I still remember my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to school I wondered what sort of questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers: “I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven’t lived here since I was two. I was living in Farley. It’s about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago.” I also wondered if it was the custom for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide not to risk it.

No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say “hello”, but no one spoke to me. When a teacher called my name and told me where my classroom was, one or two boys looked at me but that was all.

My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn’t stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens and he had decided to read aloud to us from David Copperfield, but first he asked several boys if they knew Dickens’ birthplace, but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: “Timbuktu”, and Mr. Jones went red in the face. Then he asked me. I said: “Portsmouth”, and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said I was right. This didn’t make me very popular, of course.

“He thinks he’s clever,” I heard Brian say.

After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian’s team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.

“He’s big enough and useless enough.” Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.

I suppose Mr. Jones, who served as the judge, remembered Dickens, too, because when the game was nearly over, Brian pushed one of the players on the other team, and he gave them a penalty (懲罰). As the boy kicked the ball to my right, I threw myself down instinctively (本能地) and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My bare knees were injured and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.

“Do you want to join my gang (幫派)?” he said.

At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger.

1.The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT “          ”.

A．How old are you?

B．Where are you from?

C．Do you want to join my gang?

D．When did you come back to London?

2.We can learn from the passage that           .

A．boys were usually unfriendly to new students

B．the writer was not greeted as he expected

C．Brian praised the writer for his cleverness

D．the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper

3.The underlined part “I didn’t stand out” in paragraph 3 means that the writer was not       .

A．noticeable

B．welcome

C．important

D．foolish

4.The writer was offered a handkerchief because          .

A．he threw himself down and saved the goal

B．he pushed a player on the other team

C．he was beginning to be accepted

D．he was no longer a newcomer

 

B．閱讀理解：（30分）

Now we can see a man and his wife at the breakfast table. They are not speaking to each other.

They haven’t spoken to each other at the breakfast table for years. The husband is reading his newspaper. We can’t see his face. The wife looks very worried as she gets a cup of tea ready for him. Today she is using a new kind of tea for the first time. The husband picks up his cup. He isn’t interested. He tastes his tea. Suddenly he puts down his newspaper. Something is different! Can it be the tea? He takes another taste. It’s wonderful. He smiles. He looks at his wife and says in surprise, “Doris, when did you cut your hair?” Doris is pleased. She answers, “Two months ago.” Doris asks, “Herbie, when did your hair begin to become white?” He answers, “A long time ago.” Doris says, “We have been together for many years, but we never cared about each other.” Now they aren’t worried any longer. Breakfast is different. Has a new kind of tea changed their lives?

36. This story happens______________________.

A. before breakfast                     B. after breakfast

C. at home                            D. in a teahouse

37. In the passage, we can see ________________________.

A. Doris is drinking tea                 B. Herbie likes the new kind of tea

C. Doris is reading a newspaper           D. Herbie is very young and good-looking

38. Herbie and Doris lived ______________ before this day.

A. a wonderful                        B. an unhappy

C. an enjoyable                        D. a friendly

39. Which of the following statements is true?

A. They are good friends.                B. They have just got married.

C. They like to talk about their hair.       D. They are no longer young.

40. From the passage, we think it may be ______________.

A. a radio programme                   B.  a short film

C. a computer game                     D.  a beautiful painting

 

I was packed and ready to leave for my two days’ trip. My mind had been filled with work and with so many small things to deal with. As I got into the car to leave, my thoughts turned to my children. I’d been preparing for the trip for the last few days, and now I’d be away for a few days.

How to keep in touch with your kids during busy time is often a father’s problem. Men tend to focus on one thing extremely well for long periods, but this can lead to trouble. Shifting(移開) from work to your family life isn't always the easiest thing to do. And if you don’t show your kids that you’re thinking about them, they may think that you are not.

As I started down the road, I suddenly stopped the car and turned around. I drove back to my house, found a couple of cards, and wrote a short message to each of my children. I put each in a “secret” place where I knew they’d find it.

When I called the next night, it was clear that they’d received the cards. “Daddy, I got your card,” they both said excitedly. “When did you do that?”

My heart was warmed when I heard this. It was such a small thing. But it had a big impact(影響) on my kids. It was their “proof” that I was thinking about them. And it was encouragement for me to continue to do the small things that have a big impact.

1. From the passage we can infer that the author thinks a father should ______.

A. care for his kids, no matter how busy he is

B. have a big impact on his kids

C. spend some time playing with his kids

D. stay at home as long as possible

2.Before leaving for the trip the author considered ________.

A. preparing some food for the trip

B. buying some nice gifts for his children

C. doing something to show his concern for his kids

D. telling his children to be careful at home

3.The author’s kids were excited when they answered the phone because _______.

A. their father had thought highly of them

B. they had found the cards from their father

C. they had done something good at home

D. their father told them he would be back soon

4.What does the underlined word “that” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A. Packing luggage.

B. Reaching the hotel.

C. Writing short messages.

D. Going back home.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. All for the children

B. Play with your children

C. A father and his kids

D. Show love to your kids

 

單詞拼寫（共15小題；每小題1分，滿分15分）。

1. I knew they ____________(不理睬) each other after showing disagreement.      

2. I hardly ____________(認出) her after 10 years, because she had changed a lot. 

3. We can enrich our English ____________(詞匯) by reading.       

4. It is said that ____________(青少年) are like the sun in the morning.  

5. You should make your spoken English as ____________(流利)as possible.  

6. Words and ____________(詞語) are the base of language learning.     

7. Keep going ____________(直地) for two blocks, and you’ll see the store on your left.      

8. After the earthquake everything was completely ____________(破壞).       

9. When did you ____________(畢業(yè)) from the middle school?      

10.Peter’s ____________(態(tài)度) towards this problem really surprised me.      

11. In our opinion, Tom is a ____________(可信賴的) man.    

12. Your speech will be heard by a group of five ____________(裁判).  

13. About two thirds of the passengers got ____________(傷害) in the car accident.      

14. When he was young, he ____________(更喜歡) singing to dancing.  

15. He is ____________(感激的) to his wife for her support.

Now we can see a man and his wife at the breakfast table. They are not speaking to each other. They haven’t spoken to each other at the breakfast table for years. The husband is reading his newspaper. We can’t see his face. The wife looks very worried as she gets a cup of tea ready for him. Today she is using a new kind of tea for the first time. The husband picks up his cup. He isn’t interested. He tastes his tea. Suddenly he puts down his newspaper. Something is different! Can it be the tea? He takes another taste. It’s wonderful. He smiles. He looks at his wife and says in surprise, “Doris, when did you cut your hair?” Doris is pleased. She answers, “Two months ago.” Doris asks, “ Herbie , when did your hair begin to become white?” He answers, “A long time ago.” Doris says, “We have been together for many years, but we never cared about each other.” Now they aren’t worried any longer. Breakfast is different. Has a new kind of tea changed their lives?

1.This story happens______________________.

A．before breakfast	B．a(chǎn)fter breakfast
C．a(chǎn)t home	D．in a teahouse

2.In the passage, we can see ________________________.

A．Doris is drinking tea	B．Herbie likes the new kind of tea
C．Doris is reading a newspaper	D．Herbie is very young and good-looking

3.Herbie and Doris lived ______________ before this day.

A．a(chǎn) wonderful	B．a(chǎn)n unhappy
C．a(chǎn)n enjoyable	D．a(chǎn) friendly

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A．They are good friends.	B．They have just got married.
C．They like to talk about their hair.	D．They are no longer young.