My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.” I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time,” and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
59. By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and_____.
A. preferred to stay alone at home B. lost interest in his studies
C. refused to talk to others D. began to dislike his mother
60. There was silence on the other end of the line because .
A. the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother
B. the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking
C. the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice
D. the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother
61. The sentence “... he even made the honor roll” means that .
A. he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting
B. he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades
C. he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around
D. he was even on the list of the best students at school
62. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.
B. Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.
C. Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.
D. School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When Janet, a grade two student at a well-known school, was pestered(纠缠) by her classmates to join their group to steal from shops, she was shocked. She was a quiet, well-behaved girl and she did not understand why the girls had approached her.
They showed her some of the things they had stolen and said that shop theft was great fun and very exciting. Then they threatened to beat Janet if she did not join them.
Janet was deeply troubled. She did her best to avoid the group of the girls after classes, but they often waited for her outside the school and tried to persuade her to come with them.
This problem is one which many school students in Hong Kong face. We asked the chairman of the local-fight-crime committee what Janet should do in these cases.
“First of all, she could try to talk the other girls out of the whole thing. Being caught stealing from shops could ruin their futures and it is simply not worth the risk,” he said.
“Young people may think that it is easy to get away with stealing from shops, but more and more stores now have plain clothes detectives who are dressed like customers. I would say shop thieves have a more than ninety percent chance of being caught.”
“If they won’t listen to her, Janet should go to someone in charge in school, who can then decide if the matter can be dealt with by her or whether it is necessary to report the incident to the police.”
56. From the first three paragraphs we can learn that ____________.
A. Janet didn’t know what to do with the case
B. Janet faced the group bravely
C. the group stole a lot of things
D. the group were short of money
57. The underlined part “talk the other girls out of the whole thing” means ____________.
A. discuss the possible result with them
B. tell them about their futures
C. persuade them to stop theft
D. warn them not to disturb her
58. One of the suggestions to Janet is to ____________.
A. report the situation to the police
B. ask the local-fight-crime committee for advice
C. hire a detective to catch them
D. turn to her teacher for help
第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Cyber Step-Mother
I’ve often felt “step-parent” is a label (标签 )we attach to whoever marries into families where children already exist. At 36 that’s how I feel about 37 a step-mother to my husband’s four children.
Over the years, we all learned to 38 our new family arrangement. We enjoyed vacations together, ate 39 meals, and so on. 40 , I continued to feel somewhat like a(n) 41 . There was a boundary line that could not be 42 .
When the children moved to a town five hours 43 , my husband was depressed. In order to 44 regular communication with the kids, we send e-mails. However, if a computer message came 45 to “Dad”, I’d feel forgotten and 46 . If my name appeared along with his, it would make me feel like I was part of their family unit 47 .
Late one evening, as I was checking my e-mail, an “instant message” appeared on the 48 . It was Margo, who was also sitting in front of her computer five hours away. We sent several messages back and forth, 49 the latest news. When we would “chat” like that, she wouldn’t 50 know if it was me or her dad. That night, she didn’t ask and I didn’t identify myself either. At about 11, I commented that I should go to sleep. Her return message 51 , “Okay, talk to you later! Love you!”
As I read this message, a wave of 52 ran through me and I realized that she 53 she was talking with her father. Feeling 54 for not identifying myself, yet not wanting to embarrass her, I simply responded, “Love you too! Good night!”
I felt again the sharp (剧烈的) ache of emptiness (空虚) and otherness. Then, as I was 55 to leave, Margo’s final message appeared, reading “Tell Dad good night for me too.” With tears filled eyes, I turned the machine off.
36. A. most B. least C. present D. last
37. A. to be B. being C. is D. was
38. A. adjust B. look forward to C. expect D. adapt to
39. A. family B. school C. meat D. fish
40. A. But B. Though C. However D. So
41. A. outsider B. member C. stranger D. foreigner
42. A. across B. cross C. crossing D. crossed
43. A. far B. away C. far from D. away from
44. A. maintain B. entertain C. contain D. obtain
45. A. addressing B. signing C. signed D. addressed
46. A. neglected B. devoted C. ignore D. concerned
47. A. in short B. after all C. above all D. as a result
48. A. programme B. window C. screen D. keyboard
49. A. sending B. exchanging C. discussing D. commenting
50. A. unexpectedly B. carefully C. fortunately D. necessarily
51. A. read B. reads C. reading D. wrote
52. A. sickness B. anger C. nervousness D. sadness
53. A. must think B. might have thought C. must have thought D. might think
54. A. responsible B. stupid C. guilty D. disappointed
55. A. about B. due C. prepare D. willing
You can see the stars on a clear night, but in the daytime they are __________.
A. unbelievable B. invisible C. inaccessible D. unavailable
Finding her car stolen, __________.
A. a policeman was asked to help B. the area was searched thoroughly
C. it was looked for everywhere D. she hurried to a policeman for help
We would not __________ such hard work. It’s impossible for us to complete it in such a short time.
A. take in B. take off C. take on D. take down
