I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s this lady near my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked. “It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.

My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.

It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.

I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids joked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.

But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.

I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have – a great family, nice friends.”

It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.

49. Why did the mother apologize to the author?

A. Because the boy ran into the author.

B. Because the boy laughed at the author.

C. Because they boy said the author was fatter than him.

D. Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author.

50.When did the author realize that she was too short?

A. When she grew up.

B. When she was 47 years old.  

C. When she began to go to school.

D. When she met the boy in the supermarket.

51.Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?

A. doubted         B. increased        C. decreased       D. improved

52.How does the author feel about people’s stares now?

A. Angry       B. Calm      C. Painful     D. Discouraged

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores(杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering. I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.

My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper… On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(过渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing.

A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all. My bags were packed and by the door.

The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.

Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment(责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

61. What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

A. To write some great books.                           B. To stay away from busy schedules.

C. To teach his grandchildren.                            D. To plan for his future.

62. Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

A. He wasn’t satisfied with his retired life.   B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.

C. He was concerned about the people there.       D. He missed his students in that country.

63. The underlined part “the tables have turned” (Paragraph 5) most probably means that the writer ______.

A. improved the situation in his school        B. felt happy to work with students again

C. changed his attitude toward his retirement       D. became a learner rather than a teacher

64. What does the writer think of his retired life now?

A. Meaningful.               B. Troublesome.        C. Relaxing.            D. Disappointing.

Twelve-year-old Paul Crossnickle has lived as a hero for six years now. It wasn’t until he wrote a composition for a recent class project, however, that he got the recognition he should have got.

On July 27, 1991, Paul saved his three-year-old sister Julie from drowning in the family swimming pool. When he found her, he jumped in, pulled her off the bottom and brought her to the ground.

Their father was trying to bring Julie to life when fire fighters arrived. She survived without serious injury.

Last month, in Paul’s seventh-grade language arts class at Juniper Elementary School, teacher Liliana Mauro asked students to write about an important event in their lives. Paul wrote about rescuing Julie.

“He was somewhat disappointed, for he was never recognized for his deed,” Principal Mondragon said. “Mrs. Mauro telephoned the Fire Department and looked into what they could do for him.”

The school held a regular gathering for their teachers and 200 pupils, which surprised Paul Firefighters from a local station joined Assistant Fire Chief Dave Horn and the city officials who presented Paul with a plaque (徽章) that recognized him “for his heroic efforts preventing a needless loss of life in a near-drowning accident.”

Paul’s parents, Alan and Kathy Crossnickle, were there as well as Julie.

“Paul’s story was one of success…and his sister was able to survive with all her faculties in place,” fire Captain Steve Valenzuela said. “This should remind everyone else that because of Paul’s quick action, knowing to get his sister out of the pool and calling 911 and beginning CPR probably saved her life.”

65. The correct order of the story is _____.

   a. Paul became a known hero      

b. Paul wrote a composition    c. Paul pulled his three-year—old sister off the bottom.      d. Paul’s parents were present at the gathering.   

   e. Mrs. Mauro connected the Fire Department    f. Paul was given a plaque.

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

66. Fire Captain Steve meant that _______ when he said that Julie survived “with all her faculties in place.”

  A. Julie was saved undamaged             

B. Julie was frightened though she was saved

  C. Julie was sent to hospital without delay    

D. Julie was able to return to the place because of Paul’s rescue

67. What conclusion can we get from the text?

  A. Paul’s parents didn’t want Paul to be a hero at all.

  B. The school wanted other students to learn from Paul.

  C. Mrs. Mauro was fond of Paul very much.

  D. Paul looked forward to being a hero for six years.

One day Mrs. Perry said to her husband,“Jack, there is a meeting of our ladies’ club at Mrs. Young’s house at lunch time today. And I want to go to it. I’ll leave you some food for your lunch. Is that all right?”

       “Oh, yes,” her husband answered,“that’s quite all right. What are you going to leave for my lunch?”

       “This tin of fish.” Mrs. Perry said.“And there are some cold boiled potatoes and some beans here, too.”

       “Good,” Mr. Perry answered. “I’ll have a good lunch.”

       So Mrs. Perry went to her meeting. All the ladies had lunch at Mrs. Young’s house , and at three o’clock she came home.

       “Was your fish nice?”asked she.

       “Yes, but my feet are hurting,”he answered.

       “Why are they hurting?”

       “Well, the words on the tin were Open the tin and stand in hot water for five minutes.”

57．Mrs. Perry went to the meeting because      .

       A．she had something to do with the ladies’ club

       B．she was a member of the ladies’ club

       C．she wanted to join the club

       D．she was a friend of Mrs. Young’s

58．Mrs. Perry left home some food for Jack’s lunch because       .

       A．she didn’t cooking   B．Jack knew nothing about cooking

       C．she wanted Jack to have a good time      D．she wanted to go to the meeting very much

59．Which of the following is not true?

      A．Mrs. Perry arrived at Mrs. Young’s before lunch

       B．Mr. Perry had a good lunch

       C．Mrs. Perry wanted to test her husband

       D．Mr. Perry liked fish

60．Jack had his feet hurt      .

       A．when he was opening the tin   B．when he was helping himself to the fish

       C．before he opened the tin  D．after he opened the tin

61．“Open the tin and stand in hot water for five minutes”means       .

       A．you should open the tin and stand in hot water for 5 minutes

       B．you should open the tin but not stand in hot water for 5 minutes

       C．you should not open the tin but stand in hot water for 5 minutes

       D．you should open the tin and let is stand in hot water for 5 minutes

The thing was a hot one! A farmer had shot two wolves on purpose. He had seen the wolves on his farm and decided to get them before they caused trouble. He knew wolves were a kind of protected animals. However, he also knew most of his neighbors would shoot wolves, too. Shortly after the farmer skinned（剥皮）the wolves, problems began. It seemed that someone didn’t like the idea of killing wolves after all. The officials had arrived. Out-of-town reporters got hold of the story. And now the farmer was on trial（审判）for his killing of the wolves.

62．“The thing was a hot one!”means       .

       A．“The thing makes people hot.”     B．“The thing draws much attention.”

       C．“The thing was against the law.”   D．“The thing changes the weather.”

63．The farmer did the thing because       .

      A．he didn’t know about the law

       B．his neighbor would do the same thing

       C．he was afraid the wolves would cause trouble

       D．the wolves entered his farm

64．Wolves should       according to this passage.

       A．be protected            B．not cause trouble

       C．be killed if they cause trouble D．not enter places where people live

65．Which of the following is not true?

       A．The story was soon known in other places.

       B．Someone didn’t want wolves to be killed so the farmer was on trial.

       C．The farmer was guilty（有罪）of his killing.

       D．The local government took measures for the thing.

66．The best title for this passage is       .

       A．Don’t be Against Laws    B．Protecting Animals

       C．Animals Should Live in the Wild    D．A Serious Social Problem

Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.

There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl(爬行) into the house. “Look! In comes one,” she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said, “Let us two try to crawl into the house together.” At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house, too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two, catch them!” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said, “You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started running away at once.

The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein(缰绳)broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “I asked you to fetch a rope, why don’t you hurry for it?” The two thieves ran away very quickly without their sweet potatoes.

56. The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because _____.

57. From the last paragraph, we know that _____.

58. The woman said, “How they look like the two of last night.” Here “the two” refers to _____.

The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?

     First we had to read about ancient Egyptians and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art.

     On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother' s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting ! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.

53. The aim of the mother' s plan was to _________.

  A. take them to visit the museum              B. introduce them to the world of art

  C. ask them to read about artists               D. show them different painting styles

54. What was the writer' s experience in the museum before the last visit?

  A. She came to feel her mother' s love.   B. She liked many paintings.

  C. She hardly enjoyed herself.             D. She could understand the pictures of fat babies.

55. What made the writer go through a change that summer?

  A. One of Mary's paintings.           B. A strange way of painting.

  C. Artists in the Middle Ages.          D. Her mother' s instruction.

56. From the text, we can see _________.

  A. the importance of curiosity          B. the effect of art

  C. the value of learning                D. the power of family education

About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and — WHUMP! — it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! SCREECH...!!!! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s my new car.  That brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please....I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!" begged the boy. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. "It’s my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled of the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. "Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman," Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow (咽下) the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the black, shining Jaguar XKE — a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.

57. The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because ____________.

A. the businessman drove at a high speed                   B. he envied the new car very much

C. he wanted to ask for some money                         D. he wanted to get help from the driver

58. Which of the following is the right order of the story?

a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car.  b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.

c. The younger brother begged Josh for help. 

d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair.   e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.

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

59. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Josh would accept the money from the kids.          B. The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.

C. Josh was a kind-hearted man.                               D. Josh’s new car broke down easily.

60. According to the passage, the underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ____________.

A. trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life

B. driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous

C. trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble

D. protecting oneself from being hurt

It all began as we were standing in front of the bathroom mirror, while I fixed Amanda's blonde hair. I said, “I love you, Amanda.” “And, I love you,” she replied. “Well, I love you more.” Her eyes lit up as she recognized the cue (暗示) for the start of another “I love you more” match. “Nuh-uh,” she laughed. “I love you the most.” “I love you bigger than a volcano!” I countered---a favorite family phrase in these battles of love. “But, Mom, I love you from here to China.” A country she’s learning about from our new neighbors up the street.

We volleyed back and forth a few favorite lines. “I love you more than peanut butter.” “Well, I love you more than television.” “I even love you more than bubble gum.” It was my turn again, and I made the move that usually brought victory. “I love you bigger than the universe!” On this day, however, Amanda was not going to give up. I could see she was thinking. “Mom,” she said in a quiet voice, “I love you more than myself.”

I stopped, surprised by her sincerity. Here I thought I knew more than she did. I thought I knew at least everything that she knew. But I didn’t know this. My four-year-old daughter knows more about love than her 28-year-old mom.

61. From the passage, we can know the two people _____________.

    A. often quarreled with each other              B. felt bored about the real life

    C. were fixing each other’s hair                  D. loved each other deeply

62. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. I Love You More                                  B. My Daughter Grows Up

C. Parents’ Love                                        D. Children’s Love

A thief returned a mobile phone and thousands of yuan he had stolen from a woman after receiving 21 text messages from her, a local newspaper reported.

Pan Aiying, a Chinese teacher at Wutou Middle School in Qihe County, in East China’s Shandong Province, didn’t think her text messages would help to get her belongings(财物) back.

A young man riding a motorcycle robbed her of her bag, in which there was her mobile phone, bank cards and 4,900 yuan, as she was riding her bicycle home on Saturday evening.

Pan said at first she considered calling the police, but then decided to try to persuade（说服）the young man to return her bag. Pan called her lost phone with her friend’s, but couldn’t get through. So she began sending messages.

“Hey, I’m Pan Aiying, a teacher from Wutou Middle School. You must be going through a difficult time. If so, I will not blame you.” Wrote Pan in her first text message, which got no answer. “Keep the 4,900 yuan if you really need it, but please return the other things to me. You are still young. To make mistakes is human. Correcting your mistake is more important than anything.” Pan wrote in another message.

She gave up hope after sending 21 text messages without any answer and planned to call the police the next morning. However, as she left her home on Sunday morning, Pan found her stolen bag lying in the courtyard. Nothing was lost.

“Pan: I am sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me. You are so kind even though I stole from you. I’ll correct my ways and be an honest person,” said a letter left with the bag.

58. Where was Pan Aiying robbed?

A. In the school.   B. At home.   C. In the courtyard.   D. on her way home

59. Why didn’t Pan Aiying call the police at first?

A. Because she thought the police wouldn’t help her.

B. Because it was too late at that time.

C. Because she wanted to communicate with the thief first.

D. Because her friend asked her not to.

60. How long was Pan Aiying’s bag missing? 

A. About two days.                      B. About 12 hours.  

C. About one day and a half.               D. About 24 hours.

61. From the news we can learn that ____________.

A. the young man would not steal any more

B. Pan Aiying didn’t give up hope after sending 21 text messages

C. the young man would pay a visit to Pan Aiying personally

D. Pan Aiying teaches English in a middle school in Shandong Province