Born with easy-broken bone disease, Zhang Yonghong is only half a meter tall and must use a wheelchair. His thin arms and legs can hardly support any weight, and he is unable to take care of himself. However, his hands are able to produce fine paper-cuts, which will free his daughter from the same disease.
To support himself, he learned how to make paper-cut art from his mother. He sold his artwork and taught his techniques in Xi’an for eight years before discovering his young daughter inherited the disease from him, leading Zhang to move his family to Beijing for his daughter’s better treatment five years ago.
The daughter’s treatment costs about 30,000 yuan a year. The family’s savings was used up in two years, and Zhang was forced to start to sell his work in underground passages with his healthy wife, who soon left him because of the hard life.
With a little help from government, he was lucky to meet some kindhearted people in Beijing. A Hong Kong businessman gave 60,000 yuan to him last year to treat the girl and start a small shop on Qiangulouyuan, which is known as a famous hutong that attracts lots of tourists over holidays. Zhang Rui, a university graduate, spends most of her time helping Zhang sell the paper-cuts, translating the stories of the paper-cuts into English and selling the works on the roadside of Nanluoguxiang.
However, the artist still lives beyond his income (收入) and struggles to continue his small business. “Selling paper-cuts is his only source of income. Without this, he can’t support the family and treat his daughter,” says Zhang Rui, who hopes more people will help Zhang.
1.Why did Zhang grow only half a meter tall?
A. His easy-broken bone disease affected him.
B. His parents also had the same disease.
C. His poor family couldn’t provide him with rich food.
D. An unexpected accident caused him to grow slowly.
2.What does the underlined word “inherited” probably mean in Paragraph 2?
A. get around B. take away
C. pass on D. go over
3.Why did his wife leave him?
A. Because she was afraid of losing the daughter.
B. Because she was tired of him and her children.
C. Because she lost hope for her daughter.
D. Because the life was too hard for them.
4.With the help of a Hong Kong businessman, Zhang Yonghong _________.
A. could support the daily life of his family
B. ran a shop of his own in Beijing
C. hired a girl to sell his artworks
D. could start a translation room
5.What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
A. Zhang still needs more people to help him.
B. Zhang manages his business very well.
C. Zhang’s business needs to be developed.
D. Zhang needs to look for a wife to help him.
Dear Aunt Tara,
I have a problem with my homework. We have to do it in a group. It has to be finished this Friday, but Gary, the boy in our group, has done nothing helpful. He just keeps rocking the boat.
Every time we talk about the work with him, he always says, “Don’t worry. I’ll do it later.” But he seldom does his job. And when he does, he does it the wrong way. Someone has to do it for him again. What’s worse is when Ms. Lin asks about our group, Gary always tells her that we others don’t work hard enough. I’m really mad at Gary about this. We’re in the same group. Shouldn’t we help each other to do a better job?
Kate
Dear Kate,
It is important for students to learn how to work together in a group. Maybe you should talk to Gary about the problem and tell him you all need his help. If he still doesn’t change, go talk to your teacher. I believe she can make Gary do his job.
Aunt Tara
1.Which of the following is true about Kate’s homework?
A. It’s very easy.
B. It’s very boring.
C. It has to be done by herself.
D. It requires teamwork.
2.What does “rocking the boat” most likely mean in Kate’s letter?
A. Causing trouble.
B. Doing easy jobs.
C. Telling people what to do.
D. Working without thinking.
3.Which of the following best describes Gary?
A. Kind and helpful. B. Lazy and dishonest.
C. Tall and strong. D. Honest and popular.
4.What do we know from Aunt Tara’s letter?
A. Kate is the leader of Ms. Lin’s class.
B. Kate should let Gary know how she feels.
C. Gary should be put in another group.
D. Gary has decided to change himself.
5.What’s Aunt Tara’s advice to Kate?
A. Do the homework without Gary’s help.
B. Ask her teacher immediately to make Gary do his job.
C. Talk to Gary first and then to Ms. Lin if necessary.
D. Ask her teacher to give her a different kind of homework.
Yang Yang was a native of Liaoning Province. When he was in Grade Two, his got worse. Later he was found to have sick changes to his retina (视网膜). At 15, he had to school because of his injured eyes.
“Though I my eyesight, I wanted very much to read and study, even if just for ,” Yang says. “My parents my eyes. They have read to me since my childhood.”
Yang the national college entrance exam and entered the Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, where he acupuncture (针灸). In 1999, Yang graduated from college and decided to go on for education.
Later Yang bought a special software (软件) which helped him to the Internet and send e-mails. With the software, Yang hoped to a postgraduate (研究生) degree. But he found that no Chinese offered such degrees specifically for sight-injured people. As the first step toward getting a post-graduate from a foreign university, Yang decided to take the TOEFL for the blind.
After English through computers, Yang took the test in Hong Kong, a mark of 97 out of 120. After taking part in video interviews and the necessary forms and papers, Yang was 47 to the University of Southern California.
“Studying can help me my life. One can change one’s life through effort. I believe that with effort, a child can draw a world if you give him a pen and paper,” Yang says.
1.A. eyesight B. health C. hearing D. study
2.A. rescued B. ignored C. suffered D. treated
3.A. look B. attend C. take D. leave
4.A. imagined B. lost C. recovered D. caught
5.A. education B. fun C. experience D. knowledge
6.A. cared for B. looked after C. acted as D. kept off
7.A. passed B. made C. tried D. broke
8.A. offered B. picked C. received D. studied
9.A. more B. quicker C. easier D. further
10.A. surf B. repair C. build D. accept
11.A. buy B. start C. get D. keep
12.A. hospitals B. universities C. departments D. groups
13.A. course B. material C. test D. degree
14.A. learning B. translating C. speaking D. remembering
15.A. breaking B. scoring C. discovering D. starting
16.A. looking through B. putting up C. handing in D. carrying on
17.A. admitted B. turned C. promised D. refused
18.A. affect B. keep C. find D. improve
19.A. firmly B. hardly C. only D. partly
20.A. popular B. beautiful C. natural D. real
--Was it at 11 o’clock ________ your father came back last night?
--Yes, he is always coming back so late.
A. while B. when C. that D. until
James has just arrived, but I didn’t know he ________ until yesterday.
A. will come B. was coming
C. had come D. came
--Congratulations! You’ve got a chance to go abroad!
--_________.
A. Thank you B. I agree
C. Of course D. Good luck
