When I was 8 years old, I decided to run away from home after a quarrel with my mother. With my suitcase packed and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door.

My mom asked where I was going. “I'm leaving home,” I said.

“What's that you're carrying?” she asked.

“Some clothes and food,” I replied.

“If you want to run away, that's all right,” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.”

I threw my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor and started for the door again.

“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “You didn't have any clothes on when you arrived, and I want them back.”

This infuriated me. I tore my clothes off — shoes, socks, underwear and all — and shouted, “Can I go now?”

“Yes,” my mom answered, “but once you close that door, don't expect to come back.”

I was so angry that I shut the door forcefully and stepped out of my home. Then I noticed down the street two neighbor girls walking toward our house. I was so shy that I saw the big spruce (云杉) tree in our yard and jumped under the low-hanging branches (树枝). A pile of

After I was sure the girls had passed by, I ran to the front door and knocked at it loudly.

“It's Billy! Let me in!”

The voice behind the door answered, “Billy doesn't live here anymore. He ran away from home.”

Looking behind me to see if anyone else was coming down the street, I said, “Mom! I'm sorry. I'm still your son. Let me in!”

The door opened and Mom's smiling face appeared. “Did you change your mind about running away?” she asked.

“What's for supper?” I smiled back.           

1.When the author was leaving home, his mother ordered him to _____.

A. stay at home                  B. take some sandwiches

C. leave everything behind         D. check his suitcase carefully

2.The underlined word “infuriated” probably means “_____”.

A. surprised           B. warned         C. encouraged          D. angered

3.Why did the author jump under the low-hanging branches?

A. To avoid being seen.               B. To find some needles.

C. To play a joke on the two girls.       D. To attract the two girls' attention.

4. The last sentence “What's for supper?” mainly shows that the author _____.

A. felt very hungry at that time

B. changed his plan to leave home

C. wished to eat something before leaving

D. wanted to know what his mother prepared for supper

I took my 9-year-old daughter, Suzan and 5-year-old son, Robbie to the shopping centre. As we got there，we saw a big sign that said, “Petting Zoo”. The kids jumped up and asked, “Daddy, can we go?”

    Both my wife and I were out of work. However, I said, “Sure”, giving them a quarter each. They went away, leaving only fifty cents left in my pocket.

    A petting zoo is made up of a hundred of little baby animals of all kinds. Kids pay their money and stay in the enclosure(围场)pleased with the little animals while their parents shop.

    A few minutes later, I saw Suzan walking along behind me, I was surprised and asked what was wrong.

    She said sadly, “Well, Daddy, a ticket for Petting Zoo costs fifty cents. So I gave Robbie my quarter.” Then she said the most beautiful thing I ever heard. She repeated the family motto(座右铭), which is “Love is Action!”

    I knew clearly no one loves little animals more than Suzan. She had watched both my wife and me do and say "Love is Action!” for years, and now she had put it into her lifestyle. It had become part of her, because she knew the whole family motto. It’s not only “Love is Action”; it’s “Love is SACRIFICAL(牺牲的) Action!” Love always pays a price...

    I was moved. We went back to the Petting Zoo. Suzan stood with her hands and chin(下巴)resting on the fence and just watched Robbie go crazy petting and feeding the animals. I had fifty cents burning a hole in my pocket. I put my hand into my pocket and took out the money. Sure, I must do that!

5. What would be the best headline for this passage? _______.

A. A Petting Zoo.                     B. Try Your Best to Help Others.

C. An Attractive Shopping Centre.    D. Love Is Sacrificial Action!

6. The underlined part “the most beautiful thing” in Paragraph 5 refers to _______.

A. the Petting Zoo                    B. the family motto

C. their lifestyle                           D. the ticket for Petting Zoo

7.    Which of the following best describes Suzan? _______.

A. Unselfish.           B. Healthy.      C. Childish．        D. Clever．

8. What might happen next according to the story? _______.

A. The author would buy Suzan some candies.

B. The author would get angry with Robbie.

C. Suzan would play happily with the little animals.

D. The author would play together with Suzan.

    Around six weeks ago, Kaileen came running into the house, just getting off the bus from school. She was all excited about a story about homeless pets because of Hurricane (飓风) Katrina and all that was going on to help them. She said that this information came from her animal newspaper (your KIND News). Kaileen has a great love and compassion (同情心) for

       I thought this was a school project, but in fact, it was not. This was what Kaileen wanted to do on her own! Well, it warmed me all over. To see your child so willing to help others just lets you feel that maybe you had done something right in raising (养育) her.

       Anyway, I told her to make a card and send it out to our neighbors first. With the help of her older brother, Kaileen soon made a lovely card that asked our neighbors to help these pets by giving their spare change. She gave them a few days and a date she would come by to pick up any donations (捐赠). 

       Well, I had to go out and buy a donation box. Kaileen collected $279.50!!! I just thought you would like to know how KIND News had touched a little one’s heart and given her the idea to show her compassion for animals. Thank you — we really enjoy your paper.

9. The passage is probably taken from ______.  

A. a report about a warm-hearted girl

B. an advertisement for an animal shelter 

C. a thank-you letter to a newspaper

D. a donation program for homeless pets 

10. What was the author’s feeling about Kaileen’s idea? 

A. Pleased and excited.

B. Surprised and moved.

C. Tired and sad.                           

D. Worried and angry.

11. From the passage we learn that KIND News ______.

A. collects donations for homeless people 

B. sets up many shelters for homeless animals 

C. tells children how to keep pets healthy 

D. encourages children to help homeless pets 

12. We can infer that the passage is written by Kaileen’s ______.

A. parent                                  B. teacher  

C. brother                       D. neighbor

I have many new teachers in high school, but Lori Runkle, my English Language and Composition teacher, is my favorite teacher.

Ms. Runkle enjoys getting to know more about students, so I have many chances to talk with her after class. I have always wanted to become a journalist (新闻记者). Since Ms. Runkle used to be a journalist back in the United States, she has introduced many helpful journalistic writing skills to me.

Although she is my teacher, Ms. Runkle and I are more like friends. She often invites my classmates and me to take part in different activities outside of school. For example, I went to listen to a journalist’s speech, which helped me better understand current events (时事).

Not only does Ms. Runkle talk with me outside of school, she is also a great teacher in the classroom. English Language and Composition is a really hard subject for a second language learner. We felt worried in the beginning, but Ms. Runkle really makes an effort to help us out. In class, Ms. Runkle always encourages students to question everything to keep us active. One part of class I love the most is when groups of students are required to give speeches on events that are happening in the world. It requires a lot of deep thinking and I really learn quite a lot from it.

I love Ms. Runkle very much. She not only helps me to get good scores, but also acts as a good friend and always gives me advice on life.

13. After class, the author _____.

A. seldom sees Ms. Runkle

B. talks with Ms. Runkle quite a lot

C. enjoys introducing Ms. Runkle to her friends

D. often invites Ms. Runkle to different activities

14. We can infer from the text that Ms. Runkle is _____.

A. friendly and helpful         B. kind and humorous

C. clever and active            D. strict and boring

15. The author’s favorite part of Ms. Runkle’s class is when Ms. Runkle _____.

A. tells them how to get good scores

B. asks them questions about the world

C. asks them to describe current events

D. tells them about events that are happening

16. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A. To express how much she misses Ms. Runkle.

B. To look back on her special high school life.

C. To describe an unforgettable teacher.   

D. To show what makes a good teacher.

The English language has a lot of words which can be used in many different ways and in many different expressions.

One such example is the word matter. In fact, matter can mean just about anything. It could be one of the most useful words in the English language.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter — a matter of principle (原则).

If someone says that you owe (欠) him $50, but you don’t, a friend might say, “Well, you could pay him the $50. It’s not that much money. Then you won’t have to hear him say it anymore.” But if you do not owe him the money, do not pay him the money. It’s a matter of principle.

There is another way to use the word matter. But be careful with your choice of words.

If you ask someone, “What’s the matter?”, it shows you are worried about the other person. But saying, “What’s the matter with you?” has a completely different meaning. And it usually sounds rude (粗鲁的). In fact, when you say, “What’s the matter with you?”, you are suggesting that the person did something wrong or stupid.

Another expression that could sound rude is to say, “It doesn’t matter to me.” Here, it depends on the context, and how you say it.

Let’s say you tell someone that a friend just got a big raise at work. That person answers

But saying, “Oh, you pick where we eat dinner. It doesn’t matter to me.” does not sound rude. In this situation, “it doesn’t matter” shows you are easy-going (随和的).

No matter how you look at it and what you say, matter is a very useful word. And it’s only a matter of time before you will become an expert on the use of matter.

17. We can infer from the text that the word matter _____.

A. has a wide use                  B. can mean money 

C. is the most used English word     D. has the most different expressions

18. What is the author’s suggestion in Paragraph 4?

A. Every penny counts.            B. Stick to what is right.

C. Follow your friend’s advice.      D. Be careful when making friends.

19. The underlined word “context” in the text probably means _____.

A. choice                                B. person   

C. situation                                D. answer

20. The author develops the text mainly by _____.

A. using examples                B. giving instructions

C. describing his experiences       D. discussing research findings