—Have you heard about the recent election?

—Sure, it ________the only thing on the news for the last three days.

A．would be B．is C．has been D．will be

It was not until near the end of the letter ______ she mentioned her own plan.

A. that B. where C. why D. when

People complain that decisions to approve or deny a permit are often ______ rather than based on fixed criteria.

A. appropriate B. conscious

C. arbitrary D. controversial

It’s much easier to make friends ______ you have similar interests.

A. unless B. when C. even though D. so that

You cannot accept an opinion ________to you unless it is based on facts.

A．offering B．to offer

C．having offered D. offered

Introduction to Letters to Sam

Dear Reader,

Please allow me to tell you something before you read this book. When my _ , Sam, was born, my heart was filled with joy. I had been sitting in a wheelchair for 20 years before then, and I have been _ ill many times. So I wondered if I would have the_____to tell Sam what I had _ ___.

For years I have been hosting a program on the___and writing articles for a magazine. Being to move freely, I have learned to sit still and keep my heart , exchanging thoughts with thousands of listeners and ___. So when Sam was born, I____to tell him about school and friendship, romance and work, love and everything else. That’s how I started to write these____. I hope that Sam would____them sooner or later.

However, that expectation___when Sam showed signs of autism (自閉癥) at the age of two. He had actually stopped talking before the discovery of the signs. He ____to communicate with others, even the family members. That was____for me but didn’t stop me writing on. I realized that I had even_____now to tell him. I wanted him to____what it means to be “different” from others, and learn how to fight against the misfortune he’ll____as I myself, his grandfather, did. I just____if I could write all that I wanted to say in the rest of my life.

Now, _____the book has been published, I have been given the chance. Every chapter in the book is a letter to Sam: some about my life, and all about what it means to be a____.

Daniel Bottlings

1.A. son B. nephew C. brother D. grandson

2.A. seriously B. mentally C. slightly D. quietly

3.A. ability B. time C. courage D. responsibility

4.A. written B. suffered C. observed D. lost

5.A. radio B. television C. stage D. bed

6.A. ready B. unable C. anxious D. eager

7.A. warm B. broken C. closed D. open

8.A. hosts B. visitors C. readers D. reporters

9.A. began B. stopped C. forgot D. decided

10.A. letters B. emails C. books D. diaries

11.A. find B. read C. collect D. keep

12.A. developed B. disappeared C. changed D. arrived

13.A. tried B. refused C. regretted D. hoped

14.A. exciting B. acceptable C. strange D. heartbreaking

15.A. less B. everything C. more D. nothing

16.A. understand B. explain C. believe D. question

17.A. fear B. face C. know D. cause

18.A. felt B. guessed C. saw D. doubted

19.A. as B. once C. though D. if

20.A. teacher B. child C. man D. writer

There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with his students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee, the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.

The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK. Then the professor asked about the cure for the illness, and the student, too, answered just as right. “Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?” “A full spoon,” answered the student. “Now you go out and wait for what you can get,” said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed there was something wrong with his last answer. “A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he entered the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for the patient. He can take only five drops. ”

“I’m sorry, sir,” said the professor coldly, “but it’s too late. Your patient has died.”

1.The students were afraid of the professor because ___________.

A. they often angered and disappointed him

B. their answers often astonished him

C. their answers seldom satisfied him

D. he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks

2.Before he left the room, the student probably ___________.

A. believed that he had passed the exam

B. thought five drops of medicine would cure the patient

C. knew he had made a mistake

D. felt he had not done well in the exam

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to this text?

A. The patient will be in danger if he’s taken as much as a full spoon.

B. The doctor will be in trouble if he has given the patient a full spoon.

C. Since one spoon is more than five drops, the patient will be all right soon after taking one spoon.

D. If the patient wants to remain safe, he should take no more than five drops at a time.

4. We can learn from this text that ___________.

A. someone died in the exam

B. the student would probably not pass the exam

C. the professor was pleased to see the students’ improvement

D. the slight change may not cause big difference in medical treatment

New York, 10 November — 5:27 pm, yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city’s history.

* Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn’t let him. Firemen finally got us out.”

* “It was the best night we’ve ever had,” said Angela Carraro, who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street. “We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full — and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”

* The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problem keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool. “All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan. “They were worth $ 50,000.”

* The big electric clock in the lobby(大廳) of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost on time.

1.Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were _________.

A. nervous B. excited C. calm D. frightened

2.In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro?

A. She had a taste of adventure.

B. Burning candles brightened the place.

C. Business was better than usual.

D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.

3.How long did the power failure last?

A. Nearly 12 hours. B. More than 12 hours.

C. Nearly 24 hours. D. More than 24 hours.

Children have their own rules in playing games. They seldom need a referee (裁判) and rarely trouble to keep scores. They don’t care much about who wins or loses, and it doesn’t seem to worry them if the game is not finished. Yet, they like games that depend a lot on luck, so that their personal abilities cannot be directly compared. They also enjoyed games that move in stages, in which each stage, the choosing of leaders, the picking-up of sides, or the determining of which side shall start, is almost a game in itself.

Grown-ups can hardly find children’s game exciting, and they often feel puzzled at why their kids play such simple game again and again. However, it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons. He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person, and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinary afraid. He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn. He can be confident, too, in particular games, that it is his place to give orders, to pretend to be dead, to throw a ball actually at someone, or to kiss someone he has caught.

It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control. Everyone knows the rules, and more importantly, everyone plays according to the rules. Those rules may be childish, but they make sure that every child has a chance to win.

1.What is true about children when they play games?

A. They can stop playing any time they like.

B. They can test their personal abilities.

C. They want to pick a better team.

D. They don’t need rules.

2.To become a leader in a game the child has to _________.

A. be a useful partner

B. wait for his turn

C. be confident in himself

D. be popular among his playmates

3. Why does a child like playing games?

A. Because he can be someone other than himself.

B. Because he can become popular among friends.

C. Because he finds he is always lucky in games.

D. Because he likes the place where he plays a game.

4.Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Rules in Children’s Games

B. Advantages of Playing Games for Children

C. Reasons for Children’s Games

D. How to Be a Popular Game Player

Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours(繞行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement(限制) and have strong opinions about everything.

Road trips felt risky，so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'd get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist－h(huán)igh grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons(見(jiàn)識(shí))．

We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of journey—and the best part of yourself.

1.Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents' home?

A．It was less tiring.

B．It would be faster and safer.

C．Her kids would feel less confined.

D．She felt better with other drivers nearby.

2.The author stopped regularly on the country roads to ________．

A．relax in the fresh air

B．take a deep breath

C．take care of the lamb

D．let the kids play with Banner

3.Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?

A．To give herself some time to read.

B．To order some food for them.

C．To play a game with them.

D．To let them cool down.

4.What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Charm of the Detour

B．The Road to Bravery

C．Creativity out of Necessity

D．Road Trip and Country Life