The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children—cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances—that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".
But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.
At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either. I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them.
I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.
Then one day I saw an ad. for foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance , I rang up the number.
I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?
| A．Lonely. | B．Anxious. | C．Relieved. | D．Annoyed. |
The underlined phrase “was tied up with” in the second paragraph means “ ”.
| A．was occupied in | B．was associated with |
| C．was tired of | D．was addicted to |
In the third paragraph, the poor mother did all the things just to .
| A．live a greener and healthier life |
| B．earn more money for her kids’ education |
| C．shift her attention and ease her anxiety |
| D．start her own decorating business |
What did the empty-nested mother think of her husband?
| A．Skilled | B．Supportive | C．Stubborn | D．Open-minded |
Thanks to the foster daughter, the author .
| A．got rid of her busy work |
| B．forgot her other children |
| C．found a suitable job |
| D．knew what she really wanted |
The most important holiday in spring， especially for Christians （基督徒）,is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year， but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter， many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection （复活） from the dead.
Most people color them. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs， they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world.
People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium， children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America，children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny （复活节兔子）。 But in Belgium， the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria， red Easter eggs are lucky in churches； Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria， for example， children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.Easter comes _______.
| A．on the same date every year. |
| B．on Sunday on March 22 |
| C．on Sunday on April 25 |
| D．on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 |
To celebrate Easter，people ___________.
| A．go shopping， hide colored eggs and children hunt for them |
| B．give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another |
| C．buy new clothes， hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house |
| D．both B and C |
For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
| A．buying new clothes |
| B．going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection |
| C．eating delicious food and paint color eggs |
| D．exchange beautiful gifts each other |
People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg， _________.
| A．In both American and Belgium， children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes |
| B．In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny |
| C．In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells |
| D．In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells |
In some places of Austria, children sing from door to door for_______.
| A．blesses | B．Easter eggs |
| C．candy and goodies | D．Easter bunny |
There is a wonderful story about a young girl who had no family and no one to love her.
One day， feeling very sad and lonely， she was walking through a grassland when she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thorn （荆棘） bush. The young girl carefully released the Butterfly. Instead of flying away， the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“For your wonderful kindness，” the good fairy said to the girl， “I will give you any wish you would like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then replied， “I want to be happy.”
The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up， there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her secret of happiness .She would only smile and answer， “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed， the neighbors all gathered around her，and
feared that her unbelievable secret of happiness would die with her. “tell us， please，” they begged， “tell us what the good fairy said.” The lovely old woman simply smiled and said， “She told me that everyone， no matter how secure they seemed， no matter how old or young， how rich or poor， had need of me.”______ the girl felt sad and lonely.
| A．There were many friends but |
| B．There was nobody to love her so |
| C．There was nothing to do |
| D．Seeing the butterfly was caught |
Noticing the butterfly was caught by the thorn， the orphan girl ______.
| A．helped the butterfly escaped from the thorn |
| B．felt sorrow，but she didn’t go up to help it |
| C．fell down on it too |
| D．failed to help it release from the thorn |
The butterfly ______ after was saved by the little girl.
| A．flied away |
| B．still died |
| C．changed into a fairy |
| D．was more beautiful than before |
The only thing that the little girl wanted was________.
| A．to be rich |
| B．to have her own parents |
| C．to have a lot of friends |
| D．happiness |
The neighbors all gathered around the old happy woman when she was dying， because ______.
| A．they loved this woman deeply and they didn’t wanted her to die |
| B．the woman had lots of money to be shared as soon as she died |
| C．they wanted to know the secret of her lifetime happiness |
| D．they wanted to pray for her after her death |
When I met him， I had a lot of anger inside of me. I’ve lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem， but in my neighborhood， there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way， too， but Mr. Clark wouldn’t let that happen.
Mr. Clark worked long hours，making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact，the scores of our whole class rose. One day，he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera，and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show， he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down.
Mr. Clark was selected as Disney‘s 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out of a hat； those students would go with him to Los Angles to get the award. But when the time came to draw names，Mr. Clark said，“You’re all going.”
On graduation day， there were a lot of tears. We didn’t want his class to end. In 2001， he moved to Atlanta， but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education， and wrote a bestselling book based on his classroom rules， The Essential 55. In 2003， Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit orphanages （孤儿院）。 It was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s now my dream to one day start a group of women’s clubs，helping people from all backgrounds.Without Mr. Clark， the writer _________.
| A．might have put into prison |
| B．might not have won the prize |
| C．might have joined a women‘s club |
| D．might not have moved to Atlanta |
The Essential 55 is ___________.
| A．a show | B．a speech |
| C．a classroom rule | D．a book |
How many students‘ names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr. Clark？
| A．None | B．Three |
| C．Fifty-five | D．All |
In the passage， the writer intends to tell us that ___________.
| A．Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked traveling |
| B．Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women‘s clubs |
| C．a good teacher can raise his or her students‘ score |
| D．a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students |
What is the writer’s attitude (态度)towards Mr. Clark？
| A．He speaks highly of Mr. Clark. |
| B．He looks down upon Mr. Clark. |
| C．He doesn’t show his attitude towards Mr. Clark. |
| D．He takes a neutral （中立的） attitude towards Mr. Clark. |
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun! Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colors.According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient__________.
| A．China |
| B．Egypt |
| C．Greece |
| D．Rome |
Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
| A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was |
| B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun. |
| C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century |
| D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. |
A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
| A．protection against rain |
| B．a shade against the sun |
| C．a symbol of honor and power |
| D．women’s decoration (装饰) |
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_____________.
| A．during the Middle Ages |
| B．by the eighteenth |
| C．in Rome |
| D．in Greece |
This passage talks mainly about_______________.
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe |
| C．the development of the umbrella |
| D．The history and use of the umbrella |
Trip 1 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Booking is necessary.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Trip 2 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Booking is necessary.
Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22
Equipment to be needed:
•Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
•Wear good walking shoes—no high heels.
•Wear a hat for day walks.
•Dress warmly for night walks.
•Children must be with an adult.
•Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
•Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are a dangerous place.
Bookings:
Bookings for the above trips can be made by telephone（893-4847）or on the Internet at www. Bluemountaintour.com.Where are these trips?
| A．In a large city. |
| B．In a park in the mountains |
| C．In a special kind of zoo. |
| D．In three different countries. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Adventure Travel in America |
| B．Hunting around the Great Mountains |
| C．Discovery Trips in the Blue Mountains |
| D．Interesting Trips in the East of the USA |
Which of the following is NOT necessary for the three trips?
| A．Good walking shoes. |
| B．A pair of glasses. |
| C．Food and water. |
| D．A sleeping-bag |
Which following statement about Flashlight Adventure is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Bring your drink and lunch for this walk. |
| B．Many of the animals you will see on this trip. |
| C．The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. |
| D．There is no need to book early. |
This passage is probably a/ an_____.
| A．news report |
| B．book review |
| C．travel diary |
| D．advertisement |