Poor guys! It ______ when they left the hotel.

   A. will rain                    B. is raining                  C. was raining        D. has rained

There is one word you must learn before you visit the USA. That is “Freeze”. Remember it has a special meaning besides the usual one. It means “stand still and don’t move”. Often policemen use it when they are ready to use their guns. If one doesn’t obey the order and moves, he or she will be shot to death.
One evening in Los Angeles, someone rang the bell of a house. It was a dangerous area at night, so the owner of the house took his gun with him when he answered the door. He opened the door and saw a strange man. But the man turned round and started walking away from the house. The owner cried: “Freeze”, but the young man went on walking without obeying the owner’s order. The owner thought he was trying to run away, so he shot at the young man and he was killed.
Later, police found that the dead man was a Japanese student who was studying in Los Angeles University. He went to visit a friend, but unluckily could not remember the number of the house. When he realized he went to the wrong house he turned round and left. He didn’t know much English and so didn’t understand the word “Freeze”. What a lesson we should get for this!
【小题1】According to the article, what does the word “Freeze” mean?

At lunchtime, Bonnie and Ruth sat together like they always did at school. Ruth and Bonnie were best friends and best friends always sat together for lunch. They  1  sandwiches, cupcakes and almost everything.

But today things were   2  . Bonnie looked upset, and Ruth did not know why. “Why are you sad today, Bonnie?” Ruth asked. “Because my daddy    3  his job yesterday,” she said. “And we may have to move. My mom and dad are very unhappy and they always argue. I am   4 . What is going to happen to us?”

Bonnie’s news made Ruth very sad, too. What would school be like   5  Bonnie? What could she do to help her friend? When Ruth went home she told her mom the bad   6 .

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, Ruth,” said her mother sadly.

Ruth thought and thought. She thought while she ate supper and she thought while she did homework. She even thought when she brushed her teeth before going to bed.

“What can I do?” she  7 .

The next day was Saturday and Ruth woke up very early. She dressed and ate a quick breakfast,  8  went to find her friends. They all decided to    9  together to help Bonnie. They pulled weeds, played with babies and walked dogs. They even put on a Talent show in Ruth’s backyard. All the adults paid one dollar to watch the   10  sing and dance and do magic tricks. After the performance, the children   11 their money. They had made three hundred dollars! Ruth’s mom took them to the grocery store and they bought food, soap, paper towels, and all kinds of things that a person might need.

When they left the store they went to Bonnie’s house and each of the children   12  carried a bag to the door, rang the doorbell and ran away quickly. They had so much fun with   13  secret surprise! They knew it would make Bonnie very happy.

Ruth felt happy too,   14 she had helped her friend. She knew it wasn’t much, but all she needed to do was to show her friend that she cared   15 . I think Bonnie got the message, don’t you?

1.                A．found          B．cooked         C．shared   D．bought

2.                A．same          B．good           C．right D．different

3.                A．changed        B．lost            C．enjoyed  D．got

4.                A．worried        B．lonely          C．disappointed   D．surprised

5.                A．to             B．with           C．for  D．without

6.                A．story           B．result          C．news D．report

7.                A．dreamt         B．answered       C．talked    D．wondered

8.                A．so             B．then           C．after D．before

9.                A．work           B．study           C．help D．think

10.               A．parents        B．actors          C．students   D．children

11.               A．counted        B．saved          C．sent D．spent

12.               A．slowly          B．quietly         C．seriously  D．patiently

13.               A．their           B．his            C．her   D．its

14.               A．though         B．and            C．because of D．because

15.               A．helped         B．cared          C．understood D．realized

Once there was a parrot on sale in a pet store. It was a beautiful red and blue bird. It sat on a perch in the middle of the store, so that everyone could see it when they came in. The owner was very proud of it and asked a high price for it.

     One day a man went into the store. "That's a beautiful bird,"he said to the pet store owner, "But why is it so expensive? Is it unsual bird?"

     "No, it's not very unusual. It's expensive because it can talk," the pet store owner said.

     "I see. How can I make it talk?" the man asked.

     The pet store owner asked him, "Do you see those string tied to each of the bird's legs?"

     "Yes," the man answered.

     "Well, you pull those strings," the pet store owner told him."That will make the parrot talk."

     The man asked,"Do you mind if I try?"

     "Not at all," the pet store owner said.

     The man walked up to the parrot and pulled the string on its left leg. The parrot said, "Good morning."

     The man pulled the string on the parrot's right leg. This time the parrot said, "How are you today?"

      "That's not very interesting, " said the man. "Any parrot could do that." Then he laughed, "But what wold happen if I pulled both strings at the same time?"

     "I'll fall off my perch, you fool!" the parrot said.

1.The parrot was expensive because________.

A.it was pretty beautiful

B.it could talk with the people

C.it was a very unusual bird

D.it was in the middle of the store

2.The parrot would talk when _________.

A.people came into the pet store

B.it was the pet store owner

C.people said it was beautiful

D.people pulled the strings on its legs

3.Which is the first sentences that the parrot said to the man?

A.Good morning.

B.How are you?

C.That's wasn't interesting.

D.I'll fall off my perch, you fool.

4.From the story we know the parrot was_______.

A.kind     B.silly    C.clever    D.crazy

5.The best title for the passage should be _________.

A.Unusual Parrot     B.Parrot Talk      C.Silly man    D.Clever Owner

At lunchtime, Bonnie and Ruth sat together like they always did at school. Ruth and Bonnie were best friends and best friends always sat together for lunch. They  1  sandwiches, cupcakes and almost everything.
But today things were   2  . Bonnie looked upset, and Ruth did not know why. “Why are you sad today, Bonnie?” Ruth asked. “Because my daddy    3  his job yesterday,” she said. “And we may have to move. My mom and dad are very unhappy and they always argue. I am   4 . What is going to happen to us?”
Bonnie’s news made Ruth very sad, too. What would school be like   5  Bonnie? What could she do to help her friend? When Ruth went home she told her mom the bad   6 .
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, Ruth,” said her mother sadly.
Ruth thought and thought. She thought while she ate supper and she thought while she did homework. She even thought when she brushed her teeth before going to bed.
“What can I do?” she  7 .
The next day was Saturday and Ruth woke up very early. She dressed and ate a quick breakfast,  8  went to find her friends. They all decided to    9  together to help Bonnie. They pulled weeds, played with babies and walked dogs. They even put on a Talent show in Ruth’s backyard. All the adults paid one dollar to watch the   10  sing and dance and do magic tricks. After the performance, the children   11 their money. They had made three hundred dollars! Ruth’s mom took them to the grocery store and they bought food, soap, paper towels, and all kinds of things that a person might need.
When they left the store they went to Bonnie’s house and each of the children   12  carried a bag to the door, rang the doorbell and ran away quickly. They had so much fun with   13  secret surprise! They knew it would make Bonnie very happy.
Ruth felt happy too,   14 she had helped her friend. She knew it wasn’t much, but all she needed to do was to show her friend that she cared   15 . I think Bonnie got the message, don’t you?