Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮)  by one of our garden snakes.
'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah.  Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.
"Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained.
"Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin.  It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did.  Like buying a new suit. "
Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off.  I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.
"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained.  "lt happens as part of their growth. "
"I see, Dad. " said Sarah.  She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.
I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的);  or at best,  remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.
【小题1】When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful,___________

Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮)  by one of our garden snakes.

'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah.  Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.

"Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained.

"Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin.  It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did.  Like buying a new suit. "

Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off.  I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.

"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained.  "lt happens as part of their growth. "

"I see, Dad. " said Sarah.  She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.

I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的);  or at best,  remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.

1.When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful,___________

A．he was shocked and jumped

B．he tried to understand her point of view

C．he thought that telling the truth was a merit

D．he decided to teach her something about the garden

2.How did Sarah feel about the author's explanation?

A．Confused.         B．Boreci            C．Satisfied.          D．Excited.

3.Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves.

B．It is necessary to force others to remove some things.

C．The community and culture force us to change.

D．It is natural to keep some old clothes.

4.From the text, we can conclude that the author___________.

A．does not like nature much

B．takes the chilcl's feelings lightly

C．is both a logical and thoughtful person

D．loves to see his daughter excited about animals

5.Which of the following could be the best title for the article?

A．The things we should cast off              B．A shed snakeskin in Sarah's eyes

C．A natural part of our growth               D．Renewal for snakes and us

1.    Our workmate has been in danger. We’re all c__________ about his health.

2.    It made her u________ that she didn’t do well in the final exam.

3.    Air pollution is one of the problems that we can’t afford to i_______

4.    Mother can’t r             her three babies because they look the same.

5.    Many words and              (词语) in British English came from American English.

6.    We are not satisfied with her a_____________ to the poor.

7.    He seems to be doing nothing , but _____________ ( 实际上 ) he is just waiting for his chance.

8.    Jane and Mary are good friends; the former is a teacher, the l___________ is a nurse.

9.    Children are_______(喜欢) of going camping alongside the seashore.

10.  Li Yang can speak English _______（流利地）.

【小题1】Our workmate has been in danger. We’re all c__________ about his health.
【小题2】It made her u________ that she didn’t do well in the final exam.
【小题3】Air pollution is one of the problems that we can’t afford to i_______
【小题4】Mother can’t r             her three babies because they look the same.
【小题5】Many words and              (词语) in British English came from American English.
【小题6】We are not satisfied with her a_____________ to the poor.
【小题7】He seems to be doing nothing , but _____________ ( 实际上 ) he is just waiting for his chance.
【小题8】Jane and Mary are good friends; the former is a teacher, the l___________ is a nurse.
【小题9】Children are_______(喜欢) of going camping alongside the seashore.
【小题10】Li Yang can speak English _______（流利地）.

单词拼写（10分）

1.After g , a large number of college students go to west China at the appeal(号召) of government.

2. Mother has p me a gift if I do well in my final exam.

3. Mary is my best friend and I v 　 the friendship between us.

4. Mandela offered guidance to poor black people on their l________ problems.

5. The army organized teams to dig out those who were trapped and to b______ the dead.

6. At m__________ the sky became clearer and the stars grew brighter.

7. She gave me a d_____________ look—the kind that said she would not change her mind.

8. Later in the next century, people from England made v_________ to conquer other parts of the world.

9. It’s no pleasure looking through these any longer because nature is one thing that really must be e______________.

10. Our Greek cities used to compete against each other just for the h_________ of winning.