Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favorite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like a walk in the park,” he’d told his wife. “I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”
Things started well, but just after eight o’clock, his three little “good kids”—Mike, Randy, and Alex—came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted “breakfast, daddy.” When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍). Mike chanted “Where’s my toast, where’s my toast” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their very eyes. Someone named “Not Me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o’clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his color pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family room,but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly 11:17, Brad called the daycare centre (日托所).“I suddenly have to go into work and my wife’s away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes?” The answer was obviously “yes” because Brad was smiling.
1.When his wife left home. Brad expected to .
A. go out for a walk in the park
B. watch TV talk show with his children
C. enjoy his first day off work
D. read the newspaper to his children
2.Which of the following did Randy do?
A. Drawing on the wall B. Eating apple jam
C. Feeding the fish. D. Reading in a room
3.Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?
A. Because he wanted to clean up his house.
B. Because he suddenly had to go to his office
C. Because he found it hard to manage his boys home.
D. Because he had to take his wife back
4.This text is developed .
A. by space B. by comparison C. by process D. by time
I became a gardener when I was twelve. My early__36___of gardening may not have originated from my love for nature. It was to ___37____my parents.
At that time, we had a big yard in which a beautiful maple tree stood. But my mother often looked with __38___at this work of natural art. Those golden leaves seemed like tons of rubbish to her, “something else to ___39___!”Seeing the neighbors busy with gardening, my father even thought it a waste of time.
At that age, I always did something___40_____to whatever my parents did! If gardening were something they found____41___, I would plant a garden!
I planted some lily(百合花)seeds in the yard. But they failed to ___42___.I continued to plant sunflower seeds and roses. Wild ____43_____joy,I found the first rose bloom(开花).One by one, the flowers bloomed their heads off.__44___, I was touched by this land of wonder.
___45___, my parents showed no interest in my garden. My father even___46_____at me because he found it was ___47____to move around my garden to the driveway. To my mother’s ___48__,I put in her vase my real roses which, in her eyes, were simply weeds____49___flowers.
Regardless of their ____50___, I kept on planting my garden and ____51___to enjoy the pleasure of gardening. Plants make such good companions: they breathe, they bloom, they____52____to care and love.
It has been many years since I made my first garden out of my desire to ____53___my parents .Today I become known as Mrs. Greenthumbs, teaching gardening and hosting a gardening show, which makes my parents feel very____54_.And now I could say it is my affection for____55___that makes me a real gardener.
1.A. memory B. dream C.intention D. design
2.A. please B. change C. help D. annoy
3.A.doubt B.appreciation C. surprise D. excitement
4.A.collect up B care about C. clean up D. come in
5.A.equal B. similar C. superior D. opposite
6.A.painful B. valuable C. upsetting D. interesting
7.A.come up B. break out C. hold on D. get through
8.A.to B. with C. in D. by
9.A.Luckily B. Cheerfully C. Regularly D. Eventually
10.A.Instead B. However C. Therefore D. Besides
11.A.shouted B. laughed C. glanced D. jumped
12.A.convenient B. troublesome C. enjoyable D. dangerous
13.A.sadness B. displeasure C. delight D. relief
14.A.other than B. more than C. rather than D. less than
15.A.disklike B. encouragement C. threat D. suggestion
16.A.decided B. stopped C. continued D. struggled
17.A.devote B. turn C. respond D. lead
18.A.defeat B. satisfy C. respect D. challenge
19.A.proud B. comfortable C. strange D. disappointed
20.A.freedom B. life C. growth D. nature
________with so much trouble,we failed to complete the task on time.
A.Faced B.Face
C.Facing D.To face
When it was his turn to deliver his speech,________,he walked towards the microphone.
A.nervously and embarrassingly
B.nervous and embarrassedly
C.nervously and embarrassing
D.nervous and embarrassed
In order to meet the demands they had to________production.
A.fasten up B.rise up
C.speed up D.go up
After he retired from office,Royers________painting for a while,but soon lost interest.
A.took up B.saved up
C.kept up D.drew up