Ｍy second father

My father died when I was five. It was hard on us all. My brother, who is eight years older than me, began to __36____my mother and me. He made sure the trash was taken out and the yard mowed. He did this _37____ without being told to do so.

Because of my father’s death, my mother was __38___ to get a full time job. My brother, __39____ , would get me up for school and make me __40____ . On our way to school, he would play games with me. He made every__41___to make me happy and he succeeded __42____.

When we arrived home from school, we were__43____for about half an hour until mom was home from work. He would__44____something for supper, and have everything ready for mom __45___she could start cooking. After that, we would go outside and have some __46___. This was my brother’s time to be a(n)___47___ , enjoying himself in the games.

It was a Saturday in June a couple years later. My mother and I were at the store when I __48____ they had the Father’s Day cards out. Feeling __49___, I asked my mother why they hadn’t Brother’s Day cards. She smiled and said, “You’re right.___50___ your brother has been a father to you. Go and__51____ a card.”

So I did, and on Father’s Day, my mother and I _52__ my brother down and gave him the card.

As he read it, I saw the tears __53____ in his eyes. I heard my mom’s __54____    trembling as she said, “Son, your father is proud of you, seeing that he___55___ a good man. We love you, and thank you.”

1.                A．look out        B．watch over      C．care about D．depend on

 

2.                A．carefully        B．smoothly        C．quickly   D．willingly

 

3.                A．prepared       B．allowed         C．forced    D．accepted

 

4.                A．therefore       B．though         C．otherwise D．however

 

5.                A．supper         B．meal           C．breakfast D．lunch

 

6.                A．method        B．effect          C．way  D．effort

 

7.                A．as usual        B．every time      C．once again D．as well

 

8.                A．independent    B．asleep          C．alone D．free

 

9.                A．cut            B．cook           C．find  D．wash

 

10.               A．unless         B．before         C．when D．so

 

11.               A．rest           B．fun            C．adventure D．practice

 

12.               A．kid            B．adult           C．friend D．brother

 

13.               A．heard          B．noticed         C．felt   D．thought

 

14.               A．interested      B．excited         C．disappointed   D．hurt

 

15.               A．No wonder      B．In all           C．Above all  D．Without doubt

 

16.               A．take out        B．pick out        C．ask for    D．check out

 

17.               A．led            B．signed         C．sat   D．required

 

18.               A．filling          B．forming        C．floating    D．piling

 

19.               A．hand          B．laughter        C．body D．voice

 

20.               A．raised          B．turned         C．taught D．promised

 

 

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.

    When I was a kid in New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not desperate steeplechases(障碍赛跑) they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.

The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there was no housework that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.

Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to find that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to DO this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall, to participating in a road race, to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel strange, which sounds like an echo from another era.

I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural feature still keeps at least remnants(残余部分) of the moral of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries(反复无常的情况) and a challenging environment.

1.The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when＿＿.

A. everyone was paying a visit to some relatives far away

B. everyone seemed to be free for others

C. Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house

D. nearly every adult would go to church and children weren’t at school

2.In the fourth paragraph, the writer compares the response “I’m making a Sunday visit to family” to an echo from another era because_____.

A. people nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday

B. such answers are rarely heard in our modern society

C. people in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday

D. visiting someone on Sunday was routine in the past

3.From the last paragraph we may infer that_____.

A. people in Maine suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment

B. people in Maine have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolutely new life

C. land in Maine is short, thus the relationship between people is tense

D. people in Maine tend to help each other out of necessity

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Doing many activities on Sunday is beneficial.

B. We should often travel a long distance to visit some friends and relatives.

C. Nowadays, Sunday has almost lost its association as a day of rest.

D. We should abandon some old tradition.

 

Charlie and Jackie joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. They both worked very hard. After several years, the boss made Jackie sales manager but Charlie 　1 a salesman. One day Charlie could not 　2 it any' more. He handed in his resignation letter (辞职信) to the boss and complained that the boss did not 　3 hard working employees, but only raised those who tried to please him. He thought that it was really 　4　 .

The boss knew that Charlie had spared no 　5 for the company all these years, but in order to help Charlie to realize the 　6 between him and Jackie, the boss asked Charlie to do the 　7 . "Go and find out if there is anyone selling watermelons in the market." Charlie went, returned and　 8 said, "Yes." The boss asked, "How much per kg?" Charlie went back to the market to ask and returned to 　9 , "$ 12 per kg."

The boss told Charlie that he would ask Jackie the 　10 question. Jackie went, returned and said, "Boss, only one person selling watermelons. $ 12 per kg, $ 100 for 10 kg. He has a 　11 of 340 melons. On the table are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 15 kg, 　12 from the South two days ago. They are fresh, red, and of good 　13　 ."

Charlie was 　14　 and he realized the difference between himself and Jackie. He decided not to 　15 but to learn from Jackie.

My dear friends, you know, a more 　16 person is more observant, thinks more and understands in 　17　 . For the same matter, he sees several years ahead, 　18 you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, so how could you 　19　 ?

Think: how far have you seen ahead in your life? How 　20 are you?

1. A. made　　　　　　　 B. became　　　　　　 C. remained　　　　　　 D. kept

2. A. take　　　　　　　 B. do　　　　　　　 　C. get　　　　　　　　 D. put

3. A. enjoy　　　　　　　 B. meet　　　　　　　 C. repay　　　　　　　 D. value

4. A. unusual　　　　　　 B. unfair　　　　　　　 C. careless　　　　　　　 D. selfless

5. A. rest　　　　　　　 B. trouble　　　　　　　 C. effect　　　　　　　 D. effort

6. A. competition　　　　 B. relationship　　　　　 C. difference　　　　　 D. distance

7. A. following　　　　　 B. finding　　　　　　 C. shopping　　　　　　 D. searching

8. A. still　　　　　　　 B. again　　　　　 　　 C. even　　　　　　　　 D. only

9. A. offer　　　　　　　 B. answer　　　　　　 C. remind　　　　　　　 D. repeat

10. A. difficult　　　　　　 B. familiar　　　　　　 C. same　　　　　　　　 D. simple

11. A. total　　　　　　　 B. lot　　　　　　 　　C. pile　　　　　　　　 D. number

12. A. taken　　　　　　　 B. come　　　　　　　 C. bought　　　　　　　 D. heard

13. A. value　　　　　　　 B. quality　　　　　　　 C. condition　　　　　　 D. shape

14. A. struck　　　　　　 B. moved　　　　 C. puzzled　　　　　　　 D. encouraged

15. A. stay　　　　　　　 B. stop　　　　　　　　 C. work　　　　　　　　 D. leave

16. A. important　　　 B. intelligent　　　　 C. successful　　　　　　 D. hardworking

17. A. time　　　　　　　 B. depth　　　　 　C. need　　　　　　　　 D. common

18. A. while　　　　　　　 B. though　　　　　　　 C. unless　　　　　　　 D. since

19. A. see　　　　　　　　 B. think　　　　　　　　 C. know　　　　　　　 D. win

20. A. hopeful　　　　　 B. thoughtful　　　　　 C. helpful　　　　　　 D. meaningful