The end of the school year was in sight and spirits were high. I was back teaching after an absence of 15 years, dealing with the various kinds of "forbidden fruit" that come out of book bags. Now was the spring of the water pistol.
I decided to think up a method of dealing with forbidden fruit.
"Please bring that pistol to me," I said. "I'm going to put it in my Grandma's Box."
"What's that?" they asked.
"It's a large wooden chest full of toys for my grandchildren," I replied,
"You don't have grandchildren," someone said.
"I don't now." I replied. "But someday I will. When I do, my box will be full of wonderful things for them."
My imaginary Grandma's Box worked like magic that spring, and later. Sometimes. students would ask me to describe all the things I had in it. Then I would try to remember the different possessions I supposedly had taken away—since I seldom actually kept them. Usually the offender would appear at the end of the day, and I would return the belonging.
The-years went by, and my first grandchild Gordon was born. I shared my joy with that year's class. Then someone said, "Now you can use your Grandma's Box." From then on instead of coming to ask their possessions back, the students would say, "That's okay. Put it in your Grandma's Box for Gordon."
I loved talking about the imaginary box, not only with my students but also with my own children. They enjoyed hearing about all the forbidden fruit I had collected. Then one Christmas I received a surprise gift—a large, beautifully made wooden chest. My son Bruce had made my Grandma's Box a reality.
4．What was the author's purpose in having the conversation with the students?
A．To collect the water pistol. B．To talk about her grandchildren.
C．To recommend some toys. D．To explain her teaching method.
5．What do the underlined words "the offender" in paragraph 8 refer to?
A．The student's parent. B．The maker of the Grandma's Box.
C．The author's grandchild. D．The owner of the forbidden fruit.
6．What did the students do after they learned about the birth of Gordon?
A．They went to play with the baby. B．They asked to see the Grandma's Box.
C．They made a present for Gordon. D．They stopped asking their toys back.
7．What can we infer about the author?
A．She enjoys telling jokes. B．She is a strict and smart teacher.
C．She loves doing woodwork. D．She is a responsible grandmother
4．A
5．D
6．D
7．B
【分析】
这是一篇记叙文。文章主要讲叙了作者为收集学生们带到学校的玩具，想出了一个“奶奶的盒子”的办法。到后来，作者的第一个孙子出生，学生们也不再来要求归还他们的财物了，作者也在某一年圣诞节收到了儿子制作的大木箱，将“奶奶的盒子”变成了现实。
4．细节理解题。根据第一段中“I was back teaching after an absence of 15 years, dealing with the various kinds of "forbidden fruit" that come out of book bags. Now was the spring of the water pistol.(在缺席了15年之后，我又回到了教书的地方，处理从书包里掏出的各种各样的“禁果”。现在流行的是水枪)”以及第三段中“‘Please bring that pistol to me,’ I said. ‘I'm going to put it in my Grandma's Box.’(“请把那支水枪给我，”我说。“我要把它放在我‘奶奶的盒子’里。”)”由此可知，作者与学生进行对话的目的是收集水枪。故选A。
5．词句猜测题。根据划线词后文“I would return the belonging”结合上文提到作者把学生带到学校的玩具称为“禁果”，且作者的“盒子”里装的就是“禁果”，所以作者等到这些禁果的拥有者在一天结束的时候出现，然后就会归还他们的物品。由此可知，划线词意思为“禁果的拥有者”。故选D。
6．细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“From then on instead of coming to ask their possessions back, the students would say, ‘That's okay. Put it in your Grandma's Box for Gordon.’(从那时起，学生们不再来要求归还他们的财物，而是说：“没关系。把它放在你“奶奶给戈登的盒子”里)”由此可知，学生们在得知了戈登的出生后，他们不再索要玩具。故选D。
7．推理判断题。根据文章中作者要收集学生们从书包里掏出的各种各样的“禁果”，说明作者对待学生很严格；同时作者又想出了“奶奶的盒子”这个的方法来收集学生们的玩具，说明作者很聪明，由此可推知，作者是一个严格而聪明的老师。故选B。
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |