I’d always dreamed of exploring Africa, ever since I read my first Tarzan（《人猿泰山》）comic as a child. Finally, in 2004, to celebrate my 60th birthday, I went to Tanzania to experience a safari（东非游猎）and climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Seated next to me on the flight was Tanzania’s minister of water and wildlife development. We talked for thousands of miles, and he arranged me to visit a school. When I toured the school, I was shocked. The leaky（漏的）roofs turned the dirt floors into mud during the rainy season, and the walls couldn’t keep out the heat, cold or bugs(小昆虫). The school was in need of all material goods, but the kids possessed great human spirit.
It broke my heart that these children had to struggle to survive, so I asked the headmaster what it would cost to feed them. As little as 20 cents per child per day, he told me. Immediately I got home, I founded Kids of Kilimanjaro. Since then we’ve grown to provide hot lunches for nearly 13,000 schoolchildren every day. The free lunch program has eased a major problem the youngsters face.
I know a good education could really make a difference in these children’s lives. My parents always stressed the importance of education. I paid my own way through college in Tokyo by teaching English to students and businesspeople. After attending university I moved to San Francisco, when I was 25 years old. In 1978 I realized my American dream when I founded my own company. My success all started with a good education.
It’s amazing that something as simple as a nutritious lunch can change and enrich so many lives. Giving young people a better, healthier life can inspire them to go all the way through college and lead a movement that transforms their country.Why did the author go to Tanzania to celebrate his 60th birthday?
| A．He was curious about what Africa was like. |
| B．He was concerned about the Africans’ miserable life. |
| C．He wanted to get an idea of the area’s wildlife. |
| D．He hoped to lead a movement that would transform his country. |
After his tour to the school, the author found that the kids there were ________.
| A．in need of help |
| B．not interested in studies |
| C．not used to the rainy season |
| D．in low spirits |
What is the main purpose of Kids of Kilimanjaro?
| A．To make sure the African kids are mentally healthy. |
| B．To spread knowledge among the African kids. |
| C．To build new schools for the African kids. |
| D．To protect the African kids from hunger. |
What is the correct sequence of the following events?
a.“I” founded “my” first company.
b.“I” founded Kids of Kilimanjaro.
c.“I” read “my” first Tarzan comic.
d.“I” moved to San Francisco.
| A．a, c, d, b |
| B．a, d, c, b |
| C．c, a, d, b |
| D．c, d, a, b |
The author believes education is important because __________.
| A．his parents always stressed the importance of education |
| B．a good education contributes to his success |
| C．he paid his own way through college by teaching English |
| D．he’s trying to realize his American dream |
Kerry and Alice were both artists in Britain．They taught drawing and painting at Cambridge University．Although they were friends，each thought oneself to be the better painter．
One day，Kerry promised marriage to Alice．Surprised and pleased by the offer，the girl was not sure whether she would spend her future as a wife or a painter．After a moment she replied as follows,“Each of us must paint a picture．If yours is superior to mine．you can make me your wife．If not，please drop the question．”Then it was decided to give it the following day．
The next morning，Alice hung her picture on the gate．It showed a bunch of flowers and won high praise(赞扬)from everyone who passed by．In fact，a crowd collected in front of her masterpiece and fixed their eyes on it．
Several hours passed．Then Kerry was seen coming along to the gate with what appeared to be a beautiful leather suitcase in his hand．When he finally stopped before Alice, the girl artist blushed like a rose and agreed to marry him without any hesitation(犹豫)．Why?
Answer the questions：What are Kerry and Alice?
__________________________________________.What’s the meaning of the underlined part“superior to”?
____________________________________________________Did Kerry agree to Alice’s suggestion?
_____________________________________________________Why did Alice’s picture win high praise?
____________________________________________________What do you think the“leather suitcase’’ really was?
________________________________________________________________
When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers.
For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she’s been named national teacher of the year.
Principal Waynes Kettler said he’s worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is “just that one step above anybody I’ve ever worked with before.”
Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music.
When students were reading S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other songs herself after classroom discussions about the play and the book.
The honor means a lot to residents of Granite Falls. It’s inspiring to know that people from small towns can even win national honors.
As national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend the next year outside the classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education.
Not surpassingly, she is a big believe in the value of acts education. She said it’s essential for schools to offer classes such as act or music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that motivates them to come back to school day after day. The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means __________.
| A．discouraging | B．interesting |
| C．creative | D．unbearable |
When Peterson began her teaching career, ____________.
| A．music was a focus of learning in most schools |
| B．the environment was favorable to music teaching |
| C．the school lacked teaching facilities for music |
| D．financial support for music programs was unavailable |
What is the most important reason that Peterson won the award?
| A．She concerned herself with current social problems. |
| B．She motivated students to learn music with her creativity. |
| C．She has taught music at the elementary school for 22 years. |
| D．She made great efforts to arouse students’ interest in literature. |
Which of the following is an example of Peterson’s way of teaching music?
| A．She wrote plays on themes of race, equality and social justice. |
| B．She made use of the contents of other classes in her teaching. |
| C．She organized classroom discussions of Broadway tunes. |
| D．She helped students compose songs by themselves. |
In Peterson’s opinion, ____________.
| A．art, music and PE classes are all important |
| B．more subjects should be offered to students |
| C．students should be motivated to attend art classes |
| D．arts education is more important than other subjects |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．Peterson’s honor was a surprise for the local people |
| B．Peterson’s art classes attracted students back to school |
| C．Peterson aroused the local residents’ passion for music |
| D．Peterson will change her profession next year |
A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced towaist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.
Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill，she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?”she asked I said I was, “No charge.”She said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.
As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押贷款〉on our mined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d began to accept that we*d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kemmedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for State, the online magazine and wanted to give us (""no conditions attached’）a new house across thelake from New Orleans.
It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no plan to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me, while he went to England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kemdedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.
Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance.The garage employee’s attitude toward the author was that of
| A．unconcern | B．sympathy |
| C．doubt | D．tolerance |
What do we know about James Kemnedy?
| A．He was a writer of an online magazine. |
| B．He was a poet at the University of Florida |
| C．He offered the author a new house free of charge. |
| D．He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail |
It can be inferred from the text that
| A．the author’s family was in financial difficulty |
| B．rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster |
| C．houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area |
| D．the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank |
The author learned from his experience that
| A．worldly possessions can be given up when necessary |
| B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases |
| C．people benefit from their sad stories |
| D．human beings are kind after all. |
Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud. As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked!
Yet I did nothing for the attack. It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected. I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing. And I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain. For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused. I wasn't sure what to do. After all, it’s just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. I stepped back to look the situation over. My attacker moved back to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate’s sake, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life. Should I have been careless enough to step on her? His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate’s safety seemed admirable. I couldn’t do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
Since then, I’ve used that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.The writer changed his direction while walking down a path because he wanted_______.
| A．to get close to a butterfly |
| B．to escape a sudden attack |
| C．to look over the bad situation |
| D．to avoid getting his shoes dirty |
From the passage we can learn that the attacker _________.
| A．struck the author four or five times and made him badly hurt |
| B．paused until the author took a step backwards |
| C．thought it was the author who caused the death of his mate |
| D．attacked the author for his mate’s safety and to accompany her for the last moments of life |
From this experience the man learned_____.
| A．butterflies are brave insects |
| B．the small can defeat the large |
| C．how to deal with challenges in his life |
| D．people should try their best to fight for everything |
Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?
| A．caring | B．ambitious | C．courageous | D．aggressive |
I have only once been in trouble with the law．The whole process of being arrested and taken to court was a rather unpleasant experience at the time, but it makes a good story now． What makes it rather disturbing was the arbitrary （随意的） circumstances both of my arrest and my subsequent （随后的） fate in court．
It happened in February about twelve years ago．I had left school a couple of months before that and was not due to go to university until the following October．I was still living at home at the time．
One morning I was in Richmond, a suburb of London near where I lived．I was looking for a temporary job so that I could save up some money to go traveling．As it was a fine day and I was in no hurry, I was taking my time, looking in shop windows, strolling in the park, and sometimes just stopping and looking around me．It must have been this obvious ainilessness that led to my downfall．
It was about half past eleven when it happened．I was just walking out of the local library, having unsuccessfully sought employment there, when I saw a man walking across the road with the obvious intention of talking to me．I thought he was going to ask me the time．Instead, he said he was a police officer and he was arresting me．At first I thought it was some kind of joke．
But then another policeman appeared, this time in uniform, and I was left in no doubt．
'But what for?" I asked．
‘Wandering with intent to commit an arrestable offence,' he said．
‘What offence?' I asked．
'Theft,' he said．
'Theft of what?' I asked．
'Milk bottles,' he said, and with a perfectly straight face too!
'Oh,' I said．
It turned out there had been a lot of petty thefts in the area, particularly that of stealing milk bottles from doorsteps．
Then I made my big mistake．At the time I was nineteen, had long untidy hair, and regarded myself as pan of the sixties' 'youth counterculture'．As a result, I wanted to appear cool and unconcerned with the incident, so I said, 'How long have you been following me? in the most casual and conversational tone I could manage．I thus appeared to them to be quite familiar with this sort of situation, and it confirmed them in their belief that I was a thoroughly disreputable （品行不端的） character．
A few minutes later a police car arrived．
'Get in the back,' they said．'Put your hands on the back of the front seat and don't move them．'
They got in on either side of me．It wasn't funny any more．
At the police station they questioned me for several hours．I continued to try to look worldly and familiar with the situation．When they asked me what I had been doing, I told them I'd been looking for a job．'Aha,' I could see them thinking, 'unemployed'．
Eventually, I was officially charged and told to report to Richmond Magistrates' Court the following Monday．Then they let me go．
I wanted to conduct my own defense in court, but as soon as my father found out what had happened, he hired a very good solicitor （律师） ．We went along that Monday armed with all kinds of witnesses, including my English teacher from school as a character witness．But he was never called on to give evidence．My 'trial' didn't get that far．The magistrate （法官） dismissed the case after fifteen minutes．1 was free．The poor police had never stood a chance．The solicitor even succeeded in getting costs awarded against the police．
And so I do not have a criminal record．But what was most shocking at the time was the things my release from the charge so clearly depended on．I had the 'right' accent, respectable middle-class parents in court, reliable witnesses, and I could obviously afford a very good solicitor．Given the obscure nature of the charge．I feel sure that if I had come from a different background, and had really been unemployed, there is every chance that I would have been found guilty．While asking for costs to be awarded, my solicitor's case quite obviously revolved （回转） around the fact that I had a 'brilliant academic record'．
Meanwhile, just outside the courtroom, one of the policemen who had arrested me was gloomily complaining to my mother that another youngster had been turned against the police． 'You could have been a bit more helpful when we arrested you,' he said to me reproachfully （责备地） ．
What did he mean? Probably that I should have looked outraged （暴怒）and said something like, 'Look here, do you know who you're talking to? I am a highly successful student with a brilliant academic record．How dare you arrest me!' Then they, probably, would have apologized perhaps even taken off their caps, and let me on my way．Judging from the first paragraph, the writer's attitude towards his story is _______．
| A．angry | B．sad |
| C．amused | D．more than just one of the above |
The first man who came up to him was ______．
| A．a uniformed policeman | B．a policeman in plainclothes |
| C．not a policeman | D．a good joker |
The court never asked the author's English teacher to give evidence because _______．
| A．the time for the trial was limited to fifteen minutes only |
| B．the author wanted to conduct his own defense in court |
| C．the case was dismissed before the trial reached that stage |
| D．he was found to be unqualified as a character witness |
The author believes that he would most probably have been declared guilty if _______．
| A．the magistrate had been less gentle |
| B．he had really been out of work |
| C．he had been born in a lower—class family |
| D．both B and C |
In the opinion of one of the policeman who had arrested the author, the whole thing might not have occurred if ______．
| A．he had protested strongly at the time |
| B．he had begged to be allowed to go home |
| C．he hadn't wandered aimlessly |
| D．he had tried to look cool |
We can see from the passage that the author ______．
| A．has broken the law only once |
| B．has never broken the law |
| C．has broken the law on more than one occasion |
| D．once broke the law without knowing it |
Bum rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate would be $ 50,000 a month when my new media company started. So, I began looking around for individuals who would be my first investors. “Angel money” it was called. But when I reviewed my list of acquaintances to find those who might be able to help, I found the number got small.
With no other choices, I began meeting with the venture-capital companies. But I was warned they took a huge share of your company for the money they put in. And if you struggled, they could drop you cold.
As I was searching for “angel money”, I started to build a team who trusted me even though I didn't have money for paychecks yet.
Bill Becker was an expert in computer programming and image processing at a very famous Media Lab at M. I.T. With his arrival, my company suddenly had a major technology “guy” in-house.
Katherine Henderson, a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer, joined us as our director of market research. Steve White came on as operating officer. He had worked for the developer of a home-finance software, Quicken. We grabbed him.
We had some really good people, but we still didn't have enough money. One night, my neighbor, Louise Johnson, came for a visit. She and I were only nodding acquaintances, but her boys and ours were constant companions. She ran a very good business at the time.
Louise was brilliant and missed nothing. She had been watching my progress closely. She knew I was dying for money and I had prospects but could offer no guarantees of success.
She told me that her attorney had talked to mine and the terms had been agreed upon. She handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $ 500,000.
I almost fell down. I heard her voice as if from heaven.
“I have confidence in your plan,” she said. “You' 11 do well. You're going to work hard for it, but it' s satisfying when you build your own company.”
Who would have thought I'd find an angel so close to home? There were no words sufficient for the moment. We just said good night. She left and I just stood there, completely humbled and completely committed.For a newly-established business, bum rate refers to___________.
| A．the salary it pays to its staff |
| B．the interest it pays to the bank |
| C．the way in which it raises capital |
| D．the speed at which it spends money |
By "Angel money", the author refers to__________.
| A．the money borrowed from banks |
| B．the money spent to promote sales |
| C．the money raised from close friends |
| D．the money needed to start a business |
To get help from a venture-capital company, you may have to__________.
| A．put up with unfair terms | B．change your business line |
| C．enlarge your business scope | D．let them operate your business |
The author easily built a team for his company because__________.
| A．they were underpaid at their previous jobs |
| B．they were turned down by other companies |
| C．they were confident of the author and his business |
| D．they were satisfied with the salaries in his company |
Louise decided to lend money to the author because__________.
| A．she wanted to join his company |
| B．she knew he would build a team |
| C．she knew his plan would succeed |
| D．she wanted to help promote his sales |
Edgar felt quite excited at the thought of his first swim of the summer. With the sun shining down so strongly, the sea was certain to be warm enough. He walked quickly along the sea-front towards the steps that led on to the sands. He smiled cheerfully at the passersby. He had just smiled and raised his hat to an elderly lady when a man with a camera caught his arm and stopped him. Edgar heard a little buzzing noise from the camera.
“Your photograph, sir, in glorious colour in just one moment if you please,” said the man in one breath. Then the buzzing stopped, and he held the photograph in his hand and was waving it to and fro. In a
moment he handed it over, and Edgar saw the bright blue splash of his shirt half filling the picture.
“Seventy pence, sir,” the man said. “It’s the bargain of your holiday.”
“Seventy pence,” Edgar repeated, mildly. “For this?” He stared at the photographer.
“They’re normally eighty-five, sir, but for a single subject I make a cut-price offer. It’s the best value you’ll get in Chadwell.”
“You’ll have to make a better offer,” Edgar said. It was a good photo though, he thought, so bright and clear. His hat was held high, and he was smiling broadly at the old lady, whose arm and handbag came into a lower corner. He had had no idea that he was being snapped. He thought he was really quite a good-looking chap.
“That’s as good as any studio job that would cost you pounds,” said the cameraman. “It’s better in a way because it’s so natural. Only seventy pence, sir.”
“I’ve never paid so much for a snap in my life. It simply isn’t worth that kind of money. It’s not as if I need the thing. Look, I’ll give you twenty-five.”
“No, I can’t do that. Each of these instant colour shots costs me 50p — that’s the price of the blank frame, so you see…”
“Criminal, criminal,” Edgar broke in. “You want a profit of forty per cent. Well, not at my expense, I’m afraid. I’ll give you your 50p and that’s that.”
“Let me see, then.” The man suddenly took the photograph out of Edgar’s hand. “I can’t waste any more time with you. It’s 70p or I keep it.”
“Keep it,” Edgar said. He turned, looked out to the sea, and then walked quickly away.Why do you suppose Edgar was in Chadwell?
| A．It was his hometown. |
| B．He was there on holiday. |
| C．He was in the making of a film. |
| D．He was there to have his photograph taken. |
Edgar smiled at and raised his hat to the lady because ________.
| A．he thought he recognized her |
| B．he wanted the photograph to be amusing |
| C．she was having her photograph taken |
| D．he was feeling excited and cheerful |
The photographer lowered his price to 70p because __________.
| A．Edgar wanted to bargain for the photo |
| B．Edgar couldn’t afford to pay the normal price |
| C．Edgar was the only person in the photo |
| D．there was only one copy of the photo |
What did Edgar think of the photo?
| A．He thought it made him look like a criminal. |
| B．He liked it but thought it was too dear. |
| C．It annoyed him because he hadn’t expected it. |
| D．He thought it was a bargain at the price. |
We can infer from the passage that _______ .
| A．Edgar was an indifferent but good-looking man |
| B．Edgar smiled at the photographer because he was being photographed |
| C．the photographer was actually a criminal |
| D．Edgar didn’t buy the snap at length. |
From my first day, I was attending press conferences and other media events all over town. I got to attend events at places I had never thought I’d get to: the White House, the Senate and House of Representative buildings at the Capitol (国会大厦), the Department of Health and Human Services, just to name a few. And I was sent to cover these events as if I were a reporter, not just an intern (实习生) .
In fact, I never really felt like an intern. I was given the opportunity to do the work that everyone else at the paper was doing. I covered stories on my own and wrote the articles myself. I was included in discussions for story ideas. I helped to edit the articles that went into the paper. I was able to take part in every aspect of the newspaper that I wanted to experience.
The best part of working at the Nation’s Health was the staff. They were supportive in letting me go out and do things on my own, while I always knew that they would be more than happy to answer any questions or help me with any problems I might have. Best of all, they treated me as their equal, not just an intern whom they could get to do all the work they didn’t want to do.
After interning at the Nation’s Health for nearly seven months and having more than 30 articles published, I had to move on. My experience there gave me insight into how the media work, which helps me when I’m trying to choose stories. In addition, it showed me that work really can be fun.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How good reporting begins with journalism interns. |
| B．The author’s opportunity to work at the Nation’s Health. |
| C．The author’s experience working as an intern |
| D．The author’s first day as a professional reporter. |
What impressed the author most when working at the Nation’s Health?
| A．The employees treated her as one of them equally. |
| B．The opportunity to work alone. |
| C．Covering stories and writing articles |
| D．Coming up with story ideas for the newspaper. |
We can infer that the author had thought an intern would be made to ____.
| A．go to as many places as possible |
| B．do the boring things that others didn’t want to do |
| C．treat people equally, no matter who they were. |
| D．get help from a professional reporter |
What did the author think of her experience of working at the Notion’s Health?
| A．Meaningful | B．Disappointing | C．Tiring | D． Surprising |
In 1859，during the Gold Rush，a twenty- year-old immigrant（移民）from Bavaria named Levi Strauss stepped off the boat in San Francisco. He had with him a special cloth called Serge de Nimes that was later called denim in America. Levi Strauss hoped to sell the denim as material to make tents and covers for wagons to the men who were going to the goldfields to look for gold.
“You should have brought trousers to sell. In the goldfields we need strong trousers that don‘t wear out，”one young miner advised Strauss. So Levi Strauss took some of his denim to the nearest tailor and had him make the miner a pair of trousers. The miner was so pleased that he told other miners about the wonderful newcomer，Levi，and soon Levi Strauss had to open a shop，producing enough trousers for the miners. The miners wanted trousers that were comfortable to ride in and were low cut so that they could bend over easily to pick up the gold from under their feet. Besides they wanted the trousers to have big useful pockets. One miner complained that the gold in his pockets kept tearing them. So Levi put metal corners in the pockets to make them stronger. Very soon，miners and cowboys from all over came to get fitted up with Levi‘s trousers. Today more than a hundred years later， Levi’s trousers walk the world a Levi‘s blue jeans（牛仔裤）。The denim cloth was originally（起初）meant for____.
| A．making tent covers and wagons |
| B．making tents for wagons |
| C．making trousers for the miners |
| D．making wagon covers and tents |
What kind of material do you think is denim？
| A．A strong type of cloth that is not torn by strong wears. |
| B．A special type of cloth that cannot be washed away by rain. |
| C．A smooth type of cloth that is for underwear. |
| D．A wonderful type of cloth that is as good as metal. |
A miner advised Strauss to sell trousers because ____.
| A．the miners didn‘t have enough trousers |
| B．the miner‘s trousers had not been strong enough |
| C．the miner‘s trousers did not wear out easily |
| D．the tailor on the goldfield could not make trousers |
Why did the miners need strong pockets in the trousers？
| A．Their pockets kept tearing the gold. |
| B．Their pockets were not made of metal. |
| C．The gold they found was too sharp and heavy to tear their pockets. |
| D．The gold they collected easily tore their pockets. |
Midas was a powerful king, both rich and greedy. Once he did a great favor for Bacchus, the god of wine. Bacchus offered Midas his choice of a reward. Midas answered at once. He asked that whatever he touched be turned into gold. Bacchus agreed, though he was sorry that Midas had not made a wiser choice.
Midas was eager to put his newly gained power to the test. He pulled a branch from a tree. The branch became gold in his hand. He picked up a stone; it turned to gold. He touched the grass, it, too, turned to gold.
Midas was overjoyed. Returning home, he ordered his servants to prepare a magnificent meal. But when he picked up some bread, it turned to gold. He lifted a glass of wine to his lips. But before he could taste it, it turned to gold.
Midas wished to free himself of his power. He hated the gift he had so recently hoped for. He raised his arms and begged and prayed for Bacchus to take away his deadly gift.
Bacchus showed pity. “Go,” he said. “to the River Pactolus. There dip yourself in. Wash away your greed and its punishment. ”Midas did so. Hardly had he touched the waters, before the gold-making powers passed into them. The river sands changed into gold. And they remain golden to this day.What is the moral of this story?
| A．There is more to life than riches. | B．Gold is more important than food. |
| C．You can’t trust your friends. | D．You must make a wiser choice. |
When everything he touched turned to gold, Midas felt ______
| A．happy and joyful | B．sad and disappointed |
| C．excited and angry | D．powerful and satisfied |
What was Midas’ wish after he could have nothing to eat?
| A．To have a big meal. | B．To gain power to turn things to gold. |
| C．To have his power taken away. | D．To wash himself in the water. |
Today when we say that a person has the “Midas Touch”, we mean that ______
| A．the person is very poor |
| B．gold is the most important thing to that person |
| C．everything that the person does makes money |
| D．the person has the power to do everything |
Sam, a dog, was left behind in Colorado while his owners, Mr. And Mrs. Green moved to Southern California. They did not give the dog up. They found him a very nice home before they moved. They would have let Sam accompany them, but they were afraid the dog’s presence would make it difficult for them to rent a house when they reached their destination.
The Green family lived in Colorado for less than a year. Before that, they had lived in the same neighborhood in California to which they returned. So Sam had been there before, but only for a short time when he was young.
Several months after the Greens left Colorado, after they were comfortably settled back in California, they heard a scratch at the door. They couldn’t imagine who might be there. It never occurred to them that it might be Sam, because they were sure he was happily set up with his new family back in Colorado. When they opened the door, the Greens saw a dirty, tired dog with very hurting feet. The animal looked a little bit like Sam, but no one could believe that Sam could have walked 840 miles on his own. The tired dog spent the night under the family car. The next day, when he was more rested, he performed some of his old tricks. The Greens knew they had their own dog back. The story suggests that _______ .
| A．dog owners have trouble renting |
| B．many people treat their pets badly |
| C．keeping a dog is easy |
| D．dogs are too much trouble |
Which is the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. Sam walked to California.
b. The Greens moved to Colorado.
c. The Greens left Sam.
d. The Greens returned to California.
e. Sam spent the night under the family car.
| A．b, d, c, e, a | B．b, c, d, a, e |
| C．a, c, b, e, d | D．c, e, d, a, b |
The underlined word “destination” in the first paragraph means _________.
| A．the cost of living | B．the country of one’s birth |
| C．the damage to oneself | D．the place to which one is going |
The Greens knew the dog was Sam ________.
| A．because of his hurting feet | B．from the color and the markings |
| C．by the way he walked | D．after he did some tricks |
The Doll and the White Rose
I was walking around in a mall, when I saw a cashier hand this little boy some money back．The cashier said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll．”The little boy seemed very disappointed．
I walked toward him and asked him who he wished to give this doll to. "It's the doll that my sister wanted so much for Christmas．She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her. But Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there．"His eyes were so sad．"My sister has gone to be with God．Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister."
My heart nearly stopped．The little boy looked up at me and continued, "I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall."
I quickly reached for my wallet and said," Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll．"
"OK, I hope I do have enough," he said．I put some of my money with his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money．
Surprisingly, the little boy cried, "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that Mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much．But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose ! "
Then I remembered two days before a local newspaper reported an accident in which a woman and a little girl were badly injured．The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state．Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after I met the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the woman had passed away．I couldn't stop myself from going to the funeral. Teary-eyed, I felt that my life had been changed forever．The boy wanted to buy the doll because____________．
| A．he had always been eager for such a doll |
| B．Santa Claus didn't give him any Christmas gift |
| C．he would give it to his mother as a birthday surprise |
| D．he wanted to turn his sister's Christmas wish into reality |
We can learn from the story that__________．
| A．the boy's sister died after staying in hospital for two weeks |
| B．the boy's family were all seriously injured in a car accident |
| C．the author gave the boy some extra money without his notice |
| D．the boy's mother always wished to receive a white rose on Christmas |
The story most probably conveys the message that ．
| A．a kind act can bring joy and hope to others |
| B．a gift is a perfect way to express love for others |
| C．losing a family member is a heavy blow to children |
| D．a religiou s belief can help one solve problems in his life |
Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children．In spite of the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and Albert, had a dream．They both wanted to pursue their talent for art．After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement．They would toss a coin．The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother who attended the academy．Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy．
Tossing a coin, Albrecht Durer won and went off to Nuremberg．Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation（轰动）．By the time he graduated, he had earned considerable fees for his outstanding works．
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant（胜利的）homecoming．Albrecht drank a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled him to complete his dream．“And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn．Now you can go to Nuremberg to look for your dream, and I will take care of you．”
Tears streaming down his pale face, Albert sobbed, “No．．．no．．．It is too late for me．Look．．．look at what four years in the mines have done to my hands！The bones in every finger have been broken at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis（关节炎）so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less draw delicate lines with a pen or a brush．”
To show thanks to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands”, but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed it “The Praying Hands”．The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, let it be your reminder—no one ever makes any success alone！Why did the two brothers work out the agreement？
| A．They were so curious as to make a joke． |
| B．Their family couldn’t afford the academy． |
| C．One of the brothers was supposed to go into mines． |
| D．They wanted to support the other sisters and brothers． |
The underlined word “whose” in Para．2 refers to _____ ．
| A．the Durer family’s | B．the miners |
| C．Albert’s | D．Albrecht’s |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about Albrecht Durer？
| A．He began to earn his living after graduation |
| B．He did perfectly well at the academy |
| C．He wanted his brother to go to the academy |
| D．He created great masterpieces |
Which of the following is the correct order of the story？
a．Albrecht went to Nuremberg
b．Albert supported his brother
c．The Durer family held a festive dinner
d．Albrecht drew his brother’s injured hands
e．The brothers tossed a coin．
| A．b, a, c, d, e | B．a, e, c, d, b |
| C．e, a, c, b, d | D．e, a, b, c, d |
What can we learn from the story？
| A．One can achieve success simply on his own |
| B．Any success requires the help of others． |
| C．It’s other people who contribute to one’s success |
| D．Nobody could succeed without good guidance |
Pulling heavy suitcases all day in the summer is hard work, especially when you're a thin 14-year-old.That was me in 1940-the youngest and smallest baggage boy at New York City's Pennsyl-vania Railway Station.
After just a few days on the job, I began noticing that the other fellows were overcharging passengers. I'd like to join them, thinking, "Everyone else is doing it."
When I got home that night, I told my dad what I wanted to do." You give an honest day's work," he said, looking at me straight in the eye." They're paying you. If they want to do that, you let them do that."
I followed my dad's advice for the rest of that summer and have lived by his words ever since.
Of all the jobs I've had, it was my experience at Pennsylvania Railway Station that has stuck with me. Now I teach my players to have respect for other people and their possessions. Being a member of a team is a totally shared experience. If one person steals, it destroys trust and hurts everyone. I can put up with many things, but not with people who steal. If one of my players were caught stealing, he'd be gone.
Whether you're on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can't trust one another, there's going to be trouble. What can be inferred about the baggage boys?
| A．They could earn much, but they had to work hard. |
| B．Many of them earned money in a dishonest way. |
| C．They were all from poor families. |
| D．They were all thin, young boys. |
What does the father's advice imply?
| A．It is wrong to give more pay to the passengers. |
| B．Don't believe them if they are paying you more. |
| C．Don't follow others to overcharge the passengers. |
| D．It is difficult to work hard and live as an honest boy. |
The writer can't put up with stealing because he thinks that ______.
| A．it is a totally shared experience |
| B．it is considered as the most dangerous |
| C．it does great harm to human relationship |
| D．it may lead to the loss of his sports team |
It can be concluded from the text that ______.
| A．his father's advice helped him to decide which job to take up |
| B．working in the sports team was his most important experience |
| C．he learnt much from his shared experience with his team members |
| D．his experience as a baggage boy had a great influence on his later life |
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