I was eleven years old, waiting for my exam at Saraswati Vidyalaya, my school in Nagpur. “No. 12, please come forward.” Kirti, a very fat girl from my class, stepped ahead. I heard my classmates laughing and so I tried to stop them with my eyes. But my good intentions were mistaken. The next morning, my teacher, Mrs. Kamble, told me, “Ashwini, I’ve received a complaint about you.” I was shocked. The girl I was protecting thought I’d been laughing at her.
I tried to explain but the teacher refused to hear me out. She punished me by making me stand by the door. I knew I was right. Such punishment to a class topper was simply unheard of. But, slowly, my pride disappeared. Instead of being angry, I understood the other students who have been punished at times. For the first time, I felt humbled (谦逊的).
Three years later, I was in the math class. Mr. Prabhuraman, wrote an equation (方程式) — one he’d taught us the day before — on the blackboard. “Anyone who doesn’t know how to solve this,” he said, “please leave the class at once.” I knew I could solve only the first two steps. But my pride made me stay there. Unfortunately, the one who was asked to solve it was me. I just stood there, chalk in hand, trying not to look foolish. I prepared myself for a good talking-to (斥责), but Mr. Prabhuraman told me kindly, “Go back to your seat.”
Today, two decades later, those incidents have made me think. One teacher punished me for something I didn’t do; the other forgave me for something I did wrong. Both experiences had an effect on me. They remind me that no matter what you accomplish (完成), you must always be humble.
【小题1】When the very fat girl appeared, Ashwini _____.

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Cyber Step-Mother

    I’ve often felt “step-parent” is a label  (标签 )we attach to whoever marries into families where children already exist. At   36   that’s how I feel about   37    a step-mother to my husband’s four children.

    Over the years, we all learned to    38   our new family arrangement. We enjoyed vacations together, ate    39   meals, and so on.   40  , I continued to feel somewhat like a(n)  41   . There was a boundary line that could not be   42  .

    When the children moved to a town five hours   43   , my husband was depressed. In order to    44   regular communication with the kids, we send e-mails. However, if a computer message came   45   to “Dad”, I’d feel forgotten and   46    . If my name appeared along with his, it would make me feel like I was part of their family unit   47    .

    Late one evening, as I was checking my e-mail, an “instant message” appeared on the   48  . It was Margo, who was also sitting in front of her computer five hours away. We sent several messages back and forth,    49    the latest news. When we would “chat” like that, she wouldn’t   50   know if it was me or her dad. That night, she didn’t ask and I didn’t identify myself either. At about 11, I commented that I should go to sleep. Her return message   51   , “Okay, talk to you later! Love you!”

    As I read this message, a wave of    52   ran through me and I realized that she   53   she was talking with her father. Feeling   54   for not identifying myself, yet not wanting to embarrass her, I simply responded, “Love you too! Good night!”

    I felt again the sharp (剧烈的) ache of emptiness (空虚) and otherness. Then, as I was   55  to leave, Margo’s final message appeared, reading “Tell Dad good night for me too.” With tears filled eyes, I turned the machine off.

36.   A. most    B. least    C. present        D. last

37.   A. to be    B. being   C. is D. was

38.   A. adjust  B. look forward to    C. expect D. adapt to

39.   A. family  B. school  C. meat    D. fish

40.   A. But       B. Though         C. However      D. So

41.   A. outsider       B. member       C. stranger       D. foreigner

42.   A. across B. cross    C. crossing       D. crossed

43.   A. far        B. away    C. far from        D. away from

44.   A. maintain      B. entertain     C. contain         D. obtain

45.   A. addressing  B. signing          C. signed D. addressed

46.   A. neglected    B. devoted        C. ignore  D. concerned

47.   A. in short         B. after all        C. above all      D. as a result

48.   A. programme B. window        C. screen D. keyboard

49.   A. sending        B. exchanging  C. discussing    D. commenting

50.   A. unexpectedly       B. carefully       C. fortunately  D. necessarily

51.   A. read     B. reads   C. reading         D. wrote

52.   A. sickness       B. anger   C. nervousness         D. sadness

53.   A. must think   B. might have thought     C. must have thought      D. might think

54.   A. responsible B. stupid  C. guilty   D. disappointed

55.   A. about   B. due       C. prepare        D. willing

根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。（每小题1分）

A：____ I went to work early today, and everyone laughed at me.

B：____ It was me. Can’t you take a joke?

A：____ But watch out, because I’ll be sure to pull a prank on you next time.

B：It had better not be a practical joke like last year, when you painted my face red while I was sleeping.

A：____ Let’s go and see if any of our friends made a fool on anyone today.

B：OK! ____

E. Ha ha, that was a good one.           F. What did you do that for?

G. Who set my alarm one hour early?

根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。（每小题1分）

A：____ I went to work early today, and everyone laughed at me.

B：____ It was me. Can’t you take a joke?

A：____ But watch out, because I’ll be sure to pull a prank on you next time.

B：It had better not be a practical joke like last year, when you painted my face red while I was sleeping.

A：____ Let’s go and see if any of our friends made a fool on anyone today.

B：OK! ____

A. Let’s go.    B. Yeah, I’m a sucker (傻瓜).

C. What’s the date today?      D. April Fool!

E. Ha ha, that was a good one.      F. What did you do that for?

G. Who set my alarm one hour early?

I was sitting at the bar of a local restaurant having __36__ and taking a break. A pretty girl who looked about 25 walked in and sat down in a booth(饭馆的小隔间) __37__ for her friend. It didn’t take long __38__ I saw she was trying to stay __39__ from other people’s gazes(注视) and my heart sank. You could see her hair was __40__ and, at such a young age, she was receiving chemo(化疗).
I sat there watching her trying to remain composed(镇静的) and she was having a __41__ time of it. I __42__ for her, imagining what it must be like to go through this and yet I know some of her __43__.
You see I __44__ my wife, the love of my life just a few short years ago and watched her slowly fade away. I needed to give a message of __45__ to this girl. But how? What could I do?
Then it __46__ to me! I called over her waitress and explained that I wanted to buy the girl and her friend’s lunch but I also told her not to tell her it was me. I also __47__ the waitress a note to give to the girl.
The note __48__ as follows:
“ Someone today thought you were beautiful; someone today thought your smile glowed __49__ excitement; someone today thought your eyes __50__ up the world; someone today cared and wanted you to know this. Enjoy the rest of your day, pretty young lady.”
About 15 minutes later, the young girl asked for her __51__ and I watched as she was told it was paid for. She asked why? Who? What for? The waitress simply handed her the note and __52__ to her the gentleman who did it left.
I watched as she slowly read the note. Her eyes tore up, for only a moment, and then came the smile! A huge, beautiful, hopeful smile! She lit up the room and then sat up straight, not __53__ who saw her.
It’s not __54__ we look or what we have; it’s not our houses or how many cars we have; nor is it how much money we can earn. It’s all about how much we care and what we do, __55__ it’s making someone feel pretty only for a moment.