In America, people don’t keep their old people at home. At a certain age they put them away. In my country, the old people stay in the home until they ____80____. But here, things are not like that. It’s surprising to me that they put them away. The first thing they think of is a nursing home (养老院). Some of these people don’t need a nursing home. If they had their own bedroom at home, they would watch ____81____ or listen to the radio or have themselves busy doing something interesting.

Right now there’s a lady here, nothing wrong with her, but her children put her away. They don’t come to see her. The only time they come to see her is when she says, “I can’t breathe.” She wants some ____82____. And that way she is just aging. When I came here, she was a beautiful woman. She was looking nice. Now she is going down.

We had another lady here two years ago, she had two sons. She fell and had a ____83____ leg. They called the eldest son. He said, “Why call on me? Call the little one. She gave all the money to that little one.” That was bad. I was right there.

All these people are not helpless. But just the family ____84____ them. There is an old man here. His children took him for a ride one day, pushed him out of the car, let him walk and wander (徘徊) by himself. He couldn’t find his way home. His children try to ____85____ all that he has. They are trying to make him sign papers and things like those. There is nothing wrong with him. He can dress himself, cook his own meals, take a walk… They signed him in here, made the lawyers sign him in. They are just in for money.

How can these children treat their old people like that? How awful!

80. A. fail                 B. disappear                C. die               D. hate

81. A. films        B. pets                C. television                  D. children

82. A. attention     B. freedom                     C. invitation                D. trouble

83. A. frozen                B. broken                    C. weak                   D. terrible

84. A. have pity on        B. deal with                    C. rely on                  D. get rid of

85. A. take away           B. give up                      C. dream of                D. care for

The group's song “If You're Gone” came out in 2000,and it's popular. Weeks ago, it was No. 4 on Billboard's Chart (流行音乐公告牌).

Lead singer Bob Thomas said that's what happens to a lot of their songs.

“They are never so popular when they come out. It's always like this and a year later I turn on the radio and I still hear it on the radio and I'm like. ‘Aw, this is great,’” Thomas said to a newspaper. “Then we get a call six months later saying that the song's starting to do really well.”

Thomas said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks(9 · 11事件)changed the way people listen to the radio.

“They want to hear about songs about feelings or they want to hear about songs that are just fun just because they're tired now,” he said．

1．From the reading we learn that Matchbox Twenty is ________. (　)

A．a popular song

B．a singer

C．a singing group

D．a song writer

2．“that's what happens to a lot of their songs”means ________. (　)

A．their songs are popular all the time

B．some of their songs don't do well at the beginning

C．a lot of their songs are not popular at all

D．something always happens to their songs

3．Bob Thomas ________. (　)

A．changed the way people listen to the radio

B．wrote a song for a newspaper

C．once said something to a newsreporter

D．came out to sing in 2000

4．Now songs about ________ are popular. (　)

A．the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

B．people's feelings

C．the year of 2000

D．Billboard Chart

5．Which of the following is right? (　)

A．People don't like to listen to the radio now.

B．Songs that are just fun are welcomed now.

C．Popular songs all came out in 2000．

D．Bob Thomas also works at a newspaper.

  When Amy walked to her classroom, she met a tall boy. "Watch it!" the boy shouted. Then he mimicked（模仿）the way Amy limped（跛行）. Amy closed her eyes and went to her classroom sadly. Children laughed at her every day. She was sad about it but didn't know what to do.

    Back home that evening, Amy was   31  .Her mum knew that things didn't go well at school. She   32   to help her out.

    “There's a Christmas wish match on the radio," Amy's mum said. "If you have a wish, you can    33    to Santa Claus."

    Amy smiled, An idea came to her mind. Then she began to write her letter:

Dear Santa Claus

    My name is Amy. I am nine years old. I'm not  34  .at school. Children laugh at me because I limp. Can you help me? I just   35  .that no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

                                                        Love

                                                       Amy

    Her   36   spread(传播）on the radio quickly. Over 2,000 people sent Amy letters of friendship. Amy knew  37  could make her feel sad again. A few days later when Amy arrived at school in the morning, she found some  38    on her desk. She opened one and it read:

Dear Amy

     I heard your letter on the radio. I am very   39  . I shouldn't make fun of you. I won’t    40   you again. Would you like to be my friend?

Tom

31. A. crazy         B. shy        C. quiet        D. hungry

32. A. decided       B. failed      C. forgot       D. learned

33. A. talk          B. go         C. write        D. listen

34. A. sad          B. good        C. bad        D. happy

35. A. understand    B. think       C. know       D. hope

36. A. wish         B. picture      C. idea        D. name

37. A. something     B. nothing     C. anything    D. everything

38. A. radios        B. flowers      C. reports     D. letters

39. A. glad         B. afraid        C. sorry      D. careful

40. A. watch        B. hurt         C. hate       D. push