李國勤　謝　昊

（A）

Ive always loved pigeons(鴿子). Some years ago I managed to persuade my wife to let me buy a few and started __1__ them myself. They cost a lot of money and so it spoilt(破壞) our __2__ a bit, but my wife never actually stopped me so I __3__ carried on. I learnt so much about them that I could __4__ a good racer anywhere and I bought some beauties. My pigeons won some top races, and I even began to make a bit of __5__.

You see, people are prepared to pay big prices if they get to know that your pigeons are __6__ big prizes.

My wife had been changing her __7__ to the pigeons over the last year or two anyway. She was quite __8__ of all the prizes wed won. Then there was a lot of traveling, which she liked. You see, someone has to take the pigeons a __9__ way off and release them. Some of the __10__ were really nice. I never traveled. I used to like to wait at home and see them come in. They got the wonderful sense of __11__, which could bring them back home so quickly. Theyd flown hundreds of miles sometimes __12__ storms or against strong winds. And there theyd come, tiny white birds against the great __13__. Then Id watch them __14__ round and come down onto the landing shelf. Id look at my watch and think, “My goodness, thats a good __15__.” And Id take off the little leg ring and push it through the machine to __16__ what time hed arrived. Then my wife would __17__ up and say, “Has he arrived yet?” Then we would work out if wed won __18__.

However, last year we had a __19__! One of them got some sort of flu(流感) and died; then they all __20__. It was terrible; I had to burn them all. We lost a fortune, of course.

1. A. racing B. understanding C. selling D. flying

2. A. dream B. work C. life D. hobby

3. A. just B. even C. almost D. hardly

4. A. notice B. learn C. imagine D. recognize

5. A. living B. fun C. money D. change

6. A. losing B. winning C. giving D. making

7. A. subject B. decision C. relation D. attitude

8. A. proud B. fond C. careful D. sure

9. A. different B. long C. short D. far

10. A. distances B. activities C. trips D. movements

11. A. direction B. sight C. hearing D. touch

12. A. over B. across C. with D. through

13. A. heaven B. mountain C. cloud D. sky

14. A. turn B. dance C. circle D. whistle

15. A. beginning B. time C. day D. look

16. A. writeB. record C. count D. memorize

17. A. come B. show C. phone D. cheer

18. A. again B. finally C. only D. accidentally

19. A. disadvantage B. chance C. problem D. disaster

20. A. flew down B. went down C. let out D. gave out

(B)

Coming home from school that dark winter day so long ago, I was filled with excitement of having the weekend off. But I was __1__ into stillness by what I saw. Mother, seated at the far end of the sofa, was __2__, with the second-hand green typewriter on the table. She told me that she couldnt __3__ fast and then she was out of work. My shock and embarrassment（尷尬） at finding Mother in tears was a perfect proof（證明） of how __4__ I understood the pressure on her. Sitting beside her on the sofa, I began very slowly to understand. “I guess we all have to__5__ something,” Mother said quietly. I could __6__ her pain and the tension（緊張） of __7__ the strong feeling that were interrupted by my __8__. Suddenly, something inside me lit up. I reached out and put my arms around her. She broke then. She put her face __9__ my shoulder and sobbed. I held her __10__ and didnt try to talk. I knew I was doing what I should, what I could __11__ was enough. At that moment, feeling Mothers __12__ with feelings, I understood for the first time her being easy to __13__. She was still my mother, __14__ she was something __15__: a person like me, capable of fear and __16__ and failure. I could feel her pain as she must have felt mine on a thousand occasions when I sought __17__ in her arms.

A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station __18__.

“Its a job I can do, though,” she said simply. But the evening practice on the green typewriter continued. I had a very __19__ feeling now when I passed her door at night and heard her __20__ away across the paper. I knew there was something more going on in there than a woman learning to type.

1. A. tired B. ashamed C. lazy D. shocked

2. A. crying B. smiling C. thinking D. whispering

3. A. understand B. type C. run D. return

4. A. eagerly B. worriedly C. little D. much

5. A. fail B. win C. forget D. obtain

6. A. kill B. watch C. sense D. recognize

7. A. holding back B. putting away C. sitting up D. stopping from

8. A. pain B. laughter C. arrival D. feeling

9. A. to B. up C. through D. against

10. A. tightly B. thoughtfully C. carefully D. politely

11. A. and that B. now that C. but that D. so that

12. A. hand B. face C. hair D. back

13. A. content B. break C. fall D. shout

14. A. therefore B. although C. yet D. however

15. A. more B. excellent C. strange D. huge

16. A. wound B. defeat C. cut D. hurt

17. A. kindness B. memory C. comfort D. support

18. A. supplied B. offered C. paid D. contributed

19. A. different B. hard C. pleasant D. serious

20. A. crying B. laughing C. tapping D. sewing

Key(1)