I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors’ house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon.

    Several months later, I found I couldn’t see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, “Why doesn’t she clean her window? It looks terrible!”

One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including(包括) the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt ashamed for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days!

The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging(评判) others.

1.How long has the writer lived in the house according to the passage?

A. Two years.                 B. Three years.           C. Four years.     

2.The writer couldn’t see the woman clearly because ______________.

A. the writer’s window was dirty              

B. the woman’s house was too far

C. the woman didn’t open her window

3.The underlined word “ashamed” means _________________.

A. 高兴的                     B. 放松的                 C. 羞愧的

4.According to the passage, the writer has learnt how to __________________.

A. clean the house            B. judge others           C. help neighbors

 

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. In this way he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and asked God for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up（哽咽）and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son, but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands. ” For a moment there was silence on the other and of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time”, and hung up.
　　Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I attended a parent –– teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were surprised at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
【小题1】Which of the following has the similar meaning as the underlined word “withdrawn” in the  first paragraph?

A．preferred to stay alone at home

B．refused to go to school

C．refused to talk to others

D．began to dislike his mother

【小题2】There was silence on the other end of the line because _ _________.

A．the caller was too moved to say anything to the mother

B．the caller waited for the mother to finish speaking

C．the caller didn’t want the mother to continue her talk

D．the caller was unable to help the mother

【小题3】Who was it that telephoned Karl’s mother that day?

A．The headmaster.	B．The school adviser.
C．Karl himself.	D．The passage doesn’t tell us.

【小题4】From the passage we can learn that _____________.

A．children in single – parent families always have mental problems

B．mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life

C．parents should give their children as much help as possible

D．school education still works well without support from parents

Ma Yan is not really a writer, but this 15-year-old girl has written a book that has moved many people around the world. Ma Yan’s diary tells us about Ma’s life. She lives in a poor village called Zhangjiashu in Tongxin, Ningxia, and she has no money to go to school. However, she is brave and wants to go to school very much.

Her mother gave her diary to a reporter, Pierre Haski when he went to Zhangjiashu in 2001. Now, Ma Yan’s diary has been published in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and China.

Ma Yan is now a Junior Three student at Yuwang Middle School in Tongxin. Before this, she had to drop out of school twice. She had to stop going to school the first time, because her mum told her there was no money for her to go to school. She worked for 21 days and saved 13 yuan. With this money, she went back to school. The second time, her family told her she had to leave school while her two brothers could stay.

“I want to study,” Ma Yan wrote in her diary. “Why can boys study but girls can’t? It would be wonderful if I could stay at school forever.”

Ma Yan loves school so much because she wants to have a better life.

“My parents work hard in the fields but they are still poor. They have no knowledge(知识). Most girls in my village leave school early and get married young. I don’t want that kind of life,” Ma Yan said.

After her story became known, many students sent money to her. She hopes to go to Tsinghua University and become a reporter. “Then, I can find poor kids like me, and help them,” she said.

1.Ma Yan’s diary has been published in France, Italy, Germany, Japan and       .

A．America

B．Austria

C．Russia

D．China

2.Why did Ma Yan leave school for the first time?

A．She didn’t study as hard as her brothers.

B．Her brothers studied better than she did.

C．Her family didn’t have money for her to school.

D．She had to help her mother do some housework.

3.Ma Yan wants to study because she wants to          .

A．teach her parents some knowledge

B．get more money for her study in university

C．become more famous in the world

D．get more knowledge to change her life

 

We were doing the best to control the fire of the burning garage (车库). Outside, I heard the sounds of cats crying. I couldn’t stop—I would have to look for the cats after the fire was put out.

    It took a long time to finally bring the big fire under control. No one inside was hurt. At that point I was free to find out where the cat noises were from. There was still a lot of smoke and heat coming from the building. I followed the meowing to the sidewalk in front of the garage. There, crying and huddled (挤作一团) together, were five frightened kittens (小猫). They must have been inside the building, as their fur was badly hurt.

    I wanted to find the mother cat. It was clear that she had gone into the burning garage and carried out all her babies, one by one—unbelievable.

    We finally found her. Her paws and face were blackened, and her fur was burned all over. You could even see her reddened skin under the burned fur. She could hardly move. I picked her up, and she relaxed in my arms as much as her pain would allow. I decided to save this brave little cat and her family.

    The vet told me they would watch the kittens and their mother for the night, but they weren’t confident about the mother’s chances.

    About a week later, I found out she was going to live. We named her Scarlet because of her reddened skin.

    I was happy to see Scarlet get together with the kittens again. She touched each of them, nose to nose. She had been in danger for five times and it had paid off. All of her babies had survived.

    As a fireman, I see heroic acts every day. But what Scarlet showed me that day was the kind of bravery that can only come from a mother’s love.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?

A. The writer went to look for the cats as soon as he heard them crying.

B. The firefighters put out the fire quickly and no one was hurt.

C. The writer didn’t find the cats until the smoke and heat were gone.

D. The mother cat moved all her babies out of the fire to a safe place.

2.Why did the writer decide to save the cats?

A. Because he was amazed at the mother cat’s courage.

B. Because the cats attracted many people’s attention.

C. Because he didn’t want to see any living things die.

D. Because it had taken him much time and effort to save them.

3.The writer talks about the cat’s story to show that ________________.

A. animals should be taken good care of

B. mother’s love can be great and brave

C. it is meaningful to help others

D. a cat always has nine lives

 

JLetter 1 Whatever I do, I always think about if other people will like it. How can I stop worrying about what they think?                                                         —Eva, 14, Illinois

JLetter 2 My dream is to be on the Olympic team for gymnastics. My dad thinks I started too late and I’ll never be able to make it. He puts me down, but I want his support. What should I do?                                                    —Erica, 9, Texas

JLetter 3 What should I do if I failed a test? I’m afraid to tell my mom because she might get mad at me and I can’t play soccer. And soccer is like the world to me. —Ashley, 12, Wisconsin

JLetter 4 I just moved and I’m kind of shy, so how do I make new friends? —Jessica, 11, Canada

Dr. Molly’s Answer ① You should tell him about your dream and that if you work really hard, it might happen even though you started late. The sooner you tell your dad how you feel, the sooner you’ll be able to work on making your dream come true.

Dr. Molly’s Answer ② Nobody knows you at your new school. You have nothing to lose, so gather up all your courage and go over to someone who looks friendly and introduce yourself. You can ask that person about your teacher or the other kids in your class to break the ice. Good luck!

Dr. Molly’s Answer ③ It’s better to tell your mom the truth than for her to find out another way. When you tell her, explain why you failed the test. Ask her if she can help you study in the future, so you’ll do better on your tests and also have time for the soccer you love.

Dr. Molly’s Answer ④ Just be yourself and try not to care about what others think. The more you think about it, the worse you will feel. Always act strong and confident. Even if you are a little unsure of something, don’t doubt (怀疑) your abilities to do things right. Just relax.

【小题1】Jessica ____________.

A．wonders how to make new friends

B．wishes to be on the Olympic team

C．is afraid to tell her mom about her failing a test

D．keeps worried about what other people think about her

【小题2】____________loves playing soccer best.

A．Erica

B．Eva

C．Ashley

D．Jessica

【小题3】Erica’s dad doesn’t support her because he thinks she___________.

A．is a little shy and can’t do it well	B．didn’t start at a very early age
C．is too young to be on the team	D．doesn’t work hard

【小题4】 According to Dr. Molly, Eva should ____________.

A．hold on to her dream	B．always tell the truth
C．be brave to say hello to others	D．be confident of herself

【小题5】Which is the correct order of Dr. Molly’s answers to the four letters?

A．①④③②

B．③④②①

C．②③①④

D．④①③②