从A、B、C、D四个选项中，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。

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen        in almost a month. Every day , my husband would        the process of trying to get water to the fields.        we saw some rain soon, we would lose everything.

  On this day I learned the true lesson of        and witnessed the only        I had ever seen . I was in the kitchen when I saw my son, Billy,        toward the woods. He was walking with effort, trying to be as        as possible . Minutes after he        into the woods, he came running back . I went back to make sandwiches ,        that whatever he had been doing was completed. Moments later,        , he was once again walking slowly toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour .        I couldn’t help following him and saw the most amazing        .

  Several large deer stood in front of him. Billy walked right up to them . I almost        for him to get away . A huge deer was        close .        the deer didn’t even move as Billy knelt down. I saw a tiny deer lying on the ground , obviously suffering from        , lift its head to lap up the water cupped in Billy’s hands. When the water was        , Billy ran back to get more . It then became        to me.

  I stood on the edge of the woods, watching the        boy working so hard to save another life. As my tears began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops. It was as if the God himself was        with pride. The rain that day saved our farm just like the actions of one little boy who saved another.

1.A. water                            B. rain                                   C. deer                               D. storm

2.A. take over                      B. try on                                C. go about                        D. seek out

3.A. Before                          B. If                                        C. Until                                D. Unless

4.A. helping                         B. sharing                    C. donating                           D. offering

5.A. miracle                         B. lesson                               C. wildlife                    D. virtue

6.A. running                         B. marching                          C. walking                    D. riding

7.A. still                                 B. silent                                 C. secret                               D. sacred

8.A. skipped                         B. slipped                    C. wandered                        D. disappeared

9.A. thinking                        B. wondering                       C. worrying                          D. calculating

10.A. but                              B. besides                   C. however                          D. therefore

11.A. Actually                      B. Finally                      C. Quietly                    D. Surprisingly

12.A. sign                    B. scenery                            C. sight                                  D. scene

13.A. screamed                   B. rushed                              C. made                                D. burst

14.A. mildly                          B. powerfully                       C. dangerously           D. aggressively

15.A. And                    B. Otherwise                        C. Thus                                  D. But

16.A. thirst                           B. illness                               C. heat                                  D. pain

17.A. lost                              B. missing                    C. gone                                 D. served

18.A. annoying           B. clear                                 C. acceptable                       D. puzzling

19.A. kind                   B. clever                               C. naughty                            D. honest

20.A. raining                        B. appearing                        C. chanting                           D. weeping

The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and knocked into the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. “How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age.”

Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said, “Come on, Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment.”

Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. “I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home.”

He looked at us and said, “I wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled down over his brow. No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.”

Frank’s voice dropped a bit. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink (畏缩) down into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the time, he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch (喷出) a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!”

He paused and then went on, “I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, “No, Dad.” It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, “Dad, I’m too old for a goodbye kiss. I’m too old for any kind of kiss.” My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. Then he turned and looked out the windshield. “ You’re right,” he said. “ You are a big boy....a man. I won’t kiss you anymore.”

Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke. “It wasn’t long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet (船队) stayed in, but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a strong wind and was trying to save the nets and the floats.”

I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. “Guys, you don’t know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek…to feel his rough old face… to smell the ocean on him… to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a man, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.”

56. When his father drove him to the school, Frank would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear because ________.

      A. he was ashamed of his father’s old truck

      B. he thought he was old enough to go to school alone

      C. he didn’t want his schoolmates to see his father

      D. he hated the way his schoolmates stared at his father

57. In Frank’s eyes, when his father said “You are a big boy… a man.”, he probably felt ________.

      A. disappointed           B. hurt                    C. excited                   D. proud

58. According to the story we can conclude that Frank’s father ________.

      A. was quite confident in his skills in fishing

      B. loved his children but hardly expressed it

      C. seldom gave up faced with challenges

      D. was full of devotion to his family

59. By saying the sentence “I wish I had been a man then…”, Frank meant ________.

      A. he was fed up with his father kissing him goodbye

      B. he deeply regretted what he had done to his father

      C. he was then too young to refuse a goodbye kiss

      D. he hoped that his father would forgive him

60. Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?

      A. The Smell of the Ocean                         B. We All Need Love

      C. A Goodbye Kiss                                    D. Father’s Embarrassment

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项
My father was driving us to our grandparents’ house for our annual Christmas dinner. The closer we got to the turnoff (岔道) for my grandparents’ house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said: “I can’t stand it!”
“What?” asked my mother.
“It’s those people back there at the Pan Am, standing in the rain. They’ve got children. It’s Christmas. I can’t stand it.”
When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children – two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
“Howdy (您好),” the man replied. He was very tall and had to stoop (弯腰) slightly to peer into the car.
My sisters Jill, Sharon, and I stared at the children, and they stared back at us.
“You’re getting wet standing here. Just a couple miles up the road there’s a shed (小棚) with a cover there, and some benches,” my father said. “Why don’t you all get in the car?”
The man thought about it for a moment, and then he waved to his family. They climbed into the car.
Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three unhappy faces gave him the answer.
“Well, I didn’t think so,” my father said, winking at my mother, “because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We’ll just go to get them before I take you to the bus stop.”
All at once, the three children’s faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls spied Jill’s doll and hugged it to her breast. The little boy grabbed Sharon’s ball. And the other girl picked up something of mine.
We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll.
That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.
56. The writer’s father U-turned in the middle of the road because ______.
A. he could not stand the people at the service station
B. he could not bear the thought of leaving the people behind
C. he wanted to do something special for his parents
D. he wanted to help the family standing in the rain
57. The reason the father asked the kids if Santa had found them was probably that _____.
A. he knew the mention of Santa would lift their spirits
B. he once promised to receive them as guests in his house
C. he wanted to avoid embarrassing the family
D. he had met Santa and got the presents for the kids
58. How did the author feel at the end of the story?
A. She was pleased that they had been able to give the kids presents and make them happy.
B. She was unhappy remembering that they had been late for the Christmas dinner.
C. She was angry because she realized that she didn’t receive a Christmas gift that year.
D. She was puzzled by why her father had done this on Christmas.
59. What is the article mainly about?
A. How my family found the lost Santa.
B. The people at the service station.
C. The art of celebrating Christmas.
D. The joy of making others happy.

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项

My father was driving us to our grandparents’ house for our annual Christmas dinner. The closer we got to the turnoff (岔道) for my grandparents’ house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said: “I can’t stand it!”

“What?” asked my mother.

“It’s those people back there at the Pan Am, standing in the rain. They’ve got children. It’s Christmas. I can’t stand it.”

When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children – two girls and a small boy.

My father rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas,” he said.

“Howdy (您好),” the man replied. He was very tall and had to stoop (弯腰) slightly to peer into the car.

My sisters Jill, Sharon, and I stared at the children, and they stared back at us.

“You’re getting wet standing here. Just a couple miles up the road there’s a shed (小棚) with a cover there, and some benches,” my father said. “Why don’t you all get in the car?”

The man thought about it for a moment, and then he waved to his family. They climbed into the car.

Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three unhappy faces gave him the answer.

“Well, I didn’t think so,” my father said, winking at my mother, “because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We’ll just go to get them before I take you to the bus stop.”

All at once, the three children’s faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.

When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls spied Jill’s doll and hugged it to her breast. The little boy grabbed Sharon’s ball. And the other girl picked up something of mine.

We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll.

That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.

56. The writer’s father U-turned in the middle of the road because ______.

A. he could not stand the people at the service station

B. he could not bear the thought of leaving the people behind

C. he wanted to do something special for his parents

D. he wanted to help the family standing in the rain

57. The reason the father asked the kids if Santa had found them was probably that _____.

A. he knew the mention of Santa would lift their spirits

B. he once promised to receive them as guests in his house

C. he wanted to avoid embarrassing the family

D. he had met Santa and got the presents for the kids

58. How did the author feel at the end of the story?

A. She was pleased that they had been able to give the kids presents and make them happy.

B. She was unhappy remembering that they had been late for the Christmas dinner.

C. She was angry because she realized that she didn’t receive a Christmas gift that year.

D. She was puzzled by why her father had done this on Christmas.

59. What is the article mainly about?

A. How my family found the lost Santa.

B. The people at the service station.

C. The art of celebrating Christmas.

D. The joy of making others happy.