The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother' s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting ! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.
53. The aim of the mother' s plan was to _________.
A. take them to visit the museum             B. introduce them to the world of art
C. ask them to read about artists              D. show them different painting styles
54. What was the writer' s experience in the museum before the last visit?
A. She came to feel her mother' s love.   B. She liked many paintings.
C. She hardly enjoyed herself.            D. She could understand the pictures of fat babies.
55. What made the writer go through a change that summer?
A. One of Mary's paintings.           B. A strange way of painting.
C. Artists in the Middle Ages.          D. Her mother' s instruction.
56. From the text, we can see _________.
A. the importance of curiosity          B. the effect of art
C. the value of learning               D. the power of family education

Peter King, 15 and Mary King, 13 went to see a doctor together. Peter had a bad cold, so the doctor gave him some pills to take. Mary had a bad cough, so the doctor |gave her some cough medicine.                                                      

These are the words on the bottle of medicine:

1.Mary should take ____ in a day.

2.People aged ____ cannot take this medicine.

3.Mary or her mother should ____ the medicine after the tenth month of 1998.

第二节 完型填空 （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。

John and Mary had a nice home and two lovely children, a boy and a girl. John had a good   36   and had just been asked to go on a business trip to another city and it was   37   that Mary needed an outing and would go along too. They   38  a reliable woman to care for the children and made the   39   , returning home a little earlier than they had planned.

40   they drove into their home town, they found a home in flames (火焰). Mary said, “Oh well, it isn’t our   41  , let’s go home. ”

But John drove closer and exclaimed, “That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant. He wouldn’t be   42   work yet, maybe there is something we could do. ”

John drove up and they were both   43   -stricken to see the whole house in flames. A woman on the lawn was in hysterics   44   , “The children! Get the children! They are in the basement. ”

45   Mary’s protests, John grabbed the water hose and soaked (浸湿) his clothes, put his   46  hand-kerchief on his head and dashed for the basement which was full of   47   . He found two nearly suffocated (窒息的) children and after carrying them to  48   , he asked how many more children were down there. They told him two more and Mary   49  his arm and screamed, “John! Don’t go back! It’s   50  ! That house will cave in (坍塌) any second!”

But he shook her off and went back by   51   his way down the smoke filled hallway and into the room. It seemed a long time   52   he found both children and started back and at last when they came out into the   53  and fresh air, he found that he had just   54   his own children.

The baby-sitter had   55   them at this home while she did some shopping.

(   ) 36. A. job                   B. family                  C. wife                         D. boss

(   ) 37. A. known                     B. believed                   C. decided                    D. hoped

(   ) 38. A. asked                B. hired                    C. begged                     D. paid

(   ) 39. A. preparations      B. mistake                C. decision                   D. trip

(   ) 40. A. Before                     B. As                           C. Once                        D. Since

(   ) 41. A. duty                 B. neighbor                  C. business                   D. fire

(   ) 42. A. off                   B. on                           C. out of                      D. at

(   ) 43. A. nerve                B. sorrow                        C. horror                 D. poverty

(   ) 44. A. coughing          B. screaming             C. waving                     D. crying

(   ) 45. A. Except for        B. In case of            C. Instead of          D. In spite of

(   ) 46. A. clean                B. soft                          C. wet                          D. large

(   ) 47. A. smoke                     B. darkness                   C. children                  D. danger

(   ) 48. A. entrance            B. ground                     C. rest                          D. safety

(   ) 49. A. pulled               B. took                         C. grabbed                    D. held

(   ) 50. A. dangerous         B. useless                     C. over                         D. stupid

(   ) 51. A. pushing            B. feeling                        C. jumping                   D. moving

(   ) 52. A. that                  B. when                       C. while                   D. before

(   ) 53. A. shade                B. sunlight                    C. open                        D. crowd

(   ) 54. A. helped                     B. found                   C. recognized            D. rescued

(   ) 55. A. left                   B. charged                    C. removed                   D. forgot

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

Mary had her own special kind of joy, and she knew exactly how to spread it around. She lifted children from 　31　 into laughter, love, and belonging. Each time she found a new 　32　 for a child, she gave the family one of her little homemade paper roses. It had become a 　33　 for her, and the families didn't ever forget it.

One evening, Mary was 　34　 a meeting for adoptive parents. One of the 　35　 fathers stood up to introduce himself. But before he spoke, he reached into his coat pocket and held up a 　36　, red paper rose.

“Twenty years ago today, I felt alone and 　37　. I didn't know the talents inside me or what was possible for me.

Then Mary 　38　 two wonderful people into my life. They taught me what it was like to feel 　39　. They not only loved me 　40　. They opened a world of 　41　 that I didn't know existed. My new parents told me, ‘Reach for your dreams!’

I did, and today I'm 　42　 to be giving that chance to a child who 　43　 just like me. My mother gave me this little rose. By now, all of you 　44　 where she got it so long ago.

Mary sent me a new rose just yesterday. And my new rose 　45　 a new spring, a beautiful new 　46　 for my own little girl. It 　47　 me to show her what unconditional love is, and to teach her to reach for her own beautiful dreams.

Thank you, Mary, for the special little things like roses that 　48　 our lives together. And thank you for all you've done for me and so many families over the years!”

One brief even can send our spirits soaring or 　49　 us in quiet to ponder a new beginning.　50　 it is also the very small things, like Mary's roses, that tie together the meaningful things.

A. poverty                B. loneliness               C. misery                    D. suffering

A. home           B. place               C. school              D. life

A. glory            B. favor               C. habit               D. tradition

A. organizing        B. planning                 C. hosting              D. attending

A. new              B. grateful                  C. kind                D. active

A. broken          B. faded                    C. treasured            D. dried

A. tasteless         B. powerless                 C. priceless              D. worthless

A. directed         B. introduced               C. brought             D. accepted

A. loved           B. protected            C. cared              D. cheered

A. silently        B. continuously          C. unintentionally   D. unconditionally

A. necessities      B. possibilities                C. beauties             D. riches

A. eager          B. willing                     C. proud              D. lucky

A. started out      B. came up                   C. turned out           D. grew up

A. understand      B. guess                      C. tell               D. know  

A. replaces        B. symbolizes                C. equals            D. creates

A. chance         B. mystery               C. challenge            D. beginning

A. reminds            B. helps                        C. accompanies         D. drives

A. fix             B. close                 C. tie                   D. gather

A. cause            B. push                        C. put                            D. leave

A. Yet            B. Besides                    C. Otherwise           D. Therefore

--- Mary had a traffic accident and has been sent to the hospital. Did you tell her boss about it?

--- Yes, but I _____ her husband first.