When I was 9, we packed up our home in Los Angeles and arrived at Heathrow, London on a gray January morning. Everyone in the family settled quickly into the city except me. Without my beloved beaches and endless blue-sky days, I felt at a loss and out of place, until I made a discovery.

Southbank, at an eastern bend in the Thames, is the center of British skateboarding, where the continuous crashing of skateboards left your head ringing. I loved it. I soon made friends with the local skaters. We spoke our own language. And my favorite: Safe. Safe meant cool. It meant hello. It meant don’t worry about it. Once, when trying a certain trick on the beam(横杆), I fell onto the stones, damaging a nerve in my hand, and Toby came over, helping me up: Safe, man. Safe. A few minutes later, when I landed the trick, my friends beat their boards loud, shouting: “ Safe! Safe! Safe!” And that’s what mattered—landing tricks, being a good skater.

When I was 15, my family moved to Washington. I tried skateboarding there, but the locals were far less welcoming. Within a couple of years, I’d given it up.

When I returned to London in 2004, I found myself wandering down to Southbank, spending hours there. I’ve traveled back several times since, most recently this past spring. The day was cold but clear: tourists and Londoners stopped to watch the skaters. Weaving(穿梭) among the kids who rushed by on their boards, I found my way to the beam. Then a rail-thin teenager, in a baggy white T-shirt, skidded(滑) up to the beam. He sat next to me. He seemed not to notice the man next to him. But soon I caught a few of his glances. “I was a local here 20 years ago,” I told him. Then, slowly, he began to nod his head. “Safe, man. Safe.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Safe.”

1.What can we learn about the author soon after he moved to London?

A He felt disappointed.

B He gave up his hobby.

C He liked the weather there.

D He had disagreements with his family.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据第一段 “Everyone in the family settled quickly into the city except me. Without my beloved beaches and endless blue -sky days, I felt at a loss and out of place.(除了我之外的家里人都很快适应这个城市，没有了我喜爱的沙滩和蓝天，我感到迷茫和无措)”可知，作者刚到伦敦的时候因为没有喜爱的沙滩，不能很好地融入到新的城市，感到很沮丧。故选A。

2.What do the underlined words “Safe! Safe! Safe!” probably mean?

A Be careful!

B Well done!

C No way!

D Don’t worry!

解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。根据画线词后文 “And that’s what mattered—landing tricks, being a good skater. (那才是真正重要的——滑板的落地技巧掌握了才是一名好的滑板玩家)”可知，作者掌握了滑板落地技巧，因此他的朋友大声欢呼，由此可以推断出本句中的Safe是赞美的含义。故选B。

3.Why did the author like to spend time in Southbank when he returned to London?

A To join the skateboarding.

B To make new friends.

C To learn more tricks.

D To relive his childhood days.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第四段中的 “ ‘I was a local here 20 years ago,’ I told him. Then, slowly, he began to nod his head. ‘Safe, man. Safe’(我告诉他:“我20年前经常在这里玩滑板，”他缓慢地开始向我点头:“嗨，你好!”)”可推知，作者去Southbank这个地方是为了寻找自己儿时玩滑板的回忆。故选D。

4.What message does the author seem to convey in the text?

A Children should learn a second language.

B Sport is necessary for children’s health.

C Children need a sense of belonging.

D Seeing the world is a must for children.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据全文可知，作者起初搬到伦敦很不适应，但是由于找到了玩滑板的地方，结识了玩滑板的朋友，因此很好地适应了。但是后来又搬去华盛顿，因为没有遇到很好的玩滑板的朋友，几年之后就不再玩滑板。长大后作者再次回到伦敦之后，经常去之前玩滑板的地方寻找自己的回忆，在与一个孩子打招呼的时候，终于找到了自己久违的回忆。通过作者的经历，作者要表达的是，归属感对于孩子是很重要的。故选C。