As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did.
In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000.
A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death,  the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case.
As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?" he asked.
"The letters?"
'I guess you never knew. "
"Knew what?"
" Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.
【小题1】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure: There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did.
In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to stick your finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the amount came to 8 32,000.
A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad’s death,  the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't the case.
As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?" he asked.
"The letters?"
'I guess you never knew. "
"Knew what?"
" Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.

1. 1.

   It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

   1. A.
      great chances to help other people
   2. B.
      happy occasions to play with baby chickens
   3. C.
      exciting experience* with a lot of fun
   4. D.
      good opportunities to enjoy chocolate cookies
2. 2.

   The writer provides the detail about the businessman to show that_____.

   1. A.
      Dad had a strong sense of duty
   2. B.
      Dad was an honest and reliable man
   3. C.
      Dad had a strong sense of honor
   4. D.
      Dad was a kind and generous man
3. 3.

   According to the passage, which of the following impressed the writer most?

   1. A.
      Dad read letters for a blind lady for years.
   2. B.
      Dad paid for the stamps for a young girl.
   3. C.
      Dad delivered some eggs to Marian.
   4. D.
      Dad answered children's Christmas letters every year.
4. 4.

   The method the writer uses to develop Paragraph 4 is______.

   1. A.
      offering analyses
   2. B.
      providing explanations
   3. C.
      giving examples
   4. D.
      making comparisons
5. 5.

   What surprised the children most when they received letters in reply from Santa Claus every year?

   1. A.
      Santa Claus lived alone in the cold North Pole.
   2. B.
      Santa Claus answered all their letters every year.
   3. C.
      Santa Claus had unique mailboxes for the children.
   4. D.
      Santa Claus had so much information about their families.
6. 6.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The Mail
   2. B.
      Christmas Letters
   3. C.
      Special Mailboxes
   4. D.
      Memorable Travels

It was Mother's Day. John was so busy with his work that he couldn't go back home. When he passed by a flower shop in the evening, an idea came to his mind, “I'll send Mum some roses(玫瑰).”While John was picking his flowers, a young man went inside. “How many roses can I get for only five dollars, madam?” he asked. The assistant(店员) was trying to tell him roses were as expensive as forty dollars a dozen(一打). Maybe he would be happy with carnations(康乃馨).
“No, I have to have red roses,” he said. “My mum was badly ill last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. Now I want to get something special, it has to be roses as rose is her favourite.”
After hearing it, John said he would pay the rest of the money for the young man. Moved by both of them, the assistant said, “Well, lovely young men, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you.” Taking the roses, the young man almost jumped into the air and ran out of the shop. It was well worth twenty－five dollars that John paid to see the exciting moment. Then John paid for his dozen of roses and told the assistant to send them to his mother.
As he walked out, he felt nice. Suddenly he saw the young man crossing the street and going into a park. But soon John realized it was not a park but a cemetery(墓地). Crying, the young man carefully put down the roses, “Mum, oh, Mum, why didn't I tell you how much I loved you? God, please help me find my mum and tell her I love her.”
Seeing this, John turned and quickly walked to the shop. He would take the flowers home himself.
46. The assistant tried to ask the young man to buy carnations instead of roses because_________ .
A. carnations were nicer than roses
B. roses were saved for John
C. roses were more expensive than carnations
D. carnations were special flowers for Mother's Day
47. John spent _________ altogether(总共) in the flower shop that day.
A.$5                     B.$25             C.$30             D.$55
48. The young man cried at the cemetery because he
A. had spent all his money on the roses
B. wasn't able to tell his mother he loved her himself
C. felt sorry to ask John to pay for his flowers
D. hadn't got enough money for his sick mother
49. At last John changed his mind and went home because he wanted to
A. tell his mother he loved her himself
B. ask his mother for more money
C. tell his mother the young man's story
D. ask his mother if she liked roses
50. The writer writes the passage in order to tell us
A. Buy roses for your mother when she is ill
B. Let your mother know how much you love her
C. Work hard to get more money for your mother
D. Send your mother flowers on Mother's Day

       It was Mother's Day. John was so busy with his work that he couldn't go back home. When he passed by a flower shop in the evening, an idea came to his mind, “I'll send Mum some roses(玫瑰).”While John was picking his flowers, a young man went inside. “How many roses can I get for only five dollars, madam?” he asked. The assistant(店员) was trying to tell him roses were as expensive as forty dollars a dozen(一打). Maybe he would be happy with carnations(康乃馨).

       “No, I have to have red roses,” he said. “My mum was badly ill last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. Now I want to get something special, it has to be roses as rose is her favourite.”

       After hearing it, John said he would pay the rest of the money for the young man. Moved by both of them, the assistant said, “Well, lovely young men, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you.” Taking the roses, the young man almost jumped into the air and ran out of the shop. It was well worth twenty－five dollars that John paid to see the exciting moment. Then John paid for his dozen of roses and told the assistant to send them to his mother.

       As he walked out, he felt nice. Suddenly he saw the young man crossing the street and going into a park. But soon John realized it was not a park but a cemetery(墓地). Crying, the young man carefully put down the roses, “Mum, oh, Mum, why didn't I tell you how much I loved you? God, please help me find my mum and tell her I love her.”

       Seeing this, John turned and quickly walked to the shop. He would take the flowers home himself.

46. The assistant tried to ask the young man to buy carnations instead of roses because_________ .

       A. carnations were nicer than roses

       B. roses were saved for John

       C. roses were more expensive than carnations

       D. carnations were special flowers for Mother's Day

47. John spent _________ altogether(总共) in the flower shop that day.

       A.$5                     B.$25             C.$30             D.$55

48. The young man cried at the cemetery because he

       A. had spent all his money on the roses

       B. wasn't able to tell his mother he loved her himself

       C. felt sorry to ask John to pay for his flowers

       D. hadn't got enough money for his sick mother

49. At last John changed his mind and went home because he wanted to

       A. tell his mother he loved her himself

       B. ask his mother for more money

       C. tell his mother the young man's story

       D. ask his mother if she liked roses

50. The writer writes the passage in order to tell us

       A. Buy roses for your mother when she is ill

       B. Let your mother know how much you love her

       C. Work hard to get more money for your mother

       D. Send your mother flowers on Mother's Day