“Dr.Papaderos,what is the meaning of life?”
The usual laughter followed,and people stirred(骚动)to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time,asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
“I will,answer your question.”
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket,he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror,about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:
“When I was a small child,during the war,we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day,on the road,I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together,but it was not possible,so I kept only the largest piece.This one,and,by scratching it on a stone.I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine——in deep holes and crevices(裂缝)and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror,and,as I went about my growing up,I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man,I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light.But light——truth,understanding,knowledge——is there,and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment(碎片)of a mirror whose whole design and shape l do not know.Nevertheless,with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world——into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am about.This is the meaning of my life.”
1.On hearing the author’s question,Dr.Papedotes at first.
A.laughed at his foolishness B.wasn’t sure of the answer
C.doubted his seriousness D.wasn’t interested at all
2.How did Dr.Papaderos get the small round mirror when he was a child?
A.He found it on the road and made it round.
B.A dying German soldier gave him as a present.
C.He chanced to find it in the street while playing.
D.He put the broken pieces together and made it.
3.Why did Dr.Papaderos like the small round mirror so much as a child?
A.Because he was too poor to afford other toys.
B.Because it could shine the places where tke sun couldn’t reach.
C.Because he believed it would bring good luck to him.
D.Because it tofd him a lot about what life really meant to him.
4.The underlined“metaphor”in the 7th paragraph most probably means .
A.symbol B.source C.light D.purpose
5.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A.A Special Game in the Childhood B.A Broken Piece of Mirror
C.Dr.Papaderos’Experience D.The Meaning of Life
One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion,the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later,I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful,grateful voice on the other end of the line,all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was,I should point out,after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed.and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson.”I said.I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea,but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally,in desperation,I called his girlfriend’s house.After what seemed like countless rings,his girlfriend answered.“Yes,”she said brightly,“He’s right here.”
He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm,rational(理智的)self.After all,one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modem teenagers.“Where are the children?”I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed.Well,it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home,celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children,dressed in their best clothes,and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime,all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
1.The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children
because .
A.she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter
B.she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones
C.she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help
D.she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night
2.When the author called home that evening,she found that .
A.two younger children had already been in bed
B.the children were preparing a birthday gift for her
C.her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend
D.there was no one answering the telephone
3.What can you learn from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?
A.The author didn’t believe what her son had told her.
B.The author had complete confidence in her son.
C.The author believed her son was telling the truth.
D.The author was moved by what her children had done.
4.What might the children do that evening?
A.They had a birthday party.
B.They framed some photographs.
C.They had their pictures taken.
D.They made some beautiful clothes.
5.What does the author intend to teIl us by the story?
A.Modem teenagers are not worth trusting.
B.It is no easy job to look after young children.
C.It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age.
D.Her children have a caring and tender heart.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I always felt sorry for people in wheelchairs.Some people,old and weak,cannot 36 by themselves.Others seem perfectly healthy, 37 in business suits,and wheel themselves around with strong determination.But whenever I saw someone in a wheelchair,I only saw a 38 ,not a person.
Then I fainted（晕倒）at Euro Disney 39 low blood pressure.This was the first time I had ever fainted,and my parents said that I must 40 for a while after First Aid.I agreed to take it easy,but 41 I stepped toward the door,I saw my dad pushing a (n) 42 in my direction!Feeling the colour burn my cheeks,I asked him to wheel that thing right back to 43 he found it.
I could not believe this was happening to me.Wheelchairs were 44 for other people but not for me.As my father wheeled me out into the main street,people 45 began to treat me differently.
Little kids ran in front of me, 46 my father to stop the wheelchair suddenly. 47 set in as I was thrown back and forth.“Stupid kids—they have perfectly good 48 .Why can’t they watch where they’re going?”I thought.People 49 down at me,pity in their eyes.Then they would look away,maybe because they thought the 50 they forgot me,the better.
“I am just like you!”I wanted to scream.“The only 51 is that you’ve got legs,and I have wheels.”
People in wheelchairs are not 52 .They can see every look and hear each word.Looking out at the faces,I finally understood: I was once just like them.I 53 people in wheelchairs exactly the way they did not 54 to be treated.I realized it is some of us with two healthy legs who are 55 disabled.
1.A.look around B.care about C.make out D.get around
2.A.dressed B.covered C.folded D.lost
3.A.beast B.disability C.passer-by D.failure
4.A.by way of B.as to C.due to D.in terms of
5.A.sleep B.break C.leave D.rest
6.A.before B.until C.because D.as
7.A.wheelchair B.carriage C.armchair D.bed
8.A.whom B.that C.where D.which
9.A.fine B.sad C.light D.cheap
10.A.gradually B.immediately C.finally D.rapidly
11.A.catching B.making C.preventing D.forcing
12.A.Bitterness B.lnterest C.Regret D.Amusement
13.A.space B.manners C.legs D.control
14.A.smiled B.stared C.handed D.pushed
15.A.happier B.faster C.sooner D.harder
16.A.advantage B.difference C.choice D.difficulty
17.A.healthy B.common C.stupid D.violent
18.A.treated B.ignored C.greeted D.injured
19.A.mean B.need C.enjoy D.want
20.A.generally B.truly C.mostly D.eventually
Glasses are and must be handled with great care.
A.heavy B.smooth C.flexible D.fragile
—How soon do you think the economy will recover?
— ！
A.What for B.Who knows C.Why not D.How come
Provision of food and is their main concern for the flood victims.
A.relief B.safety C.shelter D.defense
