Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White.

Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn’t take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.

In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober（清醒的） enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.

One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams. “Steve!!” Startled, he turned to look at her.

“Pay attention!”

Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration (青春期的爱慕), as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.

“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.

“...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”

She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.

　After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.

“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.

“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing fazed him.

“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.

“Steve! Please! I care about you!”

Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!

Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench(恶臭) was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.

The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.

Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn’t resist another look at the lovely woman.

Miss White’s face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up. Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!

From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!

He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.

After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor（副教授） in a nearby college。

Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life.

You see, it’s simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared.

1.What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A．Steve would give up schooling forever.

B．Steve was at a loss about improving his study.

C．Being unhappy both in school and at home, Steve intended to end his own life.

D．Due to his poor study, Steve was about to be expelled from his school.

2.What made Steve change greatly all of a sudden?

A．Miss White’s encouragement             B．Miss White’s praise

C．knowing Miss White concerned him         D．Miss White’s persuasion

3.What might be the best title for this passage?

A．A boy loves his teacher                   B．The difference a teacher can make

C．A great teacher                         D．Please care about your students

A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin (顽童)was walking around the shining car. "Is this your car, Paul?" he asked.
Paul answered, "Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was surprised. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything. Boy, I wish..."He hesitated (犹豫).
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again; "Would you like to take a ride in my car?" "Oh, yes, I'd love that." After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, "Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled ( 残疾 ) brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
"There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm going to give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.

1. 1.

   The street urchin was very surprised when______________ . 

   1. A.
      Paul received an expensive car
   2. B.
      Paul told him about the car
   3. C.
      he saw the shining car
   4. D.
      he was walking around the car
2. 2.

   The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house______________ .

   1. A.
      to show his neighbours the big car
   2. B.
      to show he had a rich friend
   3. C.
      to let his brother ride in the car
   4. D.
      to tell his brother about his wish
3. 3.

   We can infer from the story that______________.

   1. A.
      Paul couldn't understand the urchin
   2. B.
      the urchin had a deep love for his brother
   3. C.
      the urchin wished to have a rich brother
   4. D.
      the urchin's wish came true in the end
4. 4.

   The best title of the story is__________ .

   1. A.
      A Christmas Present
   2. B.
      A Street Urchin
   3. C.
      A Brother Like That
   4. D.
      An Unforgettable Holiday Ride

第二节：语法填空: 根据短文内容，在空格中填上合适的单词。（共10分，每空1分）

A little old lady went into a pet shop and saw a lovely-looking parrot．“I would like to buy that handsome bird, please,” she said to the owner．

“Oh you don’t want___81___,” the man replied．“He uses some pretty terrible___82__．Why don’t you get a puppy or a cat? ”

“I want that parrot!” the woman insisted, and proceeded to put her money ___83___ the counter．The owner shrugged his shoulders and made the sale．

When the woman returned home, she started playing with her new friend．She was petting him and poking at his feathers when all of a sudden he ___84___ （start） swearing a blue streak．The woman was so shocked ___85___she grabbed the parrot and stuck him in the refrigerator．When she took the shivering bird out___86__ （late）, she warned him that every time he used bad language he’d be put back ___87__it was cold．

The parrot’s behavior was pretty good for___88___ couple of days, but then one morning while the cat was putting her paw through his cage, he got ___89__ （real） mad and started cursing again．This time the woman grabbed the ___90__ and stuck him in the freezer．As he sat there shivering and looking around, he saw a frozen turkey right next to him．“Ëgad!” squawked the parrot．“What did you say?”

1 

My first job was at a local restaurant, where I worked for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow  36  .

Helen was in her 30s and had extraordinary self-confidence, something I was really  37  . I looked up to Helen  38  she was doing what she loved—  39  people better. She always made everyone, customers and co-workers,   40  and feel good.

Being a waitress changed my life. One of my  41  customers was Fred Hasbrook. He always ate an omelet, and when I saw him _42  , I tried to have it on his table as soon as he sat down.

Thanks to the newfound confidence I  43  __from Helen, I dreamed of having my own  __44  . But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”

The next day, Fred saw me and asked, “What’s  45  ? You’re not smiling today.” I  __46__my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody  47  just have faith in me.”

Before long he handed me checks  48  __$50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral（抵押品）on this loan is my trust in your  49  as a person. Good people with a dream should have  50  __to make that dream come true.”

I took the checks to Merrill Lynch, where the money was provided for me. I_ 51 __working at the restaurant, making  52  for the restaurant I would open. My plans soured, though, and I lost the  53  .

Later I decided to apply for a job at Merill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was__54  and ended up becoming a pretty good agent.   55  . I paid back Fred the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.

1.A. friend     B. waitress      C. citizen     D. customer

2.A. losing                                     B. earning                              C. sharing             D. lacking

3. A. while                                     B. though                               C. because            D. unless

4. A. serving                                 B. respecting                         C. helping             D. praising

5. A. work                                      B. eat                C. smile                     D. speak

6.A. regular                                   B. favorite                              C. respected         D. fresh

7.A. eating                                     B. greeting                             C.smiling              D. coming

8.A. found out                               B. picked up                           C. got back            D. took away

9.A. restaurant                              B. work                                  C. house                D. money

10.A. ahead                                   B. that C. there                      D. up

11.A. exchanged                           B. discussed                           C. shared              D. explained

12.A. should                                  B. would                                C. might                D. must

13.A. totaling                               B. counting                            C. adding              D. valuing

14.A. ability                                   B. honesty                              C. responsibility D. identity

15.A. patience                               B. confidence                         C. choice               D. chance

16.A. loved                                    B. practiced                           C. continued         D. enjoyed

17.A. tables                                   B. plans                                  C. decisions          D. suggestions

18.A. faith                                     B. honesty                              C. money              D. friend

19.A. hired                                    B. rejected                             C. encouraged      D. determined

20.A. Fortunately                          B. Excitedly                            C. Personally         D. Eventually

He sat on his bed looking at his brother, _______ had his arms crossed and looked angry.

A．that              B．whom            C．who              D．which