necks with keys attached（附带）。 I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys that it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.

    She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents had on their children Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared（害怕）.Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.

    The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed, in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it high volume.

     It’s hard to get statistics（统计数字）on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.

1.The main idea about “latchkey” children is that they ______.

1. are growing in numbers
2. are also found in middle-class neighborhoods
3. watch too much TV during the day
4. suffer problems from being left alone

2.Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?

1. We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.
2. A lot of kids had chains around their necks.
3. I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts.
4. She learned they were house keys.

3. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is ______.

   A. tiredness     B. freedom     C. loneliness     D. fear

4.The word “nightmare” in the third paragraph probably means______.

   A. night suit                                            B. night habit

   C. terrible dream at night            D. staying up at night

5.We may draw a conclusion that_______.

1. latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone
2. latchkey children try to hide their feeling
3. latchkey children often watch TV with their parents
4. it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are

——Can you give me some advice on what I said just now?

—— Sorry, my mind ______ .

A. has wondered     B. had wondered     C. is wondering D. was wondering

I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.

My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous (慷慨) and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves or appreciates the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her: she simply does what is needed.

At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.

My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world.

61. The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.

A. she thought the lady was too busy

B. she would make them as thanks to her

C. she thought she should do something for the lady at the special time

D. they had had an agreement before

62. In the writer’s opinion, ________.

A. my grandmother has a secret way of living

B. my grandmother does everything on careful consideration

C. few people are as generous as my grandmother now

D. my grandmother will get something in return

63. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers.

B. My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way.

C. This is a family in which there are nearly 30 people now.

D. My grandmother never keeps everything for herself.

64. We may infer from the text that the writer ________.

A. thinks his grandmother is living a tired life

B. thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do

C. thinks his grandmother should not be so kind

D. is proud of his grandmother

–Excuse me, sir, didn’t you see the red light?

–Sorry, my mind ________ somewhere else.

A. has been wandering                    B. was wandered

C. was wandering                     D. has been wandered

完形填空（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

    David, my neighbor, has two young kids who are five and seven. One day he was  36  his seven-year-old son Kelly how to push the lawn mower(割草机) around the yard. As he was telling him how to turn the mower  37 , his wife, Jan, called to him to ask a question. As David answered the question, Kelly pushed the lawn mower  38  through the flower bed at the edge of the lawn — 39  a two-foot wide path leveled to the ground!

    When David turned back and saw what had happened, he began to lose  40 . David had put a lot of time and  41  into making those flower beds the  42  of the neighbourhood. As he began to  43  his voice to his son, Jan walked quickly over to him, put her hand on his shoulder and said, “David, please remember we are raising children, not  44 !”

    Jan  45  me how important  46  is as a parent to remember our priorities (things that need attention before others). The window shattered(打碎) by a  47 , a lamp knocked over by a careless child, or a plate dropped in the kitchen are already  48 . The flowers are already dead. We must remember not to  49  to the destruction by breaking a child’s spirit and deadening his  50 .

    A few weeks ago Mark Michaels, the owner of a store, and I were together  51  parenting. He told me while his family were out for dinner, his daughter knocked over her water glass.  52  the water was cleaned up without any blaming remarks from her parents, she looked up and said, “I  53  want to thank you for not being like other parents. Most of my friends’ parents  54  have shouted at them and given them a lecture about paying more attention. Thanks for not  55  that!”

A. teaching        B. helping          C. looking at           D. asking

A. up             B. around               C. down             D. over

A. nearly         B. even                 C. almost               D. right

A. leaving            B. staying          C. remaining            D. finding

A. hope           B. control              C. mind             D. heart

A. strength           B. effort               C. power                D. courage

A. pride          B. respect              C. envy             D. honor

A. rise           B. expand           C. improve          D. raise

A. flowers            B. trees                C. grass                D. vegetables

A. called         B. reminded         C. warned           D. told

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

A. mower          B. baseball         C. chair                D. book

A.broken          B. shabby           C. torn             D. worn

A. attend         B. tend             C. add              D. see

A. happiness      B. liveliness           C. bravery          D. humor

A. talking            B. speaking         C. telling              D. discussing

A. Before         B. After                C. Until                D. Since

A. really         B. actually         C. eventually           D. especially

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

A. saying         B. doing                C. thinking         D. Showing