Robby was 11 years old when his mother sent him to have his first piano lesson. I always think that a good learner should begin at his         age, but Robby said that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano. So I       him as a student.

Robby didn’t have a basic       of music, but he tried very hard. However, he continued and at the end of each weekly lesson he’d always say, “My mom is going to hear me play some day.”But it seemed       . He didn’t have a natural ability for music.

One day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. He told me that his mom had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons, but he was still       .

He asked if he could take part in my concert (音乐会) and I       .

The night of the concert came. The concert hall was             with parents, friends and relatives. The concert was going well. Then, Robby came on stage (舞台). Loudly and clearly he said that he had chosen Mozart’s Concerto No 21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next.  His         danced on the keys.

He played so well that everyone was on his feet, clapping (鼓掌) excitedly. In tears (眼泪), I ran up on stage, “Oh, Robby! How could you do it?”

“Well, Miss Hondorf, remember I told you my mom was sick? Well, the fact is that she had a serious blood disease and passed away this morning. And well… she was born       , so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make       special and show her I could do it! My mother’s dream came true at last.”

1.A. bigger      B. larger        C. later         D. earlier

2.A. received    B. protected     C. knew          D. accepted

3.A. education   B. sense        C. information   D. knowledge

4.A. harmless    B. helpless      C. hopeless     D. meaningless

5.A. writing     B. practising  C. singing      D. talking

6.A. agreed       B. disliked      C. expected     D. decided

7.A. covered      B. bored         C. filled       D. enjoyed

8.A. fingers      B. feet          C. voice        D. legs

9.A. blind        B. deaf          C. strong       D. tiny

10.A. her        B. me           C. it            D. us

  — Bill, can I get you anything to drink?

— __________.

A. You are welcome

B. No problem

C. It doesn’t matter

D. I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee

— Mrs. Liu, can I pass the final exam if I start working hard from now on?

— Of course. __________.

A. Better late than never

B. Practice makes perfect

C. Actions speak louder than words

D. Many hands make light work

— The secretary’s already on the way to the company, __________ she?

— __________. She was badly hurt in the accident and sent to the hospital.

A. hasn’t; Yes  B. hasn’t; No

C. isn’t; Yes   D. isn’t; No

Not only the twins but also their cousin __________ Japan for half a year, but __________ of   them can speak Japanese.

A. has gone to; either   B. has been to; either

C. has been in; none     D. have been in; none

A lot of money __________ at the charity show, but the cost of living __________ a lot, so we  still need to do much work to help the disabled people.

A. was raised; has risen     B. was raised; were raised

C. rose; has risen          D. rose; were raised

The door is __________ narrow for the elephant __________.

A. too; to go     B. enough; to go

C. so; to go to   D. too; to go through

— Mmm, the meat __________ well and __________ good!

— Of course! You know my father is a good cook.

A. cooks; smells     B. is cooked; is smelt

C. is cooked; smells D. cooks; is smelt

The librarian told us that we could borrow at most three books __________.

A. at a time         B. all the time

C. from time to time D. on time

— Why do English people talk so often about the weather when they start a conversation?

— Because the weather is a __________ subject.

A. serious  B. good       C. close    D. safe