One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister．On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend．I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children．Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with．
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out．I called home with this happy news．But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing．
It was, I should point out, after 10 p．m．,when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone．“I’ll give him a lesson,” I said． I decided they must be outside．Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a winter night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with．
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house． After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered．“Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here．”
He came on the phone．I was not my usual calm, rational（理智的）self． After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers．“Where are the children?” I said．He said they were with him．They had done nothing wrong．My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake．This was too good to be believed． Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it．It was only part of the truth．
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday．My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts．Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions．They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend．
【小題1】The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because         ．   

A．she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter

B．she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones

C．she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help

D．she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night

【小題2】When the author called home that evening, she found that           ．

A．two younger children had already been in bed

B．the children were preparing a birthday gift for her

C．her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend

D．there was no one answering the telephone

【小題3】What might the children do that evening?

A．They had a birthday party．	B．They framed some photographs．
C．They had their pictures taken．	D．They made some beautiful clothes．

【小題4】What does the author intend to tell us by the story?

A．Modern teenagers are not worth trusting．

B．It is no easy job to look after young children．

C．It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age．

D．Her children have a caring and tender heart．

I found a website that has changed my life for the better. The website is wishuponahero.com and it is all about people helping others, not expecting anything in return.
I am a single mom with a son. My son’s 12th birthday was on October 29th, 2007. Knowing that I didn’t have money to buy him a birthday gift had broken my heart. So I decided to post a wish on wishuponahero.com for people to send my son birthday cards.
Many cards just started coming and my little son was very excited and this went on for about three weeks. The smile on his face and the sparkle (閃光) in his eyes brought me to tears.
Then, in the end of November, he started thinking about Christmas and he already knew that there would not be a tree for him because we didn’t have enough money. However, it didn’t matter to him. All he talked about was how much he wanted to make other children smile. So he decided that what he wanted to do was earn money to buy Christmas cards and send them to other children from poor families. My son went out daily and raked (耙) leaves and walked some dogs to make money. Not only did he buy cards, but he also made enough money to buy all the stamps and lollipops (棒棒糖) to be sent with the cards. He sent out about 100 cards. Doing this brought him that same smile and sparkle in his eyes as did the birthday cards that he received.
【小題1】The single mother posted a wish on wishuponahero.com because _______________.

A．she wanted to buy her son a card on the website

B．she wanted to get something for free

C．she hoped that people could help her

D．she thought her son would like the website very much

【小題2】What did the son think of his birthday cards on October 29th, 2007?

A．Disappointing.	B．Exciting.
C．Cheap.	D．Poor.

【小題3】What can we conclude from the story?

A．Surfing the Internet is of great use.

B．One should take care of his children.

C．People can ask for help from wishuponahero.com.

D．Learning to give makes one’s life more meaningful.

The Chinese New Year is a great holiday to choose to celebrate Chinese culture with your child. Here are few fun ways to bring a bit of fun and   1   into your home through the festivities of the Chinese New Year.

1.Add a lucky red door. Red is a traditional color of   2  . It's an important part of the Chinese New Year to   3  on doing what one can to bring about good luck for the New Year. If you don't want to  4   the door red, how about wrapping it up like a present with red wrapping paper. If changing your front door's color is not workable, how about the door to your child's bedroom?

2.Eat. A huge part of most cultures is that of food and the Chinese New Year is not   5  , it's eating jiaozi at midnight on New Year's Eve, or longevity noodles on day seven of the festivities to    6  long life. The Chinese New Year celebrations mean many fancy meals that your child will   7  .

3.Create a lantern. Sara Naumann, the Guide to China Travel, shares a bit about the legend of the Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao, which occurs on the   8  day of the Chinese New Year festivities. It's a   9  that includes an emperor, a young woman who misses her family, and tricking the God of Fire. Your kids should love this story. After   10  it with them, or while reading the story, enjoy making your own paper lantern to display.

4.Give lucky money. The Guide to Mandarin Language shares that another very popular   11  during the Chinese New Year is that of the gift of red envelopes with   12  in them. These gifts are given to children and usually follow a bit of superstition（迷信） in that the money needs to be given in even amounts and never contain   13  numbers, such as four. Therefore, four dollars is not a good gift. The envelopes are also decorated with lucky symbols and New Year   14  .

5.Give a small gift. The giving of simple gifts is also an appropriate way to   15  the Chinese New Year. What better gift than that of a children's book about the Chinese New Year or the Chinese Culture.

6.Make some noise. Just like in America, the Chinese use   16  in ringing in their New Year. In the Chinese culture it began as a way to   17   away any demons（鬼） that threaten to bring a profitable and lucky New Year, but today it's also about excitement and   18  . Consider setting off a few firecrackers of your own, if allowed in your area. If not, make a cute firework picture with a bit of glitter and glue. A pretend firecracker is another great craft that could also be considered a festive way to decorate your New Year table.

7.Sing Happy Birthday to your dog. The second day of the Chinese New Year is   19  the birthday of all dogs. Why not   20  your child to throw Fido a birthday celebration? Perhaps an extra ride in the car or new chew toy is in order? I know my dog would appreciate a few extra belly rubs too.

(    ) 1. A. tradition           B. culture             C. civilization       D. habit

(    ) 2. A. wealth              B. disaster             C. belief                      D. luck

(    ) 3. A. focus                      B. accuse              C. adapt               D. mind

(    ) 4. A. boil                 B. paint               C. wash               D. purchase

(    ) 5. A. same               B. similar             C. common           D. different

(    ) 6. A. come about       B. take about        C. bring about       D. get out

(    ) 7. A. bore                 B. destroy             C. enjoy                      D. absorb

(    ) 8. A. last                  B. first                 C. second              D. next

(    ) 9. A. play                 B. story               C. novel                      D. history

(    ) 10. A. sharing           B. listening           C. reading             D. making

(    ) 11. A. invention               B. story               C. race                 D. tradition

(    ) 12. A. food                      B. clothes             C. money              D. jewels

(    ) 13. A. unclear           B. unlucky            C. unfair                   D. uncertain

(    ) 14. A. wishes            B. signs               C. presents            D. happiness

(    ) 15. A. spend             B. envy               C. buy                  D. celebrate

(    ) 16. A. firecrackers     B. songs                      C. dances              D. goods

(    ) 17. A. take                      B. scare               C. get                   D. burn

(    ) 18. A. fun               B. relax               C. sleep               D. travel

(    ) 19. A. fixed                  B. named              C. considered               D. marked

(    ) 20. A. order              B. accompany       C. tease               D. Allow

One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister. On this occasion, the task was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend. I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones. Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.

I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out. I called home with this happy news. But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.

It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone. “I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside. Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a wintry night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.

Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered. “Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”

He came on the phone. I was not my usual calm, rational self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers. “Where are the children?” I said. He said they were with him. They had done nothing wrong. My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake. This was too favorable to be believed. Well, it turned out that I shouldn’t have believed it. It was only part of the truth.

The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday. My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts. Mounted(裱裝) and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.

That was the most precious gift of all.

1.Shortly after the author left home one evening, she discovered that ____.

A．her son had brought his girlfriend home

B．the father of her son’s girlfriend had come to her home to take photos of the children

C．she shouldn’t have completely trusted her son

D．she should have taken the children along with her

2.According to Paragraph 3, “it” means ____.

A．the two younger children have been in bed

B．the older children have been answering the phone

C．the author will give her older son a lesson

D．the older son has gone outside with his girlfriend

3.The sentence “It was only part of the truth.” (Para. 5) implies that the children not only enjoyed ice-cream but also ____.

A．had a birthday party                     B．framed some photographs

C．had their pictures taken                  D．showed off their best clothes

4.Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A．Puppy Love                            B．Brotherhood

C．Mother and Children                     D．A Precious Birthday Gift

 

Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed（臉紅）.
【小題1】 We can learn from the text that Vicki___________.

A．often received gifts from her father	B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll
C．was sad because of her father’s death	D．liked and respected Uncle Tom

【小題2】 Vicki’s mother became angry because ___________.

A．Uncle Tom helped them out after Vicki’s father died

B．Vicki opened the box before her birthday

C．there was nothing in the gift box

D．Vicki dropped the gift because of her carelessness

【小題3】 What kind of person is Uncle Tom?

A．Thoughtful

B．Humorous

C．Mysterious

D．Funny

【小題4】What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?

A．How to respect others	B．The meaning of gifts
C．How to deal with gifts	D．The value of a promise