The other day my aunt paid me a visit. She was overjoyed. “I got the highest mark in the mid-term examination!” She said. Don’t be surprised! My aunt is indeed a student, exactly, a college student at the age of 45.

“Compared with the late 70s,” she says, “now college students have many doors.” I was shocked when she first told me how she had had no choice in her major. Look at us today! So many doors are open to us! I believe there have never been such abundant opportunities for self-development as we have today. And my aunt told me that we should reach our goals by grasping all these opportunities.

The first door is the opportunity to study different subjects that interest us. My aunt was happy to study management, but she could also attend lectures on ancient Chinese poetry and on Shakespearean drama. As for myself, I am an English major, but I may also go to lectures on history.

The second door is the door to the outside world. Learning goes beyond classrooms and national boundaries. I have many fellow international classmates, and I am applying to an exchange program with a university abroad. As for my aunt, she is planning to get an MBA degree in the U.K.

The third door is the door to life-long learning. Many of my aunt’s contemporaries say she’s amazingly up-to-date for a middle-aged woman. She simply responds, “Age doesn’t matter. What matters is your attitude. I don’t think I’m too old to learn.” Yes, she is right. Since the government removed the age limit for college admissions, there are already some untraditional students, sitting with us in the same classrooms. Like them, my aunt is old but young in spirit with incredible energy and determination.

The doors open to us also pose challenges. For instance, we are faced with the challenge of a balanced learning, the challenge of preserving our fine tradition while learning from the West, and the challenge of learning continuously while carrying heavy responsibilities to our work and family. So, each door is a test of our courage, ability and judgment, but with the support of my teachers, parents, friends and my aunt, I believe I can meet the challenge head on.

1.Which of the following words can best replace the “door” in the passage?

A．challenge         B．knowledge         C．learning           D．opportunity

2.What made the writher’s aunt overjoyed?

A．Having a chance to visit the writer

B．Having lots of choices in subjects

C．Getting the highest score in her exam

D．Getting admission to a university

3.Which of the following statements will the writer’s aunt agree with?

A．No pains, no gains.

B．Failure is the mother of success.

C．One is never too old to learn.

D．Rome isn’t built in a day.

4.The following word can be used to describe the writer’s aunt EXCEPT __________.

A．fashionable        B．traditional         C．energetic         D．determined

5.Which chart shows the correct structure of the passage?

 -------Can you believe I had to pay 30 dollars for a haircut?

------You should try the barber’s _______I go. It’s only 15.

A. as          B. which     C. where      D. that

“Hey, Jenna, do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two?” I asked my friend. It was clear that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question. Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister. We hung out together. We gave each other advice.
“Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two.” Jenna announced loudly.
The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie. The three of us soon became close friends. We played together almost every day. I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.
The three of us started fighting a lot. Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy. I felt helpless and lonely. I thought Christmas would be horrible!
I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me. I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me.
“Wow, ” I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door. “Thanks.”
“Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly.
“Okay. See you later then…” and I closed the door.
“Who was that at the door?” my mum asked.
The card started off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends. I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting. A fight won’t stop us from being friends. Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight-two.”
I stopped reading and started laughing. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her back yard. I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship.
【小题1】How would the author and Jenna get along with each other after Christmas?

Two years ago my grandmother was going to turn 75. My family discussed what the best way to celebrate was. Should we throw her a party? Should we take her on a trip? We remembered that she had touched so many people's lives, and there were so many people for her to consider. Then someone got the idea that we should include everyone in the celebration by turning it into a tribute(献礼) to my grandmother.x k b 1 . co m  We secretly sent out letters to the people in Grandmother's address book and asked them to send a letter with a memory that they had shared with her. People sent us letters with poems, stories and pictures. The deep feeling that was shared through the response surprised us. We compiled(编辑)these letters into a memory book and amazed her with it on the morning of her birthday.

The unusual thing about my grandmother's friends was not the number that she had, but the connection they shared. In many ways this book of friendship was the greatest achievement of my grandmother's life.

I believe that developing true friendships is one of the most important things that anyone can do in one's lifetime. It is not a matter of the number of friends one has, but the quality of the bonds. If one has had at least one true friendship before dying, then one can say one has lived a successful life. I have made many friends and I believe I have begun to develop the same types of friendships my grandmother kept up over her lifetime. I only hope that I will be as successful as she has been.

1.How did the author's family celebrate Grandmother's birthday ?

A．They took her on a trip across the country.

B．They gave her a memory book of friendship.

C．They invited all her friends to her birthday party.

D．They asked all her friends to send her cards.

2.When receiving her birthday gift, the author's grandmother probably felt _____.

A．disappointed and lonely                  B．sorry and sad

C．surprised and pleased                    D．nervous and excited

3.The underlined word “bonds” in the last paragraph probably means_____.

A．relationships       B．works            C．Successes         D．celebrations

4.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that _____.

A．the more friends you have, the better

B．friends are more important than family

C．understanding leads to greater success

D．true friendship is very important to us

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示，2）首字母提示，3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

Dear Peter,

    I’m writing to ask whether you are able to do me a favor. I want

to have a pen friend, hopefully a girl in her ___________(二十多岁)，

1.

and with hobbies s__________ to mine. In my mind, she is someone

2.

__________ is interested in traveling, swimming, and playing

3.

table tennis. B__________, it would be better for her to have a

4.

pet dog as the _________ I have kept at home for some

5.

time. With such a pen friend, I think I can ___________(分享)

6.

with her our travelling experiences, ___________ care of pets,

7.

or whatever we have in c__________. And I believe I will

8.

___________(提高) my English by doing so and learn more about

9.

her. I am looking forward to hearing __________ you soon.

10.

Best regards,

                                        Li Hua