The day my husband fell to his death, it started to snow, just like any November day. His body, when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up. One morning, I shuffled downstairs and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling(铲)my walk. I dropped to my knees, crawled through the living room. And back up stairs so those good people would not see me. I was embarrassed. My first thought was, how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair let alone shovel someone’s walk.
Before John’s death, I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors, I defined myself by my competence and independence. So who was I if I was no longer capable and busy? How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch every day and watch the snowfall?
Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn't easy. Friends cooked for me and l cried because I couldn't even help them set the table. “I'm not usually this lazy,” I wept. Finally, my friend Kathy sat down with me and said, "Mary, cooking for you is not a burden. I love you and I want to do it. It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you. ”
Over and over, I heard similar emotions from the people who supported me during those dark days. One very wise man told me, “You are not doing nothing. Being fully open to your sorrow may be the hardest work you will ever do.”
I am not the person I once was, but in many ways I have changed for the better. My heart is now filled with thanks for people around me. I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole. I believe there is strength, for sure, in accepting a dark period of our life.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The writer’s friend was unwilling to cook for her. |
| B．The writer had been busy with her life before. |
| C．The writer recovered from her sorrow quickly with his friend‘s help. |
| D．The day her husband died, it was snowing heavily. |
The underlined word “shuffled” in Paragraph 1 probably means ___________.
| A．stepped steadily | B．walked slowly |
| C．ran swiftly | D．fell sadly |
We can infer from the passage that ____________.
| A．the writer found her husband immediately he fell off the roof |
| B．the writer became strong-willed immediately after John's death |
| C．the people around the writer were friendly and supported her |
| D．before John’s death, the writer never asked others for help |
The writer wrote the passage to ___________.
| A．share her sad story with us |
| B．express her guilty conscience to the people who helped her |
| C．show her thanks to the people who love and support her |
| D．tell us the changes she has made because of her husband’s death |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists(花商), candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
52. Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A. Parents bring up children.B. Parents give love and care to children.
C. Parents educate children to be good persons. D. Parents pass away before children grow up.
53. Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
A. It has only two kinds of colors.
B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
C. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.
54. What do you know from the passage?
A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.
B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.
C. Not all the children respect their parents
D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.
55. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, .
A. people usually have family parties
B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery
C. children always go to parents’ home
D. hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts
In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射)so that they won't carry disease. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food. When you visit people's houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a feeding place for birds in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. ①If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.②
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be that their family ties are not as close as ours.③ When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely, but pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.
48. The passage mainly talks about____ .
A. how to keep disease from pets B. pets in Canada
C. how to take good care of pets D. life of the old in Canada
49. They give their pets injections before keeping them at their houses because ____.
A. the pets are sick
B. the pets are wild
C. they want to stop them from getting sick
D. they want them to sleep on the way home
50. In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because ____.
A. they don't love their parents any more
B. they can only find jobs far from their parents
C. their parents houses are too small
D. they wouldn't depend on their parents any more
51. Which of the following is TRUE？
A. People buy animal food only at the animal food stores.
B. Pets eat better than people.
C. Almost every family has a birdcage in his house.
D. Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat.
Do you enjoy reading? Here readers of your age from all over the United States recommend (推荐) great books for you to read:
My favorite book is Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel. I love all her books, but this was the first one I read and I have to say, it is by far my favorite. It doesn’t end like other books, and I cried while reading.
I think Nancy Drew is great! Nancy is a detective (侦探) who has many fantastic ideas! I love it because it’s a book from when my grandma was my age, and I can share the fun with her!
I highly recommend Skinny Bones by Barbara Park. It is funny so please add it on your book list. You don’t want to miss out funny stories！
I would suggest ______ by Judy Blume. It is based on real things that happened to Judy Blume. It is about a girl, Alice, who meets some girls at a new state. They become friends, make a club and meet once a week. They stop after two weeks because they all like a boy in their class and put him as number one. I think every girl should read this because it is about our growing up.
I read a book called Neela: Victory Song and it was so good I read it twice! It takes place in India in 1936 and this 12-year-old girl named Neela tries to save her father! It has lots of history in it! I also learned a lot about different cultures! The author’s name is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
44. According to the reader, Skinny Bones can be described as a ________ story.
A. sad B. history C. funny D. detective
45. From which book can we learn different cultures?
A. Skinny Bones. B. Nancy Drew. C. Don’t Die, My Love. D. Neela: Victory Song.
46. The best name of the 4th book is ________.
A. My Secret B. Growing Trouble C. Three Friends D. Alice Learns a Lesson
47. Which is TRUE about Nancy Drew?
A. Both the reader and the reader’s grandma love this book.
B. It’s based on real things that happened to the author.
C. It’s about a12-year-old girl who tries to save her father.
D. It doesn’t have a common ending like other books.
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good man.” She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked. “Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
41. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.
A. show she was familiar with the city B. see some places for the last time
C. let the driver earn more money D. reach the destination(目的地) on time
42. The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.
A. wanted to do her a favor(帮忙) B. shut off the meter by mistake
C. had received her payment in advance D. was in a hurry to take other passengers
43. What can we learn from the story?
A. Giving is always a pleasure.
B. People should respect each other.
C. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.
D. People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.
Alzheimer’s disease（早老性痴呆病）is a major national health problem．Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease．It is a leading cause of death among the elderly．But Alzheimer’s disease is not confined（限于）to the aged．There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease．
At one time．people suffering from the disease were said to be“getting old”．The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old，but it is now known that Alzheimer’s disease strikes young and old alike．It is an organic disease that destroys brain cells．
Alzheimer’s disease affects the patient’s memory，speech and movement．In the beginning stages of the disease，the patient may seem slightly confused．He may have trouble in speaking．
Then the patient’s memory begins to fail．He may forget dates，telephone numbers，names and plans．
As the disease progresses．the patient may not recognize his family and friends．These symptoms（症状）often cause terrible anxiety in the patient．He may feel lost and frightened．Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior．
In the last stages of the disease．the patient may not be able to take care of himself．He may have lost the ability to speak and walk．
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease．It may be caused by a virus or a poisonous substance in the environment．At present，there is no cure for the disease．But there are ways to slow its progress．Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease．
72．The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer’s disease______________．
A．is a terrible part of the aging process B．is an organic disease that affects young and old
C．can be cured by physical treatment D．causes forgetfulness
73．All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease EXCEPT___________．
A．forgetfulness B．difficulty in speaking
C．loss of sight D．loss of the ability to walk
74．According to the passage，which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease?
A．Poisons produced by the brain． B．Getting old．
C．A virus． D．Lack of exercise．
75．The progress of Alzheimer’s disease can be slowed by_____________．
A．operation B．a change in environment
C．medicinesD．physical treatment and exercise