“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

It’s nice to have friends. Well, how can we have friends?

  First, spend ______ time with people. If you want to make friends, you need to meet people. You can go to places ______coffee shops or clubs to meet people.

  Then, ______your friend. Once(一旦)you ______to make friends with someone, you must care about him or her. “ A true friend reaches for your hand and touches your heart.” ______it’s not necessary for you and your friend to be the same, you need to know him or her. You should help him or her when he or she has ______problems.

  Next, be a good listener. It’s important to show that you’re interested in others. Listen ______to what people say and take time to learn more about ______

  At last, encourage(鼓励)your friends. Good friends will ______both good and bad times. Never laugh at(嘲笑)your ______in front of others. If someone is laughing at your friend, you should stop him or her.

1.A. less    B. more     C. good     D. bad

2.A. to       B. with       C. like        D. between

3.A. care about B. look at  C. worry about  D. ask for

4.A. stop   B. forget   C. ask        D. decide

5.A. Or      B. Because         C. Although       D. If

6.A. no      B. some     C. few        D. other

7.A. clearly        B. quickly  C. truly      D. carefully

8.A. you    B. him        C. her        D. them

9.A. have  B. try         C. share    D. break

10.A. friend       B. classroom      C. parent  D. teacher

根据句意及首字母或汉语提示完成单词。

1.If you go to the park in summer, you will enjoy v             flowers.

2.Tom，please throw the rubbish into the         （垃圾桶）.

3.You can’t see the words on the blackboard clearly. I can’t，e       .

4.If you agree with me，n        your head.

5.The students were s       the floor when Mr Wu came in.

6.The financial crisis (金融危机) made a great change to Americans’ e              lives.

7.With the help of my teacher , I have made great ________(进步)in this term.

8.To tell you the ______(true), I felt sad when I missed the chance.

9.The police think the man in red is one of the ___________ (rob)

10.Our planet, Earth is becoming more and more crowded and _________ (pollute).

11.The teacher told us that light__________(travel) much faster than sound.

12.It’s necessary for us ______________(do)some exercise before the final exam.

13.We _____________ (run) outside when you called us at this time yesterday.

14.---Why not ________(buy) a toy car for your son .

    ---Good idea. He must like it very much .

15.Linda spends as much time as she can _____________(practice) reading English.

When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, pretended（假装） not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the disadvantages of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker（股票经纪人）. I said in a voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.” And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me the check. It’s already two weeks late.”
And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather anxious .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” Then she talked more loudly. “What does he want? I’ll come to New York and say it in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuses. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed (使困窘) me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is clear and direct. It was the language that helped me form the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
【小题1】Why was the author’s mother poorly treated?