It all began with a stop at a red light.

Kevin Salwen was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006 . While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes Coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.

“Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.”Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered （纠缠）her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.

“What do you want to do?” her mom responded. “Sell our house?”

Warning! Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.

Eventually, that’s what the family did. The project —crazy, impetuous （鲁莽的） and utterly inspiring — is written down in detail in a book by father and daughter scheduled to be published next month: “The Power of Half.” It’s a book that, frankly, I’d be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it. An impressionable child reads this, and the next thing you know your whole family is out on the street.

At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference — for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help. In a column a week ago, it described neurological evidence from brain scans that unselfishness lights up parts of the brain normally associated with more primary satisfaction. The Salwens’ experience confirms the selfish pleasures of selflessness.

Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house.

1.The best title for the passage should be “______”.

A. The Less, the Better               B. An Expected Satisfaction

C. Something We Can Live Without    D. Somewhat Crazy but Inspiring

2.What does the underlined word “inequity” most probably mean in Paragraph 3?

A. Unfairness.    B. Satisfaction.C. Personal attitude.      D. Reasonable statement.

3.What does the underlined sentence “Never suggest a grand gesture to an idealistic teenager.” means___?

A. Never give a quick answer to an idealistic teenager.

B. Unless a child is realistic, never give an answer immediately.

C. Give an answer if the child is reasonable.

D. Don’t respond to a child's demands firmly without consideration.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. The Salwens regretted selling their house.

B. The relationship between the family members of the Salwens is much closer.

C. Small houses can bring happiness.

D. The Salwens intend to buy another big house.

5.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Mercedes Coupe is only an ordinary car which is quite cheap.

B. Unselfishness has nothing to do with people’s primary satisfaction.

C. Hannah asked her parents to do something charitable and they sold their house.

D. The writer’s children asked him to sell their house.

School was over and I was both mentally and physically tired. I sat at the very front of the bus because of the      to get home. Sitting at the front makes you      out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies.

     Janie, the driver, tried to     the uncomfortable atmosphere by striking the match of a conversation.

    I tried to mind my manners and    listen, but I was too busy thinking about my day. On this day,    , her conversation was worth listening to.

    “ My father’s sick, ” she said to no one in    . I could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes. With a sudden     of attitude and interest, I asked, “ What’s wrong with him?”

    With her eyes wet and her voice tight from      the tears, she responded, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes    as she continued. “I’ve already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can      losing him. ”

    I couldn’t respond. I was shocked . My heart      for her. I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great      my own mother was thrown into when my father died.

    I saw how hard it was,      still is, for her. I wouldn’t like anyone to go through that .

    Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver. That was just her job. She had a     world of family and concerns too. I had never thought of her as anything but a driver.

    I suddenly felt very   . I realized I had only thought of people as    as what their purposes were in my life. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and     her as unimportant.

For all I know, I’m just another person in      else’s world, and may not even be important. I should not have been so selfish and self-centred. Everyone     a place to go to, people to see and appointments to      . Understanding people is an art.

1.A. determination       B. decision           C. attempt            D. anxiety

2.A. make              B. give              C. stand              D. find

3.A. hold               B. break             C. take              D. control

4.A. devotedly          B. carelessly          C. sincerely           D. politely

5.A. therefore           B. instead            C. otherwise           D. however

6.A. common           B. silence             C. particular          D. surprise

7.A. sense              B. change            C. wonder            D. choice 

8.A. removing          B. clearing            C. keeping           D. fighting

9.A. lowered           B. closed            C. widened             D. Opened

10.A. mind             B. regret             C. bear                D. escape

11.A. hurt              B. ached             C. struck              D. impressed

12.A. pain              B. pity              C. disappointment      D. mercy

13.A. yet               B. and              C. or                D. but

14.A. dark              B. narrow           C. whole             D. bright

15.A. confused          B. selfish            C. worried            D. sad

16.A. long              B. much              C. well             D. far

17.A. regarded           B. served             C. made             D. taken

18.A. someone           B. anyone            C. no one             D. everyone

19.A. has                B. gets               C. finds              D. needs

20.A. stay               B. get               C. keep               D. Put

--- Why didn’t you pay the accommodation rent?      

--- The rent? ________.

A. It all depends.                 B. It’s up to you.  

C. You are crazy!D. That isn’t due yet.

-—How about your conference?

-—Pretty successful．It allowed both sides of us to better understand ____ each stood on many issues．

A．which        B．that         C．what        D．where

Under no circumstances in the last three months______ for leave because of personal affairs．

A. did she ask                  B. she asked    

C. has she asked                D. she has asked

The story is about an old Indian farmer and an American tourist in India,__ understanding the other’s language.

A. none of whom                  B. both of them

C. neither of them          D. neither of whom

.If what your friend comes up with surprises you，don't reject it immediately._____，imagine that it is true.

A. Thus          B．Besides         C．Rather           D．Otherwise

Every day ____ a proverb aloud several times until you have it memorized.

A. read        B. readingC. to readD. reads

In much of the animal world, night is the time ____ for sleep —pure and simple.

A．set aside       B．set down       C．set off       D．set up

Laura was away in Paris for over a week . When she got home，there was a pile of mail_____for her.

A．waited        B．waiting         C．to wait       D．was waiting