Dear Michelle,

       My mother is not a good example for me and my sister. She smokes, stays out late, and she curses(骂人).I love her but I am ashamed of her. I do not want to bring my friends home because she does not act like any of the other mothers. She says I am a loser because I sit at home and study. I wish I could live in another family that was normal, but it will be 5 years before I am 18 and legal. What am I supposed to do until then?

                                                                                                         Prisoner of a Crazy House

Dear 7^th Grader,

       I am glad that you love your mother because the rest of your feelings about her may change as you get older and mature(成熟).

       While it is true that your mother’s smoking, partying and cursing bring you shame, the fact that you want to stay separate from her doings is notable and very smart. It shows that you are a winner, not a loser.

       I am guessing, therefore, that you do not bring shame to yourself, and that is a good thing, So, keep it that way and keep away from your mother’s habits.

       At the same time, try to get the best grades and join clubs and school activities. Offer social service on weekends and visit your friends at their homes.

       Fortunately, you are not alone. Many teens live in homes with immature, misguided, selfish parents. Those kids often feel lonely and separate from the rest of their friends because of their parents’ terrible deeds.

       But they develop good friendships with nice kids, do well in school, and often find a teacher or guidance advisor who makes all the difference!

       Do it, Miss Winning 13 years old, and keep looking forward to your own fine future. Maybe by then your mother may even see the light and realize how surprising you really are.

       Best luck!

                                                                                                                Michelle

The kid asks for advice on how to                .

A. make her mother change                               B. deal with her situation

C. get along well with her mother                      D. start a new family

Michelle doesn’t call her letter receiver“ Prisoner of a Crazy House” possibly because she

               .

A. tries to be polite                                           B. doesn’t write to the kid alone

C. knows that’s a girl in Grade 7                        D. wants to cheer the kid up

According to the passage, Michelle advises the girl to           .

A. try talking to her mother for her future

B .stick to her attitude towards her mother’s some habits

C. understand her mother’s habits and get used to them

D. try to keep away from her mother

What does Michelle mainly express by writing the last four paragraphs?

A. Don’t worry too much about the problem.

B. Many parents act terribly.

C. Parents manners make little difference.

D. The girl is not speaking for herself.

Dear Michelle,

My mother is not a good example for me and my sister. She smokes, stays out late, and she curses. I love her but I am ashamed of her. I do not want to bring home my friends because she does not act like any of the other mothers. She says I am a loser because I sit at home and I study. I wish I could live in another family that is normal, but that will not be for another 5 years when I am 18 and legal. What am I supposed to do until then?

Prisoner of a Crazy House

Dear 7^th Grade,

I am glad that you love your mother because the rest of your feelings about her may change as you mature and get older.

While it is true that your mother’s smoking, partying and cursing bring you shame, the fact that you want to stay separate from her doing is notable and very smart. It shows that you are a winner, not a loser.

I am guessing, therefore, that you do not bring shame to yourself, and that is a good thing. So, keep it that way and keep away from your mother’s habits.

In the meantime, get the best grades as possible and join clubs and after-school activities. Offer social service on weekends and visit with your friends at their homes.

Unfortunately, you are not alone. Many teens live in homes with immature, misguided, selfish parents. Those kids often feel lonely and separate from the rest of their friends because of their parents’ terrible deeds.

Yet, despite this, some of these very teens grow up to be just fine. They develop good friendships with nice kids, do well in school, and often find a teacher of guidance advisor who makes all the difference!

Do it, Miss Winning 13-year-old, and keep looking forward to your own fine future. Maybe by then your mother may even see the light and realize how surprising you really are.

Best luck!

Michelle

1.The kids asks for advice on how to _________.

A．make her mother change	B．grow up in her present situation
C．get along well with her mother	D．start a new family with her sister

2. Michelle doesn’t call her letter receiver a “Prisoner of a Crazy House” possibly because she ________.

A．tries to be polite	B．doesn’t write to that kid alone
C．knows that’s a girl in Grade 7	D．wants to cheer up the kid

3. Michelle advises the girl to ___________.

A．try talking to her mother	B．get used to the habits of her mother
C．stick to her attitude towards her mother	D．improve her relationship with her mother

4.What does Michelle express by the paragraphs beginning with “Unfortunately” and “Yet”?

A．Many parents act terribly	B．You’re not speaking for yourself
C．Parents’ manners make little difference	D．Don’t worry too much about your problem

 

Dear Michelle,
My mother is not a good example for me and my sister. She smokes, stays out late, and she curses. I love her but I am ashamed of her. I do not want to bring home my friends because she does not act like any of the other mothers. She says I am a loser because I sit at home and I study. I wish I could live in another family that is normal, but that will not be for another 5 years when I am 18 and legal. What am I supposed to do until then?
Prisoner of a Crazy House
Dear 7th Grade,
I am glad that you love your mother because the rest of your feelings about her may change as you mature and get older.
While it is true that your mother’s smoking, partying and cursing bring you shame, the fact that you want to stay separate from her doing is notable and very smart. It shows that you are a winner, not a loser.
I am guessing, therefore, that you do not bring shame to yourself, and that is a good thing. So, keep it that way and keep away from your mother’s habits.
In the meantime, get the best grades as possible and join clubs and after-school activities. Offer social service on weekends and visit with your friends at their homes.
Unfortunately, you are not alone. Many teens live in homes with immature, misguided, selfish parents. Those kids often feel lonely and separate from the rest of their friends because of their parents’ terrible deeds.
Yet, despite this, some of these very teens grow up to be just fine. They develop good friendships with nice kids, do well in school, and often find a teacher of guidance advisor who makes all the difference!
Do it, Miss Winning 13-year-old, and keep looking forward to your own fine future. Maybe by then your mother may even see the light and realize how surprising you really are.
Best luck!
Michelle
【小题1】The kids asks for advice on how to _________.

A．make her mother change	B．grow up in her present situation
C．get along well with her mother	D．start a new family with her sister

【小题2】 Michelle doesn’t call her letter receiver a “Prisoner of a Crazy House” possibly because she ________.

A．tries to be polite	B．doesn’t write to that kid alone
C．knows that’s a girl in Grade 7	D．wants to cheer up the kid

【小题3】 Michelle advises the girl to ___________.

A．try talking to her mother	B．get used to the habits of her mother
C．stick to her attitude towards her mother	D．improve her relationship with her mother

【小题4】What does Michelle express by the paragraphs beginning with “Unfortunately” and “Yet”?

A．Many parents act terribly	B．You’re not speaking for yourself
C．Parents’ manners make little difference	D．Don’t worry too much about your problem

Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

Micheal Scofield has won fans all over the world. The star of the hit show Prison Break is kind, clever and good-looking. But what about the man ___50___ the character?

Wentworth Miller, the 35-year-old actor who plays Scofield, is a hard guy to ___51___. He does not come from a traditional background and doesn’t ___52___ a traditional path.

Miller didn’t take a ___53___ road to fame and fortune. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995 with a degree in English, not a degree in theatre or film. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only ___54___ experience was in his university’s well-known singing group. Yet, at graduation, Miller still decided to make the   ___55___ to Hollywood.

Miller has always been ___56___. Although he is American, he was born in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is a ___57___ of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be   ___58___ one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.

Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he got to Hollywood. ___59___, he worked as a production assistant. Not what you would   ___60___ from a Princeton graduate.

However, it all paid off for Miller ___61___. Working on production side, he learned a lot about what makes a good ___62___.

In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia. He starred as a shy man. The producers ___63___ his performance when they were making Prison Break two years later.

With a golden globe nomination (金球奖提名) and another season of Prison Break under his belt, Miller seems ready to ___64___ all of Hollywood.

 

50.   A. beside               B. behind                     C. outside              D. after

51.  A. talk with           B. go after             C. get along with    D. figure out

52.   A. go                    B. walk                 C. follow               D. step

53.   A. direct                B. special                     C. wide                 D. correct

54.   A. graduation         B. performance      C. production               D. education

55.   A. role                  B. move                C. decision            D. movie

56.   A. strange              B. outstanding        C. different            D. successful

57.   A. mixture             B. result                C. mystery             D. representative

58.   A. other                B. either                C. another             D. the other

59.   A. Moreover          B. Therefore          C. Instead              D. Finally

60.   A. respect              B. make                C. indicate             D. expect

61.   A. in the end          B. in particular       C. as a whole         D. as a result

62.   A. film                  B. actor                 C. drama               D. guy

63.   A. recognized        B. made                C. recorded            D. remembered

64.   A. take up             B. take over           C. turn up             D. turn over

In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand（木架）with a small notepad（记事本）and a hole for a pencil.

I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.

“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these year.” I say to her, walking bank into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”

My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days.”

Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”

This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible（看不到的）exhibits at every meal.

1．Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A．To leave messages.                      B．To list her everyday tasks.

C．To note down maths problems.             D．To write down a flash of inspiration.

2. What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden stand?

A. It has great value for the family.

B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.

C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.

D .It should be passed on to the next generation.

3. The author feels embarrassed for_______.

A. blaming her mother wrongly.

B. giving her mother a lot of trouble.

C. not making good use of time as her mother did.

D. not making any breakthrough in her field.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A .The mother is successful in her career.

B. The family members like traveling.

C. The author had little time to play when young.

D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

5. In the author’s mind ,her mother is_________.

A. strange in behavior.             B. keen on her research.

C. fond of collecting old things.      D. careless about her appearance.