On my first day of teaching,I found that I spent 85 per cent of my energy disciplining and 15 per cent
teaching knowledge.Of course I had some wonderful,serious students who would do well wherever they
were in life,but others worked hard to push themselves to the limit (限度)．At night I went home
exhausted,often near tears.What gave me the idea I wanted to teach?
      And then there was Matthew.
     After school Matthew would come into my classroom to dust erasers or empty the wastepaper basket.
     "Why do you come in to visit me?" I asked him one night.
     "Because at home no one listens to me," was his reply.Later I found out that there were eleven children in his family,with Matthew near the middle.
     One time when he came to see me,he said,"Miss Ausmus,the kids are saying that you and Mr D．like each other."
     "Matthew,Mr D．is a nice man and we both teach some of the same students.He is not my boyfriend,
and it's not something the children should be talking about anyway."
     Another time,he said,"Will you wait for me so I can marry you when I grow up?"
     "Sorry,Matthew,but that won't work," I answered in a gentle way.
     When my birthday arrived,his mother made me a cake.She delivered (遞送) it after school,and as
Matthew was carrying it up the school steps,he tripped (絆倒),dropping the cake.I found him in tears.I
told him that bringing me a cake was very,very special,whether I was able to eat it or not.
     After my second year of teaching,I said "goodbye" to Matthew and his family.
     Years passed and in 1992,I went back to the little town to visit.Matthew's parents still lived in the same house.His mother greeted me warmly."Janet,"she said,"Thanks for all the time you spent encouraging
Matthew.You taught him to believe in himself.You are the reason he went to college."
     I had made a difference in the life of a young boy.But I wonder...did Matthew ever know the difference he made in mine?

1. How did the author feel at the beginning of her teaching?

A. Embarrassed.  
B. Excited.
C. Frustrated.  
D. Amused.

2. By saying "others worked hard to push themselves to the limit",the author meant other students
________.

A. were forced to challenge themselves
B. made efforts to challenge their classmates
C. needed to be encouraged to learn
D. did everything they could to do well

3. Why did Matthew visit the author after school?

A. Because he had less communication at home.
B. Because he wondered if she liked Mr D.
C. Because he decided to marry her when he grew up.
D. Because he was going to celebrate her birthday.

4. Under the influence of the author,Matthew became________.

A. honest  
B. sincere
C. confident  
D. hardworking

5. What difference did Matthew make to the author?

A. He encouraged her to win Mr D．'s love.
B. He made her become enthusiastic about disciplining.
C. He gave her the courage to continue teaching.
D. He got her to understand what was true love.

     My mother loves flowers.As soon as warm weather comes around,you will find her planting,
watering and weeding over everything.For many years we lived next door to each other,and she
spent as much time in my garden as she did her own.After the flowers became plentiful each  
summer,she would cut colorful bouquets (花束) to enjoy inside the house-both hers and mine.I
would often come  home from work and find a beautiful arrangement (布置) of  fresh flowers on
my coffee table.
     Shortly before Christmas one year,a local flower shop  offered a bouquetamonth special.It
seemed to be a great  way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me  through the years.
     After the holidays,in early January,I drove her to the  flower shop to pick up her first month's
bouquet.The small  fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase (花瓶).
     I was so embarrassed (尷尬的). However,after we returned home,she began to arrange the
flowers she had received."Mom,I'm sorry," I told her."I can't believe how skimpy that bouquet is."
She looked at me and smiled."It's okay," she said."It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each
one."
     Mom's words helped me to realize something bigger and more important-when we have too many
good things,we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one.
     Thanks,Mom,for helping me understand that less is sometimes more.

1. According to Paragraph 1,which of the following is TRUE?

A. The author's mother put fresh flowers on the author's coffee table.
B. The author used to buy some fresh flowers on her way home.
C. The author's mother usually bought flowers for her daughter.
D. The author and her mother shared a becautiful garden.

2. The author bought her mother flowers to________.

A. celebrate the coming Christmas
B. express thanks for all her mother's done
C. bring more flowers to her mother's garden
D. arrange her mother's new house

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A. The author couldn't afford a big bouquet.
B. The mother was not happy when receiving the bouquet.
C. The author would pick up another bouquet the next month.
D. The mother would send back the bouquet to the flower shop.

4. The underlined word "skimpy" in Para.4 means________.

A. beautiful  
B. colorful  
C. cheap  
D. small

5. What did the author learn from her mother?

A. How to grow flowers.
B. How to arrange flowers.
C. Enjoying life if possible.
D. Considering things in other ways.

     When I was in primary school,sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me.Lisa was never
active,but she was always very sweet and nice.In the 5th grade she came to my class.
     She was absent a lot,and one day I had the courage to ask why.She told me she was sick,and she
explained she wore a wig (假發(fā)) because her medicine made her lose her hair.We_left_it_at_that.Anytime Lisa came to class-seldom-I would hang with her on the playground.
      I received much ridicule (嘲弄) from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for
Lisa.My family education taught me to be nice,and I felt Lisa's needs were much more important than
others I knew.
     It had been months since Lisa was in our class,and one day our teacher was crying.She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate.She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗爭) with cancer for years.
     I was shocked.Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her.Well,all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart.When I go through the important events in my life,I think of Lisa.
     I've had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father.I'd like to tell them that though they never met me,their daughter had a sweet effect (影響) on my life.I have no idea what her parents'first names are.I write to your column (欄目) and hope you can point me in the right direction.
     Lisa was such a lovely girl.Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years
they are not the only ones who remember her.

1. The underlined sentence in Para.2 probably means________.

A. we kept on talking about her illness later
B. we discussed the topic and then left together
C. we just stopped talking about her illness
D. we went away after talking about her illness

2. Why was the author being laughed at?

A. Because she wore a wig to school.
B. Because she always played with Lisa.
C. Because she cried in the classroom.
D. Because she lost her friends because of Lisa.

3. What can we know about the author from the passage?

A. She had known Lisa since they were born.
B. She has been to Lisa's house.
C. She has a good family education.
D. She was the first one to know about Lisa's death.

4. What did the author learn from Lisa?

A. To keep your illness a secret.
B. To be nice to everyone everywhere.
C. To face challenges in life bravely.
D. To put others'needs above yours.

5. The author wrote this passage mainly to________.

A. remember a true friend
B. ask for help to find a friend's parents
C. show her concern for a friend
D. tell her experience of fighting cancer

     Sitting in the play area of the doctor's office, my children, Paul, four, and Bailey, three, built a Lego
tower while we waited to be called for Paul's examination.
     "Good job, you guys, "I said, trying not to sound too tired.My husband was away on business, and
it was difficult being alone with the kids.At times I felt like I was living in the jungle (叢林) rather than
the suburbs.
     "Don't put the Lego in your mouth, Bailey, " I said.Paul grabbed (抓取) it from him."That's not nice,
Paul, " I said.He gave back the Lego.I looked around the waiting room.A woman was eating something,
a couple were talking, and an old gentleman in a blue jacket was reading a magazine.I wished I could sit
quietly for a while.I wanted to be able to take a rest, or go shopping alone.At once, I was ashamed of
myself.What kind of mother was I?"God, " I thought, "help me to be the very best mom I can be."
     The nurse came into the waiting room to get us.Just at that moment, the old gentleman in the waiting
room put down his magazine and came up to me.With a smile on his face, he said, "Your children are
most certainly lucky to have such a wonderful mother.""Thank you, "I replied in a low voice and watched
him walk back to his seat.We followed the nurse into the examination room.While she weighed Paul, I
told her how that man had made my day.
     Motherhood is still a jungle sometimes, but now when I feel tired I remember the encouraging words
of the old gentleman.

1. The writer went to the doctor's office because________.

A. one of her children liked to play there
B. her son Paul needed an examination
C. she was tired and needed to see her doctor
D. she wanted to have all her children examined

2. From Paragraph 2, we know the writer felt that looking after her children alone was________.

A. unfair B. happy  
C. hard  D. interesting

3. The writer criticized Paul when he________.

A. put the Lego into Bailey's mouth
B. took away the toy from Bailey
C. made trouble in the waiting room
D. didn't follow her advice

4. In the old gentleman's opinion, the writer________.

A. lived a very hard life
B. was a very good mother
C. didn't love her children enough
D. was lucky to have so lovely children

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The writer often went shopping alone.
B. The writer's husband was always on business.
C. The writer doesn't know how to be a good mother.
D. The writer was greatly encouraged by the old gentleman's words.

     "How was school, Ben?" I asked my grandson after he began kindergarten (幼兒園) this year."The
work is too long...and there's not enough time to play, " he replied.
     I couldn't help but remember Ben's own mother, my daughter, Jane, and her reaction (反應(yīng)) to the
first day of school.Julie was also disappointed with the first day of school and so was her little sister."I
want to go 'sool'and you not let me!" my threeyearold daughter announced angrily after her big sister got
on the big yellow school bus.
     When Julie returned home that afternoon I asked her the same question that I asked Ben, "How was
school, Julie?" Julie replied, "I didn't learn to read today."
     This year as the school bus went by my house, my mind went back to those school days again.I could
almost smell the chalk dust in the air.I also wonder what the children these days manage to get chosen to
do in order to get out of school for a few moments since there are no erasers to clean.It was fun to be
"chosen" for eraser cleaning duty.This was a task finished by going outside and beating erasers together
while sneezing and coughing.No_wonder_so_many_babies_now_have_allergies_(過敏癥), it's_simply_
because_we_all_have_chalk_dust_in_our_lungs!
     On the first day of school, the expectation was so great that I would ready long before it was time to
leave for school.We didn't miss having backpacks because we had cigar boxes.We carried our small
supplies inside a cigar box from one of the local stores.We saved the cigar boxes and used them from
year to year until they fell apart.
     The first day of school was exciting.It was a new beginning.The doors of knowledge had been opened.The first day of school is an event in our lives that most of us remember.It's a big step for a small child
toward leaving babyhood behind and so "there isn't enough time to play".
     No matter how old we get, nor how much we learn, it still seems like "The work is too long...and
there's not enough time to play."

1. Why did Jane become angry according to the passage?

A. Because she didn't learn to read on the first day of school.
B. Because there was too much work for her to do at school.
C. Because she had no time to play at school.
D. Because she wasn't allowed to go to school.

2. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 suggests that________.

A. the author was thinking of her school days jokingly
B. the author warned students against the harm of chalk dust
C. the author suffered from an allergy because of chalk dust
D. the author doubted whether her lungs had chalk dust

3. When the author went to school, she________.

A. usually carried a backpack full of books
B. used to fill a cigar box with small things
C. wasn't happy and expected nothing
D. often had a cigar box instead of a backpack

4. In the opinion of the author, the first day of school is________.

A. a day when a child is the happiest
B. a day when a child does much work
C. the beginning of great learning
D. the end of childhood full of toys

5. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A. Children have too much homework to do now.
B. Teachers should make their classes interesting on the first day of school.
C. School days haven't changed over years.
D. People never have enough time to play once they start school.