For as early as I could remember, my mother had been a bright, cheerful woman deeply interested and involved in the world around her. However, in the last fifteen years of her life, she had to live with senile dementia (老年痴呆). I would go to my home to pay her a visit in California and she would curiously look at me and then ask, “Who are you?” I would answer, “I’m your own son, of course.” “Where do you live?” She would ask. “In Virginia”, I would tell her. “Isn’t that interesting,” she would say, “I have a son in Virginia.”

Mother seemed only forgetful as well as confused at the beginning of that disease, but sometime later she would go through different time of intense anxiety. She would keep walk ing through the house she used to live in most of her life crying uneasily that she would like to go home. Or sometimes she left home and wandered away if she were unattended for a short time.

Hoping to make her happy and put her mind at ease I would take her in my car, visiting sites where she used to live when she was a child. In the yard of the hillside house in Shipman I sat in the car and admired the view of the old oaks and long green lawn(草坪). I pictured my mother there was a little girl playing with the pet lamb she had been so fond of. I looked to her for some response. She shook her head and said, “I want to go home.”

Over the years I have decided that what my mother was calling home was not a place, but a time. I think it was a time when she was much younger, when her children were still underfoot, when her husband was still energetic and attentive.

Watching my mother’s suffering set me wondering where I would have in mind if someday I couldn’t find home and wanted to go there. In this family we tend to be long-lived and we grow fuzzy (糊涂的) minded as the years go by. At eighty I have already noticed some alarming symptoms. My doctor says the forgetfulness is only natural and that it comes with age. Still the fear of senile dementia is haunting there. Someday if and when I become even more cloudy minded than I am now, unable to drive and unable to tell you where "home" is, my dear son, I expect I will ask you to take me home, I know you will do your best to find the place I need to be. I leave these notes for your guidance.

1.What’s the main idea of the first and second paragraphs?

A. The mother of the author could not find her home.  

B. The mother of the author could not remember who’s his son.

C. The author’s mother suffered with serious senile dementia.

D. The author didn’t know how to cure his mother.

2.Which of the following is NOT the symptom of the mother of the author?      

A. forgetful                         B. confused      C. cheerful       D. uneasy

3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “picture”?

A. photograph                  B. describe                 C. appear                   D. paint

4.What can you infer from the third paragraph?

A. The author cared much about his mother.    

B. The mother of the author liked pet lambs very much.

C. The author found a very little girl who was playing with a pet lamb.

D. The mother of the author did not like her usual home.

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Where Is Home?                                              B. A story about a son and a mother.

C. Everyone will suffer with senile dementia.              D. Take Mother Home.

 

During the last fifteen years of my mother's life she suffered with Alzheimer's disease (老年痴呆). Until then she had been a bright, cheerful woman deeply interested and involved in the world around her. I would go home to visit her in Virginia and she would look at me in a puzzled way and ask, “Who are you?”  I would answer, “I'm your son.”  “Where do you live?”  She would ask. “In California”, I would tell her. “Isn't that interesting,”  she would say, “I have a son in California.”
    She seemed simply forgetful and confused at the beginning of the disease, but later on she would go through periods of intense anxiety. She would pace through the house she had lived in most of her life crying uneasily that she wanted to go home. Or she would leave home and wander away if she were unattended for a short time.   

Hoping to please her and put her mind at ease I would take her for a drive, visiting sites where she had lived as a child. In the yard of the hillside house in Shipman I sat in the car and admired the view of the old oaks and long green lawn. I pictured my mother there was a little girl playing with the pet lamb she had been so fond of. I looked to her for some response. She shook her head and said, “I want to go home.”
    Over the years I have decided that what my mother was calling home was not a place, but a time. I suspect it was a time when she was much younger, when her children were still underfoot, when her husband was still vigorous and attentive.

Watching my mother's suffering set me wondering where I would have in mind if someday I couldn’t find home and wanted to go there. In this family we tend to be long-lived and we grow fuzzy (糊涂的) minded as the years go by. At eighty I have already noticed some alarming symptoms. My doctor says the forgetfulness is only natural and that it comes with age. Still the fear of Alzheimer's is haunting there. Someday if and when I become even more cloudy minded than I am now, unable to drive and unable to tell you where "home" is, my dear son, I expect I will ask you to take me home, I know you will do your best to find the place I need to be. I leave these notes for your guidance.

56. What's the main idea of the first two paragraphs?

   A. The author’s mother suffered with serious Alzheimer's disease.

   B. The author’s mother forgot who’s his son.

   C. The author didn’t know how to cure his mother.

   D. The author’s mother couldn’t find her home.

57. What is not the symptom of the author’s mother ?      

   A. cheerful            B. confused              C. forgetful                D. uneasy

58. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “picture”?

   A. photograph       B. appear                  C. describe               D. paint

59. What can you infer from the third paragraph?

   A. The author care much about his mother.

   B. The author’s mother was fond of pet lambs.

   C. The author saw a little girl playing with a pet lamb.

   D. The author’s mother didn’t like her usual home.

60. What’s the best title of the passage?

   A. Take Mother Home.

   B. Everyone will suffer with Alzheimer's disease.

   C. A story about a son and a mother.

   D. Where Is Home?

One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.

Mary Sawyer (1806－1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.

One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.

That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.

Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue.

1.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Mary Had a Little Lamb                B. The Life of Mary Sawyer

C. The Origin of a Poem                   D. An Animal Friend

2.The underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means         .

A. fortunately          B. gradually          C. finally             D. kindly

3. Why did the poem become a classic?

A. It had another twelve lines added.

B. It was written by a young man.

C. It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb.

D. A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.

4.Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?

a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”became popular.

b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.

c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.

d. Mary found a little lamb.

e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.

A.  d. b. e. c. a           B.  d. b. e. a. c

C.  d. e. b. c. a            D.  d. e. b. a. c

5.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A. Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb.

B. Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship.

C. Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem.

D. All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America.

 

One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.

Mary Sawyer (1806－1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.

One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.

That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.

Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue.

1.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Mary Had a Little Lamb                B. The Life of Mary Sawyer

C. The Origin of a Poem                   D. An Animal Friend

2.The underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means         .

A. fortunately          B. gradually          C. finally             D. kindly

3.Why did the poem become a classic?

A. It had another twelve lines added.

B. It was written by a young man.

C. It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb.

D. A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.

4.Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?

a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”became popular.

b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.

c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.

d. Mary found a little lamb.

e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.

A.  d. b. e. c. a           B.  d. b. e. a. c

C.  d. e. b. c. a                D.  d. e. b. a. c

5. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A. Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb.

B. Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship.

C. Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem.

D. All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America.

 

One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.
Mary Sawyer (1806－1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.
One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.
That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.
Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue.
【小题1】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Mary Had a Little Lamb	B．The Life of Mary Sawyer
C．The Origin of a Poem	D．An Animal Friend

【小题2】The underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means         .

A．fortunately

B．gradually

C．finally

D．kindly

【小题3】 Why did the poem become a classic?

A．It had another twelve lines added.

B．It was written by a young man.

C．It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb.

D．A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.

【小题4】Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”became popular.
b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.
c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.
d. Mary found a little lamb.
e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.

A． d. b. e. c. a	B． d. b. e. a. c
C． d. e. b. c. a	D． d. e. b. a. c

【小题5】Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A．Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb.

B．Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship.

C．Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem.

D．All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America.