26. Why did the children get frightened?

A. They lost touch with each other.

B. They were questioned by a strange man.

C. They had no idea how to stop the machine.　　　

D. They were tracked down by the police.

25. Which of the following words best describe Brenton?

A. Strange and nervous.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Quiet and smart.　　　

C. Brave and special.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Clever and helpful.

三．B

What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night, and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That's the situation presented to Sam, Kelsey, Judy and Brenton in Dan Gutman's entertaining new book for young readers, The Home Machine.

The four children, all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen's Grand Canyon School, are as different as any other 11-year-old child could be, but they have one thing in common — all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father; Judy's sense of justice always annoys others; Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him. When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher, the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget(装置) to do homework for him. While the boy is perfectly able to do his homework himself, Sam, Kelsey and Judy can use the help.

Having perfect grades is something new for these three, and as they meet every day to "do homework", they find that they're learning a lot about each other. Such a good thing can't last though, and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them, they begin to get nervous. Soon there's an even more frightening problem ― why can't the Homework Machine be turned off?

Told in different voices as all the children make statements to the Grand Canyon Police, the story develops in an interesting fashion. Gutman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children's books, each with a funny and impressing table that should be equally liked by boys and girls.

24. What is one common thing that all the four children have to deal with at school?

A. Getting along with their classmates.

B. Doing their homework by themselves.

C. Overcoming difficulties on their own.

D. Catching up with others to get good grades.

2. Not everything is going to happen as planned.

[翻译]并不是每件事情都是按照计划发生的。

[分析]本句中的not everything是一个部分否定结构，当not和every, each, all, both连用的时候，无论not在这些词的前面还是后面都表示部分否定。而neither, none表示的是全部否定。

1.It's wonderful to go to another country, complete a volunteer project and feel that you really have a positive influence.

[翻译]到另外一个国家，完成一个志愿者计划并感觉到自己真得有积极的影响真是太棒了。

[分析]本句中的it是形式主语，真正的主语是后面的不定式结构to go to another country, complete a volunteer project and feel that you really have a positive influence.这个真正的主语是由三个并列的不定式所组成的，其中的最后两个是由连词and连接在一起的。

23. [答案] A

[试题解析]主旨大意题。根据文章第一段It's wonderful to go to another country, complete a volunteer project and feel that you really have a positive influence. But how can you become an international volunteer?可知做一名国际志愿者是很棒的事情，但是如何才能成为一名国际志愿者呢？本文主要是就这个话题展开的讨论：要想成为国际志愿者，你要做什么样的准备。故A正确，

[长难句解析]

22. [答案] C

[试题解析]推理题。根据文章最后2行Be prepared that the person who may be changed most is you. It's a joyful, often careful experience which will encourage you to view yourself, your neighbors and your world quite differently.要做好准备，也许被改变的人就是你自己，做国际志愿者是一个很愉快很细致的经历，这鼓励着我们用不同的眼光看待自己，看待他人。也就是说可以改变一个人对待世界的看法。故C正确。

21.[答案] B

[试题解析]推理题。根据文章第二段1,2行Contact the organization a few months before leaving and find out if there are materials which are rare and hard to attain for the project.可知要提前和对方的组织取得联系，也就是说要提前做好准备，要发现一些是不是很难找到的材料。故B项提前做好准备是正确的。

23. What is the passage mainly about?

A. What prepares you to become a volunteer.

B. Where volunteers are needed most in the world.

C. Why volunteering is popular with young people.

D. How volunteers develop a relationship with local people.

[考点]考察文化教育类短文

[文章大意]做一名国际志愿者是很棒的事情，但是如何才能成为一名国际志愿者呢？本文主要是就这个话题展开的讨论：要想成为国际志愿者，你要做什么样的准备。