Five years ago, I was sent to a better middle school. For me, everything there was new and strange. After I had been there for two months, there was an important test in the middle of the term. It covered all my courses. In that test, I didn’t get a good grade, but most of my classmates got an A or A’.
It made me upset for a long time. I felt everything in the world was changing. I thought my classmates were all better than me. During those days I was very unhappy.
One day, my aunt, after talking with my teachers, talked to me. She told me to think about what I had done in the past and what I should do in the future. I was shocked by her words. I thought about what I had done during the past months, and I found I had done nothing to improve my grades. I thought I should work harder.
After that, I paid more attention to the teachers’ talking in the classes, and I asked my teachers or my classmates when I didn’t understand something. I studied very late at night when I met with difficult problems. Most of all, I came to understand the importance of taking notes in class. As a result, I did better in some tests.
About three months later, the most important test came at the end of the term. This time, I stood out not only in my class but also in the grade. From then on, I have tried to do my best when I do something because I know if I want something, I should work hard for it.
【小题1】Why did the writer fall behind in the new middle school?

Andy was born with a developmental disorder. The two sides of his 36. _______were not joined normally with each other. The right side of his body could not 37.______ with the left. At age three, it was 38._______ for him to walk, speak, and play. He could only 39._______ back a few words, and walk 40.________while someone held each of his hands.

Then came the struggles. He 41._______ an all-day center he was enrolled in every imaginable therapy(疗法). He 42._______, sometimes in tears, to get stronger. Andy hated it when his parents would leave him in the mornings. 43._______, they believed -- against all odds -- that he would grow up to live a 44.______ healthy life. They believed it for themselves, and for Andy.

It 45._______. Today Andy is a successful 13-year-old high school student. His progress has been nothing short of phenomenal. He receives special help with 46._________, but joins with friends in all the activities he loves. Andy 47.________ enormous odds to move from adversity to victory.

Ask yourself: “What are the seeds of strength hidden in my struggles today? If I get back up when I fall, what will that make possible tomorrow?”

36. A. body                               B. hands                       

C. brain                         D. legs

37. A. talk                                B. speak                       

C. exchange                     D. communicate

38. A. easy                                       B. difficult                       

C. unchallenging                  D. comfortable

39. A. pay                                B. answer                     

C. reply                        D. respond

40. A. smoothly                           B. swiftly                       

C. slowly                       D. quickly

41. A. attended                       B. joined                         

C. presented                 D. went

42. A. behaved                         B. struggled                    

C. appeared                             D. seemed

43. A. Therefore                        B. While                       

C. However                      D. Though

44. A. rich                             B. average                     

C. common                     D. normal

45. A. paid back                        B. paid out                       

C. paid off                      D. paid for

46. A. something             B. nothing         

C. anything                D. everything

47. A. beat                           B. won                          

C. overlooked                     D. overcame

Each of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a  36  part of the learning process. But all too often as parents and teachers we disallow this  37  right to our children.

When I see a child  38  to this kind of pressure, I think of Donnie.

    Donnie was my youngest third grader. His  39  of failure kept him from classroom games that other children enjoyed. He 40  answered questions — he might be wrong.

I tried my best to build his  41. But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned （安排）to our classroom.

   She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, 42  her.

   One morning, we were working math problems at the chalkboard. Donnie had 43  the problems with painstaking neatness. Pleased with his progress, I 44  the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials. When I returned, Donnie was in 45 . He’d missed the third problem.

   My student teacher looked at me in despair. Suddenly her face  46. From the desk we shared, she got a container filled with pencils.

   "Look, Donnie," she said, kneeling beside him and gently 47 the tear?stained face from his arms. "I’ve got something to48 you." She removed the pencils, one at a time, and placed them on his desk.

   "See these 49 , Donnie," she continued. "They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are 50 ? That’s because we make mistakes too.But we erase the mistakes and try again. That’s what you 51  learn to do, too."

    She kissed him and stood up. "Here," she said, "I’ll leave one of these pencils on 52  desk so you’ll remember that everybody makes mistakes, 53  teachers." Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and a smile.

    The pencil became Donnie’s  54  possession. That, together with Mary Anne’s frequent encouragement, gradually 55  him that it’s all right to make mistakes — as long as you erase them and try again.

36. A. small              B. basic             C. necessary                    D. large

37. A. correct            B. same             C. important                   D. natural

38. A. suffering           B. object              C. fall                      D. subject

39. A. fear                B. lesson              C. chance                           D. sense

40. A. always            B. often             C. never                      D. seldom

41. A. self－protection   B. self－improvement    C. self－confidence     D. self－learning

42. A. respected          B. disliked            C. avoided                   D. mined

43. A. worked out       B. copied              C. gone over                   D. leaned

44. A. left                     B. offered             C. missed                           D. parted

45. A. surprise                 B. astonishment        C. anger                      D. tears

46. A. darkened           B. brightened        C. pulled                     D. loosened

47. A. lifting             B. picking            C. holding                   D. pushing

48. A. help               B. show             C. reward                           D. promise

49. A. pencils            B. mistakes           C. marks                     D. containers

50. A. used               B. built             C. worn                       D. damaged

51. A. may               B. must             C. will                     D. can

52. A. my                     B. someone’s        C. the teacher’s               D. your

53. A. still                B. also              C. even                       D. not

54. A. prized             B. own              C. kept                     D. expected

55. A. warned           B. informed          C. persuaded                   D. reminded

A youngster’s social development has a deep effect on his academic(学术的)progress. Kids who have trouble getting along with their classmates can end up behind academically as well and have a high chance of stopping attending school. In the early grades especially, experts say youngsters should be encouraged to work in groups rather than alone so that teachers can spot children who may be having problems making friends. "When children work on a project", says Lillian Kate, an educational professor at the University &Illinois, "they learn to work together, to disagree, to think, to take turns and lighten tensions These skills can’t be learned through lecture. We all know people who have wonderful technical skills but don’t have any social skills.”

At certain age, children are also learning to judge themselves in relation to others. For most children, school marks the first time that their goals are not set by a home clock but by the outside world. Just as the 1-year-old struggles to walk, the 6-year-old is struggling to meet adult expectations. Young kids don’t know how to tell effort and ability apart, says Tynette Hills, coordinator(协调员)of early-childhood education for the state of New Jersey. If they try hard to do something and fail, they may conclude that they will never be able to finish a particular task. The effects of obvious methods of comparison such as posting grades, can be serious. Says Hills, “a child who has had his confidence really damaged needs a rescue operation.”

72．The writer seems to think that a kid’s poor relationship with his classmates would _______.

A．have a lot of side effects on his study 

B、develop his independence but limit his brains

C．certainly lead to his stopping attending school  

D．have nothing to do with his progress in a course

73．The underlined word “spot” means ____________.

A．teach      B．help    C．find   D．treat

74．For most children, school makes them understand_________.

A．that social needs and their own needs have nothing in common

B．how they can meet social needs

C．that one’s effort and ability can be two quite different matters

D．that it is society not they themselves that decides their future

75．Which of the following is most unlikely for the writer to do?_______.

A．To talk to students who have mental problems

B.  To help students develop a feeling of self-respect.

C．To announce a student’s scores in public

D．To keep a student from playing alone

76．Which of the following does a student most need according to the passage? __________.

A．Independence and co-operation.

B．Academic success and independent thought.

C．Ability and self-respect.  

D．Socialization and technical skills.

（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
A priest(牧师) had a cat that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The priest persuaded, offered warm milk, et The kitty would not come down. The tree was not strong enough to climb, so the priest decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitty. He did so, checking his progress in the car frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent enough for him to reach the kitty. But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke.
The tree went “boing!” and the kitty at once sailed through the air —out of sight. The priest felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen his kitty. Nobody had seen a lost kitty.
So, he prayed, “God, I just give this kitty to your keeping,” and went on about his business.
Several days later he was at the grocery store, meeting one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”
She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, “Well, if God gives you a cat, you can keep it.” She told the priest, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. You won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A cat suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws spread out, and landed right in front of her.” 
【小题1】The priest drove his car to bend the tree in order to ________. 
A. get his kitty down from the tree
B. persuade his kitty to come down
  offer the kitty some warm milk
D. see if the rope was strong enough
【小题2】The underlined sentence probably means that the priest _______.
A. was happy he didn’t have to care for the kitty
B. hoped his neighbors would look after his cat
  thought his kitty might be lost or killed
D. didn’t want to see his kitty any more
【小题3】 Why was the priest amazed when he saw the woman had bought much cat food?
A. Because he couldn’t imagine she had her own cat.
B. Because the woman was his church member.
  Because he thought she would live on cat food.
D. Because he knew clearly she didn’t like a cat.
【小题4】Which may be the best title of this passage?
A. A flying cat                           B. A lucky girl
  God sent her a cat                   D. An unlucky priest