When I was ten my dad helped me buy my first ten-speed bicycle from Allen. I put up $60 of my grass cutting and snow shoveling (铲) money and my dad put up the other half I would pay him back over the next six months. Although it was not in the latest style, it was my ticket to the adult world.
I spent that summer and autumn riding happily. My sister Liz, a prisoner(囚犯，俘虏) of her five-speed bicycle, never had a chance to keep up. Just before the Christmas deadline to pay my dad back, we were hit with several snowstorms. This allowed me to shovel enough driveways (车道) to pay off my debt. I was now officially a bike owner; it was a feeling unlike any other.
On that Christmas morning, my dad gave me a used portable (便携式的) record player. I was excited. However, my joy was short-lived after my dad called my sister to the kitchen. “We have one more gift for you. ” he said as he opened the door that led to the garage. There, on the steps, stood a new ten-speed bicycle.
“It’s not fair,” I complained. “I worked so hard for my bike, and it’s not even new. Then Liz gets a new bike. She didn’t have to do anything for it. ” My dad smiled. “She didn’t have to do anything for it because it’s not really for her,” he said. What did that mean? I didn’t want her bike.
By spring Liz and I were tiding all over town together now that she could keep up. As we grew, Liz and I became true friends.
Still I wasn’t smart enough to figure out what my dad meant until years later. That new bike was not a gift for Liz — it was a gift for me. He’d given me the gift of my sister’s company, the ability to stay together rather than drift apart (逐渐疏远) in the face of my ability to travel. He gave me my best friend.
1.What do we know about the author’s bike?
A. It was worth $120.
B. Allen bought it for him.
C. It was very fashionable.
D. He didn’t like it actually.
2.Why did the author think he was officially a bike owner?
A. He had paid off his debt.
B. He had learned to ride a bike.
C. He could also own Liz’s bike.
D. He could sell his bike to Liz.
3.Why was the author’s Christmas joy short-lived?
A. His sister got a new record player.
B. His father didn’t care about him.
C. The record player wasn’t new.
D. His sister got a better gift.
4.Hearing his father say “it’s not really for her (Paragraph 4)”, the author probably felt ________.
A. moved B. satisfied
C. puzzled D. disappointed
5.The author finally realized that ________.
A. the new bike actually belonged to him
B. the new bike wasn’t bought by his father
C. his father actually gave him a more valuable gift
D. his father loved his sister more as a matter of fact
Growing up in my Grandma’s house as a boy was an experience that would shape me for the rest of my life. We were poor in everything but . yet I learned so much about life there. My Mom, Dad, Grandma, two , and I were all into a home made from two old shabby cars. I always knew what my next would look like because I had seen my older brother them the year before, I always knew what we were going to be in winter, because I had it in the garden during the summer. , I never felt poor. No king ever ate as good as we did on Sundays after church when Grandma her homemade meatballs, spaghetti（意大利式细面条）and freshly baked bread.
we had so little I can still remember Dad, Mom, and Grandma giving so much. We were always with others. Everyone who our family could expect a of spaghetti, or a jar of vegetables, or a flower pot full of fresh flowers. I can still remember my parents’ eyes whenever they passed something on to others. We never felt than when we shared what we were given. I learned early that the greatest joy comes from giving getting. Giving makes your spirit greater.
Don’t be afraid to what you have to others. Share everything you have. If you have a beautiful , then smile at whoever you come across. If you have a few extra dollars, then give them to the people in need. If you have a talent, then share it with others. If you have a heart full of love, then give it to everyone. No life ever truly lives it becomes a gift, so make your whole life a gift to the world.
1.A. spirit B. education C. wealth D. health
2.A. nephews B. brothers C. sisters D. cousins
3.A. divided B. admitted C. locked D. crowded
4.A. food B. room C. glasses D. clothes
5.A. choosing B. cutting C. wearing D. cleaning
6.A. doing B. eating C. 1earning D. giving
7.A. developed B. plantedC. polluted D. poisoned
8.A. Meanwhile B. Therefore C. Besides D. However
9.A. cooked B. earned C. washed D. sold
10.A. Unless B. Since C. When D. Although
11.A. chatting B. communicating C. sharing D. exchanging
12.A. visited B. warned C. supposed D. saved
13.A. basket B. cup C. spoon D. plate
14.A. opened B. shone C. hurt D. glanced
15.A. freer B. calmer C. happier D. poorer
16.A. less than B. fewer than C. other than D. rather than
17.A. take up B. pick up C. pass on D. give in
18.A. face B. smile C. band D. figure
19.A. convenient B. contemporary C. vital D. special
20.A. until B. after C. because D. If
Karen, Judy and I were the last ones back in the school room after lunch and all of the other sixth graders were already playing outside.
“Wow! How it would be to write on the blackboard while everyone is . ” Judy said.
“But Mrs. Eiffler doesn't want us writing on the ,” I responded.
“Janet, everyone is outside. No one will ever know, ” said Karen, reaching into box and drawing out a piece of . Judy also began drawing.
I reluctantly (勉强地）joined my friends, but afraid of being . Then Judy had all idea. “We’re all right-handed. Let’s see who can write their best using their left hand. ”
Judy and Karen started . I chose a piece of white chalk from the box and wrote my name.
“We’d better get this board cleaned off Mrs. Eiffier comes back, ”said Judy, but I found it wasn’t chalk at all, but a white crayon（蜡笔）! At last, Karen got a knife and scraped it. It finally, but we left an abrasion (磨损处) on the blackboard.
Mrs. Eiffler never asked about the abrasion but I always remember the lesson. “No one will ever know” is never . Even if no one else found out, I myself knew.
1.A. useful B. fun C. stupid D. necessary
2.A. asleep B. worried C. outside D. lucky
3.A. blackboard B. bookC. desk D. floor
4.A. bread B. wood C. paper D. chalk
5.A. followedB. praised C. caught D. affected
6.A. address B. class C. name D. dream
7.A. writing B. singing C. shouting D. reading
8.A. until B. before C. unless D. since
9.A. broke down B. took off C. came off D. slowed down
10.A. true B. typicalC. important D. Different
— This apple pie is too sweet, don’t you think so?
— _____. I think it’s just right, actually.
A. I hope so B. Not really
C. Sounds good D .No wonder
wants to stay in a hotel has to pay their own way.
A. Anyone B. The one
C. Whoever D. Who
Her mother and father found all this rather hard but eventually accepted her choices, ______ she was happy.
A. as long as B. even if
C. if only D. as far as
