Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree.

“Dad, can we watch when you trim(修剪) the tree?” My eldest son, Dan, nine, and his seven-year-old brother John, asked.

“I won’t be cutting this year,” my husband Bob said. “Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it?”

Dan and John seemed to grow six inches in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. “We can handle it,” Dan promised. “We won’t let you down.”

A few days before Christmas, Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they’d need and brought them out to the yard, where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the living room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence. I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears.

I felt worried. The tree was central to our holiday. I didn’t want the boys to feel ashamed every time they looked at it. I couldn’t lower the ceiling, and I couldn’t raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution.

“We can’t make the tree taller,” I said. “But we can put it on a higher position.”

Dan nodded his head sideways. “We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let’s try it!”

When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath.

“What a good idea!” he declared. “Why didn’t I ever think of such a thing?”

John broke into a grin. Dan’s chest swelled with pride.

1.The underlined part “grow six inches” (Para. 4) implies the brothers felt         .

A. proud   B. nervous         C. embarrassed          D. Scared

2.What happened after the brothers moved the Christmas tree into the living room?

A. They rushed to school.

B. They began to decorate the tree.

C. They got angry with each other.    

D. They found the tree was cut short.

3.How could the short tree be turned into a perfect one?

A. By making the tree taller.

B. By lowering the ceiling.

C. By placing it on a coffee table.

D. By raising the floor.

4.What Bob said in the last but one paragraph showed         .

A. he was a little disappointed

B. he was too stupid to think of the idea

C. he appreciated what the brothers had done

D. he should not have given them the task

"Super Dan", as top-seeded Lin Dan of China is better known in the badminton（羽毛球） world, had his Olympic dream come true after claiming the men's singles gold by beating Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia on August 17 in the Beijing Olympics.
His father, Lin Jianbin, said "Super Dan"has waited for four years to get this championship and he felt very proud of his son, as well as his prospective daughter-in-law Xie Xingfang, who is also a badminton player and won silver in women's singles at the Beijing Games.
An SMS: The beginning of a love story
Lin was born in Shanghang County, Longyan in Fujian Province. He first met Xie Xingfang when he was 14-years-old. 16-year-old Xie was attending a national youth team badminton training camp in Jinjiang, Fujian and Lin was also there.
Tall and beautiful, Xie became the Snow White in the heart of Lin Dan, and he tried to please her and get chances to chat with her after the training sessions. He did not go beyond that.
Before the Spring Festival in 2004, Lin finally mustered（召集，聚集） the courage and sent Xie Xingfang a text message - I LOVE YOU. In fact, Xie Xingfang had already realized Lin Dan was fond of her. And covertly（秘密地） , she began to pay attention to Lin's movement and performance on the court. "He is very interesting, got a lot of ideas, and is a lovely boy."
Two Kisses
In May 2004 at the Thomas Cup in Jakarta, their love relationship was first known to the public. Xie sat with her teammates and watched the men's team playing. When Lin Dan won the match, he rushed to the bench and kissed Xie, a move that Xie did not expect Lin to do in public. A photographer captured this moment.
At the All England Open in 2007, Lin kissed her again in public, making Xie feel like the happiest woman in the world.
After Lin won his third title at the Open, he did not stay to watch Xie play. Xie defeated her opponent and won the championship. When she was called to accept the trophy（奖品，战利品） , Lin suddenly emerged at the central venue, holding red roses and gave her the flowers, and a passionate kiss.
Nine Roses
Earlier, on February 14, 2006, Lin and Xie were with the national badminton teams at a training camp in Jinjiang. The teams had their rules – not going out of the training camp. Xie thought she would spend the Valentine's Day without flowers.
But Lin still managed to give her a surprise – giving her a Dior wallet as a Valentine's gift and nine roses. With the teams' rule in place, Lin asked his local friend to buy the roses and gave her a pleasant Valentines surprise.
A 200-square-meter apartment
Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang's love has been through four years of tests, and Xie's father also said that they should consider marriage after the Olympics.
In fact, Lin Dan has already prepared for this. He has bought a 200-square-meter apartment in downtown Beijing, with 4 rooms and 2 living rooms. Paying about 20,000 yuan per square meter for the apartment, it is reported the apartment is now valued at 8 million yuan.
"After the Olympics, we really want to live our own lives, go on vacation, go to school, get married, I am really looking forward to it," Xie said happily.
With two kitchens, one Chinese and one Western style, Xie said she wanted to be the person preparing soup at home and enjoy family life.
【小题1】How old was Lin Dan when he first met Xie Xingfang?

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分）

Big things were happening in my life the summer I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents shook my entire world and turned it upside down when they told me they were getting a divorce. I couldn't believe that our family was going to break up. Though I always knew my parents weren't very happy and they often fought, I still wanted my family to stay the same.

My life changed completely after the divorce.My mother and I moved into a small apartment across town,while my father and brother,Bill, stayed in our house.I now became a visitor whenever I went to see my dad and Bill on the weekends. And immediately I had my soon-to-be stepfather,Dan,whom I showed no interest in.I was clearly depressed, especially after Dan and my mother married and I realized that there was no way that things could change back to the way they had been.

Even though I resisted all Dan's attempts to get to know me and wasn't very nice to him, he never gave up on me. Gradually, I began to trust him. I realized that we actually had some things in common, especially when it came to movies and TV shows. We spent a lot of time together hanging out watching TV. That gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other.

Better still, Dan showed an interest in me that I had never experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed advice on school or friends. Once I began to warm up to Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and took short trips. Eventually, I discovered that I finally had the happy family that I had always wanted.

I now realize my parents were right about getting the divorce. Their breakup was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness－ he remarried and had another child, my half-sister, Michelle. 　　　

At 13, I learned an important truth－change is not always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, it is just what we need the most.

61.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?

A.Their parents didn't love each other any longer.       B.The writer didn't want his parents to divorce.

C.Their parents' divorce hurt the writer much.     D.The writer was in low spirits all the time.

62.The writer and Dan have the same interests EXCEPT______.

A.seeing movies     B.surfing the internet     C.having talks D.watching TV

63.What does the author think of his stepfather?

A.Trustful.     B.Interesting.  C.Helpful.      D.Boring.

64.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A.Divorce Is Not Always the Worst.     B.A Devoted Stepfather.

C.There Is a Change in My Life.   D.A True Story.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分）
Big things were happening in my life the summer I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents shook my entire world and turned it upside down when they told me they were getting a divorce. I couldn't believe that our family was going to break up. Though I always knew my parents weren't very happy and they often fought, I still wanted my family to stay the same.
My life changed completely after the divorce.My mother and I moved into a small apartment across town,while my father and brother,Bill, stayed in our house.I now became a visitor whenever I went to see my dad and Bill on the weekends. And immediately I had my soon-to-be stepfather,Dan,whom I showed no interest in.I was clearly depressed, especially after Dan and my mother married and I realized that there was no way that things could change back to the way they had been.
Even though I resisted all Dan's attempts to get to know me and wasn't very nice to him, he never gave up on me. Gradually, I began to trust him. I realized that we actually had some things in common, especially when it came to movies and TV shows. We spent a lot of time together hanging out watching TV. That gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other.
Better still, Dan showed an interest in me that I had never experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed advice on school or friends. Once I began to warm up to Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and took short trips. Eventually, I discovered that I finally had the happy family that I had always wanted.
I now realize my parents were right about getting the divorce. Their breakup was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness－ he remarried and had another child, my half-sister, Michelle. 　　　
At 13, I learned an important truth－change is not always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, it is just what we need the most.
61.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.Their parents didn't love each other any longer.       B.The writer didn't want his parents to divorce.
C.Their parents' divorce hurt the writer much.     D.The writer was in low spirits all the time.
62.The writer and Dan have the same interests EXCEPT______.
A.seeing movies     B.surfing the internet     C.having talks D.watching TV
63.What does the author think of his stepfather?
A.Trustful.     B.Interesting.  C.Helpful.      D.Boring.
64.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A.Divorce Is Not Always the Worst.     B.A Devoted Stepfather.
C.There Is a Change in My Life.   D.A True Story.

Big things were happening in my life the summer after I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents   【小题1】  my entire world and turned it upside down   【小题2】  they told me they were getting a divorce. I couldn’t believe that our family was going to   【小题3】. Though I always knew my parents weren’t very happy and they often   【小题4】 , I still wanted my family to stay the same.
My life changed completely   【小题5】  the divorce. My mother and I moved into a small apartment across town,   【小题6】  my father and brother, Bill, stayed in our house. I now became a   【小题7】  whenever I went to see my dad and Bill on the weekends. And immediately I had my soon-to-be stepfather, Dan, whom I showed no   【小题8】  in. I was depressed, especially after Dan and my mother married and I realized that there was no   【小题9】  that things could change back to the way they were.
Even though I  【小题10】 all Dan’s attempts to get to know me and wasn’t very   【小题11】  to him, he never gave up on me.  【小题12】, I began to trust him. I realized that we actually had some things in   【小题13】 , especially when it came to movies and TV shows. We  【小题14】  a lot of time together hanging out watching TV. That gave us a chance to talk and getto know each other.
Better still, Dan showed an interest in me that I had never experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed   【小题15】  on school or friends. Once I began to warm up to Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and took short trips.   【小题16】, I discovered that I had the happy family that I had always wanted.
I now realize my parents were  【小题17】  about getting the divorce. Their divorce was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness—he   【小题18】  and had another child, my half-sister, Michelle.
At 13, I learned an important   【小题19】  —change is not always the worst thing that can   【小题20】 . Sometimes, it is just what we need the most.

【小题22】

A．unless B．if C．when D．until

【小题40】

A．exist B．remain C．continue D．happen