Once again, I was in a new school. So was a girl in my class named Phoebe. That’s 36 the similaritiesended.
I was tall and she was small. I was one of the oldest in the class while she was the youngest. I was 37 and shy. She wasn’t. I couldn’t 38 her, considering her my enemy. But she wanted to be friends.
One day, she invited me over and I said yes — I was too 39 to say no. Actually no one has invited me over to play before. But this girl, who wore the latest fashion, wanted to see me.
She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother, her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister. When we got to the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Barbies（芭比娃娃）- which was my next 40 . I would have thought she’d outgrown them. I had never played with them. But we sat on the floor of a walk-in cupboard laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Barbies. That’s 41 we found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older. We both had wild 42 .
We had a great day that afternoon. Our jaws ached from 43 so much. She showed me her outfits, which had mostly come from a designer clothing store down the block. The woman who owned it used her 44 a model sometimes for her newspaper ads and gave her clothes in exchange.
Phoebe had the whole neighborhood 45 . The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines, the movie theater gave her free passes and the pizza place let her have free slices. Soon I was included in her magic world. We slept over at each other's houses and spent every free moment together. My dark hair grew out and I learned to love being 46 .
Phoebe, my first real friend since childhood, helped me get through the through teenage years and taught me an amazing and very surprising thing about making friends: your “worst enemy” can 47 to be your best friend.
A．how B．why C．that D．where
A．beautiful B．awkward C．brave D．clever
A．like B．hate C．stand D．help
A．shocked B．worried C．shamed D．happy
A．surprise B．puzzle C．issue D．question
A．where B．how C．when D．why
A．profile B．imagination C．image D．thinking
A．crying B．shouting C．smiling D．doing
A．for B．from C．of D．as
A．confused B．charmed C．addicted D．annoyed
A．short B．high C．funny D．tall
A．turn out B．look out C．watch out D．work out
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意．然后从1—15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Returning from a trip overseas, I sensed that something was wrong between Keith, one of my two sons, and me. So I asked him, “Keith, have I done anything that really __1__your feeling?”
Immediately, he said, “Yes. Last Christmas you promised us a special 2 that I really wanted but you never gave it to me.”
The 3 was that I’d completely forgotten about it. I 4 , “Is there anything else I’ve done wrong, but didn’t apologized for?”
Again, his 5 was immediate, “Remember last Christmas when Mom said you had to go to the 6 because Stephen was going to be born? You left us at home and 7in a hurry. Remember?”
“Well, you left and forgot the suitcase.” I couldn’t believe he 8 all the details! “After you came back from the hospital you were 9 . When you got home, the suitcase had been opened and everythinghad been thrown all over the place, and you 10 me.”
“And you didn’t do it?” I asked.
“No, I didn’t . I was just searching for my gift.”
My heart sank. I felt 11 . I hugged Keith and asked him to 12 me. His Honesty made me think of our other son, Kevin. Maybe I’d hurt his feelings, too. I went to ask him the same question. Kevin’s answer was as immediate as his 13 , “Last Christmas you promised us a special toy, but you forgot about it.”
Though Christmas had passed, I took my two sons to the store that day and bought them what I had promised. The 14 thing wasn’t the toy. The problem was I’d made a promise too 15 and didn’t keep it as their father.
A．showed B．hurt C．attended D．expressed
A．candy B．book C．picture D．toy
A．challenge B．message C．idea D．fact
A．complained B．apologized C．continued D．explained
A．suggestion B．answer C．memory D．blame
A．hospital B．church C．school D．garden
A．settled down B．went on C．set off D．got up
A．knew B．imagined C．discovered D．remembered
A．angry B．worried C．happy D．satisfied
A．praised B．punished C．helped D．educated
A．terrible B．hopeless C．inspired D．encouraged
A．support B．criticize C．suspect D．forgive
A．mother B．brother C．sister D．father
A．strange B．interesting C．important D．difficult
A．lightly B．rudely C．equally D．truly
I lived next door to Debbie and her 84-year-old mother, Nan, for about six months. One night last summer, Debbie asked me to check on her mother because she worked the overnight shift (夜班) at a nursing home.
I was glad to help. But I 1 felt a little funny about it. 2 , I’ve been blind since I was a baby and out of 3 for years. In fact, at 54, I came to wonder if I had any 4 to live.
A bit after 9:00 pm, I heard a sound—over the years my ears have grown super 5 . It was Nan. “Jim, Jim. The house is 6 ! Help!”
I went as far as I could to Debbie’s. I got to the front door, 7 for the key and unlocked the door. “Nan! Where are you?” I called.
“Here, Jim. Help!” her voice was 8 and low.
I felt my 9 inside. “Nan, where are you? Keep 10 !” “Here, Jim, here!” sounds as if she’s 11in front of me. I reached out and touched her shoulder. We felt our way down the steps. ___12____ in the sweet, fresh summer air.
Later the fire truck arrived. Debbie came too. Nan and I heard the sound of the 13 coming down. Finally, the firefighters 14 the fire.
I heard Nan crying. She said, “I was so 15 and got turned around. I couldn’t find the door. You saved my life.”
Now Debbie’s voice quivered (发抖)， “You’re a hero. You rescued my mom.”
I hardly knew what to say. Two hours earlier I was wondering whether I really mattered to anyone. And now I saved a life. Nan and Debbie were thanking me. Truth was, I wanted to thank them. Nan wasn’t the only one who had been saved that day.
A．seldom B．hardly C．also D．soon
A．First of all B．At all C．Above all D．After all
A．sight B．money C．patience D．work
A．value B．pain C．sadness D．good
A．useless B．deaf C．sensitive D．responsible
A．too cold B．on sale C．too hot D．on fire
A．looked B．reached C．searched D．waited
A．afraid B．weak C．calm D．certain
A．way B．key C．heart D．fear
A．talking B．standing C．lying D．staying
A．sill B．even C．right D．away
A．appearing B．breathing C．lost D．driven
A．house B．truck C．fire D．air
A．set out B．put out C．hold up D．put off
The Blind Boy
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a 11 which said: I am blind, please help. There were only a few 12in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his 13 and dropped them into the hat. He 14 took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words. He 15 the sign so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to 16 . A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had17 the sign came to see how things were. The boy 18 his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said: “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said in a different way, though.” What he had written was: “Today is a (n) 19 day and I cannot see it.”
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both sign simply said the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so 20 that they were not blind.
Should we be surprised that the second sign was more 21 ?
Be thankful for what you have. When life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to 22 . Face your past without regret(后悔). 23 your present with confidence(自信). Prepare for the 24 without fear. Keep the faith（信念）and 25 the fear.
A．cover B．sign C．board D．note
A．cashes B．treasures C．pennies D．coins
A．pocket B．can C．backpack D．case
A．still B．then C．already D．yet
A．put on B．put out C．put off D．put back
A．mix up B．show up C．fill up D．make up
A．changed B．prepared C．supported D．reached
A．realized B．recognized C．felt D．discovered
A．average B．successful C．harmonious D．beautiful
A．happy B．disappointed C．lucky D．strange
A．effective B．brave C．surprising D．scientific
A．smile B．exist C．survive D．prove
A．Look into B．Search for C．Deal with D．Depend on
A．tomorrow B．adventure C．future D．sunrise
A．preserve B．charge C．keep D．drop
I prefer the stories about the swimmers at the Beijing Olympics，one of which is about Zakia Nassar. She's a 21-year-old Palestinian __21__ Bethlehem studying dentistry in Jenin. Having had neither a __22__ nor a chance to an Olympic-sized pool in the past year, she had no choice but to __23__ on her own at a 12m public pool.
There is a 50-meter __24__ in nearby Nazareth, but the Israeli government did not __25__ her to use it.
Nassar was __26__ to training only when she returned to her parents' home in Bethlehem, __27__ she did so only about every two months for two days or so. __28__ the pool is only 12 meters long.
“My parents and friends always __29__ me, reminding me that I had to keep training if I __30 wanted to go to the Olympics,” she said.
It was only when Nassar __31__ China a month ago that she finally got the opportunity to swim in a 50m pool and enjoyed the __32__ of having a coach.
When she at last took part in the Games, she swam the 50m in 31.97 seconds, a(n) __33__ of seven seconds on her personal __34__. Nassar said it was the most beautiful moment of her life.
She will not __35__ on the cover of Time magazine or __36__ millions of dollars in endorsements（捐款）, but she can always say she won a race at the Olympics. For her, it wasn’t about __37__ the other swimmers or winning a prize, but about __38__ her own goal, __39__ difficult. When I think things are too difficult or I get those “I-just-can’t-do-it,” I think of her. Then I realize how __40__ the task before me really is.
Many people now think that teachers give pupils too much homework. They say that it is 36 for children to work at home in their free time. 37 ， they argue that most teachers do not 38 plan the homework tasks they give to pupils. The result is that pupils have to 39 tasks which they have already done at school.
Recently in Greece， many parents 40 about the difficult homework which teachers gave to their children. The parents said that most of the homework was a waste of time， and they wanted to 41 it. Spain and Turkey are two countries which stopped homework recently. In Denmark， Germany and several other countries in Europe， teachers cannot 42 homework at weekends. In Holland， teachers allow pupils to stay at school to do their homework. The children are 43 to help one another. Similar 44 also exists in some British schools.
Most people agree that homework is not 45 . A pupil who can do his homework in a quiet and 46 room is in a much better position than a pupil who does his homework in a small， noisy room with the television on. Some parents help their children with their homework. Other parents take no 47 at all in their children’s homework.
A．unnecessary B．uninteresting C．unfortunate D．unimportant
A．Nevertheless B．However C．Therefore D．Moreover
A．considerably B．favorably C．properly D．pleasantly
A．finish B．repeat C．attend D．accomplish
A．quarreled B．puzzled C．explored D．complained
A．delay B．stop C．block D．prove
A．design B．draft C．do D．set
A．forbidden B．free C．desperate D．afraid
A．schedule B．mistake C．arrangement D．behavior
A．fair B．average C．balanced D．comparative
A．furnished B．expensive C．comfortable D．suitable
A．interest B．curiosity C．notice D．attention