I was walking along the main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking for somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to contact the AA Company. Low grey clouds were gathering across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea which nearly threw me off my feet every time I crossed one of the side streets. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.

There was no sign of a call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour whom I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop open selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his rounds, but the town was completely dead. The only living thing I saw was a thin frightened cat outside a small restaurant.

Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street. Next to it was the town’s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint. I hurried forward, but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat. I could not see his face and he didn’t raise his head at the sound of my footsteps.

Carefully, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait for my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the box call door

At what time was the story set?

    A. An early winter morning      B. A cold winter afternoon

    C. An early summer morning      D.A windy summer afternoon

Which of the following words best describe the writer’s impression of the town?

    A. cold and frightening     B. dirty and crowded

    C. empty and dead           D. unusual and unpleasant

The underlined word “ trickling” in the last paragraph means_______________

    A. rushing out suddenly        B. shining brightly

    C. flowing slowly in drops          D. appearing slowly

Why didn’t the man raise his head when the writer came near?

    A. He was annoyed at being seen by the writer.

    B. He was angry at being disturbed by the writer.

    C. He was probably fast asleep.

    D. He was probably murdered.

I was in a strange city I didn’t know at all, and what’s more, I could not speak a word of the language. On my second day I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops, then got off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough, then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived, and even that I pronounced badly. I stopped to ask a newspaper-seller. He handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person I asked was a policeman. He listened to me carefully, nodded and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I nodded politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside. The only thing left for me to do was find the nearest railway station.   
【小题1】From the story we know that the policeman______.  

A．was kind but didn’t understand the writer?

B．told the writer where to take a train

C．knew what the writer really meant

D．was cold-hearted and didn’t help the writer

【小题2】What can we learn from the last paragraph?  

A．The writer got close to the hotel where he stayed.?

B．The writer got to the hotel with the policeman’s help.?

C．The writer found he was much farther away from the hotel.?

D．The writer found the hotel in the direction the policeman pointed.

【小题3】In your opinion, what was the writer’s real trouble?  

A．He didn’t know the city at all.

B．He couldn’t speak the language.?

C．He went too far in the wrong bus.

D．He followed the policeman’s direction.

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.
The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”
Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you ’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.
When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.
All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.
【小题1】In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.

A．support his idea that young people are no good.

B．introduce his point of view about young people.

C．tell people every coin has its two sides.

D．young people often make mistakes.

【小题2】 From the boy’s speech, we know _____.

A．his grandmother had great influence on him.

B．they had a dog which often attacked people

C．people had forgotten her until the boy appeared..

D．his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa

【小题3】 Which of the following statements is true?

A．The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer.

B．The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention.

C．The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away.

D．The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him.

【小题4】What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?
A. weak, mild and modest.
B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate
C. sensitive and hard on others.
D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful.
【小题5】The passage tells the readers____.

A．facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow.

B．young people have to control themselves

C．the adults should learn from the young.

D．the adults should teach the young how to be brave

The accident at Lake Sherwood was in our backyard. An SUV(运动型多用途车)had gone off the road，down a hill, and collided with a tree. When we heard the wreck, I remembered to say “call 911”. My family was the first on the scene. Nick, my son, was on the cell phone with 911. He saw a friend who was a victim in the crash who was a 15 years old girl who was badly disfigured and had died instantly. It was a terrible scene.

There had been six people in the truck, all between 15 and 17 years old. My husband and I checked all the victims, and I picked one who was conscious and stayed with him. I talked with him and had him lay on the ground. When I asked him if he was hurt, he said he was sore all over. When help arrived, they asked me to stay and continue working with them. I did as Debbie Romine, .my instructor, said in class, and did what they wanted. They even said thank you before they left.

The sheriff deputies came by Saturday night to get our statements and play the 911 tape back, so Nick could identify all the voices in the background. They said over and over that the way he handled the call was the best they had heard in a long time. He was calm and worked with them even when he saw his friend who had died. The Sheriff’s Department is sending some people over to help us work through our emotions.

The first aid and CPR course I took in January really helped me. I just didn’t expect to put it to good use so soon.

Pennyd. Miller

Kansas State Dept of Education,Topeka

1.According to the passage, in case of an emergence, people should dial_______________.

A．110              B．120              C．800              D．911

2.Who died immediately after the accident?

A．A girl.            B．The writer.         C．Debbie Romine.     D．Nick.

3.Why did the Sheriff deputies come by Saturday night?

A．To arrest the offender.                   B．To offer them help.

C．To get their statements.                   D．To help them.

4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．The writer is a doctor.

B．All the people in the car were killed in the accident.

C．Debbie Romine offered much help to the victims.

D．The writer took a first aid and CPR course in January.

5.We can infer from the passage that__________________.

A．The first aid and CPR course in January really helped the writer

B．The writer’s family were affected emotionally by the accident

C．The victims were all conscious after the accident

D．The police arrived long after the accident

 

We all, at one time or another, have pretended to be a rock star, singing and dancing along to our favorite song. Most of us have done this in the privacy of our own room when we were kids and as adults, in the privacy of our homes. Me? I love to do that when I drive! I turn on the radio, find a song that I can sing along too and pretty soon my arms are in the air and I am moving along to the rhythm. Most of the time, I do this on my way to work.

　　Yes, that is true. I will be in my nice work clothes, jamming while driving or stopped at a traffic light. I get weird looks from some people and others laugh. Personally, I love to get lost in the rhythm of a song which leads me to share with you the importance of being silly!

　　The definition for the word silly, according to the dictionary is: stupid, foolish and nonsensical. I know many people do not want to look foolish. So they walk around all serious, which in all honesty, is foolish!

　　No one is perfect, I repeat: no one is perfect. I don’t care how educated, how thin, how beautiful, how simple, how frugal, how rich, and so on… No one is perfect! So why pretend to be something you are not?

Life is so short… You never know when this beautiful journey will be over, so why waste a single second on being so full of rigidity(呆板)? Here is a quote by Souza, that I think says it all and is a great recipe for life:

　　"Dance as though no one is watching you,

　　Love as though you have never been hurt before,

　　Sing as though no one can hear you,

　　Live as though heaven is on earth."

　　When we were kids, we had no idea of what limitations were and we had no care in the world so we could do things without worrying about how we appeared to others. However, as we grew up, we lost that childlike innocence.

　　So don’t lose the child that still lives within you. The next time you feel down, go turn on your favorite song, and sing and dance along like there is no tomorrow. Or watch something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine to whatever ails you and nothing is better than laughing so hard that your tummy hurts. Trust me, you will feel a whole lot better, and who doesn’t want to feel good?

1. According to the passage, what does the writer usually do?

A．He pretends to be a rock star.	B．He dances in his own home.
C．He sings songs while going to work.	D．He gets jammed on his way to work.

2.What do other people think of the writer?

A．They think that the writer is strange.	B．They look down upon the writer.
C．They believe that the writer is lonely.	D．No one is interested in the writer.

3. What is the writer’s opinion about the people who look very serious?

A．They are honest.	B．They are silly.
C．They are perfect.	D．They are educated.

4. The writer quotes Souza to show that _______.

A．life is a beautiful journey	B．life is full of rigidity
C．life is like a great recipe	D．life is to be treasured

5.The underlined part “the child” in the last paragraph probably refers to _______.

A．the writer	B．any child
C．the feeling of being a child	D．the time of being a child