I used to be ashamed of my grandma. I know that's a　 36　 thing to say, but it was true until today, so I have to　 37　 it.

The　 38　 started when my friend Katy found Grandma's false teeth floating in a glass on the bathroom sink. I was so used to seeing them that I　 39　 took notice of them. But Katy shouted, laughing and　 40　 to talk to them. I had to get down on my knees and　 41　 her to shut up so my grandma wouldn't　 42　 and get hurt.

After that happened, I　 43　 there were a million things about Grandma that were embarrassing（令人窘迫）.

Once she took Jill and me out to Burger King.　 44　 ordering our hamburgers well-done, she told the person behind the counter, "They'll have two Whoppers (巨无霸) well-to-do. " Jill burst out laughing, but I almost　 45　.

After a while, I started wishing I could　 46　 Grandma in a closet. I even complained to my parents. Both my parents said I had to be careful not to make Grandma feel　 47　 in our home.

Then last Wednesday, something happened that　 48　 everything completely. My teacher told us to help find interesting old people and　 49　 them about their　 50　 for a big Oral History project. I was trying to think of someone when Angie pushed me gently.

"Volunteer your grandmother," she whispered. "She's　 51　 and rich in experience."

That was the last thing I ever thought Angie would say about my grandma.

This is how I ended up on　 52　 today interviewing my own grandmother before the whole school assembly (集合). All my friends and teachers were listening to her　 53　 she was a great heroine. I was　 54　 of my grandma and hoped she would　 55　 know that I had been ashamed of her.

36. A. funny　　　　 B. common　　　　C. terrible　　 　D. clear

37. A. admit　　　　 B. receive　　　  C. refuse　　　　 D. show

38. A. quarrel　　　  B. accident　　　 C. trouble　　 　  D. adventure

39. A. already　　　  B. always　　　　C. simply　　　 　D. hardly

40. A. enjoying　　　 B. pretending　 　C. imagining　 　 D. continuing

41. A. warn　　　　　B. demand　　　　C. advise　　　  D. beg

42. A. mind　　　　　B. hear　　　　　C. see　　　　　 D. fall

43. A. expected　　 　B. declared　　　 C. realized　　 　D. doubted

44. A. Because of　　 B. Except for 　  C. Such as 　　 　D. Instead of

45. A. died 　　　　  B. cheered 　　　C. disappeared　　D. suffered

46. A. meet 　　　　 B. avoid　　　　 C. arrange 　　 　D. hide

47. A. independent　  B. inconvenient　 C. unwelcome　　 D. unfamiliar

48. A. changed 　　　B. finished　　　 C. stopped　　　　D. Prepared

49. A. interview 　　 B. report 　　　  C. tell 　　　　　 D. write

50. A. news 　　　　 B. lives　　　　 C. advantages　　  D. achievements

51. A. free　　　　 　B. popular　　　 C. interesting　　  D. embarrassing

52. A. show 　　　　 B. stage　　　　 C. duty　　　　　 D. time

53. A. and then 　　  B. even if　　　  C. so that　　　　 D. as if

54. A. sure　　　　 　B. proud　　　　 C. ashamed　　　 D. afraid

55. A. never　　　　  B. even　　　　　C. still　　　　　 D. once

The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.

The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.

These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1,000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.

1. The underlined word “ vulnerable” in paragraph 3 means _______.

　　A. easy to damage　　                B. likely to be protected

　　C. impossible to make sure of　　       D. difficult to find

2.The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because they _______.

　　A. could tell wind direction　　         B. could bring good luck to fighters

　　C. were believed to stand for natural forces D. were handed down by the ancestors

3.What does the author know of the first national flag?

　　A. He knows when it was sent to Europe.  B. He doubts where it started.

　　C. He thinks it came from China.   　　  D. He believes it was made in Egypt.

4.What will the author most probably talk about next?

　　A. The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

　　B. The importance of modern flags.

　　C. The use of modern flags in Europe.

　　D. The second ancestor of the national flag.

I used to be ashamed of my grandma. I know that's a　 36　 thing to say, but it was true until today, so I have to　 37　 it.

The　 38　 started when my friend Katy found Grandma's false teeth floating in a glass on the bathroom sink. I was so used to seeing them that I　 39　 took notice of them. But Katy shouted, laughing and　 40　 to talk to them. I had to get down on my knees and　 41　 her to shut up so my grandma wouldn't　 42　 and get hurt.

After that happened, I　 43　 there were a million things about Grandma that were embarrassing（令人窘迫）.

Once she took Jill and me out to Burger King.　 44　 ordering our hamburgers well-done, she told the person behind the counter, "They'll have two Whoppers (巨无霸) well-to-do. " Jill burst out laughing, but I almost　 45　.

After a while, I started wishing I could　 46　 Grandma in a closet. I even complained to my parents. Both my parents said I had to be careful not to make Grandma feel　 47　 in our home.

Then last Wednesday, something happened that　 48　 everything completely. My teacher told us to help find interesting old people and　 49　 them about their　 50　 for a big Oral History project. I was trying to think of someone when Angie pushed me gently.

"Volunteer your grandmother," she whispered. "She's　 51　 and rich in experience."

That was the last thing I ever thought Angie would say about my grandma.

This is how I ended up on　 52　 today interviewing my own grandmother before the whole school assembly (集合). All my friends and teachers were listening to her　 53　 she was a great heroine. I was　 54　 of my grandma and hoped she would　 55　 know that I had been ashamed of her.

36. A. funny　　　　 B. common　　　　C. terrible　　 　D. clear

37. A. admit　　　　 B. receive　　　  C. refuse　　　　 D. show

38. A. quarrel　　　  B. accident　　　 C. trouble　　 　  D. adventure

39. A. already　　　  B. always　　　　C. simply　　　 　D. hardly

40. A. enjoying　　　 B. pretending　 　C. imagining　 　 D. continuing

41. A. warn　　　　　B. demand　　　　C. advise　　　  D. beg

42. A. mind　　　　　B. hear　　　　　C. see　　　　　 D. fall

43. A. expected　　 　B. declared　　　 C. realized　　 　D. doubted

44. A. Because of　　 B. Except for 　  C. Such as 　　 　D. Instead of

45. A. died 　　　　  B. cheered 　　　C. disappeared　　D. suffered

46. A. meet 　　　　 B. avoid　　　　 C. arrange 　　 　D. hide

47. A. independent　  B. inconvenient　 C. unwelcome　　 D. unfamiliar

48. A. changed 　　　B. finished　　　 C. stopped　　　　D. Prepared

49. A. interview 　　 B. report 　　　  C. tell 　　　　　 D. write

50. A. news 　　　　 B. lives　　　　 C. advantages　　  D. achievements

51. A. free　　　　 　B. popular　　　 C. interesting　　  D. embarrassing

52. A. show 　　　　 B. stage　　　　 C. duty　　　　　 D. time

53. A. and then 　　  B. even if　　　  C. so that　　　　 D. as if

54. A. sure　　　　 　B. proud　　　　 C. ashamed　　　 D. afraid

55. A. never　　　　  B. even　　　　　C. still　　　　　 D. once

第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

My daddy doesn’t know how to express love at all. It is my mum that makes everyone happy and calm in our family; while daddy only works day and night, never looking us in the face. But mum makes a wrongdoing list of us for daddy scolding us. She’s a spy!

　　Once, I stole a candy. Daddy asked me to put it back and told the shopkeeper that I would like to carry loads for her. Well, mum told him I was just a child.

　　I broke my leg on the playground. It’s still mum that held me tightly in her warm arms. Daddy drove us right to the emergency room. He was asked to move the car away for that vacant was for ambulance. Daddy got angry, “what do you think of it? A touring car?”

　　On my birthday party, it was, again, my mum that took over the cake for me. My dad? He was busy blowing balloons and setting the table and doing the housework.

　　While looking over our album, friends always ask, “What does your father look like?” God knows. He photos others all the time. So there are many and many photos of my mum and me, pretty and lovely photos.

　　And I still remembered the day when dad taught me riding. I asked him not to let his hands away, but he did the opposite. And I certainly fell onto the ground. I got angry and decided to get on the bike and rode. But he smiled again.

　　Mum wrote every letter to me while I was in college. He, except checks, did write a letter, but extremely short, just a few words, saying, “Without your playing on the lawn, my son, my lawn grows prettier than before.”

　　Every time I phoned, it seemed he wanted to talk, but he would say, “I will get your mum.”

　　On the day of my wedding, mum cried as if we would never meet again, while dad went out with a nasal sound.

　　From very young, I heard him saying, “Where have you been?” “When do you go home?” “Did you get oil for your car?” “No, I don’t agree.” Dad really knows nothing about showing love. Unless... 

Maybe he showed while I didn’t notice, is it?

56. From the first and second paragraphs, we can infer that____.

A. it was the daddy that was in charge of his children’s education

B. the writer’s parents loved their children; at the same time, they were strict with them

C. the children were all afraid of their father so they had to be cute

D. the writer’s mom was like a spy who reported what the children did to the father

57. Why did the father get angry when he sent the writer to the hospital?

A. Because he parked his car at a wrong place.

B. Because the parking space of the ambulance was very crowded.

C. Because the writer’s injury made the father quite upset.

D. Because the person paid little attention to his son’s serious injury.

58. According to Paragraph Six, we know the father ____.

A. was not patient when he taught the writer riding

B. might want to see his child fall off the bike

C. used a wrong way of teaching his child riding

D. might want his son to learn riding through independent practice

59. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. The dad posted checks to the writer while he was in college.

B. The dad had no single photo of his own in the album.

C. The dad scolded the writer for having damaged the lawn.

D. The dad got excited when participating in the writer’s wedding.

A young Scottish lady, like a lot of teens today, got tired of home. The daughter objected to her family’s 　【小题1】　lifestyle and said, “I don’t want your God. I am leaving!” She left home. Before long, she was disappointed and unable to find a job, so she took to the streets to do everything she could to 　【小题2】　. Many years passed by, her father died, her mother grew 　【小题3】　, and the daughter became more and more stubborn in her way of life.
No  【小题4】 was made between mother and daughter during these years. The mother, having 　 heard of her daughter’s whereabouts, went to the poor part of the city in 　【小题5】　of her daughter. She stopped at 　【小题6】　of the rescue missions(收容所) with a simple speech. “Would you allow me to 　【小题7】　this picture?” It was a picture of the smiling, gray-haired mother with a handwritten 　【小题8】　at the bottom: “I love you still … come home!”
One day the daughter wandered into a rescue mission for a hot meal. She sat 　【小题9】　listening to the service, all the while letting her 　【小题10】　wander over to the bulletin board. There she saw the picture and thought, could that be my mother?
She couldn’t 　【小题11】　until the service was over. She stood and went to look. It was her mother, and there were those words, “I love you still … come home!”　【小题12】　she stood in front of the picture, she wept. It was too 　【小题13】　to be true.
It was night, but she was so 　【小题14】　by the message that she started walking home.　【小题15】　the time she arrived it was early in the morning. She was afraid and 　【小题16】　her way timidly. As she knocked, the door 　【小题17】　open on its own. She thought someone must broken into the house. Concerned for her mother’s 　【小题18】　, the young girl ran to the bedroom and shook her mother awake and said, “It’s me! It’s me! I’m home!”
The mother couldn’t believe her eyes. They fell into each other’s 　【小题19】　. The daughter said, “I was so worried and thought someone had broken in.” The mother replied gently, “No, dear. From the day you left, that door has never been 　【小题20】　.”