When I was twelve years old, my family were the first black people to move into an all white part of Grand Rapids, Michigan． Many of our new neighbors weren’t very welcoming．Some of them said angrily that we should return to where we came from．The children sometimes threw stones at me or drove me home from school．

Most of my teachers simply took no notice of me, but not Dorothy Bean, my history teacher．Miss Bean was angry at how badly I was being treated, but she didn’t say this to me．Miss Bean showed her respect for me by teaching me just like anyone else．Instead of being unnoticed, I was given a chance to show that I was clever．Miss Bean was the first teacher who ever made me think for myself．She always wanted to know what I thought about difficult questions．Was Thomas Jefferson right to buy Louisiana from France? Why? She expected me to have my own idea．Miss Bean was teaching me that thinking for oneself was the real key to education．

One day, when I was not paying attention in class, Miss Bean suddenly threw an eraser at me．The eraser hit me right on the hand and sent my pencil flying．The whole class were very surprised at first, then started laughing．This event became famous in the school and, because it happened to me, the students wanted to get to know me．So that’s the story of how Dorothy Bean made me her target（靶子）, and how I became just another kid in school．

1． The author and his family were not welcomed by the local people because ________．

A． they returned from another country            B． they had different skin colour

C． they spoke a different language                   D． they moved to a wrong place

2． From the end of the first paragraph we know that ________．

A． children are more friendly to strangers

B． American schools are not safe for kids

C． children often follow their parents’ behavior

D． fighting each other is part of children’s nature

3． At school most of his teachers ______ the author．

A． were cold to    B． didn’t notice     C． threw things at   D． got angry with

4． Miss Bean respected the author by ________．

A． giving him chances to answer questions      B． hitting him with a eraser

C． giving him extra lessons                             D． treating him as one of her students

5． To Miss Bean the most important thing for a student is to ________．

A． pay close attention to what the teacher says

B． learn to think and have one’s own idea

C． keep silent and unnoticed in class

D． get special attention from the teacher

When I was 13 years old, I became a vegetarian and quickly realized that I would have to learn how to cook for myself. The first thing I ever asked my mom to teach me how to make was bean soup. “Oh, that’s easy!” She told me. She started by explaining: “Almost every soup starts with onions and carrots.”

My mom is a chef who is able to cook delicious meals. She also told me that the very first thing she had learned in cooking school was to make soup stock (拼盤(pán))----followed by soup. Her teacher had told the class: “If you learn anything here, it should be soup.”

In the US, soup isn’t so much a part of a meal as a meal in itself. Soups are often made from the leftovers(剩菜) of last night’s dinner----a baked chicken or turkey can easily be made into a new meal by adding broth(肉湯) and some vegetables. Soups are accompanied(伴隨) by bread and topped with cheese.

It was easy to impress my college roommates with my mom’s great soup recipes(菜譜). Bean soup, vegetable noodle soup, mushroom soup… For only a few dollars, three or four of us could eat well from the same pot of soup for a whole week. Add a loaf of bread and some cheese, and our soup became a proper feast(盛宴).

I’m not a vegetarian any more, but I still make bean soup. It fills the house with lovely smells and reminds me of my mom, and my home.

66. The first thing that the writer learnt to make was _____.

A. bean soup                         B. vegetable noodle soup

C. mushroom soup                       D. beef soup  

 67. What is the writer’s mother’s job? __________

A. teacher               B. officer       C. chef                 D. secretary

68. According to the writer’s mother, almost every soup has ____.

A. onions and carrots         B. celery(芹菜) and chili(辣椒)

C. carrots and mushroom      D. bread and cheese

69. Which of the statements is TRUE?

A. Soup is as important as a meal in America.

B. Americans don’t like to make soup from leftovers.

C. Americans think it is difficult to make soup.

D. Americans like to add cheese to soup.

70. From this passage, we can learn that _____.

A. in the US, soup isn’t part of every meal

B. you can’t make soup with a baked chicken or turkey

C. the writer often made different kinds of soup at home with her roommates

D. the writer doesn’t make bean soup any more because she isn’t a vegetarian

Martin is a fifteen-year-old boy. He used to be a“problem child”, but a recent 46  with his mother changed his life. He didn’t use to give his mother many problems. 47, after his father’s death a few years ago, Martin’s life became 48 more difficult. His mother couldn’t afford to pay for her child’s education. To do this, she 49 work, and so was often not at home.
His mother looked after him as 50 as she could. Unfortunately, Martin still caused problems. He was not 51 in studying and he often got in to trouble. Luckily, his mother was very 52 and didn’t give up trying to help him. In the end, she 53 a difficult decision:to send him to a boys’boarding school. Martin hated it and used to cause a lot of trouble.
One day, he told his teacher he wanted to leave the school. The teacher said it was necessary for Martin to 54 with his mother. Martin called his mother, but to his 55, this phone call changed his life. “It was exactly 56 Ineeded, ”he said. “My mother helped me to understand how much she had given me. She also told me that even though my father was no longer with us, he was 57 me and would always take pride in every thing good I do. That’s when I decided to change. I realize that 58 my father died, I have been afraid of being alone, and have tried to make my mother pay more attention to me. ”
　　 Now Martin has 59 changed. He has been working hard and is now one of the best students in his class. How was he able to change?His mother’s 60 helped him to feel good about himself.