The Phone Call

        It was getting dark. Paul looked out of the window and signed (叹气). Dad said he would come home by 5:30, but it was almost 7:00. Even if Dad came back, it wouldn't be much fun playing 1 in the dark. Paul walked into his room and threw his baseball into the corner. He tried to do some homework, but couldn't.

      The phone rang at about 8:00. It was Dad: “Paul, I'm 2, but I couldn't play baseball with you tonight. I have to finish my work at

the office. Maybe we can play this weekend. Oh no. How about next weekend?....”

       Paul couldn't understand why Dad was so 3. He threw himself into the sofa and soon fell asleep. His book was still opened to the

 first page.

      The next day at school, Paul didn't hand in his homework and 4 a test. Mrs. Green, his teacher, asked him to stay after school. “Paul, you didn't do your homework. You didn't pass the test and only got a D. This isn't like you. What's wrong?”

      Paul just sat there5 . “Paul, if you don't want to talk, I will. I know that something's worrying with you, but you have to get it out. You need to tell someone.”

      As Paul walked home, he thought of what Mrs. Green said. Maybe he didn't do his homework because he wanted to get his dad's _6 . He knew Mrs. Green was right. He decided to take her advice.

      When Paul got home, he 7his dad. But there was no answer. Then it went to voicemail (语音信箱). Paul began talking: “Dad, I can't play with you next weekend. I've got lots of problems with my homework. Also, I really don't want to spend another day looking out of the window and waiting. Whenever you 8our plans, Dad, it hurts me. It's not too late to rebuild our relationship, but we have to start small. Maybe you can help me with my 9sometime. Dad, I love you.”

      As Paul ended the call, he felt much relaxed. He didn't know whether his dad would be different, but it didn't matter. He himself __10. He expressed his feelings to the right person. He had a clear head as he was doing his homework that evening.

    One Saturday afternoon, Kate went to buy something for her sister and1 .

As Kate was coming out of a shop. A young lady walked towards her. She said she was Miss Green-a good friend of Kate's  sister's.  Kate 2her. Then she called a taxi 3Kate home. She told the driver where he should go. Kate was 4 that it was not in the direction of her home.

      "5?" Kate asked. The lady smiled.

    When they came to a quiet road, a big rude man 6on the road. He stopped the taxi driver, knocked him down, tied him, and threw him out of the7 . At the same time, Miss Green took out of a knife and8it at Kate. She asked Kate to keep9. The man then started the taxi. "

    “Oh, God! I'm being kidnapped," Kate said to herself.

     She tried to escape, but she didn't10 . Suddenly an 11 came to her. She took out a lipstick (口红) from her pocket, wrote 'SOS' on the window, and covered the word12her back.

    A few minutes later, a police car 13 and the policemen saw the sign. When the kidnappers saw the policemen they stopped the taxi, jumped into the grass, and14.

    The policemen then picked Kate up and sent her home. When her parents knew what had happened, they were greatly surprised. But they were 15because their daughter had finally come back safely.

    "What's the matter, Mum?"

    As soon as I enter the door, I find that my mother is unhappy. It's unusual. She usually   1  the door and welcomes me with a smile!

    "She's dying," Mum says sadly. I  2 what she says. The tulip(郁金香), mother's favourite, is dying.

    A month ago, we moved 3 our new house and Mum bought a very beautiful tulip. Mum liked it very much.   4   she was free, she would sit in her armchair beside the tulip and enjoy its beautiful colour   5nice smell.

      She treated it like a baby and looked after it   6   . She put the tulip by window and moved it from one place to 7 to give the tulip enough sunshine. The first thing she did when she 8  every morning was to water the tulip. Mum also fertilized(施肥) it many times.

    She hoped that with great care, the tulip would become more and more beautiful and   9.But the tulip was dying because of too much sunshine, water and fertilizer.

    It's true that mother loved the tulip. But this kind of love 10 be harmful. Love can sometimes kill what you love.

阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳选项。

A Little Coaching (指导)

    I always felt nervous at the running race. I was too thin to be an athlete. So when our class needed a 1 in the two mile race around the lake, I hoped nobody would notice me.

    I hid under a 2 when our teacher Bronto called the names of the runners. I got more nervous when I heard he called, “Noah! Where's Noah? He's in this race!”

    He saw me under the tree and shouted, “Noah, we 3 a boy to run the two mile race.” He pushed me to the starting line(线). I pleaded(恳求) with him. “I don't know the way around the lake!”

    “It's not a problem. Just 4 Craig and you'll know the way.” Bronto smiled. Craig was the fastest runner in our class. Then Bronto said, “For the last hundred meters, just throw your head back and run.”

    I stood next to Craig and trembled(颤抖). Then I heard the gun and sixteen of us started to run. I ran closely behind Craig.

    But gradually(逐步地), the distance(距离) between Craig and me became wider.

    It was 5 . I felt very tired. My energy was spent. I was about to give up. But then I looked ahead(向前) and 6 only three boys were in front of me. The crowd was shouting, but I could hear Bronto shouting, “Run!”

    I threw my head back and told my legs to go. I never looked ahead and I never looked back for those last hundred meters. I felt 7 . Nobody was telling me what I was, or what I wasn't. My legs were running a race against my brain and I was winning!

    I didn't know when I crossed the finish line. Bronto caught me and shouted, “You flew! You flew, man! 8 ! You passed two boys!”

    However, the best prize that I got was 9 . That year I discovered I could do a lot of things if I believe myself and put my energy into them.

    I never got to say 10 to Bronto right after the race. But later, I saw him over the lake. He was coaching another kid. I had no doubt that the kid was also going to win.

    An old friend from the US whom I was looking forward to staying with, telephoned from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was still at the 1 at that time, but I had got everything ready for his arrival. After letting him know where my house was, I told him that I had the 2 under the door-mat (门垫). 3 I was possible to be home rather late, I told him to go into the 4 and help himself to food and drink.

    Two hours later my friend 5 me from the house. At the moment, he said, he was listening to some of my records after having just had a truly wonderful 6. He had found a cooker and 7 two eggs and had helped himself to some cold chicken from the ice box. Now, he said, he was drinking a glass of orange juice and he hoped I would 8 him. When I asked him if he had reached the house without difficulty, he answered, "I was not able to find the key, but 9 the living room windows just by the apple tree were left open and you know what I could do."

    I listened to all this in 10. In front of my living room there was no apple tree at all.