We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I’d know better. I’d really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.

My cherished boys, I hope you learn humility (谦逊) by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl (爬) under the covers (被子) with you because he’s scared, I hope you’ll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.

　　I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract (减) in your head.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole (旗杆). I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don’t care if you try beer once, but I hope you won’t like it.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.

I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor’s window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold (一个石膏模型) of your hand.

　 These things I wish for you—tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

1.Who wrote the letter?

A．A grandmother.

B．A grandfather.

C．A father.

D．A mother.

2.What does the author hope for the boys?

A．they learn a lesson from a fight with others.

B．they know how to calculate with computers.

C．they get on well with family members..

D．they burn their hand on the stove and stick their tongue on a frozen flagpole.

3.It can be inferred from the text that the boys _________________.

A．often fight with others	B．are to develop good qualities
C．always keep their grandpa company	D．score high in the exam

4. Why does the author write the letter?

A．To show the boys it’s not easy growing up.

B．To teach the boys dos and don’ts on the way growing up.

C．To help the boys to avoid making mistakes on the way growing up.

D．To encourage the boys to fully experience life on the way growing up.

 

Tong Shiqiang rushed into a kindergarten behind his primary school several times, carrying a __1__ of kids each time he rushed out of their classroom on that fateful(灾难的)day. Only 14 years old and 1.5 m tall, Tong can now__2__ a national bravery award for saving seven children.

The grade－6 student was__3__ a Chinese language class in Zhongwang Primary School in Qishan village of Longnan city, one of the worst－hit areas in Gansu province, __4__ the deadly quake struck on May 12,2008. There were 49__5__ students in his class at the time.

“Window panes began rattling(嘎嘎响)and it __6__ lots of bees were singing underground，”__7__ Tong Shuangxi, Tong Shiqiang's teacher and uncle. “The sound grew__8__...and then I__9__it was an earthquake.”

The teacher cried: “ __10__ out.” All the students ran out of the room immediately.

__11__ outside, Tong Shuangxi rushed toward the kindergarten where the children __12__a nap. Tong Shiqiang ran with him.

Only three of the kids had __13__ to run out of their room when they__14__ the building. The rest were crying, too __15__ to move. It __16__ less than three minutes for them to carry out all the five－ and six－year－olds to __17__.

__18__ whether all the kids had been saved, Tong and his nephew had __19__ begun checking the rolls when the classroom's walls fell down. “That's the only time I was scared，” said Tong Shiqiang.

The 14－year－old is __20__ to be nominated (提名) for the child hero award, to be given by the Ministry of Education and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League.

1．A.couple　　 　B. dozen　  　C. lot　　　　D. number

2．A.find         B. give       C. show      D. win

3．A.listening     B. hearing     C. attending   D. giving

4．A. while       B. when       C. where     D. which

5．A. other       B. another      C. others     D. the other

6．A. looked      B. seemed      C. appeared  D. turned

7．A. remembers  B. remains       C. reminds  D. remarks

8．A. alouder    B. weaker       C. louder    D. clearer

9．A. thought    B. found        C. realized    D. recognized

10．A. Nobody  B. Anybody     C. Somebody  D. Everybody

11．A. After     B. Before       C. Since     D. Once

12．A. had     B. have        C. were having  D. having had

13．A. tried     B. managed   C. wanted       D. wondered

14．A. arrived  B. got         C. reached     D. escaped

15．A. frightened     B. moved      C. surprised      D. excited

16．A. took          B. spent       C. carried        D. paid

17．A. hospital       B. classroom   C. yard          D. safety

18．A. Not sure       B. No wonder  C. No problem    D. Not nearly

19．A. even          B. ever        C. never        D. just

20．A. lovely        B. friendly      C. kindly        D. likely

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I’d know better. I’d really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.

My cherished boys, I hope you learn humility (谦逊) by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl (爬) under the covers (被子) with you because he’s scared, I hope you’ll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.

　　I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract (减) in your head.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole (旗杆). I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don’t care if you try beer once, but I hope you won’t like it.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.

I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor’s window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold (一个石膏模型) of your hand.

　 These things I wish for you—tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

1.Who wrote the letter?

A．A grandmother.     B．A grandfather.      C．A father.          D．A mother.

2.What does the author hope for the boys?

A．they learn a lesson from a fight with others.

B．they know how to calculate with computers.

C．they get on well with family members.

D．they burn their hand on the stove and stick their tongue on a frozen flagpole.

3.It can be inferred from the text that the boys _________________.

A．often fight with others                   B．are to develop good qualities

C．always keep their grandpa company         D．score high in the exam

4.Why does the author write the letter?

A．To show the boys it’s not easy growing up.

B．To teach the boys dos and don’ts on the way growing up.

C．To help the boys to avoid making mistakes on the way growing up.

D．To encourage the boys to fully experience life on the way growing up.

 

In 1883, an imaginative engineer named John Roebling decided to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was a pipe dream. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

But Roebling refused to listen to them. He thought about the bridge day and night and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. After much discussion and persuasion he convinced his son Washington, who was a promising engineer himself, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished. With great excitement, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but several months after it began, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was so seriously injured that he was never able to walk, talk or even move again.

"We told them so", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams", "It's foolish to chase wild visions", the critics said and most thought the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

Washington's wife tried to inspire and pass on her husband's enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay in his hospital room, an idea suddenly hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger and tapping it on his wife's arm, he slowly developed a code to communicate with her. Then he used this method to tell his wife what the engineers should do. It seemed crazy but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.

_ What did most people think about Roebling's idea to build the bridge?

A. It would never become a reality.                    B. Washington was not experienced enough.

C. It would take a lot of time.                            D. Finding the money would be impossible. 

_The underlined word `daunted' (para. 6) is closest in meaning to '______'.

  A. unpleasant    B. scared    C. amazed    D. determined

_ Which of the following shows the correct order of the events that happened in the story?

   a. Roebling convinced his son.

   b. Washington found a new way to communicate.

   c. They hired the crew.

d. The bridge was completed.

   e. Roebling wanted to build a bridge.

   f. There was a tragic accident.

A. e, a, c, f, d, b     B. e, a, f, b, c, d    C. e, f, a, b, c, d    D. e, a, c, f, b, d　　

_ What can we learn about Washington's wife?

A. She knew sign language very well.

B. She was devoted to her husband.

C. She developed a code to communicate with her husband.

D. She helped her husband design the plan.

_ What does the story tell us?

  A. Success will come with the passing of time.

  B. Struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.

  C. Even the most distant dream can be realised with a never-say-die attitude.

  D. The people who make a difference in our life should be remembered forever.