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I loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it when mother sat doing letters. Looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother,“But the desk,”she said again,“is for Elizabeth. ”
I never saw her get angry, and never saw her cry. I knew she loved me, and she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened and a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional (易动感情的)”, but she lived“on the surface”.
As years went by and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way that she did forgive (原谅) me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer. It didn’t come.
It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to her.
I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, though she had never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside… a photo of my father and a one-paper letter. Folded (折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
The writer began to love her mother’s desk ______.

A．after mother died	B．when she was a child
C．before she became a writer	D．when mother gave it to her

The passage shows that mother _______.

A．was too serious about everything her daughter had done

B．was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter

C．cared much about her daughter in words

D．wrote to her daughter in careful words

The word“gulf”in the 4th paragraph means _______.

A．deep understanding between the old and the young

B．part of the sea going far in land

C．free talks between mother and daughter

D．different ideas between mother and daughter

What did mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness？

A．She read the letter again and again till she died.

B．For years, she often talked about the letter.

C．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in her life.

D．She had never received the letter.

What’s the best title of the passage？

A．My Letter to Mother	B．Mother and Children
C．My Mother’s Desk	D．Talks Between Mother and Me

Height is just one of the features your genes (基因) decide. In fact, because you have two parents, your genes provide you a height that usually lands somewhere between the height of each parent. If both your parents are tall, then most probably you will be tall, too. But if you have questions about how tall you’re going to be, ask your doctor if he or she can help you find them out.
But genes don’t decide everything. For example, eating an unhealthy diet can keep you from growing to your full potential (潜力). Getting plenty of sleep and enough exercise will help you grow to the expected height.
It’s natural that you’re wondering how fast you should grow. There’s no perfect or right answer. Generally speaking, kids grow about 6 cm a year between age 3 and the time when they start puberty .
Your doctor will know how your growth has been going over the years. 2 cm here and 3 cm there make a little difference to the height you’re at now. How have you been growing up to this height？What other changes may your body be going through？
Don’t be amazed if you seem to have grown a lot in a very short time. Everyone has a growth spurt (高峰) during puberty. The age for starting puberty is about 10 for girls and about 11 for boys. But it can be earlier or later — between 7 and 13 for girls and 9 and 15 for boys.
You’ll usually begin to notice that you’re growing faster about a year after your body starts to show the first changes of puberty.
If you want to know how tall you should grow, _______.

A．you should have enough exercise

B．you can ask doctors for help

C．you should take some special medicine

D．you can record your growth during puberty

The Chinese for the word “ puberty ” is _______.

A．童年时期	B．婴幼儿时期
C．习惯养成期	D．生长发育期

This passage is mainly about ______.

A．how the genes work in your body

B．how your parents’ height influence you

C．how you look like your parents

D．how you grow to a certain height

After reading this passage, we can explain ______.

A．how good it is to be a doctor

B．how much sleep time we need

C．why genes can’t decide everything

D．what healthy diet is

Which is NOT mentioned in the passage？

A．Your height most probably depends on how tall your parents are.

B．Girls’ age for starting puberty is usually earlier than that for boys’.

C．The features showing the first changes of puberty between boys and girls are different.

D．You may be amazed sometimes when you grow too fast.

Our village carpenter (木匠) , John, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size for the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for the job.
My wife said to me quietly,“That’s his ninth cup of tea today. ”But she said, in a loud voice,“It’s a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it？”
“I’ll decide about that when I see the bill. ”I said.
John laughed and gave me his bill for the work. I read:
One dining table 10 November, 1998
Cost of wood $17. 00
Paint $1. 50
Work, 8 hours ( $1 an hour ) $8. 00
Total $36. 50
When I was looking at the bill, John said, “It’s been a nice day, hasn’t it？Quite sunny. ”
“Yes. ”I said. “ I’m glad it’s only the tenth of November. ”
“Me, too. ”said John. “You wait — it’ll be a lot colder by the end of the month. ”
“Yes,colder — and more expensive! A dining table will be $20 more expensive on November 30, won’t it, John？”
John looked hard at me for half a minute. Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes？I gave his bill back to him.
“If there isn’t too much trouble, John,” I said,“please add it up again. You can forget the date…”
I paid him $26. 50 and he was happy to get it.
Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill？

A．Because he didn’t want the writer to go through the bill carefully.

B．Because it was really a fine day.

C．Because he wanted the writer to check the bill carefully.

D．Because he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like.

The writer thought John would ask for _______ if he made a dining table on the last day of November.

A．$20. 00	B．$46. 50
C．$56. 50	D．$26. 50

When the writer gave John the money, he was happy because _______.

A．he got what he should get for his work

B．he got much more money for his work

C．he got the money easily

D．he didn’t have to add up the costs again

From the story we know that ______.

A．John made a mistake in the bill

B．John tried to fool the writer in order to get more money for his work

C．John had written out the bill before the writer got home

D．John still wanted to get $36.50 for his work in the end

What do you think of the writer？ He is ______.

A．honest	B．clever
C．foolish	D．afraid

A great way for teens to cool off during the summer is at water parks. If you live near a water park, you might think about getting a season pass. This way you can go as often as you like.
Check to see if there are any water parks around you. Many are indoor facilities. So even if it isn’t warm enough where you live to swim outdoors, you can enjoy swimming in a temperature controlled area.
The prices are usually good. For example, one ticket to Water World, a water park, is only $5.
Some teens like to get a part time job over the summer to make some pocket money. Older teens shouldn’t have much trouble finding jobs.
An idea is to get some teens together to form your own summer job business. You can walk dogs, bring in the newspapers, feed the cats, collect rubbish, water flowers, etc.
Being that it’s summer, many people go on vacation and could use someone to look after their houses while they’re away. You can also think about other jobs you can do for them.
Teens love freedom. Sure you would like to get to such places as the small, movie theaters, the zoo, the beach, picnic, bowling and local amusement park instead of staying home all summer. Then a summer bus pass will be helpful. Check to see if your area has one for you teens.
Such a pass costs only $10 for the whole summer. The price is reasonable(合乎情理的) and also your parents don’t have to always drive.
Who is the text written for?

A．Teachers	B．Parents
C．Teens	D．Travelers

What is NOT mentioned as a part tome job for teens?

A．Washing cars	B．Feeding cats
C．Walking dogs	D．Watering flowers

If Sally goes to Water World with two friends, they should pay________.

A．$5

B．$10

C．$15

D．$20

A summer bus pass is helpful for teens to ______.

A．find part time jobs	B．go out for fun
C．go to summer classes	D．do outdoor sports

What’s the text mainly about?

A．Part time jobs	B．A summer pass
C．Water park swimming	D．Things to do in summer

Would you like to experience what going to school was like in the late 1800s? to start with, imagine everyone in school only one classroom.
In the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, most American students went to a one-room schoolhouse. A single teacher would typically(典型地) have students in the first through eighth grades, and she taught them all. The number of students varied from six to 40 or more. The youngest children sat in the front, while the oldest students sat in the back. The teacher usually taught reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and geography. Students memorized(记忆) and retold their lessons.
The classroom of a one-room schoolhouse probably looked much like your own. The teacher’s desk stood on a raised platform(讲台) at the front of the room, however, and there was a wood-burning stove since there was no other way of heating. The bathroom was outside in an outhouse.
In Honeoye Falls, New York, there is a one-room schoolhouse where kids today can experience what it was like to the students in the late 19^th century. For a week during the summer, they wear 19^th century clothes and learn the way children learned more than a hundred years ago.
What else has changed about school since the 19^th century? For more information, please visit our website: www. Locallygacy.com.
What does the word “varied” in the Paragraph Two mean in Chinese?