Hobbs was an orphan（孤儿）. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man.
1. Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.
A. study abroad B. work abroad
C. pay off the debts D. learn to paint pictures
2.What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” （in Paragraph 2）probably mean?
A. Surprised. B. Frightened.
C. Satisfied. D. Excited.
3.With the money he got, at first Hobbs _______.
A. planned to have a happy life for a few days
B. decided to give up his work in the factory
C. was to give a dinner to his friends
D. had no idea what to do
4.Hobbs was asked to _______.
A. tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it
B. read his uncle’s will
C. tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money
D. buy some pictures
Tom with his friend Jack went to his favorite newspaper stand. Jack the salesman selling the newspapers gently, but in return he received poor . The salesman never even looked up at his customer when he the late-night edition. Accepting the , Jack politely smiled and wished the salesman a pleasant weekend. The salesman made an unclear sound and seemed that the two men had completed their business. As the two friends walked down the street, Tom asked, “Does he always treat you so ?”
“Yes, , he does,” Jack responded. “And are you always so and friendly to him?” “Yes, I am!” Jack as they turned a corner. “Why are you so nice when he is so unfriendly to you?” Jack , “Because I don’t want him to decide how I am going to .”
Who how you are going to act? Is it your circumstances or the difficult people in your life that determine your ? When we allow our conflicts to us, we behave as if getting rid of our difficulties is our only priority. , it doesn’t really matter how we treat one another. For example, we’ll say, “This is causing me problems right now so I don’t care about exercising , self-control, and loving kindness. Instead, I want to let him know how I am because of his action.”
We forget our difficulties will eventually weaken. But the way we handle conflicts will influence our for a long time. Will you only respond to the momentary crisis or will you be more concerned about the of what kind of person you are becoming? Who decides how you will behave when the pressure is on?
1.A. praised B. paid C. greeted D. invited
2.A. harvest B. service C. instructions D. scores
3.A. asked B. completed C. requested D. printed
4.A. newspaper B. record C. radio D. food
5.A. relieved B. disappointed C. encouraged D. worried
6.A. separately B. seriously C. rudely D. quickly
7.A. strictly B. unfortunately C. originally D. finally
8.A. content B. smart C. polite D. energetic
9.A. struggled B. hesitated C. watched D. continued
10.A. ordered B. explained C. advised D. wondered
11.A. behave B. work C. arrive D. write
12.A. imagines B. decides C. answers D. doubts
13.A. growth B. appearance C. responses D. printed
14.A. control B. wound C. cheat D. kill
15.A. Instead B. Therefore C. Again D. Besides
16.A. exam B. trip C. person D. enemy
17.A. pressure B. patience C. duty D. power
18.A. proud B. angry C. glad D. fearful
19.A. team B. experiments C. friendship D. lives
20.A. time B. value C. use D. nationality
_______ , the pay isn't attractive enough, though the job itself is quite interesting.
A.Strictly speaking B. On the contrary
C．In particular D.To be honest
John wants to see me today. I would rather he____ tomorrow than today.
A.could have come B. came
C. will come D. comes
They were very impolite to the conductor, ____, of course, made things even worse.
A. who B. whom
C. which D. what
On seeing the wonderful sculpture, everyone present ________ a cry of surprise.
A.let out B. gave away
C. brought in D. made up
