Dear Sigmund Friend

My name is Simon and I am a Grade 9 student. I am crazy 　31　 football! I love 　32 　football, reading about football, and of course, playing football. My dream 　33 a great football player. However, my love of football has become a big problem, and I would like your 　34　 .

I have 　35 friends, and we always play football together at school or in the park after school. We like staying out late to play football. We often play for three hours or more and forget when to stop. Then I 　36　 trouble at home because my parents do not allow me to play outside after 6 p.m. I really do not understand why they are so strict. I feel stressed and angry　　 37　 . I believe it is important for us to spend some time on our hobbies. They can help us relax and make our lives 　 38　 .I wish I could have my parents’ 　39　 .

Is it bad to stay out late to play football? Should I spend less time on it? I really do not know　 40　 . Can you please advise me how to achieve a balance between my schoolwork and my hobbies? Thanks a lot.

Best wishes

Simon

31. A. for　　　　　　 B. with　　　　　　 C. of　　　　　 　　D. about

32. A. watching　　　 B. seeing　　　　　 C. looking at　　　 D. looking

33. A. am to be　　　　 B. is to be　　　　 C. is to being　　　　 D. are to be

34. A. book　　　　　 B. work　　　　　 C. advice　　　　　 D. school

35. A. much 　　　　 B. not any　　　　 C. few　　　　　　　 D. plenty of

36. A. get in　　　　　 B. get into　　　　 C. get on　　　　　　 D. get off

37. A. from time to time　　　　　　　　　 B. from times to times

C. between time and time　　　　　　　　 D. between times and times

38. A. much interesting　　　　　　　　　　 B. more interested

C. more interesting　　　　　　　　　　 D. the most interesting

39. A. support　　　　 B. supported　　　 C. supporting　　　　 D. supports

40. A. why to do　　　 D. when to do　　　 C. what to do　　　　 D. where to do

Mary’s dime（一毛钱）

It was Sunday afternoon. I decided to clean up the room nicely so that my parents would feel   1  when they returned from a long ride! Then, I sat in the room, having nothing to do.

　　 What else could I do? Then, with no reason, I suddenly  2  the pale face of that little beggar(乞丐) girl. I could see the glad light   3  her eyes when I put the dime in her little dirty hand.

　　  How much I  4  that dime, too! Grandpa gave it to me a whole month ago, and I had kept it ever since in my red box upstairs, but those sugar apples looked so attractive, and were so   5  — only a dime a piece — that I wanted to have one.

　　  I could imagine the little girl stood there in front of the  6  in her old dirty dress, looking at the   7  that were put all in a row in the window. I wonder what I should say, “Little girl, what do you want?” I gently asked. She felt   8  and looked straight at me, just as if（似乎）nobody had spoken so   9  to her before. She realized what I had meant, so she said seriously and sadly. “I was thinking how good one of those delicious hamburgers would  10 . I haven’t had anything to eat today.”

　　 Now I thought to myself, “Mary Williams, you have had a good breakfast and a good lunch today,   11  this poor girl has not had a mouthful yet. You can give her your  12 . She needs it a great deal more than you do.”

　　 I could not run away from that little girl’s sad,  13  look — so I dropped the dime right into her hand. How  14  the girl was! I am so glad I gave her the dime,  15  I had to go without the apple lying there in the window.

1.                A．disturbed       B．unhappy        C．satisfied  D．interested

2.                A．saw            B．remembered    C．forgot    D．described

3.                A．filling          B．protecting       C．attracting D．touching

4.                A．hated          B．loved          C．missed   D．noticed

5.                A．valuable        B．meaningful      C．expensive D．cheap

6.                A．market         B．library          C．store D．bookshop

7.                A．dresses         B．magazines       C．books    D．candies

8.                A．surprised       B．excited         C．pleased   D．worried

9.                A．happily         B．kindly          C．angrily   D．sadly

10.               A．taste           B．sound          C．feel  D．smell

11.               A．since          B．so             C．and  D．but

12.               A．apple          B．hamburger      C．dime D．candy

13.               A．proud          B．angry          C．calm  D．hungry

14.               A．grateful        B．unlucky        C．lonely D．friendly

15.               A．unless         B．if              C．though    D．because

I’m lying on my back in my grandfather’s orchard (果园)，looking up at the branches above me.It is one of the last days of summer.Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler.Some kinds of apples are already ripe (成熟的)．Others will be ready to pick soon.I think of my grandmother’s apple pie，and how I used to make it with her.She died last year，before the apple harvest，and I have not had her pie since.I really miss her.I hear bees busily humming about，visiting the late summer flowers.The gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.

The sky is as blue as my grandfather’s eyes.Above me，big white clouds race across the sky like pieces of cotton blowing in the wind.School starts in another week，and time seems to have slowed down.

“Sophie！” calls my grandfather.“Is that you？” I stand up，take his hand，and tell him all about my day as we walk through the orchard.We talk about apples，and bees，and Grandma.He tells me that he misses her too.

He puts his rough，brown farmer’s hand around my shoulder and pulls me close.“You know，Sophie，” he says，“I spent the morning in the attic (阁楼)，and you’ll never guess what I found.It’s the recipe (烹饪法) for Grandma’s apple pie.I used to help her make it sometimes.I can’t do it all alone，but you used to help her too.Maybe between the two of us，we can work it out.Want to try？”

“But it won’t be the same without Grandma，” I tell him.

“That’s true，” he says，“but nothing_is_the_same_without_Grandma.Still，I don’t think that she would want us never to have another apple pie.What do you say？” I nod yes，and we walk towards home...towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen，making Grandma’s famous apple pie.

1．We learn from the passage that Sophie________.

A．likes to watch clouds in the attic

B．comes to the orchard after school

C．enjoys Grandma’s apple pie very much

D．picks many apples in the orchard

2．Sophie’s grandfather spent the morning in the attic________.

A．looking for Grandma’s recipe for apple pie

B．helping Sophie’s grandmother make apple pie

C．trying to make apple pie all alone for Sophie

D．talking about apples，and bees，and Grandma with Sophie

3．Both Sophie and her grandfather used to________.

A．help Grandma make apple pies

B．spend summer afternoons in the orchard

C．enjoy fresh fruit in the farmhouse kitchen

D．walk alone among the apple trees

4．The underlined part in the last paragraph shows________.

A．how much Sophie’s grandmother loved Sophie

B．how much Sophie’s grandfather likes apple pies

C．how much Sophie loves her grandfather’s orchard

D．how much Sophie’s grandfather misses Grandma

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

A．My grandfather’s orchard 　　　　　　　　 B．My grandmother’s apple pie

C．A morning in the attic 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．The last days of summer