How old was I? I can’t recall. Maybe I was only 10, about to turn 11, making it the first Christmas after my father left, and left me to fill that sad, shattered place in my mother’s heart. Whenever it was, it was the Christmas the magic changed: the year I stopped being a wide-eyed child and tried eagerly to play Father Christmas myself. It was the Christmas of the coat.
Mom first saw the coat at Tobias, one of the nicer women’s stores in our town’s little mall. It was a deep forest green. A long, heavy, wool dress coat with side pockets. Mom pulled it out from the rack（架） and held it up. “Long enough,”she murmured and slipped it on.
“I need a new coat,” Mom smiled before the three-way mirror. She made any clothing look good, and this coat hugged her just right. She glanced at the price tag, then hung the coat back on the rack, pausing once more to feel the smooth brush of wool.
Eighty-seven dollars. But I didn’t think twice. As we moved on through the mall, I found some excuse to come back and ask one of the Tobias ladies to hold the coat.
At last I had the coat. The store ladies wrapped it in their biggest box with bright blue paper and a thick silver ribbon. I don’t remember how I got it home, but I can still feel the bursting excitement and pride that filled me each time I glimpsed at the beautifully wrapped gift hiding under my sweater. I would occasionally dig it out just to hold the box, to imagine the big space it would take up under our tree. Here it was ─ joy, peace, and love ─ all wrapped up, waiting for Mom’s loving gratitude.
36. That the writer’s mother felt the coat before they left the store showed that ____.
A. the coat was of good quality B. the coat was too expensive
C. she liked the coat very much D. she’d get it in the end
37. The writer tried to act as Father Christmas in order to ____.
A. show he grew up B. show he missed his father
C. bring his mother a surprise D. enjoy himself
38. The writer hid the coat under his sweater in order to ____.
A. imagine the space taken up under the Christmas tree
B. feel the strong feeling to his mother on Christmas
C. give his mother a big surprise on Christmas Day
D. keep the new coat tidy and orderly in the box
39. What can be the best title of this passage?
A. A Merry Christmas B. Christmas of the Coat
C. A Deep Green Coat D. Mother’s Merry Christmas
Jeffery Deaver looks more like a brainy villain （反派人物） in a James Bond movie than a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service．Best known for his thrillers starring criminalist （刑事专家） Lincoln Rhyme, Jeffery Deaver has a new mission: Bring Bond into the 21st century in a new 007 novel．
The yet-to-be-named book is cryptically （隐秘地） referred to as "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．, which owns the rights to Fleming's work．Most of the details surrounding Project X, to be published in May, are being kept under wraps, but under gentle coaxing （用好话劝诱） Deaver begins to spill his guts．"The novel," he says, "is set in the present day, in 2011．Bond is a young agent for the British secret service．He's 29 or 30 years old, and he's an Afghan war vet．" That in itself is big news．After all, if Bond were aging in real time — he first appeared on the screen in 1953 — the now doddering （老态龙钟的） 007 would be nearly 90．
But first up: a new stand-alone Deaver novel, Edge （Simon & Schuster, $26．99）, to be published Tuesday．It's about a federal agent who risks his life to protect a Washington police detective from a man hired to extract information from him using any means at his disposal （任由个人支配的）．
Sipping coffee while seated on a leather chair in a sitting room decorated with portraits of his dogs and show ribbons, the mild-mannered author who writes about murderers and serial killers talks about his career and the solid fan base that has allowed him to pursue writing full time since 1990．"I may not sell as many books as John Grisham（although he has sold a cool 20 million）, but I have a very loyal fan base," says Deaver, 60, who wrote some of his novels while working as a Wall Street lawyer．Deaver's initiation into the Bond family — more than 100 million 007 novels have sold worldwide — could significantly raise his profile （知名度）．
Other novelists have written Bond novels since Ian Fleming's death in 1964 — including Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and, most recently, Sebastian Faulks — but they all took place in the original era．Deaver is taking a new approach．"There's no more Cold War to fight," says Deaver, so his new Bond, of the Fleming estate, will fight "post-9/11 evil．" "I want to stay true to the original James Bond, who many people don't know much about," he says, referring to the secret agent Fleming portrayed in 14 novels, and not the movie Bond．"People know Daniel Craig, they know Pierce Brosnan, they know Roger Moore and Sean Connery, all of whom brought a great deal to the stories of 007．But the original Bond was a very dark, edgy （另类的） character．"Which of the following is NOT true about Jeffery Deaver?
| A．Jeffery Deaver is a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service in a James Bond movie． |
| B．Jeffery Deaver was working as a lawyer while he wrote some novels about murderers and serial killers． |
| C．It is the loyal fan base that has allowed Jeffery Deaver to keep on writing since 1990． |
| D．Jeffery Deaver is best known for his thrillers rather than for 007 novels． |
Which statement best explains the meaning of “spill his guts” in Paragraph 2?
| A．Tell others what he knows about the yet-to-be-named 007 novel． |
| B．Tell others everything he knows about Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．． |
| C．Have the courage to talk about the 007 agent James Bond． |
| D．Have the determination to talk about "Project X"． |
Who was the author of 007 novels?
| A．Jeffery Deaver | B．Ian Fleming |
| C．John Grisham | D．Kingsley Amis |
What do you know about the new 007 novel from the passage?
| A．The book to be published in May is named "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．． |
| B．The book is about a federal agent risking his life to protect a Washington police detective． |
| C．The book features a young James Bond, an Afghan war vet working for the British secret service． |
| D．The book features a young James Bond who fights Cold War． |
Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them．Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment．You only have to share your children’s curiosity．Firstly, listen to their questions．I once visited a classroom of seven－year－olds to talk about science as a job．The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job．When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence．Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper （蚱蜢） eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache．Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours．
Secondly, give them time to think．Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think．When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers．
Thirdly, watch your language．Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”．These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior．But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over．Instead, keep things going by saying, “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas．
Never push a child to “Think”．It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to．What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance．The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement．
Lastly, show; don’t tell．Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program．Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner．Rather than saying that water evaporates, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop．According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ______．
| A．ask them to answer quickly |
| B．wait for one or two seconds after a question |
| C．tell them to answer the next day |
| D．wait at least for three seconds after a question |
In which of the following paragraph（s） does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?
| A．The second and third． | B．The fourth and fifth． |
| C．The fifth and sixth． | D．The seventh． |
In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by
| A．any questions | B．any problems |
| C．questions from textbooks | D．any number of questions |
The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity EXCEPT that adults should ______．
| A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts |
| B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves |
| C．be patient enough when their children answer questions |
| D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own |
Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening, I was struck by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftops, huge and round, yellow through the dust and smoke of the city. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking what a pity it was that most city livers---myself included---usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest house with no electricity or hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon.
Today our lives are connected with glass, metal, plastic and fiber-glass. We eat and breathe things our bodies were not designed to process. We have televisions, cell phones, pagers, electricity, heaters, air-conditioners, cars and computers. White noise and pollution is in the air. Radio waves and strange lights are constantly disturbing our minds and bodies.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I saw the moon and remembered these things. And I thought: before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains and perhaps write. I may grow old there. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon.What was the author’s pity in this passage?
| A．Most people living in the city failed to see the beautiful moon. |
| B．There was too much pollution in the city. |
| C．There were too many modern inventions. |
| D．There was too much traffic on the road. |
What attracted the author most according to the passage?
| A．The mountainous jungle of India. | B．The fullest moon. |
| C．The high mountains in India. | D．All kinds of modern inventions. |
The author longs for ________.
| A．Camping outside at night | B．Returning to the nature |
| C．Writing books | D．Watching the moon |
The main idea of this passage probably is “________”.
| A．Disadvantage of Living in Cities |
| B．The Pleasure of Being out at Night |
| C．Touched by the Moon |
| D．Pollution Caused by Modern Technology |
You must have a favorite line or pet phrase you repeat often in your conversations. Studies say that pet phrases can reflect our changing society and reveal information about a person’s personality. Here are some of the most popular pet phrases among young people.
脑残---nuts
I love the word and use it whenever I think a person is stupid, or a behavior is crazy. I learned the term from one of my classmates. Once, we saw two high school girls wearing miniskirts on a very cold winter day and my classmate called the two girls “nuts”. I don’t think the word reflects my personality. I use it because it sounds cool.
Diao Yujie, 22, computer science major at Nanjing University.
汗---stunning
I use this word very often. Once, my classmates and I were discussing how amusing QQ is. One guy suddenly burst out, “I have MSN too”. This comment had no relation with the topic we were discussing. I used this word and everybody laughed. I think it is a fantastic word that can change awkwardness to amusement.
Mu Li, 20, journalism major at Beijing Normal University.
晕死---I’m giddy!
I use this word a lot---more often than my classmates. It has became a symbol of me, as my friends sometimes refer to me as the guy who often says the word. I am a person who wants to be different and this word gives me that feeling.
Chen Zhou, 21, Nanjing University.
雷---stunning
I only use this word with my friends. My parents don’t understand it. The word, which is only used among people of my age, is intimate. I think it stands for being young and energetic. And I want to be young forever, so I like the word.
Chen Jianjun, 23, senior at Nanjing University.If a man wearing suit and a tie is climbing a mountain, what can we say to him according to the passage?
| A．nuts | B．I’m giddy. | C．汗---stunning | D．雷---stunning |
What’s the meaning of “pet phrase” in the first paragraph?
| A．习惯用语 | B．宠物语言 | C．口头禅 | D．座右铭 |
What’s young people’s attitude to pet phrase?
| A．indifferent | B．crazy | C．reasonable | D．against |
Pet phrase can ________ according to studies.
| A．reflect our changing society |
| B．reveal information about a person’s personality |
| C．make young people popular |
| D．both A and B |
Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekends, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help cannot be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. Can all be very expensive?
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.This article is most probably taken from ________.
| A．a complaint letter | B．an advertisement |
| C．a personal diary | D．a newspaper article |
According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in sport ________.
| A．feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sportsmen or sportswomen |
| B．try to get financial (财政的) support from the government for their children’s training |
| C．have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods |
| D．prefer their children to be trained as young as possible |
________ can become the best players after many years of training.
| A．Most people | B．All | C．Hardly any people | D．No people |