The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children—cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances—that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".
But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.
At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either.  I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them.
I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.
Then one day I saw an ad. for foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance , I rang up the number.
I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.
【小题1】How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?

A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special position. My parents were complementary instructors：Mom taught me the words, and Dad taught me to obey them. But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies(喜剧).

If I wanted to know anything about politics，history or science，he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

I now know that my early concepts about relationship were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom blamed...and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended(融合) right in but is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's room today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?

We just call him...“TV”.

He has a younger sister now. We call her “Computer”.

1.When the stranger came to live with our family, he was ________.

A. ignored by the children

B. driven away for no reason

C. abandoned because it was too noisy

D. accepted by every family member

2.The stranger can do all the following things EXCEPT that he can ________.

A. tell us some funny stories                     B. reject our proposals(提议)

C. influence the children's character                  D. predict the future

3.The underlined word “spellbound” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.

A. concentrated             B. puzzled

C. fascinated                D. astonished

4.What can we learn from the last three paragraphs of the passage?

A. The computer is more advanced and has gained greater popularity.

B. Old as he is，we like the stranger best.

C. The TV set is out of fashion and often breaks down.

D. We decide to throw the TV set away immediately.

Growing up, I remember my father as a silent, serious man not the sort of person around whom one could laugh. As a teenager arriving in America, knowing nothing, I wanted a father who could explain the human journey. In college, when friends called home for advice, 1 would sink into deep depression for what I did not have.

Today. at twenty-seven, I have come to rediscover them in ways that my teenage mind would not allow — as adults and as friends with their own faults and weaknesses.

One night after my move back home, I overheard my father on the telephone. There was some trouble. Later, Dad shared the problem with me. Apparently my legal training had earned me some privileges in his eyes. I talked through the problem with Dad. analyzing the purposes of the people involved and offering several negotiation strategies. He listened patiently before finally admitting, “I can’t think like that. I am a simple man.”

Dad is a brilliant scientist who can deconstruct (解构) the building blocks of nature. Yet human nature is a mystery to him. That night I realized that he was simply not skilled at dealing with people, much less the trouble of a conflicted teenager. It’s not in his nature to understand human desires.

And so, there it was — it was no one’s fault that my father held no interest in human lives while 1 placed great importance in them. We are at times born more sensitive, wide-eyed, and dreamy than our parents and become more curious and idealistic than them. Dad perhaps never expected me for a child. And I, who knew Dad as an intelligent man, had never understood that his intelligence did not cover all of my feelings.

It has saved me years of questioning and confusion. I now see my parents as people who have other relationships than just Father and Mother. I now overlook their many faults and weaknesses, which once annoyed me.

I now know my parents as friends: people who ask me for advice; people who need my support and understanding. And I’ve come to see my past clearly.

1.What was the author’s impression of her father when she was a teenager?

A. Friendly but irresponsible.

B. Intelligent but severe.

C. Cold and aggressive.

D. Caring and communicative.

2.Why did the author feel depressed when her friends called home?

A. She did not have a phone to a1l home.

B. Her father did not care about her human journey.

C. Her father was too busy to answer her phone.

D. Her father couldn’t give her appropriate advice.

3.After the author overheard her father on the telephone.

A. he blamed her for impoliteness

B. he rediscovered human nature

C. he consulted with her about his problem

D. he changed his attitude towards the author

4.The author realized that ______.

A. her father had too many faults and weaknesses

B. her father was not as intelligent as she had thought

C. her father was not good at interpersonal relationships

D. her father placed too much importance in social activities

5.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. My Parents as Friends

B. My Parents as Advisors

C. My Father — a Serious Man

D. My Father — an Intelligent Scientist

It was a hot summer day． My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat with my friend Katie and the dog when the phone call came, the call that made that bright, beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one．
I had just put on my suit, shorts, and tank top, and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day． I ran into my parents’ room to find Dad． When I saw him on the phone, he was crying． I’d never seen my dad cry before． My heart sank． What possibly could have happened?
"Max, I’m so sorry," I heard him say． That’s when it hit me． I knew that Suzie had died． Max has been my dad’s best friend for years． Suzie, his daughter, had a rare disease that mainly affected her body． Her brain was OK． She knew what was going on; she knew that she had problems and was different from other kids． Once she told her dad that she wished she could die and be born in a different body． Yet although she couldn’t live a normal life ，she was still happy．
When Suzie and I were little, we spent quite a bit of time together． As we grew up, we grew apart． She lived in New York, and I lived in the Midwest． When Suzie was ten she had to live in a hospital in Virginia． About eight months before she died, Max gave us her number at the hospital and we talked at least twice a week until the end． Suzie was always so excited to talk to us and wanted to know every detail about my life． She wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate． In a way, she lived through me．
After we found out about her death, we made our plans to go to New York for the funeral． When she was alive, I sent her a Beanie Baby and she sent one back to me． I had bought her another one but never had the chance to send it to her, so I took it to put in her casket（棺材）．
Her funeral was very different from any funeral I’d ever been to． After they lowered her casket, each one of us put a shovelful of dirt over her． I remember crying so hard, I felt weak． My cheeks burned from the tears． My whole body was shaking as I picked up the shovel, but I’m glad I did it．
When Suzie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong． I learned so much from her． She gave me more than I could ever give to her． I will never forget her or the talks we had． I now know that I must never take anything for granted especially my health and the gift of life．
【小题1】What does the underlined part “In a way, she lived through me．” mean?

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从第31至第40小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Dear Mr. Takashhi,

I am writing to apologize for any misunderstandings that occurred when I showed you around Beijing the other day. I noticed that you were a bit   31  when I put the business card you gave me in my   32  without looking at it. And   33  did not know why you kept making an OK sign and why you   34  so many things. After reading a magazine article, I know that Japanese people give out their business cards   35  they greet others and they would like others to look at their cards carefully. So I should have read your   36  before I put it in my pocket. And I also know why you bought so many things   37 . Because gift-giving is expected in Japan and on a trip, you must bring back lots of   38 . As for the OK sign, I now know it is a request for small change.

I feel very sorry for not having known these   39  habits earlier. I hope you can forgive me for all these misunderstandings. I hope   40  our next meeting will be happier.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hualing

1. A. pleased       B. upset            C. excited          D. encouraged

2. A. hand          B. box              C. watch            D. pocket

3. A. I             B. you              C. we               D. nobody

4. A. made          B. saw              C. bought           D. eat

5. A. unless        B. before           C. after            D. when

6. A. faces         B. books            C. cards            D. clothes

7. A. there         B. here             C. home             D. everywhere

8. A. gifts         B. photos           C. pictures         D. sweets

9. A. strange       B. rare             C. unusual          D. cultural

10. A. which        B. that             C. when             D. where