My dad was driving to the city center to shop and I was going along for the ride. At least that was what I had told him—   1  I had an important question to ask—that had been on my mind for a couple of weeks and this was the first time I had been able to   2  with him alone.

“Dad…”I started. And   3 .

“Yes?” he said.

“The kids say there is no Father Christmas. They say I’m   4  to believe in Father Christmas anymore…it’s only for little kids. But I believe what you told me. Father Christmas is __5 . He is, isn’t he, Dad?”

“The real life and spirit of this magical elf (精靈) lives forever in your heart, my heart, Mom’s heart and in the hearts and minds of   6  people who believe in the joy that giving to others brings. The real   7  of Father Christmas becomes what you can give rather what you get. Once you understand this and it becomes   8  of you, Father Christmas becomes even more exciting and more magical because you come to   9  the magic comes from you when Father Christmas lives in your heart. Do you understand what I am   10  to tell you?”

My heart was filled with pride and I’m sure my eyes were shining with   11 .” Of course, Dad. I want him to be in my heart, just like he’s in yours. I love you, Daddy. You’re the best Father Christmas who has   12  been in the whole world.”

When it comes time in my life to   13  the reality of Father Christmas to my children, I hope that I will be as eloquent (有口才) and   14  as my dad was the day I learned that the spirit of Father Christmas doesn’t wear a red   15 . And I hope they will accept me as I did that day. I’m sure they will.

1.                A．clearly         B．a(chǎn)ctually         C．personally D．originally

2.                A．stay           B．fight           C．live  D．a(chǎn)rgue

3.                A．laughed        B．continued       C．stopped  D．cried

4.                A．honest         B．wrong          C．proud    D．foolish

5.                A．real           B．proper         C．kind D．right

6.                A．every          B．some           C．few  D．a(chǎn)ll

7.                A．spirit           B．position         C．character D．life

8.                A．part           B．tool            C．half  D．dream

9.                A．guess          B．realize          C．promise  D．discuss

10.               A．considering     B．expecting       C．planning   D．trying

11.               A．fear           B．excitement      C．panic D．surprise

12.               A．still            B．yet            C．ever  D．a(chǎn)lready

13.               A．explain         B．solve          C．introduce  D．describe

14.               A．strict          B．loving          C．careful    D．gentle

15.               A．beard          B．belt           C．suit   D．stocking

My father died when l was a baby, and my mother had to go out to work．1 was the only(1)    ______so I had no brothers and sisters to play with at home．I used to play in the street with other children, or ride my bike down to the park，but I remember I(2)______a lot of time just sitting at home reading．We had a television，I think, but I don’t remember(3)_______ it very much．

    My grandparents lived with us and we used to do a lot of things together—I remember we played cards a lot．At the weekends, my mother always(4)________一we often went down to the sea and swam, and I(5)__________to swim when I was quite young．

    We didn’t have a car, so we went everywhere by bus．Occasionally(偶爾)，one of my uncles used to come and take us out in his car，which was a great(6)________．For holidays we always went to the seaside, but never far away—maybe a short train journey．

    My mother wasn’t very(7)_________．a(chǎn)nd I don’t remember her ever(83)______ me．In fact，I used to get my own way too much．

    I was given small pocket money because we weren’t very (9)________，and I probably spent most of it on sweets，as far as I remember--I don’t think anyone thought they were(10)____ for you then．

1．A．child           B．father               C．friend                 D．mother

2．A．used            B．kept           C．took                       D．spent

3．A．repairing          B．1istening to      C．watching             D．looking at

4．A．let me in         B．took me out      C．told me stories        D．went shopping

5．A．hated           B．learned         C．stopped               D．forgot

6．A．game           B．chance        C．pain                 D．pleasure

7．A．strict           B．kind           C．interested               D．worried

8．A．playing with      B．staying with     C．beating                D．loving

9．A．busy           B．happy           C．rich                 D．well

10．A．good           B．bad            C．important               D．delicious

I can't believe the homework my seven-year-old son brings home! I have to sit with him every afternoon in order to see all the homework __1__．There is so much work and he is very __2__ after school．I have to give him a little time-out，so he can swim __3__ just get relaxed in front of the TV．Then we continued and it __4__ a few hours at least to finish all the homework．I don't remember having so much work when I was at this __5__ and I don't remember it being so hard!

It seems to me as if I am paying the school and they are sending my child __6__ with so much work for me to __7__ him do! Why don't they do all this work at school? I think these __8__ are doing the students great harm（傷害）! They shouldn't be __9__ to give the kids so much work to do on their __10__．

Then the sport is pushed again and again! I have always been a __11__ of sports，but I can see that my son is not as interested as I __12__ to be．I can see that he would rather read or do something __13__ like drama（戲曲）or art．1 would love him to be a sportsman，but if that isn't __14__ he wants，then I would rather he was happy．Kids should __15__ their own interests and not be made to do what other people want them to do!

1．A．compared              B．followed              C．corrected                      D．done

2．A．tired                      B．influenced            C．surprised                D．pleased

3．A．but                        B．or                        C．a(chǎn)nd                        D．then

4．A．collects                 B．a(chǎn)ffords                C．takes                     D．writes

5．A．relation                  B．time                     C．moment                 D．a(chǎn)ge

6．A．knowledge             B．experiment           C．home                     D．example

7．A．direct                    B．check                         C．encourage              D．help

8．A．schools                 B．brains                  C．choices                  D．differences

9．A．regarded                B．suggested             C．a(chǎn)llowed                  D．managed

10．A．service                B．own                    C．energy                   D．shame

11．A．stranger               B．discoverer            C．member                 D．lover

12．A．happened             B．used                    C．a(chǎn)greed                   D．wished

13．A．strict                   B．nervous               C．else                       D．usual

14．A．what                   B．which                  C．who                             D．whose

15．A．receive                B．miss                    C．develop                  D．a(chǎn)chieve

He _______ his children.

A. is strict            B. is strict to            C.  is strict with                   D. stricts

My father woke up early one summer morning when I was fourteen and announced, “Get up, you’re going with me to cut the grass in the garden.”
The idea that my father thought I was old enough to help him in his business made me feel proud and excited. From sunup to sundown, my father, my younger brother and I worked in the large garden. By the end of the day I was too tired to say a word but I felt happy. This was my first time to help my father in his business. I got $6 for my work that day.
One day my father found some leaves I had missed and pulled me aside. “Take away these leaves!” he said. “And don’t make me have to tell you to do it again.” The message was clear. Today I value the importance of doing job well the first time. I will never fail to impress (留下印象) the person I’m working for.
After two years, my father told me and my brother that he felt we were old enough to cut the grass by ourselves. Every Saturday during my last two years of high school, we set off early in the morning with the same wish we had gained while working under our father.
Looking after the garden was neither exciting nor high paying, but that didn’t matter. It taught me that any job was a good job and whatever I was paid was more than I had before.
A newspaper reporter once asked me how someone could possibly live with hard work and low pay. “If you’re only thinking about hard work and money, you probably don’t want to do better than you are doing,” I answered. In every job, from cutting the grass to washing dishes, I’ve learned much. I’ve learned something that helps me in my next job.
If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do.
7. The writer ______ from working in the garden.
A. learned to work hard to get money
B. found he could be well paid
C. felt he could impress others by working hard
D. learned any job was good though he might be paid less
8. When the writer finished high school, maybe he was ______ years old.
A. fourteen             B. eighteen             C. twenty           D. twenty-two
9. The writer’s father was ______.
A. very strict but helpful
B. lazy and easy to get angry
C. careful and enjoyed working in the garden
D. funny and hard-working
10. Which is the most important to the writer according to the passage?
A. Finishing work as quickly as possible.
B. Asking no money for your work.
C. Keeping learning from any job you have.
D. Keeping on looking for different jobs.