Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hold the bar with my other elbow （肘）. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung （横档）I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
1.Which can be used to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?
A. Cruel. B. Favourable. C. Strict. D. Sympathetic.
2.From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ______.
A. the strength and skill to hang and sway
B. the speed of one’s hand movement
C. the skill to throw and catch things
D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar
3.What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?
A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.
C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.
4.When the author looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because
_______.
A. they felt sorry for what they had done before
B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt
C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars
D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress
5.The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.
A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep
B. the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own
C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph
D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth
Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-agency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.
Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the afternoon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.
He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the afternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was astonished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move.
“What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.
For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire engine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, “Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right.”
I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.
1.Bill Javis became a news-agent when _______.
A. he needed the money
B. he was quite an old man
C. he decided to take up fishing
D. he gave up clock-repairing
2.Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _______.
A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work
B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came
C. he was never sure of time
D. it was then that he did a lot of business
3.From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?
A. The bell was－it must have gone off at the wrong time.
B. Bill was－he had dropped off to sleep.
C. The writer’s watch was－it was fast.
D. Bill’s clock was－it was old.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。
A Beautiful Dress
My neighbor’s eight-year-old daughter used to live in the countryside, her native place. Recently her parents 1her to town to live with them. Wild and uneducated, she would use 2words when she was angry. Sometimes she went so far as to 3on the ground, to the 4of all people around. Her parents tried to 5her by beating and kicking. However, she became more 6. Finally they became thoroughly 7with her.
One day their next-door 8, a retired teacher, gave the girl a snow-white dress, which was very 9. It immediately caught the girl’s 10and made them shine brightly.
The girl put on the dress and became quite a 11person. She no longer acted rudely or hit others. She 12seldom rolled on the floor. She knew running wild was not 13for her in a beautiful dress. Since then, the girl had been 14, neat, and lovely.
The story set me 15a lot. Perhaps everyone has a beautiful dress 16somewhere in his or her heart. Only some people are not aware of it, 17it or take no notice of it. 18is a powerful force or weapon — that’s something 19by many of us. It can arouse fine qualities that humans are 20with but have so far hidden somewhere. It has a soul-shaking influence that is indeed unmatched.
1.A. left B. brought C. met D. taught
2.A. dirty B. new C. creative D. attractive
3.A. trap B. weep C. roll D. jump
4.A. surprise B. delight C. mercy D. regret
5.A. advise B. encourage C. support D. educate
6.A. mature B. violent C. changeable D. considerate
7.A. tired B. pleased C. relaxed D. disappointed
8.A. office B. stranger C. neighbor D. apartment
9.A. beautiful B. modern C. shabby D. fragile
10.A. attention B. ears C. eyes D. imagination
11.A. rude B. different C. violent D. unique
12.A. even B. also C. still D. ever
13.A. bad B. much C. enough D. suitable
14.A. voluntary B. conscious C. merciful D. gentle
15.A. imagining B. moving C. thinking D. puzzling
16.A. ruined B. hidden C. disappeared D. rediscovered
17.A. forget B. criticize C. advocate D. remember
18.A. Love B. Violence C. Beauty D. Honesty
19.A. cared B. valued C. unlearnt D. unrealized
20.A. dealt B. born C. grown D. lived
Jim’s leg was ______ damaged in the accident. He now walks with a limp.
A. permanently B. increasingly
C. virtually D. deadly
I’m thinking about _____ the new movie this weekend. I’ve heard that it’s really good!
A. brushing up B. stepping into
C. milling about D. checking out
Although Ben is a(n) _____ tennis player, he’s already better than most experienced players.
A. appropriate B. suitable
C. novice D. distinct
