“Dr.Papaderos,what is the meaning of life?”

The usual laughter followed,and people stirred(骚动)to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time,asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.

“I will,answer your question.”

Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket,he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror,about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:

“When I was a small child,during the war,we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day,on the road,I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.

I tried to find all the pieces and put them together,but it was not possible,so I kept only the largest piece.This one,and,by scratching it on a stone.I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine——in deep holes and crevices(裂缝)and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.

I kept the little mirror,and,as I went about my growing up,I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man,I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light.But light——truth,understanding,knowledge——is there,and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.

I am a fragment(碎片)of a mirror whose whole design and shape l do not know.Nevertheless,with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world——into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am about.This is the meaning of my life.”

On hearing the author’s question,Dr.Papedotes        at first.

A.laughed at his foolishness               B.wasn’t sure of the answer

C.doubted his seriousness                  D.wasn’t interested at all

How did Dr.Papaderos get the small round mirror when he was a child?

A.He found it on the road and made it round.

B.A dying German soldier gave him as a present.

C.He chanced to find it in the street while playing.

D.He put the broken pieces together and made it.

Why did Dr.Papaderos like the small round mirror so much as a child?

A.Because he was too poor to afford other toys.

B.Because it could shine the places where tke sun couldn’t reach.

C.Because he believed it would bring good luck to him.

D.Because it tofd him a lot about what life really meant to him.

The underlined“metaphor”in the 7th paragraph most probably means        .

A.symbol              B.source            C.light           D.purpose

Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A.A Special Game in the Childhood          B.A Broken Piece of Mirror

C.Dr.Papaderos’Experience                  D.The Meaning of Life

I can remember the day my father came home from the war. As he walked up the front path of our home, he saw Mum and me and he dropped the suitcase.
I was only five years old so Dad made a fuss of me, then began making an even bigger fuss of my mother. This left me free to examine all the stuff lying around the broken suitcase, and I was quick to notice a newspaper advertisement displaying a new piano. When Dad saw me holding up the newspaper cutting, he smiled.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said. “I bought your mum a piano for ten pounds down and two pounds a week.”
A few moments later, a horse pulled a cart with a piano on top. Soon we all stared at it in our small lounger room. Mum had never been close to a piano before, except at the kindergarten I attended, and she used to say how wonderful it would be if the teachers could teach her to play.
After tea that night, Mum began to teach herself to play. She plinked the keys for about two hours and drove everybody in the street mad, until Dad gently said, “Enough is enough.”
From that day on, she would plink between doing the cooking and housework. Three months went by and Mum was now a skilled pianist, holding parties with all the neighbors gathering around to sing.
Although we were poor, Mum felt like a princess and was delighted at all the attention she was receiving.
At the height of Mum’s happiness, I began to notice that Dad was looking increasingly worried. It turned out that since returning from the war, he’d been unable to find a job. Then, a few weeks later, I observed two men taking Mum’s piano away. Mum sobbed in the kitchen. Suddenly, it all became clear to me: no job, no money, no piano.
Dad finally got a job. Mum was happy again as if he’d just win the lottery(彩票). Dad had to study to qualify as an account. Every night after dinner he’d place a stack of books on the kitchen table and study late into the night. Mum didn’t say much but I could tell she was proud of Dad.
Two years later, Dad bought Mum another piano. This time he paid cash for it.
【小题1】How did the author’s Dad buy the piano for his mum?

A．He paid part of the bill regularly.

B．He earned it by winning a bet.

C．He paid cash for it.

D．He bought it as a big bargain.

【小题2】By saying “Enough is enough”, the author’s dad meant_______.

A．practice makes perfect

B．it was time to stop practicing

C．he couldn’t bear being troubled

D．his wife played the piano well enough

【小题3】What made the author’s mum proud of his dad?

A．His dad’s willingness to help cook.

B．His dad’s winning the lottery luckily.

C．His dad’s loyalty to his motherland.

D．His dad’s determination to rebuild his life.

Donald had his own difficulties in sleeping that night. Not just because of the bright lights of the shelter or people’s constant voices, it was the happening repeatedly nightmare that caused him to stay awake, to fear sleep. Donald was back in his small house. He did his best to ignore the howling winds outside his window. Yet he could not turn out the fearful whimpers (呜咽) of his little dog, or the uncomfortable sounds of his mother anxious in her room next door, unable to sleep through the storm despite her insistence they would be all right.
Donald did not want his mother to be upset, but on some level, he was glad to hear she was awake, It meant he was not alone in the dark. Though he was 12, until recently it was impossible for Donald to fall asleep unless his mother lay down by his side.
Suddenly there was a crash. Their living room window is shattered (打碎) by 125 miles an hour winds. Troy rushed to Donald and sat anxiously on the edge of his bed. He did his best to calm his mother, and she had to comfort him. Soon water was seeping (渗入) into the single floor house. Quickly it rose from ankle level to leg level. At Donald’s insistence, they pushed their way through the water --- now chest high --- toward the front door. When they fought their way into the living room, water rose to their chins.
It was a struggle for the boy and mother to stay afloat. In a total panic, desperate to hold on to something, Troy caught a curtain rod. She was breathing hard, shouting that she couldn’t swim.
Donald cried out, “Mom! Hold on!” Just then Donald also caught a floatable wood board.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about _____.

A．how a storm happened and caused damage

B．how a mother and son experienced a storm

C．how a mother and son survived a storm

D．how a son helped his mother in a storm

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the story?

A．The rising water.	B．The broken window.
C．The lucky dog.	D．The noisy environment.

【小题3】Which phrase can describe Troy’s feelings at the beginning of the storm most suitably?

A．In excitement.

B．In calm.

C．In anxiety.

D．In despair.

【小题4】What will the author most probably talk about next?

A．How the other people struggled in the storm.

B．Why the rainstorm happened.

C．What damage the rainstorm caused.

D．How Donald and Troy struggled to save themselves

单词拼写（共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分）

根据下列句子及所给汉字注释或首字母提示，在句子后边的横线上，写出空缺处各单词的正确形式。（每空只写一词）

We should not judge a person by his __________ 外表）.       

How did the people __________ （反应）to the latest news?     

Schools need __________（志愿者）to help children to read.       

It was said that the little child had been __________（咬）by the fierce dog.           

Police asked __________（过路人）if they had seen the accident.  

I like to read books on __________（电子的）music.          

We may __________（自信地）look forward to the future.       

Lesinko is quite f_________ with China Central Television. He worked there for 25 years.                                                                   

I don’t like b__________ with the sellers over the price of the goods.     

The scientist encourages the young to e__________ unknown fields.

The hotel bill c__________ every fee, including the broken glass.

The doctor p__________ the operation successfully.           

It is a__________ to the weather forecast that we know there will be a heavy snow in 3 days.                                                         

Both the Winter and the Summer Olympics are held every four years on a r__________ basis.                                                     To be honest, some parents don’t a__________ great importance to their children’s character training.                                            

When the journalists caught up with the soldiers along the broken road finally,they ___ towards the earthquake - hit town at high speed.

A．advanced

B．were advancing

C．are advancing

D．were advanced