Valentine's Day had arrived and like other days of the year, I was very busy.
My romantic husband, Roy, planned a date like we had never had before. A reservation at an expensive restaurant was made. A beautifully wrapped present had been sitting on my dresser for a few days before the heart-filled holiday.
After a hard day at work, I hurried home, ran into the house and jumped into the shower.
When my sweetheart arrived, I was dressed in my finest outfit and ready to go. He hugged me, just as the babysitter arrived. We were both excited.
Unfortunately, the youngest member in our household wasn't so happy.
"Daddy, you were going to take me to buy Mamma a present," Becky, my eight-year-old daughter said, as she sadly walked over to the sofa and sat down beside the babysitter.
Roy looked at his watch and realized that if we were to make our reservations, we had to leave right away. He didn't even have a few minutes to take her to the store to buy a heart-shaped box of chocolate candy. "I'm sorry, I was late getting home, honey," he said.
"That's OK," Becky replied. "I understand."
The entire evening was bittersweet. I couldn't help being concerned about the disappointment in Becky's eyes. I remembered how the joy of Valentine's Day had left her face just before the door closed behind us. She wanted me to know how much she loved me. She didn't realize it, but I already knew it very well.
Today, I can't remember what was wrapped in that beautiful box, which I was excited for sev- eral days, but I'll never forget the special gift, which I received when we arrived, back home.
Becky was asleep on the sofa., holding a box, which was sitting on her lap. When I kissed her cheek, she awoke. "I've made something for you, Mamma," she said, as a big smile covered her ti- ny face.
The little box was wrapped in newspaper. As I tore the paper off and opened the box, I found the sweetest Valentine gift that I have ever received. It was a heart-shaped pillow, filled with love, which I'll cherish forever.
My wonderful Valentine gift has a special place in my bedroom today, some thirteen years later. As she was growing up into a young woman, many times I held that pillow close to my heart. I don't know if a pillow can hold magic, but this pillow has surely held a great deal of joy for me over the years. It has helped me through several sleepless nights since she left home for college. I not only treasure the gift, but the memory, as well.
I know that I am a very lucky mother, indeed, to have such a wonderful little girl, who wanted so much to share her heart with me. As long as I live, there will never be another Valentine's Day, which will be any more special to me.
1.How did the writer plan to spend Valentine's Day?
A. To stay at work.
B. To have dinner with her husband.
C. To have a family dinner.
D. To celebrate the day alone.
2.How did Becky feel when she knew her father had no time to take her to buy mother a gift?
A. She was sad and cried.
B. She was lonely and frightened.
C. She was disappointed but understanding.
D. She was happy to be together with the babysitter.
3.What's the best title for this passage?
A. A Gift in Newspaper. B. Becky's Dream.
C. Valentine's Day. D. A Special Gift.
World's coolest bookstores
(CNN)-Someday there may be a generation of kids who think bookstores are fictional creations found only in novels that come in the mail.
Understandable, since many of the world's most beautiful independent bookstores have closed in recent years. Not all of them are facing unhappy endings, however. The brick-and-mortar(砂浆)survivors-and brave newcomers-have adapted to the Age of Amazon in their own ways. Old or new, all with fascinating stories, the bookstores below serve as historic sites, sanctuaries(避难所),salons of culture and must-visit entries in any travel guide.
Librairie Avant-Garde (Nanjing, China)
China's most beautiful bookstore is located inside a massive underground parking lot once used as a bomb shelter. The 4,OOO-square-meter store's unusual features include large crosses, a copy of Rodin's "The Thinker" and a checkout counter built out of thousands of old books,
The store also functions as a sort of public library, with more than 300 reading chairs. "A good bookshop should provide space, vision and nurture the city with its humanitarian spirit," owner Qian Xiaohua tells CNN. "It's a place for people to have dreams in the city."
Foyles flagship (London)
In June 2014, the century-old London bookseller moved into its spacious new digs -- the size of 13 tennis courts-just a step away from its former home. Foyles new space has its own interest- ing history as the former Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design building, where Alexan- der McQueen and Stella McCartney once studied.
The stage where the Sex Pistols played their first gig(演奏) in 1975 now houses the Foyles children's department. The store also launched a helpful in-store digital book search map that's automatically enabled on customers' smart phones when they connect to the store's Wi-Fi net- work- the first of its kind in the country.
The Last Bookstore (Los Angeles)
Hopefully, the Last Bookstore will never fulfill the prophecy(预言) of its name.
The popular warehouse-like store buys and sells new and used books and is home to an excel-lent coffee bar and a record shop. The 100,000 books stacked in the "Labyrinth Above the Last Bookstore" section on the mezzanine(夹层楼面) level sell for a dollar each.
"The space we occupy was originally a bank, and there are still vaults(穹顶 ) on both floors of our store, but now they are full of books," says store manager Katie Orphan. "We generally have around 200,000 books in the store at any given time."
1.The first sentence of the text implies that
A. many bookstores have disappeared
B. kids like fictional books to read
C. bookstores provide the service of mailing
D. novels are mailed to kids for free
2.What is strange of Foyels flagship?
A. Readers can use WiFi free of charge.
B. Readers can use their phones to search books.
C. Readers can download digital books onto their phones.
D. Readers can play tennis in the bookstore.
3.According to Qian, his bookstore is where
A. people get support to achieve their dreams
B. people can park their cars underground
C. people experience their mental enjoyment
D. people read various books as a thinker
4.What do we know about the Last Bookstore?
A. It is the last bookstore in Los Angeles.
B. Its books are sold for a dollar each.
C. It provides readers free coffee all day.
D. It is formerly used as a bank.
假如你是李华，计划和同学去敬老院（nursing home）陪老人们过重阳节（the Double Ninth Festival）。请给外教露西写封邮件，邀她一同前往，内容包括：
1.出发及返回时间；
2.活动：包饺子、表演节目等。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.结语已为你写好
Dear Lucy,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your replay .
Yours，
Li Hua
每句中只有一处错误，每处错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在改词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词； 2. 每句只允许修改1处，多者不计分。
1.He told me that how important it was to learn English.
2.Now people get a lot of informations from TV.
3.If it won’t rain, we will go to visit the zoo.
4.The computer is an useful machine.
5.They only have a little room to live.
Could you go and ____________(确认) that everyone is ready? (sure)
Students ______________(应该) be on time. ( suppose)
