高中英语故事类阅读阅读理解

It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future. “I'm going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying, “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn't cover their startup costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn't go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn't know how badly, because we didn't have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They'd meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful; we are opening a second store.’” And they did—in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners' learnasyougo approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and handdeliver the checks to pay their supplies. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn't necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.
Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimilliondollar restaurant chain.
Which of the following is true of Buck?

A．He put money into the sandwich business.

B．He was a professor of business administration.

C．He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.

D．He rented a storefront for Deluca.

What can we learn about their first shop?

A．It stood at an unfavorable place.

B．It lowered the prices to poor management.

C．It made no profits due to poor management.

D．It lacked control over the quality of sandwich.

They decided to open a second store because they ________.

A．had enough money to do it

B．had succeeded in their business

C．wished to meet the increasing demand of customers

D．wanted to make believe that they were successful

What contributes most to their success according to the author?

A．Learning by trial and error.

B．Making friends with supplies.

C．Finding a good partner.

D．Opening chain stores.

Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity. I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day’s events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary. I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper. After all, isn’t accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
　When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well-equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera. During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across. I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels. On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand. The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows. I automatically took out my pen….
At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley. All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling. I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful. I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful. I’m no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old. I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don’t want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes. Maybe I won’t have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I’ll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me. I don’t live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.
Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of ______.

A．observing her school routine	B．expressing her satisfaction
C．impressing her classmates	D．preserving her history

What caused a change in the author’s understanding of keeping a diary?

A．A dull night on the journey.

B．The beauty of the great valley.

C．A striking quotation from a book

D．Her concerns for future generations.

What does the author put in her diary now?

A．Notes and beautiful pictures.

B．Special thoughts and feelings.

C．Detailed accounts of daily activities.

D．Descriptions of unforgettable events.

The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is ______.

A．to experience it	B．to live the present in the future
C．to make memories	D．to give accurate representations of it

One day, when I was working as a psychologist in England，an adolescent boy showed up in my office. It was David. He kept walking up and down restlessly, his face pale, and his hands shaking slightly. His head teacher had referred him to me.  "This boy has lost his family," he wrote.  "He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others, and I'm very worried about him. Can you help?”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn’t have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically
The first two times we met, David didn't say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children's drawings on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon--in complete silence and without looking at me. It's not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed, took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why did he never look at me?
"Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with," I thought. "Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.” Some months later, when we were playing chess, he looked up at me suddenly.
"It’s your turn," he said.
After that day, David started talking. He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times about his biking with some friends, and about his plan to get into university. Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something. But I also learned that one一without any words一can reach out to another person. All it takes is a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, and an ear that listens.
When he first met the author, David .

A．felt a little excited	B．walked energetically
C．looked a little nervous	D．showed up with his teacher

As a psychologist, the author .

A．was ready to listen to David

B．was skeptical about psychology

C．was able to describe David’s problem

D．was sure of handling David’s problem

What can be inferred about David?

A．He recovered after months of treatment.

B．He liked biking before he lost his family.

C．He went into university soon after starting to talk.

D．He got friends in school before he met the author.

What made David change?

A．His teacher’s help.

B．The author’s friendship.

C．His exchange of letters with the author.

D．The author’s silent communication with him.

When milk arrived on the doorstep
When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note-“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”-and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to out house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch （门廊）. Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer ________.

A．to show his magical power	B．to pay for the delivery
C．to satisfy his curiosity	D．to please his mother

What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy’s house?

A．He wanted to have tea there.

B．He was a respectable person.

C．He was treated as a family member.

D．He was fully trusted by the family.

Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now.

B．It has been driven out of the market.

C．Its service is getting poor.

D．It is forbidden by law.

Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A．He missed the good old days.

B．He wanted to tell interesting stories.

C．He missed it for his milk bottles.

D．He planted flowers in it.

I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be canceled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn't care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, "Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?"
At that time I didn't realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, "Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone!" And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, "Now hear this! All objects in this room—if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!"
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, "Honey, you just have to learn how to take control." With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.
Why did the author shout at the telephone?

A．He was mad at the telephone.

B．He was angry with his agent.

C．He was anxious about his wife.

D．He was impatient with the secretary.

What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?

A．She said nothing.	B．She shouted at him.
C．She called the agent.	D．She threw the phone away.

What made the author laugh?

A．His own crazy behavior.	B．His wife’s suggestions.
C．His changeable feeling.	D．His wife’s sweet kiss.

What does the underlined word “ antics” refer to?

A．Smart words

B．Unusual actions.

C．Surprising looks.

D．Anxious feelings

One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods from door to door found that he had only one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.
However, he became nervous when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied, “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Haward Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in God and the human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.
Years later, the young woman became seriously ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists could be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Haward Kelly, now famous was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.
Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room and determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the bill to him for approval. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was positive that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words,
“Paid in full with one glass of milk.”
(Signed) Dr. Haward Kelly
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she prayed silently, “Thank You, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”
After finishing the milk, the boy ______________.

A．felt angry because what he was really hungry

B．regretted that he didn’t ask for any food

C．felt more hungry than ever before

D．had a stronger faith in God and the human race

The underlined word “baffled” in Para. 4 probably means_______.  

A．puzzled

B．excited

C．amazed

D．encouraged

What did the local doctors finally do when the young woman became seriously ill?

A．They looked on indifferently.

B．They asked for Dr. Howard Kelly’s help.

C．They sent her to a hospital with specialists.

D．They believed that his faith in God would cure her.

Which of the following statement is RIGHT according to the passage?

A．The young woman knew that Dr. Howard Kelly would help her and save her life.

B．The doctor walked away the moment he heard the name of the town she came from.

C．The doctor saved the woman’s life and paid off the bill.

D．We shouldn’t ask for help because one day we will pay a lot for it.

A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift--＄7,000, a legacy  (遗产)  from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were going under financially,” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than ＄100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million--they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They liked comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything.” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden. “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy, a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents, should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors -- that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
According to the text, the Fusses_________.

A．were employed by a truck company

B．were in financial difficulty

C．worked in a school cafeteria

D．lost their home

Which of the following is true of the Hatches?

A．They had their children during the Great Depression.

B．They left the family farm to live in an old house.

C．They gave away their possessions to their neighbors.

D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs

Why would the Hatches routinely go from store to store?

A．They decided to open a store.

B．They wanted to save money.

C．They couldn’t afford expensive things.

D．They wanted to buy gifts for local kids.

According to Sandy Van Weelden, the Hatches were ________.

A．understanding

B．optimistic

C．childlike

D．curious

What can we learn from the text?

A．The community of Alto was poor.

B．The summer camp was attractive to the parents.

C．Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy from the Hatches

D．The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example.

Not too long ago, our teacher, being a “tree-hugger”(as the kids call her), had us write an essay on an environmental issue. I was eager to start, but something made me stop.
“What is an environmental issue?” one kid asked. “What if we don’t care about the environment?” another complained. “It’s not like it affects me.”
These comments astounded me. I have always cared about the environment and assumed that others did too. From the surprised look on my teacher’s face, I could tell she felt the same way.
In no time, I finished my essay. In my essay I wrote about logging(伐木), which is an important industry, but if we continue to cut down trees without replacing, it will damage the environment.
There are so many things that we can do to save our world. Recycling, of course, is always a good thing, but not everyone has a recycling plant nearby (I don’t). There are other ways to help the environment. Plant a tree. Don’t waste water.
I can’t stand it when a person’s excuse for not caring is “Nothing is going to happen in my lifetime, so why should I care?” Sure, the chances of something terrible happening are slim, but I want people to realize that if we don’t deal with it, someone will have to eventually. Do you want that to be your children? Or your children’s children?
When my teacher told me to read my essay to my class, I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t want everyone to call me “tree-hugger”. I realize now that if being a tree-hugger means you care about the environment, I’m a tree-hugger 100 percent. I just wish more people were.
Why do the students call their teacher “tree-hugger”?

A．She likes hugging trees.

B．She knows a lot about trees.

C．She grew up in the countryside.

D．She cares a lot about the environment.

At the beginning, the author stopped writing _____ .

A．to ask some questions

B．because of other kids’ comments

C．to listen to the teacher’s instructions

D．because he had no idea about the topic

The underlined word “astounded” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “_____” .

A．helped

B．changed

C．shocked

D．interested

Paragraph 5 is mainly about _____ .

A．what we can recycle

B．how we can save the earth

C．why we should protect the earth

D．what damage we are doing to the earth

We can infer from the passage that _____ .

A．the students don’t like the teacher

B．the teacher liked the author’s essay

C．the author is ashamed of being a tree-hugger

D．the author should have written a better essay

The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff（东西） they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day.  “When can I go to bed？” I asked myself. I didn’t answer. In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh，dear！” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed！” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate（绝望的） now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed， “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards，Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were  ________ .

A．asleep

B．outside

C．working in bed

D．quietly laughing at him

He underlined word “wretched” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______ .

A．very happy

B．disappointed

C．very unhappy

D．hopeful

Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because     .

A．it was too late at night

B．he was very tired

C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open

D．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination

What do you suppose happened to the author later？

A．He went to a church to pray again

B．He passed the exam by sheer luck

C．He failed in the exam

D．He was punished by his teacher

The best title for the passage would be __________ .

A．The Night Before the Examination

B．Working Far into the Night

C．A Slow Student

D．Going Over My Lessons

Louis Pasteur, the famous French chemist and bacteriologist(微生物学家), invented “pasteurization”. In 1854 Pasteur was made head of the department of science at the University of Lille, and it was there that he made one of his most famous discoveries. Lille was a major center for wine and beer-making, and some of the local wine-makers asked Pasteur if he could help solve the problem of keeping wine fresh. At that time, it was believed that food and drinks go “bad” due to a purely chemical process. But during a series of experiments Pasteur proved that tiny living organisms(微生物)caused food and drinks to go bad. In the case of wine and beer the organisms are already present in the form of the various yeasts (酵母) that caused the fermentation(发酵) process. Pasteur discovered that heating the wine gently for a few minutes after it had fermented would kill off the yeast that was left in the wine, with the result that the wine would remain fresh for much longer. He also proved that food and drinks could be turned bad by other organisms that were present in the air, and that they too would keep fresh much longer if they were kept in airtight containers.
The heating process was so successful that it made Pasteur famous. It was named “pasteurization” in his honour, and by about 1900 it had been widely used for processing and bottling cows’ milk. The result was a huge drop in the number of bottle-fed babies dying from infant diarrhea(婴儿腹泻)and from that time on it has been a standard treatment for milk and many other food products. This simple process has saved thousands, possibly millions, of lives worldwide.
Pasteur became ___________ in 1854.

A．the chairperson of the science department at the University of Lille

B．the director of a chemical laboratory at the University of Lille

C．the general manager of a large beer-making company

D．the president of the University of Lille

According to the passage, Lille was a major center for ___________ in the mid-19th century.

A．growing grain crops	B．making beer and wine
C．doing chemical research	D．producing various kinds of yeasts

In the last sentence of Paragraph 1, the underlined word “they” refers to ___________.

A．wine and beer

B．food and drinks

C．the various yeasts

D．other organisms

We can infer from the passage that Pasteur’s discovery __________.

A．is no longer widely used for treating milk and other food products

B．did not bring much profit to the wine makers in Lille

C．has done a lot of good to children in the world

D．has greatly reduced the number of wars in the world

According to the passage, we know it is        that causes food and drinks to go bad.

A．a purely chemical process.	B．tiny living organisms(微生物)
C．keeping them in airtight containers.	D．the heating process

My mind seems always to return to the day when I met Carl. The city bus stopped at a corner to pick up the daily commuters (someone who travels regularly to and from work), a group in which I was included. Boarding the bus, I looked for a place to sit. At last, I found a place near the back.
The occupant of the seat next to the one I was going for was an older man in a grey suit, well-worn dress shoes, and a black hat like I always pictured reporters wearing, but without the little press card. Seated myself, I began to read the book I had been carrying, which was Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The man in the seat next to me introduced himself by asking if I had read any other book like the one I was holding. When I told him I had, he seemed to become interested, and so did I. He introduced himself as Carl and asked if I liked jazz, and I told him that I didn’t really listen to it, and that I liked rock and roll. Waiting for Carl to tell me that I should listen to real music, I was shocked when he just smiled and nodded. He said, “You remind me of myself when I was your age. I remember how my parents hated jazz, how they couldn’t see how I could listen to that awful noise. I bet your parents say the same thing, don’t they?” Now it was my turn to smile, amused with how right he was.
As the bus ferried us from one side of the city to the other, Carl and I talked about a lot of different things. The more we talked, the more amazed I became at how much the two of us really had in common, despite the age difference. I haven’t seen him since we parted, but the thought of our connection that day rarely leaves my mind.
Carl really made me think about how much we can learn from each other if we just break through the blocks between us we’ve got. I mean, I would have never thought before that day that I could have anything in common with someone so much older than I, just because of age. But Carl taught me that no matter what, we are all just people, and that we should make an extra effort to try and get to know our neighbors and people we see every day, regardless of age, race, religion, sex, or anything else. If we all take the time to attempt to understand each other, I think that the world would be a much better place that we could share together, as humans.
From the first paragraph we know that the author _______.

A．did not mind whether there was a seat or not

B．hoped to have a seat when getting on the bus

C．thought the bus was overcrowded

D．looked for a seat but failed

The author usually imagined a reporter as one who _______.

A．liked jazz music

B．enjoyed talking with others

C．liked reading Jack Kerouac’s works

D．usually wore a black hat and press card

After talking with Carl, the author realized that _______.

A．older people were nice to talk to

B．he should have known Carl earlier

C．his parents were so different from Carl’s in listening to music

D．age was not necessarily a problem in heart-to-heart communication

It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．the author hasn’t seen the old man since then

B．jazz music used to be more popular than rock and roll

C．the author was not satisfied with human relationships in the world

D．Carl made the author realize how much people could learn from each other

My Garden
-----by Nelson Mandela
In early 1977, the authorities (当局) announced the physical labour and arranged some kind of work for us to do in the courtyard. The free time also allowed me to hunt what became two of my favorite hobbies in Robben Island---gardening and tennis.
To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one's daily life. One can feel fulfilled (充实) by washing one's clothes so that they are particularly clean. Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison, one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison. Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island, I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard. For years, they refused without offering a reason. But finally they gave in, and we were able to cut out a small garden in the prison.
The soil in the courtyard was dry and rocky. In order to start my garden, I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plant room to grow.
The authorities supplied me with seeds. At first, I planned tomatoes and onions, because these plants did not require rich earth or constant care. The early harvests were poor, but they soon improved.
I began to order books on gardening. I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers (肥料). For a time, I tried to grow peanuts, and used different soils and fertilizers, but finally I gave up. It was one of my few failures.
A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. The processes of planting a seed, watching it grow, taking care of it and then harvesting it offered a simple but long-lasting satisfaction. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom.
Mandela's hobbies on Robben Island were ____.

A．hunting and physical labour

B．gardening and tennis

C．washing his clothes

D．gardening techniques and types of fertilizers

When did Mandela ask the prison authorities for the permission to start a small garden?

A．Soon after 1997.

B．Some time in early 1977.

C．Almost as soon as he went to prison there.

D．Long after he went to prison there.

Why did Mandela wash his clothes especially clean although he was in prison?

A．To show he could do it as well as others.

B．To get some sense of pride and satisfaction from it.

C．To show others that he preferred to be clean.

D．To gain the authorities' permission to start a garden.

Hard as he tried, he failed ____ at last.

A．to get a sense of satisfaction and freedom

B．to grow tomatoes and onions

C．to grow peanuts

D．to get the same pride inside prison.

Artie Shaw was born in New York City in 1910. His name was Arthur Arshawsky. His parents were poor immigrants who had come to the United States from Eastern Europe. His family later moved to New Haven, Connecticut.
At the age of fourteen, he began to play the saxophone and then the clarinet. From a very young age, Artie Shaw wanted to play his clarinet better than anyone. He wanted his sound and music to be perfect. He worked at this task much of his life.
He began working as a professional musician when he was fifteen. He left home and began playing in bands across the United States.
In 1928, young Artie Shaw traveled to Chicago, Illinois to hear the great trumpet player, Louis Armstrong. He immediately understood that Armstrong's great jazz sound was the beginning of something new and exciting. Artie left Chicago with a growing interest in jazz music. Soon after, he moved to New York City.
He got work playing the clarinet for the Columbia Broadcast System radio network. In 1936, he was given a chance to form a small group and play at New York's famous Imperial Theater on Broadway. His group was not the top band in the show. But the crowd loved his music. This proved to be a major step in his career.
Artie Shaw was always trying something new, something different. He heard a young black woman sing and hired her for his band. This was the first time that a black woman sang with white musicians. Racial separation was the rule in many states. Artie Shaw did not care.
Artie Shaw wrote several books in his later years. He wrote stories for magazines. He spoke about music at colleges and universities. But he had very little to do with the world of recording or music. During those years however, he received many awards and honors for his music. These included a Hall of Fame award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
When he was very young, Artie Shaw was ________.

A．born to a wealthy family

B．a famous singer

C．a man with a great dream

D．was in love with music when he was a baby

To achieve his music dream, Artie Shaw ________.

A．first began to play the clarinet

B．wanted to be the most famous musician around the world

C．began playing in bands across the United States

D．became a famous musician when he was fifteen

When Artie Shaw became an adult, ________.

A．he showed a growing interest in jazz music

B．he worked for Columbia Broadcast System radio network as a singer

C．he formed a small band when he was twenty three

D．he thought that racial separation should be the rule of the society

In his later years, Artie Shaw ________.

A．almost stopped playing music

B．worked for a magazine as an professional writer

C．he made many speeches about his life at colleges

D．he received many awards and honors for his books

Which one can be the title of the passage?

A．Artie Shaw’s Life Stories	B．Artie Shaw — A Crazy Musician
C．Artie Shaw — A Great Writer	D．Artie Shaw’s Music Life

Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit (成套设备)and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: "If those old people next - door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened."
Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?

A．Because she didn't mean to disturb others.

B．Because she didn't want others to hear her play.

C．Because she didn't have her own room.

D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors.

Brenda started to give concerts _______.

A．when people came to see her in the space bubble

B．when she became part of the unique space journey

C．after she became a real musical astronaut

D．after she practiced in her space bubble

Brenda became famous because _______.

A．she was good at music and science

B．she invented a special way of practice

C．she became a real musical astronaut

D．she played well and had a talent

Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?

A．Lovely, brave and kind.

B．Brave, kind and hardworking.

C．Kind, hardworking and clever.

D．Nervous, kind and clever.

I was telling my boy Sonny the story of the hare and the tortoise. At the end I said, “ Son, remember: Be slow and steady, and that will win the race. Don’t you think there’s something to learn from the tortoise?”
Sonny opened his eyes wide, “Do you mean next time when I’m entering for the 60-metre race I should wish that Billy, Tony and Sandy would all fall asleep halfway?”
I was shocked, “But the tortoise didn’t wish that the hare would fall asleep!”
“He must have wished that,” Sonny said, “Otherwise how could he be so foolish as to race with the hare? He knew very well the hare ran a hundred times faster than he himself did.”
“He didn’t have such a wish,” I insisted. “He won the race by perseverance, by pushing on steadily.”
Sonny thought a while. “That’s a lie,” he said. “He won it because he was lucky. If the hare hadn’t happened to fall asleep, the tortoise would never have won the race. He could be as steady as you like, or a hundred times steadier, but he’d never have won the race. That’s for sure.”
I gave up. Today’s children are not like what we used to be. They’re just hopeless.
The writer argued with his son because _______.

A．he liked tortoises while his son liked hares

B．they disagreed about whether the tortoise was stupid

C．he tried to teach his son the moral lesson of the story but the son refused it

D．he liked the story of the hare and the tortoise while his son didn't

Sonny believed that the tortoise ______________.

A．won the race by his own hard working

B．took a risk by agreeing to run a race

C．was not given a fair chance in the race

D．in fact did win the race luckily

Billy, Tony and Sandy must be_______________.

A．boys who were unknown to Sonny’s father

B．boys who Sonny has run races with before

C．boys who Sonny has never raced with before

D．boys who Sonny did not expect to race with again

The writer thinks that his generation (一代人) ______________.

A．are cleverer than Sonny’s generation

B．have the same ideas about life as Sonny’s generation

C．are more hopeful than Sonny’s generation

D．have different ideas about life from Sonny’s generation

According to the passage, who do you think learnt a lesson? ______________.

A．The tortoise	B．Sonny
C．The hare	D．Sonny’s father