I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the more wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace— it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside —a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
【小题1】The passage shows that ______.

My mother has been a true inspiration to me and changed the way I look at life. Since my birth she has made it evident that I would become ___16___ and that I would be one of the great ones. She has taught me that I can do anything if I put my ___17___ to it.
As a young boy, I struggled to achieve tasks that came ___18___ to others. I had problems with writing, reading and especially speaking. I didn’t talk the way ___19___ kids did and did not respond to questions or stay alert（警觉的）to my surroundings. My reading was poor ___20___ with teachers helping me, and my speech was hard to ___21___. My writing was not at the ___22___ it should have been. Even simple things like knowing my left from my right or being able to snap my fingers (弹手指) were ___23___.
My mother ___24___ all my challenges and as a professor with a PH.D, decided to ___25___ the situation early in my development. She didn’t want me to ___26___. After a while, we did indeed get over all the problems that had ___27___ me. She spent hours every day ___28___ me everything I needed to know, determined to help me learn. ___29___ her I would not be anywhere close to the level I am now.
In addition, she gave ___30___ for my life. She told me what to do and what not to do. Her expectations have always been high ___31___ she knows that I can do it. For that, I thank her. She would not allow her son to be incapable. She never ___32___ on me, and to this day she tells me education is a must. I will be a ___33___ person if I continue to follow her lead. She encourages me to study hard for my ___34___ and attend college.
She used her gifts as a ___35___ to help a child—her child—and now I have the opportunity to become something.

It is not unusual at all for teens to answer their parents with one work answers. “Where are you going?” “Places.” “When will you be back?” “Sometime.” “Who will you be with?” “People.”
That means that the days of your children bounding in the front door with the details of their day are over. They are breaking away from you so that they’ll be able to stand on their own as a young adult.
Some parents feel sad about this loss of their children’s closeness. Of course you miss those conversations and friendly talks. Once your children move out after high school and establish themselves confidently as a young adult, they’ll come back for easy conversations and even ask for advice. But in order to determine who they are right now they need to separate from you.
Your job, however, is to keep them safe——and that requires knowing there they are and who they are with. Let them know clearly that it’s not because you want to dominate their life and control them; it’s because it’s a safety issue for family members to keep track of one another.
When they’re home and sit down to eat a meal, sit down with them. You need to open up to them about your life. Tell them of an interesting incident at the office, let them in on a bit of family gossip(闲谈), discuss a piece of news with them. They are glad that you see them as old enough to be in on a few experiences of your life. By letting a teen in on your life, they just may let you in of theirs
【小题1】The underlined word “That” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to “      ”.

As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son   36  a severe stomachache and died suddenly. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later,   37  him alone with his six-year- old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were _ 38 _ Al could handle, and he _ 39  to alcohol. Al began to lose everything he possessed---his home, his land, his art objects, everything.   40  he died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I reacted with the same disdain（蔑视）the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing   41 _ left. “What a complete failure!” I thought. “What a totally   42__  life!”
As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier _ 43  judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most   44  most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free   45  of the love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come   46  somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to   47  an alcoholic. One day I get up my   48  to ask him. “I’m really puzzled by something,” I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to   49  you.   50  on earth did he do that you became such a special person?
Ernie sat _ 51 _ and thought for a few moments. Then he said, “From my  _52   memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a __53  and said, “I love you, son.”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to   54  Al as a failure. He had not left any material possession behind,   55  he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.

【小题9】

A．handsome B．rich C．caring D．ordinary

【小题20】

A．so B．and C．but D．or

Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lost his determination to lead a full and active life.
Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and diving. He competed in long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, though, is mountaineering.
As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in 1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-meter rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13, 000 feet above sea level---in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. And then, on May25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles, one to lean on and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building snow walls.
Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest. He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind. “When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on top of the world.”
60. What was unusual about his wedding?
A. He got married on the summit of Mount McKinley.
B. He got married when climbing Mount Everest.
C. His wedding was held after he prepared a lot.
D. His wedding was held at 13, 000 feet above sea level.
61. What is Erik’s special method for climbing a mountain?
A. He takes his girlfriend with him.                     B. He does his share of his jobs.
C. He uses two long poles to help himself.         D. He keeps a good team around him.
62. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?
a. He topped Mount McKinley.                            b. He became blind.
c. He challenged Mount Everest.                               d. He reached the peak of Kilimanjaro.
e. He climbed the rock wall of EI Capitan.
A. b, e, d, c, a                    B. b, a, e, d, c          C. b, a, e, c, d          D. b, e, a, d, c