“A lot of learning comes through play,” says Mardy McGarry, 52, who has been a special education teacher for 28 years. But her students were too often left out. She had seen the wood chips and sand of traditional playgrounds stop wheelchairs dead in their tracks. When she wanted to build a playground for children with special needs，she knew it wouldn’t take long to develop interest in it around the small fishing village. But she never expected that 2,800 people — a third of the town—would all be willing to make a great effort to bring her vision to life.

McGarry started doing some research into play equipment and contacting design companies and she also found a piece of land available. When the city council(市议会) agreed to set aside an area for a playground, she also asked physical and professional therapists(治疗专家) for their investment. And she turned to her friend, Sue, for help. “Neither of us is good at maths, which is why $450,000 didn’t sound like a lot of money,” McGarry says of the initial estimate.

Her Kiwanis Club came through with $7,000，and that’s when the grassroots movement really got started. One woman gave $25,000 and had her company match it. Soon, smaller businesses were joining in. There was a silent effort to collect money. The local Pieper Family Foundation offered to donate half of the remaining $170,000. All McGarry needed was 500 volunteers to work six 12-hour days.

On September 16, 2008, the first day of construction, they came. Two women heard about the project on the way to work and took the day off to help. A couple in their 80s operated their tractors. Ten-year-olds cleared up the mess. “None of them was paid. It was truly an amazing week,” says McGarry. Only three building managers were paid. Volunteers with “building experience” became coordinators(协调人); those who could operate power tools formed a separate group. One team served meals donated from local restaurants and churches, and another organized activities for the children of volunteers.

Today, Possibility Playground is one of the most popular destinations in Ozaukee County. All children, including the ones with special needs, play shoulder to shoulder. “Some playgrounds have special equipment in a different section. Here, you see all the kids in the same playground, all having fun.”

It’s exactly what McGarry imagined. “People used to ask, ‘Why do you want to build a playground just for children with disabilities?” She says, “It’s only when you build a playground for children with disabilities that you build one for all children.”

It didn’t occur to Mardy McGarry that __________.

A. her plan would soon draw the interest of people in the small village

B. so many people would volunteer to help her realize her dream

C. she would meet with so many difficulties in raising funds

D. the playground would be the most popular destination in Ozaukee County

We can learn from the fourth paragraph that __________.

A. the playground was finished in September 2008

B. everything was well prepared, apart from the volunteers

C. everyone worked unpaid, except for three building managers

D. the playground is so popular that it is overcrowded all the time

It can be inferred from the text that __________.

A. Mardy McGarry is a famous architect in the small town

B. Sue was forced to join in the project because of her son

C. people always ignore the real needs of disabled children

D. Mardy McGarry’s vision has been successfully accomplished at last

What would be the best title for this text?

A. Mardy McGarry: A Woman with Great Determination.

B. Cooperation: The Greatest Power in Overcoming Any Difficulty.

C. Show Real Concern for Poor Disabled Children.

D. Make it Matter to Build a Playground for Disabled Children.

A thief entered the bedroom of the 30th President of the United States, who met him and helped him escape punishment．

The event happened in the early morning hours in one of the first days when Calvin Coolidge came into power, late in August, 1923．He and his family were living in the same third-floor suite (套房) at the Willard Hotel in Washington that they had occupied several years before．The former President’s wife was still living in the White House．

Coolidge awoke to see a stranger go through his clothes, remove a wallet and a watch chain．

Coolidge spoke, “I wish you wouldn’t take that．”

The thief, gaining his voice,  said, “Why?”

“I don’t mean the watch and chain, only the charm (表坠)．Take it near the window and read what is impressed on its back, “ the President said．

The thief read, “Presented to Calvin Coolidge．”

“Are you President Coolidge ? “ he asked．

The President answered, “Yes, and the House of Representatives (众议院) gave me that watch charm．I’m fond of it．It would do you no good．You want money．Let’s talk this over．”

Holding up the wallet, the young man said in a low voice, “I’ll take this and leave everything else．”

Coolidge, knowing there was ＄80 in it, persuaded the young man to sit down and talk．He told the President he and his college roommate had overspent during their holiday and did not have enough money to pay their hotel bill．

Coolidge added up the roommate and two rail tickets back to the college．Then he counted out ＄32 said it was a loan (借款)．

He then told the young man, “There is a guard in the corridor．” The young man nodded and left through the same window as he had entered．

What caused the thief to meet the President?

A．He knew the President had lots of money．

B．He knew the President lived in the suite．

C．He wanted to be a rich businessman．

D．He wanted to steal some money．

Why did Calvin Coolidge live at the Willard Hotel in those days?

A．Because the former President was still living in the White House．

B．Because the former First Lady hadn’t left the White House．

C．Because the First Lady liked to live there．

D．Because he liked there．

Coolidge counted out ＄32 ______．

A．in order not to be killed by the thief

B．in order to be out of danger

C．so as to help the young student overcome his difficulty

D．because he had no more money

The young man’s roommate went back to the college ______．

A．by air B．by water C．by bus D．by train

Which of the following might happen afterwards?

A．The young student repaid the＄32．

B．The thief was put into prison．

C．The President told many reporters the thief’s name．

D．The President ordered the young man to repay the money．

It is not unusual at all for teens to answer their parents with one work answers. “Where are you going?” “Places.” “When will you be back?” “Sometime.” “Who will you be with?” “People.”

That means that the days of your children bounding in the front door with the details of their day are over. They are breaking away from you so that they’ll be able to stand on their own as a young adult.

Some parents feel sad about this loss of their children’s closeness. Of course you miss those conversations and friendly talks. Once your children move out after high school and establish themselves confidently as a young adult, they’ll come back for easy conversations and even ask for advice. But in order to determine who they are right now they need to separate from you.

Your job, however, is to keep them safe——and that requires knowing there they are and who they are with. Let them know clearly that it’s not because you want to dominate their life and control them; it’s because it’s a safety issue for family members to keep track of one another.

When they’re home and sit down to eat a meal, sit down with them. You need to open up to them about your life. Tell them of an interesting incident at the office, let them in on a bit of family gossip(闲谈), discuss a piece of news with them. They are glad that you see them as old enough to be in on a few experiences of your life. By letting a teen in on your life, they just may let you in of theirs

The underlined word “That” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to “       ”.

     A．teens no longer tell parents their detailed information

     B．teens don’t tell parents where they had been any more

     C．parents are impatient to listen to their children

     D．parents are occupied by doing their business

It can be inferred from the passage that       .

     A．the generation gap is becoming wider and wider

     B．teens quarrel a lot with their parents

     C．teens don’t want to live with other family members

     D．some parents feel distant from their teenage children

The author believes that teens’ one-word answers show       .

     A．their awareness of independence     

       B．their physical and mental changes

     C．an unpleasant parent-child relationship

       D．their wishes for keeping silent

What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

     A．Parents should understand their children.

     B．parents should keep their children safe.

     C．Parents should open their hearts to their children.

     D．Parents should give their children enough freedom.

What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

     A．To give advice                 

       B．To direct teenagers

     C．To present findings                  

       D．To comfort parents

It was on a winter morning, near Oxford, Maryland, that I set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which __36__ the Tred Avon River．The snow decorated the shore in white．For a moment I stood quietly against the bookcase, appreciating what the night’s snow had __37__．

38    I leaned forward and peered （盯着看） close to the frosted window．“It really is!” I cried out loud．“There is a goose out there!” I __39__ to the bookcase and pulled out a pair of binoculars （望远镜）．Into their sights came the __40__ of a large Canada goose, very still, its wings folded tight to its sides, its __41__ frozen to the ice．

Then from the dark sides, I saw a line of swans．They crossed __42__ the west of the broad river, moving __43__ to the east．

As I __44__, the leader swung to the right, and then the white __45__ of birds become a white circle．It floated from the top of the sky downward．At last, as easy as feathers coming to earth, the circle __46__ the ice．The swans __47__ the frozen goose! Amazingly, those bills （啄） began to work on __48__．The long necks were lifted and curved down, __49__．It went on for a long time．At last, the goose was free and __50__ its big webbed （有蹼的） feet slowly．The goose __51__ its wings as far as they would go．The swans took off and __52__ their eastward journey, in perfect formation, to their secret destination．__53__ them, rising with incredible speed and joy, the goose moved into the sky．

I watched them __54__ they disappeared over the tips of the farthest trees．Only then did I realize that tears were running down my cheeks．

This is a true story．I do not try to interpret it here．I just often __55__ it in the bad moments, and tell myself, “If so for birds, why not for man?”

36．A．undertook B．overlooked       C．overshadowed  D．evaluated

37．A．destroyed  B．covered    C．painted     D．hidden

38．A．Finally     B．Unwillingly     C．Disappointedly D．Suddenly

39．A．rushed      B．returned    C．advanced  D．reached

40．A．figure       B．shadow     C．cry    D．baby

41．A．head  B．body C．feet   D．beak

42．A．along       B．from C．around      D．in

43．A．steadily    B．smoothly  C．in the snow      D．closely

44．A．watched    B．expected   C．predicted  D．feared

45．A．block       B．mass  C．dot    D．string

46．A．skated on  B．landed on  C．fell down to     D．broke into

47．A．threatened B．attacked    C．surrounded       D．killed

48．A．the ice      B．their feather     C．the river   D．the shore

49．A．one after another     B．side by side      C．now and then   D．again and again

50．A．washing    B．protecting C．moving     D．warming

51．A．enlarged   B．spread      C．lifted D．threw

52．A．started      B．carried on C．repeated    D．stopped

53．A．Behind     B．In front of       C．Along with      D．Including

54．A．after  B．although   C．unless       D．until

55．A．write about      B．keep  C．think of    D．retell

A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

    We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

    This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

    Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

    Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

    Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.

A. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us 

B. inspiring words give us confidence

C. negative words may let us down

D. words have a lasting effect on us

There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______

A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

B. we can benefit from talking to ourselves

C. talking to ourselves always gives us courage

D. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______

A. praise ourselves                                                         B. remind ourselves

C. make ourselves relaxed                                              D. give ourselves amusement

The author would probably hold the view that ___________

A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers  

B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress

C. people tend to remember friendly words

D. it is better to think twice before talking to others