一、完形填空
It was the summer before my third grade. Our girls' softball team was facing real pitchers (投球手) 1 the first time. Before that, we could just hit the ball on the tee (球座). When the coach started pitching, hitting became 2 for me. I missed every single pitch. From the side, I heard my teammate Emily laughing at me. My face got hot and my throat felt like it had a softball stuck in. At that moment, I was starting to 3 playing softball.
The next afternoon, when Mum said it was time to play the game, I told her I was 4 . She allowed me to lie down for a while. So I went to my room and 5 myself in bed. This was difficult for me because I was fine and just 6 to avoid softball.
Soon Mum came in and said, "Time to go!" She didn't even ask if I felt 7 . I imagined Emily laughing from the sideline, and 8 I really did feel sick to my stomach. I began crying loudly. Still, Mum pulled my team T-shirt over my head. She said, "You have to play for the rest of the season, and only after that we can talk about 9 you'll continue next year." She added that practice was what I needed, not giving up. She promised to practise with me.
I got two hits that afternoon, and Emily didn't make a 10 . Every week after that, I practised at home 11 I got to be one of the best hitters on the team.
That 12 taught me being afraid is part of life, and I can do whatever is expected of me if I keep working and practising.
() 1. A. for B. by C. from D. about
() 2. A. noisy B. natural C. hard D. possible
() 3. A. remember B. hate C. enjoy D. practise
() 4. A. bored B. sick C. shy D. sad
() 5. A. helped B. dressed C. threw D. taught
() 6. A. failed B. wanted C. refused D. offered
() 7. A. safer B. better C. warmer D. happier
() 8. A. usually B. probably C. carefully D. suddenly
() 9. A. what B. where C. which D. whether
()10. A. plan B. sound C. choice D. decision
()11. A. until B. unless C. after D. though
()12. A. accident B. business C. relationship D. experience

一、1.A 2.C 3.B 4.B 5.C 6.B 7.B 8.D 9.D 10.B 11.A 12.D

二、阅读理解
My five-year-old son befriends the woman. It starts with voices in the yard. When I come out to check on Daniel, his face is pressed on the fence (篱笆).
The woman says, "You wait right here; I'll be right back." She returns with a saw (锯子). There's a whirring. A circle in the wooden fence drops out of sight.
"Dad! Sandy just drilled out a hole in the fence so Sandy and I can talk!" Daniel spins around.
I didn't know her name was Sandy. We've lived here since a month before Daniel was born.
Daniel's and Sandy's murmuring voices continue. Whenever Daniel is outside, he circles near the fence that isn't a fence any more. Some days my son just goes to stand at the hole, shouting, "Sandy! Saaaaandyyyyy!" Sometimes I hear bits of their talk.
"We painted a ghost at school."
Or: "Wheeler and Jackson were playing football, and they told me I couldn't play."
"That wasn't very nice," says Sandy. "Did that hurt your feelings? Did you let them know that?"
I can't hear how he replies. A moment of envy runs through me. He never talks about his school things with me.
Daniel and Sandy not only keep chatting through the hole, they also exchange gifts. A colouring book, then a Hot Wheels car. It's unclear what Daniel gives Sandy in return.
One afternoon, I hear Sandy's voice floating over the top of the fence with the hole. "I thought maybe Daniel could come for a play date."
We ring the bell on Sandy's porch (门厅). She's a middle-aged woman with smiling eyes. Sandy's yard is sweet with the smell of flowers. We have a pleasant afternoon with Sandy, my son's adult friend, the first friend Daniel has made on his own.
A month later, Sandy leaves to care for her mother in Kansas. She leaves behind a box of presents: a colouring book, sidewalk chalk, the missing orange part in the Hot Wheels track. When I look at Daniel, he's looking down at his shoes.
He sometimes walks down to the fence. Instead of calling "Sandy! Saaaaaandyyyyy!", he cries, "Hello! Helloooooo!"
One day, Daniel receives Sandy's postcard. They write frequently, warmly.
() 1. Which sentence should go in the empty box in Paragraph 4 from the bottom?
A. The neighbourhood I grew up in has a fence like this.
B. We've passed through the hole in the fence.
C. Beyond that fence stands Sandy's blue house.
D. I'm a person who looks on the bad side of the fence.
() 2. What can we know about Daniel from the underlined sentences in the story?
A. He doesn't care about Sandy's leaving.
B. He is impressed with the shoes from Sandy.
C. He is heartbroken because of Sandy's leaving.
D. He does not want to be Sandy's friend any more.
() 3. Which sentence best expresses the theme of the story?
A. Parents are children's best friends.
B. Trust and friendship can go beyond ages.
C. A good fence makes a good neighbour.
D. Grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

二、1.B 2.C 3.B