My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent. I tried to do my best
to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior
year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this
rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
     One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. "Please God, I can't do
anything more for my son. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you."
     I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. "I want to talk to
you about Karl's absences." Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and
sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. "I love my son but I just don't know what
to do. I've tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It's out of my hands."
For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, "Thank you for
your time", and hung up.
      Karl's next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally,  he even made the honor
roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were
astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, "Mum, remember that call
from the headmaster last year?" I nodded. "That was me. I thought I'd play a joke but when I heard what you
said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That's when I knew I had to make you proud."

1. By saying "Karl became withdrawn", the author means that the boy changed entirely and _____.

A. preferred to stay alone at home
B. lost interest in his studies
C. refused to talk to others
D. began to dislike his mother

2. There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.

A. the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother
B. the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking
C. the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice
D. the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother

3. The sentence"…he even made the honor roll" means that"_____ ".

A. he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting
B. he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades
C. he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around
D. he was even on the list of the best students at school

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.
B. Mother's love plays an important role in teenagers' life.
C. Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.
D. School education doesn't work without full support from parents.

    Bob always took the newspaper to Grandpa White's home last before going home. Grandpa
White's was at the end of the road. Bob liked Grandpa White. He was often waiting for him
near the front gate with sweets or a nice cake. Besides, he often asked Bob about things
he was doing-about what he was going to do for the summer and what he liked to do.
    The thing that Bob didn't like about Grandpa was his never-ending stories about his
boyhood (童年)in California. Bob never asked to hear about Grandpa's boyhood, but he could
n't get away.
    After Grandpa's wife died in October, Bob could see that Grandpa was lonelier than
ever. He would often join Bob halfway along the road and walk along with him as he gave
out the papers. Grandpa seemed to have all day, and Bob often was late getting his papers
to his customers (订报者), Bob didn't want to complain (抱怨), but the customers were
unhappy.

1. When he took the newspaper to Grandpa White, Bob would often receive _____.

A. old newspapers
B. sweets or a cake
C. some money
D. a paper with questions for him to answer

2. Which do you think is true?

A. Bob lived with Grandpa. 　
B. Grandpa had many stories about his boyhood.
C. Grandpa didn't like to read newspapers.
D. Bob took the newspaper to Grandpa first.

3. Bob could do nothing when _____.

A. the customers got their newspapers late
B. Grandpa began to tell him about his boyhood
C. he saw Grandpa feeling lonely
D. Grandpa asked him about the things he was doing

4. The reading mainly (主要) tells us that _____.

A. Bob was still a child
B. Grandpa liked to tell stories
C. the customers sometimes got angry
D. lonely people need other people

5. The sentence "Grandpa seemed to have all day" means "_____".

A. Grandpa always seemed to like daytime
B. Grandpa liked telling stories to Bob all day
C. Grandpa liked to stay with Bob all the time
D. Grandpa seemed to be lonely all day

     An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow
(乌鸦) landed on their window.
     The father asked his son, "What is that?"
     The son replied, "That is a crow."
     After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, "What is this?"
     The son said, "Father, I told you just now. It's a crow."
     After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, "What is this?"
     This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, "It's a crow, a crow." 
     After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, "What is this?"
     This time his son shouted at his father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again?
I have told you already, 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?"
     A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son
was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
     Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window
edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him
lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn't at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my
son.
     If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to
them. From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since
I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the best
way no matter how they behave."

1. The writer mainly intends to _____.

A. tell us the function of a diary
B. call on us to love our parents
C. teach us what a crow is
D. introduce a pair of son and father

2. The underlined word "affection" (last but one Para.) probably means _____.

A. puzzlement
B. hatred (恨)
C. worry
D. love

3. We can infer that the father wrote that piece of diary at the age of _____.

A. eighty
B. three
C. thirty-eight
D. forty-five

4. The old man brought out the diary, which he had kept since his son was born, because _____.

A. he forgot what had happened
B. he would like his son to read it
C. it could remind himself of the past
D. he wanted to find what a crow was

     The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold
wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated (愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a
box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next
morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
     The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out
the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there
is supposed to be something inside?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh,
Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
     The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
     Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold
box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss
and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
     In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with
unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no
other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

1. The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for _____.

A. wasting gold
B. wasting wrapping paper
C. putting the box under the Christmas tree
D. bringing the gift to her father

2. What's inside the box according to the little girl?

A. nothing
B. air
C. kisses
D. gold wrapping paper

3. Choose the best title for the passage.

A. The kisses in the box.
B. A girl and his father.
C. A love story.
D. The box under the Christmas tree.

     He was the baby with no name. Found and taken from the north Atlantic 6 days after the sinking of the
Titanic in 1912, his tiny body so moved the salvage (救援) workers that they called him "our baby." In their
home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, people collected money for a headstone in front of the baby's grave (墓),
carved with the words:"To the memory of an unknown child." He has rested there ever since.
     But history has a way of uncovering its secrets. On Nov. 5, this year, three members of a family from
Finland arrived at Halifax and laid fresh flowers at the grave. "This is our baby," says Magda Schleifer, 68, a
banker. She grew up hearing stories about a great-aunt named Maria Panula,42, who had sailed on the Titanic
for America to be reunited with her husband. According to the information Mrs. Schleifer had gathered, Panula
gave up her seat on a lifeboat to search for her five children -- including a 13-month-old boy named Eino from
whom she had become separated during the final minutes of the crossing."We thought they were all lost in the
sea," says Schleifer.
     Now, using teeth and bone pieces taken from the baby's grave, scientists have compared the DNA from
the Unknown Child with those collected from members of five families who lost relatives on the Titanic and
never recovered the bodies. The result of the test points only to one possible person: young Eino. Now, the
family sees: no need for a new grave. "He belongs to the people of Halifax," says Schleifer. "They've taken
care of him for 90 years."
                                                                      Adapted from People, November 25, 2002

1. The baby travelled on the Titanic with his _____.

A. mother
B. parents
C. aunt
D. relatives

2. What is probably the boy's last name?

A. Schleiferi.
B. Eino.
C. Magda.
D. Panula.

3. Some members of the family went to Halifax and put flowers at the child's grave on Nov. 5 _____.

A. 1912
B. 1954
C. 2002
D. 2004

4. This text is mainly about how _____.

A. the unknown baby's body was taken from the north Atlantic
B. the unknown baby was buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia
C. people found out who the unknown baby was
D. people took care of the unknown baby for 90 years

     Say you are a 17th century construction worker who's worked long and hard to build a splendid tower
for the dead wife of your emperor.
     Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is
the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as
impressive (印象深刻的) as the building itself.
     First, there's the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah
Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness
came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out.
It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial (纪念物) to
celebrate their love.
     When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife's death, his people were shocked to see that
his coal-black hair had turned snow-white. Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife's dying wish
carried out. More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan
placed Mumtaz's remains in the center under the building.
     And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging
father. Hehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact－imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal.
Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But
never again would he be allowed to visit it－until he was buried next to his wife.
     Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange,
sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired (激发……的灵感)
its construction.

1. The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____.

A. the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building
B. ancient Indian emperors were cruel
C. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India
D. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

2. The Taj Mahal was first built as _____.

A. a prison
B. a gift to Mumtaz
C. a memorial building
D. a tourist attraction

3. We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____.

A. 1626
B. 1632
C. 1634
D. 1653

4. The underlined word "happiness" in the last sentence refers to _____.

A. The married happiness of the emperor and his wife 
B. The great pleasure jehan once found in excercising his power 
C. The happiness jehan found on  completing the Taj Mahai 
D. The pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahai 

     Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore
without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
     When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard,
who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from
her demanding job.
     They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry."We knew it had to be a specialty
store because we couldn't match the big chains dollar for dollar," says Mary. One figure caught her attention:
She'd read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries (推理小说), and many buyers
spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
     On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three
children in college, the couple could not spend all the family's money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000
cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.
     The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up
with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and
served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.
     Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the
six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
     "The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income," says Richard."This has always
been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money."

1. When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.

A. they had to put their plan into practice
B. health was more important than wealth
C. heart trouble was a serious illness
D. they both needed to stop working

2. After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.

A. to study industrial management
B. to buy and read more mystery books
C. to do market research on book business
D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore

3. How did their bookstore do in the first year?

A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.
B. They made just enough to cover all the costs.
C. They succeeded in earning a lot of money.
D. They failed though they worked hard.

4. According to Richard, the main purpose of running the bookstore is _____.

A. to pay for their children's education
B. to get to know more writers
C. to set up more bookstores
D. to do what they like to do