My grandmother was from a town in Michigan. Summer after summer, I enjoyed staying with my grandparents as a young child. I was from the city and loved the small town they lived in. People knew everyone, their kids, their pets, their ancestors. The bond with them continued to grow as I grew and they got older. Grandma was always using her hands for something exciting. She would make little sandwiches and we’d have tea parties. She’d make beautiful quilts for each one. I remember the small thimble(顶针) she would use while doing her needle work.
A few years ago, when Grandma left this earth, I bid farewell to a loving grandmother. How quickly our lives can change. We had just had tea together a couple of months earlier, on her 91st birthday.
I missed her very much. On one particular birthday, when I was feeling a little low, something happened to make me feel like she was sharing that special day with me. I was arranging some colorful pillows that she had made, and suddenly I felt something inside one pillow. It was small and hard. I moved the object to a seam(接缝) that I carefully opened, and to my delight out came a tiny silver thimble! How happy I was to find something that had been a part of her. Not realizing it had fallen off her finger, I pictured her sewing it in that little pillow that I just happened to place on my bedspread that day. I carefully laid the thimble alongside the others I’ve collected over the years, where I could continue to see the gift God chose to reveal to me. What a precious memory of a very special lady who somehow, I knew, was laughing in delight at sewing her thimble inside my pillow.
I made some tea, using my best china, as Grandma always did, and enjoyed my tea and Grandma’s thimble. What a wonderful birthday that was!The author liked staying with her grandparents because________.
| A．they often bought her some gifts |
| B．she was curious about people and things there |
| C．she could have tea parties and eat sandwiches |
| D．she could learn to sew quilts |
How did the author feel when she found the silver thimble?
| A．Sad | B．Proud | C．Lucky | D．Cheerful |
It can be inferred from the passage that the silver thimble________.
| A．was the item the author had been trying to find |
| B．was the most treasured possession of Grandma |
| C．was very precious to the author |
| D．was a birthday gift Grandma had given the author |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A little pillow | B．Grandma’s silver thimble |
| C．My grandparents | D．My childhood |
Historians say Harriet Tubman was born in the year 1820.Nobody really knows. But we do know that Harriet Tubman was one of the bravest women ever born in the United States.
From a very early age，Harriet knew how slaves suffered. At six years old，she was sent to the fields. Working outside not only made her body strong but also made her learn about the Underground Railroad，on which she helped hundreds of people escape from slavery later. She also learned many things from the other slaves，which one day would help her lead her people to freedom. She became more of a rebel (反叛者)．
In 1844，at about age 24，she married a free black man named John Tubman. By now，Harriet was sure she wanted to try to escape. Suddenly，the time came. Her owner died. Though opposed by her husband，she decided to escape. With the help of the Underground Railroad，and through a variety of suffering she finally crossed the border into Pennsylvania，where slavery was banned.
Now that Harriet was free，she did not forget the hundreds of other slaves back in Maryland. Harriet traveled back and forth eighteen times，helping about 300 slaves escape into free territory. She became an expert at hiding from slave hunters. The people she helped called her Moses. At one time，anyone finding Harriet was promised $40,000 for catching her－dead or alive.
During the Civil War，Harriet Tubman went into enemy territory to spy for the North. She also served as a nurse. After four years of bloody fighting，the North won the war.
After the fighting ended，Harriet Tubman returned to Auburn，New York. She kept working. She traveled and gave speeches to raise money for better education for black children. She also worked for women’s rights and housing. Harriet Tubman died in 1913.She was about 93 years old. By that time，she was recognized as an American hero. The United States government gave a funeral with military honors for the woman known as Moses.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．A History of American Black Slaves |
| B．Cruel American Civil War |
| C．Information on the Underground Railroad |
| D．A Brief Introduction to Harriet Tubman |
Which of the following is true of the Underground Railroad?
| A．It was a system that helped slaves escape from the South to North. |
| B．It was a special train，on which slaves couldn’t be found easily. |
| C．It was a special place where slaves could hide themselves. |
| D．It was a group of people who would like to help the blacks. |
The sentence “Later，she told a friend，‘I felt like I was in heaven.’” can be placed at the back of Paragragh ________.
| A．2 | B．3 |
| C．4 | D．5 |
According to the text，we know that ________.
| A．slavery was banned in all the states in America before the Civil War |
| B．Harriet Tubman raised money for better education for white children |
| C．the government gave her a funeral because she was Moses |
| D．Harriet Tubman still worked for black people after the Civil War |
On Nov.18,1995，Itzhak Perlman，the violinist，came on stage to give a concert.If you have ever been to a Perlman concert，you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症) as a child，and so he walks with the aid of two crutches.
The audience sat quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair and begins his play.But this time，something went wrong.Just as he finished the first few bars，one of the strings on his violin broke.We thought that he would have to stop the concert.But he didn’t.Instead，he waited a moment，closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
Of course，anyone knows that it is impossible to play a pleasant work with just three strings.I know that，and you know that，but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that.
When he finished，there was a breathtaking silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium.
He smiled，wiped the sweat from this brow and then he said－not proudly，but in a quiet，holy attitude－“You know，sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”
This powerful line has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it.And who knows？Perhaps that is the meaning of life－not just for artists but for all of us.
So，perhaps our task in this fastchanging，puzzling world in which we live is to make music，at first with all that we have，and then，when that is no longer possible，to make music with what we have left.What made Itzhak Perlman’s performance at the concert special on Nov.18,1995?
| A．There were too many audience. |
| B．He was late for the stage. |
| C．He had a quarrel with the audience. |
| D．One string of the violin got broken. |
Why did Itzhak Perlman continue his playing after one string was broken?
| A．Because he was a person of self pride. |
| B．Because he thought the audience didn’t see that. |
| C．Because he decided to succeed with the broken violin. |
| D．Because he didn’t know that the string was broken. |
Why did the audience give heated claps to Itzhak Perlman?
| A．Because they were moved by his disease. |
| B．Because they were moved by his spirit. |
| C．Because they were laughing at his action. |
| D．Because they were encouraging him to cheer up. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．When you lose the most important thing. |
| B．How can you give it up easily. |
| C．Playing a violin with three strings. |
| D．Playing a violin by yourself. |
National Family Week－an event that encourages families to spend more time together－carried out a study among 8－15 yearolds.The study found 40% of girls thought Facebook was one of the most important things in their lives－compared with 6% of boys.Parents were found to underestimate (低估) the importance of Internet technology.
The role of social networking was particularly important in families with a single mother as parent.The survey was carried out last month and based on 3,000 parents and 1,000 children across the UK.
The survey shows that girls are using social networking as something central to their social and family life.Girls saw websites such as Facebook as much more influential (有影响力的) than television，magazines, famous people and even their own brothers and sisters.Asked to name the three most important things in their lives, the most popular choices for girls were friends, family and then Facebook and MSN.
Girls are also more likely to believe that technology－in the form of social networking and mobile phones－plays an important role in their lives.While 41% of girls think technology is one of their biggest influences，only 17% of boys believe this.
Girls see their big influences as parents，teachers and technology，while boys choose parents，friends and school as their big influences.The survey says that parents have failed to keep up with their children’s use of technology，overestimating (高估) their own importance in their children’s lives.
The survey also looked at how children thought about their relationships with their parents.It found that both boys and girls would much rather have stories read to them by their mothers.However，girls felt closer to their fathers，while boys felt closer to their mothers.What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The study was carried out by the government. |
| B．The researchers studied more girls than boys. |
| C．Boys liked to surf the Internet more than girls. |
| D．Parents didn’t think the Internet was so important. |
How many people were included in the survey last month?
| A．1,000. | B．2,000. |
| C．3,000. | D．4,000. |
Which of the following is NOT among the three most important things for girls?
| A．Teachers. | B．Family. |
| C．Facebook and MSN. | D．Friends. |
According to the passage，the survey shows ________.
| A．girls felt closer to their mothers |
| B．children are better at using technology than their parents |
| C．televisions are much more influential in girls than magazines |
| D．more boys regard technology as one of the biggest influences than girls |
A new study of 8,000 young people in the journal of HealthandSocialBehavior shows that although love can make grownups live healthily and happily，it is a bad thing for young people.Puppy love (早恋) may bring trouble for young people and can cause depression (沮丧)．The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys，and young girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”．According to the study，even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic (浪漫的) relationship”，this “loss of self” is much more likely to cause depression when it happens to girls.Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions.They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr.Marianm Kaufman，who works on young people problems，says 15% to 20% of young people will have depression during their growing.Trying romance often causes the depression.She advises kids not to jump into romance too early.During growing up，it is important for young people to build strong friendship and a strong sense of self.She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends，attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for their children’s eating or mood changes.If they see some，they need to give help.The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age.Love will always make us feel young，but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
| B．Parents should agree to their children’s love. |
| C．Romance is a twoedged sword for grownups. |
| D．Romance is good for young people. |
Who are most likely to become depressed?
| A．Young people who have a strong sense of self. |
| B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
| C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
According to the passage，the author ________ puppy love.
| A．is for | B．is against |
| C．is not interested in | D．thinks highly of |
Dr.Marianm Kaufman does NOT suggest parents’encouraging their kids to ________.
| A．keep close to their friends |
| B．attend more interesting activities |
| C．chat more on line |
| D．spend more time with their family |
TheInventionofHugoCabret，by Brian Selznick，is a novel like no other.There are pages of exciting events and then suddenly，wait! A picture with tiny details，then a big picture that takes up the whole page－and the next page，and the next page，and the next！The pictures are actually telling the story.It’s like a book and a movie all in one.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Selznick about his unique novel.I wanted to know just how he came up with the concept of writing a novel that reads like a picture book.
“Because the book was so much about movies and the history of cinema，I also wanted to figure out how to make a book that was also like a movie，” Selznick said.
Writing and illustrating the book was a long and hard process，Selznick said.One of the challenges was figuring out what the story was really about and what happens to the main character，Hugo.Selznick also had to figure out how to make the narrative and the pictures work together to tell the story.
Working with pictures was natural for Selznick.He has actually spent most of his career as an illustrator and really considers himself more of an artist than a writer.
But sometimes figuring out what was going to happen in the story was not easy，he told me.He had no idea what the story was going to be about when he started writing.He didn’t know if it was going to be sad，adventurous，or exciting.For now，Selznick doesn’t plan on writing a sequel (续集) to the book，but he warns，“You can never say never.”TheInventionofHugoCabret is ________.
| A．a novel on which a popular movie has been based |
| B．a novel only using pictures explaining series of events |
| C．a book which tells children how to draw pictures |
| D．a book packed with pictures－a combination of words and drawings |
What does Brian Selznick think of writing the novel?
| A．Challenging. | B．Timesaving. |
| C．Adventurous. | D．Foolish. |
By saying “You can never say never”，Selznick means ________.
| A．it’s hard to say whether he will continue writing the book |
| B．it is such a difficult book that he won’t continue it |
| C．he will never give up writing a sequel to the book |
| D．he will never write a novel like TheInventionofHugoCabret |
It can be inferred that the text is ________.
| A．an introduction to an unusual novel |
| B．a summary record of an interview |
| C．a biography of the novelist Brian Selznick |
| D．an ad persuading kids into buying the novel |