I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens,   and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the more wonderful thing in the world.

Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister  and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s for Elizabeth. ”

I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and    daughter.

They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface(表面)”.

As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive(原谅) me.

I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.

My hope turned to disappointment(失望), then little interest and, finally, peace— it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

Now the present of her desk told, as she’d never been able to, that she was    pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found    some papers inside —a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.

Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk ______.

2.The passage shows that ______.

3.The word “gulf” in the passage means ______.

4.What did mother do with her daughter’s letter asking forgiveness?

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

6.选A。由But she lived “on the surface ”. 和全文内容可知，作者的母亲表面上很冷漠，但心里充满了对作者的爱，正确

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Once  36  , such opportunities are like valuable diamonds hidden in the sand.

Several years ago, I spoke at a school about how we were surrounded by “__37  ” if we could only recognize them. A man stopped by to see me, and I  38   him as somebody who had suffered through a(n)  39  divorce (离婚) and was examining what was most important to him. He took a small  40  out of his pocket. Here is what he said to me that day.

“I  41  on this stone when I was leaving church last Sunday. You had spoken about  42  opportunities—diamonds. I put the stone in my  43  to remind me to look for those diamonds that I need. I have been trying to sell my  44  . On Monday morning, a man who seemed interested in  45  some of my stock (股票) stopped by. I thought, ‘Here’s my diamond—don’t let it  46  !’ I sold the entire stock to him by noon. Now my next diamond is to find a new 47  !”

Not long afterward, he did find a new and better job. From then on, he  48  to keep his stone with him all the time as a   49  to look for “diamonds” as he digs through the  50  of life.

Richard DeVos is right when he  51  . “This is an exciting world. It is filled with opportunities.  52  moments wait around every corner.” Those moments are diamonds that,   53  left unrecognized, will be forever lost.

Are you looking for “diamonds” every day? If not, you may  54  pass them by! Perhaps there is a diamond of opportunity hidden in the difficulty you’re  55  now.

36.A.given                           B.discovered                      C.sent                         D.made

37.A.opportunities           B.dangers                           C.diamonds               D.chances

38.A.considered                B.treated                                      C.remembered                  D.saw

39.A.painful                        B.stupid                               C.normal                    D.original

40.A.ball                              B.stone                                C.paper                      D.flower

41.A.stepped                     B.depended                        C.fought                     D.based

42.A.stealing                      B.accepting                        C.recognizing            D.realizing

43.A.purse                          B.pocket                              C.bag                          D.house

44.A.stone                          B.position                            C.career                     D.business

45.A.selling                         B.buying                              C.hunting                            D.casting

46.A.go off                          B.give in                               C.stay up                  D.watch out

47.A.buyer              B.job                 C.stock          D.rock

48.A.hoped             B.decided              C.refused         D.hated

49.A.scene                          B.prize                                 C.reminder                D.power

50.A.difficulties                 B.hopes                               C.characters             D.cases

51.A.takes over                 B.leaves out                             C.points out              D.calls for

52.A.Actural                       B.Great                                C.Dangerous             D.Necessary

53.A.unless                         B.though                             C.for                            D.if

54.A.happily                       B.easily                                C.luckily                      D.dangerously

55.A.expressing                B.satisfying                         C.breaking                 D.experiencing

There seems never to have been a civilization(文明) without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

In the ancient world, as is today, most boys play with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality of toys about their development in all parts of the world and their continuing to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to (服从于) technological progress that characterizes inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of advancement. The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of materials then ready for use. (words: 285 ; time : 5ms)

1. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that ________ .

A. their social roles are strictly determined

B. most boys would like to follow their fathers' jobs

C. boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers

D. they like challenging activities.

2. "The universality of toys" lies in the fact that ________ .

A. technological advances have greatly improved the making of toys

B. the improvement of techniques in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

C. the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

D. the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world

3. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys ________.

A. follow a direct line of development

B. also greatly interest adults

C. are not characterized by progress in technology

D. show the pace of social progress

（C）篇

1. A。由原文第二段第二句可知。

2. D。根据文章第三段第一句和第三句可知,玩具的基本的特征变化不大。

3. C。由文章最后一段第一句可知,玩具作为一种艺术形式,不因科技变化而变化。

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Once  36  , such opportunities are like valuable diamonds hidden in the sand.

Several years ago, I spoke at a school about how we were surrounded by “__37  ” if we could only recognize them. A man stopped by to see me, and I  38   him as somebody who had suffered through a(n)  39  divorce (离婚) and was examining what was most important to him. He took a small  40  out of his pocket. Here is what he said to me that day.

“I  41  on this stone when I was leaving church last Sunday. You had spoken about  42  opportunities—diamonds. I put the stone in my  43  to remind me to look for those diamonds that I need. I have been trying to sell my  44  . On Monday morning, a man who seemed interested in  45  some of my stock (股票) stopped by. I thought, ‘Here’s my diamond—don’t let it  46  !’ I sold the entire stock to him by noon. Now my next diamond is to find a new 47  !”

Not long afterward, he did find a new and better job. From then on, he  48  to keep his stone with him all the time as a   49  to look for “diamonds” as he digs through the  50  of life.

Richard DeVos is right when he  51  . “This is an exciting world. It is filled with opportunities.  52  moments wait around every corner.” Those moments are diamonds that,   53  left unrecognized, will be forever lost.

Are you looking for “diamonds” every day? If not, you may  54  pass them by! Perhaps there is a diamond of opportunity hidden in the difficulty you’re  55  now.

36.A.given                           B.discovered                      C.sent                         D.made

37.A.opportunities           B.dangers                           C.diamonds               D.chances

38.A.considered                B.treated                                      C.remembered                  D.saw

39.A.painful                        B.stupid                               C.normal                    D.original

40.A.ball                              B.stone                                C.paper                      D.flower

41.A.stepped                     B.depended                        C.fought                     D.based

42.A.stealing                      B.accepting                        C.recognizing            D.realizing

43.A.purse                          B.pocket                              C.bag                          D.house

44.A.stone                          B.position                            C.career                     D.business

45.A.selling                         B.buying                              C.hunting                            D.casting

46.A.go off                          B.give in                               C.stay up                  D.watch out

47.A.buyer               B.job                  C.stock           D.rock

48.A.hoped              B.decided               C.refused          D.hated

49.A.scene                          B.prize                                 C.reminder                D.power

50.A.difficulties                 B.hopes                               C.characters             D.cases

51.A.takes over                 B.leaves out                              C.points out              D.calls for

52.A.Actural                       B.Great                                C.Dangerous             D.Necessary

53.A.unless                         B.though                             C.for                            D.if

54.A.happily                       B.easily                                C.luckily                      D.dangerously

55.A.expressing                B.satisfying                         C.breaking                 D.experiencing