Throughout the Depression（经济萧条）years, my brothers, sisters and I often heard our granny say，“One of these days, my ship is coming in．” Of course Granny’s ship was just a dream---her escape from the reality of being poor most of her life．But to us it was very real．

       Our family got by with the barest（最少）of necessities, there rarely was enough left over for special desires．So if we wished for other things, we told Granny about them, and she would plan for them to be aboard her ship．

       At times we kids worried greatly as to how the ship was going to arrive at Granny’s house in the deep pine woods of East Texas, miles from any waterway．One day when Granny was sitting with us on her front porch, we asked her how she expected the ship to come．Shifting in her rocking chair, she pointed to the beautiful clouds floating in the bright blue sky．

       “Why, children,” she explained，“Granny’s ship has big beautiful sails．Some day it will rise up on clouds like those, and come floating right up to the front door．”

       As we grew older, our childish wishes for BB guns, baby dolls and mohair sweaters were replaced by dreams of an education, a job or a lovely wedding．We told Granny of those goals and she put each one aboard her ship．

       Granny has been gone a long time now, but I still remember how we sat with her on the porch scanning the skies for her help．She never told us the name of it, but I think perhaps it was “Hope”．For Granny told us to have patience, to reach beyond our limitation, and many of our dreams and wishes did indeed come true．

       Even now, sometimes, when the skies are brilliantly blue, with soft puffy clouds sailing along with the breeze（微风）, I look up---to see Granny’s ship．Its sails are full and proud．It is a beautiful ship, carrying a wonderful cargo of many packages of many sizes---all marked “From Granny．With Love．”

1．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

       A．Our Dream                                    B．Granny’s Ship

       C．The Depression Years                           D．Granny’s Wisdom

2．From the text, we know           ．

       A．Granny has been dead for a long time

       B．Granny used to have unpractical ideas about life

       C．Granny’s ship arrived at last

       D．Granny has moved to the city

3．We can infer from the text that the writer’s family lived         ．

       A．in a city                                              B．in granny’s ship   

       C．in a mountainous village                        D．at the seaside

4．What does the underlined word “them” in the second paragraph refer to in the passage?

       A．our necessities         B．our wishes              C．the children             D．packages

When I was young， my father used to grow carnations (康乃馨).His carnations were red， pink and white. Everyone who saw them admired them for their beauty.

 He took care of them with so much love and    　36　    . Every day he came home from work， he went   straight    to see them. He 　37　 watching them every day. We the kids did too. But he used to tell us， “No one should touch my flowers.”

One day my younger sister， who loved my dad very much， had wanted to help him and she    　38　     the carnations from their stems (枝干) one by one and arranged them   　39　      . She believed that he would be very    　40　    to see them that way.

When mom and I realized what my sister had done， we became completely hopeless. However， my sister had no idea why no one showed her any appreciation. When my dad arrived he went， 　41　， straight to see the flowers. When he saw his flowers    lying     on the floor like dead animals， he was 　42　 at first. He looked towards the street， to see if it was any of the   　43　    children who could have done it. Then he entered the living room and looked at mom in silence.

Finally mom， who always taught us to    　44　    no matter what， looked at dad and said： “We have no bad neighbors in our area”. Then with a nice tone she continued： “No outsider did this great job， only your lovely daughter Clémence.” My dad’s face   changed     into 　45　 and then he said： “Do I have a better    　46　     than my lovely daughter？” My younger sister smiled and   　47　    dad tightly.

1.A. devotion     B. spirits          C. gratitude       D. expectation

2.A. hated        B. approved       C. enjoyed        D. committed

3.A. divided      B. watered         C. cut            D. cleaned

4.A. by the window B. in the vase      C. on the desk      D. on the floor

5.A. surprised     B. pleased         C. disappointed     D. worried

6.A. as usual      B. at first          C. as well          D. at last

7.A. frightened    B. relieved         C. disappointed     D. shocked

8.A. enemies’     B. friends’         C. families’         D. neighbors’

9.A. say the truth  B. behave ourselves  C. follow the rules   D. keep secret

10.A. sadness     B. smiles          C. anger           D. depression

11.A. kid        B. flower          C. helper           D. gift

12.A. hugged     B. kissed          C. grasped         D. patted

A. Arguments are pointless.
B. Your parents only want what's best for you.
C. Everyone's opinion matters only as much as you want them to.
D. You learn by doing.
E. Your emotions are under your control.
F. You aren't stuck in any situation
Life is the greatest teacher
There always comes a moment when I wonder where I will end up and this moment always serves as a strong motivation for me to learn life lesson. I've learned a great many things, but these are the lessons that I wish I'd learned earlier:
【小题1】_________
There was a time when everyone's opinion was mine as well. Whatever preferences I formerly held were dashed in the face of another's. This most likely came from a need to please others. Remember that your opinion matters just as much as the next guy's, whether they make more money than you or are less popular than you. Everyone's opinion holds the same weight.
【小题2】_________
Drama, chaos, and emotional unrest — these were what took up most of my time as a teenager. If I had heard someone said bad things behind my back, I'd be angry. Go crazy. Looking back on those tantrums now, I'm not too surprised. After all, when you have little self control, anything is possible. The lesson here is, remain aware of how you react.
【小题3】_________
Will one small argument among friends decide the fate of the entire universe? In my world it felt like it. I just wanted so much to be right and for them so much to be wrong. But in the end, it only resulted in me wasting my time and in the other person storming off in frustration. Is there really a point to arguing? Unless it's absolutely necessary, I've learned that it's better to hold your breath on things you can't control at all. Arguing to change someone's mind is one of them.
【小题4】_________
I'm not saying every parent wants what's best for you (there are outliers), but in general, parents do what they do for you in your best interest. My parents used to make me do the dishes, cook dinner, sweep the floors, mow the lawn, take out the garbage… the list goes on and on. And at every turn, I'd whine and complain. I'd eventually end up doing it. Now, I honestly see the value in having learned those skills. I can efficiently cook and clean up after myself.
【小题5】_________
Whenever I’d lose a friend, get an awful grade, or disappoint my parents, I stewed in my own muck. Waiting for the bad moments to go away seemed to be the only solution. Fortunately, I know now that you don’t have to be stuck in bad situations. You can go out and create better ones. It all depends on perspective; on how you see the situation. Viewing everything as a learning experience makes life more pleasurable, even during the hard times. You aren't stuck. You can move on.
I'm glad to have learned these lessons the way I did. Each experience helped shape me to become a better person. I don't know if any young people are reading this, but if they are, I'd like to say this: “Listen to life and its experiences. Everyone goes through mostly the same things.”

      I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.

     We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile-warm and reassunring-and I retuned her gift by smiling back.

     “Must be a special lady,” whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.

     “Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out. “It‘s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s‘the one ，’”jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”

     “Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said .”My husband used to bring me flowers every week-even when tines were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; be was very romantic and-of course- I miss him since he’s passed away.”

      I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.

      It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. “You have a wonderful evening,”I said. I left het with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.

      I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her-that was the night than I won her heart .

 41．Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A. He was to meet his girlfriend.        B. He had to go back to school soon.

C. He was delayed by an elderly lady.    D. He had to pick up some groceries.

42．What does the underlined phrase “her gift” (Paragraph 2 ) refer to?

A. Her words.   B. Her smile.    C. Her flowers.    D. Her politeness.

43．Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A. She told him a nice story.       B. She allowed him to pay first.

C. She gave him encouragement.   D. She liked flowers very much.

44．What is the message conveyed in the story?

A. Flowers are important for a date.      B. Small talk is helpful.

C. Love and kindness are rewarding.     D. Elderly people deserve respecting.