Lovely animals are always kept as pets，especially those which look pretty and there’ s always a lot
of fun keeping them. Here’s a story about it.
     The children begged for a hamster (倉鼠), and after a long time and promises that they alone would
care for it, they got one. Of course, they loved this special friend. They named it Danny, made “a house”
for it, and played happily with it. Two months later, when Mom found herself doing the cleaning and
feeding the hamster, she decided to send it away and found a future new home for it. The children took
the news of Danny’s immediate departure quite well, though one of them said, “He’s been around here
a long time. We’ll miss him.”
     “Yes,” Mom replied. “But he’s too much work for one person, and since I’m that person, I say he
goes.”
     Another child offered, “Well, maybe if he wouldn’t eat so much and wouldn’t make things in bad
order, we would keep him.”
     But Mom didn’t change her mind. “It’s time to take Danny to his new home now,” she insisted. “Go
and get his cage(籠子).”
     With one voice and in tearful anger the children shouted, “Danny? We thought you said Daddy!”

1. Mom wanted to send Danny away because_______. 

A. she had to do too much more work
B. the children didn’t help her
C. she found a new home for Danny  
D. Danny didn’t want to stay here any more

2. The underlined word “departure” probably means _______.

A. staying        
B. leaving      
C. playing        
D. eating

3. It can be inferred from the text that Daddy _______.

A. often did housework      
B. often ate a lot and did much
C. often kept everything clean and in good order
D. often ate much and made everything in bad order

     Parents divorced, little Buddy was in the care of his mother's large Alabama family. Over the
years, Buddy seldom saw either of his parents. But he was happy where he was and he had many
kindly relatives, among whom Miss Sook was by far his best friend. Before Christmas, Buddy's
father had managed to get legal custody(法定監(jiān)護) of him for this Christmas. So, he had a new
suit, with a card pinned with his name and address and made the trip alone, by bus, to New
Orleans.
     Several things occurred that kept me awake the whole night. First, the footfalls, the noise of my father
running up and down the stairs, breathing heavily, I had to see what he was up to. So I hid and watched.
There was a Christmas tree and the fireplace downstairs. Moreover, I could see my father. He was
crawling around under the tree arranging a pyramid of packages. I felt dizzy, for what I saw forced me to
reconsider everything. If these were presents intended for me, then obviously they had not been ordered
by the Lord and delivered by Santa Claus; no, they were gifts bought and wrapped by my father. Which
meant that my rotten little cousin Billy Bob and other rotten kids like him weren't lying when they laughed
at me and told me there was no Santa Claus. The worst thought was: Had Sook known the truth, and lied
to me? No, Sook would never lie to me. She believed. It was just that-well, though she was
sixty-something, in some ways she was at least as much of a child as I was.
     I waited until I was sure he was in bed and sound asleep. Then I crept downstairs and examined the
tags attached to each of the packages. They all said: "For Buddy." I decided to open the packages: It
was Christmas morning. I was awake, so why not? I won't bother to describe what was inside them: just
shirts and sweaters and dull stuff like that. The only thing I appreciated was a toy gun. Somehow I got the
idea it would be fun to waken my father by firing it. So I did. Bang. Bang. Bang. He raced out of his room, wild-eyed, Bang. Bang. Bang. "Buddy-what the hell do you think you're doing? Bang. Bang. Bang. "Stop
that!" I laughed. " Look, Daddy. Look at all wonderful things Santa Claus brought me."
     Calm now, he walked into the room and hugged me. "You like what Santa Claus brought you?"
     I smiled at him. He smiled at me. There was a tender lingering (逗留不去的) moment, damaged
when I said: "Yes. But what are you going to give me, Daddy?" His smile evaporated. His eyes narrowed
suspiciously-you could see that he thought I was pulling some kind of trick. But then he blushed, as
though he was ashamed to be thinking what he was thinking. He patted my head, and coughed and said: "Well, I thought I'd wait and let you pick out something you wanted. Is there anything particular you
want?"
     I reminded him of the airplane we had seen in the toy store on Canal Street. His face sagged. Oh,
yes, he remembered the airplane and how expensive it was. Nevertheless, the next day I was sitting in
that airplane dreaming I was zooming toward heaven while my father wrote out a check for a happy
salesman, who promised to help ship the plane on the bus. 
     But I wasn't free of New Orleans yet. The problem was a large bottle of wine; maybe it was because
of my departure, but anyway my father had been drinking it all day, and on the way to the bus station, he
scared me by grabbing my wrist and harshly whispering: "I'm not going to let you go. I can't let you go
back to that crazy family in that crazy old house. Just look at what they've done to you. A boy six, almost
seven, talking about Santa Claus! It's all their fault, all those sour old spinsters with their Bibles and their
knitting needles, those drunken uncles. Listen to me, Buddy. There is no God! There is no Santa Claus."
He was squeezing my wrist so hard that it ached. "Kiss me. Please. Please. Kiss me. Tell your daddy
that you love him." But I couldn't speak. I was terrified I was going to miss my bus. And I was worried
about my plane, which was strapped to the top of the taxi. "Say it: 'I love you.' Say it. Please. Buddy. Say
it."
     It was lucky for me that our taxi-driver was a good-hearted man. Because if it hadn't been for his help, and the help of some efficient porters and a friendly policeman, I don't know what would have happened
when we reached the station. My father was so drunk he could hardly walk, but the policeman talked to
him, quieted him down, helped him to stand straight, and the taxi-man promised to take him safely home.
But my father would not leave until he had seen the porters put me on the bus.
     Once I was on the bus, I crouched in a seat and shut my eyes. I felt the strangest pain. A crushing pain
that hurt everywhere. I thought if I took off my heavy city shoes, those crucifying monsters, the agony
would ease. I took them off, but the mysterious pain did not leave me. In a way it never has; never will.
     Twelve hours later I was home in bed. The room was dark. Sook was sitting beside me, rocking in a
rocking chair, a sound as soothing (令人舒暢的) as ocean waves. I had tried to tell her everything that
had happened, and only stopped when I was hoarse (嘶啞的) as a howling dog. She stroked her fingers
through my hair, and said: "Of course there is a Santa Clause. It's just that no single somebody could do
all he has to do. So the Lord has spread the task among us all. That's why everybody is Santa Claus. I
am. You are. Even you cousin Billy Bob. Now go to sleep. Count stars. Think of the quietest thing. Like
snow. I'm sorry you didn't get to see any. But now snow is falling through the stars-" Stars sparkled,
snow whirled inside my head; the last thing I remembered was the peaceful voice of the Lord telling me
something I must do. And the next day I did it. I went with Sook to the post office and bought a penny
postcard. That same postcard exists today. It was found in my father's safety deposit box when he died
last year. Here is what I had written him: Hello pop hope you are well I am and I am turning to
pedal my plane so fast I will soon be in the sky so keep your eyes open and yes I love you Buddy.

1.When Buddy asked his Daddy for Christmas presents, his father's reaction suggested that  _______.

A. He felt sorry he forgot to prepare presents for his son.
B. He thought his son should have known all the presents were sent by him, not Santa Claus.
C. It was difficult for him to accept that his son is so greedy.
D. He was ashamed of not knowing what his son liked.

2. Once Buddy was on the bus, he felt the strangest pain . The reason probably is _____________.

A. His father squeezed him so hard that it ached.
B. His father was very drunk and had difficulty returning home.
C. He didn't say "I love you" to his father.
D. He had an argument with his father at home.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Buddy didn't tell his Daddy "I love you" until his death.
B. Buddy's father and Miss Sook were people of different personalities.
C. Buddy still held the belief that there was Santa Claus.
D. Buddy finally mailed a postcard to his father.

4. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A. Cousin Billy Bob had a good relationship with Buddy.
B. Miss had no idea of Santa Clause, and lied to Buddy.
C. Father loved Buddy very much and prepared a lot of gifts for him.
D. Buddy was afraid of his father for they had been separated long time.

5. The following words can describe Miss Sook except _______.

A. old            
B. clever          
C. naughty          
D. trusted

6. Which of the following can be the best title of passage?

A. Is There a Santa Clause in the World?
B. A Christmas Memory
C. How to Celebrate Christmas in a Meaningful Way?
D. A Christmas of a Divorced Family

     A 69yearold grandmother with  no teeth of her own has eventually won a long legal  battle to stop a
Scottish regional council (政務委員會) adding fluoride (氟化物) chemical to the public water  supply.
     In a case which has already cost the taxpayer ￡1,000,000,the judge ruled that it was beyond the
powers of the local authority to add the chemical to the water in order to reduce tooth decay.
     At her home last night Mrs Catherine McColl said, "I did what I thought was right and I would do it
again, too." She claimed that adding fluoride to public drinking water made it into some kind of dirty
soup ."Where would it stop?"she asked. "They might come up with the idea of putting drugs into the
water to keep the unemployed quiet."It was a horrible poison, she said, that could have caused all kinds
of diseases, including cancer.
     The judge, however, concluded that there was no evidence  to suggest that the inclusion of fluoride in
the water supply would have had a negative effect on public health. Although the chemical might serve as
an efficient and convenient means of achieving a beneficial effect on  the dental health of consumers
generally, he said, and its  use was greatly favoured by the dental profession, he  could also understand
why some members of the public, Mrs McColl in particular, might be passionately opposed  to the
action of the Water Authority in assuming the  right to improve public wellbeing without consulting the
public in the first case. The Authority's legal duty to provide "wholesome" water for public consumption
which was both safe and pleasant to drink ,did not,he said, extend to their right to safeguard public health
by chemical means.

1. Mrs McColl felt so strongly about the fluoride issue that she eventually ________.

A. took the local council to court
B. had a physical fight with the judge
C. urged the authority to apologize
D. spent much money removing the chemical

2. According to what the judge said in the passage, adding fluoride to the water________.

A. was not proved to be harmful
B. was the duty of the local authority
C. was strongly opposed by dentists
D. was surely beneficial to the public

3.The word "wholesome"in the last paragraph can be best replaced by the word"________".

A. clear    
B. poisonless
C. healthy   
D. recycled

4. From the passage we learn that people like Mrs McColl are more concerned about________.

A. the improvement of their personal health
B. the problem of unemployment in their community
C. the chemicals to be used for the improvement of water quality
D. their right to be informed of the authorities' decisions

1.  Why are Cady and Casey eager to escape?  

A.  They don't like being fenced in home
B.  They like very much staying in the city pound
C.  The author makes, silly mistake of walking them one by one.
D.  The author doesn't provide them with enough food and water.

2.   The main reason why the author decided not to bail' Cady was that _____.

A.  he couldn't afford to raise Cady any longer
B.  he had no time to spare to walk Cady.
C.  he was very annoyed with Cady's escapes
D.  he was sure the puppy pound would adopt her

3. The underlined word "callous" in the last paragraph means _____.

A.  heartless.  
B.  kind.        
C.  cool.        
D.  angry.

4.   What would be the best title?  

A.  Cady, a lovely dog?          
B.  Daughter, my greatest teacher.
C. A disappointing father.      
D.  Unexpected escapes.