高中英语故事类阅读试题

In the fall of 1985．I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere．Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell．
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65．She was the first in our family to reach that goal．But one year after I started college, she developed cancer．I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her．It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait．
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children．In 1999, we adopted our first son．To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional．A year later came our second adopted boy．Then followed son No．3．In 2003, I gave birth to another boy．
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo．Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time．But I never gave up on the dream either．I had only one choice: to find a way．That meant talking as few as one class each semester．
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys．They often wanted me to stay home with them．There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives．
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina．It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded．It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal．Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day．It’s a process．Remember: little steps add up to big dreams．
When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be         .

A．a writer

B．a teacher

C．a judge

D．a doctor

Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

A．She wanted to study by herself．	B．She fell in love and got married．
C．She suffered from a serious illness．	D．She decided to look after her grandma．

What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Failure is the mother of success．	B．Little by little ,one goes far．
C．Every coin has two sides．	D．Well begun ,half done．

Which of the following can best describe the author ?

A．Caring and determined．	B．Honest and responsible．
C．Ambitious and sensitive.	D．Innocent and single-minded．

Early one morning the sub-inspector at a station at the other end of the town rang me. An elephant was damaging the town. Would I please come and do something about it? I did not know what I could do, but I got onto a horse and started out. I took my gun, maybe too small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might scare him. Various local people stopped me on the way and told me about the elephant's doings. It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one. It had been chained up but last night it had broken its chain and escaped. Its owner had set out to run after it, but had taken the wrong direction. He was now twelve hours' journey away, and in the morning the elephant had suddenly appeared in the town. It had already destroyed somebody's bamboo hut (棚屋), killed a cow and turned over fruit¬stalls. I came round the hut and saw a man's dead body sprawling in the mud. He was an Indian, and he could not have been dead many minutes. The people said that the elephant caught him with its trunk, put its foot on his back and   grounded him into the earth. This was the rainy season and he was lying on his stomach in the soft mud, the peacebreaker standing beside, looking innocent. As I lifted my gun, I hesitated a few seconds. Then I fired. That was a shot for him. You could see the pain of it knocking the last strength from his legs. But in falling he seemed for a moment to rise, his trunk reaching skyward like a tree. He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And then down he came, with a crash that shook the ground.
Which of the following statements about the author is TRUE?

A．He was an Indian.

B．He knew elephants well.

C．He was not a local villager.

D．He was the owner of the elephant.

The elephant made so much trouble because ________.

A．its owner treated him cruelly

B．it got out of control

C．it hated the village people

D．it was a wild elephant

The underlined words “the peacebreaker” in Paragraph 4 refer to ________.

A．the elephant	B．the dead man
C．the author	D．the sub¬inspector

It can be inferred that the author felt ________ when he shot the elephant.

A．excited

B．sad

C．frightened

D．happy

A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(强调) the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusingexperience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate(适当的) topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent.”He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his words：“You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t request you to do so, ”he answered, greatly surprised.I said, “Didn’t you say’ you don’t say？”Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.”Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because ____________.

A．English idioms were not important	B．I was not careful with English idioms
C．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them	D．I had no interest in them

At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant _____________.

A．he was not interested in the topic	B．he was only interested in the Great Wall
C．I had talked too much	D．I had to stop talking

Which of the following is true according to the passage？

A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.

B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.

C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.

D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.

After the Englishman explained the idiom, ________________.

A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool	B．the Englishman became a real fool.
C．I felt very silly	D．I became more carefully in everything

President Barack Obama has complained about the loss of privacy that comes with being leader of the United States, regretting the loss of simple pleasures such as a long walk or a trip to the car wash or supermarket．
“I just miss -- I miss being anonymous,” he said. “I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk.”
His dream, he said, was to “go through Central Park and watch folks passing by…spend the day watching people -- I miss that”.
Faced with angry criticism for playing more golf than most previous occupants of the White House, he explained that the sport was simply the best way of getting away from it all. “It's the only excuse I have to get outside for four hours.” he told Hearst magazines．
Though he said he enjoyed his life in the White House, he felt disappointed with some of the ways of Washington, which he has failed in his pledge (誓言) to change, such as the "kabuki dance" among political parties before serious policy discussions begin． His comments may be seen as vindication (证实) by critics who have accused him of appearing too detached (漠然), and being slow to engage in vital issues such as Libya and the near shutdown of the US government last week．
Since arriving at the White House in January 2009, Mr Obama has already racked up 60 rounds of golf in office, more than George W Bush did in his eight years．In terms of ability, Golf Digest magazine has ranked Mr Obama eighth out of the 18 presidents who played the game since it became established in the early 20th century．
What do the second paragraph and the third paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Obama likes living a busy life．

B．Obama used to spend most of his time with his family．

C．Obama wishes to enjoy simple pleasures．

D．He used to wash his car himself．

According to Obama, he plays golf to       .

A．release his pressure

B．keep fit

C．balance his work

D．show his ability

We can infer from the passage that Obama is         kabuki dance．

A．curious about	B．interested in
C．content with	D．tired of

Which of the following statements is from the critics?

A．The president lost lots of privacy, but he loves the life in the White House.

B．There are always unnecessary procedures among political parties．

C．The president seems to be indifferent towards some really important issues．

D．The president is really a great golf player．

What is the passage mainly about?

A．Obama's favorite pastime．

B．Obama’s complaints about lack of privacy as president．

C．The public's criticism of Obama．

D．Obama's regrets for being the US president．

Ellen and Bill County are both teachers. They met in college and became good friends because of their shared love for children. Two years after the couple got married, Ellen saw a huge change in the life of one of her students, a 9-year-old girl. Three years ago both of the little girl’s parents had died and there was no one to take care of her. She was taken away to live in a government office. But finally she was taken in and adopted by a family and became their daughter. Ellen said that she noticed the difference in the child’s life after she was placed in a permanent home and thought that maybe she and her husband could help a child in a similar way.
They decided to become temporary parents and to take a child into their home on the weekends when the real parents could not take care of him or her. The pair planned to have their own children in a few years, but decided that this would be a way to give to the community in the meantime.
The couple quickly grew to love one of the children they looked after. When he became legally available, Billy became the first child they took in permanently. Six months after adopting Billy, Ellen was told by her doctor that she was unable to have children naturally. Ellen says she knew then that adoption was the way she was meant to have a family.
Since adopting Billy, now 17, Ellen and Bill have adopted five more children --- Rose,16； Albert, 11; Joshua, 5 and in June 2003, they added biological brother and sister Tyler and Rylee to the County family.
The County family has been recognized for their work on adoption, and have received many awards for their efforts. Last June, the family was even interviewed on the television show, “Adoption Stories”.
Ellen says she would like to encourage other families to adopt children. She adds that the best part of being a mother of six is: “Giving Josh a bath, putting a band-aid on a cut knee or just the everyday mom things, that makes motherhood such an honor and a privilege.”
What is the passage mainly about?

A．How a couple first met at college	B．Where you can adopt a child
C．The benefits of adoption to the community	D．How adoption created a happy family

Why did Ellen and Bill first decide to adopt a childe?

A．Because they had always loved children very much

B．Because they saw the benefits of adoption for a child

C．Because they were not able to have children of their own

D．Because they wanted to receive awards for their community work

Which of the children are related to each other by blood?

A．Rylee and Tyler	B．Billy and Tyler
C．Albert and Joshua	D．Rose and Albert

What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Ellen had thought of adopting a child before getting married.

B．Only kids under 16 can be adopted by a family

C．A loving family is important to a child’s happiness

D．Adopting a child always makes the family become famous

A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about  26  in work and life. To offer his guests coffee, the  27  went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of  28  — porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some  29  , some expensive, some delicate — telling them to help themselves to the  30  .
When all the students  31  a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, "If you have  32  , all the nice-looking expensive cups have been taken up,  33  the plain and cheap ones. While it is  34  for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the  35  of your problems and stress. "
"Be assured that the cup itself adds no  36  to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even  37 what we drink. "
"What all of you really want is coffee,  38  the cup, but you  39  went for the best cups … And then you began  40  each other's cups. "
"Now consider  41  : Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain  42  , and the type of cup we have does not determine, nor  43  the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we  44  to enjoy the coffee. Fully appreciate the coffee, not the cups! Don't let the cups   45  you ... enjoy the coffee instead. "

A．stress B．progress C．condition D．pride

A．advisor B．professor C．monitor D．graduate

A．glasses B．bowls C．trays D．cups

A．plain-looking B．beautiful C．modern D．nice-looking

A．pot B．sugar C．milk D．coffee

A．made B．had C．cooked D．served

A．talked B．discussed C．noticed D．decided

A．leaving behind B．falling about C．leaving about D．falling behind

A．strange B．wonderful C．normal D．important

A．source B．purpose C．doubt D．result

A．price B．quality C．sweet D．color

A．proves B．tastes C．hides D．steals

A．more than B．less than C．other than D．rather than

A．consciously B．wisely C．shyly D．carelessly

A．showing B．eyeing C．exchanging D．praising

A．it B．that C．this D．one

A．jobs B．money C．position D．life

A．change B．increase C．discover D．lower

A．try B．manage C．fail D．plan

A．envy B．drive C．support D．assess

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal—that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）.
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．I was waiting for good fortune.

B．I was trying to find an admirable job.

C．I was being aimless about a suitable job.

D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.

The author decided to write a novel ______ .

A．to finish the writing course

B．to realize her own dream

C．to satisfy readers’ wish

D．to earn more money

How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

A．Disturbed.

B．Ashamed.

C．Confident.

D．Uncertain.

What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

A．It pays to stick to one’s goal.

B．Hard work can lead to success.

C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.

D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something.

In 1959, when Jean Harper was in the third grade, her teacher gave the class an assignment to write a report on what they wanted to be when they grew up. She poured her heart into her report and expressed her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Her paper came back with an "F" on it. The teacher told her it was a "fairy tale". Jean was heartbroken and ashamed. As the years went by, Jean was beaten down by the discouragement and negativity she encountered whenever she talked about her dream. "Girls can't become airline pilots; never have, never will. You're crazy. That's impossible. "Finally Jean gave up.
In her senior year of high school, her English teacher was a Mrs. Dorothy Slaton, a demanding teacher with high standards. One day Mrs. Slaton asked this question: "If you had unlimited finances, unlimited access to the finest schools, unlimited talents and abilities, what would you do?" Jean felt a rush of the old enthusiasm, and with excitement she wrote down the very old dream.
The next thing that Mrs. Slaton said changed the course of Jean's life. The teacher leaned forward over her desk and said, "I have a little secret for you. You do have unlimited abilities and talents. When you leave school, if you don't go for your dreams, no one will do it for you. You can have what you want if you want it enough."
The hurt and fear of years of discouragement disappeared all of a sudden. Jean felt thrilled and told her about her dream of becoming a pilot. Mrs. Slaton slapped the desk top. "Then do it!" she said.
So Jean did. It didn't happen overnight. In her l0 years of hard work, even facing varieties of laugh, frustration and opposition, she never gave up her dream. Instead, she went on doing everything her third-grade teacher said was fairy-tale.
Eventually, Jean Harper became a Boeing 737 captain for the United Airline Company.
Jean’s third-grade teacher thought her dream to be ____________.

A．great	B．impossible
C．challenging	D．reasonable

Mrs. Slaton may hold the view that _____________.

A．only some of her students have great potential

B．her students are good enough to be admitted to the best schools

C．belief contributes to realizing a dream

D．Jean was to have her dream realized

According to the passage, we can infer that___________.

A．Jean’s dream was always in her deep heart

B．Jean owed her success to all her teachers

C．most people around Jean approved of her dream

D．Jean achieved her dream with ease

Which is the best title of the passage?

A．A Respectable Teacher	B．How to Realize a Dream
C．Hard Work Pays off	D．Reach for the Sky

Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare’s World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and where he grew up. The property (房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806. The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world, for over 250 years.
◆Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.
◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare’s  period.
◆Enjoy the traditional English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.
pThe Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map: nearest is Windsor Street (3 minutes’ Walk).
㊣The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible (可进入的) to wheelchair users.
⊙The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).
How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?

A．￡9.80.

B．￡12.00.

C．￡14.20.

D．￡16.40.

Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace?

A．Behind the exhibition hall.

B．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre.

C．At Windsor Street.

D．Near the Coffee House.

A wheelchair user may need help to enter       .

A．the House	B．the garden
C．the Visitors’ Centre	D．the exhibition hall

The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet (he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”
The author finally hired David because________.

A．there were no other workers in the shop then

B．he needed someone who was willing to work then

C．David kept showing up

D．he realized David was dependable

We can infer from the last paragraph that_______.

A．the author feels lucky to hire David

B．David has had his character changed through work

C．the author prefers David to be more outgoing

D．some customers just play jokes on David

The author gave David an interview to _______.

A．find a person who is reliable

B．find a part-time worker in need

C．give him some practice

D．show sympathy for him

The author’s tone in describing David is full of ______.

A．pity	B．wonder
C．disappointment	D．appreciation

Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice．Gifts are easy—they’re given after all．Choice can be hard．
I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago．I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year．I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast，and the idea of building all online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old，and I’d been married for a year．I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t and I wasn’t sure what to expect．MacKenzie told me I should go for it．As a young boy，I’d been a garage inventor．I’d always wanted to be all inventor，and she wanted me to follow my passion．
I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired．I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet．He took me on a long walk in Central Park，listened carefully to me，and finally said，“That sounds like a really good idea，but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job．”That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision．Seen in that light,it really was a difficult choice，but finally，I decided I had to give it a shot．I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing．And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.
After much consideration ，I took the less safe path to follow my passion ，and I’m proud of that choice．For all of us，in the end，we are our choice．
What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?

A．His dream of being an inventor．

B．The support of his wife．

C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet．

D．Millions of exciting titles,

Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him．

B．He would be very excited if he tried it out．

C．Be would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try．

D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him．

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Cleverness and Kindness	B．The Starting of Amazon
C．Following My Passion	D．We Are What We Choose

We can know from the passage that_______．

A．the boss thought the idea was suitable for the author

B．the author wanted someone else to try the idea

C．the author might not regret if he failed the idea

D．the author might go back to his boss if he failed

After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a plough and a wall. When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.
The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that _________.

A．a terrible traffic accident happened to him

B．he had to live in a dark and silent world

C．he was struck by the lightning once more

D．nobody in the world cared about him

What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?

A．Taking a walk with a stick.

B．Sheltering from the rain under a tree.

C．Driving a car.

D．Lying on the ground.

We can infer from the text that ________.

A．Robert’s wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock

B．many doctors came because Robert was badly injured

C．there was no exact explanation for Robert’s recovery

D．a sudden injury in the head led to Robert’s recovery

What’s the best title of the whole passage?

A．A Terrible Electrical Accident

B．Robert Edwards and His Wife

C．What a Sudden Shock

D．An Unforgettable Experience

It was Christmas 1961. I was teaching in a small town in Ohio where my twenty seven third graders eagerly anticipated the great day of gift giving.
Each day the children made some new wonder – strings of popcorn, hand-made decorations, and German bells made from wallpaper samples, which we hung from the ceiling. Through it all she stayed indifferent(漠不关心的), watching from afar, seemingly miles away. I wondered what would happen to this quiet child, once so happy, now so suddenly unsociable. I hoped the festivities would light her up. But nothing did.
The day of gift giving finally came. We oohed and aahed over our handwork as the presents were exchanged. Through it all, she sat quietly watching. I had made a special package for her, red and green with white lace. I wanted very much to see her smile. She opened it so slowly and carefully. I waited but she turned away.
After school the children left in little groups, but she hesitated, watching them go out of the door. I sat down to catch my breath, hardly know what was happening when she came to me reaching out her hands, holding a small white box, unwrapped and slightly soiled, as though it had been held many times by unwashed, childish hands. “For me?” I asked with a weak smile. She said not a word, but nodded her head. I took the box and carefully opened it. There inside, lay a golden chain. In a flash I knew – she had made it for her mother, a mother she would never see again, a mother who would never hold her or brush her hair or share a funny story, a mother who would never again hear her childish joys or sorrows, a mother who had taken her own life just three weeks before.
I held out the chain. She took it in both her hands, reached forward, and put it on at the back of my neck. She stepped back then as if to see that all was well. I looked down at the golden chain, then back at the giver, “Maria, it is so beautiful. She would have loved it.” Neither of us could stop the tears. She threw herself into my arms and we were in tears together. And for that moment I became her mother, for she had given me the greatest gift of all: herself.
The underlined “anticipated” (Paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to _________.

A．prepared

B．expected

C．talked

D．kept

We can learn from the story that_________.

A．the beautiful chain was put inside a beautiful box

B．Maria made a golden chain of popcorn for her mother

C．the teacher made a special package for Maria so as to see her smile

D．Maria oohed and aahed over the handwork as the presents were exchanged

Maria became quiet and unsociable because_________.

A．she was a shy girl

B．her teacher didn’t give her any gift

C．her mother passed away three weeks ago

D．she didn’t have any friends in the class

The underlined sentence (Paragraph 5) mostly means_________.

A．Maria found her biological mother

B．Maria asked her teacher to be her mother

C．the teacher promised to be Maria’s mother after receiving her greatest gift

D．Maria believed in her considerate teacher and opened her heart to the teacher

The BEST title for the passage is _________.

A．The kid’s gift	B．A quiet girl
C．The greatest teacher	D．The great day of gift giving

When Ben Franklin was very only a boy, he always wanted to know about things. He was always asking his father and brothers “What?” and “How?” and “Why?”
They couldn’t always tell him what he wanted to know.
When they couldn’t tell him, Ben tried to find out for himself.
Many times Ben did find out things that no one knew before. The other boys would say, “That’s Ben Franklin! He’s always finding out something new! ” 
Ben lived close to the water. He liked to go there to see the boats. He saw how the wind blew them across the water.
One day Ben said to himself, “Why can’t the wind help me float across the water? And I’m going to try.” Ben got his big kite. He took hold of the kite string and ran with it. The wind took the kite up into the air. Then Ben jumped into the water.
The wind blew the kite high into the air. Ben began to float across the water. Soon he was on the other side, and he had not worked at all.
One boy shouted, “Look at Ben floating across the water! His kite takes him to the other side without any work!”
“Yes”, said another. “He’s always finding new ways to do things.”
When he was only a child, Ben _____.

A．liked to fly a kite by himself

B．always asked easy questions

C．always liked to play with water

D．always liked to find out how things worked

His father and brothers _____.

A．couldn’t answer all his questions

B．could answer all his questions

C．tried hard to find out something new for him

D．were too busy to answer his questions

How did Ben Franklin float across the water?

A．The other boy took him across it.

B．The water carried him across it.

C．The flying kite took him across it.

D．A boat took him across it.

He found out many things that ____.

A．children didn’t know

B．his father and brothers knew

C．people didn’t know

D．most people knew

An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe(贿赂),but is close to it.
All sorts of people are apple polishers, including politicians and people in high offices ── just about everybody. Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing” ── “soft-soaping” or “butter-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”. Another that is just as effective is flattery, giving someone high praise ── telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is.
Endless are the ways of flattery. Who does not love or hear it ? Only an unusual man can resist the thrill of being told how wonderful he is. In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who gets so little of it.
We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it. But we just lap it up for its food value and nourishment, as a cat laps up milk, then we can still remain true to ourselves.
Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it. A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England. The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers（朝臣）.They overpraised him to the skies, as a man of limitless power.
He decided to teach them a lesson. He took them to the seashore and sat down. Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in. The tide was too busy to listen to him. The king was satisfied. This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery.
Which of the following activities has nothing to do with “apple-polishing” ?

A．A boy tells his girlfriend how pretty she looks

B．An employee tells his boss how good he is at management

C．A knight(骑士)is said to be of limitless power by his followers

D．A teacher praised his students for their talent and wisdom.

Which of the following statement about flattery is TRUE according to the author ?

A．Too much flattery can carry us away

B．Flattery is too empty to do people any good

C．Flattery can get nothing but excessive(过度的)pride

D．Flattery is one of the ways to apple-polish people.

King Canute of Denmark and England took his followers to the seashore because __________.

A．he was sick of his normal

B．he disliked being overpraised any more

C．he wanted them to realize how wise he was

D．he wanted them to see how weak he was as a king

The author thinks that flattery can do good to those who _________.

A．are really excellent

B．lack confidence

C．are politicians or in high offices

D．think highly of themselves