Dear Mary,

I’m very happy to receive your letter. I have always dreamed about having a penfriend. Hopefully, we can learn from each other and grow to be good friends. I think our letters will let us know each other and share parts of our lives.

Your horse Shannon looks beautiful. I also want to live on a farm like you and learn to ride horses. It must be interesting to ride through the beautiful countryside. I have pictured myself in that sitution so many times. Your sisters are also lovely. I am the only child in my family, and sometimes I feel very lonely.

Life in New York is so busy and it is difficult to find the time to get to know people. Even becoming close to my classmates is quite difficult. However, sometimes it can be the most fantastic city in the world. At night it is so bright.

I love reading too! But I have never read any books by your favorite author Enid Blyton. I will have to go to the library in my neighborhood and find some. I also enjoy dancing and have dance class every Thursday and Saturday. My other favorite hobby is skating. In winter, I like to skate in Central Park.

I have to go now and do my homework. I really hope that I hear from you soon!

Yours,

Megan

21．Who is Shannon?

A．Mary’s dog.            B．Megan’s dog.          C．Mary’s horse.          D．Megan’s horse.

22．Megan think Mary’s sisters are________.

A．lovely                    B．clever                     C．careless                  D．lazy

23．How often does Megan have dance classes?

A．Once a week.                                            B．Twice a week.

C．Three times a week.                                   D．Four times a week.

24．What do we know about Mary?

A．She has many friends.                                B．Her sister is good at skating.

C．She likes to live in New York.                     D．Her favorite writer is Enid Blyton.

25．What is the relationship between Mary and Megan?

A．Schoolmates.                                             B．Penfriends.

C．They are in the same club.                          D．They live in the same neighborhood.

    My family and I have visited our friend, Dennis, in Chicago several times in summer, but we hardly visited him in winter. It’s December now, and here we are in Chicago. We have been here for two weeks. It’s much colder in Chicago than in New Orleans at this time of year.

This winter has been very cold. It has snowed a lot and people have had trouble with their cars. Last night, it snowed again. Now there is 60cm of snow on the ground. This has been fun for me, but Dennis didn’t have fun this morning when his car got stuck(抛锚 )in snow. Schools have closed because students can’t get to school. Many people have stayed inside.

According to Dennis, spring and fall are lovely seasons here. In the spring time, everything comes alive. People seem happy and spend more time outside. The sun shines almost every day. Dennis says that the leaves turn orange, yellow and red in the fall. The weather is still warm and comfortable. People drive to the country in order to see the fall colors. This is our friend’s favorite season.

Summer is a good season in the north-central part of the United States, too. Our last visit was in the summer time. It was hot, but there were fun things to do. We went on picnics, swam a lot and had parties in Dennis’ backyard.

People’s lives change with the weather. My life would be different in Chicago. I’m glad that I don’t live here. Dennis likes Chicago, but he doesn’t like its winter, either.

31．How long has the writer been in Chicago?

A．One week.              B．Two weeks.             C．One month.            D．Two months.

32．What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．Why it is so cold in winter in Chicago.

B．This winter brought lots of fun to Dennis.

C．What winter activities are popular in Chicago.

D．This winter caused many problems for people in Chicago.

33．Which season does Dennis like best?

A．Spring.                  B．Summer.                C．Fall.                      D．Winter.

34．What can we know about the writer?

A．His car got stuck in the snow.                      B．He wants to move to Chicago.

C．He has visited Chicago alone for many times.       D．He had a good time during his last visit to Chicago.

35．According to the passage, which of the following is “TRUE” about Chicago?

A．It is in the north-central part of the USA．

B．It has a large populaton than New Orleans.

C．Schools there closed early for winter vacation.

D．Snow falls continuously(连续) for months in winter there.

Experiencing China

Mike, Canada

I spent three months with my host family(接待家庭) in China. It was a lifetime experience. I was able to experience Chinese living and culture

from basic Tai Chi to Beijing Opera. I even visited a famous traditional Chinese medicine hospital. Now I have a better understanding of Chinese culture.

Joanna, Australia

I stayed with my host family for five months. My host mother is a Chinese teacher and she is really warm-hearted. With her help

my Chinese has improved a lot. And I have got used to a new culture. My favorite part of the experience was sharing my feelings in China with her.

Bill, America

My host mother is a wonderful cook! She makes me all kinds of traditional Chinese dishes. They are tasty and I like them very much. Just like me

my host parents love to learn about different cultures. They often ask me questions about life in America.

Cindy, Germany

Recently I took part in a program to study Chinese. I lived with a host family in China for six months. My host sister is a really hardworking student. It was amazing to see how she made progress in English. And a close relationship has developed between us.

21．Who visited a traditional Chinese medicine hospital?

A．Mike.                    B．Joanna.                  C．Bill.                       D．Cindy.

22．How long did Joanna stay with her host family in China?

A．Three months.                                           B．Four months.

C．Five months.                                             D．Six months.

23．Cindy thinks her host sister is     .

A．a wonderful cook                                       B．a responsible doctor

C．a warm-hearted teacher                               D．a hardworking student

  My dad is a patient, loving and giving person but his kind spirit that really touched me was one night as we were driving home after visiting my grandmother.

Pulling up at a small crossing, we saw a car stopped in the m56． of the road. An older lady was talking on   her phone and staring up at a street sign, clearly trying to work out where she was. She came back to her car, looking more u57．. Dad watched her out of his rear-view (后视) mirror before pulling over to see if he could help. As he stood at her window and asked if she was OK, she broke down in tears, explaining she had lost her way.

It turned out she was a caregiver (照料者) and was t58． to find the house of the client she was meant to be helping that night. When she showed Dad the address she was meant to be at. Dad handed her his b59． card and told her to follow him, and to call him on the number on the card if she lost us in t60． .

My dad drove to the address, only a suburb or two out of our way, and found the house for her. The look of thankfulness on her face was reward enough for Dad.

The next morning as Dad was driving me to school his phone rang. It was the lady he'd helped the night b61． calling him to thank him again for his kind deed. 1 don't think Eve ever been so p62． to be his daughter.

In the summer between my first year and second year in college, I was invited to be an instructor (辅导员）at a high school camp. On the first day, when we were dancing and playing games, I noticed a boy under the tree who was small and thin. His shyness made him appear weak. I walked towards him, introduced myself and invited him to join in the activities and meet some new people. He quietly replied, "No, I really don't want to do this." I could understand that he was in a new world but I knew it wouldn't be right to force him, either. Actually, the boy didn't need a close talk but a friend.

At lunch the next day, I was leading camp songs when 1 saw the boy under the tree sitting alone. I tried again with the same invitation, but he refused once again. That evening I was told the boy's name was Tommy. Then I asked the campers to pay special attention to the boy and spend time with him when they could.

The days went by and the time came when we had to leave. We held a big, warm party to celebrate the closing of the camp. All the campers shared their wonderful moments. To my surprise. 1 found the boy from under the tree dancing joyfully with two girls. I couldn't believe it was the same person.

In October of my second year, I received a phone call from Tommy's mother. She told me that Tommy was hit by a car and killed. I offered my deep sadness. The mother said: “'Tommy mentioned you so many times. I want you to know that he went back to school and made new friends with confidence. You made a difference for Tommy during his last months.”

At that moment, I realized how easy it was to give a bit of yourself every day. You may never know how much each gesture may mean to someone else. I hope that everyone can pay attention to their own “boy under the tree”.

41．Before the writer came to the high school summer camp，he was a (n) _______.

A．instructor               B．camper                   C．student                   D．reporter

42．How many times did the writer invite the boy to join in the activities?

A．Once                     B．Twice                     C．Three times            D．Many times

43．Which is the correct order about the story?

①The boy danced joyfully with two girls.

②The boy went back to school and made new friends.

③The boy refused to join in the activities.

④The boy's mother made a phone call to the writer.

A．①②③④                                                    B．②③①④

C．③①②④                                                     D．④③②①

44．From Paragraph 4，we can infer (推断）that Tommy's mother was very_______to the writer.

A．thankful                 B．helpful                   C．faithful                  D．harmful