Yesterday, after telling my brother, Rhys, and me to stop playing like wild animals, Mom went to take a bath. We were having a pillow fight when 　36 one hit a vase. Mom 　37 the loud crash. Wasting no time, she came 　38 into the room. I was sure that she was going to shout at us, but instead she just knelt by the 39 and began to cry.

　 This made Rhys and me feel pretty 　40 . We went over and put our arms around her, and she explained to us why she was so upset. In the pieces 　41 a broken glass rose, one petal (花瓣)gone, which was given by Dad on their first wedding anniversary. Dad had said that if he ever forgot to bring flowers home 　42 an anniversary in the future, Mom was to look at that one. It was like their love—it would last a 　43 .

　 We began crying, and 　44 to glue it. But Mom said that wouldn’t really fix it. 　45 it had been broken, the 　46 of the “limited edition” had reduced. As Mom 　47 began to pick up the mess, we tried everything we could think of to　 48 her up, but even our best funny faces didn’t 　49 . Tears kept coming down her cheeks. Everything was picked up. Seeing Mom going back to the bath, I 　50 her and put both hands on her shoulders, saying, “All things can be 　51 ，Mom. The only thing that cannot be broken is our 　52 . It’s the only thing that can never be broken. ”

　 Mom hugged me very tightly and 　53 smiled. After dinner that night, Mom glued the petal back onto the rose. Then she softly said, “My rose is truly unique. Its tiny damage reminds me of 　54 more important：the realization that love 　55　 forever. ”

36. A. gradually　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. suddenly

C. surprisingly　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. immediately

37. A. caused　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. witnessed

C. heard　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. ignored

38. A. dressing　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. shouting

C. flying　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. crying

39. A. pieces　　　　　　　　 B. vase　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. pillow　　　　　　　 D. ground

40. A. disappointed　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. angry

C. awful　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. sensitive

41. A. grew　　　　　　　　 B. lay　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. stood　　　　　　　 D. existed

42. A. for　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. in　　　　　　　　　　 C. from　　　　　　　　 D. by

43. A. decade　　　　　　　 B. year　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. season　　　　　　　　　　 D. lifetime

44. A. offered　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. supported

C. pretended　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. agreed

45. A. Just as　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. In case

C. Now that　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Even though

46. A. price　　　　　　　　　 B. wealth　　　　　　　 C. value　　　　　　　　 D. treasure

47. A. skillfully　　　　　　 B. hopefully　　　　　 C. kindly　　　　　　　 D. slowly

48. A. cheer　　　　　　　　 B. make　　　　　　　　 C. light　　　　　　　　 D. get

49. A. smile　　　　　　　　 B. work　　　　　　　　 C. show　　　　　　　 D. say

50. A. prevented　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. stopped

C. kept　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. followed

51. A. destroyed　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. mended

C. improved　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. broken

52. A. friendship　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. honesty

C. love　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. happiness

53. A. finally　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. quickly

C. confidently　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. immediately

54. A. anything　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. something

C. nothing　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. everything

55. A. changes　　　　　　　　　　 B. appears　　　　　　　　　 C. lasts　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. keeps

Number　 sense is not the ability to count. It is the ability to recognize a 　 1　 in number. Human beings are born with this ability. 2 ，experiments show that many animals are, too. For example, many birds have good number sense. If a nest has four eggs and you remove one, the bird will not　 3 . However, if you remove two, the bird 4 leaves. This means that the bird knows the 　5　 between two and three.

Another interesting experiment showed a bird's 6 number sense. A man was trying to take a photo of a crow(乌鸦)that had a nest in a tower, but the crow always left when she saw him coming. The bird did not 7 until the man left the tower. The man had an 8 .He took another man with him to the tower. One man left and the other stayed, but they did not 9 the bird. The crow stayed away until the second man left, too. The experiment was　 10 with three men and then with four men. But the crow did not return to the nest until all the men were 11 .It was not until five men went into the tower and only four left that they were 12 able to fool the crow.

How good is a human's number sense? It's not very good. For example, babies about fourteen months old almost always notice if something is taken away from a 　13 group. But when the number goes beyond three or four, the children are 14　 fooled.

It seems that number sense is something we have in common with many animals in this world, and that our human 15 is not much better than a crow's.

1. A. rise　　　　　　　 B. pattern　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. change　　　　　　　　　　 D. trend

2. A. Importantly　 B. Surprisingly　 C. Disappointedly D. Fortunately

3. A. survive　　　　　　　　 B. care　　　　　　　　 C. hatch　　　　 D. notice

4. A. generally 　　　　　　 B. sincerely　　 C. casually　　　　　 D. deliberately

5．A. distance 　　　　　 B. range　　　　 C. different　 　　　 D. interval

6．A. amazing 　　　　　 B. annoying　　　　　 C. satisfying　 D. disturbing

7. A. relax　　　　　　　　　 B. recover　　　　　　 C. react　　　　 D. return

8. A. appointment　　　　 B. excuse　　　　　　 C. idea　　　　　 D. explanation

9. A. fool　　　　　　　　　　 B. hurt　　　　　 C. catch　　　　 D. kill

10.A. repo　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. repeated　　 C. designed　　 D. approved

11.A. confused　　　　　　 B. gone　　　　 C. tired　　　　　 D. drunk

12.A. gradually　　　　　　 B. luckily　　　 C. strangely　 D. finally

13.　 A. single　　　　　　　 B. small　　　　 C. local　　　　 D. new

14. A. seldom　　　　　　　 B. temporarily C. merely　　　 D. often

15. A. sight　　　　　　　　　 B. nature　　　 C. ability　　　　 D. belief

　Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word“obey”is hardly exact as a description of the eager and delighted co- operation（合作） usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gestures and by making questioning noises.

　　Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It’s agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particular expression like delight, pain, friendliness and so on. But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self - imitation（自我模仿）leads out to deliberate（有意的）imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.

　　It is a problem we need to get our teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will. change as he gains more experience of the world. Thus the use, at seven months, of“ mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at another time for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself. I doubt, however , whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of his ability in an attempt to teach new words.

　Children who start speaking late ________

　　A. may have problems with their listening

　　B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them

　　C. usually pay close attention to what they hear

　　D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly

　　A baby’s first noises are ________ .

　　A. an expression of his moods and feelings

　　B. an early form of language

　　C. an imitation of the speech of adults

　　D. a sign that he means to tell you something

　　The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitation can be considered as speech ________ .

　　A. is important because words have different meanings for different people

　　B. is not especially important because the change takes place gradually

　　C. is one that should be ignored（忽略）because children’s use of words is often meaningless

　　D. is one that can never be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age

　　The speaker implies that ________ .

　　A. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitation

　　B. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly

　　C. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak

　　D. patents can never hope to teach their children new sounds

(10·四川)

Recently， I flew to Las Vegas to attend a meeting. As we were about to arrive，the pilot announced with apology that there would be a slight 2l　 　before setting down. High desert winds had 　22　 the airport to close all but one runway. He said that we would be 　23　 the city for a few minutes waiting to 　24 . We were also told to remain in our seats meanwhile with our seat belts fastened 25 there might be a few bumps(颠簸)．We11，that few minutes turned into about four—five minutes，including a ride that would make a roller coaster(过山车) 26 by comparison.

The movement was so fierce that several passengers felt 27 and had to use airsickness bags. As you might guess，that’s not good thing to have happen in a(n) 28 　space because it only 29 　to increase the discomfort of the situation.

About twenty minutes into the adventure，the entire airplane became very 30 . There was now a sense of anxiety and fear that could be 31 noticed．Every passenger simply held on for dear life …except one. A 32 was having a good time! With each bump of the33!he would let out a giggle(咯咯的笑)of delight As I observed this，I 34　 that he didn’t know he was supposed to be afraid and worried about his 　 35 He neither thought about the past nor about the future Those are what we grown—ups have learned from 36　 .He was 37 the ride because had not yet been taught to fear it. Having understood this，I took a deep breath and 38 back into my seat，pretending I was 　39 on a roller coaster. I smiled for the rest of the flight. I even 40　 to giggle once or twice ,much to the chagrin(随恼)of the man sitting next to me holding the airsickness bag.

21. A. mistake　　 B. delay　　 C. change　 D. wind

22. A. forced　　　 B. warned　　 C. swept　 D. reminded

23. A. watching　　 B. visiting　 C. circling 　D. crossing

24. A. arrive　　　 B. enter　　 C. stop　　 D. land

25. A. if　　　　　 B. though　　 C. because D. while

26. A. light　　　 B. pale　　　 C. easy　　 D. quick

27. A. sick　　　　 B. nervous　 C. angry　 D. afraid

28. A. empty　　　 B. narrow　　 C. secret　 D. open

29. A. happens　　 B. continues C. fails　 D. serves

30. A. quiet　　　　 B. hot　　　 C. dirty　 D. crowded

31. A. partly　　　　 B. gradually　　 C. shortly　　 D. clearly

32. A. pilot　　　　　 B. baby　　　　 C. guard　　 D. man

33. A. seats　　　　 B. passengers　　 C. flight　　 D. airplane

34. A. realized　　　 B. hoped　　　 C. agreed　 D. insisted

35. A. health　　　 B. safety　　　　 　C. joy　　　 D. future

36. A. teachers　　　　 B. books　　　　 C. experience　 D. practice

37. A. learning　　 B. taking　　 C. missing　　　 D. enjoying

38. A. sat　　　 B. lay　　　　　 C. went　　　　　 D. rode

39. A. nearly　　 B. finally　　 C. really　　　　 D. suddenly

40. A. attempted　 B. managed　　 C. wanted　　　 D. decided　　

It was early spring.The sun was strong and warm.I went over the hillside fields behind my village，__1__buntings and linnets，the birds I loved most.

I turned along a bush between two fields where I had seen the birds before，but on this fine day almost the first birds that I saw were winter visitors.I was__2__not to see a bunting straightaway，but I went on，stopping occasionally to look at the black-thorn (黑刺李) flowers in the bush，and ___3___I did hear a bunting singing.Or was it? Was I not perhaps turning a note of skylark (云雀) song into that of the song I was hoping to hear?

But the bunting's song was pretty clear，and within a few minutes I was proved___4__.The song was coming from the bush，and as I approached ___5__I saw the brown bird resting in a small tree.It opened its mouth，and__6__once more.Then it flew off.It was the only one I saw that day，but at least I had found one of the birds I had__7__.

It was not until I was on my way back home that I caught sight of some ___8__.I saw five of them gathering on the ground when I was just coming back beside the ___9__where I had found the bunting.As I came nearer，they flew up，spreading their tails so that their white edges ___10___ to look like a white fan in the sky.Then，to my___11__，some big pigeons suddenly came flying and joined the linnets.

A moment later they had all__12__ — but I had fulfilled my hopes for the day.

1．A.looking at B．looking for C．looking up D．looking after

2．A.disappointed B．dismissed C．dissatisfied　　　 D．disturbed

3．A.directly B．gradually 　C．suddenly　 D．immediately

4．A.proper　 B．right C．useful 　　 　D．true

5．A.sadly　　 B．hurriedly 　C．proudly 　 　D．quietly

6．A.danced　 B．ateC．sang D．shouted

7．A.observed B．noticed C．expected D．described

8．A.linnets B．skylarks C．pigeons　 D．buntings

9．A.bush B．road 　C．grass D．black-thorn

10．A.widened　　 B．enlarged C．lengthened D．expanded

11．A.knowledge B．pleasure C．amusement　 D．honor

12. A．gathered　　 B．lost C．missed D．gone