"Grandma, Grandma, tell us a story!" Four darling children sat by my feet, looking up at me
expectantly.
     Suddenly, we were interrupted clapping. "Terrific," the director said, stepping up the stage from
the aisle(过道). "Except, could you kids face the audience a bit more?"
     The kids shifted to face the empty seats, which would be filled in a few days for the church play.
"Perfect," the director said. "Now, Grandma, read to your grandchildren." A pang of sadness hit me.
If only I could read to my real grandchild!
     I had a granddaughter, but I'd never met her. Sixteen years earlier my son was involved in a
relationship that ended badly. But out of it came a blessing: a baby girl named Lena. I hoped to be a
grandmother to her-but shortly after the birth, the mother moved without any address left. Over the
years, I asked around town to try and find my son's exwife(前妻), but it seemed that she didn't want
to be found.
     I 'd just joined this new church a week earlier, and was at once offered the part of Grandma in the
play.  At least now I could pretend to be a grandma. The rehearsals went well, and finally the day of
the show arrived. The performance was great. "You all looked so natural up there," one of my friends
said.
     Afterward, we went to the church basement for refreshments(茶点). I walked over to one of the
girls in the play, Rehearsals had been such a whirlwind(一片忙乱) that we never really got to talk.
"How's my granddaughter?" I joked.
     "Fine!" she answered. Just then, someone else walked up and asked the girl her name.
     I wasn't sure I heard the girl's answer correctly. But it made me ask her another question. "What's
your mother's name?"
    She told me, I was still in shock. "And what's your father's name?" I asked. She told me. It was my
son.
    She'd only started going to that church a week before I did. Since that day of the play, we've stayed
close. Not long ago, she even made me a great grandma.

1. What was the author doing at the beginning of the story?
A. Telling a story.  
B. Playing a game.
C. Preparing for a play.  
D. Acting in a movie.

2. Why did the author feel "A pang of sadness" at the words of the director?
A. The director's words reminded her of her lost granddaughter.
B. The director's words hurt her so badly.
C. She wished that she had a real grandchild.
D. The director wasn't content with her performance.

3.We can infer that when writing the story, the author felt ________.
A. lighthearted  
B. heartbroken
C. confused  
D. anxious

     It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the
doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top
step.
     "Any old papers, lady?" asked one of them.
     I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little
sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
     "Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa."
     They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served
them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started
cooking.
     The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking
at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich?"
     "Am I rich? Pity, no!"
     I looked at my wornout slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and
said, "Your cups match your saucers." They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They
 had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
     Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
     I tasted the potatoes and stirred(搅动)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over
our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
      I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals
were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how
rich I am.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Lady, are you rich?
B. A story of Thanksgiving Day
C. Don't forget how rich you are
D. Does cups and saucers match well?

2. The writer let the two children come in and served them well because________.
A. she wanted to sell old papers to them
B. she wanted to invite them to her Thanksgiving party
C. she showed great pity and care on them
D. she had the same experience as them in the past

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy.
B. The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive.
C. If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap.
D. After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was.

4. The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.
A. show that she was a kindhearted lady
B. remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was
C. leave room for readers to think about what being rich is
D. prove that she had understood what meant being rich

1．Which is the correct order according to the story?
a. She took a lift back in her monitor's car.
b. She went to see a film with her classmate.
c. She wrote in her diary to her mother.
d. Her mother pretended to watch TV.
e. Her mother worried about her daughter's returning late.

A．b,  e,  a,  d,  c  
B．e,  b,  a,  d,  c
C．b,  a,  e,  d,  c  
D．b,  e,  a,  c,  d

2．Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?

A．The girl knew her mother would ask her the question about the boy.
B．What the daughter did recently had worried her mother.
C．The mother was eager to read her daughter's diary the next day.
D．The girl's diary was always unlocked.

3．The main purpose of this article is to show that parents should________.

A．care about what their children really think and feel
B．not give much freedom to their children
C．talk with their children about their early love
D．keep silent about their children's privacy(隐私)

4．Which can be the best title for this story?

A．Mother's True Love
B．Early Love Between Students
C．To Ask or Not To Ask
D．Dangerous Age

     As a boy growing up in India,I had longed to travel abroad.I used to listen to the stories my father
would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s,with great interest.
     My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to
Europe,where my father was to attend a meeting.We planned to travel to Belgium,Netherlands and
West Germany.
     I have vivid memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going
abroad.I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them
first hand,during the flight to Frankfurt.We flew business class and even today I can remember the
excellent service by the Lufthansa crew.The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable,even for
someone like me,who is otherwise scared of flying.
     After spending almost two weeks in Europe,we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf
to Frankfurt airport,for our return flight.What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河),it was
simply an unforgettable experience.I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked
the end of a wonderful vacation,but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most
enjoyable experience yet again,with the quality of their service.
     Being the first airline to take me overseas,Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart.Even
today,I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline.
Flying,in general,for me,has always been an ordeal (terrible and painful experience). Flying on Lufthansa,
however,is something I always have and always will look forward to.

1. Which country does the author live in now?
A. India.  
B. Canada.
C. Belgium.  
D. Germany.

2. What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?
A. Growing up in India.
B. Once staying in Canada.
C. Once traveling to Canada with his father.
D. His father's stories about his traveling experiences.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the author's trip to Europe in 1998?
A. The author traveled with one of his parents.
B. Both their going and return are by air.
C. They traveled in spring that year.
D. They stayed in Europe for nearly two months.

     I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have
cereal (谷类食物), eggs or toast. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a
sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from other kids' too. But_at_least_I_wasn't_
alone_in_my_sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
     My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends
were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, then we be gone one
hour or less-not one hour and one minute. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you
can see how mean she was.
     The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning.
We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath,
while the other kids always wore their clothes for days. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up
mean things to do to us.
     Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed, "sick" like our friends did,
and miss school. Our marks in school had to be up to par(达到正常水平). Our friends' report cards
had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was,
would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.
     As the years rolled by, we were one by one put to shame. We were graduated from high school.
With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure
of being a dropout.
     My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some
higher education. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right,
our mean mother. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults.
     Now I am trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children call me mean.
Because, you see, I had the meanest mother in the world.

1. What does the sentence "But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings." mean?
A. The author's mother was only mean to her.
B. The author's mother suffered her.
C. The author's mother was mean to her sister, brothers and her.
D. The author wasn't alone because of suffering.

2. According to the passage, the author's mother will ask her children to do all the following
    EXCEPT ________.
A. learn to cook
B. wear clean clothes
C. go to bed and get up at fixed time
D. drink as much Cokes as they want

3. Why was the author's mother mean to her children?
A. Because she wanted her children to be top students in school.
B. Because she wanted her children to bring home colored report cards like her friends did.
C. Because she wanted her children to drop out.
D. Because she wanted her children to do their best at school and be educated and respected citizens.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Some of the children weren't able to go to college because of their mean mother.
B. Mother didn't let the author tell lies.
C. Mother asked the author to wear clean clothes.
D. The author could not miss school even if she was ill.

     Joey is loyal, encouraging and self-sacrificing, always putting others' interests ahead of his own. He
is a hard worker, who also loves to run and play. In short, he's an ideal friend and a heroic character.
     Here is the thing: Joey is a horse, who appears as the main character in Steven Spielberg's new film
War Horse.
     It is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, which also caused the same-titled Tony Awards
winning play.
     The film follows the saga of Joey, a racehorse that's trained for farm work under the loving care of
Albert (Jeremy Irvine )after Albert's drunk father Ted(Peter Mullan ) overpays for the animal at auction
(拍卖会).
     Then the World War I tears Albert and Joey apart. Joey is sold into the war effort for the British and
starts his episodic adventures in Europe.
     Splendidly staged, the battle plots in the film are visually astounding and impressive.
     And with Spielberg's unique, top-notch direction and storytelling skills, War Horse cannot escape its
episodic nature, calling to mind another Spielberg film about the horrors of war and its effects upon
soldiers and civilians-Saving Private Ryan.
     While that film shocked with horrific scenes of bleeding, it relied on a company of easily-described
characters and a focused storyline to present heroic themes.
     Like Saving Private Ryan, War Horse clings to a series of characters, not only Albert, but also
British officers, French civilians and German soldiers, who display courage in the face of danger.
Everyone who comes in contact with Joey is either already in touch with their inner angel or is quickly
moved to become more humane.
     Although none of this covers the fact that we've seen this stuff elsewhere before, the lovely sentiment
will steal your heart.
     And the emotional signature of Spielberg can be felt as he establishes the relationship between the
boy and the horse and the mood of the piece - there will be tears.
     Therefore, calling this beautiful, dramatically incomplete film " Saving Private Joey", is entirely
justifiable.

1. In common with " Saving Private Ryan", the film  War Horse _________ .

A. is full of terrifying scenes of bleeding and killing
B. received the title of Tony Awards Winning Play
C. covers a lot of characters
D. tells the story happening in the Second World War

2. Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. War Horse is based on the same-titled novel by Steven Spielberg.
B. Joey is a heroic character because he saved many people's lives.
C. Albert sold Joey into the war effort for Europe.
D. Joey came to Albert's care after Ted paid a lot of money for it.

3. According to the passage, what does the underlined word astounding mean?

A. astonishing        
B. confusing        
C. satisfying      
D. disappointing

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Joey ? a heroic race horse            
B. Albert and Joey
C. Saving Private Joey                  
D. Spielberg's Joey

     根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项.选项中有两项为多余
选项.
     In a national spelling contest in America, an 11-year-old girl was asked to spell a certain word. But
with her soft voice the judges were not sure if she spelled the word with the letter A or E.   1    At that
time, the girl knew she had misspelled the word. But instead of lying and telling the judges she had said
the correct letter, she told the truth that she had said the wrong letter.   2   .
     As the girl walked off the stage, the entire audience stood on their feet clapping to applaud her
honesty. Later, dozens of newspaper wrote about this 11-year-old girl's courage and honesty, even
when it cost her the contest.    3  
     Probably the biggest test of our character and honesty is what we would do if we knew we would
never get caught.
     This young girl could easily have lied, and nobody would have known it but her. But that's just it:
She would know she did wrong.      4   
     This young girl was strong and smart enough to prize her own conscience and character more than
the prize from a spelling contest. Her respect for herself was more important than any respect others
might give her for winning a contest. She knew she would have to live with herself and the choice she
made at the moment. 
     5   
A. So she won the contest.
B. As a result, she lost the contest.
C. The judges wanted to give her another chance.
D. It's been said, "If you cheat, you make yourself cheap."
E. It's so true that the choices you make today make what you are tomorrow.
F. They talked it over and finally decided to simply ask her what she had said.
G. But the fact is that she won the biggest contest that day: the contest of her character.