“Grandma, Grandma, tell us a story ! ”Four darling children sat by my feet, looking up at me expectantly．                                                                    Suddenly, we were interrupted clapping．“Terrific, ” the director said, stepping up the stage from the aisle（过道）．“Except, could you kids face the audience a bit more? ”

The kids shifted to face the empty seats, which would be filled in a few days for the church play．“Perfect,” the director said． “Now, Grandma, read to your grandchildren．” A pang of sadness hit me． If' only I could read to my real grandchild!

I had a granddaughter, but I'd never met her． Sixteen years earlier my son was involved in a relationship that ended badly． But out of' it came a blessing: a baby girl named Lena． I hoped to be a grandmother to her-but shortly after the birth, the mother moved without any address left． Over  the years, I asked around town to try and find my son’s ex-wife （前妻）,but it seemed that she didn’t want to be found．

I'd just joined this new church a week earlier and was at once offered the part of Grandma in the play． At least now I could pretend to be a grandma． The rehearsals went well, and finally the day of' the show arrived． The performance was great． “You all looked so natural up there, ”one of' my friends said．

Afterward, we went to the church basement for refreshments （茶点）．I walked over to one of the girls in the play． Rehearsals had been such a whirlwind （一片忙乱） that we never really got to talk． “How's my granddaughter? ” I joked．

“Fine !” she answered． Just then, someone else walked up and asked the girl her name．

I wasn't sure I heard the girl's answer correctly． But it made me ask her another question．“What's your mother's name? ”

She told me, I was still in shock．“And what's your father's name? ”I asked． She told me．It was my son．

She'd only started going to that church a week before I did． Since that day of 'the play, we've stayed close． Not long ago, she even made me a great grandma．

1.What was the author doing at the beginning of' the story?

    A．Telling a story．          B．Playing a game．

    C．Preparing for a play．     D．Acting in a movie．

2.Why did the author feel “a pang of' sadness” at the words of' the director'?

    A．The director's words reminded her of 'her lost granddaughter．

    B．The director's words hurt her so badly．

    C．She wished that she had a real grandchild．

    D．The director wasn’t content with her performance．

3.What happened in the church basement after the play'?

    A．The author played a joke on Lena．

    B．Lena treated the author as a friend．

    C．The author got to know who Lena was．

    D．Lena mistook the author for her grandmother．

4.This passage is mainly organized in the pattern of           ．

    A．time and events

    B．contrast and conclusion

    C．cause and effect

    D．questions and answers

5.We can infer that when writing the story, the author felt           .

    A．light-hearted       B．Heartbroken     C．confused      D．anxious

 

第二节 完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分；满分30分）

Have you ever seen a movie in which a building was burnt down or a bridge was destroyed? Have you seen films in which a train crashed or a ship __36__ into the ocean? If so, you may have wondered how these things could happen without __37__the people in the film.

The man who knows the __38__ is the “special-effects” man. He has one of the most important jobs in the film __39__. He may be __40__ to create a flood or to make a battlefield explode. But he may also be told to create a __41__ effect which is much less exciting, though just as important to the success of the film. In a __42__ for one movie there was a big glass bowl __43__with water in which small fish __44__ swimming. The director of the movie__45__ the fish to stop swimming suddenly __46__ they seemed to stare at(盯着) an actor. Then the director wanted the fish to stop staring and swim away. But fish suddenly __47__ be ordered to do anything. It was quite a __48__.

The special-effects man __49__ about this problem for a long time. The result was an idea for __50__ the fish with a harmless use of electricity. __51__he applied electricity to the fish bowl causing the fish to be totally still(静止的). Then he rapidly reduced the __52__ of electricity allowing the fish to be free.  __53__ he got the humorous effect the director wanted.

__54__in other parts of movie making there are those who have developed __55__ skill in creating certain kinds of effects. Jim White, who has been a special-effects man for thirty-two years, is best known for work with ships and airplanes.

36. A. burned             B. sank               C. fell                 D. dropped

37. A. telling                 B. harming             C. protecting        D. organizing

38. A. reply                   B. question      C. message           D. secret

39. A. factory            B. making           C. field                       D. company

40. A. forced                 B. ordered           C. allowed           D. chosen

41. A. terrible            B. ill                  C. good               D. special

42. A. scene                   B. step            C. stage               D. room

43. A. covered                  B. asked              C. filled               D. fitted

44. A. liked                   B. enjoyed      C. was                 D. were

45. A. hoped                  B. wanted           C. decided            D. designed

46. A. while                   B. since              C. so that             D. as long as

47. A. mustn’t            B. may not      C. shouldn’t                D. can’t

48. A. question               B. failure            C. problem           D. disappointment

49. A. talked                  B. set                  C. quarreled                D. thought

50. A. controlling       B. operating           C. driving        D. lighting

51. A. As a result            B. Immediately   C. First               D. Above all

52. A. price                   B. number           C. amount                 D. speed

53. A. Even                   B. Thus               C. Finally                 D. Actually

54. A. Like                    B. So                  C. As                        D. Yet

55. A. certain             B. particular               C. advanced                     D. careful

 

The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever. He sent his camera crew(摄影组) out one evening to film the sunset for him.

The next morning he said to the men, “Have you provided me with that sunset?”

“No, sir,” the men answered.

The director was angry. “Why not?” he asked.

“Well, sir,” one of the men answered, “we’re on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset.”

“But I want a sunset!” the director shouted. “Go to the airport, take the next flight to the west coast, and get one.”

But then a young secretary had an idea. “Why don’t you photograph a sunrise,” she suggested, “and then play it backwards? Then it’ll look like a sunset.”

“That’s a very good idea!” the director said. Then he turned to the camera crew and said, “Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea.”

The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay. Then at nine o’clock they took it to the director. “Here it is, sir,” they said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.

They all went into the studio. “All right,” the director explained, “now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the ‘sunset’ behind them.”

The “sunset” began, but after a quarter of a minute, the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop.

The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach.

1. One evening, the director sent his camera crew out _________.

A．to film a scene on the sea	B．to find an actor and an actress
C．to watch a beautiful sunset	D．to meet the audience

2.Why did the director want to send his crew to the west coast?

A．Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset.

B．Because he was angry with his crew.

C．Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset.

D．Because it was his secretary’s suggestion.

3.The director wanted to film a sunset over the ocean because ______.

A．it went well with the separation of the hero and heroine

B．when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening

C．it was more moving than a sunrise

D．the ocean looked more beautiful at sunset

4.After the “sunset” began, the director suddenly put his face in his hands ______.

A．because he was moved to tears

B．as he saw everything in the film moving backwards

C．as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined

D．because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and heroine

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The crew had to follow the secretary’s advice.

B．If you want to see a sunrise, the east coat is the place to go.

C．The camera crew wasn’t able to film the scene the first day.

D．The director ordered his crew to stop filming the “sunset”.

 

Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.

Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.

Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.

As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.

Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.

Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House.

1.The passage is probably taken from _____.

A．a radio

B．a magazine

C．TV

D．a paper

2.What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．nurses

B．doctors

C．hospitals

D．points

3.Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______

A．his hard work	B．his teacher
C．his mother	D．his father

4.What’s the aim to write the passage?

A．To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson.

B．To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements.

C．To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded

D．To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work

 

The director is going on business next week and the department will be left ______Jack.  

A．in charge of                           B．taking the charge of

C．taking charge of                        D．in the charge of