Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to _____ in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the _____ ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, ―I love you is too _____ for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine‘s Day is even more out of _____.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt(缝被子). I sat down beside her. “Mom, I have a question to ask you. Is there _____ between you and Dad?”, I asked her in a very low voice. She didn’t answer immediately. She _____ her head and continued to sew the quilt.
I was very worried because I thought I had ___ her. I was ____ and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words: “Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “Look at this thread. Sometimes it ____, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt ______. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen _____, but it‘s really there. Love is ______.”
I listened carefully but I ______ her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly _____ seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked ____ _. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness. After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father ______ on the country road．
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t ______ me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom.”_____ his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.
Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and ______. But from this experience, I understand that love is just ______ in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.
1.A. keep fit B. rise early C. earn money D. collect money
2.A. magic B. romantic C. fantastic D. attractive
3.A. simple B. easy C. relaxing D. luxurious
4.A. the question B. question C. reach D. control
5.A. feeling B. love C. quarrel D. smile
6.A. raised B. shook C. nodded D. bowed
7.A. hurt B. injured C. wounded D. harmed
8.A. in great surprise B. in a great embarrassment C. with deep depression D. at extreme sorrow
9.A. happens B. comes about C. appears D. occurs
10.A. warm and soft B. hot and hard C. thin and cool D. strong and durable
11.A. somewhere and sometime B. anywhere or anytime C. more or less D. here and there
12.A. inside B. outside C. faraway D. nearby
13.A. could believe B. couldn‘t understand C. wouldn‘t recognize D. might know
14.A. got sick B. got stuck C. threw up D. became disabled
15.A. quite healthy B. very pale C. fairly red D. much surprised
16.A. jump high B. go hurriedly C. run fast D. walk slowly
17.A. think about B. talk with C. worry about D. laugh at
18.A. Reading B. Seeing C. Saying D. Writing
19.A. fresh roses B. gold ring C. sweet kisses D. beautiful jewelry
20.A. a thread B. a needle C. the cloth D. the cotton
Even though they were written 150 years ago, Alexander Dumas’ action novels still excite millions of readers around the world, in close to 100 languages.
Dumas’ two most famous stories, The Three Musketeers（火枪手） and The Count of Monte Cristo, have inspired more than 100 films. The former one was adapted（改编） into a popular film, The Man In the Iron Mask, in 1998. In the film Leonardo Di Caprio played both King Louis XIV and his twin brother Philippe.
Few people know, however, that the author was the grandson of a Haitian slave. Even fewer people know that Dumas’ father rose rapidly from a soldier to a general in the French Army before he was 31. The general died young, leaving Alexander little money. But determined Dumas conquered the problems of being poor, having received little formal education, and racism (种族歧视) to become one of the world’s most popular writers.
Dumas’ life sometimes was just like his action novels. He took part in three revolutions（革命）and fought for the freedom of people. After making a fortune by writing novels, he built a mansion outside Paris and kept it open to poor artists, friends, and even strangers. Luckily for his fans, the mansion has recently been restored and opened to the public.
1.Which of the following statements about Alexander Dumas is NOT TRUE? _____.
A. He suffered from racism. B. He was well-educated.
C. He was the son of a general. D. He partly based his novels on his life.
2.Alexander Dumas’ novels _____.
A. have lasted for less than 100 years
B. have been translated into more than 100 languages
C. have attracted readers for many years
D. have not been well received until recently
3.Why was the film The Man in the Iron Mask mentioned in paragraph 2? _____.
A. To show Dumas’ novels are out of fashion
B. To advertise for the film
C. To prove the popularity of Dumas’ novel among readers
D. To acknowledge the amazing acting skills of Leonardo Di Caprio
4.We may infer from the article that Dumas _____.
A. did not live a colorful life B. was a man who kept money to himself
C. led three revolutions in France D. was a generous and kind-hearted man
语法填空
Once there lived a rich man1.wanted to do something for the people of his town.2.first he wanted to find out whether they deserved his help. In the centre of the main road into the town, he placed3.very large stone. Then he4.(hide ) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.“Who put this stone in the centre of the road? said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way.5.man came along and did the same thing; then another came ,and another. All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove6.. Late in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone,7.(say) to himself: “The night8.(be) very dark. Some neighbors will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone.” Then he began to move the stone.He pushed and pulled with all his9.(strong) to move it. How great was his surprise at last!10.the stone, he found a bag of money.
I was 10 the year my cousin Marley's parents gave her a(n) _____ Christmas surprise: they were getting a divorce (离婚). My aunt _____California, but my uncle decided to get her back. There was one matter_____to put his young daughter._____， my mother loved Marley, giving her more attention than her family ever did.
On that Christmas Eve, my _____ arrived on our doorstep ____ an old blue suitcase. Before she stepped _____， Marley said, “It doesn't matter. When my parents come back, we'll have a bigger _____ than this.”
Late on the night Marley arrived, my mom came into my room, her arms ____ with packages.
I knew they were my Christmas presents. “I know how you love surprises but we have to _____ which ones to give to Marley.”
My mother carefully ______ the gifts. Wow! I saw ice skates, red leather gloves and a dollhouse. The last present was the ______ we'd asked the lady at the local store to take down and play for us over and over again.
“Which ones？”my mother asked. “She can ______ the ice skates，” I said reluctantly (勉强地). “That's good，” my mother said. She began to ______ the packages up again. Then she stopped and asked, “Are you sure about these？” At that moment, I realized she expected ______ from me than I had already ______. So I gave her the music box, too, and she hugged me.
The next morning, Marley's eyes were resolute (坚定的). She expected nothing and wanted us to know she didn't ______. But when she saw her name on the biggest box, she couldn't hide her ______. I thought my happiness would be cut in half. Instead it was ______．
Over the last 40 years, Marley and I have grown apart. But the love we felt for each other that day still ______. Today Marley says, “They were the best presents I ever got.”
1.A. comfortable B. painful C. interesting D. wonderful
2.A. came to B. arrived in C. went to D. dreamed of
3.A. when B. how C. where D. why
4.A. Fortunately B. Surprisingly C. Unluckily D. Successfully
5.A. aunt B. uncle C. sister D. cousin
6.A. following B. carrying C. keeping D. owning
7.A. inside B. outside C. away D. down
8.A. present B. suitcase C. matter D. Christmas
9.A. filled B. taken C. brought D. supplied
10.A. offer B. choose C. afford D. decide
11.A. listed B. divided C. served D. opened
12.A. gloves B. dollhouse C. ice skates D. music box
13.A. have B. play C. try D. use
14.A. pick B. tape C. hang D. put
15.A. less B. little C. more D. many
16.A. asked B. given C. received D. accepted
17.A. care B. agree C. want D. think
18.A. movement B. encouragement C. disappointment D. excitement
19.A. reduced B. increased C. doubled D. added
20.A. remains B. happens C. appears D. moves
A sign is another kind of language. Here are some of them that you see on the roads．
Number one is a sign with the number thirty on it．When drivers see this sign, they must not go at more than thirty kilometres an hour. We see this sign when we are getting near a town．Number two is a sign that we’re near a crossing．We must drive carefully．Number three is a sign that there is a bend in the road．Again, we must drive slowly and carefully．It is not safe to go round a bend very fast．Number four is a sign that there is another road coming in from the right．There is a junction at this place. Number five is a sign that there is a hill and number six is a sign that the road gets narrow. Drivers must go slowly and carefully．Number seven has the word “SCHOOL” on it. This is a sign that there is a school at the side of the street or the road. Perhaps there are children going to or leaving school．So drivers must look carefully and go slowly. Number eight is a sign with the letter “P” on it．The letter “P”means “Parking”. At some places, there’re the signs “No parking””or “No waiting”. If a driver leaves his car near one of these signs, a policeman may come and write down the number of his car．
1.At the places where you see Sign 1, ________．
A. you are already out of a town
B. you still have thirty kilometres to go
C. there must be a town thirty kilometres away
D. there must be many houses and buildings not far away
2.There stands Sign 2 near a place where________．
A. two roads cross B. people can cross the road
C. the roads get narrow D. there are no traffic lights
3.You have to drive not only slowly but also carefully when you find________．
A. each of the eight signs B. either of Signs 2 and 3
C. all of Signs 3, 5, 6 and 7 D. any of Signs 3, 5, 6 and 7
4.A driver can leave his car________．
A. near Sign 8 at any time
B. near a sign with “No parking” on it
C. near a sign with “No waiting” if there’re no police there
D. near a sign with “P” on it in the daytime
5.People put these signs on the roads to________．
A. show drivers the way B. stop cars going too fast
C. make driving even safer D. learn another kind of language
When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes. Think about the kind of clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes on sale．
There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes. The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes．The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water．A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water．The label on a coat may say“dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat．If you do as the directions (说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time．
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is expensive. When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned．You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed．
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They look good even after they have been washed many times．Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily(不一定) better made. They do not always fit better. Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes．
1.If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that __ ．
A. Don’t fit you B. Don’t last long
C. need to be dry cleaned D. can be washed
2.The labels inside the clothes tell you______．
A. how to keep them looking their best B. how to save money
C. whether they fit you or not D. where to get them dry cleaned
3.The first thing for you to do before you buy clothes is __ ．
A. to look for well-made clothes B. to see how much money you can spend on it
C. to know how to wash them D. to read the labels inside them
4.We learn from the passage that cheaper clothes __ ．
A. are always worse made B. must be dry cleaned
C. can not be washed D. can sometimes fit you better
5.The best title for the passage should be __ ．
A. Buy Less Expensive Clothes B. Taking Enough Money When Shopping
C. Being a Clever Clothes Shopper D. Choosing the Labels inside New Clothes
