When my father was dying, I traveled a thousand miles from home to be with him in his last days. It was far more heartbreaking than I’d expected, one of the most difficult and painful times in my life. After he passed away I stayed alone in his apartment. There were so many things to deal with. It all seemed endless. I was lonely. I hated the silence of the apartment.
But one evening the silence was broken: I heard crying outside. I opened the door to find a little cat on the steps. He was thin and poor. He looked the way I felt. I brought him inside and gave him a can of fish. He ate it and then almost immediately fell sound asleep.
The next morning I checked with neighbors and learned that the cat had been abandoned by his owner who’s moved out. So the little cat was there all alone, just like I was. As I walked back to the apartment, I tried to figure out what to do with him. Having something else to take care of seemed like the very last thing I needed. But as soon as I opened the apartment door he came running and jumped into my arms. It was clear from that moment that he had no intention of going anywhere. I started calling him Willis, in honor of my father’s best friend.
From then on, things grew easier. With Willis in my lap time seemed to pass much more quickly. When the time finally came for me to return home I had to decide what to do about Willis. There was absolutely no way I would leave without him.
It’s now been five years since my father died. Over the years, several people have commented on how nice it was of me to rescue the cat. But I know that we rescued each other. I may have given him a home but he gave me something greater.
1. When the author first saw the cat, she_____________.
A. was very happy B. felt sympathy for him
C. didn’t know what to do D. was angry with his crying
2. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph implies that the author___________.
A. needed something to fill the empty apartment
B. was too busy and tired to keep a cat
C. loved to stay alone in the apartment
D. needed something to take care of to kill time
3. The cat rescued the author by ____________.
A. making her feel better in her hard times
B. giving her courage to go on with her life
C. helping her tidy the department
D. telling her what life is
4. We can learn form the passage that _________.
A. Willis was named after his previous owner
B. Willis didn’t like staying in the apartment
C. the author and Willis were both homeless
D. time passed quickly after the author adopted Willis
5. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. A little cat B. A painful experience
C. How to take care of animals D. What I got from a little cat
Ostriches(鸵鸟) have been said to be so stupid that they react to danger by burying their heads in sand. This belief caused the popular phrases to be born: play the ostrich. It’s often used to describe people 1.________ refuse to face painful facts. They prefer to ignore the truth. It is like children sticking their fingers in the ears 2.________ crying, “I can’t hear you!”
But do ostriches really bury their heads in sand when they are in danger? The answer is no for sure! 3._______ ostriches are flightless(不会飞的) birds, they can run as fast as 40 miles per hour. So, if they find 4._______ in danger, they will run very fast.
It’s a false statement we’ve thought of as 5.________ truth for long. So, how did the phrase “play the ostrich” come from? Well,6.______ fact, ostriches swallow sand and pebbles(鹅卵石) to help grind(磨碎) food in their stomachs. This means they have to bend 7._______ and put their heads into sand to collect pebbles. That’s 8._______ a false statement was born
Last Tuesday I took two daughters, aged five and seven, to town by car. It began to rain 36 , so I decided I would leave the children in the car 37 I rushed into a shop. I warned the girls not to 38 anything and told them I would be back within a few minutes. Then I locked all the doors and left 39 happily out of the window.
I returned to the car in less than five minutes but the girls had 40 ! I could hardly believe my eyes. The car doors were 41 locked, the windows tightly shut and on the back seat were only two coats. Being 42 , I ran to the corner of the street 43 there was no sign of them. I rushed up to an old lady nearby and asked 44 _she had seen two small girls but she said “No”.
Feeling quite sick with fear, I sat on the driver’s seat, and went to stop trembling (发抖). Suddenly, I heard a merry laugh 45 me. I got out of the car, ran round to open the boot (车尾行李箱) and inside were two very red-faced and 46 children. They had obviously pulled out the back seat, climbed behind it and then been unable to push the seat forward again. 47 tears in my eyes, I leaned forward and pulled their ears.
【小题 1】A.heavy B. hard C. big D. quick
【小题 2】A.before B. since C. after D. while
【小题 3】A.talk B. reach C. hear D. touch
【小题 4】A.them B. her C. herself D. themselves
【小题 5】A.discovered B. disappeared C. described D. delivered
【小题 6】A.even B. again C. already D. still
【小题 7】A.foolish B. proud C. frightened D. pleased
【小题 8】A.where B. which C. that D. when
【小题 9】A.what B. when C. whether D. how
【小题 10】A.behind B. over C. before D. with
【小题 11】A.worried B. excited C. surprised D. interested
【小题 12】A.For B. About C. With D. Down
I think nobody makes _______ contributions to the company than him.
A. greater B. more great C. more greater D. much great
I have been living in the United States for twenty years, but seldom_______ so lonely as now.
A. have I felt B. I had felt C. I have felt D. had I felt
Today’s teens don’t see anything strange in the fact _______the computer takes up a central place in their social lives.
A. which B. that C. where D. what
