How the years have rushed by! It has been a long time since I knew Marget Swenson. I was a child when I knew her, and now I myself have children. The mind loses many things as it matures, but I never lost Marget — my first love and first hurt.

I met Marget Swenson when she joined our sixth-grade class.

Marget, just fresh from Sweden, and I, a sixth-generation American. She spoke very little English, but somehow we did manage to understand each other. We took to each other at the first instant.

Marget lived up on the hill. That was the place where there were many large and pretty houses. I suppose it was only in passing that I knew only white people lived there.

We had so much fun together. We sat for hours in my garden or hers, surrounded by grass. Her words were Swedish; mine, English. We laughed at the way each of us slid our tongues over the unfamiliar words, I learned the Swedish words of “hello”, “friend”, and “goodbye”.

However, such fun did not last long, and the disaster began at Marget’s birthday party.

It was a Wednesday. I arrived at the party early. Marget and I whizzed around(忙碌着), putting the finishing touches on the decorations.

Some fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang, and in came Mary, another girl in our class.

But after that nobody came. No one.

When it got to be after five, Mrs Swenson called Marget inside. She was there for a long time, and when she came out, she looked very, very sad. “my mother does not think they are coming,” she said.

“Why not?” Mary blurted(突口而出).

Marget gave a quick glance at me, but she didn’t say anything.

I took Marget’s hand. “It’s me, isn’t it?” I said. Oh! I remember so painfully today how much I wanted her quick and positive “No!” to my question. But I was only aware of Marget trying to slip her hand from mine. I opened my hand and let her go.

It was different between us after her birthday. Marget stopped coming to my house, and when I asked her when she would, she looked as though she would cry.

One day, uninvited, I went to her house, climbed up the hill, and a restless thing grew within me at every step, almost a knowing.

Marget almost jumped when she opened the door. She stared at me in shock. Then, quickly, in a voice I’d never heard before, she said, “My mother says you can’t come to my house any more.”

I opened my mouth, and closed it without speaking. The awful thing had come; the knowing was confirmed. The awful thing had come because Marget was white I was not. I did know it deep within myself.

Since that meeting Marget and I did not speak to each other at all.

On the last day of school, screwing up a courage, I handed my autograph book to Marget. She hesitated, then without looking up, wrote words I don’t remember now; they were quite common words, the kind everyone was writing in everyone else’s book. I waited. Slowly, she passed her book to me and in it I wrote with a slow, firm hand, some of the words she had taught me. I wrote Adjo min van — Goodbye, my friend. I released her, let her go, told her not to worry, told her that I no longer needed her. Adjo.

68. What can be the best title of the passage?

       A. My best friend.         B. My first hurt.            C. Black and white.                     D. Adjo.

69. By saying “…but I never lost Marget…”, the author means “________”.

       A. I got in touch with her later.            B. We are still friends.

       C. I remember her forever                   D. I met her after many years

70. What does the underlined word “a knowing” refer to?

       A. Marget was white while I was not.   B. Marget refused to let me into her house.

       C. Marget’s mother didn’t like me.              D. Marget and I did not speak to each other at all.

71. According to the passage, ________ put an end to their once dear friendship.

       A. some outside force                         B. Marget

       C. Marget’s mother                             D. different personalities

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazing
person - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.　
One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but
there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told
"Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.
A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an
hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."    　　
Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on
this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have
healed by now."   I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."　　
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally
passed away five weeks before.   　　
Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say
there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched
today?　
59. What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?
A. An amazing girl.
B. A special kind of telephone.
C. A communication system.
D. A service that helps telephone users.
60. What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone? 
A. He was amused by the telephone.
B. He hurt his finger with a hammer.
C. He found an amazing telephone.
D. He got a piece of ice from an icebox.
61. What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble? 
A. Information and conversation.
B. Good memories and happiness.
C. Sympathy and information.
D. Friendship and cheers.
62. When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to
Boston?  
A. When he was in trouble on his way to college.
B. When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour.
C. When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister.
D. Three months later after he moved to Boston.

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazing  person - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.　
One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told
"Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.
A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an
hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."    　　
Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on
this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have
healed by now."   I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."　　
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally
passed away five weeks before.   　　
Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say
there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched
today?　
【小题1】
What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazing

person - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.　

One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told "Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.

A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."    　　

Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  

There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."   I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."　　

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally passed away five weeks before.   　　

Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?　

1.What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?

A. An amazing girl.

B. A special kind of telephone.

C. A communication system.

D. A service that helps telephone users.

2.What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone? 

A. He was amused by the telephone.

B. He hurt his finger with a hammer.

C. He found an amazing telephone.

D. He got a piece of ice from an icebox.

3.What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble? 

A. Information and conversation.

B. Good memories and happiness.

C. Sympathy and information.

D. Friendship and cheers.

4.When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to Boston?  

A. When he was in trouble on his way to college.

B. When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour.

C. When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister.

D. Three months later after he moved to Boston.

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazing  person - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.　

One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told

"Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.

A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an

hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."    　　

Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on

this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  

There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have

healed by now."   I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."　　

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally

passed away five weeks before.   　　

Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say

there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched

today?　

1.

What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?

A. An amazing girl.

B. A special kind of telephone.

C. A communication system.

D. A service that helps telephone users.

2.

What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone? 

A. He was amused by the telephone.

B. He hurt his finger with a hammer.

C. He found an amazing telephone.

D. He got a piece of ice from an icebox.

3.

What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble? 

A. Information and conversation.

B. Good memories and happiness.

C. Sympathy and information.

D. Friendship and cheers.

4.

When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to

Boston?  

A. When he was in trouble on his way to college.

B. When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour.

C. When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister.

D. Three months later after he moved to Boston.