The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.

Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.

He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches——but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches. She’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck at the table: Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight. Tim.

The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.

The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.

The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world. Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.

He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way…

21.What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?

A. He left the house quietly.             B. He had breakfast at home.

C. He left a note on the freezer.           D. He put a sweater in his schoolbag.

22. “He settled for some biscuits” (in Paragraph 3) means that Tim ______.

A. had to leave the biscuits on the table

B. liked biscuits better than sandwiches

C. had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches

D. could only find some biscuits in the kitchen

23. What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?

A. The height of the first rocks.                 B. The ups and downs of the waves.

C. The change in the position of the sun.   D. The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.

24. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?

A. The sea looked like a piece of gold.

B. Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.

C. Tim was the only person on the beach.

D. The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.

25. In the story, Tim’s mood changed from ______.

A. loneliness to craziness               B. anxiousness to excitement

C. helplessness to happiness            D. eagerness to nervousness

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

A report was shown in the yesterday’s newspaper, which made all the families moved deeply. This report was about a seven-year-old boy, named BoWen, suffered from blood cancer and the doctor said he would die soon. But he said he didn’t want to die before his dream came true.

Bo Wen has stayed with his father all the time since his mother divorced with his father five years ago. But as soon as his mother heard that Bo Wen was seriously sick, she came to Bo Wen in a flash and was willing to donate her blood to Bo Wen.

Seeing mother again, BoWen was very happy and excited. Gradually, he still found mother and father didn’t get on well with each other. How he hoped they would get together again! So he thought of a good idea. Every time when parents were not beside, he sent messages to mother with father’s mobile phone and to Father with mother’s in the same way which read: “I love you, I miss you, I am waiting for you to have dinner at home, I am mistaken, please forgive me and so on”. At the beginning, his parents misunderstood each other. However, realizing that all the messages were sent by Bo Wen, they felt very shocked and puzzled. They went to Bo Wen. To their surprise, Bo Wen said very difficultly “Sorry but I heartedly hope you will remarry and won’t let me alone again”.

At last, they held a wedding happily. And Bo Wen became better and better.

读了这篇文章后, 全班同学非常佩服Bo Wen的做法，孩子生命垂危之时，还为父母做了如此伟大的事情，请给Bo Wen写一封信，发表你的感言。

【写作内容】

    1．以约30个词概括短文的要点；

    2．然后以120个词介绍你的感受，并包括如下要点：

（1）小Bo Wen 的伟大事迹感染社会；

（2）描述“爱”使家庭重新结合；

（3）表达你的感言。

【写作要求】

    1．作文中可使用自己的真实打算或虚构的打算，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

      2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

       3．信的开头已经写出来。

【评分标准】

      概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。

Dear Little Bo Wen,

Thank you for your doing everything for your parents.

                                                                                         

                                                                                      

Wish you in good health soon!

 

                                                                        Love yours,

                                                                               Peter

 

 

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.

When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not the desperate steeplechases（障碍赛跑） they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother—the same house my father was raised in, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.

The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from all the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.

         Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to DO this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road race to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel sepia-toned, an echo from another era.

I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.

1．The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when _______.

A. everyone was paying a visit to some relative far away

B. everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure

C. Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house

D. nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school

2．In the fourth paragraph, the writer compares the response “I’m making a Sunday visit to family” to an echo from another era because _______.

       A. people nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday

       B. such answers are rarely heard in our modern society

       C. people in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday

       D. visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time

3．From the last paragraph we may infer that _______.

A. people in Maine suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment

B. people in Maine has abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life

C. land in Maine is short, thus the relationship between people is tense

D. people in Maine always help each other when they are in need

4．Which word we may use to describe the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?

A. Unsatisfied.           B. Anxious.              C. Treasured.            D. Teased.

 

There are several people who have called _______ the advertisement we placed in yesterday’s newspaper.

A. in favour of            B. in response to               C. in honour of                   D. in return for

 

根据短文内容, 从下面A到F选项中选出能够概括每段主题的最佳选项, 选项中有一项为多余项

A. Tools of thought B. A reflection of your personality C. An indication of your intelligence D. The explosive effect of words E. A direction of the history F. Change the direction of your life

 

(填涂说明：E="A+D  " F="B+D  " G="C+D" )

1.

The extent of your vocabulary indicates the degree of your intelligence. Your brain power will increase as you learn to know more words. Here's the proof. Two classes in a high school were selected for an experiment. Their ages and their environment were the same. Each class represented an identical cross-section of the community. One, the control class, took the normal courses. The other class was given special vocabulary training. At the end of the period the marks of the latter class surpassed those of the control group, not only in English, but in every subject, including mathematics and the sciences. Similarly it has been found by Professor Lewis M.Terman, of Stanford University, that a vocabulary test is as accurate a measure of intelligence as any three units of the standard and accepted Stanford-Binet I.Q. tests.

2.

The study of words is not merely something that has to do with literature. Words are your tools of thought. You can't even think at all without them. Try it. If you are planning to go down town this afternoon you will find that you are saying to yourself: "I think I will go down town this afternoon." You can't make such a simple decision as this without using words. Your words are your keys for your thoughts. And the more words you have at your command the deeper, clearer and more accurate will be your thinking.

3.

A command of English will not only improve the processes of your mind. It will give you assurance; build your self-confidence; lend color to your personality; increase your popularity. Your words are your personality. Your vocabulary is you. Your words are all that we, your friends, have to know and judge you by. You have no other medium for telling us your thoughts-for convincing us, persuading us, giving us orders.

4.

Words are explosive. Phrases are packed with TNT.A simple word can destroy a friendship. The proper phrases in the mouths of clerks have quadrupled the sales of a department store. The wrong words used by a campaign orator have lost an election. For instance, on one occasion the four unfortunate words, "Rum, Romanism and a Rebellion" used in a Republican campaign speech threw the Catholic vote and the presidential victory to Grover Cleveland. Ears are won by words. Soldiers fight for a phrase. "Make the world safe for Democracy." "All out for England." "V for Victory." The " Remember the Maine" of Spanish war days has now been changed to "Remember Pearl Harbor."

5.

Words have changed the direction of history. Words can also change the direction of your life. They have often raised a man from mediocrity to success. If you consciously increase your vocabulary you will unconsciously raise yourself to a more important station in life, and the new and higher position you have won will, in turn, give you a better opportunity for further enriching your vocabulary. It is a beautiful and successful cycle.

（ Today’s opportunity erase yesterday’s failures.）