You may know the song Happy Birthday very well. But do you know about its writer? It was written by an American girl. And she became very rich after that.
When she was a child, she was poor. Once, she was invited to her friend’s birthday party. She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.
“The party is coming soon, but now I have little money.” Tears ran down her face.
Later that night she was in bed, thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.“ What happened? ” her grandma asked. Hearing the girl’s story, she said, “Don’t worry. I think I can help you. How about singing a song together? Happy birthday to …”What a beautiful song! They sang and sang. Suddenly she woke up. It was a dream! She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.
When she sang the song at the party the next day, her friends were very happy. “How wonderfully you sing! We haven’t heard such a beautiful song before. Thank you for giving me the special gift.” said her friend. And they learnt to sing it together. Later the girl became well-known in America.
【小题1】The song Happy Birthday was written by                    .

A．an American girl

B．an American girl’s grandma

C．an American boy

D．an American girl’s friend

【小题2】The girl was sad because                     .

A．she didn’t want to go to the party.

B．she would be busy that day.

C．she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift.

D．she wasn’t invited to the party.

【小题3】What gift did she give her friend?                    

A．A flower.

B．A toy.

C．An interesting book.

D．A song.

【小题4】What did her friends think of the song?  It was                 .

A．boring

B．beautiful

C．exciting

D．interesting

【小题5】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The girl was still poor after writing the song .

B．The girl sang the song with her grandpa in her dream.

C．The girl’s friends had heard the song before.

D．The girl became famous because of the song.

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.

 I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception（接收）.

 My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was simple, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.

 In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen（婴儿圈栏）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".

As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit the farm every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.

Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.

My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.

Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. “Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...”.

1.The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that

    ________.

A. it was too cold and quiet

B. she could only sing one song on the small farm

C. there was nothing more that could make her excited

D. The place was simple, with no indoor plumbing or heat

2.From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.

    A. passed away four years ago

 B. left the small farm with Lord

C. left for Lord to live her own way

    D. preferred to be with Lord

3.The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A. recalled       B. comforted       C. shouted        D. sighed

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.

A. The writer was able to sing before she could speak.

B. The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city.

C. The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower".

D. The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______

A. Cherish life                      B. My happy childhood

C. Our small farmhouse               D. Mom’s music

 

You may know the song Happy Birthday very well. But do you know about its writer? It was written by an American girl. And she became very rich after that.

When she was a child, she was poor. Once, she was invited to her friend’s birthday party. She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.

“The party is coming soon, but now I have little money.” Tears ran down her face.

Later that night she was in bed, thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.“ What happened? ” her grandma asked. Hearing the girl’s story, she said, “Don’t worry. I think I can help you. How about singing a song together? Happy birthday to …”What a beautiful song! They sang and sang. Suddenly she woke up. It was a dream! She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.

When she sang the song at the party the next day, her friends were very happy. “How wonderfully you sing! We haven’t heard such a beautiful song before. Thank you for giving me the special gift.” said her friend. And they learnt to sing it together. Later the girl became well-known in America.

1.The song Happy Birthday was written by                     .

   A. an American girl

B. an American girl’s grandma

   C. an American boy

D. an American girl’s friend

2.The girl was sad because                      .

   A. she didn’t want to go to the party.

B. she would be busy that day.

   C. she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift.

D. she wasn’t invited to the party.

3.What gift did she give her friend?                    

A. A flower.          B. A toy.           C. An interesting book.  D. A song.

4.What did her friends think of the song?  It was                  .

A. boring             B. beautiful        C. exciting               D. interesting

5.Which of the following is TRUE?

   A. The girl was still poor after writing the song .

   B. The girl sang the song with her grandpa in her dream.

   C. The girl’s friends had heard the song before. 

   D. The girl became famous because of the song.

 

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception（接收）.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was simple, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen（婴儿圈栏）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit the farm every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. “Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...”.
【小题1】The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that
________.

A．it was too cold and quiet

B．she could only sing one song on the small farm

C．there was nothing more that could make her excited

D．The place was simple, with no indoor plumbing or heat

【小题2】From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.

A．passed away four years ago

B．left the small farm with Lord

C．left for Lord to live her own way

D．preferred to be with Lord

【小题3】The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A．recalled

B．comforted

C．shouted

D．sighed

【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.

A．The writer was able to sing before she could speak.

B．The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city.

C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower".

D．The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

【小题5】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______

A．Cherish life	B．My happy childhood
C．Our small farmhouse	D．Mom’s music

动词填空

1. —We haven’t heard from Jane for a long time.

 —What do you suppose _______(happen) to her?

2. Let’s go and have a cup of coffee when all the work_______(do).

3. The second Youth Olympic Games _______(hold ) in Nanjing in 2014.

4. He seemed to have difficulty _______ (control) his actions.

5. The police searched the whole building but_______(find) nothing unusual.

6. I tried many ways I could think of _______ (stop) the little boy from crying.

7. —Did Tom enjoy seeing his old friends yesterday ?

  —Yes, he did. He _______ (not meet) his old friends for a long time.

8. The detective promised to the victim that he _____(catch) the robber as soon as possible.