When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.
But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”
“She had an exquisite(优美的，高雅的), hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”
GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it But how happy I was that morning!”
GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”
“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”
A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.
Subdued(沉默的) for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?
Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.
Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?
On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”
GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.”
And perhaps she wasn't saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.GG moved in with her daughter because ______.
| A．she wanted to live with a large family |
| B．she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness |
| C．her husband passed away |
| D．she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her |
Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?
| A．Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll. |
| B．Because she recalled her long deceased parents. |
| C．Because she was surrounded by her offspring. |
| D．Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season. |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
| A．GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things. |
| B．GG showed great respect for his husband’s love. |
| C．GG missed the great old days she spent with her family |
| D．GG was grateful for her long life. |
What happened to GG’s baby sister?
| A．She envied her sister all her life. |
| B．She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go. |
| C．She left home at a young age. |
| D．She died of some disease at a young age. |
Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?
| A．Because she was clever. | B．Because she was loving. |
| C．Because she was amiable. | D．Because she was imaginative. |
This passage implies that ______.
| A．treating the elderly well is moral |
| B．it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly |
| C．love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart |
| D．physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important |
III.阅读理解（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
A
When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back. The answer from that big industry was “No.”
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted.
Paul later got married and had some kids. But his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing. Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.
46.When Paul was a boy, _____.
A. he had decided never to leave his hometown
B.the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter
C. no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution
D. he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area
47.Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants?
A. He wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.
B. He was interested in planting trees since he was young.
C.He wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.
D.He thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.
48. What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?
A. That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.
B.That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.
C.That no one would like to join him in the efforts.
D.That he had to keep everything he did secret.
49.The message of the passage is that _____.
A.action speaks louder than words
B.perseverance(持之以恒) will work wonders
C.God helps those who help themselves
D.many hands make light work
E
Water and its importance to human life are the center of the world’s attention. March 22 is World Water Day, which has the theme “Water and culture ”this year. Ther are more than one billion people in the world who live without safe drinking water. The United Nations hopes to cut this number in half by 2015.
Solving such a big problem seems like an unreal challenge. But everyone, even teenagers, can do something to help. A teenage girl in the U.S. has set an example to others of her age around the world. Rene Haggerty, 13, was awarded the 2004 Gloria Barron Prize for her work of collecting deserted batteries which pollute water.
In 2003, Haggerty went on a field trip to the Great Lakes Science Centre in Ohio. There, she saw an exhibit about how chemicals in old batteries harm the water of Lake Erie. Haggerty learnt that recycling the batteries was an easy solution. “I think everybody can do it, because everyone uses batteries, and it can make a big difference.”With these words, she began to increase awareness in her area.
She talked to her county government and school board. She got permission to start a recycling programme in schools as well as the public libraries, hospitals, and churches. With the help from her family, friends and local waste-management officials, she gathered containers, arranged transportation, and made an educational video.
Over the past two years, she collected four tons of batteries and drew the attention of officials, who were in charge of a battery recycling programme but had made little progress. When asked if she feels like a hero, Haggerty is quite modest. “Not really. Well, maybe for the fish I saved!”
Every year the Gloria Barron Prize honors young Americans aged 8 to 18 who have shown leadership and courage in serving the public and the planet. Each year ten winners receive ＄2,000 each, to help with their education costs or their public service work.
68.According to the passage, how many people probably can’t drink safe drinking water in 2015?
A.About I billion. B.About 2 billion.
C.About 500 million. D.About 5 million.
69.In order to collect used batteries, Rene Haggerty did the following things EXCEPT_______.
A.gather some containers B.arrange the transportation
C.make an educational video D.go on a field trip
70.The best title for this passage should be_______ .
A.A girl awarded the 2004 Gloria Barron Prize
B.A girl acts to clean the world’s water
C.We should protect our environment
D.A girl collecting batteries
D
Dear Michelle,
My mother is not a good example for me and my sister. She smokes, stays out late, and she curses(骂人).I love her but I am ashamed of her.I do not want to bring my friends home because she does not act like any of the other mothers. She says I am a loser because I sit at home and study. I wish I could live in another family that was normal,but it will be 5 years before I am 18 and legal. What am I supposed to do until then?
Prisoner of a Crazy House
Dear 7th Grader,
I am glad that you love your mother because the rest of your feeings about her may change as you get older and mature(成熟).
While it is true that your mother’s smoking, partying and cursing bring you shame, the fact that you want to stay separate from her doings is notable and very smart. It shows that you are a winner,not a loser.
I am guessing, therefore, that you do not bring shame to yourself, and that is a good thing, So,keep it that way and keep away from your mother’s habits.
At the same time,try to get the best grades and join clubs and school activities. Offer social service on weekends and visit your friends at their homes.
Unfortunately, you are not alone.Many teens live in homes with immature,misguided, selfish parents. Those kids often feel lonely and separate from the rest of their friends because of their parents’ terrible deeds.
But they develop good friendships with nice kids, do well in school,and often find a teacher or guidance advisor who makes all the difference!
Do it, Miss Winning 13 years old, and keep looking forward to your own fine future.Maybe by then your mother may even see the light and realize how surprising you really are.
Best luck!
Michelle
64.The kid asks for advice on how to___________.
A.make her mother change B.deal with her situation
C.get along well with her mother D.start a new family
65.Michelle doesn’t address her letter receiver as“Prisoner of a Crazy House”possibly because she
__________.
A.tries to be politeB.doesn’t write to the kid alone
C.knows that’s a girl in Grade 7 D.wants to cheer the kid up
66.According to the passage, Michelle advises the girl to_________.
A.try talking to her mother for her future
B.stick to her attitude towards her mother’s some habits
C.understand her mother’s habits and get used to them
D.try to keep away from her mother
67.What does Michelle mainly express by writing the last four paragraphs?
A.Don’t worry too much about the problem.
B.Many parents act terribly.
C.Parents manners make little difference.
D.The girl is not speaking for herself.
C
Classified ads
For direct classified service, call 800-0667 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday—Friday.
For rent
Excellent room for girls, begins Jan., 2,4,or 8 months lease(租期). Single,$105-125.Double,$140. Call 800-1932.
Family home, 3 bedrooms, large yard.$275. Call 800-4300
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For sale
Sheepskin coat, men’s size 42, 1 year old. $85. After 6 p.m.Call 800-5224.
Color TV21,$150；transistor radio, $15；recorder,$25. Call 800-0739.
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Help wanted
Babysitter — My home
If you could find a few hours during the day, some evenings and weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call 800-1111.
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Lost
A black bag with a pencil-box and some books left in the reading room. Will the finder please come to Class 3,Grade 1?
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Found
A green Jacket was left on the sports ground yesterday afternoon(April 15th).Will the owner please ring 656-6688?
59.“Classified ads”may probably mean____________.
A.ads about everyone’s life
B.ads giving one some necessary information
C.ads divided into different groups according to a certain rule
D.ads for which you needn’t pay any money
60.If you want to place an ad. What number should you call?
A.800-0739. B.800-1932. C.800-4300. D.800-0667.
61.If you want to get a used color TV and a recorder, how much will you have to pay?
A.＄275. B. ＄150. C. ＄25. D.＄175.
62.If you want to find a part-time job,you will look at .
A.For rent B.For sale C.Help wanted D.Lost
63.If you can’t find your school card,you will put up a notice at_________.
A.Lost B.Found C.Help wanted D.For sale
B
Manage your time well for each module(单元), but also make sure you get a good balance between work and social life. That is vital for life in general.
Set aside time specifically for each subject. Try to study one subject a day. You need to balance time. If you are bad at balancing things, make a personal timetable. Even if you do not stick to it, you will have an idea what you should be doing each day. This is better than trying to do everything each day and, at the end of the week, not achieve anything. Also, try to keep your weekends free of studying. Only study at the weekend if you really have to.
I had to learn to balance work, study and family when I was at college. I was a retail assistant working part-time and had at least four modules to complete at the same time at college. I also had to help around the house doing household cleaning and shopping at times. I managed to finish my college work on time, which was very difficult and hard, and still hold down a job.
Why was it possible? Because I only thought about my part-time work when I was at work on the weekends and my college work had to be done from Mondays to Fridays before the weekends. This was hard—but you need to set a timetable for yourself. It was an achievement when I finally realized that things have to be done in order, and need to be organized as well.
Balancing study and other aspects(方面) of your life can be a problem if you have a job or a family, but planning in advance is helpful. Use the time you have well. Do not leave anything until the last minute, as this will only cause problems.
55.The underlined word“vital”(in Paragraph 1) means_____________.
A.common B.necessary C.easy D.difficult
56.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the advice the writer gives?
A.Try to study many subjects in a day. B.Try not to study on the weeekends.
C.Plan in advance. D.Try to set a timetable.
57.It could be inferred from the passage that__________.
A.the writer has a part-time job as an assistant when he was at college
B.you need to set a timetable for yourself
C.you should make a personal timetable if you are bad at balancing your time
D.the writer can arrange his time well when he was at college
58.What is the passage mainly about?
A.I had a good time during my college.
B.How to study well at college.
C.Balance time between study and other aspects of your life.
D.How to plan your things in advance.