It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning 30. I was afraid that my best years were now behind me. So I asked my neighbor Nicholas, a 79-year-old man:“What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation（犹豫）, Nicholas said,“Well, Joe, this is my philosophical（哲学的） answer to your philosophical question:
“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
“When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
“When I got my first job and had responsibilities（责任） and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
“When World War II came, my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship to North America, that was the best time of my life.
“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.
“And now, Joe, I am 79 years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”
1.How old was the writer?
A．15 years old. B．30 years old.
C．79 years old. D．45 years old.
2.Where was the old man brought up when he was a kid?
A．In Austria. B．In Canada.
C．In Australia. D．In North America.
3.From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A．the writer didn’t know how to spend his time
B．the writer was worried about becoming old and sick
C．the old man was not in good condition
D．the old man had a very happy family
4.What does the writer want to tell us?
A．It’s never too old to learn.
B．Confidence is a key to success.
C．Be thankful for what you have today.
D．Time and tide wait for no man.
If you are lazy and weak, you will never taste success. But if you are , success and happiness will be more likely to come to you.
I love eating persimmons（柿子）. But you can’t get them until autumn. If you try them before the right time, they probably bad.
In Grade Six, because of my poor grades, my parents were that I wouldn’t be able to get into an excellent middle school. They me to study harder, but I didn’t really understand why they were so anxious.
Summer came. The hot weather made me sleepy and I couldn’t my textbooks. But every time I wanted to stop , Mom would shout, “Hey! Think about your . If you don’t work hard, you’ll regret it!” I had to sit back down again and return to my textbooks. But all I was playing with my friends and eating persimmons.
My mom would say to me, with a serious look on face, “If a persimmon tree doesn’t grow in summer, it can’t bear（结出） fruit in autumn! Only by hard work you get good results.”
I didn’t understand it at that time, I gradually came to see the truth of her words. A few months later, I succeeded in getting into the key middle school. It was . Walking in my new school, I could see quite a few persimmon trees. The fruit was so red that it looked as if it was on fire. Suddenly, I that working hard may be bitter but its fruit is sweet.
My mom was right. If a persimmon tree doesn’t grow summer, it can’t bear fruit in autumn. I smiled. I had grown through the summer now it was autumn.
I tasted my success and enjoyed the fruit of my labor!
1.A. busy B．clever C．hard-working D. free
2.A．look B．taste C．turn D. smell
3.A．embarrassed B．worried C．excited D．scared
4.A．afforded B．allowed C．pushed D．made
5.A．concentrate on B．depend on C．decide on D．look on
6.A．thinking B．talking C．playing D．studying
7.A．future B．hobby C．health D．work
8.A．talked about B．heard about C．worried about D．thought about
9.A．her B．your C．my D．his
10.A．should B．can C．need D．must
11.A．But B．Because C．Although D．So
12.A．spring B．summer C．autumn D．winter
13.A．realized B．saw C．noticed D．reminded
14.A．before B．during C．after D．until
15.A．and B．but C．or D．then
---Have you found the information about the famous people ____you can use for the report?
---Not yet. I’ll search some on the Internet.
A.who B.what C.whom D.which
Bob always asks his mother _______ at 6:30 a.m.
A．to wake him up B．wake him up
C．to wake up him D．wake up him
The high school entrance examination will be over soon. Can you tell me _____ the summer holiday?
A．where are you going to spend
B．how you are going to spend
C．where you were going to spend
D．how were you going to spend
---When did you ______ this bike?
---Yesterday. I ______ it for three days.
A．lend, have kept B．lend, will keep
C．borrow, will keep D．borrow, have kept
