I have a painfully vivid memory of my first homecoming from college, in December 1983. After three whole months away, I was back home with my brand new opinions, attitudes and tastes. How could they watch such terrible television programs? I, the English Literature major with Shakespeare and Milton and James Joyce, could hardly bear to sleep under the roof of a house whose few bookshelves held thrillers and bound editions of the Reader’s Digest. I’m sure my family was glad to see the back of me when, at the end of the holiday, I packed up my books and headed back up to university in the north of England.
But the next year must have been even more painful to my parents: I didn’t show up at all. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young people spending a little time away from their families and with their friends.  It’s part of growing up, something you need to do if you are to become properly independent. However, if you’re not going to be home for the festival, you should at least have the decency to telephone and say you’re not coming.
In English we have an expression, “wet behind the ears.” A person who is wet behind the ears is so immature, that they don’t know how to dry the back of their head after a bath. Just before the following year’s holiday I fell ill, quite seriously so. I’m sure my own behavior contributed to my getting sick: staying out too late, not eating properly—perhaps you know someone like the person I was then. I lay in bed with a fever, feeling very sorry for myself.
I’m sure you can guess who came to my rescue. My long-suffering parents got in their car and sped up the motorway to rescue their son from the consequences of his own irresponsibility.
I hope I’m a better son now; if not, it’s getting a little late in the day if I want to change. I’ve worked in China for nearly 10 years and so I don’t get to see them as often as I like, but my parents are online all the time so we talk many times each week. And this Spring Festival I will be flying back to England for a visit. 
I’m really looking forward to it.
【小题1】What can we learn from the first paragraph?

I have a painfully vivid memory of my first homecoming from college, in December 1983. After three whole months away, I was back home with my brand new opinions, attitudes and tastes. How could they watch such terrible television programs? I, the English Literature major with Shakespeare and Milton and James Joyce, could hardly bear to sleep under the roof of a house whose few bookshelves held thrillers and bound editions of the Reader’s Digest. I’m sure my family was glad to see the back of me when, at the end of the holiday, I packed up my books and headed back up to university in the north of England.

   But the next year must have been even more painful to my parents: I didn’t show up at all. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young people spending a little time away from their families and with their friends.  It’s part of growing up, something you need to do if you are to become properly independent. However, if you’re not going to be home for the festival, you should at least have the decency to telephone and say you’re not coming.

   In English we have an expression, “wet behind the ears.” A person who is wet behind the ears is so immature, that they don’t know how to dry the back of their head after a bath. Just before the following year’s holiday I fell ill, quite seriously so. I’m sure my own behavior contributed to my getting sick: staying out too late, not eating properly—perhaps you know someone like the person I was then. I lay in bed with a fever, feeling very sorry for myself.

   I’m sure you can guess who came to my rescue. My long-suffering parents got in their car and sped up the motorway to rescue their son from the consequences of his own irresponsibility.

   I hope I’m a better son now; if not, it’s getting a little late in the day if I want to change. I’ve worked in China for nearly 10 years and so I don’t get to see them as often as I like, but my parents are online all the time so we talk many times each week. And this Spring Festival I will be flying back to England for a visit. 

   I’m really looking forward to it.

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. The author liked reading thrillers and the Reading Digest.

B. The author couldn’t fall asleep in a house with few books.

C. The author thought his parents were happy to see him back.

D. The author didn’t seem to share the same tastes with his parents.

2.What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A. The next year the author’s parents were very happy to see him.

B. The author went to see his parents during the second year in college.

C. If you aren’t going to spent an important day with your family, inform them in advance.

D. To leave away from family is not a proper way if you want to gain some independency.

3. If you are a person who is wet behind the ears, you are       .

A. old and experienced                  B. young and inexperienced 

C. young and experienced                    D. mature and experienced

4.We can infer from the last two paragraphs that       .

A. the author thinks he has become a good son

B. the author will be with his family the next Spring Festival

C. the author will not change himself to a better one because it is too late

D. the author keeps in touch with his parents through the Internet regularly

5.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Pleasant memories about Christmas

B. Horrible things happened in the past

C. Interesting memories about Christmas

D. Share with you some of my Ghosts of Christmas Past

I have a painfully vivid memory of my first homecoming from college, in December 1983. After three whole months away, I was back home with my brand new opinions, attitudes and tastes. How could they watch such terrible television programs? I, the English Literature major with Shakespeare and Milton and James Joyce, could hardly bear to sleep under the roof of a house whose few bookshelves held thrillers and bound editions of the Reader’s Digest. I’m sure my family was glad to see the back of me when, at the end of the holiday, I packed up my books and headed back up to university in the north of England.
But the next year must have been even more painful to my parents: I didn’t show up at all. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with young people spending a little time away from their families and with their friends.  It’s part of growing up, something you need to do if you are to become properly independent. However, if you’re not going to be home for the festival, you should at least have the decency to telephone and say you’re not coming.
In English we have an expression, “wet behind the ears.” A person who is wet behind the ears is so immature, that they don’t know how to dry the back of their head after a bath. Just before the following year’s holiday I fell ill, quite seriously so. I’m sure my own behavior contributed to my getting sick: staying out too late, not eating properly—perhaps you know someone like the person I was then. I lay in bed with a fever, feeling very sorry for myself.
I’m sure you can guess who came to my rescue. My long-suffering parents got in their car and sped up the motorway to rescue their son from the consequences of his own irresponsibility.
I hope I’m a better son now; if not, it’s getting a little late in the day if I want to change. I’ve worked in China for nearly 10 years and so I don’t get to see them as often as I like, but my parents are online all the time so we talk many times each week. And this Spring Festival I will be flying back to England for a visit. 
I’m really looking forward to it.

1. 1.

   What can we learn from the first paragraph?

   1. A.
      The author liked reading thrillers and the Reading Digest.
   2. B.
      The author couldn’t fall asleep in a house with few books.
   3. C.
      The author thought his parents were happy to see him back.
   4. D.
      The author didn’t seem to share the same tastes with his parents.
2. 2.

   What can we learn from the second paragraph?

   1. A.
      The next year the author’s parents were very happy to see him.
   2. B.
      The author went to see his parents during the second year in college.
   3. C.
      If you aren’t going to spent an important day with your family, inform them in advance.
   4. D.
      To leave away from family is not a proper way if you want to gain some independency.
3. 3.

   If you are a person who is wet behind the ears, you are       .

   1. A.
      old and experienced
   2. B.
      young and inexperienced
   3. C.
      young and experienced
   4. D.
      mature and experienced
4. 4.

   We can infer from the last two paragraphs that       .

   1. A.
      the author thinks he has become a good son
   2. B.
      the author will be with his family the next Spring Festival
   3. C.
      the author will not change himself to a better one because it is too late
   4. D.
      the author keeps in touch with his parents through the Internet regularly
5. 5.

   What would be the best title for the text?

   1. A.
      Pleasant memories about Christmas
   2. B.
      Horrible things happened in the past
   3. C.
      Interesting memories about Christmas
   4. D.
      Share with you some of my Ghosts of Christmas Past

In Britain, in a population of 60 million, there are 13 million grandparents, many of whom live alone a long way from their grandchildren.The loneliness of these older people has become an issue that schools are trying to teach children about .

On a popular teacher’s website, there is a classroom activity to help make children aware of the implications of the different generations of the same family living far from each other. It’s a story about Mrs. Eiderdown, an elderly lady whose grandchildren have moved to Australia with their parents. She lives alone and rarely sees her family .

First of all, the children speculate about Mrs. Eiderdown’s life.  What does she have for breakfast ? what does she do all day ?how does she feel about her life ?

One day, Mrs. Eiderdown decides that she wants a pet to keep her company and puts an advertisement in a local shop window. Then she waits at home to see if anyone will answer her advertisement .

A tall thin man rings her doorbell. he is holding a cardboard box. Mrs. Eiderdown chats with the man for ten minutes before she realizes that she hasn’t looked in-side the box to see what the pet is. She can hear a his-sing sound. The children guess what is in the box(a snake). Mrs. Eiderdown thanks the man but says she doesn’t think the snake is a good idea .

The next time the doorbell rings, there’s a lady on the doorstep, also carrying a cardboard box.In the bottom of the box, Mrs. Eiderdown sees something black and hairy with eight legs. Again ,the children say what they  think it is (a spider). Mrs. Eiderdown thanks the lady for her kindness but says that a spider is not the sort of pet she has in mind.

At last, the little girl next door brings her a dog .Mrs. Eiderdown’s life improves a lot because of the dog. more importantly, of course, the little girl, whose own granny lives a long way away, starts to visit Mrs.Eiderdown more often. This interactive classroom idea has led to a greater awareness among children about the possible loneliness of older people who live quite near them .

1.what’s the main idea of the passage?

A. children get to know about the trouble of the elderly

B. neighbors help select pets for Mrs. Eiderdown

C. society helps the lonely people in the UK

D. school send pets to the lonely elderly

2.what does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean ?

A. they talk about how she feels about being old

B. they try to experience her loneliness

C. they try to imagine how she lives

D. they write about her life story

3.what can we infer from the passage ?

A. the little girl often visits her own granny

B. the people who offer pets are lady’s neighbors

C. the farther the elderly live ,the lonelier they feel

D. the little girl begins to care more about Mrs. Eiderdown

The seven Cs of a good letter

What is the secret of writing a good letter? Here are two main ones. Don’t try to be complicted(复杂的). Don’t try to impress（留下深刻印象）your reader. You will be successful if you follow these seven Cs.

Clear. Use short, direct sentences.   1.  Just imagine that the reader is right there with you .Above all, don’t use an introduction.

Correct.     2.    Don’t guess, even for spelling. Refer to your dictionary. If you need to , check a reference(参考) book too. Use them as much as you need to.

Complete(完整的). Don’t scatter(使分散) our points.  3.   This is good organization too.

Courteous（礼貌的）. Be friendly rather than overly casual. Present your information nicely even if you are complaining about something . In all letters, treat others as you want them to treat you.

Concise(简洁的). Make each point as clearly and briefly as you can.

Conversational(会话的). This is really the secret of good writing.    4. .  Such a letter has a natural, friendly tone(语气). Let your personality come through naturally.

Considerate(体贴的;考虑周到的).   5.  Write about what you believe the reader needs or wants to know. Try to be helpful. This will build good feeling towards you.

The seven Cs are about writing letters. But how about school papers? Use the seven Cs. Write as if you are talking to your teacher or professor. You’ll be surprised. You’ll almost instantly become a good writer. And you might even enjoy writing from now on.

E. Make sure what you say is correct.

F.  Writing should not be taken too seriously.

G. Finish one point completely before going on to the next.