Husband had just bought a new washing machine for me. I decided to use it and I washed a lot of things. Everything worked well, but I found one of my husband’s socks missing. I looked everywhere for it, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.
The next morning, I got ready for school as usual. When the bell rang, the students came in. I greeted them first and then told them what we were going to do that day.
When I turned around to write on the blackboard, the class broke out a roar!
They laughed and laughed. They laughed so much, in fact, that I was afraid the headmaster would be into seeing all this.
I asked the class to stop, but the more I talked, the more they laughed. I decided to pay no attention to them and I continued to write on the blackboard. When I did this, they roared even more.
Finally, the teacher who had the room next to mine came in to see what all the laughter was about. When he came in, he started laughing, too!
“Good heavens,” I said. “Will someone please tell me what is so funny?’
“Oh, God,” said the teacher. “You have a brown sock to the back of your skirt!”
So that’s how I found my husband’s missing sock.
“Oh, well,” I said to the class. “Let’s just say you have had an unforgettable lesson on static（静止的）electricity.”
41. What was the writer?
A. A washer           B. A student          C. A headmaster           D. A teacher
42. What happened when the writer turned around to write on the blackboard?
A. The class roared with anger.                      B. The class began to laugh loudly.
C. Another teacher came in.                       D. There was a loud noise outside the room.
43. Why couldn’t she find one of her husband’s socks?
A. Because some students had hidden it.
B. Because her husband had taken it away.
C. Because she had left it in the classroom.
D. Because she never expected that it would stick to her skirt.
44. Why did the teacher from the next room laugh?
A. Because the whole class laughed.
B. Because he saw the writer fooled by the class.
C. Because he saw some of the students making faces.
D. Because he found a sock on the back of the writer’s skirt.
45. Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. The writer had just bought a new washing machine.
B. The writer found one of her husband’s socks missing.
C. The students told her about the laughing.
D. She was afraid of being seen by the headmaster.

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21～40各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
It was my first day of high school, and I was late．My next class, German, scared me．I just could not speak that _21__．As the bell rang, I ran to the classroom．
At the door, a hand reached out and  _22_ mine firmly．I looked up．A man with large glasses smiled．He _23__himself as Tony, which means teacher in German．_24_, his warm smile and __25_ words eased my fears．That year, I __26_ his classes a great deal because I learned __27__just German．
I admit I only speak a little German．__28_ I try to live out the life lessons I learned from Tony．
Every day Tony stood  _29_ his classroom before and after class to give his “hand hug”．After school his room was always filled with students and he would _30_ to and chat with them—_31_  those not in his class．He taught me that every person is _32_ your time．
One time, I was rejected by my friends．Tony told me, “Linda, life gives you _33．But learning its lessons will turn those ashes to jewels．” Therefore, I learned to look at my troubles   _34_  and not to fear any difficulty．
In my senior year, I _35_ president of one of the school’s clubs, so I was very__36_．Many times I didn’t even have time to buy lunch．He served me by giving me his food as well as advice．He __37__ out what he taught us to do: __38_ others．
The author William Arthur Ward _39_: “The mediocre（平庸的） teacher tells．The good teacher explains．The superior teacher demonstrates．The great teacher _40_．” Thank you Tony, for inspiring me．
21．A．country    B．language   C．nation       D．word
22．A．hit       B．beat   C．shook       D．patted
23．A．introduced       B．regarded   C．treated      D．considered
24．A．Once again      B．In addition       C．For once   D．Right away
25．A．exciting    B．welcoming       C．disappointing   D．boring
26．A．escaped    B．heard C．enjoyed    D．preferred
27．A．more than B．other than C．less than   D．rather than
28．A．And  B．So     C．But   D．Therefore
29．A．within      B．outside     C．beyond     D．ahead
30．A．say    B．listen C．talk   D．speak
31．A．ever  B．yet    C．still   D．even
32．A．worth       B．worthy     C．full of      D．filled with
33．A．troubles    B．lessons      C．ashes D．jewels
34．A．frequently B．similarly   C．hopefully  D．differently
35．A．made B．became     C．took  D．held
36．A．proud       B．capable     C．busy  D．free
37．A．proved     B．picked      C．put    D．lived
38  A．serve B．offer C．give  D．teach
39．A．read  B．put    C．told   D．wrote
40．A．inspires    B．encourages       C．praises      D．excuses

Signs can sometimes be seen at the entrance of a house, expressing that a tramp（流浪汉）has passed. This special sign-language is frequently   50   by tramps to inform their    51   whether the host of a certain house is friendly or unfriendly, and to   52   them the trouble of making unnecessary calls.
Quite   53   one day, I came across a real tramp. He was such a rare sight these days that I stood some distance away and watched him. He was dressed just as a tramp should be in, old worn trousers, and a jacket many sizes too big for him. On his head there was a battered old hat and his boots were so old and worn; they were almost coming into pieces.
But the man himself looked cheerful as if he had not a   54   in the world. He rubbed his nose with his forefinger,    55   a funny turn, laid a small parcel    56   the front gate, and began   57   a sign made by a former caller. Although the sign was meaningless to me, it must have been   58  , for the tramp’s face lit up with satisfaction. He entered the front gate   59   and rang the bell. When the door opened, I saw him raise his hat   60   couldn’t hear his words. The   61   was very short indeed, for no sooner had he spoken a few words than the door closed fiercely in his face.
I felt   62   for him as he walked sadly out of the house. But just as quickly, his face lit up again and he moved quickly towards the gate. There he stopped, looked at the sign, and shook his head seriously as if he had made a bad mistake.   63   deeply into his pockets, he produced a piece of chalk, rubbed out the existing sign and made a new one in its place. He stared at it for a moment smiling to himself, then gathered his belongings, pushed back his hat and began walking towards the next house at an unhurried   64  , whistling as he went along.

I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand．All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform, and the red cap．They did not make me happy, however, as tins was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time．I tried in vain lo convince him that I did nothing wrong all the way, but it didn’t help．
When we．arrived at the sate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls．I hesitated and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him．"Be a man, "he said．"today you truly begin your life．You will find me waiting for you when it’s time to leave．"
I took a few steps．Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view．I did not know a single one of them, and none of them knew me．I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way．But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity, and one of them came over and asked, " Who brought you? "
"My father," I whispered．
’’My father’s dead, " he said simply．
I did not know what to say．The gate was now closed．Some of the children burst into tears．The bell rang．A lady came along, followed by a group of men．The men began soiling us into ranks．We were formed into an intricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded by high buildings．
Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis．From the first moments I made many friends and fell in love with many girls．I had never imagined school would have this rich variety of experiences．
We played all sorts, of games．In the music room we sang our first songs．We also had our first introduction to language．We saw a globe of Earth, which revolved and showed the various continents and countries．We started lean-line numbers, and we were told the story of the Creator of the universe．We ate delicious food, took a little nap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning．
Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded．We had to be observant and patient．It was not all a matter of playing and fooling around． Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting．And while the lady would sometimes smile, she would often yell and scold．Even more frequently
she would resort to physical punishment．
The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work．The children rushed toward the gate, which was opened again．I said goodbye to friends and sweethearts and passed through the gate．I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promised to be there．I stepped aside to wait.
【小题1】The writer hesitated and clung to his father’s hand when they got to the school gate because ____．

On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover（探测器）named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.
My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.
I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.
I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.
Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.
Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.
My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.
In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.
People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.
The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.
This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.
And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far.
【小题1】 The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.