Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose 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 the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed and almost nobody worked. 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 and hour of devotion, and opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, 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 consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association.^① In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visit 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 to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such and answer would feel strange, an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants（剩余部分）of the ethic 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.^②
【小题1】The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when_________.

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose 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 the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not the desperate steeplechases（障碍赛跑） they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother—the same house my father was raised in, 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 were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from all 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 consider 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 jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel sepia-toned, 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 cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants of the ethic 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.

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

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

B. everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure

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

D. nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school

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 might take a lot of time

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 has abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life

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

D. people in Maine always help each other when they are in need

．Which word we may use to describe the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?

A. Unsatisfied.         B. Anxious.             C. Treasured.           D. Teased.                 

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Today we had an American family, the Robinsons, for Sunday dinner. Mr. Robinson is my mother’s co-worker.

Mr. and Mrs. Robinson and their two young    came at about 6:00 PM. Mrs. Robinson gave Mum a bunch of fresh flowers,   color,freshness and their good will. Mum did the   

and it was left to ourselves to get to know each other. I soon  on well with the two girls Judy and Annie.

Mrs. Robinson was much    than her husband. There was a moment of embarrassment when Granny asked about her    . Mum was about to apologize      Mrs. Robinson laughed and said it was quite all right and that she had been in    long enough to know it was the Chinese custom. She      told us that she was 32, though her husband was 52.

And of course they entirely    the dinner. Like a perfect Chinese hostess, Mum and especially Granny    stuffing(填) them with food and urging them to eat and to drink, apologizing all the time that it’s a homely meal.   , Mrs. Robinson said to Mum, “In the West any hostess would be proud of such a feast instead of apologizing for it, and we don’t urge the guests to eat or drink.     so many good things before me, I certainly don’t need any urging. The problem is how to prevent    overeating owing to your keeping putting food into my bowl.” We

all    laughter at that.

When they      to leave, they thanked us not only for the excellent dinner, but for giving them such a nice     . Besides, they insisted on giving every one of us a hug and a   , which did embarrass me. But I think Granny was really     when they kissed her.

It’s surprising how a little good will on both sides can   language and cultural barriers.

   A. sons         B. babies           C. daughters            D. friends

   A. bringing     B. taking           C. fetching         D. adding

   A. decoration       B. direction        C. introduction     D. instruction

   A. made         B. went         C. talked               D. got

   A. older            B. younger      C. thinner              D. taller

   A. marriage     B. belief           C. age              D. salary

   A. while            B. when         C. but              D. and

   A. Britain          B. Canada       C. America          D. China

   A. honestly     B. gradually        C. excitedly            D. loudly

   A. prepared     B. tasted           C. enjoyed          D. swallowed

   A. continued        B. remained     C. suggested            D. kept

   A. However      B. Besides      C. Therefore            D. Instead

A. For         B. With         C. Over             D. As

   A. themselves       B. herself          C. ourselves            D. myself

A. broke out       B. gave off     C. burst into           D. set out

   A. came         B. hurried      C. got              D. rose

   A. day          B. time         C. meal             D. gift

   A. smile            B. word         C. kiss             D. hand

   A. touched      B. interested       C. attracted            D. encouraged

   A. change       B. improve      C. damage           D. break

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Today we had an American family, the Robinsons, for Sunday dinner. Mr. Robinson is my mother’s co-worker.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson and their two young       came at about 6:00 PM. Mrs. Robinson gave Mum a bunch of fresh flowers,      color,freshness and their good will. Mum did the       and it was left to ourselves to get to know each other. I soon      on well with the two girls Judy and Annie.
Mrs. Robinson was much         than her husband. There was a moment of embarrassment when Granny asked about her       . Mum was about to apologize   Mrs. Robinson laughed and said it was quite all right and that she had been in     long enough to know it was the Chinese custom. She       told us that she was 32, though her husband was 52.
And of course they entirely       the dinner. Like a perfect Chinese hostess, Mum and especially Granny       stuffing(填) them with food and urging them to eat and to drink, apologizing all the time that it’s a homely meal.       , Mrs. Robinson said to Mum, “In the West any hostess would be proud of such a feast instead of apologizing for it, and we don’t urge the guests to eat or drink.       so many good things before me, I certainly don’t need any urging. The problem is how to prevent     overeating owing to your keeping putting food into my bowl.” We
all       laughter at that.
When they       to leave, they thanked us not only for the excellent dinner, but for giving them such a nice      . Besides, they insisted on giving every one of us a hug and a       , which did embarrass me. But I think Granny was really    when they kissed her.
It’s surprising how a little good will on both sides can         language and cultural barriers.

It's surprising that this innocent--looking person should have ______ such a crime.

A) acted              B) committed       C) made             D) performed