“Do you want to come with me?” Sally asked her brother. “I’m going to meet some friends at the bike course（赛道，路线）down the block. We’re going to practice for the race next week.”

“No, thanks,” Mark replied. “Sam’s coming over to play basketball.”

Sally rode off on her bike while Mark waited for his friend. Mark was fast,   35   he usually did well in most sports. He didn’t think it would   36   if he practiced the course. It could be hilly or sandy, and Mark knew he would   37   speed along.

The race day finally arrived. “My stomach feels like I ate some butterflies,” Sally told Mark when she saw so many kids around. Then they   38   the other riders at the start line.

“Sally is always nervous,” Mark thought. “Don’t worry.   39   will do fine,” he said. As soon as the starter shouted “Go!”, Mark’s legs pumped up and down like two machines. He moved   40   to the front.

A few minutes later, there wasn’t anyone ahead of him! Mark raced along the course. He rode past some pine trees. Then the path looped(环绕)around a pond. Mark was surprised that the course was so   41  .

His tired legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. All at once, a flash of color caught his eyes. There was a line of bike riders on the course ahead of him! “How could this be?” Mark said to himself. “I must have taken a wrong   42   and made one more loop in the course,” he thought.

Mark pushed his achy muscles(肌肉)harder. He realized his   43   alone wouldn’t be enough this time;   44   the course was just as important. He managed to ride past a couple of bike riders, but he couldn’t   45   the riders who were in the lead.

After the race Mark saw his sister. “Wow, you must have done a good job in the race. What place did you get?” Mark asked.

“Third place!” Sally answered excitedly.

“That’s great! I came in ninth place. But I’ll do better next year because I’ll be     46   enough to practice the course with you,” Mark made a face at his sister and replied.

35. A. but                           B. as                        C. and                      D. or

36. A. help                          B. move                   C. care                     D. come

37. A. just                           B. even                     C. never                   D. still

38. A. joined                       B. passed                  C. visited                  D. invited

39. A. I                              B. You                      C. They                    D. She

40. A. quickly                     B. quietly                  C. clearly                  D. carefully

41. A. hard                         B. wide                    C. long                     D. tidy

42. A. chance                      B. turn                     C. step                     D. ride

43. A. patience                    B. spirit                    C. speed                   D. imagination

44. A. accepting                  B. changing              C. knowing               D. finishing

45. A. leave                         B. touch                   C. face                     D. reach

46. A. honest                      B. smart                   C. brave                   D. confident

Jackie visited his grandparents on their farm. And he was playing with a slingshot(弹弓)in the woods. He practised in the woods but he could never hit the target. As he was walking back, he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Without thinking, he shot, hit the duck in the head, and killed it. He was very afraid. He knew Grandma loved the duck. She would be sad or even angry if she knew that her duck was killed. He then hid the dead duck under a tree. His sister Susan saw it all, but she said nothing.

    After lunch that day Grandma said, “Susan, let’s wash the dishes.” But Susan said,  “Grandma, Jackie told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn’t you, Jackie?” And then she whispered（小声说）to him, “Remember the duck?” So Jackie did the dishes.

    Later Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, but Grandma said, "I’m sorry but I need Susan to help clean the house." But Susan smiled and said,  "Well, that’s all right because Jackie told me he wanted to help." and she whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Susan went fishing with Grandpa and Jackie stayed.

     These "remember the duck" went on for many days. Then finally Jackie couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and told her that he had killed the duck. She gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. But I just wanted to see how long you would let Susan make a slave (奴隶) of you. "

1 What did Jackie hit with the slingshot at last?

   A. The target.           B. A rabbit.          C. The pet duck.      D. A pet dog.

2 Susan didn’t tell Grandma about Jackie’s secret because ______.

   A. she wanted Jackie to do something for her

B. she was afraid Grandma would be very sad

   C. she didn’t want to make Grandma angry    

D. she loved her brother very much

3 Jackie helped clean the house instead of going fishing with Grandpa because ______.

   A. he liked cleaning the house              B. Grandma asked him to

   C. he didn’t like going fishing              D. he wanted Susan to keep his secret

4 The phrase “couldn’t stand ” in Chiese means___________

   A. 不能站立           B. 迫不及待        C. 不能忍受         D. 无法停止

5 What lesson does the story want to tell us?

A. It’s dangerous to play with a slingshot on a farm.

B. It’s impossible to let girls keep secrets for you. .

C. It makes you feel better to tell than to hide.

D. It’s dangerous to let others see what you’ve done.