It was getting dark. Paul looked out of the window and signed (叹气). Dad said he could come home by 5:30, but it was almost 7:00. Even if Dad came back, it wouldn’t be much fun playing ____ in the dark. Paul walked into his room and threw his baseball into the corner. He tried to do some homework, but couldn’t.
The phone rang at about 8:00. It was Dad: “Paul, I’m ____ , but I couldn’t play baseball with you tonight. I have to finish my work at the office. Maybe we can play this weekend. Oh no. How about next weekend?....”
Paul couldn’t understand why Dad was so ____ . He threw himself into the sofa and soon fell asleep. His book was still opened to the first page.
The next day at school, Paul didn’t hand in his homework and ____ a test. Mrs. Green, his teacher, asked him to stay after school. “Paul, you didn’t do your homework.You didn’t pass the test and only got a D．This isn’t like you. What’s wrong?”
Paul just sat there ____ . “Paul, if you don’t want to talk, I will. I know that something’s worrying with you, but you have to get it out. You need to tell someone.”
As Paul walked home, he thought of what Mrs. Green said. Maybe he didn’t do his homework because he wanted to get his dad’s ____ . He knew Mrs. Green was right. He decided to take her advice.
When Paul got home, he ____ his dad. But there was no answer. Then it went to voicemail (语音信箱). Paul began talking: “Dad, I can’t play with you next weekend. I’ve got lots of problems with my homework. Also, I really don’t want to spend another day looking out of the window and waiting. Whenever you ____ our plans, Dad, it hurts me. It’s not too late to rebuild our relationship, but we have to start small. Maybe you can help me with my ____ sometime. Dad, I love you.”
As Paul ended the call, he felt much relaxed. He didn’t know whether his dad would be different, but it didn’t matter. He himself ____ . He expressed his feelings to the right person. He had a clear head as he was doing his homework that evening.
181．A．baseball B．cards C．chess D．toys
182．A．lucky B．sorry C．surprised D．pleased
183．A．famous B．helpful C．lazy D．busy
184．A．made B．missed C．failed D．chose
185．A．cheerfully B．comfortably C．hopefully D．quietly
186．A．attention B．message C．praise D．trust
187．A．saw B．thanked C．called D．greeted
188．A．prepare B．break C．follow D．question
189．A．choice B．homework C．speech D．decision
190．A．regretted B．complained C．insisted D．changed
答案
181．A
182．B
183．D
184．C
185．D
186．A
187．C
188．B
189．B
190．D
【解析】
【分析】
这篇短文主要介绍了保罗的父亲因为自己忙没有考虑到儿子的感受，而改变了和儿子的约定。保罗因此没有写作业导致考试失败。而后保罗给父亲留言告诉了他自己的感受，心情轻松，也能投入学习了。
181．A考查名词及语境的理解。A.baseball棒球；B.cards卡片；C.chess象棋；D.toys玩具。根据后文保罗把棒球扔进角落，可知句意：即使父亲回来，天黑打棒球也没有什么乐趣。故选A。
182．B考查形容词及语境的理解。A.lucky幸运的； B.sorry对不起，C.surprised吃惊的；D.pleased满意的。根据后文父亲说不能和儿子打棒球可知父亲表示歉意，故选B。
183．D考查形容词及语境的理解。A.famous著名的；B.helpful有帮助的；C.lazy懒惰的；D.busy繁忙的。根据上文父亲的话，可知这次不能打棒球，这个周末也不行，可知父亲忙。故选D。
184．C考查动词及语境的理解。A.made制作；B.missed错过；C.failed失败；D.chose选择。句意：第二天，保罗没有交作业，而且考试不及格。根据后文老师的话可知，故选C。
185．D考查副词及语境的理解。A.cheerfully愉快地；B.comfortably舒适地；C.hopefully有希望地；D.quietly安静地。根据上文保罗考试失败，老师询问，可知保罗静静地坐着没有说话，故选D。
186．A考查名词及语境的理解。A.attention注意；B.message信息；C.praise表扬；D.trust信任。句意：也许他不做作业是因为他想得到父亲的注意。根据句意，故选A。
187．C考查动词及语境的理解。A.saw看到；B.thanked感谢；C.called喊，打电话；D.greeted问候。根据后文没有人接电话，进入语音信箱，可知保罗到家后给父亲打了电话。故选C。
188．B考查动词及语境的理解。A.prepare准备；B.break打碎，弄坏；C.follow跟随；D.question问题，疑问。结合上文，可知句意：无论你何时打乱计划，都伤害到我。故选B。
189．B考查名词及语境的理解。A.choice选择；B.homework作业；C.speech演讲；D.decision决定。什么时间修复我们的关系都不会太晚。也许某个时间你可以在作业方面帮助我。根据上文他说自己作业方面有问题，故选B。
190．D 考查动词及语境的理解。A. regretted后悔；B. complained抱怨；C. insisted坚持；D. changed改变。根据上文“他不知道是否他的父亲会改变”及后文的改变，可知他本人会改变，故选D。
