My name is Amanda LaMunyon. I have Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism (自闭症). I don’t see myself as a person with a disability. I share who I am when I paint, sing and write.
I started writing poetry because I wanted to tell people what it was like to have Asperger’s syndrome. I don’t know how my life would be different without Asperger’s, but I know I look at the world differently than most people. I’m also learning that you don’t have to be like everybody else. You just have to be confident in who you are.
I discovered I could paint when I was 7. My math teacher Mrs. Brock loved one of my paintings so much that she hung it on the wall in her bedroom. I was so encouraged by her and since then my life has changed greatly.
Soon after, people asked me to show my art for charity events. I began to donate prints of my work for charity auctions (拍卖). I was glad that I really made a difference. I learned that when you give, you receive happiness.
I think it is very important for teens to express themselves. It’s a way to know yourself more clearly. You can turn your thoughts and feelings into a piece of artwork or a poem.
For example, when you paint, colors can help you express different emotions. When you write a poem, you have to get really honest with yourself and not be afraid to write down what you feel.
Creativity makes you unique and sets you apart from others. Creative ideas also help you make your dreams come true. They help you look at things in a new way.
I hope my story helps people to believe they can overcome their challenges and achieve their dreams. I like to encourage others. I know what encouragement has meant to me.
【小题1】The author mentions Mrs. Brock because she ______.

When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate （照亮） me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell...” We have never met.

It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

1.In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to              .

A．share poems and stories with her friend

B．go to her friend’s house regularly

C．become serious about her study

D．learn from her classmates at school

2.In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means              .

A．our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared

B．we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London

C．our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us

D．we parted with each other in London

3.According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend              .

A．call each other regularly                  B．enjoy writing to each other

C．have similar personalities                 D．dream of meeting each other

4.In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to              .

A．seek professional help                   B．break the silence

C．stay with her best friend                  D．be left alone

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A．Noble Companions                      B．Remarkable Imagination

C．Lifelong Friendship                      D．Unforgettable Experiences

C
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate（照亮）me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think:“Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist（心理学家），who will only fill up the healing（愈合的）silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
69. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.
A. become serious about her study
B. go to her friend’s house regularly
C. learn from her classmates at school
D. share poems and stories with her friend
70. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
71. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.
A. call each other regularly
B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other
D. dream of meeting each other
72. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.
A.need professional help       B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend    D. break the silence

Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”
In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers … Be a good citizen … People will take ­advantage of you … Treat others as you wish to be treated … The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return … I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”
She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. On the way she told me about when she was a teenager. She remembers taking pictures for the yearbook with her best friend. She was in the band and played basketball. She got good grades and was a good student.
She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.
As we ate, we got to know each other. She asked if I played any instruments. I replied that I played the violin, cello, and guitar. She told me she played the flute, piano, guitar, and violin. In the middle of our meal, I realized something. And she thought of it at exactly the same time.
“So, what’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m Claire,” I said, startled at our exact same thought. “What’s yours?”
“Joyce,” she said with a smile.
We continued talking, and she asked my favorite subjects in school and if I wanted to go to college. “Hopefully,” I replied. “I’m interested in nursing.”
“I went to college for nursing,” she said.
I was taken aback. How could we have so much in common? Was she pretending so I’d feel sympathy for her? But her eyes were genuine as she said this.
Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?
I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.
She replied, “I used to like lo mein, but pepper chicken was my dad’s favorite, so I get that now.” Noticing that she used the word “was,” I assumed her dad had passed away. I found it sweet that she gave up her favorite in order to honor her dad.
She asked why I was at the mall.
“I’m waiting for friends. We’re going to see ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” I replied, stumbling over the words a bit.
“‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” she echoed in awe. “What’s that about?” I realized that she didn’t see commercials for movies.
I explained the basic plot and she chuckled. “A man who is born 80 years old and ages backwards! That sounds interesting.”
She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.
“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty about wasting so much.
“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”
“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. It sounds like a perfect coincidence, but I can’t help but think that some force compelled us to meet. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless? It seems so unfair. She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. What went wrong? How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?
I feel lucky to have run into Joyce. She changed my outlook. She is still a wonderful person, despite what the world has done to her. I wish her the best, and can only hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life.
【小题1】From the second paragraph we know that the writer _________.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

  During my second year of college I had to look for another place to live in. One Sunday after church the pastor(牧师)   36   me to stay in his daughter’s room because she was studying abroad for one year.

  To be honest, I really didn’t want to stay with the pastor’s family.   37   then he old me how much rent would be—a very   38__ figure that included one home-cooked meal a day. I thought about it and    39   to move in.

   At the end of the term I had planned to make   40   living arrangements, since the daughter was to   41   home. But they suggested I   42   a room with their son. By this time I seemed to have been adopted（收养）into their  43   -- her people became my people. I   44   accepted the offer.

   As I emptied the daughter’s bedroom, I thought it might be   45   to have a little sister. But when I later met her, I   46   that this idea of looking after her might be more interesting than I first   47   .

   We finally fell in love, married, and have been   48   one another for many years. There have been times that life turned out to be   49   than either of us could have known. But we have always been able to go   50 _  largely because we knew that somebody deeply cared.

   It isn’t about marriage—it’s about   51 _  . It’s about mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers and special friends who are as   52 _ as family. It’s about anybody who can say, “I’ll be   53   -- you can count on me. I’ll try to look after you and   54   I will need you to look after me.”

   Is there somebody you can   55  ? And is someone counting on you? We travel the path of life best when there is someone to look after, and when someone is looking after us.

A. required       B. told           C. warned         D. reminded

A. But           B. And           C. So            D. Or

A. high          B. low            C. familiar        D. fair

A. helped        B. refused         C. admitted        D. decided

A. other         B. extra           C. different        D. similar

A. reach         B. sell            C. return          D. leave

A. spare         B. share           C. separate        D. divide

A. house         B. family          C. life            D. group

A. happily       B. sadly            C. curiously       D. nervously

A. strange       B. uneasy           C. nice           D. boring

A. predicted      B. doubted          C. proved         D. realized

A. knew         B. imagined         C. planned        D. promised

A. watching over  B. taking over       C. looking after    D. looking for

A. smoother      B. more challenging  C. flatter          D. more interesting

A. forward       B. backward        C. up             D. down

A. friendship      B. relation         C. love            D. couple

A. perfect        B. lucky           C. distant          D. close

A. away         B. out             C. in              D. around

A. always        B. sometimes       C. never           D. ever

A. believe in      B. depend on       C. take care of      D. watch out for