阅读理解

　　It was getting dark and snow was coming down．Joe was driving home．He'd been unemployed since the factory closed．Most of his friends had left, but he stayed on．After all, he was born here．

　　Suddenly he saw a lady standing on the side of the road and pulled up．She was worried．No one had stopped to help her．Was he going to hurt her?He looked poor and hungry．Joe knew how she felt and said, “My name is Joe and I'm here to help you．”All she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough．Joe changed the tire, but he got dirty and his hands were hurt．She wanted to pay Joe and said any amount would have been all right．Joe never thought twice about the money and there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past．He had lived his whole life that way．He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed．

　　Later the lady went in a dingy-looking restaurant to grab a bite to eat．The cash register was like the telephone of an out-of-work actor－it didn't ring much．The waitress, who was nearly eight months pregnant, brought a clean towel to her with a sweet smile．The old lady remembered Joe．After the waitress brought the change from a 100-dollar bill, she found the lady gone and something written on a piece of paper, “Someone once helped me out－the way I'm helping you．If you really want to pay me back, don't let the chain of love end with you．”

　　That night the waitress gave her sleeping husband a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything's going to be all right．I love you, Joe．”

完形填空

　　It was New Year's night, An aged man was standing at a window．He raised his mournful(悲哀的)eyes towards the deep 　　1　　 sky, where the stars were 　　2　　 like white lilies(百合花)on the surface of a clear calm lake．Then he threw them on the earth．Where a few more 　　3　　 people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the 　　4　　, He had already passed sixty of the 　　5　　 leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and regret．Now his health was poor, his mind 　　6　　, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of 　　7　　．

　　The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him．and he recalled the 　　8　　 moment when his father placed him at the 　　9　　 to the two roads-one leading to a 　　10　　．sunny place．covered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs; the other 1eading to a deep, dark cave．which was endless．　　11　　 poison flowed instead of water and where deviIs(恶魔)and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled．

　　He saw the 　　12　　 fading away in the darkness．and these were the days of his 　　13　　 life; He saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the 　　14　　 of himself．His regret, which was like a sharparrow．Struck deeply into his heart．Then he remembered his friends in his childhood．who entered on life together with him．But they had 　　15　　 to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year's night The clock in the high church tow struck and the sound made him remember his parents' early love for him．They had taught him and 　　16　　 to God for his good．But he chose the 　　17　　 way．With shame and grief he 　　18　　 no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived．

　　His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing 　　19　　, he burst out a cry; “Come back, my 　　20　　 days!Come back!”

阅读理解

　　Julio loves to visit his grandmother．He doesn’t get to visit her very often because his family lives in a city that is six hours away．His grandmother lives in a big wooden house on a farm．It is old and looks as if it has secret hiding places．

　　On the third Sunday of June ,Julio’s parents took him to his grandmother’s．Since it was summer vacation ,he was going to stay at grandmother’s for a whole mother! His cousins Mario and Linda would soon be arriving．They would also be staying at their grandmother’s this summer．

　　A big porch(走廊)wraps around two sides of the house．Julio sat in the porch swing．He could see the trees that circle the house．They had been planted as a windbreak．They protect the house from the wind and blowing dirt．The house is in the middle of a large ,flat field．

　　Julio watched the dirt road that leads to the house．He couldn’t wait for his cousins to get there!Mario was his age ,and Linda was a year younger．They had fun together．Last summer they spent one whole morning making a fort out of sacks of seed．Then Uncle Henry had taken them on a tractor ride．

　　Julio remembered another time with his cousins．They had gone out to explode the fields．Julio touched an electric fence and got a shock．Then they found an old snakeskin．Nothing like that ever happened at his own home!

　　Julio could smell the dinner that his grandmother was cooking．It made him hungry．

　　Finally he saw a cloud of dust coming up the road．“They ‘re here! There’re here!” He shouted．