My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died.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 falling grades for the year. In this case he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged（乞求）him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and begged 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（哽咽） up and all my disappointment（失望） 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 was even on the list of the best students at school. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were surprised at the way he had turned himself around.
After the meeting, Karl 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."
1. By saying "Karl became withdrawn", the writer means the boy changed completely and _______.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
2.There was silence on the other end of the line because the speaker _______.
A. was too moved to say anything to the mother
B. waited for the mother to finish speaking
C. didn't want the mother to know who he was
D. didn't want to say to his mother
3.The phrase "at the end of my rope" means _______ in Chinese.
A.心如刀割 B.心意冷 C.失魂落魄 D. 山穷水尽
4.What does this passage mainly tell us?
A. Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.
B. Mother's love plays an important part in teenagers' life.
C. School education doesn't work without full support from parents.
D. Children in single-parent families often have problems with their mind.
5.The best title for the passage is _______.
A. A lonely boy
B. How to get on with a teenager
C. A student who turned himself around
D. A joking phone call
Most young boys like spending time on things like video games, superhero movies and sports, but Ken, a 9-year-old boy from the Philippines, is spending his free time trying to start an animal shelter（庇护所） for at-risk dogs.
In February, photos of Ken feeding dogs on the street circled the Internet and immediately attracted many people who wanted to help. "I feel sorry for the dogs with no owners while other dogs around the world are being pampered（宠养）," Ken tells Pet360 in an email. "It really wasn't fair. And they are really thin."
When Ken began feeding the dogs which had health problems, they would not let the boy come close. But after several feedings, the dogs warmed up to Ken and allowed the boy to help them. When animal lovers found out what Ken was doing, donations started to roll in, and Ken and his father were able to start a non-profit（非盈利的） animal shelter called Happy Animals Club. The donations helped three dogs, Blackie, Brownie and White Puppy, receive high-quality canned food and treatment. After two months with Ken at Happy Animals Club, the dogs look like completely different animals and will be adopted（领养） soon.
In May, Ken and his father hiring a 10,000-square-foot lot（车场）, where Ken hopes to build a no-kill animal shelter to help more dogs in need. "I want the dogs to have a home, where they can have shelter, eat and have fun," says Ken.
Ken wants to save dogs from the city pound (宠物收留所) where most animals are put down. Right now, Ken doesn't have enough money to start the shelter. If you also want to save homeless dogs, you can visit the Happy Animals Club's website and offer some help.
1. What makes Ken different from other boys of his age?
A. That he lives at a shelter.
B. That he wants to save homeless dogs.
C. That he loves animals very much.
D. That he loves watching superhero movies.
2. When animal lovers knew what Ken was doing, they _______.
A. were surprised B. felt very excited
C. supported him D. brought dogs to him
3. Blackie, Brownie and White Puppy are given as examples to show that
A. many dogs are waiting to be adopted
B. dogs can become very friendly in the end
C. high-quality canned food is very important
D. the donations can improve some dogs' lives
4. What's the writer's purpose in writing the last paragraph?
A. To encourage us to help Ken save dogs.
B. To ask us to bring homeless dogs to Ken.
C. To show it's really not easy to raise money.
D. To tell us about the Happy Animals Club's website.
Is there a difference in meaning between "It's too late to telephone. Mary is asleep now." and "It's too late to telephone. Mary will be asleep now."？
Yes. The difference is in the reason given for it being too late to telephone. In the first sentence "Mary is asleep now", the speaker is stating（陈述） a fact. In the second sentence "Mary will be asleep now", the speaker is saying what Mary usually does. In fact, it's possible that Mary isn't asleep, but she is usually asleep at this time.
So let's take two situations. In the first case, imagine Mary's mother answers the telephone.
You: "May I speak to Mary, please?"
Mother: "No. It's too late. Mary is asleep now."
You: "Are you sure? It's only 10 0'clock."
Mother: "Yes. I went to her room and she was asleep."
The mother knows that Mary is asleep because she went into her room and saw her.
Here is another case. Two friends decide to telephone Mary.
Jack: "Let's telephone Mary. It's 10 0'clock."
Jill: "No. It's too late. She will be asleep now."
Jill knows that Mary always goes to bed before 10 o'clock, so now she'll probably be asleep. But it is also possible that she is staying up late.
1. In the first situation. Mary's mother _______.
A. is afraid to wake up Mary
B. wants to tell you that she knows Mary is asleep
C. knows that Mary wants to sleep at this time
D. wants to know if she can take a message for Mary
2.In the second situation, Jill _______.
A. knows that Mary has gone to bed
B. doesn't know whether Mary is asleep
C. is sure that Mary cannot answer the telephone
D. thinks it's possible that Mary cannot answer the telephone
3.In which situation do you think the word "will" is used in the same way Jill uses it?
A. Will you please lend me a hand?
B. It's too heavy, I think. I'll help you.
C. Don't get into his office. He will be angry now.
D. You won't have to come to my office. I will send it to you.
We all want to live in good neighborhoods, but not everyone lives in a good neighborhood. How can you build a better community for yourself and your family? There are many things you can do.
Paint your intersection(十字路口). A street intersection is not something you think of as interesting. However, In Portland, people in some neighborhoods have made them really worth stopping for. Some paint, creative people and a bright design are all it takes to bring neighbors together and produce something the whole community can be proud of.
Make a poetry box. The idea is simple, really - create a box with a glass or clear plastic front. Put this box on a post. Write your own poem or print out your favorite classic and display it in the box for all your neighbors to see. You can also set up a drop box and encourage neighbors to write their own poems and drop them in the box. Display the poems from your neighbors as the poems come in.
Set up a tool library. How often do you need a leaf blower? Or a chain saw? And how often do you use that electric cake mixer? To01 libraries have space where neighbors can drop their hardly used tools to share. Check with a local business, community center or church group about space that can house a tool library.
Turn your front yard into your backyard. How often do you meet your neighbors in your backyard? Probably never. Moving your typical（典型的） backyard activities to the front immediately makes you more visible(可见的). You can create front-yard gardens, build community benches and even just barbecue in your front yard. They are all great ways to connect with your community.
With effort, you'll make your neighborhood a much better place.
1.How many ways are mentioned to build a better community?
A. Three. B. Four. C. Five. D. Six.
2.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Writing poems is a good way to connect with your neighbours.
B. Each family may have hardly used tools for others to share.
C. In Portland, the intersections in some neighborhoods are very attractive.
D. Move your backyard activities to the front yard and you'll have chances to meet your neighbors.
3.Which of the following shows the structure（结构） of the whole passage?
"Two reporters will visit our new school. And some of you will be in the photo." Ms. Myers told Room 5. The kids were and started doing their hair except Brad. He knew he wouldn't be in the photo.
Brad was small. Kids were always making jokes about how he was. "They won't put Brad in or you'd need a magnifying glass（放大镜）to see him," Charlotte said. The other kids laughed. Brad to smile, even though what Charlotte said was . He believed they didn't mean to him.
Two reporters named Rick and Tegan arrived half an hour later. "Time to take photos," Tegan said. "Who do you want, Rick?"
"I'll have these three girls and those three boys." Then he pointed to Jocob, Eddie, and Brad.
Brad could believe it.
Rick set up the six kids in front of the new library's big painting. "It's big." he said. "We'll get you guys to kneel (跪) in front of it, it looks even bigger."
"Is that why you picked Brad?" said one of the Room 5 kids. "So it looks really big?" Some people laughed. Brad also gave a as he usually did.
But Rick shook his head. "No," he said. "I chose him because he's got a huge smile two miles wide."
He looked at Brad and said, "Plus, this guy is big inside, where it . Right?" Hearing this, Brad spoke before he could think. "In my heart, I'm three miles wide." Room 5 laughed again. But Brad knew that they were laughing him this time.
1.A. nervous B. proud C. excited D. lucky
2.A. ugly B. short C. thin D. fat
3.A. had B. preferred C. tried D. turned
4.A. sad B. true C. funny D. mad
5.A. stop B. encourage C. punish D. hurt
6.A. exactly B. hardly C. certainly D. probably
7.A. if B. although C. so that D. because
8.A. smile B. reply C. look D. reason
9. A. happens B. hides C. appears D. matters
10.A. at B. with C. about D. to
- I dislike shopping online. I prefer to actually see and touch what I'm buying before I pay for it, especially for clothes and shoes.
- That's right. _______.
A. Seeing is believing
B. Clothes do not make the man
C. The first step is always the hardest
D. You are never too old to learn
