It was an unforgettable experience. By the time we made it to the 36  , my hands were wet. I 37   he would remember everything I had taught him over and over again. 38 he stopped and asked, “So, Mom, how do you like my 39 ?”
I must admit that his performance was 40 . He had both hands on the wheel. His eyes never left the highway and his handling was far better than I’d ever imagined it would be, 41 it still needed improving.
Several 42 ago, I was teaching him to ride his bike. We started 43 . The third grade primary school student was 44 that his training wheels were taken off. Of course it was a long evening. He 45 several times but always got up quickly and kept 46 until he mastered riding.
Viewing the 47 , I guess it really wasn’t about him driving. It was about him 48 ---gaining more and more independence; not 49 me so much anymore.
He will be a(n) 50 in high school this fall. This will truly be a 51 year for both of us. He’s ready to have one of the best years of his young life and I will have (a) complete mental 52 . For this is probably the last year that my baby will be at home on a(n) 53 basis.
After this school year, he’ll go to college and then into the real world. Things all happen so 54  .
Now I see the time has just arrived for him to perform what he’s learned.
So, I guess you could say his driving lessons are lessons for me too. Yes, I’m being 55  that it’s his time to drive through life’s green lights and move towards his future as smoothly and skillfully as possible.

Last winter, when I was heavily pregnant, I was visiting my sister and brother-in-law's house and had to park in a nearby parking lot because they didn't have accessible parking. The snow was extremely heavy and there was lots of ice on the ground --- not many people had ventured out that evening!

When I returned to my car around 11pm, I noticed that I was the only car left. Nervously, I hopped into the car and let it warm up a bit. When I finally tried to drive away, my wheels began to spin. I was stuck! I spun and spun and wondered what to do.

All of a sudden, in my rear view mirror, I saw four teen-aged boys approaching my car. They were walking side by side in a line and dressed a bit like gang members --- at least I thought that's what they looked like. My car was in a very isolated area and I began to panic. I was certain they were coming to my car to harm me. Terrified, I just froze. One of the young men tapped on my window and said "Excuse me, Ma'am, can we help you? You seem stuck." Still afraid and fearing the worst, I said "I am stuck." And the young man said "It's okay, stay in your car and we'll push you out of the snow." And they did!

When they finally got me out of the snow, they smiled and waved. I rolled down my window and thanked them, embarrassed to have judged them so poorly.

1.Why did the author just freeze when the four young men walking toward her car?

A. Because she was afraid of being harmed.

B. Because she sat in her car for too long a time.

C. Because she was cold indeed in that freezing evening.

D. Because she knew they would rob her of the car.

2.Which of the following words can best describe the four young men?

A. Impolite.                       B. Ill-mannered.

C. Unfriendly                              D. Warm-hearted.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. One of the four teenagers was a gang member.

B. The kids wanted to help the author out of trouble.

C. The author would have a baby in her car.

D. The young men enjoyed pushing cars out of the snow.

4.The best title for the text would be___________

A. Every man has his faults

B. Fortune favors those who use their judgment

C. Don't judge a book by its cover

D. Think twice before you do.

The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful. So wide and varied are the uses of the wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them. It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century by an invention so new as to be still unnamed.

The invention is a machine the floats above any surface on a cushion of air. The cushion is formed when air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet.

Industry is already using one form of the inversion to deal with heavy loads. It can lift them. with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction , they can be put into motion with the touch of a finger.

The new invention, however , is having a great effect on transport, Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel well over land or water. This unique to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction that wheeled vehicles may be uncommon at the end the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning.

1. The first paragraph tells us that______.

A. the wheel was man’s earliest invention.

B. the wheel’s usefulness has yet to be proved.

C. wide wheels have a variety of important uses.

D. a new invention may make wheels less important.

2. The phrase “with the touch of a finger” in the third paragraph means______.

A. without difficulty                   B. by electricity .

C. without friction                    D. by hand.

3. The passage tells us that the new invention __________.

A. is more important for industry than for transport.

B. will one day be used instead of aeroplanes.

C. makes it possible to travel without using roads.

D. will replace wheeled vehicles using roads.

4. According to the passage, the new invention _______.

A. will soon get a name                        B. can go almost anywhere

C. is lighter than air                             D. was uncommon a century ago

Thousands of years ago people guessed the time of day by watching the sun.

Later，they found it was easier to tell the exact time by looking at the shadows.Thus， the sundial(日晷) was invented.

The sundial proved a useful timepiece  in sunny weather. However，another typc of  timepiece was necessary  for cloudy weather and nigh time.A sand glass was another  common measurer of time.Two glass bottles were connected by a very  small opening.  The top bottle was filled with sand，which dropped slowly into the botton one in a  certain period of time.Hour glasses were widely used then.Three—minute sand glasses  are still used in many homes to time the boiling of eggs.

The real ancestor of modern clocks was the water clock.In China ,an early  water clock was made up of several bowls. Water trickled(滴) from one bowl to another to keep the clock  going. Visitors to the  Beijing Palace Museum can still see the old  water clocks showing the time there.

In the Middle Ages a wateless clock was invented which  worked by means of  weights. To keep  the  weight  falling  at  the  same  speed，a  system  of wheels  was  invented. The pendulum(钟摆) was  soon  developed  to control  the  speed of the  wheels. Thus the modern form of clock came into being.

9.Which of the following is the correct picturr of a sand glass?

            A.                       B.                       C.                     D.

10.Three minute sand glasses are still used in many homes         .

A.to boil eggs                           B.to measure the time of boiling eggs

C.to hold the boiled eggs                 D.to have eggs boiled

11.If you visit Beijing Palace Museum, you         .

A.will see the old water clocks broken

B.will find the time shown by the old water clocks is wrong

C.can find the old water clocks still telling the time there

D.will find the old water clocks have gone

12.In the Middle Ages the weight falling speed of a clock was kept by .

A.several bowls                         B.a system of wheels

C.a system of pendulum                  D.several springs