I’m beginning to think whether my grandmother was right when she complains,as she frequently does,that children nowadays aren’t as well-behavioured as they used to be.She recounts in detail how she used to be told to respect her elders and betters.She was taught to speak when she was spoken to and when she went out on her own,she was reminded to say please and thank you.Children in her days,she continues,were expected to be seen and not heard,but these days you are lucky if you ever hear parents telling their children to mind her manners.?

If you give her the chance she then takes out of her writing desk the old photograph album which she keeps there,and which she never tires of displaying.Of course when you look at pictures of her parents you feel sure that,with a father as strict looking as that,you too would have been “seen and not heard”.Beside him sits his wife,with their children around her;Granny and her elder brothers.It always occurs to me that perhaps those long,stiff,black clothes were so burdensome (heavy) to a little girl that she hadn’t enough breath left to be talkative,let alone mischievous (淘气的).It must have been a dull and lonely life too,for she stayed mainly at home during her childhood,while her brothers were sent to school from an early age.?

However,my childhood was much freer than Granny’s.I went to school with my brother.I played football with him and his friends.We all spoke a common language,and we got up to the same mischief.I would have died if I had to stay indoors,wearing tight,stiff clothes.

1.The writer thinks that her grandmother_________ .?

A.makes mistakes about the youth?

B.complains too much about her childhood?

C.received good education at school?

D.led an unhappy life when she was a child?

2.When Granny was young,children were expected_________.?

A.to speak to the elders loudly?

B.to hear and not to see?

C.to be present quietly?

D.to stay still and study?

3.This passage is mainly about _______.?

A.Granny’s life story in the past?

B.Granny’s complaints about the children?

C.women’s life in different times?

D.children in the past and at present

 

I have just listened to the same “lecture” given by my grandmother. And now I’m beginning to think whether she is right when she complains,  1  she frequently does, that children nowadays aren’t as well-behaved as they  2  to be. She describes in detail how she used to be told to  3  her elders and betters. She was taught to speak when she was spoken to, and when she went out  4  her own, she was  5  to say “please” and “thank you”. Children in her days, she 6 , were expected to be seen and not heard, but these days you are  7  if you ever hear parents telling their children to  8  their manners.（礼节）

If you give her the  9 , she then takes out of her writing desk the old photograph album which she keeps there, and which she is never  10  of displaying（展示）. Of course when you look  11  pictures of her parents you feel  12 that, with a father as strict-looking as that, you too would have been “seen and not heard”.  13  him sits his wife, with their children around her—Granny and her elder brothers. It always occurs to me that perhaps those long, stiff （僵硬的）, black clothes were so  14  to a little girl that she had not enough breath left to be talkative, not to mention mischievous （淘气的）.  15 must have been a dull and lonely life too,16  she stayed mainly at home during her childhood, while the brothers were  17 from an early age.

However, my childhood was much  18  than Granny’s. I went to school with my brother, I played football with him and his friends. We  19  spoke a common language, and we got up to the same mischief （淘气的人）. I would have died if I had had to  20  indoors, wearing tight, stiff clothes. 

1. A. since               B. as                    C. which                 D. because

2. A. intended            B. expected             C. used                  D. wished

3. A. respect             B. love                   C. follow                  D. understand

4. A. of                     B. in                     C. with                   D. on

5. A. glad                    B. persuaded            C. reminded               D. determined

6. A. continues                  B. forgets              C. retells                 D. delivers

7. A. right                    B. sad                   C. lucky                  D. happy

8. A. care                    B. mind                 C. notice                 D. keep

9. A. throat                  B. pleasure              C. space                 D. chance

10. A. tired                   B. bored                C. unhappy              D. disappointed

11. A. up                   B. at                   C. out                    D. for

12. A. strange               B. pleased                 C. sure                    D. surprised

13. A. Besides               B. Beside               C. Near                 D. On

14. A. heavy                B. used                   C. ugly                  D. funny

15. A. It                                    B. There               C. She                      D. This

16. A. where                       B. when                C. as a result of          D. for

17. A. made to work          B. sent to school        C. allowed to speak       D. told to stay in

18. A. better                        B. freer                        C. happier                  D. greater

19. A. both                         B. never                       C. all                       D. seldom

20. A. stay                       B. play                      C. study                             D. wait

    I am beginning to wonder whether my grandmother isn’t right when she complains, as she frequently does, that children nowadays aren’t as well-behaved as they used to be. Whenever she gets the opportunity, she recounts in detail how she used to be told to respect the elders and betters. She was taught to speak only when she was spoken to, and when she went out on her own, she was reminded to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children in her day, she continues, were expected to be seen and not heard, but these days you are lucky if you ever hear parents telling their children to mind their p’s and q’s.

       If you give her the chance, she then takes out of her drawer the old photograph album which she keeps there, and which she never tires of displaying. Of course when you look at pictures of her parents, you feel sure that, with a father as stern-looking as that, you too would have been "seen and not heard". He had a lot of neatly cut hair, long side-whiskers and a big moustache. In the photographs, he is always clutching (抓住) his coat with one hand, while in the other he holds a thin walking stick. Beside him sits his wife, with their children around her: Granny and her elder brothers. It always occurs to me that perhaps those long, stiff, black clothes were so clumsy to a little girl, that she hadn’t enough breath left to be talkative, let alone mischievous (淘气的). It must have been a dull and lonely life too, for she stayed mainly at home during her childhood, while her brothers were sent away to school from an early age. Despite their long black shorts and their serious expressions in the photographs, I always suspect that their lives were considerably more enjoyable than hers. One can imagine them telling each other to shut up or mind their own business, as soon as their parents were out of sight.

       Going to see Granny on Sundays used to be a terrible experience. We would always be warned in advance to be on our best behavior, since my mother made a great effort to show how well brought up we were, in spite of our old, comfortable clothes, our incomprehensible (to Granny) slang, and our noisy games in the garden. We had to change into what Granny described as our "Sundays best" for lunch, when we would sit uncomfortably, kicking each other under the table. We were continually being ordered to sit up straight, to take our elbows off the table, to wait till everybody had been served, not to wolf down our food, nor to talk with our mouths full. At length we would be told to ask to be excused from the table and ordered to find quiet occupations for the rest of the day. We were always very bad-tempered by the evening, and would complain angrily all the way home.

       Yet though we hated the Sunday visit, we never questioned the rules of good manners themselves. I remember being greatly shocked as a child to hear one of my friends telling her father to shut up. I knew I could never have spoken like that to my father and it would never have occurred to me to do so.

       However, my childhood was much freer than Granny’s. I went to school with my brother and I played football with him and his friends. We all spoke a common language, and we got up to the same mischief. I would have died if I had had to stay indoors, wear a tight dress, and sew.

       But I do sometimes look wistfully (惆怅地) at an old sampler which hangs in the hall, which was embroidered (刺绣) by an even more distant relative—my great-great-aunt, of whom, regrettably, no photograph remains. It was done as an example of her progress in learning. The alphabet is carefully sewn in large colored childish letters from A to Z, and below it a small verse reads:

                     Mary Saunders is my name,

                     And with my needle I worked the same,

                     That by it you may plainly see

                     What care my parents have for me.

       It must have taken that little five-year-old months and months of laborious sewing, but, in a circle in a bottom corner of the sampler, there is a line: "Be Ever Happy".

50. The writer’s grandmother will complain that ______.

  A. children used to be mischievous

  B. children behave worse than they did in the past

  C. children are often reminded of what to do

  D. children are very badly behaved

51.Visiting Granny on Sundays was a terrible experience because ______.

  A. the writer was not so well raised as she was required to pretend

  B. Granny continually warned the writer to be on her best behavior

  C. Granny was always describing the writer’s "Sunday best"

  D. the writer was always blamed for not behaving well

52. From Paragraph 4, we can infer that the writer ______.

  A. seldom spoke to her father in the way her friend did

  B. was never questioned about the rules of good manners

  C. never doubted the value of the strict rules at that time

  D. was worried that her friend’s father would be shocked

53. The writer looked wistfully at the sampler, because______.

  A. it was embroidered by a relative.

  B. she wished she could sew herself.

  C. it called to mind the values of good old days.

  D. she had no photographs of Mary Saunders.

54. By sewing "Be Ever Happy" in the sampler, Mary Saunders ______. 

  A. suggested she was unhappy then

  B. indicated happiness was hard to gain

  C. expected we would find happiness in sewing

  D. hoped happiness would be everlasting

Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.

Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.

But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.

Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish（清漆）, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Secrets of Cremona Violins

B．The History of Italian Violins

C．Special Musical Instruments

D．How to Make the Best Violins

2.The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________

A．list some facts                                  B．raise a question

C．give an opinion                                   D．offer an answer

3.What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?

A．The shape．    B．The size．    C．The wood．  D．The varnish．

4.Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?

A．Light．       B．Shining．    C．Valuable．D．Modern

5.What can we learn from this passage?

A．Modem things are always better than ancient ones

B．Ancient things are always better than modem ones

C．Once a cultural relic is lost．it Can never be recovered

D．Varnish for violins will become more and more precious

 

“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声)．It was just standing there, with Father standing on one side, and I on the other side．

We were both in great anger．“Never set foot in this house again!” stormed Father．With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street．

The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的)．I wandered aimlessly．

A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious．

But now… I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old．We differ in our ways of thinking．He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me．Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened．

I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company．When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on．

In fact, it was nothing．Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的) words: “ I can throw you away, let alone these old papers．”

All the lights were off except father’s．

Dad was always like this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret．After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers．

This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature．

The light was still on．“Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last, I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all．Love is second to none．

1. Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage．

a．I opened the door and entered the house．

b．Sadly I ran out into the street．

c．I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit．

d．I thought of my father’s kindness towards me．

e．I walked about in the street without any aim．

A．b, e, d, c, a    B．b, e, c, d, a        C．b, e, a, c, d        D．b, e, c, a, d

2.What made the writer think of his childhood?

A．The sight of the desolate street lights．

B．The sight of the empty street．

C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms．

D．The sight of light in his own house．

3. Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?

A．Perhaps the father is getting older and older．

B．Perhaps the son has already grown up．

C．Perhaps they never agree with each other．

4. What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage?

A．The father is actually kind to his son．

B．The father treats his son in an unfair way．

C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son．

D．The father is always finding fault with his son．