George, when your big brother and your little dog and I walked you up to schools today, you had no idea how I was feeling.
You were so excited. You had packed and unpacked your pencils and safety scissors in your backpack a dozen times. I am really going to miss those lazy mornings when we waved your brother and sister off to school.
Because you are my youngest, I had learned a few things by the time you came along. I found out that the seemingly endless days of babyhood are gone like lightning. I blinked(眨眼), and your older siblings were setting off for school as eagerly as you did this morning, I was one of the lucky ones; I could choose whether to work or not. By the time it was your turn, the shining prizes of career advancement and a double income had lost their brightness. A splash(溅水) in the pool with you in your bright red boots or "just one more" rereading of your favorite book, Frog and Toad Are Friends, meant more. You didn’t go to preschool and I hope that doesn’t hold you back. You learned numbers by helping me count the soda cans we returned to the store.
I have to admit that in my mind’s eye, an image of myself while you’re in school has developed, I see myself updating all the photo albums and starting that novel I always wanted to write. As the summer wound down and more frequent quarrels erupted between you and your siblings, I was looking forward to today. And then this morning, I walked you up the steep hill to your classroom. You found the coat hook with your name above it right away, and you gave me one of your characteristically fierce, too-tight hugs. This time you were ready to let go before I was.
Maybe someday you will deliver a kindergartner to the first day of school. When you turn at the door to wave good-bye, he or she will be too deep in conversation with a new friend to notice. Even as you smile, you’ll feel something warm on your cheek.
And then, you’ll know…
【小题1】What does the author mean by the underlined sentence?

When I was about twelve years old, my mother told us that we would not be ___1___ Christmas gifts for lack of money．I felt sad and thought, “What would I say when the other kids asked what I’d ___2___?” Then，three women ___3___ at our house with gifts for all of us．For me they bought a doll．I would no longer have to be ___4___ when I returned to school．

Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my ___5___ Christmas special and memorable there, I ___6___ remembered the women’s visit．I decided that I wanted to create the same feeling of ___7___ for as many children as I could possibly ____8__．

So I ___9__ a plan and gathered forty people from my company to help．We gathered about 125 orphans （孤儿） at the Christmas party．For every child, we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies, each with a child’s name．We wanted all of them to know they were ___10__．Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts, I ___11__ them that they couldn’t open their presents until every child had come forward．Finally the __12___ they had been waiting for came as I called out, “One, two, three．Open your presents!” As the children opened their packages, their faces beamed and their bright smiles ___13__ up the room．The __14___ in the room was obvious, and it wasn’t just about toys．It was a feeling---the feeling I knew from that Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit．I wasn’t forgotten．Somebody still remembered me．I know I___15___．

1.                A．sending        B．receiving        C．making   D．exchanging

2.                A．found          B．prepared       C．got  D．expected

3.                A．broke in        B．settled down     C．showed up    D．turned off

4.                A．puzzled         B．embarrassed     C．worried  D．relieved

5.                A．present        B．first            C．recent   D．previous

6.                A．hardly          B．suddenly        C．regularly  D．occasionally

7.                A．strength        B．sadness         C．importance    D．safety

8.                A．know          B．reach          C．remember D．mention

9.                A．kept up with     B．caught up with   C．came up with  D．put up with

10.               A．fine           B．special         C．helpful    D．normal

11.               A．reminded       B．waited         C．convinced D．promised

12.               A．chance         B．gift            C．moment   D．reward

13.               A．lit             B．took           C．burned    D．cheered

14.               A．atmosphere     B．sympathy       C．calmness  D．joy

15.               A．matter         B．wonder        C．doubt D．suppose

第二节：完形填空 (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16 ~ 35各题所给的A、B、C、D 四个选项中，选出最佳选项,。

  Night after night, my mother came to my bed, even long after my childhood years. She would   21  down and push my long hair out of the way, and then kiss my forehead.

    I don’t remember when it first started  22  me-her hands pushing my hair that way, for they

felt work-worn and rough  23  my young skin. Finally , one night, I shouted out at her, “Don’t do

that any more-your hands are too rough!” she made no  24  and left quietly. But never again did

my mother do it with that familiar expression of her  25  .

With the passing years, my   26  returned to that night time after time. By then I   27  my mother’s hands and her goodnight kiss. Sometimes the incident seemed very  28  , sometimes far away, but always it was  29  in the back of my mind.

The years have passed, and I’m not a little girl any more. Mom is in her seventies, and those hands I once  30  to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.

Now, Mom no longer has Dad and lives  31  . One night on Thanksgiving Eve, I found myself  32  to her house to spend the night with her. As I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly ran across my face to  33  the hair from my forehead. Then a   34  , ever so gently , touched my forehead. I burst into tears.

In my memory, thousands of times, I   35  the night my young voice complained. Catching Mom’s hand in hand, I told her how  36  I was for that night. I thought she’d remember  37  I did. But Mom didn’t know what I was talking about. She had already forgotten and   38  long ago.

That night, I fell asleep with a new  39  for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was   40  to be found. 

21．A．lie           B．bend      C．look        D．fall

22．A．annoying    B．astonishing        C．delighting  D．disappointing

23．A．along     B．above         C．against       D．aside

24．A．reply      B．promise     C．request      D．agreement

25．A．pity        B．sadness     C．apology      D．love

26．A．feelings      B．opinions     C．spirits         D．thoughts

27．A．missed       B．forgot         C．held       D．shook

28．A．strange      B．close      C．serious       D．common

29．A．stressed    B．existed       C．hidden        D．exposed

30．A．expected   B．changed     C．reminded   D．complained

31．A．yet         B．away     C．alone     D．long

32．A．drawn         B．carried       C．moved        D．stayed

33．A．cut         B．wash     C．brush      D．take

34．A．tear       B．kiss        C．press     D．hand

35．A．returned    B．remembered     C．realized      D．recalled

36．A．sorry      B．happy         C．angry     D．nervous

37．A．when     B．how       C．why        D．as

38．A．disappeared       B．forgiven     C．apologized          D．abandoned

39．A．imagination        B．inspiration C．decoration          D．appreciation

40．A．still         B．soon  C．nowhere        D．anyhow

— I don’t think this TV set is of good quality. Can you replace it with a new one?
— ___________. But I have to talk to my manager first.

There is no better way to enjoy Scottish traditions than going fishing and tasting a little bit of whisky(威士忌)at a quiet place like the Inverlochy Castle. When Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1873, she wrote in her diary, “I never saw a lovelier spot ,” And she didn’t even go fishing.

Scotland is not easily defined. In certain moments, this quiet land of lakes and grasses and mountains changes before your very eyes. When evening gently sweeps the hillside into orange light, the rivers, teeming with fish, can turn into streams of gold . As you settle down with just a fishing pole and a basket on the bank of River Orchy, near the Inverlochy Castle , any frustration(烦恼) will float away as gently as the circling water. It’s just you and purple, pink, white flowers, seeking a perfect harmony. If you are a new comer to fishing, learning the basics from a fishing guide may leave you with a lifetime’s fun. For many, fishing is more than a sport; it is an art.

Scotland offers interesting place where you can rest after a long day’s fishing. Set against a wild mountain and hidden behind woodland, the beautiful Inverlochy Castle Hotel below the Nevis is a perfect place to see the beauty of Scotland’s mountains. Ben Nevis is the highest of all British mountains, and reaching its 1343-metre top is a challenge. But it’s not just what goes up matters; what comes down is unique. More than 900 metres high, on the mountain’s north face, lies an all-important source of pure water. Its name comes from the Gaelic language “usquebaugh” or “water of life”; and it is the single most important ingredient(原料) in Scotland’s best known drink: whisky.

1.The story of Queen Victoria is to show that _____.

A．the queen is rich in tour experience

B．the Castle is a good place to go in Scotland

C．tasting whisky is better than going fishing

D．1873 is a special year for the queen

2.How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?

A．By giving descriptions.

B．By following time order.

C．By analyzing causes.

D．By making comparisons.

3.What is Ben Nevis special for?

A．The Inverlochy Castle Hotel .

B．The beauty of its surroundings.

C．The water from the mountain.

D．The challenge up to its top.

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce Scottish traditions to tourists.

B．To show the attractions of Scotland to readers.

C．To explore geographical characteristics of Scotland.

D．To describe the pleasures of life in Scotland.