My six-year-old granddaughter stared at me as if she were seeing me for the first time.”Grandma, you are an antique(古董),”she said. "You are old. Antiques are old. You are my antique."

I was not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I took out the Webster's Dictionary and read the definition(定义)to Jenny.I explained, "An antique is not only old, it's an object existing since or belonging to earlier times...a work of art... piece of furniture. Antiques are treasured,"I told Jenny as I put away the dictionary. "They have to be handled carefully because they sometimes are very valuable. In order to qualify as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old."

"I'm only 67,"I renunded Jenny.

We looked around the house for other antiques, besides me. There was a desk that was handed down from rone aunt to another and finally to our family. "It's very old,"I told Jenny.“I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I can. You do that with antiques."

There was a picture on the wall purchased at a garage sale. It was dated 1867. "Now  that's an antique," I boasted. "Over 100 years old." Of course it was marked up and scratched and not in very good condition. "Sometimes age does that," I told Jenny. "But the marks are good marks. They show living, being around. That's something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become." It was important that I believed this for my own self-esteem.

Our tour of antiques continued. There was a vase on the floor. It had been in my house for a long time. I was not certain where it came from but I didn't buy it new. One thing about antiques, I explained to Jenny, was that they usually had a story. They'd been in one home and then another, handed down from one family to another, traveling all over the place. They'd lasted through years and years. They could have been tossed away, or ignored. or destroyed, or lost. But instead, they survived.

For a moment, Jenny looked thoughtful. “l don't have any antiques but you," she said. Then her face brightened. "Could I take you to school for show and tell?"

"Only if I fit into your backpack," I answered. And then Jenny's antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years.

1.Grandma read the definition of "antique" to Jenny in order to         .

A．list all the important characteristics of antiques

B．tell Jenny the importance of protecting antiques

C．change Jenny's shallow understanding of antiques

D．express her disappointment at being called "antique"

2.Which of the following information did grandma convey to Jenny?

A．The desk reminded her of her dear relatives.

B．The marks on the picture showed its age and value.

C．There was usually a sad story behind each antique.

D．She planned to buy a new vase to replace the old one.

3.By saying "I don't have any antiques but you" (Paragraph 7), Jenny meant         .

A．grandma was a treasure to her

B．antiques were rare and valuable

C．she had nothing but a few possessions

D．grandma and antiques had a lot in common

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Grandma was too old to lift Jenny up.

B．Jenny had a strong desire for grandma's love.

C．Jenny was too young to know grandma's humor.

D．Grandma had a deep long-lasting love for Jenny.

5.What can be the best title for the passage? 

A．Jenny's Antique                        B．A Story of Antiques

C．A Tour of Antiques                      D．Grandma's Antique

阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

Time, a faithful company of our life, is a universal topic. People are always curious about what it is, how it travels and who it meets.

Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s smartest physicists, once said. “I’m fascinated by time.”

Many of us are, and the popularity of time travel novels, movies and TV series has proved that. After Palace and Startling by Each Step achieved astonishing ratings last year, Palace 2 aired on January 20, attracting time travel fans back to TV.

Woody Allen’s movie Midnight in Paris achieved great success. It was nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Art Direction for the 2012 Academy Awards.

Dream of heroism

Time travel TV series and movies connect both today and the past, thus offering room for imagination. Imagination creates a chance for the young to fulfill a dream that is hard to achieve in reality.

Chinese writer Xi Juan is a pioneer of time-travel stories in China. In 1993 she published a love story about a young woman time traveling to ancient times. The leading role’s modern personality and perception of love help her win the heart of a cool, handsome martial art master. Such a plot satisfies female fans’ love fantasy.

Starting from the late 1990s, novels about men traveling back to the past prevailed (盛行), with a Step into the Past as the most popular example. In these stories, the male leading roles accomplish great things with their modern skills and wisdom.

It is usually “a dream of heroism come true”, along with enviable romances.

Eye candy

“I’m hooked by the shows because they are characterized by dramatic and poetic love and have eye-pleasing actors,” Xia Xiaoyan, who works for a foreign-owned enterprise in Shanghai, explained her love for time travel TV series.

Her comment echoes a 2011 survey by Creat Marketing Research Co Ltd in China. When asked about what is so appealing about time travel TV series, 21 percent of respondents answered, “These attractive characters.”

A bigger reason behind the popularity of time travel stories, however, is the relaxation they offer, according to the survey.

Cai Yinong agrees. “Many people are facing tremendous pressure in their fast-paced lives, so this genre is more relaxing than other shows as it provides people with a terrific outlet to escape reality,” Cai told China Daily.

Cultural homesickness

“Which dynasty would you like to live in if you could travel to the past?” asked a survey launched by Shanghai University and Shanghai Social Sciences Association last December.

About 60 percent of the 2,543 respondents chose Tang Dynasty, while Qing Dynasty, and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were the other top two destinations.

The survey results reflects people’s definition of the good days: prosperous economy and culture, steady society, fair and uncorrupted politics, and opening up to the outside world.

As for the movie Midnight in Paris, it features modernity versus cultural homesickness. The New York Times commented, “The past seems so much more vivid, more substantial, than the present. The good old days are so attractive because we were not around, however much we wish we were.”

“Football is a very short-term career. Football really prepares you for almost nothing. The only thing I got out of football was the ability to work hard.” says Gales Sayers. So what do you do after your glory days on the field are over? Here’s what one of the top players, Gales Sayers did after he put down the pigskin.

Gales Sayers: #40, Chicago Bears, Running Back.  

Gales Sayers became famous in 1965. After recovering from a serious knee injury in 1968, Sayers returned to the Bears in 1969 and was awarded the George Halas Award as “the most courageous player in professional football.” At the award ceremony, he owed his prize to his friend and teammate Brian Piccolo, who was dying of cancer.

Sayers couldn’t get away from the injuries, though, and another blow to his knee put an end to his football career in 1971. His personal life was unfortunate as well, as he and his wife, Linda, split up that year. Shortly after that, Sayers started a new life and career as an assistant athletic director in the University of Kansas. By 1976 he was moving up the ladder at Southern Illinois University, becoming the first African-American athletic director at a major university.

Sayers started a computer supplies company in 1984 with his second wife, Ardie, whom he married in 1973. The couple was looking for a field with a future, and computers seemed to have it all. Seventeen years later, the company that bears his name is a national provider of technology solutions, with 10 locations and over 350 employees across the country. Just like in the old days the honors started rolling in. Sayers was listed into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship(企业家) Hall of Fame in 1999.

What does the underlined sentence “he put down the pigskin” mean?

A. Sayers ended his football career.                

B. Sayers was too tired to go on playing.

C. Sayers intended to start a new career.            

D. Sayers only wanted to rest for some time.

 How many times was Sayers honored in his life?

A. Only once as a football star.                      

B. Only once as a businessman.

C. Twice in all.                                        

D. We are not quite sure.

 Sayers started his new career mainly because of _______ .

A. the first knee injury in l 968                         

B. his unfortunate personal life

C. another more serious knee injury                  

D. a friend’s being deadly ill

What can be learned from this passage?

A. Football players are not successful all the time.

B. A successful businessman should be a ball player first.

C. A retired football player can easily make money.

D. Whatever you do, working hard is the most important.

As I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart．We always had totally different  opinions．He thought that college was a waste of time，but for me it was important to finish college．He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field，but l wanted a different life．There was a time when we did not talk with each other．

    A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health．When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him，I knew he was seriously ill．I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father’s requirement．

    Two weeks after moving back，we bought a boat and started fishing again．Fishing was one of the few things that we did while l was young and that we both enjoyed．It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us．We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before．Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart．

    It is not important how many fish we catch．It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years．I’m 62 and he is 84．When we are on the lake fishing，it is like two kids enjoying life．It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind．I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years．Now my heart is filled with love．A smile always graces my lips．

1.The author and his father became further apart because______________．

A．they lived very far from each other

B．they had different views on things

C．they only communicated by phone

D．they seldom went to see each other

2.Why did the author come back to Tennessee?

A．Because his father invited him to go fishing

B．Because he decided to live in a different city

C．Because his father is ill and needs caring

D．Because he regretted being rude to his father

3.For the author，fishing with his old father___________ ．

A．helps cure his father’s disease

B．is a good way to get close to nature

C．makes him realize the importance of relaxation

D．provides a chance for them to communicate

4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The writer’s car is always breaking down.

B．Father intended me to be a fisherman.

C．I was unwilling to came back.

D．Father uesed to think it was useless to attend college..

5.What can be the best title for the text?

A．Fishing Brings Us Together    B．Forgiving Is Difficult

C．Memories of Old Days        D．My Beloved Father

Facebook means never having to say goodbye. The social media web site has earned a reputation for reconnecting old friends. Last week, a guy whom I hadn't seen since my bachelor party five years ago sent me a friend request. I accepted and waited for him to send me a greeting of some kind. He had sought me out, after all.

I learned from his profile that he was in a relationship and had a son. However, I'm pretty sure we won’t ever write wall-to-wall, let alone e-mail each other. But he'll remain a friend of online until one of us makes a point of removing the other from his official list.

My pool of friends consists of family members, college buddies, co-workers from past and present, and friends of friends. There are 35 in all. If I spent some time uploading old e-mail addresses, I'm confident that I could increase my friend count actually.

A person could make a mission out of reconnecting with childhood friends, former classmates, distant cousins, and those one would like to get to know better. And some people can even handle hundreds of on-screen relationships, keeping up with the daily happenings of their small army of companions. After all, there are worse fates than having too many friends.

Thanks to e-mail, the inability to schedule face-to-face meetings no longer means a friendship must come to a close. But even with e-mail, people will lose touch if one or both parties stop writing back. That's normal. People move from school to school, job to job, city to city. You never have to feel guilty for breaking away.

Every day, the masterminds of Web 2. 0 find new ways of making human communication easier. However, convenience can be a crutch. Some things shouldn't be simplified. When it comes to friendship, there can be no shortcuts.

1.According to Paragraph l, the web site is famous because _______.

  A. it has an interesting name of “Facebook”

  B. it helps people get in touch with old friends

  C. it can send people a greeting of some kind

  D. it reminds people of events in the past

2.From the second paragraph we can learn that the writer _______.

  A. would write to the friend quite often

  B. asked the friend to e-mail him

  C. did get some information about the friend

  D. would keep in touch with the friend forever

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

  A. There are 35 people in the author's list of friends right now.

  B. The author communicates with all the 35 friends by e-mails.

  C. The list of 35 friends doesn't include the old e-mail addresses.

  D. It is not difficult for the author to increase his friend count.

4.What does the author think of the convenience of communicating on line?

  A. The technology could not keep true friendship forever.

  B. The social web site of Facebook means nothing at all.

  C. There will be no ways of making real friends on line.

  D. People will not lose friends with the help of the Facebook.