At the age of 16, Clara Barton was advised to become a teacher, since she was quite shy. She taught in Massachusetts for ten years, and was invited to Bordentown, New Jersey, to teach in a private school. She saw personally that these communities needed free education for their citizens, and she responded by creating a free school, one of the first in her state. Later, officials ignored her and appointed a male as principal instead. She resigned and moved to Washington DC, becoming the first woman employed by the U. S. Patent Office.
Clara Barton was forever changed by her experience with the troops in the Civil War. She saw surgeons dressing wounds with cornhusks（玉米叶）, since they had nothing else. The medical supplies for the Army were well behind the troops, who were moving faster than their medical supply lines. She brought in a wagon of bandages and medical supplies that she had collected personally beforehand. Barton continued to work on the battlefields throughout the war.
She helped in the identification process of 13,000 dead Union soldiers. Afterward, she was an important figure in a campaign to identify missing soldiers from the Civil War. This non-stop work debilitated her, and upon recommendation by her physicians, she traveled to Europe to recover herself.
While in Europe, and still in poor health Miss Barton was moved by the hardship on civilians brought about by the France-Prussia war. She helped in their relief effort, and in that work she was inspired to create the Red Cross, which served all troops and civilians.
Clara Barton returned to America and then began the establishment of the American Red Cross. The US government did not think there would ever be another war, after the horror of the Civil War. But she convinced them that the Red Cross would be valuable to serve in times of natural disasters, as well. This was her lasting legacy（遗产）, an agency that still provides aid to victims today.
1.What does this text mainly tell us about?
A. The establishment of the American Red Cross.
B. A general introduction of Clara Barton’s life.
C. Clara Barton’s contribution to the Red Cross.
D. Clara Barton’s service in the army.
2.Why did Clara give up her job in the free school?
A. Because officials didn’t make her principal.
B. Because she wanted to work in a Patent Office.
C. Because she wanted to serve in the army.
D. Because she was not satisfied with the pay.
3.The underlined word “debilitated” in the third paragraph means .
A. rewardedB. satisfiedC. disturbedD. weakened
4.What is the greatest contribution made by Clara Barton?
A. She set up a free school.
B. She collected supplies for the army.
C. She identified missing soldiers.
D. She set up the American Red Cross.
Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden’s owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn’t stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree’s shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive.
The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree’s branches were drying up.
Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette（小胡瓜）, understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow...He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest.
And so the vegetables and the tree realized that it was better to help each other than to fight. They should really learn how to live in harmony with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around.
1.What is the problem between the tree and the vegetables?
A. They looked down upon each other.
B. They didn’t leave water to each other.
C. They couldn’t stand each other.
D. They didn’t know how to protect themselves.
2.What is the result of the fight between the tree and the vegetables?
A. They grew taller and stronger.
B. They were both drying up.
C. The tree defeated the vegetables.
D. The vegetables defeated the tree.
3.The courgette thought of ways to solve the conflict by .
A. making peace with the tree B. working together with other vegetables
C. entering the gardening contests D. growing big enough
4.What can we learn from this passage?
A. We ought to live in harmony with others.
B. We ought to save as much water as possible.
C. We ought to learn from each other in some ways.
D. We ought to learn to respect each other.
I was at the post office early that morning, hoping to be in and out in a short while. Yet, I myself standing in a queue that went all the way into the hallway. I had never seen so many people there on a weekday. It seemed someone might have made an announcement, customers to carry as many packages as they could. I also needed to have my own package . The queue moved very slowly. My patience and I got annoyed. The longer it took, the angrier I became. When I got to the counter finally, I finished my quickly and briefly, and then walked past the queue that was now extending past the front door.
“Excuse me,” I said, trying not to be too pushy. Several people had to move to make room for me to get to the .
I stepped out, about the service conditions. Thinking I was going to be late for my dentist appointment, I into the parking lot.
A woman was coming across the lot in my . She was walking with determination, and each step sounded very . I noticed that she looked as if she could breathe fire. It stopped me in my tracks. Had I looked like that? Her body language said that she was having a day. My anger melted away. I wished I could wrap her in a but I was a stranger. So I did what I could in a minute she hurried past me－I smiled. In a second everything changed. She was astonished, then somewhat . Then her face softened and her shoulders . I saw her take a deep breath. Her pace slowed and she smiled back at me as we passed each other.
I continued to smile all the way to my car. Wow, it’s amazing a simple smile can do.
From then on, I became aware of people’s and my own, the way we show our feelings. Now I use that every day to let it me that when facing the world, I can try a smile.
1.A. foundB. dislikedC. keptD. avoided
2.A. hoping B. welcoming C. requiring D. ordering
3.A. paid B. received C. weighed D. bought
4.A. died out B. faded out C. burst out D. ran out
5.A. business B. duty C. turn D. part
6.A. on B. about C. in D. aside
7.A. counter B. office C. exit D. car
8.A. talking B. complainingC. worrying D. hearing
9.A. headed B. looked C. pulled D. turned
10.A. way B. time C. direction D. course
11.A. slow B. stable C. light D. heavy
12.A. rough B. dull C. smooth D. bright
13.A. smile B. hug C. bag D. touch
14.A. until B. though C. before D. since
15.A. excited B. frightened C. cheered D. confused
16.A. trembled B. raised C. relaxed D. tightened
17.A. what B. that C. how D. when
18.A. appearances B. reactions C. behaviors D. expressions
19.A. treatment B. awareness C. conclusion D. achievement
20.A. remind B. warn C. convince D. tell
—Hi, Mike! We’re going biking along the beach this weekend.
—_______. I love being bathed in the sunshine.
A. Count me inB. By all meansC. Go aheadD. My pleasure
Just in front of our house _______ with a history of 1,000 years.
A. does a tall tree standB. stands a tall tree
C. is standing a tall treeD. a tall tree stands
Why _______ you be so stubborn? You should think over my advice on this matter.
A. mayB. shallC. dareD. must
