A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer's hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.    

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. "It's getting late," she thought, "I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am."

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn't understand what was going on.    

She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: "Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking." Ellen was her mother but－where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents' room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn't slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different－she wasn't in her mother's room and she wasn't wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas.     

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, "Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared."

Three days later Jennifer came back home      .

A. at sunrise         B. at sunset      C. at night              D. at midday

What does the underlined phrase "This thought" most probably mean?

A. The idea of going back home.           

B. Her anxiety about her parents.     

C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.     

D. The feeling of getting back home safely.

Her father didn't take care of the garden because      .

A. he was busy looking for her   

B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict with his job        

D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden

What can we infer from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer's mother had been sick for days.     

B. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.     

C. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.     

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.

On numerous drives throughout my childhood, my mother would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle (甲虫) from certain tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.

    Though Mother’s Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift (节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, Mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and re-uses her plastic bags.

    Mom creates a kind of give-and-take relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to fend off the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it’s likely they’ll be knocked down by a family of raccoons (浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house are captured (捕获) in a juice glass and set loose in the garden.

    I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for spent (开败的) dandelions (蒲公英) to parachute; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn’t need to lecture; she didn’t need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came compassion and an instinct (本能) for preservation.

    I am slowing down and it isn’t because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I’ve begun to save glass jars and re-use packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other through the palm (棕榈树) leaves above my porch (门廊).

    Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with a sweetness I immediately wanted to share with my mom.

Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother’s Day?

A. Because Mother’s Day falls shortly after Earth Day.

B. To stress that all the older women in her family are environmentalists.

C. To stress how much her mother cares about the environment.

D. Because on Mother’s Day her mother shows her how to be friend to nature.

According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is the author’s mother NOT likely to do?

A. When she came across a lost dog, she helped it to find its shelter.

B. In spring, she spent some time watching the plants growing in the garden.

    C. She joined in the campaign to encourage the public to contribute actively towards a better environment.

    D. She walked to a nearby shop which was within ten minutes’ walk rather than drove there.

What can we conclude from the article?

A. The author’s mother is very patient with her children.

B. The author’s mother knows how to live in harmony with nature.

C. The author’s mother always took care of the wildlife that came into her yard.

D. The author’s mother used to remind her to slow down to protect the environment.

We can infer from the article that ______.

A. the author thinks that too many people now label themselves environmentalists   

B. the author’s mother knows how to get rid of the wildlife in her yard   

C. the author believes that only by learning to slow down, can we enjoy life

D. the author realizes that she should teach her children by example as well

What is the main idea of the last three paragraphs?

A. How the author taught her children to protect the environment.

B. How the author’s mother influenced the author.

C. What inspired the author to slow down and enjoy life.

D. How the author spent her time with her children.

For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luck less day the boy’s father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santigao worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.

On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits (饵) were fresh tunas (金枪鱼) the boy had given him, as well as sardines (沙丁鱼) to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water.

As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphin were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune.

Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of she surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks. He waited patiently for the fish to be tired.

It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped (抽筋的). The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly.

That morning the fist jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon.

Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebated. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he hound in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon(鱼叉). The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor.

An hour later, he sighted the fist shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. he stuck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust (刺) it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At fist he tried to beat them with the tiller (舵柄) from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he head them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man though only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin.

All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on. In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep.

The above story is adapted from         .

    A．Treasure Island      B．The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer

    C．The Old Man And The Sea  D．The Son Of The Sea

Why did the man feel that he could be lucky this time?

    A．Because a small tuna took the hoot on his line.

    B．Because he dreamed about the American lions.

    C．Because he saw many flying fish were chased by the dolphins.

    D．Because a lot of sharks followed his boat.

According to the text, which statement is NOT true about Manolin?

    A．The boy had mercy on Santiago.

    B．The boy often shared his stories with Santiago.

    C．The boy showed his great concerns to Santiago.

    D．The boy was Santiago’s adopted son.

Why does Santiago let the marlin lead his boat instead of pulling the big fish up?

    A．He wanted to kill the marlin first before he pulled it up to the boat.

    B．He was too tried and hungry to pull the big fish up.

    C．His experience told him not to do so before the fish was tired out.

    D．He wanted to use the marlin as a bait to catch the sharks.

Which sentence below can be used to best describe Santiago’s character?

    A．“He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.” (Para 1)

    B．“Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks.” (Para 4)

    C．“Almost exhausted, he finally drew his big fish alongside and drove in the harpoon.” (Para 7)

    D．“Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength to go on.” (Para 9)

．According to the text, what will be talked about in the next paragraph?

    A．the man’s action to realize his dream about the lions.

    B．people’s reflection when they saw the giant marlin outside.

    C．people’s discussion about how they ate the giant marlin.

    D．a funeral held by the boy and the local people after his death.

A Narrow Escape

Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days’ holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad． He had rented a cottage in the country, although he hardly spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival： the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it. Many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked , making the whole house wet．

On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle told of his many adventures in distant countries． I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed; but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting stories, He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep．

When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen right on to the pillow of my bed．

The uncle disliked the rented cottage for the reason that _____．

       A．there were no beds in it

       B．the windows were broken and the roof leaked

       C．it was too old for him to live in

       D．it was very rainy in the area

On the first evening, the writer was very sleepy, _____．

       A．but he did his best not to miss any stories

       B．so he had to go to bed early

       C．because he was tired of his uncle’s stories

       D．and he was gradually falling asleep while listening

If the writer had not been able to stay up late, _____．

       A．his uncle would have stopped telling stories

       B．his uncle would have been very happy

       C．he would have been injured or killed

       D．his brother wouldn’t have been, either

A narrow escape means ___.

       A. A person runs away from a danger through a narrow door.

       B. A person escapes a danger by luck.

       C. A person escapes a danger easily.

       D. A person runs away from a danger easily.

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.

    She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: “Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas (睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.”

The writer describes the beautiful sunset to show Jennifer’s ______.

   A. love of the natural beauty               B. desire of getting back home         

C. intention of becoming independent        D. depression of being alone

What does the underlined phrase “This thought” most probably mean?

A. The idea of going back home.            

B. Her anxiety about her parents.

C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

D. The feeling of getting back home safely.

Her father didn’t take care of the garden because ______.

   A. he was busy looking for her

B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict with his job

D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden

What can we infer from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for several days.

B. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.

C. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.