When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.

It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.

“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (條紋) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!

The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.

My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art. 

“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.  

Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.

1. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?

   A. To introduce Stephanie to her.       

   B. To prevent her from seeing his painting. 

   C. To put the materials back in the yard.      

   D. To show his artwork to her.

2.In his mother’s eyes, the writer_______.

   A. was a born artist                     B. always caused trouble

   C. was a problem solver                  D. worked very hard

3. The underlined word “rainbow” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

   A. the rainbow in the sky               

   B. the stripes on the pavement

   C. something imaginative and fun        

   D. important lessons learned in childhood

4. It can be learned from the passage that parents should ________.

   A. encourage children to paint          

   B. value friendship among children

   C. discover the hidden talent in children                 

    D. protect rather than destroy children’s dreams

 

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意。然后從36-55各題所給的選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

Mark was seven when he joined his father and two other elder brothers at sunrise in the fields. __36__ the time he was eight he was helping Dad fix up old furniture. He was given a cent for every nail he __37__ out of old boards.

He got his first __38__ job at BT’s Restaurant in town, when he reached twelve. His main tasks were__39__tables and washing dishes, __40__sometimes he helped cook.

Every day after school he would __41__ to BT’s and work till ten. Even on Saturdays he __42__ from two till eleven. At that age it was difficult going to work and __43__ his friends run off to swim or play. He didn’t necessarily like work, but he loved what working __44__ him to have. Because of his __45__ he was always the one buying when his friends and he went to the local shop. That made him __46__.

Word that he was trustworthy and hard-working __47__ around the town. A local clothing shop offered him credit（賒帳）__48__ he was only in Grade 7. He immediately __49__ a $ 68 sports coats and a $ 22 pair of shoes. He was__50__ only 65 cents an hour, and he already owed the shopkeeper $ 90! So he learned __51__ the danger of easy credit. He paid it __52__ as soon as he could.

The first job taught him self-control, responsibility and brought him a __53__of personal satisfaction few of his friends had experienced. As his father, __54__worked three jobs, once told him, “If you__55__sacrifice and responsibility, there are not many things in life you cannot have.” How right he was!

1.	A．Before B．Within C．From D．By

 

2.	A．pulled B．put C．picked D．pressed

 

3.	A．usual B．real C．main D．participate

 

4.	A．sweeping B．packing C．clearing D．empting

 

5.	A．or B．so C．but D．even

 

6.	A．head B．turn C．change D．move

 

7.	A．studied B．worked C．played D．slept

 

8.	A．helping B．having C．watching D．letting

 

9.	A．a(chǎn)sked B．told C．promised D．a(chǎn)llowed

 

10.	A．study B．power C．a(chǎn)ge D．job

 

11.	A．proud B．friendly C．lucky D．hopeful

 

12.	A．ran B．got C．flew D．carried

 

13.	A．a(chǎn)lthough B．while C．if D．since

 

14.	A．sold B．borrowed C．charged D．wore

 

15.	A．keeping B．making C．paying D．taking

 

16.	A．gradually B．greatly C．hardly D．early

 

17.	A．out B．over C．a(chǎn)way D．off

 

18.	A．point B．level C．part D．sign

 

19.	A．he B．that C．who D．whoever

 

20.	A．understand B．demand C．offer D．fear

 

Several different stories are told about the origin（由來） of Saint Valentine's Day（情人節(jié)）. One legend(傳奇) dates as far back as the clays of the Roman Empire, according to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of the army. He knew that it would be easier to get young man who were not married to join. Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.

A priest（牧師） named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.

After his death, Valentine was made a saint, and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's Day. It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day. Now Saint Valentine's Day is a time for people to send one another greeting of many kinds.

February 14, Valentine's Day, is a sweethearts' day, on which people in love with each other express their tender emotions. People sometimes put their love message in a heart-shaped box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons. Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card, or something else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same "will you be my Valentine?"

Valentine was put in prison because ________.

A. he secretly got married                                        

B. he didn't serve in the army

C. he married many young people secretly              

D. he broke the laws

According to the rule ________.

A. no young men could get married unless they were old enough

B. young men could marry if they served in the army for several years

C. no one could get married without the emperor's permission

D. young could marry only in the army

This passage mainly tells us about _________.

A. how Valentine died                                             

B. the Emperor of Rome

C. how Valentine's Day is celebrated                    

D. the origin of Valentine's Day

February 14 is chosen Valentine's Day because __________.

A. lovers express their tender emotions on this day   

   B. people want to remember Valentine

C. people send one another greetings of many kinds on this day

D. people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotions

I start to wonder what else had changed since I’d been gone. My parents are in an awkward puzzle, wondering how to treat me now----whether to treat me—still their daughter—as one of them, an adult, or as the child they feel they sent away months earlier.

I run into two of my best friends from high school; we stare at each other, expressionless. We ask the simple questions and give simple answers. It’s as if we have nothing to say to each other. I wonder how things have changed so much in such a small amount of time. We used to laugh and promise that no matter how far away we were, our love for each other would never change. Their interests don’t interest me anymore, and I find myself unable to relate my life to theirs.

I had been so excited to come home, but now I just look at it all and wonder: Is it me? Why hadn’t the world stood still here while I was gone?  My room isn’t the same, my friends and I don’t share the same promise, and my parents don’t know how to treat me—or who I am, for that matter.

I get back to school feeling half-satisfied, but not disappointed. I sit up in my bed in my dorm room, surrounded by my pictures, dolls. As I wonder what has happened, I realize that I can’t expect the world to stand still and move forward at the same time.  I can change and expect that things at home will stay the same. I have to find comfort in what has changed and what is new; keep the memories, but live in the present.

A few weeks later, I’m packing again, this time for winter break. My mom meets me at the door. I have come home accepting the changes, not only in my surroundings, but most of all in me.

1.

 What can we infer about the writer?

    A. She is a high school student.    B. She is a college student.

    C. She is a clerk in a school.      D. She is a traveler.

2.

. What surprises the writer most?

    A. The living conditions of her parents.             

B. The decorations in her room.

    C. The meeting with her best friends.                

D. The things still staying the same.

3.

What is this passage mainly about?

    A. The writer’s curiosity about the changes.

    B. The changes in the writer’s surroundings and in herself.

    C. The writer’s disappointment about the changes.

    D. The writer’s refusal to accept the changes.

 

 

The green turtle is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Under the U．S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, the green turtle was listed as threatened except for the breeding populations in Florida and on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where it is listed as endangered.

Green turtles continue to be caught for money by humans, and the destruction and loss of nesting and foraging(覓食)sites is a serious problem. Humans have already caused the decrease of large green turtle populations, including those that once nested in Bermuda and Cayman Islands. The situation of green turtle populations is difficult to determine because of our lack of knowledge about their life cycles. The number of nests in Florida appears to be increasing, but we don't know whether this is due to an increase in the number of nests or because we have started to monitor(監(jiān)控)nesting beaches more closely.

The green turtle is the largest hard­shelled sea turtle. Adults of this species commonly reach 100 cm in length and 150 kg in mass. The average size of a female nesting in Florida is 101.5 cm straight in length, with an average body mass of 136 kg.

Growth rates of green turtles have not been measured under natural conditions. Green turtles grow slowly.

In the southern Bahamas, green turtles grow from 30 to 75 cm in 17 years, and according to Bjorndal and Bolten, growth rates decrease with increasing length. Growth rates measured in green turtles from Florida and Puerto Rico fall within the range of growth rates measured in the southern Bahamas. Based on growth rate studies of wild green turtles, the researchers Balazs, Frazer and Ehrhart estimate the age of sexual maturity(成熟)can range anywhere from 20 to 50 years.

1.The main idea of the passage is to tell us________.

A．something about an endangered animal

B．how green turtles got extinct

C．how heavy a green turtle is

D．how long a green turtle can live

2.Which of the following is NOT a reason why green turtles are endangered?

A．Humans catch them to get profit.

B．They lose their nests.

C．They have fewer places to find food.

D．People like to keep them as pets.

3.According to the passage, the green turtle________.

A．can reach 100 cm in length in 17 years

B．lives in the sea and grows very slowly

C．lives only in Florida and on the Pacific coast of Mexico

D．can grow from 30 to 75 cm in 17 years in southern Florida

4.Why is it hard for us to know the number of green turtles?

A．Because it is difficult for us to be close to them.

B．Because we have limited knowledge about them.

C．Because we haven't measured their growth rates.

D．Because they grow too slowly.