Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”

In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.

Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.

Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.

11. The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A. loss       B. wonder    C. lucky thing         D. terrible thing

12. Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A. he was a man difficult to please

B. she never knew when he was coming

C. she was too busy looking after her children

D. he never stayed long enough for a meal

13. What do we know about James’ behavior?

A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.

14. Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A. she paid James the money that she owed him

B. James gave some money to the children

C. she had to wake James up to catch his train

D. James thanked her for the nice supper

15. The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.

A. had been dead               B. suffered from loss of memory

C. had run away from him      D. might appear again one day

Customs are social habits. They have been handed down through generations (代) among groups, social classes, etc. Customs can be described as ways of doing things. They are particularly (特别) strong in social practices on the occasions (场合) of births, marriages and deaths.

In China, these days, some people in cities are learning from Western customs. For example, some brides dress in the long white dress that is usual bridal wear in many Western countries.

Every people (民族) has special customs for New Year. The Han people have many interesting Spring Festival customs. And now, quite a number of people living in the cities have followed the Western customs of sending New Year greeting cards for January 1st.

One interesting custom in China is that mothers wrap (包) up their babies tightly (紧紧的).This is not the custom in Western countries, where babies are usually dressed in loose garments.

6. It is true that customs      .

  A. have been formed during a short time

  B. have been formed little by little

  C. have been quickly formed and changed

  D. have never been changed

7. In this passage, the word “garment” is      .

  A. a kind of food        B. a bed

  C. a sort of clothes      D. a room

8. How do the Chinese young people learn from Western countries at their marriages?

  A. The brides（新娘）have on the white clothes.

  B. Men wear the white coats.

  C. Their parents all have attended their marriages.

  D. Their marriages are only held in the men’s homes.

9. From this passage we know      .

  A. the people all over China spend New Year in the same way

  B. people in the villages and cities send New Year greeting cards to each other

  C. each people has his special custom for New Year

  D. most of Chinese people take Spring Festival seriously

10. The difference about clothing between Chinese and Western babies is that      .

  A. Chinese babies are usually dressed in new clothes

  B. Chinese mothers are used to dressing their babies in colourful clothes

  C. Western babies are dressed in bigger clothes while Chinese babies are usually wrapped

  D. Western babies have more clothes than Chinese babies

"Time is a problem for children," states a news report for a new Swiss watch. Children in some countries" learn time slowly" because" they don’t wear watches" and " parents don’t really know how to teach them time. " The children grow up with this handicap and become adults (成人) —and then can’t get to work on time. Is there an answer to this problem? Of course — it’s the Flik Flak, made by a famous Swiss watch company.

The Flik Flak is being marketed as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10. The watch itself does not teach children how to tell time, of course; it merely " takes their imagination" by presenting the " hour" hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the " minute" hand as a tall blue boy named Flik. Flik points to related" blue" minutes on the dial, while Flak points to " red" hour numbers. The characters and colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time.

The watch comes equipped with a standard battery (电池) and a nylon band (尼龙表带). Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flik Flak, calls it " childproof if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing ma??chine. " The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a suggested price of $25. Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing to tell time; it’s quite another for them to be on time.

1. From the news report we know that ______.

A. parents are patient when teaching children time

B. parents have little idea of how to teach children time

C. children are likely to learn time quickly

D. children enjoy wearing the Flik Flak watch

2. The author doesn’t seem to believe ______.

A. children will be on time if they have learnt how to tell time

B. a Flik Flak can help parents teach their children how to tell time

C. the Flik Flak can take children’s imagination

D. children usually have trouble telling time if they don’t wear watches

3. The underlined word handicap in Para. 1 means

A. displeasure        B. discouragement        C. disappointment     D. disadvantage

4. The United State sales manager calls the new watch " childproof" because ______.

A. it is designed to teach children to be on time

B. it proves to be effective in teaching children time

C. it is made so as not to be easily damaged by children

D. it is the children’s favorite watch

—— Are you a visitor here?

—— That’s right.I＿＿＿round the world and now my dream of coming to China＿＿＿true.

A.have traveled； has come    B.was traveling； had been come

C.am traveling； has come     D.have traveled； has been come

——Where do you think＿＿＿＿＿he＿＿＿＿the computer?

—— Sorry.I have no idea.

A.has ； bought     B.／ ； bought  C.did ； buy     D.had ； bought

Tom wanted to play football with his friends in the street, but his father told him＿＿＿＿＿.

A.not to     B.not to do  C.not do it     D.do not to

She ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ red with anger as soon as she heard the news.

A.went     B.stayed     C.became     D.remained

She ＿＿＿＿＿ like her mother in character.

A.feels     B.seems     C.looks     D.is

＿＿＿＿being March 12th, they planted trees on the hill.

A.That　　B.It is　 C.It　　　    D.This

Without your help, I ＿＿＿＿the exam last term.

A. failed in     B. would have failed  C. wouldn’t pass     D. would fail