4、“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother．The bundle （嬰兒包） was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped—the baby had been born without ears．Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance．

    One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy … called me—a f-…freak．” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks．

    He grew up, handsome for his misfortune．A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that．He developed a gift for literature and music．

    The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor．Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft（移植）on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated（捐獻(xiàn)）,” the doctor decided．So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man．Two years went by． Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son．Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need．But it’s a secret．” said the father．

    The operation was a brilliant success．His talents blossomed into genius． School and college became a series of successes．Later he married and entered the diplomatic（外交）service．“But I must know!” he urged his father．“Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him．”

    “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet．” The years kept the secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son．He stood with his father over his mother’s casket（棺材）． Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret．

1．The story is mainly about _______．

A．how a boy had new ears through an operation

B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child

C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person

D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy

2．From the first paragraph we know that the mother _______．

A．was determined to donate her ears to perfect her son

B．kept her husband unknown about the baby’s situation

C．felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby

D．complained of her bad luck to have a disabled child

3．The underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 3 is the closest in meaning to “_______”．

      A．slow-acting person                            B．ugly-looking child

     C．badly-bahaved student                         D．strangely-shaped creature

4．What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The agreement was between the donator and the family．

B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president．

C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was．

D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died．

5．What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?

A．Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known．

B．It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul．

C．True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance．    

D．It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful．

3、Bedazzling （眼花繚亂） with their bright colors and eye-catching displays, fireworks light up our night skies during the holidays．However, these crowd-pleasers can have some damaging side effects．

Once a firework is set off, it only takes a couple of seconds before smoke, dust and harmful chemicals are let out into the atmosphere．The loud booming noises are caused by gunpowder．While the sounds may excite some people, they can be frightening to domestic and wild animals—as well as some humans．

The pretty colors you see are a result of more chemicals．Barium, added to make green, is known for its poisonous and radioactive qualities．Blue comes from copper compounds．Cadmium, lithium and lead—all found in fireworks—have been linked to diseases, such as allergies and skin rashes in both humans and animals．Acid rain has been linked to gases given off by fireworks, which sometimes go beyond the toxin（毒素）limits of the United States Clean Air Act．

Once all those chemicals come back down to the ground, they can cause problems too． Debris （碎片） from the fireworks falls to the ground, where animals can burn their paws or noses on piping hot pieces．Humans also are at risk of stepping on or picking up something sharp or hot．Meanwhile, debris that finds its way into waterways can damage animal habitats and water supply sources． 

Instead of setting off fireworks, try to come up with some new ways for fun．Here are some ideas to get you started:

? Sky lanterns—a tradition that originated long ago in the most-populated Asian country．

? Party crackers—a favorite in the United Kingdom—give you noise and surprises without the mess of fireworks．You can make your own or buy eco-friendly crackers．

 Want noise excitement with less volume? Consider a fireworks sound recording beforehand or break out the party horns （號角）and blow up a storm! 

1．The advantages of fireworks can be seen below EXCEPT that _____．

     A．the special sounds of firworks excite people

     B．debris from firworks can even find its way into water

     C．the pretty and bright colors add to the beauty of night skies

     D．fireworks are enjoyed as one of the crowd-pleasers

2．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Copper compounds are needed to make green in fireworks．

     B．Chemicals in fireworks are both poisonous and dangerous．

     C．Too much gases from fireworks can result in acid rain．

     D．Chemicals in fireworks are harmful in the air and on the ground．

3．All the italicized （斜體的） words are probably ____．

     A．mineral materials                                  B．tiny solids

     C．chemical elements                                D．broken pieces

4．What is implied from the passage?

     A．Gunpowder in fireworks makes loud booming noises．

     B．It must be Indians who first started to hang sky lanterns．

     C．Fireworks does less harm in the air than on the ground．

     D．Fireworks can even break the balance of nature．

5．What can be concluded as the writer’s attitude towards fireworks?

     A．It is not allowed to set off fireworks except during the holidays．

     B．Fireworks should be banned and replaced by some other means．

     C．Night is the best time to set off fireworks and see the pretty colors．

     D．You cannot set off fireworks unless you come up with new ways．

25、---- I didn’t do well in the last English contest. How about you?

---- _____________.             

A．I’ll do better next time                    B． A lot better

C．Even worse                                        D．I like English, though

24、---- Excuse me．Where's Mr. Brown’s office，please?

----It's on the third floor．But he ______ there now．He's gone to the airport to meet some Chinese friends．

A．should be        B．can't be        C．might be        D．mustn't be

22、How close parents are to their children       a great effect on the characters of the children.

A．have          B．to have            C．having          D．has

21、Was it at the school       was named after a hero       he spent his childhood?

A．which, that           B．where, where         C．that, where          D．which, where