When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主)in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's(解说者的)part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.

    It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions(蒲公英)popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds," she said. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."

    "But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful—even dandelions!"

     My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added.

    When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.

　“But you will be a beautiful narrator, ”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.

    Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.

56.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because_______.

A.she felt nervous on the stage.                                 B.she lost her interest in that role.

C.she preferred the role of the narrator                      D.she had difficulty memorizing her words

57.Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?

A.To remove the dandelions                                     B.To enjoy the garden scene

C.to have a talk with her daughter.                            D.to help her daughter with the play.

58.What is the main idea of the story?

A.Everybody can find his or her own way to success.  B.Everybody has his or her own value in the world.

C.Everybody should learn to play different roles        D.Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to grandma’s generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday best.

    But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware (粗陶) and stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times.

    Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs－one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

    Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.

    Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?

    Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (礼节) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents (“Chew with your mouth closed.” “Keep your elbows off the table.”) must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially.

67．Why do people tend to follow the trend to casual dining?

    A. Family members need more time to relax.

    B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.

    C. People prefer to live a comfortable life.

    D. Young people won’t follow the etiquette of the older generation

68．It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is ________.

    A. a seller of stainless steel tableware                      B. a dealer in stoneware

    C. a pottery chain store                                                 D. a producer of fine china

69．The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is ________.

A. the increased value of the pound                          

B. the worsening economy in Asia

C. the change in people’s way of life

D. the fierce competition at home and abroad

70．Formal table manners, though less popular than before in current social life, ________.

    A. are still a must on certain occasions                     B. are certain to return sooner or later

    C. are still being taught by parents at home                    D. can help improve personal relationships

When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess in the school play. For

Weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines .But once on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's（解说者的）part for the play ,and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.

It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions (蒲公英）popping through the grass in bunches as  if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches." I think I am going to dig up all these weeds, "she said. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."

"But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions!"

My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it? "she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too, "she added.

When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.

“But you will be a beautiful narrator, ”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.

Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps  the only person who would keep such a weed.

1.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because _______.

A. she felt nervous on the stage.

B. she lost her interest in that role.

C. she preferred the role of the narrator

D. she had difficulty memorizing her words

2.Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?

A. To remove the dandelions

B. To enjoy the garden scene

C. to have a talk with her daughter.

D. to help her daughter with the play.

3.What is the main idea of the story?

A. Everybody can find his or her own way to success.

B. Everybody has his or her own value in the world.

C. Everybody should learn to play different roles

D. Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主)in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator’s(解说者的) part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn’t tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.

It was a lovely spring day .We could see dandelions(蒲公英)popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. “I think I am going to dig up all these weeds,” she said. “From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden.”

“But I like dandelions,” I protested. “All flowers are beautiful―even dandelions!”

My mother looked at me seriously. “ Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. “And that is true of people, too,” she added.

When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.

 “But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.

Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.

56．The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because                .

      A．she felt nervous on the stage

       B．she lost her interest in that role

       C．she preferred the role of the narrator

       D．she had difficulty memorizing her words

57．Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?

       A．To remove the dandelions

       B．To enjoy the garden scene.

       C．To have a talk with her daughter.

       D．To help her daughter with the play.

58．What is the main idea of the story?

       A．Everybody can find his or her own way to success.

       B．Everybody has his or her own value in the world.

       C．Everybody should learn to play different roles.

       D．Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

When you are little，the whole world feels like a big playground.I was living in Conyers，Georgia the summer it all happened.I was a second grader，but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade.Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.

It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie's basement.As I opened the basement door，before us lay the biggest room，full of amazing things like guns，dolls，and old clothes.I ran downstairs，and spotted a red steel can.It was paint.I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple，orange，blue and green.

“Stephanie，I just found us a project for the day.Get some paintbrushes.We are fixing to paint.”She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work.We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard.There on the road in front of my house，we painted big stripes(条纹)of colors across the pavement(人行道)．Stripe by stripe，our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow.It was fantastic!

The sun was starting to sink.I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car.It was my mother.I couldn't wait to show her my masterpiece.The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother's face，I could tell that I was in deep trouble.

My mother shut the car door and walked towards me.Her eyes glaring，she shouted，“What in the world were you thinking？I understood when you made castles out of leaves，and climbed the neighbors' trees，but this！Come inside right now！”I stood there glaring back at her for a minute，angry because she had insulted(侮辱)my art.

“Now go clean it up！”Mother and I began cleaning the road.Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.

Though years have now passed，I still wonder where my rainbow has gone.I wonder if，maybe when I get older，I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away.I guess we all need some sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.

56．What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?

A．To introduce Stephanie to her.

B．To prevent her from seeing his painting.

C．To put the materials back in the yard.

D．To show his artwork to her.

57．In his mother's eyes，the writer________.

A．was a born artist        B．always caused trouble

C．was a problem solver   D．worked very hard

58．The underlined word“rainbow”in the last paragraph refers to______.

A．the rainbow in the sky

B．the stripes on the pavement

C．something imaginative and fun

D．important lessons learned in childhood

59．It can be learned from the passage that parents should______.

A．encourage children to paint

B．value friendship among children

C．discover the hidden talent in children

D．protect rather than destroy children's dreams