On the way to California, my family stopped for lunch. As we walked toward the entrance to the restaurant, a man with a dirty face jumped up from a chair, opened the door for us and greeted us in a friendly way.
Once inside, my daughters said in a low voice, “Mom, he smells.” After we ordered our lunch, I explained, telling the kids to look beyond the dirt. Seeing this rudeness truly upset me, I wanted to set a good example to my children, but sometimes being a good example was difficult. When our meal arrived, I realized I had left the car-sick pills in the truck. With the windiest trip ahead, the kids needed them, so I went back to the car for them.
Just then, the “doorman” was opening the door for me, I said a loud “thank you” to him as I exited.
When I returned, we talked a bit. He said he was not allowed inside unless he bought food. I went back and told my family his situation. Then I asked our waitress to add one soup and sandwich. The kids looked puzzled, but when I said the order was for the “doorman”, they smiled. When it was time to continue our trip, I noticed the “doorman” enjoying his meal. Upon seeing me, he stood up and thanked me heartily. He then lifted his hand for a handshake and I gratefully accepted. I suddenly noticed the tears in his eyes-tears of gratitude (感恩). What happened next drew great astonishment: I gave the “doorman” a hug.
Back in truck, I fell into deep thought. While we can’t choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude. I said thanks to a man who had simply helped open a door for me, and also said thanks for that opportunity to teach my children by example.
1.What attitude did the children show to the doorman at first?
A. dislike B. surprise
C. puzzle D. interest
2.The author returned to the car for car-sick pills because ________.
A. seeing the doorman made her sick
B. she wanted the doorman to open the door for her
C. the kids needed them for the windiest trip ahead
D. the kids were concerned about the restaurant’s meal
3.For what purpose did the author say a loud “thank you” to the doorman?
A. She wanted to give the children a lesson of gratitude.
B. She showed her real love for him.
C. She wanted to give the doorman a hand.
D. She just showed her polite manner.
4.It can be learned from the passage that the doorman _________.
A. refused to accept the offer
B. took the offer for nothing
C. gave the author a thankful hug
D. was moved to tears for the kind help
5.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. We should learn to show gratitude.
B. Life is difficult for those in trouble.
C. Don’t judge a man by what he wears.
D. We should be polite to others.
Our children grew up on peanut butter and jelly (果冻) sandwiches. Even my husband and I sometimes ate one secretly at late night with a glass of milk. It was too delicious and tasty. My mother-in-law was the jelly maker in this family. The jelly was made of either grape or blackberry. The only job I did to the jelly making was to save baby food jars (罐子), which my mother-in-law would fill with the tasty gel (凝胶体), pack them up and send back to our home. For the past 22 years of my married life, whenever I wanted to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for ourselves, all I had to do was reach for one of those little jars of jelly. It was always there.
This past December, my mother-in-law passed away. Among the things in the house to be divided by her children were the remaining canned goods in the pantry (食品储藏室). When my husband brought his jars home, we carefully put them away in our pantry.
The other day I reached in there to get jelly for a quick sandwich, and there it was. Sitting all alone on the far side of the shelf was a small jar of grape jelly. As I picked up the jar, I suddenly realized something that I had failed to see earlier-this was the last jar we would ever have from my mother-in-law. Although she had been dead for nearly a year, so much of her had remained with us. Our children had never known a day without their grandmother’s jelly. It seems like such a small thing, and most days it was something that was ignored. But today it seemed a great treasure.
No longer was it just a jar of jelly. It was the end of a family tradition. I believed that as long as it was there, a part of my mother-in-law would always live on.
1.Why did the couple eat the jelly secretly at late night?
A. Because it was very delicious and nice.
B. Because it was only made for children.
C. Because it was made by mother-in-law.
D. Because it was good to health.
2.What can we know about the author in making jelly?
A. She could make baby food by herself.
B. She could only collect baby food jars.
C. She helped her mother fill the jars with the tasty gel.
D. She sent the jelly jars home with her husband.
3.What did the mother-in-law leave to the author?
A. The skills to make jelly.
B. Some baby food in the house.
C. Some canned jars filled with jelly.
D. A lot of money.
4.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. a quick sandwich B. the shelf
C. grape D. jelly
5.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To miss her mother-in-law.
B. To introduce the skills of making jelly.
C. To remember the family tradition.
D. To warn people to be nice to the old.
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
