Mark Twain was asked one day if he could remember the first money he got. He thought for a long time before answering and then said, "Yes, it was at school.  I can remember   1  about it. Schoolboys in those days never   2  teachers and never took care of thing of the school. They often damaged their desks.  There was a(n)   __3  in our school that anybody who damaged his desk with a pencil or knife would be beaten before the   4  school or have to pay five dollars."

"One day, I damaged my desk in some   5 . I had to tell my father I had broken the rule, and had to pay five dollars or be beaten before the whole school. My father said it   __6  be too bad to have our face lost in front of the whole school. He   7  to give five dollars to hand over to the teacher. But before giving me the money he took me upstairs and give me a beating."

"But as I had had one beating and wasn't afraid of it any   8  , I decided I would take   __9 beating at school and   10  the dollars. So that was what I did. That was the first money I ever got."

1.                A．something      B．anything        C．everything D．nothing

2.                A．loved          B．trusted         C．hated    D．respected

3.                A．punishment     B．bet            C．issue D．rule

4.                A．whole          B．total           C．complete D．all

5.                A．way           B．method         C．manner   D．means

6.                A．could          B．would          C．should   D．ought to

7.                A．agreed         B．permitted       C．accepted D．screamed

8.                A．time           B．longer          C．more D．way

9.                A．another        B．more           C．a    D．some

10.               A．earn           B．keep           C．make D．obtain

I can still remember the first day when I met my best friend. She had just moved into the neighborhood and her grandmother brought her down to meet me. I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother, scared to look at each other.

Soon, we lost the shyness and started playing with each other, bike riding to each other’s house and having sleepovers. In 7^th grade she was going through family problems. However, every summer we would always sit at each other’s house and watch movies on TV and talk about all the boys we liked.

It was last year when I noticed the problem. She suffered from clinical depression（抑郁症）, and had to go to a hospital during the day. I was very sorry for her at first. But with the late night calls, and meeting each other halfway up the street at midnight, we still stayed in touch. I wanted to be there for her since her new best friend left her, and I knew I still cared about her like a sister.

Yesterday she came to me and said this. “I never knew what a best friend was until you were the only person that would stop me from cutting myself; the only person that ever made me feel better about myself and my problems. You didn’t know this but I was trying to kill myself that very night you called me and I was crying. I owe you so much, and you didn’t even know you were helping me. ”

We both cried. And I guess a kind of lesson from my life so far is to never give up your friends. Even if they aren’t as cool as others, or people think they are crazy, they need someone there. If you leave them, you will only be very sorry. So if friends need you, and you care for them, you should be always there for them.

1.Why did the two girls hide behind their family members when they first met?

A．Because they were playing a game.

B．Because they didn’t like each other.

C．Because they quarreled before.

D．Because they were both shy.

2.What would have happened to her friend if the author had not cared about her?

A．She would have lost her new best friend.

B．She would have killed herself that night.

C．She would have run away from her family.

D．She would have stayed in hospital for a long time.

3.What lesson does the author learn from the story?

A．Always care for your friends.

B．Don’t care about others’ opinions.

C．Never owe your friends too much.

D．Try to be as cool as others.

I can still remember the first day when I met my best friend. She had just moved into the neighborhood and her grandmother brought her down to 1   me. I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother,  2  to look at each other. Soon, we lost the shyness and started playing with each other. In 7^th grade, I first lost 3   with her. She was  4   family problems and I deserted her.  5   of my new friends liked her 6  they knew she had “problems”.
It was last year when I noticed the 7  . I guess I was just to catch up in high school to realize she 8  someone there for her. I didn’t know 9, but she started cutting herself!
She was 10  from clinical depression(抑郁), and had to go to a 11  during the day. I was very upset at first but with the late night 12 , and meeting each other at midnight. I wanted to be there for her since her new best friend once 13  her since people were calling her crazy.
Yesterday she came to me and said this:“I never knew what a best friend was 14  you were the only person that would 15 me from cutting; the only person that ever made me feel better about myself and my problems. You don’t know this but I was trying to 16  myself that night you called me. You didn’t even know you were 17  me. I owe you so much.”
We both cried. And I guess a kind of 18  from my life is:“never give up on your friends”. Even if they aren’t as cool as others, or people think they are 19 , they need someone there. If you desert them, you will only be 20  yourself. So if a friend needs you, and you care for them, you can never desert them.

He met her at the party. She was so outstanding, with many boys around her, while he was so normal, with nobody paying attention to him.

At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed.

They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, thinking, “Please let me go home.”

Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”

 Everybody stared at him---so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.

She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?”

He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing in the sea, and I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood. I miss my hometown so much. I miss my parents who are still living there.”

While saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That’s his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell about his homesickness must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has a good sense of responsibility.

Then she also started to speak, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.

They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands: he was kind-hearted, warm and careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him!

Thanks to his salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, then they were living a happy life…And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee.

After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole-life lie. This was the only lie I said to you ---the salty coffee.”

“Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. Actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.”

“I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.”

“Now I’m dying, I’m afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don’t like the salty coffee. What a strange and bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!”

“Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.”

Her tears made the letter totally wet.

Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?” “It’s sweet,” she replied.

After ordering some salt to put into the coffee, the young man must have felt _________.

A. excited         B. satisfied          C. embarrassed        D. displeased

Why did the man have salty coffee all his life?

A. To change lifestyle.                   B. To please his wife.

C. To keep his word.                     D. To remember the past

What does the write mean by saying “she almost missed him”?

A. She meant to leave him on their first date.

B. She thought of him every now and then.

C. She nearly misunderstood his explanation.

D. She could hardly believe this simple fact.

From the passage, we can see that the man is ___________.

A. dishonest but responsible              B. shy but kind-hearted

C. caring and loyal                       D. warm and understanding

It is implied in the passage that the woman ___________ when reading the letter left by her husband.

A. was confused about his behavior          B. was touched by his white lie

C. felt sorry to know the truth too late    D. felt angry about his dishonesty

--Still remember the first time we met in the railway station?

--Of course. You ________ for the train to Shanghai.

A．had waited        B．have waited        C．were waiting       D．waited