As I sat beside the window of our classroom that afternoon, my heart sank further with each passing car. This was a day I’d looked forward to for weeks: Miss Pace’s fourth-grade, end-of-the-year party.
I had happily volunteered my mother when Miss Pace looked for cookie volunteers. Mom’s chocolate chips were well-known, and I knew they’d be a hit with my classmates. But two o’clock passed, and there was no sign of her. Most of the other mothers had already come and gone, dropping off their sweet offerings.
The three o’clock bell soon took me away from my thoughts and I took my book bag from my desk.
I decided I would slam the front door, and refuse to return her hug. But when I arrived, she wasn’t at home.
I was lying face-down on my bed upstairs when I heard her come through the front door.
“Robbie,” she called out a bit urgently. “Where are you?”
I could then hear her rushing anxiously from room to room, wondering where I could be. I remained silent.
Coming through the door, she said: “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said. “I just forgot. I got busy and forgot.”
Then my mother did something completely unexpected. She began to laugh! How could she laugh at a time like this? I rolled over and faced her, ready to let her see my rage (愤怒).
But my mother wasn’t laughing at all. She was crying. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I let you down. I let my little boy down.”
I was moved by her tears.
I tried to remember her kind words from times past when I’d skinned knees or cut myself, times when she knew just the right thing to say.
“It’s okay, Mom. We didn’t even need those cookies. There was plenty of stuff to eat. Don’t cry. It’s all right. Really.”
We didn’t say another word. We just held each other. When we came to the point where I would usually pull away, I decided that, this time, I could hold on, perhaps, just a little bit longer.
【小题1】. The author was pretty down because ______.

A．the mother didn’t get to the party because of the traffic jam

B．the mother was sorry for her absence and laughed at herself

C．the author was a caring and thoughtful boy

D．the author was overcome with anger

Stacy had recently moved from New York City to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. It was ___1___ for her to make new friends but she finally had three when she joined the Babysitters Club to ___2___ little children whose parents were busy. Claudia, Kristy, and Mary were in her class at school and also the other ___3___ of the club. The girls met at five o’clock on Fridays and waited for the ___4___ to ring. So far they had been busy, in spite of the ___5___ that they couldn’t stay out late and were under 13.

___6___, the girls’ world was invaded(侵犯) by a second group ___7___ themselves the Babysitters Agency. They were ___8___ and the group also included a few boys. The Babysitters Club tried to think of ways to ___9___ with the older group. They could clean and work for less money, however, they ___10___ it would be difficult to compete. The shock was even greater than they had ___11___ when most of their best customers started to call the new group. They ___12___ to get only a few jobs.

To try a new ___13___ Kristy recruited(招收) a few older kids who told the club they didn’t want to ___14___ their money with the other group. The club ___15___ only too quickly that these older girls joined only as spies and didn’t ___16___ for their job assignments(分派). Thus, more parents were ___17___ with the club.

Finally, the girls realized that the ___18___ in the other group were not good babysitters. They watched television, talked on the phone, and invited boyfriends to the house ___19___ they were sitting. When the children of the families started to ___20___, and a near accident almost occurred, the club went to the parents to tell them what was happening.

1. A. active     B. thoughtful       C. easy                         D. hard

2. A. take care of    B. run into                    C. go through              D. take advantage of

3. A. children  B. members                  C. circles D. players

4. A. alarm     B. traffic C. phone D. neighbor

5. A. fact B. degree C. question     D. demand

6. A. Therefore      B. Suddenly    C. Regularly                 D. Unwillingly

7. A. attracting             B. finding       C. calling       D. matching

8. A. younger               B. cleverer      C. taller   D. older

9. A. compete B. fight   C. do      D. meet

10. A. heard    B. knew  C. promised    D. shot

11. A. damaged      B. caught C. expected     D. forced

12. A. hoped   B. liked   C. refused       D. seemed

13. A. chance  B. possibility  C. power D. policy

14. A. share    B. give    C. provide      D. mark

15. A. put down     B. paid off      C. found out   D. come through

16. A. check up      B. end up       C. look up      D. show up

17. A. satisfied       B. unhappy     C. curious       D. helpful

18. A. kids      B. adults  C. systems      D. situations

19. A. that      B. when  C. where D. how

20. A. blow    B. complain    C. appreciate   D. spread

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

We recently treated our new-adult son and his girlfriend to a seafood feast, near Cocoa Beach, Florida. Our server, a grandmotherly woman skilled in the art of___36_____, flew around the ___37_____juggling dishes and drinks while treating customers as individuals. She remembered their ____38_____tastes likes and dislikes –all of which she’d learned after only the briefest ____39_____.

At the end of the meal, she presented the bill, and then went to____40_____ the growing crowd of other dinners. My husband ___41____with a credit card, added her___42____, and we were off.  

“Mr. Goldsmith!” our waitress ran out of the dining room waving a receipt at him, “Thank you.”

He looked at her as though he didn’t __43_____. We’ve all seen that universal___44___ of confusion—eyebrows drawn together and head cocked to one side

“What did you give her?” I asked in a stage whisper, ____45___if he had done something __46___ or made a calculation error.

“Wow, Dad,” our son said, ___47___like an awestruck 10 –year-old. “I’ve never seen a waitress ____48____anyone out of the restaurant to say ‘thank you’ for the tip.

“She gave us great service. I just thought she deserved a little bump __49_____ what I usually give.”

It wasn’t until later, when I accidentally heard our  ___50____retelling the story of the ___51___waitress, that I realized she had given my family something___52___ a “thank you”. She showed our son the importance of ___53_____hard work and the rewarding sound of “thank you”. Her show of thanks helped a dad earn a bit more ___54___from a loving son. And it reminded me just why I ___55____this thoughtful, caring man.

     The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was 7.30pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song.

By 9.45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11.00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left hungry and angry.

Their experience suggests that the words an the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6.30 -8.30pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8.00pm or 8.30pm means possible dinner, but 9.30pm and any time thereafter means no food, oat beforehand, roll up late.

But this is not always the case. If asked to a students’ party at 6.30pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive - looking eager - is social death. When my mother is asked to a party for 6.30, she likes to be them, if not on lime, then no later than seven. My age group （late thirties） falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're  young, we're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.

The accepted custom at present is confusing （混乱的）, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element （成分） of surprise.

68. The underlined words "off their heads" probably mean______.

       A. tired       B. crazy       C. curious   D. hopeless

69. Jane and David’s story is used to show that______.

       A. petty-goer8 usually get hungry at parties

       B. party invitations can be confusing

      C. people should ask for food at parties

      D. birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull

70. For some young people, arriving on time for a students’ party will probably be considered_______.

    A. very difficult           B. particularly thoughtful

       C. friendly and polite      D. socially unacceptable

71. According to the writer, people in their late thirties_______.

       A. are likely to arrive late for a party

      B. care little about the party time

      C. haven’t really grown up yet

      D. like surprises at parties

72. What is the general idea of the text?     

      A. It’s safe to arrive late just when food is served.

      B. It’s wise to eat something before going to a party.

      C. It’s important to follow social rules of party-going.

      D. It’s necessary to read invitations carefully.

------You are lucky that she is very thoughtful and devoted to you.

------ In fact, I don’t want to ____ her with my problems all the time.