阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。 In the ...

    Four brothers left home for college, and they became successful doctors and lawyers.

Some years later, they got together again. While having dinner, they_________for a long time. They discussed the_________they had given their elderly mother who lived far away in another city. The first said, “I had a_________house built for Mama." The second said, “I had my Mercedes-Benz dealer ( 奔驰经销商) send a_________to her." The third said, “I built a beautiful _________for Mama." The fourth said, “You know_________Mama loved reading poems and you know she can't read any more because she can't _________very well. I met a businessman who had a parrot that can recite many_________. It took him 12 years to_________it to speak and he earns his living by renting it out. I had to pay him $100,000 a year for twenty years,__________it is worth it." On hearing that, the other brothers were__________by his good thought.

After the holidays, their mother__________ her thank -you notes, which read，“Milton, the house you built is so huge. I only live in one room, but I have to clean the whole house. It's a (an)__________job. Thanks anyway." “Marvin, I am too old to__________.I stay home and have others work for me, so I'll__________ use the car. The ________was good, although not realistic. Thanks."

“Michael, you gave me an expensive building for many people to__________plays or I watch movies in it, but all my friends are dead. I've almost__________my hearing and I' m nearly blind.I won't use it. Thank you all the same.'

“Dearest Melvin, you are the__________ son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken tasted so__________. I liked it very much. Thank you."

1.A. fought B. studied C. talked D. slept

2.A. chances B. gifts C. wishes D. challenges

3.A. big B. warm C. safe D. lonely

4.A. book B. bike C. car D. bag

5.A. station B. museum C. library D. theater

6.A. how B. what C. why D. when

7.A. listen B. feel C. see D. walk

8.A. stories B. poems C. words D. lyrics

9.A. protect B. beat C. raise D. train

10.A. but B. so C. unless D. although

11.A. shocked B. embarrassed C. frightened D. impressed

12.A. took out B. put up C. sent out D. picked up

13.A. enjoyable B. tiring C. delightful D. amusing

14.A. learn B. work C. exercise D. drive

15.A. never B. often C. regularly D. sometimes

16.A. future B. idea C. hobby D. program

17.A. enjoy B. create C. bring D. record

18.A. admired B. lost C. remained D. discovered

19.A. same B. last C. only D. next

20.A. strange B. unpleasant C. terrible D. delicious

    Travelling is a great way to interact with a culture which might be completely different from your own.

1. Before I moved to Sicily I had travelled around the whole of Italy, the south and the north, and I absolutely fell in love with the culture and the language, so I was inspired to learn the language and also to move here. And here I am now, living in Sicily.

2.When you get back home you'll have lots of stories to tell your friends and family. Even if something isn't very fun, it will be funny to look back and laugh at those awkward or harsh moments. For example, I was travelling with a group of friends in Pisa and we took the wrong bus to get to the beach area, so we ended up being stuck in the rain and having to walk back.

When you travel, you expose yourself to different people.3.It's a great learning experience for both you and the other person because you can share and exchange your own ideas and opinions on a range of topics. For example, I met an Iranian philosopher and we talked about the nature of magic. A lot of his ideas were shaped by his Iranian background and Iranian philosophy.4.

Travelling is the realization of home.5.Since I've been away from London ， I've come to appreciate the little things that I used to take for granted, like our amazing transport- everything runs on time; everything runs well. So sometimes it takes being away from home to realize how much you absolutely love your hometown.

A. It was a really interesting discussion.

B. Travelling will make you a really good storyteller.

C. Travelling could enrich your awareness of the world.'

D. They may have a completely different outlook on life.

E. We realize how much we miss our hometown when we travel.

F. Travelling might just convince you to move to another country.

G. Being away from home, we miss our friends and our family very much.

    On a number of drives throughout my childhood, my mother would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle from tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.

Though Mother's Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related to each other. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Like her mother and her grandmother before her," mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and reuses her plastic bags.

Mom creates a kind of harmonious relationship with wildlife in her yard, She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to avoid the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it is likely that they will be knocked down by a family of raccoons, Spiders that make their way into the house and are caught in juice glasses will be set loose in the garden.

I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for dandelions (蒲公英) to fly in the wind; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn't need to lecture. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came mercy and an instinct for protection.

I am slowing down and it isn't because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet， it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I've begun to save glass jars and reuse packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other in the trees above my house.

Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with a sweetness I immediately, wanted to share with my mom.

1.Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother's Day?

A. Because Mother's Day falls shortly after Earth Day.

B. To stress how much her mother cares about the environment.

C. To stress that all the, older women in her family are environmentalists.

D. Because her mother shows her how to be friendly to nature on Mother S Day.

2.We can infer from the text that       .

A. the author s mother knows how to get rid of the wildlife in her yard

B. the author 'S mother used to lecture her to protect the environment

C. the author realizes that she should teach her children by example as well

D. the author believes that only by learning to slow down can we enjoy life

3.What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A. The author is proud of her sweet tomatoes.

B. The author really appreciates her mother's teaching.

C. Planting tomatoes is a way of protecting environment.

D. The author likes eating tomatoes planted by herself.

4.The writer's attitude towards her mom's behavior changed in the order of      .

A. negative— understanding —supportive B. supportive— doubtful—negative

C. understanding —critical—supportive D. doubtful—critical— positive

    Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a conscious effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful，there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.

Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remember locking it carefully the night before.

Memory “tricks" work the other way as well. Once in a while, you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.

We always seem to find something funny and amusing in incidents caused by people s forgetfulness or absent -mindedness. Stories about absent -minded professors have been told for years, and we never get tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however ，absent -mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “tricks" of our memory can cause us great trouble.

1.If you want to have a good memory, you should       .

A. never stop learning new things

B. use your memory to play tricks

C. make a conscious effort of practice

D. force yourself to remember things

2.What can be learnt from the text?

A. One night the writer locked the front door as usual.

B. The writer had had his hair cut two days before.

C. The writer got into trouble when crossing the street.

D. The writer was regarded as a forgetful professor.

3.How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 4?

A. We enjoy hearing new stories about absent -mindedness of professors.

B. We will never get tired of listening to new stories about absent-mindedness.

C. Absent- mindedness happens not only to professors but to many other people.

D. We are unwilling to know anything more about absent-mindedness of professors.

4.The best title for this passage is       .

A. "Tricks" of Memory B. Value of Good Memory

C. Absent-minded Professors D. Forgetfulness and Trouble

    My daughter Kelly is a cautious person. She needs to warm up to situations, and is hesitant to try new things. When with close friends, she becomes a leader who laughs loudly and chants," Girls rule, boys drool." But when that comfort zone is not around her, she is shy and nervous.

This has been challenging for me at times. “Shy" is not a word that I think has ever been used to describe me. But this has been a year of firsts for my girl that has filled her with a new sense of confidence. This year she moved to lap lane in swimming where she was preparing for a swim team. This year she learned to ride a bike without training wheels. And this year she completed her first kids ' triathlon (三项全能).

On Saturday, with a thunderstorm coming soon and my son's birthday party later in the day, we all went out in the dark of the morning for Kelly to participate in her first triathlon. We practiced transitions from swim to bike to run with her, we got all the equipment she'd need, and we kept talking about the race. But as we waited the two hours for the older kids to finish before her turn, she held my leg a little harder and told me she loved me a few too many times. She was nervous but trying to keep it together.

And then it was her turn. From the second she jumped into the water, my heart soared. My daughter transformed into the most confident human being I had ever seen. She dominated that swim, crushed that bike ride and ran to the finish with the biggest smile on her face.

I can honestly say that I never felt so proud of someone in my entire life. It wasn't because she did a sport or anything like that. It was because she was afraid of something and conquered that fear with confidence and a fire I hadn't seen before.

All day I would find myself just looking over at her and smiling. She might be. Wearing the finalist medal but I felt like I won that day. I won the chance to see my girl shine.

Shine on, sweet baby.

1.What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A. The race began in the early morning.

B. The whole family gave Kelly support.

C. Kelly was eager for her turn in the race.

D. Kelly prepared for her brother's birthday party.

2.Seeing Kelly's performance in the race, the author felt      .

A. worried and hesitant B. anxious and uneasy

C. excited and proud D. curious and concerned

3.In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “conquered" probably means       .

A. to defeat someone especially in a competition

B. to take control of an area and its people by force

C. to become very popular or successful in a place

D. to succeed in dealing with or control something

4.In the ending paragraphs the author “felt like I won that day" because Kelly       .

A. expressed love to her B. overcame the fear

C. won the gold medal D. took part in the sport