Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming lake behind his house.

   In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind his shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swan toward the middle of the lake, an alligator(鳄鱼) was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer. In extreme fear, she ran toward the water, yelling(大叫) to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock(码头)，the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched(夺取) his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-water(拔河). The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate(有感情的). A farmer happened to drive by, took aim and shot the alligator.

After weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. The newspaper reporter asked if he would show him his scars(伤疤). The boy lifted his legs, then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “but look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mum wouldn’t let go. ”

Some scars have caused us deep regret, but some scars are because of love.

From the second paragraph we can infer that_____.

A. A child shouldn’t swim in the water by himself.

B. We’d better grasp some skills to protect ourselves

C. We should make enough preparations before swimming

D. We are enjoying ourselves but don’t know the enemy is coming.

The incredible tug-of-water is between _______.

A. The boy and the alligator

B. the boy and the mother

C. The alligator and the mother

D. the alligator and the farmer.

Which of the following statements is true?

A. The alligator was killed by a hunter.

B. There’re scars both on the boy’s arms and legs.

C. The mother was calm when seeing the alligator.

D. The mother won the “match” because of her strength.

Why was the boy proud when he showed the scars on his arms？

A. He survived luckily.

B. He was a child of God.

C. He was injured slightly.

D. He was proud of the scars of love.

Peanuts to This

Proudly reading my words，I glanced around the room，only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.Confused，I glanced toward my stone?faced teacher.Having no choice，I slowly raised the report I had slaved over，hoping to hide myself.“What could be causing everyone to act this way？”

Quickly，I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task.This was the first real task I received in my new school.It seemed simple：go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington.Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country，I had never heard of that name before.As I searched the name of this fellow，it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different！One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts，while the other led some sort of army across America.I stared at the screen，wondering which one my teacher meant.I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice：flip(掷) a coin.Heads—the commander，and tails—the peanut guy.Ah！Tails，my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter，George Washington Carver.

Weeks later，standing before this unfriendly mass，I was totally lost.Oh well，I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk，burning to find out what I had done wrong.As a classmate began his report，it all became clear，“My report is on George Washington，the man who started the American Revolution.”The whole world became quiet！How could I know that she meant that George Washington?

Obviously，my grade was awful.Heartbroken but fearless，I decided to turn this around.I talked to Miss Lancelot，but she insisted：No re?dos；no new grade.I felt that the punishment was not justified，and I believed I deserved a second chance.Consequently，I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year.Ten months later，that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather，now having an entirely different conversation.I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade.Justice is sweet！????????????? ????????????? (2012·北京，B)

1. What did the author’s classmates think about his report?

A．Controversial.? B．Ridiculous.

C．Boring.? D．Puzzling.

2. Why was the author confused about the task?

A．He was unfamiliar with American history.

B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin.

C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction.

D．He was new at the school.

3.The underlined word “burning” in Para.3 probably means “________”．

A．annoyed? B．ashamed

C．ready? D．eager

4.In the end，the author turned things around ________.

A．by redoing his task

B．through his own efforts

C．with the help of his grandfather

D．under the guidance of his headmaster

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that，several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影响) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
【小题1】Why was the bike so important to the couple?

 
D
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货)，saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
53. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A. From radio broadcasts.                  B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV news.                       D. From a stranger.
54. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The author used to get to work by bike.
B. Several strangers offered bikes to them, but they only accepted one of them.
C. The author’s husband often parked the bike outside the back door.
D. Somebody had stolen their bike before, but soon returned it to the author.
55. What do we learn from the couple’s experience?  
A. An act of kindness can mean a lot.       B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous.      D. Strangers are usually of little help.
56. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. The man’s job was bike racing.      B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.        D. They used it for work and daily life.

The storage of classified (分类的) research at all 24 labs run by the US Department of Energy was shut down this week after officials decided that the security (安全) problems recently found at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico might also exist elsewhere.

Several computer disks went missing at Los Alamos earlier this month, forcing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to stop all work at the lab until the problems are found out. As of 26 July, two missing disks had still not been found, and 15 employees had been suspended in connection with the disappearance.

Now all energy labs will stop doing classified research that involves(需要) removable storage devices --- such as computer disks ---  until all the devices are given explanation for and new procedures are in place for monitoring their handling by laboratory employees.

"While we have no evidence that the problems being investigated are present elsewhere, we have a responsibility to take all necessary action to prevent such problems, "Abraham said on 23 July.

The shut-down isn't quite as dramatic（惊人的）as it sounds, experts say. Only two labs will be seriously affected: Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in  California. Together with Los Alamos, these two labs conduct the most part of the country's nuclear weapon programmes. At Livermore, 876 employees will be suspended during the storage of some 12,000 items of classified removable material.

At other labs, far fewer people will be affected. "The impact (影响) should be the smallest," says Martha Krebs, former director of the energy department's science office.

Why was the storage of classified research at all 24 labs shut down?

A. Because the security problems might be present elsewhere.

B. Because the security problems existed elsewhere.

C. Because two missing computer disks had still not be found.

D. Because officials decided to stop doing such research.

How many labs conduct the country's nuclear weapon programmes according to the text?

A. About 24. B. Only 2. C. More than 2. D. Over 15.

The underlined word "suspended"in the second paragraph probably means "______”.

A. hung from above  B. stopped from holding a position C. doubted D. fired

It can be inferred from the text that _____.

A. the computer disks must have been stolen by terrorists

B. the people living in the United States have little security

C. the United States is a country whose security is very bad

D. the missing of the computer disks caused great fear among Americans