When my son unexpectedly volunteered for the Marines（美国海军陆战队）, I was busy writing my novels and giving little thought to the men and women in the army .

My son John Schaeffer, recently came home 　1 from the Middle East. He slowly appeared from a broken car. John 　2 all night from a base near Washington, 　3 he had landed the day before. He did not want me to 　4 him there. “I need time to myself,” my son said 　5 calling from Kuwait on the way home.

I gave my wife a head start. Mother 　6 son. “I was so worried,” Genie said. She pulled away to look up again and again to 　7 he was really there.

My wife gave me a great gift: 　8　 alone with my boy. John was tired and lay 　9 on his bed. I lay down next to him and was grasping his hand the whole time. I just wanted to be certain that the nightmares I’d had about John being killed were 　10 .

I kept holding my son, the way I 　11 when he was two and came into our bed after a 　12 dream. I asked John if he’d rather sleep than talk, and he said there would be time for 　13 later.

With the 　14 over, under and around me came incredible tiredness. I slept with his voice dying away. It was the first good 　15 I’d had in months. I woke and John was asleep next to me. Sitting by his bed watching him breathe, I found myself praying and 　16 for all the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives of those who were not coming home. For the first time in my life, I was weeping for 　17 .

Before my son went to war I would never have shed tears for them. My son 　18 me. He taught me that our men and women in uniform are not the “ 19 ”. They are our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. Sometimes shedding tears for strangers is a holy 　20 . Sometimes it’s all we can do.

1. A. angry　　　 B. excited　　　 C. frightened　　　 D. alive

2. A. drove　　　 B. was driving　　　 C. had driven　　 D.would have driven

3. A. where　　 　 B. when　　　　　　 C. which　　　　　　 D. who

4. A. meet　　　　 B. congratulate　　 C. permit　　　　 D. accept

5. A. once　　　　 B. when　　　　　　 C. unless　　　　 D. since

6. A. abandoned 　 B. patted　　　　 C. concluded　　　　 D. embraced

7. A. make sure　 B. set down　　　　 C. get across　　　 D. make sense

8. A. period　　　 　 B. chance　　　　 C. time　　　　　 　 D. moment

9. A. expanded　　 B. stretched　　 　 C. extending　　 　 D. spreading

10. A. facts　　　　　 B. truth　　　　 　 C. proofs　　　　 D. lies

11. A. used to　　 B. ought to　　　　 C. should　　　　 　 D. must

12. A. happy　　　 B. cheerful　　　　 C. scary　　　　 　 D. dull

13. A. advice　　 B. discussion　　 　 C. talk　　　　　　 D. sleep

14. A. chat　　　 B. worries　　　 C. meeting　　　 D. curiosity

15. A. conversation　 B. observation　　　 　 C. sleep　　　　 　 D. difficulty

16. A. crying　　 B. cursing　　　 C. screaming　　 　 D. regretting

17. A. friends　　 B. neighbors　　 　 C. strangers　　 　 D. soldiers

18. A. persuaded　　　 B. changed　　　 C. frightened　　 　 D. accused

19. A. another　　 B. other　　　　 　 C. others　　　　 　 D. one

20. A. function 　 B. adventure　　 　 C. shame　　　　 　 D. duty

　"I’ve changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back." Lucien Lawence’s letter to Father Christmas written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.

　　But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all mother said was, "I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children.” I haven’t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.

　　It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors (挑衅者),and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, one to give me pause.

　　I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet "Deliver my soul from the sword, and my darling from the power of the dog." Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomor-row. We live on, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.

　　16. according to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.

　　A. puts forward the subject of the text

　　B. shows the author’s pity on the kid

　　C. acts as an introduction to the discussion

　　D. makes a clear statement of the author’s views

　　17. In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.

　　A. how much he misses his parents now

　　B. why his parents often appear in his dreams

　　C. when Lucien will get over all his sadness

　　D. how proud he was when he succeeded in life

　　18. What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?

　　A. Proud.          B. Happy.          C. Disappointed.       D. Worried.

　　19. In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.

　　A. to leave behind a precious memory to the people related

　　B. to have a high sense of duty to the whole society

　　C. to care what others will remember and treasure

　　D. to share happiness and sadness with his family

　　20. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?

　　A. Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.

　　B. Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.

　　C. Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.

　　D. Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.

         I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a   36   over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always   37  . Not knowing we were poor, my kids(孩子们) just thought I was   38  . I’ve always been glad about that.

         It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t   39   for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big   40   for the kids was the fun of Christmas   41  .

They planned weeks ahead of time, asking   42   what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for   43   to share by all five of us.

The big   44   arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and   45   them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered(散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would   46   back at the “Santa’s Workshop”.

Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits,   47   my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually   48  . She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies　— fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything   49   we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door,  50   to be angry again. This is what she told me.

         “I was looking   51   thinking of what to buy, and I   52   to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees.’ One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she   53   for Christmas was a doll(玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and   54   the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”

         I never felt so   55   as I did that day.

36. A. roof                                    B. hat                                   C. sky                          D. star

37. A. little                                   B. less                                  C. enough                  D. more

38. A. busy                                   B. serious                            C. strict                      D. kind

39. A. effort                                 B. room                                C. time                        D. money

40. A. improvement                     B. problem                     C. surprise               D. excitement

41. A. shopping                           B. travelling                        C. parties                            D. greetings

42. A. the other                          B. each other            C. one by one            D. every other one

43. A. toys                       B. clothes                            C. presents       D. bills

44. A. day                                     B. chance                            C. cheque                            D. tree

45. A. forced                          B. reminded                   C. invited                   D. begged

46. A. draw                                  B. stay                                  C. move                      D. meet

47. A. including                           B. besides                           C. except          D. regarding

48. A. quiet                                  B. excited                            C. happy                     D. ashamed

49. A. since                                  B. after                                C. while                      D. until

50. A. waiting                     B. ready                               C. hoping          D. afraid

51. A. out                                      B. over                                 C. forward                 D. around

52. A. forgot                                B. stopped                          C. failed                      D. hated

53. A. wanted                    B. did                                    C. got                                   D. played

54. A. made                                 B. searched                        C. bought                            D. fetched

55. A. angry                                 B. rich                                   C. patient                            D. bitter