It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

66. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.

67. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

68. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

   A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

   B. Because he had no children or relatives.

   C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

   D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

69. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

70. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times                    B. What He Valued Most

   C. An Old Gold Watch                      D. The Lost Childhood Days

完型填空 （共20小题，每小题1分，满分20分）

I was tired and hungry after a long day of work. When I walked into the living room, my 12-year-old son looked __26__ at me and said, “I love you.” I didn’t know what to say. __27__ several seconds all I could do was to stand there and __28__ down at him. My first thought was that he must need __29__ with his homework or he was trying to __30__ me for some news. Finally I asked, “What was that all about?”

“Nothing.” He said, “My teacher said we should __31__ our parents that we love them and see what they say. It’s a(n) __32__.”

The next day I called his teacher to __33__ more about this “experiment” and how the other parents had __34__.

“Basically, most of the fathers had the __35__ reaction as you did.” The teacher said, “When I first __36__ we try this, I asked the children what they thought their parents would say. Some of them thought their parents would have heart trouble.” “The __37__ is,” the teacher explained, “feeling loved is an important part of __38__. It’s something all human beings __39__. What I’m trying to tell the children is that it’s too __40__ that we don’t all express those feelings. A boy should be __41__ to tell his dad that he loves him.”

The teacher, a middle-aged man, understands how __42__ it is for some of us to say the things that would be good for us to say.

When my son came to me that evening, I held on to him for __43__ second. And just __44__ he pulled away, I said in my deepest, most manly voice, “Hey, I love you, too.”

I don’t know if saying that made either of us healthier, but it did feel pretty good. Maybe next time if my child says “I love you”, it would not take me a whole day to think of the right __45__.

1. A. down              B. away             C. out              D. up

2.A. After              B. For              C. At               D. On

3. A. glance            B. glare                C. stare           D. watch

4. A. patience              B. time             C. help             D. paper

5. A. report            B. prepare              C. answer               D. apologize

6.. A. help                 B. ask              C. tell                 D. make

7.. A. thing                B. experiment           C. word             D. sentence

8. A. search for            B. search           C. find out         D. find

9. A. said              B. reacted              C. done                 D. explained

10. A. same             B. different            C. usual                D. ordinary

11. A. allowed              B. agreed               C. suggested        D. planned

12. A. point                B. idea                 C. way                  D. cause

13. A. body             B. health               C. life                 D. study

14. A. have             B. know                 C. take                 D. require

15. A. bad              B. good                 C. late                 D. early

16. A. fit                  B. ready                C. nice                 D. able

17.A. easy              B. much                 C. often                D. difficult

18. A. a much           B. a full               C. an exact             D. an extra

19. A. before               B. after                C. because              D. if

20. A. answer           B. key                  C. reason               D experiment

 

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.

One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son.  I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”

I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands. “For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up .

Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll .In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl . I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and  ________  .

  A．preferred to stay alone at home       B．lost interest in his studies

  C．refused to talk to others             D．began to dislike his mother

There was silence on the other end of the line because  ________ .

  A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother

  B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking

  C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice

  D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother

The sentence “…he even made the honor roll” means that “ ________  ”.

  A．he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting

  B．he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades

  C．he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around

  D．he was even on the list of the best students at school

What is the main idea of this passage?

  A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.

  B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.

  C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.

  D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died．As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him．But the more I tried, the more he pulled away．When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year．At this rate he would never graduate．I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him．Nothing worked.

One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help．“Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son． I’m at the end of my rope．I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”

I was at work when I got a phone call．A man introduced himself as the headmaster．“I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger．“I love my son but I just don’t know what to do．I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked．It’s out of my hands．“For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line．The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.

Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades．Finally, he even made the honor roll .In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl．I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around．On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded．“That was me．I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you．That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and ______.

       A．preferred to stay alone at home             B．lost interest in any activity

       C．refused to talk to others                        D．began to dislike his mother

There was silence on the other end of the line because ______ .

       A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother

       B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking

       C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice

       D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother

The underlined sentence “…he even made the honor roll” means that “ ______ ”.

       A．he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting

       B．he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades

       C．he was even on the list of students who turned themselves around

       D．he was even on the list of the best students at school

What is the main idea of this passage ?

       A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.

       B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.

       C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.

       D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.