When my oldest son was in high school, he planned to attend a Christian contemporary concert with the youth group from our church. To my    36   , Aaron invited me to go along.  I    37    accepted; however, by the time the date of the concert arrived, my youngest son had been ill, and I was    38   about him. My husband    39    me to attend the concert, promising he would take care of our youngest. I hesitated.

Finally, it    40    me. Aaron was sixteen years old. How many    41    would I have to do something fun with him    42    he went away to college? And how many youth actually    43     their mothers to attend a concert with them that was clearly for  teens?  The    44    was made. I would not miss this opportunity.

At the concert, I sat with Aaron in the third row, stuffing (填塞) cotton in my ears to block out the    45   , ear-splitting music of the first performer. I stood when the kids stood, clapped when they clapped, and never let anyone know how    46    I was to feel  the  floor  vibrate (震动) beneath my feet. Aaron and his friends were    47    at my enthusiasm.

By the time we left the concert, my ears were ringing, but it quickly passed.    48    did my son's teenage years.    49    he was in college and away from home. I missed him more than I could say. On days when I was especially    50    for his ready smile and his teasing manner, I would think back to the concert we attended and be thankful once again  that  I  didn't    51    an opportunity to spend time with my son.

Aaron is now grown and has a family of his own, but we are still very    52   . Some days he calls just to    53    and tell me about his day. I drop everything and    54   the moment, knowing these times too shall    55   .

1.A. amazement      B. agreement        C. argument     D. disappointment    

2.A. hardly         B. suddenly     C. readily          D. rapidly    

3.A. crazy          B. merciful     C. patient      D. concerned   

4.A. prevented      B. encouraged       C. stopped      D. refused   

5.A. determined     B. hit          C. controlled       D. annoyed   

6. A. opportunities     B. years            C. festivals        D. moments   

7.A. after          B. since            C. when         D. before   

8.A. invited            B. advised      C. allowed      D. promised  

9.A. invitation     B. design           C. demand       D. decision  

10. A. silly            B. pleasant     C. loud         D. sweet    

11. A. excited          B. nervous      C. curious      D. surprised  

12. A. puzzled          B. annoyed      C. amused       D. disappointed   

13.A. Such          B. Neither      C. So           D. Either   

14.A. In no time        B. In time      C. At a time        D. At the time  

15.A. tired         B. worried      C. upset            D. lonely   

16. A. have         B. miss         C. obtain           D. grasp   

17. A. close            B. open         C. young            D. positive   

18.A. talk          B. speak            C. chat         D. communicate  

19. A. wait         B. spend            C. listen           D. enjoy   

20.A. pass          B. gain         C. lose         D. keep

When my oldest son was in high school, he planned to attend a Christian contemporary concert with the youth group from our church. To my    36   , Aaron invited me to go along.  I    37    accepted; however, by the time the date of the concert arrived, my youngest son had been ill, and I was    38   about him. My husband    39    me to attend the concert, promising he would take care of our youngest. I hesitated.

Finally, it    40    me. Aaron was sixteen years old. How many    41    would I have to do something fun with him    42    he went away to college? And how many youth actually    43    their mothers to attend a concert with them that was clearly for teens?  The   44   was made. I would not miss this opportunity.

At the concert, I sat with Aaron in the third row, stuffing (填塞) cotton in my ears to block out the    45   , ear-splitting music of the first performer. I stood when the kids stood, clapped when they clapped, and never let anyone know how  46    I was to feel the floor vibrate (震动) beneath my feet. Aaron and his friends were  47    at my enthusiasm.

By the time we left the concert, my ears were ringing, but it quickly passed.  48    did my son's teenage years.   49  he was in college and away from home. I missed him more than I could say. On days when I was especially  50   for his ready smile and his teasing manner, I would think back to the concert we attended and be thankful once again that I didn't  51   an opportunity to spend time with my son.

Aaron is now grown and has a family of his own, but we are still very  __52 __ . Some days he calls just to __53__ and tell me about his day. I drop everything and   54   the moment, knowing these times too shall    55   .

【小题 1】 A. amazement     B. agreement    C. argument     D. disappointment   

【小题 2】 A. hardly        B. suddenly     C. rapidly      D. readily   

【小题 3】 A. crazy         B. merciful     C. concerned    D. patient 

【小题 4】 A. prevented     B. encouraged   C. stopped      D. refused  

【小题 5】 A. determined    B. hit          C. controlled   D. annoyed  

【小题 6】 A. moments       B. years        C. festivals    D. opportunities 

【小题 7】 A. after         B. since        C.before        D. when  

【小题 8】 A. advised       B. invited      C. allowed      D. promised 

【小题 9】 A. invitation    B. design       C. decision     D. demand 

1. A. silly         B. loud         C. pleasant     D. sweet   

2. A. nervous       B. excited      C. curious      D. surprised 

3. A. puzzled       B. annoyed      C. disappointed D. amused  

4. A. Such          B. So           C. Neither      D. Either  

5. A. In no time    B. In time      C. At a time    D. At the time 

6. A. tired         B. worried      C. upset        D. lonely  

7. A. miss          B. have         C. obtain       D. grasp  

8. A. open          B. close        C. young        D. positive  

9. A. talk          B. speak        C. communicate  D. chat 

10. A. wait         B. enjoy        C. listen       D. spend 

11. A. lose         B. gain         C. pass         D. keep  

I was thirteen years when Dad called my two younger brothers and me into the game room of our house．I was   1  ! I thought we would play games or even see movies together! "Bring a notebook and something to write with," said my dad   2   we reached the game room．My brothers and I   3   dead in our tracks and stared at each other in horror! His   4   was unusual, and our excitement turned to fear．We  5   that games or movies were not the reason we were called out．

       As we went back for a notebook and pencil, we   6   to think about the reason for this gathering．We thought family meeting was not   7   because Mom was out shopping．In the game room, we   8  three chairs facing a huge blackboard．Dad asked us to sit down．"I want your full   9 ．We are going to have a weekly meeting every Saturday morning．That is why I've called you here," he said,   10  businesslike．"I'm going to teach you what I've learned about   11 ．So take it seriously．"

       For the next five years, rain or sunshine, in sickness or in health．Dad   12   us once a week．He instructed （教导） us on a variety of   13   —manners, the importance of education, respect for others, home repairs, and the   14   goes on．We filled one notebook after another, which we all   15   well．

       As I came to my eighteenth birthday, the lessons became   16   lessons and then every other month, until they slowly drifted away．My brothers and I were older, and we had school activities, sports activities and job responsibilities that became very   17   to manage．

       It's been years now since we had those classes with Dad．We are   18   with careers （事业） and wives of our own．Very often,  19  , one of us has a situation where we need help from Dad．At this time, we   20   take out our notebooks; we needn't call home．

1．A．surprised                  B．excited                    C．disappointed            D．anxious

2．A．before                      B．unless                     C．until                       D．since

3．A．turned                      B．fell                         C．felt                         D．stopped

4．A．reaction                    B．idea                        C．request                   D．invitation

5．A．decided                    B．realized                   C．hoped                     D．admitted

6．A．wanted                     B．refused                   C．continued               D．forgot

7．A．convenient                B．important                C．interesting               D．possible

8．A．found                       B．took                       C．put                         D．shared

9．A．imagination               B．attention                  C．attraction D．consideration

10．A．going                      B．becoming                C．getting                    D．sounding

11．A．nature                     B．school                    C．life                         D．family

12．A．taught                     B．helped                     C．visited                    D．joined

13．A．methods                 B．contents                  C．problems                D．subjects

14．A．list                         B．goal                        C．plan                       D．note

15．A．used                       B．kept                        C．understood             D．knew

16．A．weekly                   B．regular                    C．monthly                  D．informal

17．A．foolish                    B．difficult                   C．necessary               D．unusual

18．A．grown                    B．familiar                   C．bored                     D．careful

19．A．instead                    B．therefore                 C．however                 D．besides

20．A．even  B．seldom      C．still    D．just

The battle for the leadership of Britain’s Labour Party ended on September 25. Five candidates competed for the top job, but it turned out to be a tale of two brothers. Victory went to Ed Miliband, 40, with his elder brother David, 45, coming a close second. Ed’s Miliband’s job will now be to try to lead his party back into power and oppose Prime Minister David Cameron.
The two Milibands were both ministers in the Gordon Brown government. David Miliband, as Foreign Secretary, held the third most important post in UK politics. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described him as “vibrant and attractive”. Ed, who had a lesser role in government as Minister of Climate Change, was valued for his contribution to policy discussions and for his performance at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change last December.
The Miliband brothers were born to political parents. Their father, Ralph, was a Marxist scholar. He came to Britain from Belgium in 1940, fleeing the Nazis. Ralph Miliband was buried beside Karl Marx in London’s Highgate Cemetery. His wife Marion, the brothers’ mother, remains an active party member at 76.
The two brothers represent different wings of the Labour Party. David supported former Prime Minister Tony Blair; Ed was a follower of Blair’s great rival Gordon Brown, the last Labour PM.
“We’re determined to make sure that family comes before politics, and I don’t think there’s any chance that politics is going to get in the way,” David Miliband said before the vote.
After the result, the two embraced in front of the cameras.
In his acceptance speech, Ed Miliband said to his brother: “David, I love you so much as a brother. And I have such extraordinary respect for the campaign that you ran.”
But some feel their warm words were for the media and for the sake of party unity. There had been reports of anger on David’s part when his younger brother chose to stand against him. David may feel that the leadership was stolen from him-and by his own brother. Ed himself was reported to be concerned that he might have hurt David. According to the Guardian, after the result, Ed’s first reaction was: “what have I done to David?”
Ed suggested that he was prepared to make his brother shadow chancellor. But David has decided it is time to move on. He will not have a role in the Shadow Cabinet in the future.
In effect, he has fallen on his sword for the Party. David Miliband said the priority was to allow his brother to make a success of leading Labour: “I believe this will be harder if there is constant comparison with my comments and position as a member of the shadow cabinet.”

1. 1.

   . Ed Miliband became head of Britain’s Labour Party because ______.

   1. A.
      he played an important role in the previous British government.
   2. B.
      his arguments at political discussions and his performance at an international conference
   3. C.
      Hillary Clinton thought highly of him
   4. D.
      his brother supported him both at home and politics.
2. 2.

   . According to the passage, which is NOT TRUE?

   1. A.
      Ed and David both worked in the government.
   2. B.
      Ralph Miliband came to Britain because of the Nazis.
   3. C.
      Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron are all Labour Party Prime Ministers.
   4. D.
      David Miliband and Ed Miliband’s mother is still alive.
3. 3.

   .What can be inferred from the passage?

   1. A.
      David Miliband and Ed Miliband fought against each other both at home and politics.
   2. B.
      Ed was concerned about David’s feelings after the election.
   3. C.
      David and Ed were born into a political family.
   4. D.
      David and Ed agreed with each other on most of the issues
4. 4.

   .What does the underlined sentence mean?

   1. A.
      David accepted his brother’s invitation to be a shadow chancellor.
   2. B.
      David was determined to fight against his brother.
   3. C.
      David was so upset that he would end his life with a sword for the Party.
   4. D.
      David refused his brother’s offer for him to be a shadow chancellor.
5. 5.

   .Which of the following can best describe the relationship between David and Ed?

   1. A.
      Brothers and political rivals
   2. B.
      Partners in the political campaign
   3. C.
      Partners in public and enemy in private
   4. D.
      Representatives of different wings of Labour Party