Daughter’s final song for father
By Xu Lingyi, 13, Mercy High School, US
What is the most surprising thing in summer? A seaside vacation? Some good family time? Or a song that changes your whole life? These all happened to Ronnie, the main character of the book The Last Song (2009). It was written by United States author Nicholas Sparks.
Since Ronnie’s parents divorced (离婚) when she was 14, she had been staying with her mom in New York. Her father, who used to be her piano teacher, lived alone in North Carolina. She was so angry with her dad that she had not talked with him or played the piano ever since they divorced. However, the summer before she turned 18, her mom sent her to North Carolina. At first, Ronnie was frustrated about it. But things changed when her dad found some turtle (海龟) eggs. She learned more about the turtles at the local aquarium (水族馆) and set up a cage to protect the eggs.
The turtle broke the tough（坚固的）wall between Ronnie and her dad. However, it was on the day the eggs hatched（孵化）that Ronnie found out her dad was dying of cancer. That was why her mom asked her to visit him. Ronnie was very upset. She started playing the piano again and wrote a song for him before he died. Ronnie deeply impressed me. Though she looks rebellious (叛逆的) in the book, she is gentle. She even slept outside the whole night just to protect the turtle eggs. She loves her father.
It is a meaningful story. It teaches us about the relationship with our parents and how to express love to our parents.
1.The Last song ——————____.
A. was written by Ronnie B. is a book whose main character is Ronnie
C. described the life of North Carolina D. tells us how the turtle hatches eggs
2.Which one is NOT true about Ronnie’s story?
A. Ronnie’s parents divorced when she was 14.
B. Ronnie stayed with her mom after the divorce.
C. Ronnie’s dad used to teach her to play the piano.
D. Ronnie kept a good relationship with her dad even after the divorce.
3.What’s the meaning of frustrated in paragraph 2?
A. Unhappy B. Afraid. C. Excited. D. Happy.
4.What happened during Ronnie’s stay with her dad?
A. Ronnie and her dad’s relationship got worse. B. Ronnie found that her dad got married.
C. Ronnie refused to play the piano again. D. Ronnie found that her dad was dying of cancer.
5.Which of the following is the writer Xu Lingyi’s opinion ?
A. Xu doesn’t like Ronnie because she is rebellious.
B. Xu thinks it was wrong that Ronnie slept outside the whole night.
C. Xu learns a lot about the relationship with parents from the book.
D. Xu doesn’t know how to express love to her parents.
Amy was looking for a gift for her little daughter. Suddenly she stopped before a store of dolls. “Girls like dolls,” she thought as she stepped into it. Looking around, she saw a grandma doll---one with gray hair and a pair of glasses. In her mind appeared Joyce, her mother.
When Amy was a little girl, she got her first doll from Joyce for her birthday. Then the second, the third… A doll a year never arrived late.
“Why always a doll?” This question had been in Amy’s mind until one day her father gave the answer.
Little Joyce dreamed to have a doll. Her parents promised one for her fifth birthday. Sadly, they both died in a traffic accident before it arrived. The never-received gift was the most precious (珍贵的) in her eyes.
Her mother’s story being recalled, Amy got an idea.
It was Joyce’s birthday. A package was sent to her with a card that read:
Dear Joyce,
I forget to send you the package that you should have received on May 20, 1956, your fifth
Birthday. The gift inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it.
Love, Angel of Joy
Joyce opened the package and saw a lovely grandma doll. She clasped the doll that she had waited so many years for, crying softly. The doll given by “Angel of Joy”, made her the happiest “child” in the world.
1.We can tell from the story that Joyce is _____
A. Amy’s daughter B. Amy’s mother C. the grandma doll D. Angel of Joy
2./ A( U. C4 Z$ J; F2 @9 R$ FWhy did Joyce think dolls were the best birthday gifts for Amy?
A. Amy dreamed to have all kinds of lovely dolls.
B. Amy looked like a doll when she was a little girl.
C. Joyce received a lot of lovely dolls from her parents.4 D8 V" a" G! i$ P9 A$ L
D. Joyce had never got the dream doll from her parents.: _" b) @ B+ K* H6 S. ^
3.Who sent a grandma doll to Joyce indeed on her birthday?
A. Amy B. Angel of Joy C. Joyce’s parents D. Amy’s daughter
4.The underlined word “clasped” means “______” in the passage.
A. held B. threw C. made D. bought
5.What can we learn from the story?
A. Dolls are every little girl’s dream toys. B. Grandma dolls are best gifts for parents.
C. Parents sometimes need their “Angel of Joy”. D. Parents’ birthdays are very important.
A little stream (小溪) ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert, “I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,”she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. “Maybe I can't reach the ocean,'' she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a deep voice said, “if a breeze (微风) can cross the desert, so can a river.”It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered, “that’s because a breeze can fly, but I can’t.”
“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, and it can take you across,” said the desert.
“Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little stream could not accept this idea.
“The breeze can carry the vapor (蒸汽) across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature (本性) never changes.”
Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage (阶段) of her life.
1.Where did the little stream aim to go?
A. To the desert B. To the mountain C. To the ocean D. To the air
2.What did the stream think when she reached a desert?
A. She thought she couldn’t cross the desert.
B. She believed she could cross the desert.
C. She thought she knew well about the desert.
D. She started to worry about herself.
3.What does the underlined word “it” refer to (指的是)?
A. The desert. B. The nature. C. The breeze. D. The stream.
4.What did the stream do in the end?
A. Crossed the desert. B. Stopped trying. C. Failed to get to the ocean. D. Died.
5.What is the main idea of the story?
A. The road to success is not always easy.
B. We should do the right thing whatever others say.
C. Our lives can be as difficult as the little stream’s.
D. To succeed, we should change the way we used to be.
Ian Scott Wilson, 13, studies at a middle school in the US. He thinks kids don’t _____
enough respect（尊重）from the grown-up world. “Kids are usually ignored by adults” he said. “They say: ‘That’s a ____ idea. You can’t do that.’”. That’s why he took part in a national____
for student made documentaries. He wanted to be heard. A documentary is a film or TV show that ___a serious issue. Ian had never made one and wanted to try. Ian made a _____film about
problems at Walter Reed, a hospital in Washington. He won first ___ in the competition for middle school students. Walter Reed is taking care of many injured（受伤的）27 of the Iraq war（伊拉克战争）Earlier this year, reports said that the hospital had problems. For example, some said the rooms were ____. Ian paid much attention ___ the issue because his 23-year-old brother is a soldier in Iraq. “I thought about how terrible it would be ___ these things happened to my brother,” Ian said. “It was that feeling that helped make Ian’s film ____ out”, said Joanne Wheeler. Wheeler helped run the competition. “Ian was very passionate, but he was _____a good listener.” Ian interviewed 100 people for the ____. He reported on what was wrong. But he also ___ on efforts to deal with the problems. Ian got a prize of $1,000. He decided to give the money to an ____ soldier staying in the hospital.
1.A. get B. take C. make D. release
2.A. good B. silly C. surprising D. exciting
3.A. meeting B. competition C. lecture D. interview
4.A. talks B. tells C. says D. speaks
5.A. 10-minute B. 10-minutes C. 10-minute’s D. 10-minutes’
6.A. room B. place C. area D. price
7.A. doctors B. nurses C. soldiers D. engineers
8.A. clean B. unclean C. polite D. impolite
9.A. on B. in C. to D. at
10.A. if B. so C. when D. while
11.A. take B. put C. work D. stand
12.A. also B. either C. both D. all
13.A. contest B. hospital C. agreement D. film
14.A. reported B. wrote C. put D. held
15.A. ill B. injured C. amazing D. interesting
Betty had nothing this morning, ________?
A. hadn’t she B. didn’t she
C. did she D. had she
Could you help me to fix up the machine? _________
A. With pleasure B. My pleasure. C. It was a pleasure D. You are welcome.
