When I was six, I went to a local grade school. In grade school, I was  36  the other children because of my speech and reading  37  . All the children would shout, “You are a dummy, you are a dummy, ” and so on. I thought they were   38  because all my grades showed it. I had no self-confidence（自信心）

  Through the first five years of grade school, I was small and very clumsy（笨拙的）. I would 39

Cups and trays in the café, and sometimes  40   myself and fall onto the floor when I walked. In sixth grade, I became interested in  41   The class had its annual field day. Each class would have its own teams  42   against each other. I went out for all of the  43   I was not the best  44   I was not bad. The thing that I could do was run and run fast. This  45   the other children because I was so clumsy, and then   46   a lot more name-calling from the children. When somebody else won a race, the children told how  47   he was. When I won, they called me  48

I did not know why they were doing this. I think that it was unfair, and it   49  me.

  Between seventh and eighth grade, I started to  50   In three months, I grew seven inches. At the start of eighth grade, I began to play football. I was much bigger than everybody else. I was  51   than most of the backs we played against. The other team would not  52   the ball towards me, so I just ran them  53   It was the first time in my life that I was really good at something and   54   it. It was a new feeling of    55  .

A. above       B. before       C. behind        D. among

A. materials    B. questions     C. skills         D. problems

A. right        B. smart        C. rude          D. foolish

A. clean        B. drop        C. collect         D. serve

A. trip         B. help         C. enjoy         D. injure

A. studies       B. sports       C. books         D. talks

A. stand        B. fight        C. quarrel        D. compete

A. teams       B. subjects      C. tests          D. and

A. because     B. if            C. but           D. and

A. interested   B. shocked       C. delighted       D. disappointed

A. happened    B. continued     C. made          D. came

A. famous      B. good         C. happy         D. leaders

A. names       B. numbers      C. classmates     D. worried

A. frightened    B. ashamed      C. hurt          D. play

A. progress      B. change       C. grow         D. harder

A. faster         B. taller        C. cleverer       D. catch

A. push         B. run          C. hand         D. away

A. back         B. down         C. off          D. away

A. judged        B. recognized    C. decided      D. knew

A. courage       B. sadness       C. pride        D. regret

When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I never found enough to make a rich strike. But I did discover a beautiful part of the country called Stanislau. Like Heaven on Earth, it had bright green hills and deep forests where soft winds touched the trees. By the time I arrived, the charming paradise had been deserted because miners’ good luck didn’t last.

Then, I realized I was not alone after all.

A man was smiling at me as he stood in front of his little house. Its front yard was full of blue and yellow flowers. White curtains hung from the windows and floated in the soft summer wind.

Still smiling, the man invited me inside. My spirit seemed to come to life again. I saw a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home. The delight in my heart showed on my face. The man read my thoughts. “All her work.” He said affectionately, “Nothing here hasn’t felt the touch of her hand.”

One picture on the wall was not hanging straight. He went to fix it. He stepped back several times to make sure the picture was straight. Then he gave it a gentle touch. “She always does that,” he explained, “It is like the finishing pat a mother gives her child’s hair after she has brushed it. I don’t know why I do it. I just do it.”

As he talked, I went to a little black-walnut shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. There was a sweetness and softness in the woman’s expression. The man stared at the picture. “Nineteen her last birthday. That was the day we married. When you see her...ah, just wait until you meet her!” “Where is she now?” I asked. “Oh, she is away visiting her parents. This is Wednesday,” he said slowly. “She will be back on Saturday, in the evening.”

That night, I stayed. The man told me his name was Henry.

Thursday evening we had two visitors, Tom and Joe. “We just drop over to ask when little madam is coming home. Any news from her?” “Oh yes,” the man replied. “A letter.” He took a yellowed letter out of his wallet and read it. It was full of loving messages. While reading, he glimpsed his friends and cried out, “Oh no, you are doing it again, Tom! Take your hands away and let me see your eyes. I’m going to tell her this time!” “No, you mustn’t do that, Henry,” the grey-haired miner said. “I am getting old. And any little sorrow makes me cry. Lord, we miss her so.”

Saturday finally came.

I was glad to see his two friends, Tom and Joe, with guitars, coming down the road as the sun began to set. They put the flowers they brought in vases and began to play some fast and lively songs.

Henry’s friends kept giving him glasses of whiskey. When I reached for one of the two remaining glasses, Tom stopped my arm. “Drop that! Take the other.” he whispered. I did so. Henry was served last. He had hardly swallowed his drink when the clock struck midnight. His face grew pale and paler. “Boys,” he said, “I am sick with fear. Help! I want to lie down.” Henry was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth.

In a moment, those handy men had his clothes off and tucked him into his bed. They seemed to be getting ready to leave. So I said, “Please don’t go, gentlemen. She won’t know me. I am a stranger.” They glanced at each other. Then Joe said, “She? Poor thing, she’s been dead nineteen years!” “Dead?” I whispered. “That or worse.” he said.

“She went to see her folks half a year after she got married. On her way back, on a Saturday evening in June, when she was almost here, the Indians captured her. She’s never been heard of since. Henry went insane. But he only gets bad when that time of year comes round. Then we drop in here, three days before she’s due, to encourage him up and listen to him read the letter. Saturday we all come and get everything ready for a dance. We’ve done it for nineteen years. The first Saturday there were twenty-seven of us, but only two now. We drug him to sleep through the night. Then he’s all right for another year.”

The two old men opened the door and disappeared into the darkness of Stanislau.

1.You can sense the existence of a woman from the following sentences EXCEPT “______”.

A. Soft winds touched the trees in Stanislau.

B. There was a bright rug on the shining wooden floor.

C. There were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers.

D. A little black shelf held a small picture of a woman.

2.Tom cried when Henry read the yellowed letter, because ______.

A. he was getting older and older

B. he was moved by the loving messages in the letter

C. he felt sad at the thought of Henry’s wife

D. he was disappointed that Henry’s wife would arrive so late

3.Tom stopped my reaching for whiskey because ______.

A. there was not enough whiskey for Henry                B. he didn’t want me to get drunk

C. that glass of whiskey was drugged                    D. it was for Henry’s wife

4.The underlined word “insane” probably means “______”.

A. depressed                   B. disappointed            C. mad                 D. sick

5.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A. Henry’s wife was 38 when she was last seen

B. Tom and Joe have heard the letter many times

C. the author stayed in Henry’s house because he was lost

D. the two miners came on Saturday to share past memories

6.The story is mainly about ______.

A. ever-lasting love                                                      B. lifelong friendship

C. an unforgettable experience                                               D. charming Stanislau

My first performance in front of an audience was coming up soon. I tried as hard as I could to remain    36    , but I had an empty feeling in my stomach. I stared down at my sweat covered,     37      hands. I looked up again at the audience, realizing that these were    38    people. They were not just my mum and dad, who     39    say, "Good job!" even if I messed up the entire piece. What if I had the wrong music? What if I played the wrong notes? As it    40    , I was never able to answer these questions because the spotlight was    41    for me. I grasped my hands tightly together, drying off the sweat. Slowly I walked to the mulberry piano in the     42    of the room. It contained 88 demanding keys, which were waiting impatiently to be played．I swallowed the golf ball-sized lump（隆起的） in my throat and sat down.     43    , I opened the music. Next, I rested my still shaking hands on the ivory keys. As my fingers played across the keys, I was becoming more     44     of my preparation for this moment. But the memory of my year of training came flooding back. I knew that I had practiced this piece     45    that I could play it backwards if     46     . Although at one point I accidentally played two keys   47    the intended one, I continued to move my fingers automatically （自动的）. My eyes burned holes into the page in front of me.  There was no     48     that I was going to lose my concentration. To keep this promise to myself, I leaned     49    and focused carefully on the music.     50     1 came to the end of the page, a warning     51     inside my head: DON' T MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU TURN THE PAGE! Needless to say, I     52      myself with all my heart and mind．And, proud of my "page- turning" feat（技艺） I finished the     53    of the piece without making a single mistake.  After the final note died away, a celebration went into action     54     my head.1 had finished.I had mastered （征服）the

    55    .

When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I never found enough to make a rich strike. But I did discover a beautiful part of the country called Stanislau. Like Heaven on Earth, it had bright green hills and deep forests where soft winds touched the trees. By the time I arrived, the charming paradise had been deserted because miners’ good luck didn’t last.

Then, I realized I was not alone after all.

A man was smiling at me as he stood in front of his little house. Its front yard was full of blue and yellow flowers. White curtains hung from the windows and floated in the soft summer wind.

Still smiling, the man invited me inside. My spirit seemed to come to life again. I saw a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home. The delight in my heart showed on my face. The man read my thoughts. “All her work.” He said affectionately, “Nothing here hasn’t felt the touch of her hand.”

One picture on the wall was not hanging straight. He went to fix it. He stepped back several times to make sure the picture was straight. Then he gave it a gentle touch. “She always does that,” he explained, “It is like the finishing pat a mother gives her child’s hair after she has brushed it. I don’t know why I do it. I just do it.”

As he talked, I went to a little black-walnut shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. There was a sweetness and softness in the woman’s expression. The man stared at the picture. “Nineteen her last birthday. That was the day we married. When you see her...ah, just wait until you meet her!” “Where is she now?” I asked. “Oh, she is away visiting her parents. This is Wednesday,” he said slowly. “She will be back on Saturday, in the evening.”

That night, I stayed. The man told me his name was Henry.

Thursday evening we had two visitors, Tom and Joe. “We just drop over to ask when little madam is coming home. Any news from her?” “Oh yes,” the man replied. “A letter.” He took a yellowed letter out of his wallet and read it. It was full of loving messages. While reading, he glimpsed his friends and cried out, “Oh no, you are doing it again, Tom! Take your hands away and let me see your eyes. I’m going to tell her this time!” “No, you mustn’t do that, Henry,” the grey-haired miner said. “I am getting old. And any little sorrow makes me cry. Lord, we miss her so.”

Saturday finally came.

I was glad to see his two friends, Tom and Joe, with guitars, coming down the road as the sun began to set. They put the flowers they brought in vases and began to play some fast and lively songs.

Henry’s friends kept giving him glasses of whiskey. When I reached for one of the two remaining glasses, Tom stopped my arm. “Drop that! Take the other.” he whispered. I did so. Henry was served last. He had hardly swallowed his drink when the clock struck midnight. His face grew pale and paler. “Boys,” he said, “I am sick with fear. Help! I want to lie down.” Henry was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth.

In a moment, those handy men had his clothes off and tucked him into his bed. They seemed to be getting ready to leave. So I said, “Please don’t go, gentlemen. She won’t know me. I am a stranger.” They glanced at each other. Then Joe said, “She? Poor thing, she’s been dead nineteen years!” “Dead?” I whispered. “That or worse.” he said.

“She went to see her folks half a year after she got married. On her way back, on a Saturday evening in June, when she was almost here, the Indians captured her. She’s never been heard of since. Henry went insane. But he only gets bad when that time of year comes round. Then we drop in here, three days before she’s due, to encourage him up and listen to him read the letter. Saturday we all come and get everything ready for a dance. We’ve done it for nineteen years. The first Saturday there were twenty-seven of us, but only two now. We drug him to sleep through the night. Then he’s all right for another year.”

The two old men opened the door and disappeared into the darkness of Stanislau.

55. You can sense the existence of a woman from the following sentences EXCEPT “______”.

A. Soft winds touched the trees in Stanislau.

B. There was a bright rug on the shining wooden floor.

C. There were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers.

D. A little black shelf held a small picture of a woman.

56. Tom cried when Henry read the yellowed letter, because ______.

A. he was getting older and older

B. he was moved by the loving messages in the letter

C. he felt sad at the thought of Henry’s wife

D. he was disappointed that Henry’s wife would arrive so late

57. Tom stopped my reaching for whiskey because ______.

A. there was not enough whiskey for Henry          B. he didn’t want me to get drunk

C. that glass of whiskey was drugged                  D. it was for Henry’s wife

58. The underlined word “insane” probably means “______”.

A. depressed                B. disappointed       C. mad            D. sick

59. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A. Henry’s wife was 38 when she was last seen

B. Tom and Joe have heard the letter many times

C. the author stayed in Henry’s house because he was lost

D. the two miners came on Saturday to share past memories

60. The story is mainly about ______.

A. ever-lasting love                                         B. lifelong friendship

C. an unforgettable experience                             D. charming Stanislau

By my third day in the hospital, I realized Tom didn’t visit. I couldn’t understand  36 my best friend wouldn’t come to see me. Struggling against the   37 , I phoned his __38 . His mother answered, and when I asked for Tom, she got   39  . “He’s not here right now,” she said. I thought it was  40 that she didn’t tell me where he was or  41  to have him call me. But I was so weak, I just let it  42 . I found out later that Tom’s mother called my parents right after we rang   43 . My phone call really made her   44 , and she   45 they talk to me. Later that night, my mom   46 . Did I remember drinking? Did I remember in a car？I had   47  what she was talking about, so she finally told me the news: I’d hit a tree. Tom, in the   48  seat, was thrown from the car and killed instantly. The only reason I’d lived was because of my   49 .

My first   50  was of shock. I’d been drink-driving? Hit a tree? Killed Tom? I felt like the   51  person in the world. Even after I was able to   52 several weeks later, I didn’t want to eat, I didn’t want to talk. I just   53  at the wall in my  54  and cried. The only person I wanted to see was Tom. I didn’t feel like   55  with any of my old friends.