One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion,the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later,I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful,grateful voice on the other end of the line,all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was,I should point out,after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed.and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson.”I said.I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea,but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally,in desperation,I called his girlfriend’s house.After what seemed like countless rings,his girlfriend answered.“Yes,”she said brightly,“He’s right here.”
He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm,rational(理智的)self.After all,one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modem teenagers.“Where are the children?”I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed.Well,it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home,celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children,dressed in their best clothes,and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime,all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
【小题1】The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children
because       .

A．Modem teenagers are not worth trusting.

B．It is no easy job to look after young children.

C．It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age.

D．Her children have a caring and tender heart.

第三节：阅读理解（共25小题; 每小题2分, 满分50分）
It was 3:12 a. m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the crackling（爆裂声）of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn (草坪).
The nine-year-old raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother’s room. He found it impossible to woke her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later, “acted with all the self-control of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother’s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan: “The string will lead you to mother.” Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1．Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A．He wanted to find out what was happening.  
B．He was worried about his mother’s safety.
C．He wanted to save his sister and brother.    
D．He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2．How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A．By throwing water all over her and her bed.    
B．By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C．By pushing and pulling at her.              
D．By tying a string to her hand.
3．Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A．Glenn.    B．Glenn’s father.     C．Glenn’s sister.    D．Glenn’s neighbor.
4．What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A．He put a wet cloth around his head.      B．He threw water all over himself.
C．He hid himself in the bathroom.         D．He rushed out to the lawn.
5．Glenn saved his family because___________.
A．his father had taught him to do so on the phone   
B．he had learned something about first aid
C．he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely 
D．he had followed his mother’s instruction

完型填空。（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项.

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to ___31___ a passager at 2:30 a.m. When I arrived to ___32___ the passager, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

I walked to the___33___ and knocked,“Just a minute,”answered a weak ,elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman ___34___ her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

I took the suitcase to the car,and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.

She kept thanking me for my kindness.“It’s __35____,”I told her,“I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother __36____.”

“Oh, you’re such a good man,”she said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me a/an ___37___,and then asked,“could you drive ___38___ downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,”I answered quickly.

“Oh, I’m in no hurry,”she said,“I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院).I don’t have any family left. The doctot says I don’t have very long.”

I ___39____ reached over and__40____ the meter(计价器)

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the buildings, __41____ the manufactory where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived , and the furniture shop __42____had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to solw down in front of a __43____ building and would sit staring into the darkness, say nothing.

__44____, she suddenly said,“I’m tired, Let’s go now.”

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

“___45___ do I owe you?”she asked.

“Nothing,”I said.

“You ___46___ make a living,”she answered. “Oh, there are other ___47_____.”I answered.

Almost without thinking. I __48____ and gave her a hug. She __49____ me. Our hug ended with her remark,“You gave an old woman a little moment of __50____.”

3..

13.

17.

One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister. On this occasion, the task was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend. I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones. Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out. I called home with this happy news. But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone. “I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside. Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a wintry night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered. “Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone. I was not my usual calm, rational self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers. “Where are the children?” I said. He said they were with him. They had done nothing wrong. My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake. This was too favorable to be believed. Well, it turned out that I shouldn’t have believed it. It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday. My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts. Mounted(裱装) and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
That was the most precious gift of all.
【小题1】Shortly after the author left home one evening, she discovered that ____.