Like any good mother,when Karen found out that another baby was on the way,she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son,Michael,prepare for a new baby.Day after day,night after night,Michael sang to his mommy’s tummy(肚子).

Finally,Michael’s little sister was born.But she was in serious condition.With sirens (警报) howling in the night,the ambulance rushed the baby to St.Mary’s Hospital.The days inched by.The little girl became worse.The pediatric(儿科的) specialist told the parents to prepare for the worst.

Michael kept begging about singing to his sister,but kids are not allowed in pediatric department at St.Mary’s Hospital.Karen made up her mind to take Michael to see his sister.She dressed him in an oversized suit and marched him into the hospital.He looked like a walking laundry basket,but the head nurse recognized him as a child and shouted,“Get that kid out of here now!”Karen rose up strong,and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed into the head nurse’s face.“He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!”

Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside.He gazed at the tiny baby losing the battle to live.And he began to sing.In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old,Michael sang,“You are my sunshine,my only sunshine.You make me happy when skies are grey.”Instantly the baby girl responded.Her pulse rate became calm and steady.Her strained breathing became smoother.

“Keep on singing,Michael.”“The other night,dear,as I lay sleeping,I dreamed I help you in my arms…”Michael’s little sister relaxed as healing rest seemed to sweep over her.“Keep on singing,Michael.”Tears conquered the face of the nurse.“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

The next day—the very next day—the little girl was well enough to go home!

1.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A.It’s Hard to Raise a Baby????????????? B.Mother’s Love???

C. The Miracle of a Brother’s Song??????? D.An Unforgettable Day

2.From Karen’s action in the first paragraph we know that??????? .

A.mothers often pay much attention to their newly-born babies

B.it often takes some time for a child to accept his/her newly-born brother or sister.

C.it is good for children to learn to sing songs to babies

D.mothers often tell their children how to look after their younger brothers or sisters

3.The underlined word“strained”means“???????? ”.

A.unnatural????????? B.exciting?????? C.deep????????? D.blocked

4.Which words can describe Michael?

A.Naughty and annoying.????????????? B.Strong and brave.

C.Active and careless.???????????????? D.Concerned and determined.

You must have been troubled by when to say “I love you” because it is one of the greatest puzzles in our life.
　 What if you say it first and your partner doesn’t love you back? Or if they do say it but you don’t feel they mean it? Being the first to declare your love can be nerve racking(紧张）and risky and can leave you feeling as vulnerable as a turtle with no shell. But is the person who says it first really in a position of weakness? Doesn’t it pay to hold back, play it cool and wait until the other half has shown their hand fast?
　A really good relationship should be about “being fair and being equal,” says psychologist Sidney Crown. “But love is seldom equal.” All relationships go through power struggles but, he says, if a love imbalance continues for years, the rot will set in. “That feeling of ‘I’ve always loved you more’ may be subverted(颠覆，破坏) for a time, but it never goes away completely and it often emerges in squabbling(大声争吵).”  In love, at least, the silent, withholding type is not always the most powerful. “The strongest one in a relationship is often the person who feels confident enough to talk about their feelings,” says educational psychologist Ingrid Collins. Psychosexual therapist Paula Hall agrees. “The one with the upper hand is often the person who takes the initiative. In fact, the person who says ‘I love you’ first may also be the one who says ‘I’ m bored with you’ first.” Hall believes that much depends on how “I love you” is said and the motivation of the person saying it. “Is it said when they’re drunk? Is it said before their partner files off on holiday, and what it really means is ‘Please don’ t be unfaithful to me’ ?” By saying ‘I love you’, they are really saying ‘Do you love me?’ If so, wouldn’t it just be more honest to say that. Collins agrees that intention is everything. “It’s not what is said, but how it’s said. What it comes down to is the sincerity of the speaker.”
【小题1】 What is the main idea of this passage?

—Do you know anything about British history?
--- ____ I have no interest in it .

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从34-48题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。

She watched her little girl at play through her window. Memories   34    back to her childhood.

She remembered that when she was a little girl, her mother would kiss her face every night when she was about to go to bed with her toys.   35    , she left home when   36    to college. Then she got married. Her work and family   37   her from visiting her mum, who is now living alone.

Thinking of this, she realized that she hadn’t   38   her mum for a long time. So she   39  

the phone.

“Dear, I miss you,” there came her mum’s   40   . “Someone said that I should give you a

  41  before you left home, but I didn’t. I want to kiss you now, but I can’t do it through a phone.”

“You kissed me every night when I was   42   ,” she said in a low voice.

“You’re right, honey. Those days were so nice. But I feel   43    now when looking through your bedroom window.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Not knowing how to comfort her, she hung up   44   .

She picked up her pen and wrote a letter to her mum.

Dear Mum,

Thank you for what you’ve done for me. There’s no greater love than yours. Mum, you may not know how many times I saw you watch me play. The   45    that you looked through is the same one that God looked in. He saw you by my bed each night when you’d tenderly tuck me in (把被子盖好). But since I was   46   at that time, I didn’t know how great this love was. It is not until I have my own   47   to tuck in, to watch through the window   48   I understand your love for me. We are the same now. So Mum, please don’t feel lonely; you know I’ll always be there.

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