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 most 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(折叠) 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 writer began to love her mother’s desk____________.

He was driving home one evening when he saw an old lady standing by the road. He could tell she needed help. So he stopped his car in front of her car and got out.
He smiled at her, but she was worried. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry.
He said: “I’m here to help you ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car? By the way ,my name is Joe.”
She had a flat tire（轮胎瘪了）. Joe crawled under the car and soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. She said that she couldn’t thank him enough for his help. Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk（后备箱）.
She asked him how much she owed（欠）him. But Joe wasn’t thinking about the money. This was helping someone in need. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she should lend a hand.
He waited until she had driven off and felt good as he headed for home.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café. She went in to get a bite to eat. The waitress brought a clean towel for her to wipe her wet hair. The waitress was nearly eight months pregnant（怀孕的）.It was tiring for her to move about. But she did it all with a sweet smile on her face. The lady was moved by the wonderful service the waitress was giving. After the lady had finished her meal, and the waitress had gone to get her change（零钱）from a ￥100 bill, the lady slipped（溜）out the door. At her table, the waitress found something written on a napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady had written. It said: “You don’t owe me a thing. I know life is hard for you right now. Someone once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don’t let the chain（链）of love end with you.”
【小题1】When the old lady first saw the man, she was        .

Do you believe in love at the first sight? Many people answer "No, we don’t", but I say I do.why? I’ll tell you my story.
From childhood, I like people with blue eyes. I had a few dolls and I painted their eyes blue. I was really very happy with my blue-eyed dolls. Time rushes by quickly, and soon I was not a child any more. I had finished my studies as I was 20.
I liked to drive my father’s old car. Once I went to a nearby town .I was busy that day.I left my car near the office where I had to go. In a few minutes, I came back and a young policeman was waiting for me near my car. I was not happy to see him. He tried to explain that I had parked my car in the wrong place, but I couldn’t pay my attention to his words. I had to stare at his beautiful blue eyes. He repeated his words but I did not bear him well. He became serious and began to speak in a loud voice.I paid him the fine(罚款)and I said to him" Your eyes are so nice."
He smiled and said goodbye to me.
In the evening this blue-eyed policeman called me up. The following day we went to the cinema. After that, my story has a happy ending. We married and we now live happily together.
(    )6.Does the writer believe in love at the first sight?   
A.Yes          B.No          C.Yes or No           D. It’s difficult to say
(    )7.When the writer was young, she liked   .
A. dolls with black eyes          B. people with blue eyes    
C. her few dolls                 D.boys with grey eyes
(    )8.A young policeman was waiting for her, because       
A. he wanted to tell her that he loved her too
B.he wanted to sit in her car
C.she had stopped her car in the wrong place
D.they had an appointment
(    )9.she didn’t hear the policeman well because        .
A.she was not interested in his words           B.she was not happy to see him
C.she paid a lot of attention to his blue eyes      D.he became serious
(    )10.we can see from the passage that love at the first sight     
A.can sometimes have a happy ending    
B.can always have a happy ending
C.can have a happy ending if the man is a police man
D.can sometimes lead to a sad marriage

As young students, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize; they can also be small, such as becoming one of the best students in your class.
Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real?
Follow Your Heart by Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making our dreams real is life’s biggest challenge. You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects, or that it is impossible for you to become a writer. Those kinds of ideas stop you from realizing your dream, the books says.
In fact, everyone can realize his dream. The first thing you must do is to remember what your dream is. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want every day and then your dream will come true faster. You should know that a big dream is, in fact, made up of many small dreams.
You must also never give up your dream. There will be difficulties on the road to your dreams. But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will help you to get better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book.
As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as you have the chance to learn something more useful and find new hobbies.
【小题1】Your dreams can be very ____, such as becoming one of the best students in your class.

If someone asks me, “Do you like music? ” I am sure I will answer him or her. “Of course, I do.” Because I think music is an important part of our lives.
Different people have different ideas about music. For me, I like rock music because it’s so exciting. And my favourite rock band(摇滚乐队), the “Foxy Ladies” is one of the most famous rock bands in the world. I also like pop music. My classmate Li Lan loves dance music, because she enjoys dancing. My best friend, Jane, likes jazz music(爵士乐). She thinks jazz is really cool. “I like dance music and rock very much,” says my brother, “because they are amazing.” But my mother thinks rock is boring. “I like some relaxing(轻松的)music.” she says, that is why she likes country music(乡村音乐), I think.
(    )6. The writer likes music because he thinks ________.
A. it’s an exciting part of our lives      B. it’s an amazing part of our lives
C. it’s an important part of our lives     D. it’s an interesting part of our lives
(    )7. What kind of music does the writer like?
A. Jazz and country music.            B. Rock and dance music.
C. Rock and pop music.              D. Rock and country music.
(    )8. Who likes dancing?
A. The writer.      B. Li Lan.       C. Jane.        D. The writer’s mother.
(    )9. The writer’s mother thinks that country music is ________.
A. amazing        B. boring        C. relaxing      D. cool
(    )10. How many people’s ideas about music are talked about in this passage?
A. 4.             B. 5.            C. 6.           D. 7.

Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America．One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York．
The reporter was talking to them about being important．
“How do we know if someone is really important?”the reporter asked the banker．
The banker thought for a few moments and then said,“I think anybody who is invited to the White House to meet the President of the United States is really important．”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company．“Do you agree with that?”she asked．
The man shook his head,“No．I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House．You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it．”
The reporter turned to the third man．“Do you think so?”
“No, I don’t,”he said．“I don’t think that makes the visitor important．That makes thePresident important．”
“Then what would make the visitor important?”the reporter and the other two men asked．
“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said,‘It’s for you．’”
【小题1】This story happened in_________．

"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever things weren't going my way. "Don't worry. One day your luck will change."
Mother was right, as I discovered after I had finished my college education, I had decided to try for a job in radio. One day, I wanted to host a sports programme. I went to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.
In one station, a kind lady said my problem was that I hadn't got enough experience. "Get some work with a small station and work your way up," she said.
I went back home. I couldn't get a job there, either. Then my dad told me a businessman had opened a store and needed someone to help him. But again, I didn't get the job.
I felt really down. "Your luck will change," Mom said to me. Dad lent me the car to help me to look for my job. I tried another radio station in Lowa. But the owner, a nice man, told me he had already had someone.
As I left his office, I asked, "How can someone be a sports announcer(播音员) if he can't get a job in a radio station?"
I was waiting for the lift when I heard the man call. "What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?" He put me in front of a microphone and asked me to try to imagine that I was giving my opinion on a football game, I succeeded.
On my way home, Mom's words come back to me, "One day your luck will change, Son. And when it happens, it'll feel doubly good because of all the hard work you've had." At that moment I knew just what she meant.
16. What's the writer's ideal job?
A. A sportsman.                  B. A shop assistant.
C. A sports announcer.             D. A businessman.
17. Why didn’t the writer get the job in Chicago?
A. Because he was too young.
B. Because he didn't get college education.
C. Because he's got a good-looking person.
D. Because he hadn't got enough experience.
18. The sentence "But I got turned down every time. "means"        ".
A. But I was refused every time
B. But I was successful every time
C. But I lost my way every time
D. But the door of every station was always closed
19. What made the writer succeed in the end?
A. His mother’s words.             B. A kind lady’s help.
C. His father’s car.                   D. His own hard work.
20. What's the best title of this passage?
A. Mother's Words.                 B. Everything Happens for the Best.
C. No One Is Always Lucky.         D. To Find a Job in Radio Is Difficult.

Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any "secrets" to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s "back to school" speech. Here is a small part of his speech.
I know that sometimes, after watching TV, you may feel that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star. But when chances come, you may not succeed.
The truth is, being successful is hard. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try. That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world have had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected(退稿)12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career (职业生涯). But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you--you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
And even when you’re struggling(挣扎), even when you’re discouraged(泄气), and you feel like other people have given up on you--don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
【小题1】Why does Barack Obama talk about JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the second paragraph?

Many years ago, there was an old man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge(判断) things too quickly. So he told them to go and look at a pear tree. It was far away from his home. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn.
When the sons came back, the old man asked them to say what they had seen.
The first son complained the tree was ugly. The second son said the tree was covered with buds and full of hope. The third son said the tree was full of green leaves. They looked so beautiful, and it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. The youngest son said that the tree was bowed down with heavy fruits. It was full of life and fulfillment(收获).
The man explained that all of his sons were right, but each of them had seen just one season of the tree. He told them that they couldn’t judge a tree or a person by only one season. "If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the hope of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your autumn." said the old man
It is true that we shouldn’t let the hard season break the happiness of the other seasons. Never give up during the difficult days and better times are sure to come some day.
【小题1】Why did the old man ask his sons to look at the pear tree?         

A reader wrote in to say that she was feeling lonely at break because her best friend
wasn’t around．Here’s our advice to her—and to all kids who feel lonely sometimes．
It’s hard when a best friend isn’t around—maybe because she moved to a different
school or a different class．You may feel lonely at break or lunchtime．You want to have new
friends．but how do you make them? Maybe it seems like everybody else already has their
friends．But remember, there’s always room for more friends．   。．
Start by looking around your classroom—think about which kids you’d like to play
with at break．Look for chances to say hi to them，smile，and be friendly．Offer to share
something or express your appreciation(欣赏)to them．Invite someone to play with you or
say “Do you want to sit here?” in the lunchroom．When you’re at break，walk over to kids
you want to play with．act friendly，and say “Hi，can l play, too?” or just join in．
If you have trouble doing this or if you’re feeling shy, ask your teacher to help you make
new friends．Teachers are usually pretty good at matching up friends．The best way to make
friends is to be a friend．Be kind，be friendly，share，say nice things，offer to help—and pretty soon，you’ll have one，or two，or even more new friends.
You might still miss that special best friend．But when you see each other, you can share
something you didn’t have before she left：You can introduce her to your new friends!
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。
【小题1】According to the writer, some kids feel lonely at break because they        ．