The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 totals for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him.
“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir.” he said. “Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.”
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”
1.What was the author’s first impression of the boy?
A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.
B. He seemed to have suffered a lot.
C. He seemed younger than his age.
D. He seemed good at bargaining.
2.The second time the author met the boy, the boy ______.
A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts
B. wanted to express his thanks
C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks
D. tried to take advantage of him
3.Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A. Because he had enough money to do that.
B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.
C. Because he held a higher position in the society.
D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.
4.Which of the following best describes the boy?
A. Brave and polite. B. Kind and smart.
C. Honest and thankful. D. Shy and nervous.
1.What will be exhibited in Geneva?
A. A watch B. A kind of shoes. C. A bracelet. D. A photo.
2.A newly-developed car has been produced by ________.
A. Vans and Hermes B. Christian Dior
C. Champion Motorsport D. Panerai
3.It can be inferred that ________.
A. Goose liver is the favorite food of the Japanese people.
B. Some children have built up a toy-brick-liked building.
C. Mixing up olive oil with ordinary oil makes high-quality oil.
D. Badly behaved designers used not to get what they deserved.
During the first week of the term, every student was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year.
Some jobs were more 26 than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones. And the teacher would 27 who had been most responsible during the previous year. Among them Rita 28 . During the previous year she had followed all the teacher’s 29 perfectly.
But that year there was a big 30 . Each child received one of the normal 31 , like cleaning the blackboard. But Rita’s job was very 32 . She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant. And even though the teacher 33 that this ant was a very special ant, it 34 Rita. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her and even her father 35 Rita to ignore it. 36 , Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by making the unimportant task into a special job.
“ I will turn this little task into 37 great,” Rita said to herself.
So Rita started 38 her little ant. She gave the ant the best food, and it grew bigger than anyone had expected…
One day, the teacher 39 a man to the students and said he would tell them a 40 piece of news. The man said, “ Today they have announced the winner of the 41 , and this class is the winner! This class has been chosen to accompany me on a 42 to the tropical rainforest to investigate all kinds of insects. 43 all the schools of this region, it is this one that has best 44 for the little ant given to you. Well done!”
That day the class was filled with joy. Everyone 45 Rita and thanked the teacher. And many children learnt that to be given the most important tasks you have to know how to be responsible for even the smallest tasks.
1.A. interesting B. possible C. necessary D. creative
2.A. realize B. doubt C. argue D. consider
3.A. stood up B. stood out C. stood for D. stood by
4.A. opinions B. concerns C. instructions D. experiments
5.A. curiosity B. movement C. surprise D. chance
6.A. tasks B. promises C. dreams D. purposes
7.A. different B. ordinary C. familiar D. valuable
8.A. hoped B. insisted C. agreed D. guessed
9.A. annoyed B. inspired C. satisfied D. disappointed
10.A. supposed B. forced C. encouraged D. admitted
11.A. Therefore B. Otherwise C. However D. Moreover
12.A. something B. nothing C. everything D. anything
13.A. developing B. studying C. comforting D. writing
14.A. introduced B. exposed C. appealed D. connected
15.A. terrible B. confusing C. wonderful D. foolish
16.A. competition B. challenge C. conference D. negotiation
17.A. journey B. vacation C. meeting D. story
18.A. Between B. Along C. Besides D. Among
19.A looked B. paid C. cared D. worked
20.A. prized B. congratulated C. respected D. celebrated
---- I’ve decided to attend the English speech, but I’m afraid I won’t be the best.
---- ______. You never know until you try.
A. Forget it B. Go for it C. Good luck D. Never mind
Without proper lessons, you could ___ a lot of bad habits when playing the piano.
A. keep up B. pick up C. make up D. catch up
Though he is busy, music has always been _______ his work.
A. as much a part of his life as B. as a part of his life much as
C. as much as a part of his life D. so much a part of his life as
