He met her at a 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 was living 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 out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has responsibility of home．

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 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．touched     B．satisfied    C．disappointed    D．embarrassed

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Salt coffee is more delicious and sweeter than sugar coffee．

B．The man ordered the salt coffee in order to create a chance to date with the girl．

C．The man had to have salty coffee all his life to keep his word．

D．The woman hardly believed the man's explanation at their first date．

From the passage we can see that the man is         ．

A．caring and kind-hearted      B．shy and sly

C．dishonest but responsible     D．warm and understanding

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

 A．was cheated by his husband's behavior    B．was touched by his husband's white lie

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

After a long day at school, I walked home with my heavy schoolbag . By the time I got home, I was sweaty,  16  and hungry. I threw my things on the couch and grabbed something from the kitchen to  17  . I passed by the living room and wished I could watch TV , but I knew my  18   would take me the whole night. I grabbed my schoolbag and went  19  to my room, feeling defeated. I tried to understand chemistry and  20  sleepiness at the same time. I was stressed out and  21  . I wanted something to cheer me up .

Later in the evening , I  22  the sound of the front door opening. And I waited for it—the sound of my mom singing .  23  she sings off-key (跑调), it made me excited that she was here. I ran down the stairs to greet my mom. We  24  and I ran back upstairs to do homework again. I like it when my mom was happy. Her  25  flowed down to me and I got the strength to  26  the stress again.

Sometimes, I wonder how my mom can still be  27  after coming back from work. Every weekday, she wakes up  28  in the morning to go to work and spends an hour on the bus before getting downtown . At a  29  factory, she works standing for the whole day and draws patterns for clothes over and over. After work, she gets stuck in  30  for two hours on her way back home. When I  31  my school life with her work life, I should not be the one to  32  . At least I have some fun things to do at school, while one mistake at work can cost my mom her job. I  33   that my mom has a positive attitude and lives her life with a joyous heart even though there may be   34  . Seeing her happy makes me feel  35  , too.

1.A. heavy      B. busy             C. sleepy           D. unlucky

2.A. keep           B. eat          C. give                 D. watch

3.A. dream          B. supper           C. homework         D. experience

4.A. aside          B. upstairs         C. outwards             D. nearby

5.A. put off            B. fight off        C. refer to             D. research into

6.A. bored          B. shocked      C. worried          D. frightened

7.A. made           B. recorded         C. imagined         D. heard

8.A. Unless         B. Though       C. If               D. As

9.A. agreed         B. debated      C. hugged           D. celebrated

10.A. need          B. idea         C. faith                D. energy

11.A. face          B. change       C. accept           D. leave

12.A. creative      B. careful          C. positive         D. professional

13.A. early         B. naturally        C. fast             D. regularly

14.A. furniture     B. tobacco      C. car              D. clothing

15.A. task          B. traffic          C. communication        D. examination

16.A. replace       B. exchange     C. connect          D. compare

17.A. complain      B. decide       C. study                D. play

18.A. achieve       B. notice           C. appreciate           D. improve

19.A. lies          B. difficulties         C. confusions       D. accidents

20.A. successful        B. skillful     C. good                 D. important

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores(杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering. I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.

My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper… On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(过渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing.

A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all. My bags were packed and by the door.

The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.

Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment(责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

A. To write some great books.                           B. To stay away from busy schedules.

C. To teach his grandchildren.                            D. To plan for his future.

Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

A. He wasn’t satisfied with his retired life.   B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.

C. He was concerned about the people there.       D. He missed his students in that country.

The underlined part “the tables have turned” (Paragraph 5) most probably means that the writer ______.

A. improved the situation in his school        B. felt happy to work with students again

C. changed his attitude toward his retirement       D. became a learner rather than a teacher

What does the writer think of his retired life now?

A. Meaningful.               B. Troublesome.        C. Relaxing.            D. Disappointing.

My teenage son Karl became withdraw after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was I. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
【小题1】By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and _____.

We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions. But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.
I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.
Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
【小题1】What were Kristen and Kelly asked to do last Sunday evening? (No more than 20 words.)
____________________________________________________________________
【小题2】Why did the guests praise Kelly so much rather than Kristen? (No more than 15 words.)
____________________________________________________________________
【小题3】The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” in Paragraph 4 means ________________. (No more than 5 words.)
【小题4】Why did Kristen feel sad and cry? (No more than 15 words.)
____________________________________________________________________
【小题5】In your opinion, how should adults treat children? (No more than 15 words.)
____________________________________________________________________