“Father, do you see Mother in your dreams?” the young girl asks. “You know sometimes I do.”
“Mother comes to see me a lot, you know. We sit and talk.” The father smiles. “How is your homework coming along?”
“Why do I have to study so hard?”
“It is what your mother would have wanted!”
She regrets speaking her mind. “I’m sorry, Father, I shouldn’t have said that.” She looks up and sees his eyes well up with tears.
“It’s okay, love,” he gets up and pours himself a drink. “I’ll just sit outside for a while. You finish up your work, okay?”
“I’m sorry, Father; Mother did love you very much. She told me all the time.”
“Homework, first, eh? Then we can chat about your mother.”
He heads off outside and sits in his usual chair, looking around the courtyard. The whole area relaxes the mind and somehow soothes the soul.
“All finished, Father. May I get a drink and sit with you? I have some questions.”
She comes with two drinks one for him and one for herself. He looks surprised. She never really liked him having a drink. Although he had cut back a lot from before he brought her here, it still seemed strange.
“Mother told me all about you. That is before she passed away. We would laugh together at your love stories.”
He listens without uttering a single sound.
“Why didn’t you come and take her away with you? She really wanted that. Did you know that?”
Her father looks at his daughter lovingly. “Circumstances were difficult back then. It was just the way things were. When it came time to…” He sighs. “To visit her it was too late.”
The girl smiles. “I hope I will have the same kind of love you and mother had.”
“Without all the heartache,” her father adds.
“She always knew you loved her. She told me every day,” the child mentions cheerfully. “I saw her crying sometimes when she read your letters.”
“Did she make you promise to look after me?” She inquires.
“She asked me to take care of you.”
“You promised her, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“It is nice out here, isn't it? Mother would have been very happy here.”
She talks with some authority. Her father remains silent. A smile comes to his weary brow. He nods his head.
“Mother wanted me to give you something. I think now the time is right.” She runs to her room. Upon returning she hands her father a book. “It’s mother’s diary! She wanted me to give it to you.”
He takes the book and holds it in his trembling hands, “Thank you.”
“Mother said you would understand things better.”
“Wise woman, your mother.”
He places the book on the table as he gets up. The girl gets up and wraps herself around her father.
“I love you.” she looks up at his face.
He picks her up and hugs her. “I love you, too.” His voice trembles.
“It’s okay, Father. We have each other now and mother is in both of us.”
He kisses her head.
“Time you went to bed,” her father softly says.
He puts her down and she scampers off to get washed and ready for bed.
Clearing up everything he checks on his daughter. She is in bed waiting for her good night kiss. He tucks her in and bids her goodnight.
Just as he is to leave she tells him. “Mother told me she adopted me when I was a baby.”
He stands at her bedroom door. Words fail him. Yes, he knew she was adopted.
“I am really lucky for being loved by my parents, even if I am not really theirs.”
“You trying to bring on the water works?” he tells her.
She giggles, “Goodnight, Father. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
His face lights up as he wipes his dampened eyes.
The door closes and the child falls asleep dreaming of her mother.
Sitting outside he picks up the diary and opens it and reads the first line: “I love you, my dearest, if only things could have been different…”Why isn’t the mother with her family?
| A．She has already died. | B．She is ill in hospital. |
| C．The couple is divorced. | D．She lives in another city. |
What can we know about the couple’s relationship?
| A．They understood each other very well. |
| B．They quarreled a lot and are separated. |
| C．They used to have misunderstandings. |
| D．They were quite sure of each other’s love. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．The girl was adopted because the couple couldn’t give birth. |
| B．Father looks after the girl just because the girl is alone. |
| C．The girl feels unfortunate that she was adopted. |
| D．Father was not very close to the girl before she moved in with him. |
Why didn’t father bring mother home when she was ill?
| A．Because he was too busy with his work |
| B．Because he didn’t know he was wanted |
| C．Because he was too poor to afford the medical fees |
| D．Because he didn’t know she was in hospital |
What does the sentence “You trying to bring on the water works?” mean?
| A．You want another cup of water? |
| B．Are you kidding me? |
| C．Are you trying to make me cry? |
| D．Are you thinking about the water factory? |
Which word best describes father’s feeling at the end of the story?
| A．Regretful | B．Satisfied | C．Confused | D．Doubtful |
Famous as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings,” Auguste Escoffier helped raise the position of cooking from a laborer’s task to an artist’s job. Escoffier was born on October 28, 1846, in the small village of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, France. Among the key figures in the boy’s life was his father, who worked primarily as a blacksmith（铁匠）. His grandmother, an enthusiastic cook, was perhaps more responsible than anyone for introducing the boy to an appreciation of the delights of cooking.
Young Escoffier attended the local school until age 12, upon which time his father thought it necessary that the boy learn a trade. In school he had shown a talent for drawing, yet he was told to regard this art only as a hobby, and to find his career in a more practical profession. Thus his father took him to Nice in 1859, where he would work as an apprentice（学徒）in his uncle’s restaurant, the respectable Le Restaurant Francais.
At Le Restaurant Francais, Escoffier was not treated as the close relative of the boss. Rather, he experienced a classically demanding apprenticeship. For this strictness of training he would later, in his memoirs（回忆录）, express gratefulness. During this time Escoffier also attended night school, and had to deal with his studies as well as the demands of a promising career.
When Escoffier was 19 and had taken on yet more responsibilities in his uncle’s restaurant, a customer recognized his skills and offered him work in Paris. This was the owner of Le Petit Moulin Rouge, one of the finest restaurants in Paris, where Escoffier was to become a sous-chef, ranking below the head chef. After three years in this position, he rose to the level of head chef, wearing the respected chef’s hat. It was his __________ who first influenced Escoffier to be interested in cooking.
| A．father | B．mother | C．uncle | D．grandmother |
We can infer that as a schoolboy, Escoffier might hope to be __________.
| A．a chef | B．a businessman | C．an artist | D．a blacksmith |
According to Paragraph 3, Escoffier __________.
| A．was badly treated by his uncle | B．showed great interest in writing |
| C．disliked working as an apprentice | D．was thankful for the strict training |
Which of the following can best describe Escoffier?
| A．Hard-working. | B．Honest. | C．Warm-hearted. | D．Modest. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How to become a chef in France. | B．The influence of Auguste Escoffier. |
| C．What an apprentice is required to do. | D．The early life of a famous French chef. |
I still clearly remember that day. I was on the side of the road for close to four hours with my big Jeep. I put signs in the windows that said, “NEED A JACK（千斤顶）”.
Right as I was about to give up, a truck stopped and a man got off. He sized up the situation and went back to take a jack. After about two hours, we finished the job with sweats. We were both dirty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in.
I tried to put $20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl, their daughter, where they lived, thinking maybe I’d send them a gift. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon now so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. After that, they were going to pick peaches, and then go back home.
After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale（玉米粽子）. I thanked them again and walked back to my car. When I opened the tamale, what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I ran to the van and the guy rolled down his window. He saw the $20 in my hand, started shaking his head smiling, and with what looked like great concentration said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me.” Then he rolled up his window and drove away, with his daughter waving to me from the back.
This family, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours to help a stranger while others passed by quietly.
Since then I’ve helped many people like the Mexican family. I didn’t accept money. But every time I was able to help, I felt as if I was putting something in the bank.From the passage we know that __________.
| A．the Mexican man couldn’t speak English |
| B．the author’s car broke down on the road |
| C．the Mexican family came to Oregon for a visit |
| D．$20 was a small amount for the Mexican family |
Why did the author give the money quietly to the man’s wife?
| A．Because the man had refused to accept it. |
| B．Because the man’s wife needn’t wash her hands. |
| C．Because the author thought the Mexican family was poor. |
| D．Because the author thought the man’s wife would take it. |
The Mexican man helped the author because he tended to think that ___________.
| A．it was completely wrong for others to pass by quietly |
| B．it was quite easy to help the author mend the jeep |
| C．it was possible that everyone might get into trouble |
| D．the author was a polite stranger and deserved the help |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．He hated those who didn’t offer help. |
| B．He would send a present to the family soon. |
| C．He wondered why they didn’t take the money. |
| D．He considered helping others as saving money in the bank. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The Mexican family lived a richer life than the author. |
| B．The Mexican family did seasonal work in Oregon each year. |
| C．The author was inspired to help others by the Mexican family. |
| D．What made the writer moved was the tamale given by the girl. |
Many people cannot forget the beautiful thousand hand dance performed by disabled people during the 2005 CCTV Spring Festival Gala(晚会). Many of these dancers cannot hear or speak, but their performances are wonderful.
The leading dancer is a beautiful young woman, Tai Lihua, who was born healthy but lost her hearing when she was two years old because of a fever. Not long after that, she also became mute and, from then on, her world was silent. She did not realize this at first, but when she was five, she played a game about sounds with her school friends and discovered she was different. She felt very sad. Her father went to many places looking for treatments for her disabilities, but nothing worked.
When she was seven years old, Tai Lihua went to a school for deaf and mute children, where she did very well in her studies. Her teacher said she used her brain more than other children and was very good at expressing her feelings through movements.
Then when she was fifteen, she started learning to dance. At first, she found it difficult but she didn’t give up. She spent a lot of time practicing and became a brilliant dancer. In the last few years, she has performed in many countries and is much admired by foreign audience. Dancing has changed her life and brought her world wide success and fame.Which of the following is expressed in the passage?
| A．Where there is life, there is hope. |
| B．No one is too old to learn. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．The early bird catches the worm. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “ brilliant”?
| A．very gentle | B．very beautiful | C．very talkative | D．very successful |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Tai Lihua was born healthy. |
| B．Tai Lihua isn't successful now. |
| C．Tai Lihua’s parents didn’t take good care of her. |
| D．Tai Lihua had a natural ability to dance very well. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A disabled girl. |
| B．A dancer in a silent world. |
| C．A beautiful dancer. |
| D．Dance performance in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. |
Flags have existed for over 3000 years. The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles topped with a carving. About 2000 years ago pies of fabric were added to some poles for decoration. Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important.
Every country today has its own flag. Many groups and organizations also have a flag which stands for, or symbolizes, the aims of the group.
The flag depicts (描绘) a world map, centered on the north pole. The map is surrounded by an olive (橄榄) wreath (花环) symbolizing peace and co-operation. The flag is blue and white.Flags have been in existence for _________.
| A．500 years | B．more than 3000 years |
| C．about 2000 years | D．between 500 and 2000 years |
A very old flag is likely to _________.
| A．be made of fabric | B．have a map on it |
| C．have white shapes on it | D．be made of carved wood |
An olive wreath is used to stand for _________.
| A．peace | B．purity | C．justice | D．equality |
Most American children eat potatoes every day, but they don't know which part of potato is most nourishing(有营养的).Take a sharp knife and cut a very thin slice(薄片) from it and hold it to the light, and you will see that the potato has skin, an outside rim(边缘) and the inner part. The outside rim which is right under the skin is most nutritious.But this part is often thrown away with the skin. Even the skin itself is better for food than the inside. When eating a cooked potato, if you choose the inside and leave the outside, you are wasting the best part of it. If you can’t eat the whole potato, it is better to eat the outside rim and leave the inner part.A potato has _________.
| A．one part only | B．two parts | C．three parts | D．four parts |
The best part of the potato is the _________.
| A．middle | B．skin | C．outside rim | D．inside |
What does this reading tell about potatoes? It tells us _________.
| A．how to cook them | B．how to cut potatoes |
| C．what is a potato made up of | D．how to eat them |