I’m five years old, and my mother is washing the kitchen floor. I’m telling her about a new girl in school, and she suddenly looks up at me and says, “ Who are your two best friends ? ”

I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been friends with Jill since I was three or so , and I really like Jaime , a friend in kindergarten .

“ Jill and Jaime .”

“ Well , what about Karen and Cindy ?”

“ I don’t know who their best friends are ,” I say .

“ No ,” she says . “ I’m saying , why aren’t they your best friends ?”

“ But they’re my sisters .”

“ Yes , but they can still be your best friends . Friends may come and go, but your sisters will always be there for you .”

At that time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food , attention , and what to watch on television . How could my sisters be my best friends ?

But my mother never let the three of us forget it : Sisters are lifelong friends . Her wish—like most parents’—was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for brothers and sisters. She gave birth to three daughters. She had given us each a gift—our sisters.

As we grew up, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together , side-by-side , even holding hands when we crossed the finish line . The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.

It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn’t have to. She already knows.

46. How old was the writer when she wrote the passage ?

A. 5 .               B. 9 .              C. 23 .               D. 28 .

47. According to the writer , why can’t her sisters become her friends ?

A. Because they are older than her .          B. Because they don’t like her .

C. Because they often fought with each other .  D. Because they have their own friends .

48. What did the writer feel when her mother said her sisters could be her best friends ?

A. Strange .          B. Excited .          C. Interested .           D. Pleased .

49. What might be the most suitable title for the passage ?

A. My best friends .                       B. The greatest gift .     

C. My sisters and I                        D. My mother’s dream .

50. What can we learn from the passage ?

A. My mother used to give us some gifts .

B. My mother’s sisters are her best friends .

C. My sisters and I always get along well .

D. My sisters and I become good friends now .

One afternoon, I went to pick up my mother from work.I got there a little early, so I _______ (41) my car by a small park, and _______ (42) for her.

As I looked outside the car window, I saw a little boy, around two years old, running _______ (43) on the grass as his mother _______ (44) from a short distance. The boy had a big smile on his face as if he had just been ______ (45) free from some sort of prison .The boy would then fall to the grass , (46) up , without looking back at his mother , run as_______ (47) as he could ,again , still with a smile on his face ,as if nothing had happened .

At that moment, I thought to myself , “why aren’t most adults this way ?” Most adults, when they fall down, make a big deal out of it and don’t even _______ (48) a second attempt. They would be so _______ (49) that they would not try again if someone saw them fall .Or , because they fall , they would find a good _______ (50) for themselves that they’re not fit for it . They would end up too afraid to attempt again for fear of failure.

However, with kids, when they fall down, they don’t consider their falling down as a failure, instead, they treat it as a _______ (51) experience. They try again and again until they _______ (52) .The answer must be that they have not connected“falling down” with the word “failure”. As a _______ (53), they are not discouraged in any way .Besides, they _______ (54) think to themselves that it’s quite okay to fall down and that it’s not wrong to do so. In other words ,they allow themselves to make _______ (55), so they remain energetic.

I was deeply impressed by the boy’s persistence (坚持不懈) and the manner in which he did.

41. A. left            B. stopped      C. repaired    D. drove

42. A. waited          B. cared            C. prepared     D. looked

43. A. carefully       B. anxiously        C. freely           D. easily

44. A. watched        B. noticed      C. surveyed     D. supported

45. A. cut         B. kept             C. found        D. set

46. A. hold            B. get          C. end          D. pick

47. A. well            B. long             C. fast         D. soon

48. A. make            B. provide      C. practice         D. discover

49. A. confused        B. embarrassed  C. exhausted        D. surprised

50. A. cause       B. sign             C. chance       D. excuse

51. A. learning        B. running      C. teaching         D. falling

52. A. progress        B. improve      C. achieve      D. succeed

53. A. decision        B. result           C. reason       D. matter

54. A. hardly      B. perfectly        C. probably         D. nearly

55. A. mistakes    B. choices      C. plans            D. wishes

Once there was an old farmer. He had a horse and the horse was almost as old as himself. One morning he set out with his young son to sell the horse before it died. The father and the son walked because the farmer did not want the horse to be too tired.

They met two men on the road. They said, “Why are you walking, farmer? You have a horse. It’s a long way to get to the market. ” The farmer knew that this was true, so he rode on the horse while his son walked.

Then they met two old ladies. “What are you doing up there, farmer? Can’t you see how tired your son is? ”So the farmer got down, and let his son ride on it.

Twenty minutes later, three old men stopped them. One said, “Why are you walking, farmer? Get up. It’s too hot for an old man like you to walk today. ” So the farmer got up behind his son and they went on riding.

Some time later, a young woman passed them. “Why aren’t you walking? ” she asked, “It isn’t far to the market. Give your poor old horse a rest. ”So the farmer and his son got down once again. It is a fact that you cannot please all the people all the time.

1.The farmer was______.

A．nearly the same age as his horse

B．almost always older than his horse

C．not quite as old as his horse

D．a little older than his horse

2.The two men on the road________.

A．asked how far it was to the market

B．said they thought the horse looked very tired

C．asked why the farmer was not riding on his horse

D．told the farmer’s son to get off the horse and walk

3.The two old ladies said it was wrong for_________ .

A．the farmer to ride such a tired horse

B．the farmer to ride while his young son walked

C．the boy to ride instead of his father

D．only one person to ride such a long way

4.The farmer got up behind his son because_________.

A．the old farmer said it was too hot for him to walk

B．the three old men stopped them on the road

C．he did hot know why he was walking

D．his son could not ride the horse by himself

5.What did the writer really want to tell us?

A．The old man was a fool.

B．The horse was old and was going to die.

C．It is not right to listen to others.

D．It is impossible for a man to make everyone satisfied（满意）all the time.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon(巴比伦空中花园)

???? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built in the 7th century BC and are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were amazing not only because of their beauty, but also because of their location.

???? In the 7th century BC a king named Nebudchadnezzar II created the gardens as a sign of love for his wife, Amyitis. According to legend, Amyitis, the daughter of the king of the Medes, was homesick. She missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland.

???? Upon marrying Nebudchadnezzar II, Amyitis moved to the ancient chief city of Babylon. The area was in the Mesopotamian desert, and the climate there was totally different from where she had left. So the new queen was very sad about the flat and the sun-baked desert. To make Amyitis happier and more comfortable the king decided to build her a series of magnificent gardens.

???? Many think of the gardens as an otherworldly creation that hung in the air somehow. But experts agree that the gardens were actually built on a mountainside, rather than actually “hanging”.

???? The hanging Gardens of Babylon are famous. Stories of them spread throughout the ancient world, and ancient writers recorded a large number of descriptions of the gardens, but some wonder whether this paradise of the past ever existed. There are no historical records of it except stories. Whatever may happen, even the idea of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is amazing. They were essentially impossible to create because of the climate, but they were kept in the minds of many as a botanical beauty created in the middle of unattractive desert scenery.

1.Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, aren’t they?

2.What makes the Hanging Gardens of Babylon so amazing and famous?

3.Why did the king Nebudchadnezzar II create Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

4.What made the Hanging Gardens of Babylon essentially impossible to create?

5.According to the experts, were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon really hanging or built on a mountainside?

6.Did Hanging Gardens of Babylon really exist? What makes you think so? (In no more than THREE sentences)

A little old man and his wife walked slowly into McDonald’s 16 a cold-winter evening. They took a table near the back wall, and then the little old man walked to the cash register (收银处)to order. After a while he got the food back and they began to 17 it.
There was one hamburger, some French fries and one drink. The little old man carefully cut the hamburger into halves and 18 the French fries in two piles. Then he neatly put the 19 of the food in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink and his wife took a sip. "How20 the old people are!" The people around them thought.
21 the man began to eat his hamburger and his French fries, his wife sat there 22 him and took turns to drink. 23 young man came over and offered to buy another meal for them. But they refused  24 and said that they got used to 25 everything.
Then a young lady asked the little old lady a question. "Madam, why aren’t you eating? You said that you shared everything. Then what are you waiting for?" She answered, "The teeth.”