Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students begin at an earlier age. Robby insisted that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him in as a student.
Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions (指导). But he just did not have any inborn ability.
I only saw his mother from a distance. She always waved and smiled but never came in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else.
I was also glad that he stopped coming for the sake of my career. However, several weeks before the recital (演奏会) of my students, Robby came，telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part. I agreed but I made him perform last in the program, so I could always save his poor performance through my “curtain closer”.
I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart’s. Never had I heard a piece of Mozart’s played so well by someone at his age. When he finished, everyone was cheering.
I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that, Robby! How’d you do it?”
“Well, Miss Hondorf. Do you remember I told you my mom was sick? Actually she died this morning. She was born deaf so tonight was the first time she could hear me play. I wanted to make it special. I knew I could.” That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student. He taught me so many important things about life.
1.Why did Robby stop coming to the piano lessons suddenly?
A．He lost heart and believed that he would never make it.
B．His mother was too sick to send him to the piano lessons.
C．He thought his teacher disliked him.
D．His mother died and he didn’t need to play any longer.
2. Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The writer thought playing the piano shouldn’t start too late.
B．The writer thought that Robby had given up the piano lesson.
C．The writer taught Robby carefully although he hadn’t a gift for music.
D．No one else could play the piece of Mozart’s well.
3.From the underlined sentence we can infer that _______.
A．the writer looked down upon Robby and disliked him
B．the writer thought Robby a bad advertisement for his teaching
C．with Robby present, the other children couldn’t play well
D．the writer couldn’t teach so many students at a time
4. What did the writer learn from Robby?
A．The meaning of true love.
B．The meaning of giving up necessarily.
C．The meaning of being kind to teachers.
D．The meaning of believing in teachers.
Jeanne Calment, a French woman, become a record breaker on 17 October 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France, her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes here as being “more like a 90-year-old in good health” than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on the 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied, “A very short one.” She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a say, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying: “Sorry, I’m still alive!”
1. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?
A．She feels upset and unhappy.
B．She is cheerful and humorous.
C．She likes to live much longer.
D．She feels she is going to die very soon.
2. The text seems to suggest that Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to______.
A．smoking only little every day
B．neither smoking nor drinking
C．always drinking two glasses of strong red wine a day and never smoking
D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises
3. Which of the following could best explain the underlined word “genes” in the third paragraph?
A．good habits of body-building.
B．Some materials that control the development of a living thing.
C．Comfortable living conditions.
D．Something necessary for a person to keep his life.
4.Why did Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive!” to the local lawyer?
A．She had an agreement with the lawyer when she was 80.
B．The lawyer has not paid her enough rent yet.
C．The lawyer has paid her more money than the value of the house.
D．The house she sold to the lawyer was worth the money already paid.
完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
A little boy invited his mother to attend his school’s first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy’s 1 ,she said she would go. This 2 be the first time that his classmates and teacher 3 his mother and he felt 4 of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar(疤痕)that 5 nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to 6 why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were 7 by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother 8 the car, but the little boy was still embarrassed(尴尬)and 9 himself from everyone. He did, however, get within 10 of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.
The teacher asked 11 ,“How did you get the scar on your face?”
The mother replied,“ 12 my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was 13 afraid to go in because the fire was 14 ，so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked 15 but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She 16 the burned side of her face. “This scar will be 17 ,but to this day, I have never 18 what I did.”
At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great 19 of the sacrifice(牺牲)that his mother had made for him. He held her hand 20 for the rest of the day.
1. A．enjoyment B．disappointment C．surprise D．excitement
2. A．would B．could C．should D．must
3. A．noticed B．greeted C．accepted D．met
4. A．sick B．ashamed C．afraid D．tired
5. A．included B．passed C．covered D．shaded
6. A．talk about B．think about C．care about D．hear about
7. A．impressed B．surprised C．excited D．comforted
8. A．in sight of B．by means of C．by way of D．in spite of
9. A．hid B．protected C．separated D．escaped
10. A．understanding B．reminding C．hearing D．learning
11. A．carefully B．seriously C．nervously D．anxiously
12. A．As B．When C．Since D．While
13. A．so B．much C．quite D．too
14. A．out of control B．under control C．in control D．over control
15. A．helpless B．hopeless C．senseless D．useless
16. A．pointed B．showed C．wiped D．touched
17. A．ugly B．lasting C．serious D．frightening
18. A．forgot B．recognized C．considered D．regretted
19. A．honor B．sense C．happiness D．pride
20. A．quietly B．slightly C．tightly D．suddenly
-----Hello, Jessica! What happened?
----- I could not hear you clearly because my mobile phone could not receive a good ________.
A．sign B．signal C．symbol D．mark
Every boy and every girl in our school _____ to join one or two clubs according to their hobbies.
A．are encouraged B．encourage
C．is encouraged D．is encouraging
I saw a lighthouse _____ at the mouth of the river.
A．locating B．location
C．located D．which located
