My daughter Allie is leaving for college in a week. Her room is piled with shopping bags filled with blankets, towels, jeans, sweaters. She won’t talk about going.
I say, “I’m going to miss you,” and she gives me one of her looks and leaves the room. Another time I say, in a voice so friendly it surprises even me: “Do you think you’ll take your posters and pictures with you, or will you get new ones at college?”
She answers, her voice filled with annoyance, “How should I know?”
My daughter is off with friends most of the time. Yesterday was the last day she’d have until Christmas with her friend Katharine, whom she’s known since kindergarten. Soon, it will be her last day with Sarah, Claire, Heather... and then it will be her last day with me.
My friend Karen told me, “The August before I left for college, I screamed at my mother the whole month. Be prepared.”
I stand in the kitchen, watching Allie make a glass of iced tea. Her face, once so open and trusting, is closed to me. I struggle to think of something to say to her, something meaningful and warm. I want her to know I’m excited about the college she has chosen, that I know the adventure of her life is just starting and that I am proud of her. But the look on her face is so mad that I think she might hit me if I open my mouth.
One night — after a long period of silence between us — I asked what I might have done or said to make her angry with me. She sighed and said, “Mom, you haven’t done anything. It’s fine.” It is fine — just distant.
Somehow in the past we had always found some way to connect. When Allie was a baby, I would go to the day-care center after work. I’d find a quiet spot and she would nurse — our eyes locked together, reconnecting with each other.
In middle school, when other mothers were already regretting the distant relationship they felt with their adolescent daughters, I hit upon a solution: rescue measures. I would show up occasionally at school, sign her out of class and take her somewhere — out to lunch, to the movies, once for a long walk on the beach. It may sound irresponsible, but it kept us close when other mothers and daughters were quarrelling. We talked about everything on those outings — outings we kept secret from family and friends.
When she started high school, I’d get up with her in the morning to make her a sandwich for lunch, and we’d silently drink a cup of tea together before the 6:40 bus came.
A couple of times during her senior year I went into her room at night, the light off, but before she went to sleep. I’d sit on the edge of her bed, and she’d tell me about problems: a teacher who lowered her grade because she was too shy to talk in class, a boy who teased her, a friend who had started smoking. Her voice, coming out of the darkness, was young and questioning.
A few days later I’d hear her on the phone, repeating some of the things I had said, things she had adopted for her own.
But now we are having two kinds of partings. I want to say good-bye in a romantic way. For example, we can go to lunch and lean across the table and say how much we will miss each other. I want smiles through tears, bittersweet moments of memory and the chance to offer some last bits of wisdom.
But as she prepares to depart, Allie has hidden her feelings. When I reach to touch her arm, she pulls away. She turns down every invitation I extend. She lies on her bed, reading Emily Dickinson until I say I have always loved Emily Dickinson, and then she closes the book.
Some say the tighter your bond with your child, the greater her need to break away, to establish her own identity in the world. The more it will hurt, they say. A friend of mine who went through a difficult time with her daughter but now has become close to her again, tells me, “Your daughter will be back to you.”
“I don’t know,” I say. I sometimes feel so angry that I want to go over and shake Allie. I want to say, “Talk to me — or you’re grounded!” I feel myself wanting to say that most horrible of all mother phrases: “Think of everything I’ve done for you.”
Late one night, as I’m getting ready for bed she comes to the bathroom door and watches me brush my teeth. For a moment, I think I must be brushing my teeth in a way she doesn’t approve of. But then she says, “I want to read you something.” It’s a brochure from her college. “These are tips for parents.”
I watch her face as she reads the advice aloud: “ ‘Don’t ask your child if she is homesick,’ it says. ‘She might feel bad the first few weeks, but don’t let it worry you. This is a natural time of transition. Write her letters and call her a lot. Send a package of candies...’ ”
Her voice breaks, and she comes over to me and buries her head in my shoulder. I stroke her hair, lightly, afraid she’ll run if I say a word. We stand there together for long moments, swaying. Reconnecting.
I know it will be hard again. It’s likely there will be a fight about something. But I am grateful to be standing in here at midnight, both of us tired and sad, toothpaste spread on my chin, holding tight to—while also letting go of—my daughter who is trying to say good-bye.Why is there a period of silence between the author and Allie one night?
| A．Allie is tired of the author’s suggestions. |
| B．The author is angry with Allie’s rudeness. |
| C．Allie is anxious about talking about leaving. |
| D．The author is ready to adjust her way of parenting. |
How did the author deal with the possible distance with Allie when Allie was in middle school?
| A．She would chat with Allie till late at night. |
| B．She would invite Allie and her friends home. |
| C．She would visit Allie at school and take her out. |
| D．She would communicate with Allie by telephone. |
It can be inferred from the passage that__________.
| A．Allie is emotional and only has a few good friends |
| B．the author is not satisfied with the college Allie has chosen |
| C．there is a lack of communication between the author and Allie |
| D．there are different attitudes to parting between the author and Allie |
What Allie reads to the author is__________.
| A．the tips to parents on how to educate their children |
| B．the suggestion on how to deal with the generation gap |
| C．the tips to parents on when they depart with their children |
| D．the suggestion on how to ease the homesickness of children |
The author doesn’t say anything to Allie when they are standing together because_________.
| A．she can’t read Allie’s mind |
| B．she is afraid that Allie will leave |
| C．she is too excited to speak a word |
| D．she doesn’t know how to speak to Allie |
From the underlined part in the last paragraph we can know that___________.
| A．the tie between the author and Allie is broken |
| B．Allie doesn’t need the author’s care any more |
| C．the author expects Allie to live an independent life |
| D．the author will keep a close relationship with Allie as before |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A straight-A student got a C in cooking class and didn't like it. She didn't like it so much that her dad filed a complaint in court about it. He says that the teacher, who is white, discriminated against（歧视） his daughter, who is black. He hopes to have her grade changed from a C to an A and asks for uncertain ecnomic damages.
Virginia Brown is in the ninth grade at Ashley High School. Since her first year in school, she has had perfect attendance and all her grades have been A's. Virginia's father said her heart was broken when she got the C.
"She cried the whole weekend," he said. "She wouldn't come out of her room. Her eyes were
red and puffy. My little girl hasn’t been this upset since her cat got killed by a car when she was 6 years old."
Virginia is a model student. She's the class monitor. She's on the swim team, the volleyball team, and the track team. She also goes to the chess club. She is a member of the Girl Scouts and sings in her church choir.
The home economics teacher is 28-year-old Jessica Smith. This is her first year teaching. Ms. Smith said that discrimination was clearly not the truth. “Some of my best friends are African-Americans," she said. “This isn’t a black and white problem. Everybody in America wants to sue（控告） everybody else. I’m going to sue them for defamation（诽谤） of character and whatever else my lawyer comes up with.”
56. Mr. Brown was upset because ________.
A. his daughter did a poor job in cooking class
B. he was not satisfied with Ms. Smith’s work
C. he thought the teacher looked down on his daughter
D. he was afraid his daughter couldn’t go to a good university
57.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.Virginia Brown is an excellent student.
B.Ms. Smith is an experienced teacher.
C.Virginia Brown feels sad about the grade.
D.The father isn't happy with the teacher.
58. Ms. Smith was _____ about Mr. Brown’s accusation(指控).
A. worried B. angry C. calm D. afraid
59. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Black Girl Discriminated by White Teacher
B. Straight-A Girl Poor at Cooking
C. School Girl Puts Her Teacher to Court
D. Students And Teachers Are Equal
While shell-like roofs, unlike anything else in the world, make the Sydney Opera House an image of timeless beauty. It is famous for being a symbol, not only of a city, but a whole country and condition too.
Its creator, Danish architect Jorn Utzon , turned 85 last Wednesday. And he was awarded the Prizker Prize, known
as the Nobel Prize of Architecture, on April 6. But Utzon has never seen his Opera House.
The story began in 1957 when Utzon won an international competition to design an opera house in Sydney.
But not everyone was enthusiastic (热心的 ) . Utzon left his Opera project in 1966 after an argument with the local government and a storm of public criticism over the building’s design. It was not completed until seven years later and Utzon has never returned to Australia to see the result of his work.
“Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, and he persevered (坚持) through criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country,” said Frank Gehry, a Pritzer Architecture Prize judge.
Although the Sydney Opera House was Utzon’s masterpiece, it damaged his career. Upon his return to Denmark, he found work hard to come by , so he become a teacher at a university in Hawaii.
Utzon said he once saw posters of the Opera House. The interiors were different from his design. But, he said, “There is no regret, for it gave me such a wonderful experience in Australia and towards which I only have love and appreciation .”
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth opened the Opera House in 1973, and it now holds around 3000 events every year. It is recognized as one of the great symbolic buildings of the 20th century.
60. The Sydney Opera House was completed_____.
A. in 1957 B. in 1906 C. in 1973 D. in 1980
61. Utzon has never seen his Opera House because _______.
A. it has white shell-like roofs, unlike anything else in the world
B. its creator is Danish architect, who returned to Denmark
C. he was not awarded the Pritzker Prize, known as the Nobel Prize of Architecture
D. he argued with the local government and was criticized over his design
62. The underlined word “come by” in Paragraph 6 means ______.
A. find B. pass C. hire D. develop
第三部分：阅读理解（共对小题；每小题2分，满分物分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Relation between the United States and Columbia suffered for many years because of an incident involving the Republic of Panama. By the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, many Americans felt that an easier and faster way was needed to get ships from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Some people in the United States first believed that a canal across Nicaragua was the answer. However, President Theodore Roosevelt decided that a canal through Panama would be a better choice.
In order to build the canal , the United States had to negotiate （谈判） a treaty with Columbia , which at that time controlled Panama . Roosevelt offered Columbia $ 10 million plus $ 250,000 a year for 99 years for a six-mile-wide strip of land across Panama. Columbia rejected the United States’ offer. This ranged President Roosevelt, and negotiations with Columbia ended.
In 1903, a revolution broke out in Panama. The United States ships were sent by President Roosevelt to protect the Panamanian revolutionaries from Columbian forces. The revolution succeeded, and Panama declared its independence from Columbia. The United States then negotiated with the newly formed government. A treaty was signed, and the United States began building the canal.
As a result of the incident, Columbia and the United States remained on bad terms for many years. Not until 1921, when the United States agreed to pay Columbia some compensation (赔偿) for its territory, did relations between the two countries improve.
56. According to the passage, the United States and Columbia were on bad terms because the United States had ________.
A. at first wished to build a canal through Nicaragua
B. promised to pay Columbia $ 10 million for Panama
C. wished to build a canal through Panama
D. supported Panamanian revolutionaries in their fight for independence from Columbia.
57. From the information in the passage, it can be concluded that the United States ______.
A. wanted to build a canal because it was considered starting a war
B. felt that building a canal through Panama was worth the risk of ruining relations with Columbia
C. believed that a canal through Nicaragua would be profitable
D. had lost the Spanish-American War
58. It can be inferred from the passage that an important reason for the decision of the United States to build a canal was to _______.
A. develop trade relations with Europe
B. improve relations with South American countries
C. prevent European ships from reaching the Pacific Ocean
D. reduce travel time for its ships in case of war
59. The passage mainly gives us________.
A. advice B. information C. humor D. news
The Norwegian government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline, production limits have been laid down, and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the government will be able to hold things back for long.
Ever since the war, the government has been carrying out a program of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this program has had a great deal of success. Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose most of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goo
ds from abroad.
72. The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to _____.
A. provide more jobs for foreign workers B. slow down the rate of its development
C. sell the oil it is producing abroad D. develop more quickly than at present
73. The Norwegian Government has tried to ____.
A. encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources
B. prevent oil companies employing people from Northern Norway
C. help the oil companies solve many of their problems
D. keep the oil industry to 
something near its present size
74. According to the text, the oil industry might lead in Northern Norway to ____.
A. the development of industry B. a growth in population
C. the failure of the development program D. the development of new towns
75. In the south, one effect of the development of the oil industry might be _____.
A. a large reduction in unemployment
B. a growth in the tourist industry
C. a reduction in the number of existing industries
D. the development of a number of service industry.
Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.
Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.
E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun, see a great movie perhaps-and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may tire of telling the story.
With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address (="tell)" it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.
E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.
68. We can infer that passage is to ________.
A. explain how to use the Internet
B. describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology
C. tell the merits(价值) and usefulness of the Internet
D. introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet
69. The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.
A. spend less time working
B. have more free time with his child
C. work at home on weekends
D. work at a speed comfortable to him
70. According to the writer, E-mail has an obvious advantage over the telephone because the former helps one ________.
A. reach a group of people at one time conveniently
B. keep one’s communication as personal as possible
C. pass on much more information than the latter
D. get in touch with one’s friends faster than the latter
71. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. Computer: New Technological Advances
B. Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship
C. Computers Have Made Life Easier
D. Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication
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