Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson,Arizona.
He moved there a few years ago,and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
     My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his
work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him, he seemed
unhappy with me unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers
were not as "successful" as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to
struggle to think up things to say , feeling on guard.
     On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an
outdoor cafe. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table,
and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Cone was my father's critical air and
strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and
interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
     The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories
about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years , I
never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I'm at last seeing another
side of my father. And in so doing, l'm delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new
home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.

1. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He was silent most of the time.
B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He did not love his children.
D. He expected too much of her.

2. When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel __________.

A. nervous
B. sorry
C. tired
D. safe

3. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A. More critical.
B. More talkative.
C. Gentle and friendly
D. Strict and hard-working.

4. The underlined words "my new friend" in the last paragraph refer to_________.

A. the author's son
B. the author's father
C. the friend of the author's father
D. the cafe owner

     We were on our way home from Houston, Texas around the Weston Lakes area one
Saturday morning. We decided to stop at a local gas station to get coffee and something
to snack on since it was a good hour and a half before we got home.
     When we were done, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a
man standing outside in front of the building. He was a homeless man with worn clothes
and it looked like he had gone in and gotten himself some coffee or something warm to
drink since it was cold this time of the year. He must have not had enough money to get
something to eat.
     Then a dog walked up to the front of the building. I could tell she was a female,
because you could see that she had been feeding puppies ( baby dogs) . She was terribly
in need of something to eat and I felt so bad for her. I knew if she didn't eat soon, she
and her puppies would not make it.
     I and my wife sat there and looked at her. We noticed that people walked by and
didn't even pet her, like most people do when they walk by an animal in front of a store.
We still did not do anything. But the homeless man, who I thought did not buy himself
anything to eat, went back into the store. And what he did brought tears to me and my wife.
He had gone into the store and with what money he may have had,bought a can of dog
food and fed that dog.
     This story plays a great part in our lives. You see, that was Mother's Day weekend.
And a lot of people forget that some animals are parents too.
     It took a homeless man, to show me what I should have done. He made me a better
man that day.

1. The homeless man only had something to drink because___________.

A. he didn't have enough money for food
B. he was thirsty only
C. the store only provided drinks
D. he felt cold that day

2. Seeing what the poor man did for the dog, the author and his wife _________

A. were puzzled
B. were greatly moved
C. regretted they hadn't done anything
D. were indifferent

3. If the homeless man hadn't given the dog food to eat, she and her babies would _________.

A.not survive
B. have to attack people
C. not have to die
D. lose their homes

4. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A. A Kind Homeless Man
B. A Lucky Mother Dog
C. Mother Day's Weekend
D. Animals Are Parents Too

     Even before my father left us,my mother had to go back to work to support our family.Once
I came out of the kitchen,complaining,"Mom,I can't peel potatoes.I have only one
hand."
     Mom never looked up from sewing."You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those
potatoes," she told me."And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again!"
In the second grade,our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race
across the monkey bars,swinging from one high steel rod to the next.When it was my turn,
     I shook my head.Some kids behind me laughed,and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it.She hugged me,and I saw her "we'll see about that"
look.The next afternoon,she took me back to school.At the deserted playground,Mom
looked carefully at the bars.
    "Now,pull up with your right arm," she advised.She stood by as I struggled to lift myself
with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow.Day after day we
practiced,and she praised me for every rung I reached.I'll never forget the next time,
crossing the rungs,I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night,after a dance at my new junior high,I lay in bed sobbing.I could hear Mom come
into my room."Mom," I said,weeping,"none of the boys would dance with me."
     For a long time,I didn't hear anything.Then she said,"Oh,honey,someday you'll be
beating those boys off with a bat." Her voice was faint and cracking.I peeked out from my
covers to see tears running down her cheeks.Then I knew how much she suffered on my
behalf.She had never let me see her tears.

1. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom's attitude
when she made the child peel potatoes?

A. Cruel.  
B. Serious.  
C. Strict.  
D. Cold.

2. From the passage,we know monkey bars can help a child train________.

A. the skill to throw and catch things
B. the speed of one's hand movement
C. the strength and skill to hang and sway
D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar

3. What does the sentence "I saw her 'we'll see about that' look" imply?

A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.
C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

4. When the child looked down at the kids,they were standing with their mouths open
because_____

A. they felt sorry for what they had done before
B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt
C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars
D. they were astonished to find the author's progress

5. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is________.

A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep
B. the child's experience reminded Mom of that of her own
C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph
D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child's growth

     It was a very cold evening,an old man was waiting for a ride across the river.He saw several
horsemen pass by but he didn't ask for any help.The wait seemed __1__(end)．Then came
another rider,the old man __2__(catch)his eye and said,"Sir,would you mind doing me a
favor?"
     Stopping his horse,he replied,"Of course."Almost __3__(freeze),the old man could not
get __4__ the ground.The horseman helped him onto his horse.He took the old man not just
across the river,__5__ to his home.
     "Sir,you didn't even ask the other riders for help,why?What __6__ I had said 'no'
and left you there?" the horseman asked.
      The old man looked at him straight in the eye and said,"I looked into their eyes,and I
found they didn't care,__7__ told me it would be useless,but when I looked into __8__,
I saw kindness."
     These words touched the rider deeply."Thank you for __9__ you've said.I hope I will
never be too busy to help others."With that,Thomas Jefferson,the __10__(three)president
of the US,turned his horse around and went away.

   While my friends attended their universities in great delight,l restarted my senior high school life.
My spirit sank at the thought of staring all over again. Surrounded by strange classmates,l felt like
I was in a maze (迷宫)  and was sorry for myself. There were some complex feelings in my mind.
I was frightened ,nervous and lonely.
     To make matters worse,I recalled my failure again and again, which put more pressure on me
than I could bear. As a result,l was always feeling down during class.
      My teacher found me spiritless. One day he asked me to come to his office and told me about
his attitude towards Iife: we might suffer from making mistakes, but it's important to model ourselves
into the people we will become. All the growing pains and the embarrassing things we may experience
are part of the process. We never stop growing up,so learn from it and keep up your spirit! At last ,
he added , " If you are optimistic , things you want may happen to
you !"
     Warm feelings rushed through my soul. I suddenly found the sun shining again when I stepped out
of his office.
     With the teacher's help,l eventually got over my depression. From then on,l no longer bowed(垂下)
  my head but began smiling to my classmates. I would put up my hand confidently in class and play
with my new friends in my spare time. Meanwhile, I was gradually embraced by my classmates.
     Now faced with fierce competition, we all study strenuously(奋发地) .and every second counts.
However, there is an atmosphere of mutuai(相互的)  trust and respect between us. I love my class;
  I love my classmates !
      To  be frank ,I still have a thirst for my dream university , but I'm not afraid of the failure because
I can profit by it. With parents and teachers' great expectation, I'm quite certain of my future and I'm
sure I can fly high.

1. Why did the teacher have a talk with the author?   

A. He found the author in a bad mood.
B. He thought the author very talkative.
C. It was his duty to talk to a new student.
D. The author impressed the teacher favorably.

2. What can we leam about the teacher from Paragraph 3?   

A. He has once made some mistakes in his life.
B. He is very optimistic about his future success.
C. He instructs the author to develop a positive attitude.
D. He thinks one can't grow up without bad experiences.

3. The underlined word " embraced"  in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by__________.

A. hugged                
B. accepted
C. understood            
D. recognized

4. How can you describe the author's feeling from the last two paragraphs ? 

A. Depressed.            
B. Pessimistic.
C. Satisfied.              
D. Confident.

5. The moral lesson we learn from author's story is that________.    

A. challenges we face benefit us
B. it is hard to get over difficulty
C. mutual understanding is critical
D. it is teachers who save our lives

     Night after night,she came to tuck me in,even long after my childhood years.__1   (follow)her
longstanding custom,she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way,then kiss my forehead.
     I don't remember  _ 2 _it first started annoying me-her hands pushing my hair that way.Finally,one
night,I shouted out at her,"Don't do that anymore-your hands are too rough!"She didn't say   3  in reply.But never again   4  my mother close out my day_ 5  that familiar expression of her love.
     Time after time,with the passing years,my __6 _(think)returned to that night.By then I missed my
mother's hands,missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead.
     Now those hands I once thought to be so rough were still doing things for me and my family.I frequently recalled the night my young voice complained.One night,catching Mom's hand in hand,I blurted out how
sorry I was for that night.I thought she'd remember that  _ 7  I did.But Mom didn't know what I   8  _ (talk) about.She had forgotten-and forgiven-long ago.
     That night,I fell asleep with a new _  9   (appreciate)for my gentle mother and 10  caring hands.And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.