The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel(铁锹), and a strange set of tools: a brick layer’s trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle.
He walked down near the water — the tide(潮水) was out — and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape.
After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved (雕刻)out a big front gate.
The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind.
All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland.
Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible(不可抵抗的) deadline.
As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows — soon no more than a small part was left.
Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on.
1.In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day?
A．He needed the sun to help dry the sand.
B．It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather.
C．He knew the tide was out on this particular morning.
D．It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around.
2.In this passage, what does the incoming tide signal?
A．It is time to begin working.
B．It is the end of a day’s work.
C．It is the busiest time of the day.
D．It is time for lookers-on to leave.
3.How did the lookers-on react when the tide began to come in?
A．They were disappointed to see the art ruined.
B．They tried their best to save the sand castle.
C．They were nervous about their own belongings.
D．They helped the artist finish the castle.
4.We can tell that the young man’s reward for his work is ___________.
A．payment for his work
B．personal satisfaction
C．popularity as an artist
D．attention from the crowd
Mrs. Barrow, room 501, I repeated to myself as I was looking for the room number. It was my first day of grade and I was really .
Stepping into the room, I felt . I tried to keep calm, but Mrs. Barrow saw through me. “Good morning, Courtni. You may pick your .”
I glanced round the room and took a(n) seat near a girl named Wendy. Soon, Wendy and I became good friends. I felt no closeness to Mrs. Barrow, .
Mrs. Barrow had us write a paper what we wanted to be when we grew up. She said that when her students graduated, she liked them to come back and their fifth-grade dreams together, as a memory of their childhood. I decided right then that I liked Mrs. Barrow.
A month later, my grandmother died of cancer. her was so painful for me that I __ some school.
At the funeral(葬礼), I was sitting feeling sorry for myself when I looked and saw Mrs. Barrow standing there. She my hand and comforted me by reminding me that Grandma had no more pain or . had never occurred to me that it was better for my grandma this way.
After the funeral, we went home to see the flowers that had been sent. My mom me a pretty ivy(常春藤) plant. The attached card :
Courtni,
I’m sorry about your grandma. Never forget, I love you.
With love,
Mrs. Barrow
I wanted to . I took the plant home, watered it and put it in my grandma’s old room. I am in eighth grade now and I have that plant. I never thought a teacher could that much about her students: now I know.
1.A. first B. third C. fifth D. eighth
2.A. nervous B. sad C. angry D. surprised
3.A. out of order B. out of mind C. out of control D. out of place
4.A. chair B. seat C. desk D. book
5.A. good B. clean C. empty D. pretty
6.A. though B. although C. if D. while
7.A. in B. with C. by D. on
8.A. perfect B. former C. slow D. ordinary
9.A. spare B. bring C. share D. handle
10.A. Thinking B. Having C. Attending D. Losing
11.A. missed B. forgot C. left D. lacked
12.A. around B. up C. down D. out
13.A. shook B. waved C. gave D. held
14.A. delight B. surprise C. suffering D. disappointment
15.A. It B. She C. They D. He
16.A. dropped B. handed C. presented D. provided
17.A. read B. told C. wrote D. informed
18.A. run B. smile C. cry D. wait
19.A. even B. yet C. also D. still
20.A. learn B. care C. serve D. offer
He _______ English for four years before he went abroad.
A. has studied B. was studying
C. has been studying D. had been studying
Carelessness always contributes _______ car accidents. Therefore, drivers are advised to concentrate their attention _______ driving.
A. for; to B. to; on C. with; on D. in; to
With a lot of difficulties _______, they went to the seashore and had a good rest.
A. settled B. settling C. to settle D. being settled
The number of people present at the meeting _______ two hundred and a number of them _______ from the countryside.
A. is, are B. is, is C. are, are D. are, is
