Martha was busy with her job. She believed she had to work harder because she loved her father who was sick with cancer. She had to provide for his expensive medicines. Her brothers and sisters meanwhile stayed with their father most of the time. They bathed him, sang for him, spoon-fed(用匙喂) him or simply kept him company.

One day Martha was hurt. She overheard(无意中听到) her father telling her mother, "All our children love me except Martha."

 "How can this be?" Martha thought. "Am I not the one killing myself in my work to have money to pay for his medicines? My brothers and sisters do not even provide their share in the expenses."

One night, as Martha was as usual late in going home, she saw her father was lying awake. She walked close to his bedsides. Her father held her hands and said, "I miss you. I don't have much time. Stay with me." And she stayed with her father holding his hand the whole night.

The next morning Martha said to everybody, "I have taken a leave of absence. I would like to be with father. I will bathe him and sing for him from now on." Her father had a beautiful smile. He knew Martha loved him, too.

     As children, we need the presence of our loved ones. Adults need no less. I have observed my mother’s orchids(兰花). When she is away for a long time, they are unhealthy and many of them wither(干枯). But when she is around , they bloom with beautiful flowers. My mother does nothing special . She just spends her time looking after them.

1.Before Martha heard her parents’ talk ,she thought her father _____.

  A. was satisfied with her love for him

  B. disliked her brothers and sisters

  C.was proud of her

  D. would recover from the disease

2.After staying with her father for one night, Martha _____.

  A.decided to give up her job

  B.understood what her father really needed

  C.realized her father loved her most

  D. loved her father more than before

3.By telling Matha’s story, what does the author try to express?

A.Nothing is more important than the company of loved ones.

 B. Money and a successful career don’t always bring happiness

C.Adults need the presence of their loved ones more than children do.

D.Plants like orchids do have feelings.

 

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21-40各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

With the introduction of family planning policies in the 1970s, most Chinese teenagers have no brothers or sisters．They get to be the beloved（心爱的）__21__child．But they may not realize that they will have to “__22__” the love as their__23__ones grow old．They will have to__24__lots of old people—their parents, grandparents, their_   25  _parents and grandparents．China is becoming__26_  country．

According to the United Nations, an aging society refers to one    27   10 percent or more of the population is over 60, or 7 percent or more is over 65. According to   28   from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, by 2008, Chinese over 60 years old made up 12 percent of the nation’s total population. The    29    for those aged 65 or older was 8.3 percent.

In China, people have a belief that “parents raise children; then the children care for the parents as they get old”．But this__30__is under stress as the market economy puts millions of young Chinese on the road__31__better paying jobs．They are leaving their parents__32_．Now many families are looking more to the government than to their__33__for support when they’re old．China has increased its basic social security（基本社会保险）plan which is__34__protecting those__35__, including the old, the disabled and others．These programs are now broad, __36_they are still not highly developed．

 As more people grow__37__, China will have fewer working people, __38__will slow down economic growth．According to a November 26 report in the Economic Information Daily, an expert said China should __39__its people to have more than one child in the future__40_China should keep its labor population and total population size stable（稳定的）．

21．A．only        B．lonely     C. friendly        D．heartily

22．A．take up  B．take back  C．pay back D．pay for

23．A．hated      B．loved       C．tired       D．hearted

24．A．care for    B．bring up   C．look for    D．pay attention to

25．A．daughter’s or son’s  B．niece’s or nephew’s

    C．wife’s or husband’s        D．aunt’s or uncle’s

26．A．an old      B．an aging   C．a developing    D．a developed

27．A．where       B．when      C．which       D．that

28．A．an article  B．an email   C．a magazine      D．a report

29．A．conclusion      B．character        C．figure      D．survey

30．A．tradition   B．opinion  C. saying          D．way

31．A．in favor of      B．in search of    C．in the way of    D．in the face of

32．A．out   B．off   C．ahead      D．behind

33．A．friends     B．relatives    C．parents     D．children

34．A．an act      B．a case       C．a program       D．a plan

35．A．in danger        B．in need     C．in desperate      D．in disaster

36．A．but    B．or     C．and   D．so

37．A．strong     B．realistic  C．rich   D．old

38．A．as     B．which       C．what  D．that

39．A．forbid      B．promise   C. encourage        D．order

40．A．so that      B．though      C．even if    D．because

Dear Betty,

     My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.

      Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late?  At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?

                                                               Yours,

                                                               Knowing Nothing

Dear Knowing Nothing,

     It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.

     You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.

     Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.

     If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.

                                                                                                          Yours,

                                                                                                          Betty

1.Knowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.

     A. tell Betty some good news               B. ask for some advice

     C. answer some questions                    D. invite her to dinner

2.According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.

     A. can only bring some flowers                 B. can’t bring wine

     C. should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late  D. should arrive twenty minutes late

3.Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.

     A. relax at the dinner table                B. watch the other guests

     C. ask the person beside him              D. keep silent at table

 

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

My father was a highly educate, intelligent gentleman. He could debate or discuss for hours on almost any topic and hold your   31   in the process. I thought there was nothing be wasn’t   32  to do.

A few days before my younger brother’s 7^th birthday, Dad planned to assemble(装配) a new   33   as a special birthday surprise. After nearly an hour of  34   the instructions, Dan was still unable to   35  the new bike together. Later he  36  the paper of instructions,   37  up his tool box, and decided to take the bike back to the local toy store and pay extra   38  to have it correctly assembled there.   39  an idea came to him, as he called out to Lovett, the quiet little man who cut our grassland.

“Lovett, have you ever assembled a boy’s bicycle?”

As Lovett walked towards the bike, Dad handed him the  40  . Lovett handed it back to him, saying, “No ,thanks. I can’t read. When you can’t read, you have to  41  .” Less than 15 minutes later, the new bicycle was   42   assembled, with no  43   parts remaining. Dad shook Lovett’s hand, patted him on the back, thanked him, and hid the bike.

On the night after my brother received his shiny new gift, Dad announced at the family dinner table what had happened several days earlier. He took great  44   in telling it over and over again-be used it as an example of thinking.  

He did not prefer to illiteracy(文盲) , but strongly taught us to use our  45  , The joke was on my father,   46  he was able to turn it into a learning tool, and I liked him even more after that incident. I also gained a new   47   for Lovett. To me he had   48  been the old yard man who didn’t   49   much, but after that day, he seemed to smile broader, even walk taller, It’s amazing what a real nod of   50   can do to lift people up.

31．A．attention                 B．belief                        C．view                          D．breath

32．A．willing                       B．lucky                         C．able                           D．sure

33．A．toy                             B．bicycle                      C．computer                D．boat

34．A．reading                    B．reviewing                C．examining               D．searching

35．A．bring                         B．get                            C．put．                        D．give

36．A．folded up                 B．looked through     C．turned to                 D．devoted to

37．A．brought                    B．added                       C．set                             D．picked

38．A．money                      B．effort                        C．service                     D．tax

39．A．Thus                          B．Then                         C．Since                         D．Though

40．A．tools                         B．rites                          C．orders                      D．instructions

41．A．exchange                 B．admit                        C．learn                         D．think

42．A．Partly                        B．fully                           C．hardly                       D．largely

43．A．separate                  B．different                  C．major                        D．spare

44．A．delight                      B．action                       C．care                          D．risk

45．A．resources                B．knowledge              C．heads                       D．hands

46．A．so                              B． or                            C．but                            D．and

47．A．reward                     B．regard                      C．relief                         D．respect

48．A．never                        B．regard                      C．ever                          D．often

49．A．show                         B．say                            C．care                          D．earn

50．A． approva1               B．agreement              C．affection1                D．altitude

 

Dear Betty,

     My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.

      Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late?  At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?

                                                               Yours,

                                                               Knowing Nothing

Dear Knowing Nothing,

     It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.

     You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.

     Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.

     If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.

                                                                                       Yours,

                                                                                       Betty

Knowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.

     A. tell Betty some good news               B. ask for some advice

     C. answer some questions                    D. invite her to dinner

According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.

     A. can only bring some flowers                 B. can’t bring wine

     C. should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late  D. should arrive twenty minutes late

Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.

     A. relax at the dinner table                B. watch the other guests

     C. ask the person beside him              D. keep silent at table