Though we were poor and struggling, my sister managed to buy me a pair of "magic shoes" that changed
my life.
     Anne is six years older than me. Growing up, we were very poor, and my mother worked evenings at a
factory in a small town. Not seeing my mother much, Anne took over much of the maternal support. During
those teenage years, Anne was always there for me, not only as a big sister, but as a mother and my best
friend.
     When I was seventeen and had no money, I thought my only chance of going to college was if I could
win a scholarship. I had an important interview for such an award. Anne at that time was struggling surviving
on a part-time job. I told her of my interview, that General Motors was sending me a bus ticket, and I would
get to visit the city for my scholarship interview. I was excited about the adventure and asked her advice on
what to wear. I showed her my best outfit and how I planned to be careful, how I sat so that the hole in the
bottom of my shoe would not be seen, but I wasn't sure what I would do if it rained.
     Anne suggested that we go shopping, and we took the bus to a store and we found a beautiful pair of
leather shoes on sale. She told me to try them on, but I thought it was just for fun as neither of us had ever
owned anything that expensive before. But this time was different, Anne handed me the boxed shoes and said,
"Here, I'll buy these for you."
     "But…" was all I could say.
     "You deserve them," she replied. "I want to see you get that scholarship."
     I went to the interview and crossed my legs so that my beautiful new shoes shone with pride. I won the
scholarship and became an engineer. Now, after twenty years have passed, I still have that pair of shoes with
me, and I just wear them on those little occasions when I need to feel special. It's kind of like having magic
ruby slippers when you're homesick.

1. Why did the author say that Anne was like the author's mother?

A. Because she took care of the author.
B. Because Anne was much older than the author.
C. Because Anne looked like the author's mother.
D. Because Anne admired the author's mother.

2. Anne suggested that they go shopping in order to ____.

A. buy a pair of new shoes for the author
B. buy a pair of new shoes for herself
C. repair the author's poor shoes
D. try on different kinds of clothes

3. The interview was successful probably because ____.

A. the interviewers noticed her new shoes and liked them
B. the author looked especially beautiful wearing the shoes
C. the author was confident with the new shoes on
D. the shoes are a pair of "magic shoes"

     Reading about history is nice, but finding ties to long-ago historical events in your own back yard is really
exciting.
     In their heavily populated area, neighbors Adam Giles, 13, and Derek Hann, 12, uncovered pieces of glass
that looked quite different from what's used today. "After digging about two feet down, I came across an
interesting bottle," Derek said. The bottle had a "pontil scar" on the bottom, an indication that it was hand-blown
rather than machine made. It also had the name "Fraser" on one side.
     Adam found remains of a green bottle and some very thick brown glass-again, far different from today's.
     After doing research on the computer, the boys contacted Aimee Wells of the county's (县) Cultural
Resources office. She showed them a computer program that digitally puts old maps over modern satellite
photographs.
     Bingo! Their back yards were once part of a military (军事的) encampment (营地) called Camp Alger used
by Ohio soldiers on their way to fight in the Spanish-American War in 1898.
     So how do a few bottles get connected to a brief war that was more than a century ago? "We get there by
good judgment," Wells said. "We know the time period of the bottles and what happened in that area." Anyone
can dig a hole, but archaeologists seek a deeper understanding. How do objects found relate to things around
them?
     When Derek and Adam realized that a soldier might have held that Fraser bottle 110 years ago, they
wondered what he might have been thinking. What did he see as he looked around him? How did he pass the
time waiting to go into battle?
     Historical records show that while waiting for orders, the soldiers in and around Camp Alger played baseball,
played instruments and walked seven miles to the Potomac River once a week for baths. A spread of strange
fever forced the closing of the camp, and there are no buildings to study. "What's left is only what's in the
ground," Wells said.
     Derek's and Adam's back yards have joined the 3,400 places listed on the county's register of archaeological
sites. The boys were given tips on how to dig effectively and safely, and on how to document the location of items found.
     The official record of their finds serves as another piece of the puzzle for historians seeking to form a more
complete story of what happened.
     "Not everybody is going to have historical objects in their own yard," Wells said. "That's okay. Make your
own time capsule and bury it. What would you want people to know about your life years from now?"

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A. What Adam Giles and Derek Hann found in their back yard and its relationship with an encampment.
B. How Adam Giles and Derek Hann dug out the remains of an ancient military encampment.
C. The great contributions Adam Giles and Derek Hann made to the cause of archaeology.
D. The tips on how to dig out ancient objects buried under the ground safely and effectively.

2. From the passage, we can see that the boys' discovery ____.

A. includes all kinds of hand-made and. machine-made glass
B. couldn't have been meaningful without Aimee Wells' help
C. has helped historians find out what happened in 1898
D. has added the county to the list of archaeologist sites

3. When Wells said "We get there by good judgment." (Paragraph 6), she meant that ____.

A. they have figured out how to get to the place where the brief war happened
B. they have established the ties to Camp Alger by finding out the time period of the bottles
C. they have managed to dig out the bottles in the back yard safely with common sense
D. they were able to locate the soldier who used the Fraser bottles 110 years ago

4. Which of the following fits the description of' historical records?

A. The soldiers in and around Camp Alger delighted in playing basketball in their spare time.
B. When Camp Alger was forced to close, all the buildings there were destroyed.
C. The soldiers in and around Camp Alger often buried some bottles underground as time capsules.
D. Camp Alger was forced to close because of a spread of a strange fever.

     A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day.
He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow…1.____
     Time went by…The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree. One day, the boy
came back to the tree and looked sad. "Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy." I am on longer a
kid. I don't play around trees anymore." The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them." "Sorry,
but I don't have money…but you can pick all my apples and sell them. Sp, you will have money." The boy
was so excited. 2.____ The boy didn't come back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
     One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. "Come and play with me!" the tree said. "I don't
have time to play. I have to work for my family. 3.____ Can you help me?" "Sorry, but I don't have a house.
But you can cut off my branches to build your house." So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left
happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn't appear since then. The tree was again lonely
and sad.
     One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me!" the tree said.
"I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" "Use my trunk to build
the boat. You can sail and be happy." So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. 4.____
     Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I don't have anything for you
anymore. No more apples for you." the tree said. "I don't have teeth to bite." the boy replied. "No more trunk
for you to climb on." "I am too old for that now." the boy said. "I really want to give you something… the only
thing left is my dying roots." The tree said with tears. "I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired
after all these years." the boy replied. "Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come here,
please sit down with me and have a rest." 5.____

A. We need a house for shelter.
B. The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears...
C. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
D. The boy went away, tears in his eyes.
E. He picked all the apples on the tree and left happily.
F. He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.
G. He was happy and had a pleasant trip abroad.