Sitting by her Pinocchio lamp, she smiled at me as her tiny hands' shadow danced on the bedroom wall．"A rabbit!" she laughed with all the delight of a four-year old．Her blue eyes shone with pride as she showed me the animated image she had created．"Daddy, will you show me how to make a tiger?" she asked．"Sure," I said, "and then we'll read a story and tell your angels goodnight．"To my youngest daughter, that meant her bedtime prayer．

         Today my daughter is seven, and I no longer get to read the story．She reads it to me, complete with expressive accents for the story characters．

         To say I'm proud of our relationship would be an understatement．We have shared days of joy as well as tragedy．Our time together has strengthened the relationship of love and special "life stuff" that is all our own．

         I am richer for having planted the spirit of trust in this gentle little person; we have grown together spiritually, learning much from each other．The special times we spend together, like nights by a Pinocchio lamp, create memories that we will treasure for the rest of our lives．

         So it is with all of our relationships．The trust factor is vital for relationships to develop．Think of one of your fondest memories, and you will no doubt find a remarkable relationship at its center--one with a spiritual quality that shines outward from the heart．

         Time together, caring acts, and unconditional love build trust．I suggest that we each spend plenty of time with our personal "Pinoechio lamps"--those special ways that we choose to strengthen our relationships．

         Relationships take time to develop and maintain．It is not always easy, but the results are priceless．"Nights by a Pinoechio lamp", wherever those might be for you, will create enduring relationships of golden "life stuff", spiritual gifts that no one can take away．

1.The underlined words in the third paragraph refer to all EXCEPT ______．

         A．hands' shadow dancing on the wall

         B．reading bed stories

         C．sharing each other's tragedy     

         D．praying to the angels for goodnight

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

         A．The author thinks the relationship with his daughter is so simple that he can't describe with plenty of words．

         B．If you take time to attempt to build relationship, you will find it easy to get the satisfactory results．

         C．Plant the spirit of trust into others and you will create valuable memories for each other．

         D．It's not worth spending time developing relationship if you meet the failure at last．

3.Why does the author write the passage?

         A．To recall his fondest memories．

         B．To stress the importance of trust in building relationships．

         C．To explain how to create valuable memories．

         D．To tell the readers how to educate children．

4.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

         A．Life Stuff Of Your Own    

         B．Nights by a Pinocchio Lamp

         C．Unconditional gifts---Love

         D．A spiritual quality shining outward from the heart

 

Valentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine, an early Christmas churchman who helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1700 years ago, but the day which is named after him is even earlier than that.

   More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweet heart for a year.

   Now, lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they sent each other Valentine’s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candies. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system. But some use another way to send this message. They have it printed in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple and short, “Jane, I love you very much”. Others say more. This one, for example, “Dan, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, May.”

   Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries. This means someone can send a Valentine message to the lover in a far-away place almost anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine’s Day message reach the one you love? Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.

When was the day named after Valentine?

A. More than 1700 years ago before Valentine’s death.      B. More than 2, 000 years ago.

C. On February 14.                                  D. It is not mentioned in the passage.

Which of the following is Wrong about the ancient Romans holiday in the text?

A. Girls put paper with their names into a container.

B. Boys and girls became sweet hearts by chance.

C. Girls and boys chose life lovers in the holiday.

D. It was celebrated as a holiday for lovers.

Now lovers celebrate Valentine’s Day _________.

A. like what the ancient Romans did         B. by sending gifts to each other

C. by printing newspapers                       D. by spending lots of money

What can we learn from the text?

A. The ancient Roman girls were more easy-going.

B. Valentine was killed for not helping the government.

C. USA Today helps readers to send roses with printed messages.

D. Valentine was honored for his Christian belief and warm heart.

The text is written to _________.

A. tell us something about Valentine’s Day                 B. advertise for USA Today

C. tell us that Americans are open to express love          D. sell roses on Valentine’s Day       

Dear Michelle:

      My Dad hates my Mom. He tells me that she is a liar and that I should not trust her. Of course, they are divorced but they have “joint custody(共同监护)”. What a joke! I am 15, my brother is nine, and we have a life of hell, frankly.

   We live one week on and one week off. This was the brilliant idea of both of my parents, which was fair to them but ruining my life. I can’t get away from his voice and his putting my mom down. Sometimes I think about running away.

                                                                     A Hopeless Ant

Dear Hopeless Ant:

   First, thank you for trusting me with your problem. If all you said is correct, then there are several

things that you can and should do to help yourself, your brother, and your parents.

   ● You need a family counselor(顾问). Such a person could listen to each family member alone and

then meet together to talk about the situation.

   If refused, you need to talk to a counselor in your school. You need to be heard, and you need an

adult who will listen. A school counselor can organize a meeting with your parents.

   ● Perhaps you need to write to her. Writing things down allows people to go over it more than one

time.

   I cannot imagine that she will stand passively by and do nothing at all to help once she reads how

you feel. Your father needs a letter as well. He may not realize the destructive effect that it has on his

children.

● Lastly, have a plan in mind when all else fails that is not self-destructive. Life passes very quickly, and you will grow up and have your own life.

   Above all, you need to keep yourself safe. Never doubt that it will get better. Write back and let me know how everything is going.

1..

The Hopeless Ant wrote the letter to _______.

   A. complain about the problems

   B. ask for advice

   C. make his father punished

   D. just play a joke

2..

 The Hopeless Ant hated his father because __________.

   A. his father always told a lie

   B. his father wasn’t friendly to his mother

   C. his father divorced his mother

   D. the Hopeless Ant couldn’t stay with his parents

3..

 According to the text, which of the following advice is in greatest need for the Hopeless Ant?

   A. Keep himself safe.                  B. Have a talk with his parents.

   C. Have his own family plan.            D. Write letters to families.

4..

 In which part of a website may the passage appear?

   A. Entertainment.        B. Advertisement.       C. Life.       D. Education.

 

原创（五）

Students will need to use all of their skills in order to understand the reading selections in Reader’s Choice.

The book    36   many types of selections on a wide   37    of topics. These selections provide practice on    38    different reading skills to get the   39   of the writer. They also give students   40   in four basic reading skills: skimming, scanning, reading for   41   comprehension, and critical reading.

Skimming involves reading quickly through a text to get an overall idea of its contents. This kind of rapid reading is   42  when you are trying to decide  43   careful reading is desirable or when there is not    44    to read something carefully.

Like skimming, scanning is also quick reading.    45   , in this case the search is more    46    .To scan is to read quickly in order to    47    specific information. When you read to find a    48   date, or number you are scanning.

Reading for thorough comprehension is   49    reading in order to understand the total   50   of the passage.   51   this level of comprehension the reader is    52    to summarize the author’s ideas but has not yet made a critical evaluation of those ideas.

Critical reading demands that a reader   53   judgments about what he or she reads. This kind of reedit    54    posting and answering questions such as “Does my own experience support that of the author?”, “Do I    55    the author’s point of view?” And “Am I convinced by the author’s arguments and evidence?

36.A.contains                B.uses                   C.put                    D.writes

37.A.sense                    B.variety               C.kind                   D.subject

38.A.making                 B.understanding     C.speaking             D.employing

39.A.message                B.secret                 C.content               D.nature

40.A.power                  B.point                  C.practice              D.opinion

41.A.better                   B.basic                  C.general               D.thorough

42.A.suttable                B.interesting          C.wrong                D.true

43.A.that                      B.if                       C.when                 D.why

44.A.interest                 B.habit                  C.time                   D.desire

45.A.Moreover             B.Anyway             C.However            D.Therefore

46.A.funny                   B.concentrated       C.perfect               D.important

47.A.deal with                     B.get in                 C.go over                     D.find out

48.A.common               B.different             C.fine                   D.particular

49.A.carefully               B.slowly                C.quickly                     D.perfectly

50.A.design                  B.explanation         C.meaning             D.feeling

51.A.To                     B.On                     C.At                            D.In

52.A.impossible            B.able                   C.difficult             D.simple

53.A.makes                  B.finds                  C.puts                   D.offers

54.A.lacks                    B.requires              C.demands             D.affords

55.A.tell                       B.express               C.share                  D.argue

My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that’s almost as precious to her as my husband’s baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.

My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing “VG’ for “ very good” in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.

Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.

It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her “professor”, providing books from his large library. Suddenly the terrifying hole turned onto a world of amazing characters.

Why is Dorothy considered a tough critic?

   A. Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes.                        

B. Because only a few books are thought highly of by her.

   C. Because she only reads books by famous writers.                         

D. Because she finds fault with every book she reads.

It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

   A. the books Dorothy has read were bought by her husband.                   

B. the couple next door are college professors.

   C. the author loves literature too.                                         

D. Dorothy was a great wife.

The underlined part “the terrifying hole” in the last paragraph refers to _____.

   A. the frightening death                                                    

B. Dorothy’s lack of education

   C. waking up in the middle of the night                                    

D. a hole in a book that Dorothy read

What helped Dorothy get over the sadness and loneliness of losing her husband?

   A. Living with her son.                                                  

B. Reading literature.

   C. Seeing her son’s baby pictures.                                         

 D. Talking with neighbors.