During my elementary school years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany’s mom.
Tiffany’s mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really admired Tiffany. My mom didn’t give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself. I was annoyed with her.
Whenever I didn’t get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany’s mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom. Every time, my mom would calmly say “Poor Tiffany”. I couldn’t understand her. “She shouldn’t be feeling sorry for Tiffany!” I thought. “She should be feeling sorry for me.”
One day, I couldn’t help saying to Mom, “Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?” I burst out crying.
My mom sat down next to me and said softly. “Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught.”
I looked up at her. “What are you talking about?”
Mom said with care, “One day she will really want something. Maybe she’ll find out that she can’t have it. Her mother won’t always be around to give her money, and what’s more, money can’t buy everything.”
It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom’s words. Now I am a happy and successful woman.
1.During the author’s elementary school years, she __________.
A. wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany’s
B. went to school with Tiffany every day
C. usually compared her lesson with Tiffany’s
D. sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany
2.Why did the author’s mom always say “Poor Tiffany”?
A. She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor.
B. She wanted to tell a lie to comfort the author.
C. She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother.
D. She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany.
3.What do we learn about the author’s mother?
A. She was strict and taught the author to be independent.
B. She cared for other people’s children more than her own.
C. She thought that life lessons were as important as money.
D. She was so poor that she couldn’t give the author much money.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past.
B. The author’s mother felt sorry for Tiffany.
C. Tiffany’s mother took the author’s mother’s advice.
D. The author is thankful to her mother now.
It was raining. I went into a café and asked for a coffee. ____ I was waiting for my drink, I realized there were other people in the place, but I sensed ____. I saw their bodies, but I couldn’t feel their souls ____ their souls belonged to the ____.
I stood up and walked _______the tables. When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man _____ in front of it. “I’m Steve,” he ______ answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was. “I can’t talk with you. I’m ____,” he said. He was chatting online and, ____, he was playing a computer game – a war game. I was ______.
Why didn’t Steve want to talk with me? I tried ____ to speak to that computer geek （怪人），____ not a word came out of his mouth. I touched his shoulder, but no reaction. I was _____. I put my hand in front of the monitor, and he started to shout, “____!”
I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people in the café were looking at me. I raised my head, and saw nobody showed any interest.
, I realized that the people there were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people. They were more interested in having a relationship with the , particularly Steve. I wouldn’t want to the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines with people.
I was worried and sank in my thoughts. I didn’t even ____ that the coffee was bad, ____ Steve didn’t notice there was a person next to him.
1.A. BeforeB. SinceC. AlthoughD. While
2.A. painB. lonelinessC. sadnessD. fear
3.A. becauseB. whenC. untilD. unless
4.A. homeB. worldC. netD. café
5.A. besideB. amongC. betweenD. on
6.A. sleepingB. laughingC. sitting D. learning
7.A. finallyB. quicklyC. patientlyD. loudly
8.A. busyB. thirstyC. tiredD. sick
9.A. first of allB. just thenC. at the same timeD. by that time
10.A. surprisedB. delightedC. movedD. frightened
11.A. onceB. againC. firstD. even
12.A. butB. soC. ifD. or
13.A. excitedB. respectedC. afraidD. unhappy
14.A. Shut upB. Enjoy yourselfC. Leave me aloneD. Help me out
15.A. From then onB. At that momentC. In allD. Above all
16.A. computerB. soulC. shopD. geek
17.A. tellB. planC. imagineD. design
18.A. other thanB. instead ofC. except forD. as well as
19.A. pretendB. understandC. insist D. realize
20.A. as ifB. just asC. so that D. even though
--Let’s have a game of tennis; the loser has to treat the other to an ice-cream.
-- _______.
A. I’m afraid soB. It’s a dealC. You’ve got a point D. I suppose not
The loss has not yet been _______ accurately, but it is believed to be well beyond a hundred million dollars.
A. calculated B. considered C. completed D. controlled
Teachers’ words and deeds ______ a great effect _____ their students.
A. have ; on B. give; to C. make ;in D. take; to
We give dogs time, pace and love we can spare, and______, dogs give us their all.
A. in turn B. in fact C. in short D. in return
