December 2
Sharon called about four times today. At least it shows she’s trying to explain something to me. I feel a little better.
December 3
This morning Sharon said she had only told one person and didn’t know why everyone seemed to know. Yes, I am an adopted (收養(yǎng)的) daughter. But she had promised to keep it a secret for ever!
December 5
I wish I had a friend I could really trust all of the time. I thought I found that friend, but I haven’t and it’s making me miserable (痛苦的)! It’s wrong to tell her all about it. She gains my trust, and then loses it.
December 7
I have a nice room, beautiful house and everything I’ve ever wanted. My adoptive parents will give me all the things I’ve ever dreamed of. Yet all the money in the world can’t buy what I want now. I want for Sharon to be my best friend again.
December 10
Sharon just called. She said she thought it might help if we spent more time together. She worried that I would switch schools (轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)). She is the best friend I’ve ever had. When I’m with Sharon, I can be myself. I need Sharon’s friendship. I need it more than I’ve ever known.
December 16
I just had the most fantastic two days of my life! This was the best time I’ve had for a long, long while. Yesterday, we walked five times around the park and today we walked along the river for twenty minutes. We talked so much. Sharon, Sharon, no brick wall between us now.
小題1:What is the author mainly worried about?

A．How she was adopted.	B．Why she switched schools.
C．Her family life.	D．Her friendship with Sharon.

小題2:Sharon lost the author’s trust because she ________.

A．didn’t keep the author’s secret

B．didn’t like the author any more

C．told the author’s past life to everyone

D．often refused to help the author

小題3:The underlined word “fantastic” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A．funny

B．wonderful

C．sad

D．lucky

小題4:It can be inferred that in the end the author and Sharon ________.

A．were not friends anymore

B．became good friends again

C．would switch to another school together

D．could hardly understand each other

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver，impolite waiter，rude boss，or an insensitive employee  36 your day?
One day I was in a taxi and we headed  37  the airport．We were driving in the  38 lane when suddenly a black car drove out of a parking space right in front of us．My taxi driver slammed on his  39 ，slid sideways，and at the very last moment our car stopped and  40  the other car by just inches!The driver of the other car looked around and started  41  at us．
My taxi driver just  42 and waved at the guy．And I mean he was really  43 ．So I asked，“Why did you just do that?This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!”This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call“The Law of the Garbage Truck”．
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks．They run around full of   44 ，full of frustration，full of anger，and full of disappointment．As their garbage  45  up，they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on  46 ．Don't take it personally；Just smile, wave，wish them well，and move on．
Believe me．You'll be  47 ．Don't take their garbage and  48 it to other people at work, at home，or on the streets．Life's too short to wake up in he morning with  49 . The mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what's   50  in your life，Roy Baumeister，a psychology researcher from Florida State University，found in his extensive research that you  5l bad things more ofter than good things in your life，you store the bad memories more easily，and you  52 them more frequently．
Therefore，love the people who treat you right and ignore the ones who don't．Life is ten percent what you make it and  ninety percent how you  53  it!
When you follow“The Law of the Garbage Truck”, you take back control of your life! You make room for the good by  54 go of the bad．Have a marvelous，garbage-free day! The seeds you plant today  55 the harvest you will reap tomorrow．

小題1:	A．enrich B．obtain C．spare D．ruin

小題2:	A．through B．to C．in D．for

小題3:	A．latter B．right C．opposite D．free

小題4:	A．window B．door C．brakes D．seat

小題5:	A．knocked B．overtook C．missed D．lost

小題6:	A．laughing B．throwing C．glancing D．yelling

小題7:	A．wondered B．ignored C．smiled D．guessed

小題8:	A．friendly B．a(chǎn)ngry C．tired D．disappointed

小題9:	A．expectation B．passengers C．garbage D．goods

小題10:

A．turns B．piles C．holds D．pushes

小題11:

A．roads B．children C．you D．dustbin

小題12:

A．upset B．happier C．pitiful D．frightened

小題13:

A．eontribute B．share C．explain D．spread

小題14:

A．surprise B．pleasure C．doubt D．regrets

小題15:

A．funny B．important C．strange D．embarrassing

小題16:

A．remember B．forget C．value D．a(chǎn)ppreciate

小題17:

A．recalI B．exchange C．enjoy D．imagine

小題18:

A．inspire B．take C．mend D．notice

小題19:

A．letting B．consisting C．making D．dreaming

小題20:

A．distinguish B．deserve C．deliver D．determine

The bicycling craze came in when we were just about at the right age to enjoy it．At first even “safety” bicycles were too dangerous and improper for ladies to ride, and they had to have tricycles．My mother had(I believe)the first female tricycle in Cambridge；and l had a little one，and we used to go out for family rides，all together；my father in front on a bicycle． and my poor brather Charles standing miserable on the bar behind lny mother．I found it very hard work．pounding(轟隆隆行進)away on my hard tyres；a glorious，but not a pleasurable pastinle．
Then, one day at lunch, my father said he had just seen a new kind of tyre，filled up,with air，and he thought it might be a success．And soon after that everyone had bicycles，ladies and all; and bicycling became the smart thing，and the lords and ladies had their pictures in the papers，riding along in the park，in straw hats．
My mother must have fallen off her bicycle pretty often，for I remember seeing the most appalling cuts and bruises(青腫)on her legs．But she never complained，and always kept these accidents to herself．However，the great Mrs. Phillips，our cook, always knew all a hout them；as indeed she knew practically everything that ever happened．She used to draw us into the servants' hall to tell us privately：“Her Ladyship had a nasty fall yesterday；she cut both her knees and sprained her wrist．But don't Iet her know I told you．”So we never dared say anything．Similar little accidents used to occur when，at the age of nearly Seventy，she insisted on learning to drive a car．She never mastered the art of reversing(倒車)，and was in every way an unconventional and terrifying driver． Mrs．Phillips used then to tell us：“Her Ladyship ran into the back of a milk-cart yesterday；but it wasn't much hurt”；or“A policeman stopped her Ladyship because she was on the wrong side of the road；but she said she didn't know what the white Line on the road meant，so he explained arld Let her go on．”Mrs．Phillips must have had an excellent Intelligence Service at her command，for the stories were always true enough．
小題1:Women did not ride bicycles at first betause         .

A．bicycling demanded too much hard work

B．bicycling was considered unsafe and unladylike

C．they preferred to ride tricycles

D．tricycles could carry young children as well

小題2:How did the writer feel about tricycles?

A．They were very hard to ride．

B．Riding tricycles was an enjoyble arnusement．

C．They were not as fast as bicycles．

D．They were not proper for women to ride．

小題3:Cycling became popular when         .

A．the writer's father popularized it	B．a(chǎn)ir-filled tyres began to be used
C．noble people started enjoying it	D．newspapers had pictures of cyclists

小題4:The writer admired Mrs．Phillips because         .

A．she was the best cook they had ever had

B．she was in command of all the setvants

C．she could keep secrets

D．she had an outstanding ability to gather information

小題5:The writer's mother often had car accidents because         .

A．she could not control the car well	B．she was very old then
C．she ignored the traffic signs	D．she behaved too proudly

It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble．That's more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty．
“I was on the way to a personal—injury accident in West Nashville．As I got onto Highway 40，blue lights and sirens(警笛)going，I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway．The driver somehow flustered at the sight of me．He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder．”
But Hyde couldn’t go after him．Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders，so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident．But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove，hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car．As it．turned out，keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult．Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene．
Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination。At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene．His help wasn't needed．Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird，who by this time had developed something new to panic about．
“Just about that time，”Hyde says，“I saw fire coming out from under that car，with blue smoke and oil going everywhere．He'd blown his engine．Now he had to stop．”
“After I arrested him，I asked him why he was running。He told me he didn't have a driver's license．”
That accident cost the driver of the Firehird plenty-a thousand dollars for the new engine-not to mention the charges for driving without a license，attempting to run away, and dangerous driving．
小題1:The meaning of“flustered”in Paragraph 2 is related to        .

A．shame

B．hate

C．a(chǎn)nger

D．fear

小題2:Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway?

A．Because he was racing with another driver on the road．

B．Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene．

C．Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him．

D．Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder．

小題3:Which of the following statements is true?

A．Someone else was taking care of the injured person．

B．The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene．

C．Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car．

D．The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40．

小題4:The driver of the Firebird        .

A．took a wrong turn on the way	B．had some trouble with his car
C．was stopped by the police officer	D．paid for the expenses of the accident

小題5:What is probably the best title for the article?

A．Losing His Way?	B．Going My Way?
C．Fun All the Way?	D．Help on the Way?

I woke up the other day to find that 10 inches of freshly fallen snow was waiting for me outside my door. The flakes were still __36__ heavily too. I didn’t want my little dogs __37__ in it, so I reluctantly __38__ on my heavy coat and grabbed the snow shovel to make a __39__. I had only gotten a bit done, however, _40_ the handle of my old snow shovel __41__ with a “snap”. Laughing and shaking my head, I _42_ to wait out the storm for a while.
It was late in the afternoon when the snow finally __43__ and I trudged(跋涉) over to my Dad’s house to borrow his shovel and _44__ again. By then the 10 inches of snow had turned into a foot and a half. I started out slow setting a steady __45__ and stopping to rest whenever my back started to ache. After a while, though, the __46__ finally broke and the sun peeked out to __47__ me on. The work seemed a lot easier then even though it was still __48__. I even sang a few Christmas carols and __49__ while I cleared out the drives, cleaned off the cars, and shoveled out the paths. After an hour of hard work the job was finally done. _50_, I let the child that still lives __51__ of me fall back into the snow and _52_ a snow angel for the angels in Heaven to see. It felt good walking back to my house after a job well done. It felt even better _53__ around at this wonderful world of white.
I don’t know why life sometimes gives us spring days and sometimes dumps a ton of snow in us. I do know, __54_, that we can pray, laugh, love, and choose _55__ through it all.

小題1:	A．falling B．floating C．piling D．flying

小題2:	A．missing B．running C．hiding D．drowning

小題3:	A．pulled B．dragged C．drew D．pushed

小題4:	A．difference B．discovery C．path D．snowman

小題5:	A．until B．when C．once D．a(chǎn)s

小題6:	A．crashed B．bent C．slipped D．broke

小題7:	A．decided B．hoped C．continued D．hesitated

小題8:	A．disappeared B．froze C．stopped D．melted

小題9:	A．clear B．try C．check D．think

小題10:

A．development B．rate C．step D．pace

小題11:

A．clouds B．shovel C．sky D．trees

小題12:

A．overlook B．cheer C．shine D．watch

小題13:

A．heavy B．cold C．warm D．bright

小題14:

A．danced B．jumped C．stopped D．smiled

小題15:

A．Laughing B．Crying C．Resting D．Wandering

小題16:

A．outside B．inside C．beyond D．a(chǎn)bove

小題17:

A．catch B．find C．make D．pretend

小題18:

A．looking B．walking C．turning D．wondering

小題19:

A．a(chǎn)nyway B．still C．then D．however

小題20:

A．fate B．determination C．joy D．luck

My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night lights, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights, protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting (適應(yīng)) well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find nighttimes the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you,” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cellphone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.
小題1:The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ___________.

A．she watched the scene with her daughter

B．the scene was very exciting and interesting

C．the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson

D．the scene showed a mother’s deep love for her children

小題2:After he daughter went to college, the writer ___________.

A．didn’t get used to the change for a long time

B．often cried as she missed her daughter so much

C．realized she hadn’t done enough for the daughter

D．failed to have a good sleep every night

小題3:What is the underlined word “melancholy” in Paragraph 3 similar in meaning to?

A．Happiness.

B．Anger.

C．Sadness.

D．Excitement.

小題4:We can infer that watching Toy Story 3 ___________.

A．made the writer know her daughter didn’t want to go to college

B．improved the relationship between the writer and her daughter

C．helped the writer realize how important education was

D．made the writer miss her daughter even more

Sometimes teens (十幾歲的少年) need to have some time away from their families. They may want to move out of the family or home for a while.
Many parents will say no to this demand. But experts say it might be a good idea to let your teens live with a friend or a relative. “It was the break I needed at the time,” said Richard Lerne. He is talking about the time he spent living with his grandmother when he was 15. “It allowed me to be a more different person than I was with my parents.” Lerne said. He now heads the Institute for Children, Youth and Families at Michigan State University.
Experts say teens living away from their families can test new ways of thinking and getting along with people. They may see new ways to problems. Some teens who want some time away from family attend a structured summer program. Others live for a while with a relative or with the family of a friend.
If there is conflict (沖突) at home, having a teen live elsewhere can benefit other family members. It gives everyone space to develop better relationships.
Joseph Kett teaches history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He says living at home until the late ten years has become the norm (準則) only in recent times. “In the 17th century, children were often sent to live in other people’s home when they were about 10 or 11”, he said.
Peter Sheras teaches education at the University of Virginia. He says parents should listen when a child wants to move out. They should try to find out why the child wants some time away.
小題1:According to this passage, many parents may think it _____ for their children to live away from them.

A．right

B．happy

C．unsafe

D．reasonable

小題2:When children seriously disagree with their parents, experts suggest that parents should ______.

A．punish them

B．let them live away from their family

C．send for a teacher

D．keep them in the house

小題3:In the third paragraph the word “structured” means ______.

A．built

B．stuck

C．organized

D．drunk

小題4:In history, ______.

A．teens never left their families

B．teens often left their parents

C．teens never went to school

D．teens never make friends with each other

Driving In America
Keep Right
The traffic follows the “keep right rule”. While driving, drive on the right side of the road. On one-way, multiple lanes(車道) road, the right-most lane would be slowest and left-most lane is fastest.
Hand Signals
Though indicators(車的指示燈) are used for the purpose of showing which direction you are going, knowing some hand signals is very important and are usually always asked in a driving test. When you want to turn right, you can put your left hand out of the window and point upward. When you want to make a left turn, you can reach your left arm out of the window and point to the left. If you want to slow down or stop, you can just point downward.
School Buses
Yellow school buses have flashing red lights and stop signs that reach out from the driver’s side. The drivers use these warning signals when letting pupils on and off. No matter which side of the road you are traveling on, if you come upon a school bus with its lights flashing and a stop sign used, you must stop. It’s the law. Remain stopped until the lights stop flashing or the stop sign is removed.
Using the Horn
Using horns is not common in America. Actually they are very rarely used. You may use your horn to warn walkers or other drivers of possible trouble or to avoid accidents. Do not use your horn to express anger or complain about other drivers’ mistakes or to try to get a slow driver to move faster.
小題1:If Freddy is asked to go to Florida in the shortest time from Missouri, on which lane in the picture below should he drive his car according to Paragraph 1?

A．Lane ①.

B．Lane ②.

C．Lane ③.

D．Lane ④.

小題2:What could a driver do in America when turning left?

A．Place left hand out of the window pointing upward.

B．Put left hand out of the window pointing downward.

C．Reach left arm out of the window pointing to the left.

D．Place left hand out of the window pointing backward.

小題3:According to the passage, which of the following is possibly accepted in America?

A．Use horns sometimes to warn passers-by of danger.

B．Drive on before the stop sign on a school bus is removed.

C．Use hand signals instead of indicators to show which direction you are going.

D．Do not use warning signals in the school bus until all the pupils get on the bus.

小題4:Who is the passage most probably written for?

A．Passers-by.

B．Pupils.

C．Policemen.

D．Drivers.

I'm writing this letter slowly because I know you can't read fast. We don't live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happened within 20 miles from our home, so we moved.
I won't be able to send you the address because the last family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so that they wouldn't have to change their address. This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm not sure it works so well though: last week I put a load in and pulled the chain (拉鏈) and haven't seen them since. The weather isn't bad here. It only rained twice last week; the first time for three days and the second time for four days. About that coat you wanted me to send you, your uncle Stanley said it would be too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.
John locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out. Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven't found out what it is yet. The baby looks just like your brother.
Uncle Ted fell in a whiskey vat（桶）last week. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off playfully and drowned. We had him cremated（焚化）and he burned for three days.
Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pick-up trunk. Ralph was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. You other two friends were in back. They drowned because they couldn't get the tail gate down.
There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened.
Love,
Mom
P.S. I was going to send you some money but the envelope was already sealed.
小題1:From the passage, we can infer that _____.

A．here is the letter by a son for his father

B．here is the letter by a mother for her son

C．the family moved to a new and nice place because it is really good there

D．the writer's daughter has got a male baby

小題2:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The number of the family is four, including the new-born baby.

B．The son can't send his parents a letter because the address was taken by the other family.

C．The son will receive a coat with the buttons detached (拆下).

D．None is true.

小題3:The underlined word "it"(Para.3) refers to _____.

A．the thing that the baby was born	B．the baby
C．the son's father	D．the son's mother

小題4:What is the reason why the family moved to a new place?

A．The son asked them to do so .

B．The place is really nice and the climate there is not bad, too.

C．His dad read in the newspaper most accidents happened within 20 miles from their home.

D．His sister had a baby, so they wanted to find a fine place.

Australia is the smallest continent in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is on the Southern Hemisphere(半球)of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.
Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish in the rivers. Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flower exhibition. There we saw large numbers of wild flowers on show, most of which we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. Every year in spring Perth has wild flower exhibitions. After visiting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves very much. When we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill, we looked up, but what we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to our car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us along the path.
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos(袋鼠). After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself among the white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere you can see sheep.
小題1:Which country is the writer most possibly from?

A．Japan

B．Canada

C．China

D．America

小題2:Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

A．Australia has enough laws to fight against pollution.

B．Perth is the biggest city in Australia.

C．The wild flowers in Perth must be different from what the author sees in his/her country.

D．The author enjoyed his/her visit in the countryside.

小題3:The underlined word “exhibition” in the third paragraph probably means_______.

A．a(chǎn) public show for people to visit

B．a(chǎn) market where you can buy all kinds of flowers

C．a(chǎn) place where all kinds of flowers are grown

D．a(chǎn) field where there are flowers and animals

小題4:From the passage we know Perth is famous for ____

A．its population

B．its size

C．its kangaroos

D．its wild flowers