My wife passed away a few years ago,and I went through the worst time in my life.I even wanted to kill myself.Just for kids,I had to continue to live and work as small-town doctor at my medical clinic in Hawaii.My kids had gone to live on the mainland,and I was alone.Then they asked me to have a family trip.On our trip, we turned on the TV at the motel and saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. Seeing it falling down, I said to my kids: “I’m going to Afghanistan”. And a few weeks later, international Medical Corps sent me to set up 20 clinics in provinces where people had no health care. In these field clinics surrounded by frightening shoots or deadly bombs, we were eventually serving 27,000 patients a month in a very busy schedule. Tired and nervous, I gradually had a sense of achievement, a sense of purpose, and my depression went away.
In the years to follow, I went to Indonesia after the tsunami, Pakistan after the earthquakes, Sudan after the civil war and Iraq after more and more bombs. Each time after disasters one after another, hundreds of people were killed, wounded and many more had to flee. We once set up movable clinics in an area with 19,000 refugees, and it was supposed to hold 13,000 originally. Flu broke out, one of the biggest killers of kids in refugee camps, and it spread like wildfire. Water and food were also serious problems. “Adventures or not?” I often asked myself.
When my wife passed away, I thought my life was done. But in reality, it was just getting started. At the end of her life, she went unconscious. I held her head in my hands and told her of all the places we would visit and the exciting adventures we would have.
I think about the moment many times during my “adventures”. I didn’t know how predictive those words would be. But I know that she is still with me

1. 1.

   Where has the doctor been in the past few years?

   1. A.
      Some countries where he could set up clinics
   2. B.
      Some African countries where flu broke out
   3. C.
      The places where the earthquakes happened
   4. D.
      The places that the horrible disasters struck
2. 2.

   How would the doctor describe his life after he had worked in Afghanistan?

   1. A.
      Tired and troublesome
   2. B.
      Busy and risky
   3. C.
      Meaningful and helpful
   4. D.
      Frightening and depressing
3. 3.

   The underlined word “refugees” means people______.

   1. A.
      who are robbed, killed, or wounded
   2. B.
      who suffer from flu in movable clinics
   3. C.
      who like to take adventures
   4. D.
      who have lost homes because of disasters
4. 4.

   Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   1. A.
      the doctor’s wife encouraged him to work in foreign countries
   2. B.
      What the doctor said to his wife before her death became reality
   3. C.
      The doctor’s adventures made him understand the love of his wife
   4. D.
      With the true love of his wife, the doctor started to change his life

After seating myself in my room and turning on my computer, I noticed a Post-it note stuck to my monitor(显示器). It read, “Don’t   36   your computer. You stayed up until midnight doing your homework last night.—Mom.” I   37  the note into the wastebasket. “Why do they   38  ?” I thought. “They’re never here anyway.”
Right after high school started, I almost   39  contact with my parents. With all their business   40 , they asked the neighbors to watch over me. Of course, the neighbors didn’t do such a(n)   41  job, as they had kids of their own to worry about. The only means of   42  between me and my parents was through Post-it notes.
After spending about eight hours away from home, I usually came home to find the house   43  empty. It made me sad. I would come home from school to be welcomed by   44 , to talk to no one and to be watched over by my neighbors. That was when I started   45  more clubs and staying after school more often   46  I didn’t have to feel so lonely. Luckily, at school, my friends were there   47  me. They were all there to give me a   48  or talk with me when I wanted to talk. I felt   49  when I was at school. Yet, something was still   50  — my parents.
Now I realize that nobody can   51  my parents. I wish that they would be there at home,   52  me to come back from school. There are   53  things my parents don’t know about me. I wish that they actually had a(n)   54  to understand me. I want them to understand that they’re my parents and I’m their kid and I   55  them.

When I wake up on summer mornings, I know I am going to my favorite place to volunteer and make a difference in someone's life just by being with him or her -- a summer school for autistic (患孤独症的)children.

      By helping the kids read or do math, I am not only teaching important skills but also helping them feel like any other kid. There are many wrong ideas about autism. The kids I work with can think and feel. They need help only in certain areas. 

      Of course, each kid is special. For example, some kids like to draw, and others like to sing.

      At the school, the kids learn through about 20 activities. These activities can help them learn skills they will need later in life.

      The very first day I volunteered, a boy came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said “Hello”. From then on, I knew I could make a difference.

      Another boy loved to have me read books that can help him learn to read. Sometimes he could be encouraged to read a few words or sentences. Finally, one day during reading practice, he read nearly 220 words himself!

      Summer school is also a time for fun, Last summer, bagpipe(风箱)players came to perform. Most of us had our hands over our ears because they were so loud. When they asked for a volunteer from the audience, one girl raised her hand as high as she could, got up on stage, and even tried the bagpipes in front of everyone.

      Through these experiences, I realize that the challenges these kids face do not stop them from doing many amazing things. I'm teaching them, but they are teaching me more.

1.According to Paragraph 2, many people think autistic kids _________ .

A. can't read or do math           B. don't have important skills

C. don’t play with other kids       D. can't think or feel

2.The phrase “these experiences” in the last paragraph refers to the following EXCEPT ________ .

A. “I” read the books for kids 

B. a boy read nearly 220 words himself

C. a girl tried the bagpipes on stage as a volunteer    

D. a boy said hello to“ me” politely

3.What does the author mainly talk about in the passage?

A. His teaching experience in a summer holiday.

B. How to make a difference in others' lives.

C. His experience as a volunteer in a special summer school.

D. Autistic children's hard life.

Two years ago my grandmother was going to turn 75. My family discussed what the best way to celebrate was. Should we throw her a party? Should we take her on a trip? We remembered that she had touched so many people's lives, and there were so many people for her to consider. Then someone got the idea that we should include everyone in the celebration by turning it into a tribute(献礼) to my grandmother.x k b 1 . co m  We secretly sent out letters to the people in Grandmother's address book and asked them to send a letter with a memory that they had shared with her. People sent us letters with poems, stories and pictures. The deep feeling that was shared through the response surprised us. We compiled(编辑)these letters into a memory book and amazed her with it on the morning of her birthday.

The unusual thing about my grandmother's friends was not the number that she had, but the connection they shared. In many ways this book of friendship was the greatest achievement of my grandmother's life.

I believe that developing true friendships is one of the most important things that anyone can do in one's lifetime. It is not a matter of the number of friends one has, but the quality of the bonds. If one has had at least one true friendship before dying, then one can say one has lived a successful life. I have made many friends and I believe I have begun to develop the same types of friendships my grandmother kept up over her lifetime. I only hope that I will be as successful as she has been.

1.How did the author's family celebrate Grandmother's birthday ?

A．They took her on a trip across the country.

B．They gave her a memory book of friendship.

C．They invited all her friends to her birthday party.

D．They asked all her friends to send her cards.

2.When receiving her birthday gift, the author's grandmother probably felt _____.

A．disappointed and lonely                  B．sorry and sad

C．surprised and pleased                    D．nervous and excited

3.The underlined word “bonds” in the last paragraph probably means_____.

A．relationships       B．works            C．Successes         D．celebrations

4.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that _____.

A．the more friends you have, the better

B．friends are more important than family

C．understanding leads to greater success

D．true friendship is very important to us

Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home,’ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid form the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition（学费）continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade,
“If we go on this way for another 25years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
【小题1】
According to Paragraph 1, why did the plan of Jacobs family fail?