Women are friends, I once would have said, when they totally love and support and trust each other, and tell each other the secrets of their souls, and run no questions asked to help each other, and tell unpleasant truths to each other (no, you can't wear that dress unless you lose ten pounds first) when unpleasant truths must be told.

A woman friend is a friend all the way, I once would have said, but now I believe that’s a narrow point of view. For the friendships I have and the friendships I see are conducted at many levels of closeness, serve many different functions, meet different needs and range from the soul sisters to the most casual playmates.

Consider these varieties of friendship:

Convenience friends  They’ll lend us their cups for a party. They’ll drive our kids to school when we’re sick…As we will do for them. But we don’t, with convenience friends, ever come too close or tell too much; we maintain our public face and emotional distance.

Special-interest friends  These friendships aren’t close, and they needn’t involve kids or cups. Their value lies in some interest commonly shared. And so we may have an office friend or a yoga friend or a tennis friend. “I’d say that what we’re doing is doing together, not being together.”

Historical friends  We all have a friend who knew us when maybe way back in Miss Meltzer’s second grade, when our family lived in that three-room flat. The years have gone by and we’ve gone separate ways and we’ve little in common now, but we’re still a close part of each other’s past.

Crossroads friends  Crossroads friends form powerful links, links strong enough to last with just communication of a once-a-year letter at Christmas. And out of respect for those crossroads years, for those dreams and dreams we once shared, we will always be friends.

Cross-generational friends  The friendship exists across generations in what one woman calls her daughter–mother and her mother-daughter relationships.

There are medium(中等的), pretty good, and such good friends indeed, and these friendships are decided by their level of closeness. For example, we might tell a medium friend that yesterday we had a fight with our husband. And we might tell a pretty good friend that this fight with our husband made us so mad that we slept on the sofa. And we might tell a such good friend that the reason why we got so mad in that fight that we slept on the sofa — he had a love affair with that girl who works in his office. But it’s only to our very best friends that we’re willing to tell all, to tell what’s going on with that girl in his office.

The best of friends, I still believe, totally love and support and trust each other, and tell each other the secrets of their souls, and tell unpleasant truths to each other when they must be told.             

45. According to the passage, convenience friends ______.

A. are not valuable enough

B. are those who are easily available to make friends with

C. never tell each other their deepest feelings

D. discuss family budgets together

46. The underlined sentence means ______.

A. we should never sit and wait for something to happen

B. we join each other because we do something together

C. we complete something together rather than enjoy ourselves

D. cooperation is of great importance if we want to succeed

47. We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. special-interest friends will drive your kids to school

B. historical friends remind each other of their shameful past

C. crossroads friends can maintain their friendship by writing to each other once a year

D. cross-generational friends seem to maintain friendship forever

48. According to the author, a woman may tell her good friends that ______.

A. she has lost her job because she isn’t really qualified enough

B. her husband has fallen in love with a girl in his office

C. she has been upset these days because of financial problems

D. she is on a diet because she wants to lose weight

49. Which can be the best title of this passage?

A. Value of friendship              B. Friends, good friends and such good friends

C. The qualities of a good friend      D. Friendship: being together

Justin, my brother, has been missing for two weeks. Now I   31   him very much. I’m worried that something   32  has happened to him. I’m sure he   33  that night at about 11 o’clock, because I heard him playing his favorite CD in his bedroom. But where has he gone?

Yesterday a girl named Marvies told me that   34  was once taken away by aliens(外星人) from outer space. They did some research on her. Marvies said that the whole experience was really terrible,   35  luckily they returned her home. If Justin has been taken away by aliens too, I hope they will   36  him soon.

My parents have been worrying about Justin. Soon after he was found missing, they called 37  . However, the police are not making   38  in the case (案子). They are very puzzled, saying Justin might have been murdered. Dad is very   39  with them. He doesn’t think they are doing their job well. Mum is so worried that she   40  sleep well. I hope Justin will come home soon and tell us what happened to him. I want all of us to be together again.

1.                A．dislike          B．respect         C．hate D．miss

2.                A．bad            B．good           C．wonderful D．simple

3.                A．came home     B．went out        C．fell asleep D．fell ill

4.                A．he            B．they           C．it    D．she

5.                A．because        B．so             C．or   D．but

6.                A．kill            B．hurt           C．return    D．catch

7.                A．the police       B．the teachers     C．the firemen   D．the doctors

8.                A．a face          B．a mistake        C．a living   D．much progress

9.                A．delighted       B．disappointed     C．satisfied  D．pleased

10.               A．shan’t        B．can’t         C．needn’t  D．mustn’t

When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.

But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.

“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”

“She had an elegant, hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”

GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it. But how happy I was that morning!”

GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”

“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”

A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.

Silent for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”

My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?

Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.

Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?

On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”

GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.

I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.” 

And perhaps she wasn’t saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.

1.GG moved in with her daughter because____.

A．she wanted to live with a large family

B．she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness

C．her husband passed away

D．she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her

2.Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?

A．Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll.

B．Because she recalled her dead parents.

C．Because she was surrounded by her offspring.

D．Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season.

3.What can we infer from Paragraph 5? 

A．GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things.

B．GG showed great respect for his husband’s love.

C．GG missed the great old days she spent with her family.

D．GG was grateful for her long life.

4.What happened to GG’s baby sister?

A．She envied her sister all her life.

B．She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go.

C．She left home at a young age.

D．She died of some disease at a young age.

5.Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?

A．Because she was clever.                  B．Because she was loving.

C．Because she was sensitive.                D．Because she was imaginative.

6.The main idea of the passage is that ____.

A．treating the elderly well is moral

B．it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly

C．love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart

D．physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important

When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.
But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”
“She had an exquisite(优美的，高雅的), hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”
GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it But how happy I was that morning!”
GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”
“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”
A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.
Subdued(沉默的) for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?
Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.
Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?
On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”
GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.” 
And perhaps she wasn't saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.
【小题1】GG moved in with her daughter because ______.

When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.
But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”
“She had an exquisite(优美的，高雅的), hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”
GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it But how happy I was that morning!”
GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”
“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”
A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.
Subdued(沉默的) for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?
Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.
Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?
On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”
GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.” 
And perhaps she wasn't saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same

1. 1.

   GG moved in with her daughter because ______

   1. A.
      she wanted to live with a large family
   2. B.
      she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness
   3. C.
      her husband passed away
   4. D.
      she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her
2. 2.

   Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?

   1. A.
      Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll
   2. B.
      Because she recalled her long deceased parents
   3. C.
      Because she was surrounded by her offspring
   4. D.
      Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season
3. 3.

   What can we infer from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

   1. A.
      GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things
   2. B.
      GG showed great respect for his husband’s love
   3. C.
      GG missed the great old days she spent with her family
   4. D.
      GG was grateful for her long life
4. 4.

   What happened to GG’s baby sister?

   1. A.
      She envied her sister all her life
   2. B.
      She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go
   3. C.
      She left home at a young age
   4. D.
      She died of some disease at a young age
5. 5.

   Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?

   1. A.
      Because she was clever
   2. B.
      Because she was loving
   3. C.
      Because she was amiable
   4. D.
      Because she was imaginative
6. 6.

   This passage implies that ______

   1. A.
      treating the elderly well is moral
   2. B.
      it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly
   3. C.
      love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart
   4. D.
      physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important