After my husband died, my world crashed around me. My six children were 10, nine, eight, six, three and 18 months, and I was overwhelmed(压垮) with the responsibilities(责任) of earning a living, caring for the children and simply keeping my head above water.
I was lucky to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and frankly(坦诚地) I was uneasy. Every unusual noise or any late-night phone call filled me with fear. I felt really lonely.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd(牧羊犬) on our doorstep. It was obvious he wanted to make the house his home. The children took an instant（紧迫的） liking to "German" and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement(地下室) until the next day. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks. The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results. Saturday night he was still with us.
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by, we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He stayed again Sunday night.
Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn’t come back. We thought we’d never see him again. On Friday evening, German was back again. We took him in, and again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived. It went like this for almost 10 months. We looked forward to his coming each Monday morning he left home.
Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little braver, but every weekend I enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back.
【小题1】How long did the German shepherd stay with the family every week?

My life suffered a lot in a summer five years ago. My father died in a car accident, leaving my mother, my two younger brothers and I alone. At that time, I was a senior high school student. After my father’s funeral (葬礼), I had no choice but to drop out of school and work in a factory.

I really wanted to return to school and wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t. I only hoped to bring up my two younger brothers. Life was not easy for me, for I can’t afford their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night without stopping. Without my father’s protection, I thought I was a slave (奴隶) to the fate.

Later on, something changed my life. I still remember that it was a rainy day. I put myself in the rain and walked slowly in the street.

Suddenly the rain stopped! I raised my head and found “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I noticed a middle-aged man with one leg on crutch (拐杖) standing behind me. He said to me, “Why not run without an umbrella? If you didn’t run, you would get drenched.”

The man told me that he was promoter (推销员). He once dreamed of being a policeman, but an accident ruined (毁灭) his dream. Though his present job was not suitable for his legs, it was wonderful start to him. He was very happy that he didn’t lose heart and still “ran” on the road of life…

I was encouraged by the man’s words. I went to a big city and I became an assurance representative (保险代理人). After two years’ running, I did well and my family condition turned better little by little. Later I returned to school and succeeded in my entrance to university.

Life is like this. When you are in rainy days in your life, if you couldn’t find a way to prevent you from being wet, you would be overwhelmed (被制服). But if you decide to get rid of it, you’ll discover that the rainy days last not so long as you imagine.

1.What happened to the writer at the beginning of the story? 

    A. His father died in a car accident six years ago.

    B. He didn’t have money to hold the funeral for his father.

    C. He had to drop out of school to look after his sick mother.

    D. He couldn’t afford his two brothers’ tuition even if he worked from day to night.

2.About the middle-aged man with one leg on crutch, which of the following is NOT true?

    A. He lost one leg in an accident.

    B. He had dreamed of being a policeman.

C. He became a promoter after an accident.

    D. He had a good job which was suitable for him very well.

3.What does the underlined word “drenched” mean in Chinese?

    A. 干燥的       B. 湿透的      C. 紧张的      D.舒服的

4.What’s the main idea of the sixth paragraph?

   A. The writer learned from the man and the situation soon got better.

B. The writer didn’t want to listen to the man and left without any word.

   C. The writer had to give up his dream and became a promoter as the man.

   D. The writer made friends with the man and they got on well with each other.

5.Which is the best title for the passage?

   A. Try to Be Independent.

B. Care for the Disabled Person.

   C. Run out of the Rainy Season of Your Life.

D. Get to Know More About Middle-aged People

My life suffered a lot in a summer five years ago. My father died in a car accident, leaving my mother, my two younger brothers and I alone. At that time, I was a senior high school student. After my father’s funeral (葬礼), I had no choice but to drop out of school and work in a factory.
I really wanted to return to school and wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t. I only hoped to bring up my two younger brothers. Life was not easy for me, for I can’t afford their tuition (学费) even if I worked from day to night without stopping. Without my father’s protection, I thought I was a slave (奴隶) to the fate.
Later on, something changed my life. I still remember that it was a rainy day. I put myself in the rain and walked slowly in the street.
Suddenly the rain stopped! I raised my head and found “the sky” was in fact a dark blue umbrella. Then I noticed a middle-aged man with one leg on crutch (拐杖) standing behind me. He said to me, “Why not run without an umbrella? If you didn’t run, you would get drenched.”
The man told me that he was promoter (推销员). He once dreamed of being a policeman, but an accident ruined (毁灭) his dream. Though his present job was not suitable for his legs, it was wonderful start to him. He was very happy that he didn’t lose heart and still “ran” on the road of life…
I was encouraged by the man’s words. I went to a big city and I became an assurance representative (保险代理人). After two years’ running, I did well and my family condition turned better little by little. Later I returned to school and succeeded in my entrance to university.
Life is like this. When you are in rainy days in your life, if you couldn’t find a way to prevent you from being wet, you would be overwhelmed (被制服). But if you decide to get rid of it, you’ll discover that the rainy days last not so long as you imagine.

1. 1.

   What happened to the writer at the beginning of the story? 

   1. A.
      His father died in a car accident six years ago.
   2. B.
      He didn’t have money to hold the funeral for his father.
   3. C.
      He had to drop out of school to look after his sick mother.
   4. D.
      He couldn’t afford his two brothers’ tuition even if he worked from day to night.
2. 2.

   About the middle-aged man with one leg on crutch, which of the following is NOT true?

   1. A.
      He lost one leg in an accident.
   2. B.
      He had dreamed of being a policeman.
   3. C.
      He became a promoter after an accident.
   4. D.
      He had a good job which was suitable for him very well.
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “drenched” mean in Chinese?

   1. A.
      干燥的
   2. B.
      湿透的
   3. C.
      紧张的
   4. D.
      舒服的
4. 4.

   What’s the main idea of the sixth paragraph?

   1. A.
      The writer learned from the man and the situation soon got better.
   2. B.
      The writer didn’t want to listen to the man and left without any word.
   3. C.
      The writer had to give up his dream and became a promoter as the man.
   4. D.
      The writer made friends with the man and they got on well with each other.
5. 5.

   Which is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Try to Be Independent.
   2. B.
      Care for the Disabled Person.
   3. C.
      Run out of the Rainy Season of Your Life.
   4. D.
      Get to Know More About Middle-aged People