Some time ago, an old businessman had a large store in Boston. He wanted a boy to work for him, and he put an advertisement in the newspapers. The next morning, many boys came to the old man’s office, asking for the job.
There was a post（柱子）by his desk, and there was a nail in it. He took a walking stick and said, “Everyone has three chances. If anyone can hit that nail（钉子）on the head with this stick more than once, I will give him the job.”
The boys thought it was very easy. They all tried, but nobody could make it. So the old man said, “I’m sorry I can’t take any of you,” and they left.
He kept the advertisement in the papers, and the next morning more boys came, and among them he saw a thin boy who had been there the day before. The boy hit the nail successfully for three times. The old man felt surprised and asked how he did that.
“Yes,” said the boy, “I failed yesterday, but I thought that if I kept on trying a while, I could do it. So I went home and practiced hitting a nail with a stick till I could do it, and I got up very early this morning, and tried again.”
The old man said, “You are the boy for me,” and gave him the job. Whatever the boy had to do, he tried to do his best. It was not very long before he became the best clerk in the store.
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。
1.Did the thin boy get the job at last?
2.What did the old man have in Boston?
3.Where did the boy practice hitting a nail?
4.How many times did the boy hit the nail successfully at the old man’s office?
5.What can you learn from the thin boy?
If you have a brother or a sister, you already know you are different from each other. You live together in the same house and have the same parents. 1. Why is this? One possible reason is the way your parents treat you.
First—born children receive all the attention from their parents. Most families have much more photos of a first—born than any other child. Parents give them more responsibility（责任）. 2. As a result, first—borns are often responsible, hard—working and serious. They often want to do well at school and work. 3. For example, Gorge Bush, George Washington, and Lyndon Baines Johnson are all first—born.
When a second child arrives, parents are more relaxed. The second child is allowed to be more independent. But he also has to compete with the first—born for the parents’ attention and love. These children often choose different sports and hobbies to show independence. 4. They are often adventurous（爱冒险的）, fun—loving, and outgoing, but can be jealous（好嫉妒的）and get angry easily.
The youngest child is the happiest. He has fewer responsibilities and more freedom. These children do not feel pressure to do well at school and work, but have to be creative to get their family’s attention. 5.So, many famous talk—show hosts and comedians were born last.
阅读短文，根据短文内容，选择适当的句子完成短文，使文章通顺。
When the man’s wife died, their baby was 2 years old. They had six other children -- three boys and three girls, aged from 4 to 16. The man’s parents and his wife’s parents came to visit. They said. “There’s no way you can take care of all these children and work to make a living. So, we’ve decided to place each child with a different uncle or aunt.” The man refused.
His business developed quickly. He was happy to see people and serve them. He became popular with people for his kindness and excellent customer service. People came from far away to do business with him. And the children helped both at home and at work. Five years later, he moved the family to a tiny town and opened a small business. The children grew up and got married. Five of the seven went to college. The man took pride in his children. As they had children, he invited them to his workplace and his small home. They brought each other great joy. No one enjoyed grandchildren more than this man. Finally, the youngest daughter got married. After he finished his life work, the father died. This man’s work had been the lonely but joyful task of raising his family. This man was my father. I was the 16-year-old boy, the oldest of seven.
根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）误（F）。
1.The man and the wife had six children.
2.The man agreed to place each child with a different uncle or aunt.
3.The man’s business developed quickly because of his kindness and excellent service.
4.The man died before he finished his life’s work.
5.The man lived a lonely but joyful life while he was raising his family.
Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination(结合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns(角) and a long moustache(胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.
We are proud to call ourselves the “descendants(传人)of the dragon”. In Chinese, “excellent” people are often called “dragons”. A number of Chinese sayings talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one’s child will become a dragon”, which means hoping he or she will be successful.
It is said that people born in the year of the dragon have certain characteristics(特征). They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered（性急的）. They are some famous “dragons” who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.
There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head-Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.
The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the “descendants of the dragon”, it is necessary for us to know the opinions on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be “dragons”.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1.The Chinese dragon is a symbol of_____.
A. a combination of many animals B. Chinese sayings
C. traditional festivals D. strength and good luck
2.The underlined sentence “Hoping one’s child will become a dragon. ” means_____ in Chinese.
A. 龙马精神 B. 龙飞凤舞 C. 望子成龙 D. 龙腾虎跃
3.What characteristics may the people born in the Year of the Dragon have?
A. Creative, confident, brave and powerful
B. Creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered
C. Lovely, confident, brave and quick tempered
D. Lucky, confident, creative and successful
4.Some traditional festivals about dragons are celebrated _____ in China.
A. every year B. every twelve years C. in some special year D. every month
5.Which of the statements is True according to the passage?
A. Dragons are real animals.
B. There are many Chinese sayings about dragons.
C. People born in Year of the Dragon must be successful.
D. The “descendants of the dragon” are often called “dragons”.
I grew up in New Hampshire, a small town in South Canada, where in my father’s words for the seasons were “Spring, Summer, Fairtime and Winter!”At that time, a week-long fair was held in the town every autumn. Thousands of people from other towns came to sell and buy things. It was the busiest time of the year.
When “Fairtime” came, my grandma became the busiest person of the family. Grandma was a kind old lady. She was good at cooking. All her relatives liked the food she cooked. During “Fair time”, they would come to live in her house and have meals there. Grandma was always happy to look after them.
Year after year, many people moved to big cities. There was no longer “Fairtime”. Grandma became very old and was gradually going blind. My parents and I moved to live with Grandma. We did our best to make her life comfortable. I was at high school then. What I often did at home was to help Grandma with the daily newspaper’s crossword puzzle. However, she didn’t look happy. She often sat in her room for hours, without saying a word.
To attract（吸引） people to move back, the Town Hall decided to reopen the fair. One day, when I came back from school, I saw Grandma wearing her glasses, washing the dishes in the kitchen. With a big smile on her face, she looked much younger. She told me that her two nieces(侄女) would come. “They said the food I cooked was very delicious and they wanted to stay in my house again,” Grandma said happily. “They will stay here for one week and we can have a big party. That must be the busiest week I’ve had in years!”
I suddenly realized that Grandma didn’t want to be looked after. She wanted to be “useful” and helpful.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1.What do thousands of people come to the town to do at the Fair?
A. Enjoying Grandma food. B. Selling and buying things.
C. Learning to cook. D. Having a big party.
2.When “Fairtime” came, who became the busiest person of the family?
A. The writer’s father. B. The writer’s grandpa.
C. The writer’s mother. D. The writer’s grandma.
3.Why was Grandma unhappy after there was no longer “Fairtime”?
A. Because she was too busy. B. Because no one lived with her.
C. Because she was no longer “useful”. D. Because she couldn’t see anything.
4.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Grandma was good at cooking. B. Many people moved to big cities.
C. Grandma didn’t like “Fair time”. D. Grandma was a kind old lady.
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Fair time B. My “Old” Grandma
C. A Small Town D. Grandma’s Family
Each of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, having enough experience and knowledge, we will regard these failures (失败) as a necessary and ______ part of learning. But often as parents and teachers, we don’t _____this right (权利) to our children.
Donnie was a student in my class. His ______ about failure kept him away from classroom games which other children enjoyed. He _____ answered my questions—he was afraid of making mistakes.
I tried my best to build his self-confidence. But nothing changed ____ midterm, when Mary, a new teacher, came. She was young and pretty, and she was loved by every student _____ Donnie. She made a big difference to Donnie later.
One morning, Donnie copied the math problem clearly and ______, but he missed the fourth problem and began to cry with his head in his arms.
I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, a smile __on Mary’s face. From the desk she got a box that _____ pencils. “Look, Donnie,” she said gently, kneeling (蹲在) beside him. “I’ve got something to ______ you.” She took out the pencils, one at a time, and placed them on his desk.
“See these pencils, Donnie,” she continued. “They ____ Mrs. Landon and me. See how the erasers are worn (磨损)? That’s because we make mistakes, too. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That’s what you ___ learn to do, too.”
She kissed him and stood up, “here,” she said, “I’ll leave one of these pencils on ______ desk, so you’ll remember that everybody makes mistakes, even teachers.” Donnie looked up with _______ in his eyes and a smile.
The pencil became Donnie’s prize. That, together with Mary’s encouragement, gradually made him understand ___ the meaning of making mistakes is ---it’s all right to make mistakes as long as you erase them and try again.
1.A. similar B. active C. important D. interesting
2.A. offer B. pass C. send D. lend
3.A. spirit B. worry C. excitement D. pleasure
4.A. always B. usually C. often D. seldom
5.A. since B. because C. until D. although
6.A. including B. except C. without D. with
7.A. simply B. carelessly C. casually D. carefully
8.A. appeared B. froze C. disappeared D. lost
9.A. was made of B. was covered by C. was filled with D. was close to
10.A. tell B. show C. ask D. thank
11.A. come to B. prefer to C. point at D. belong to
12.A. might B. could C. must D. can’t
13.A. your B. his C. her D. my
14.A. hate B. love C. fear D. sadness
15.A. how B. why C. where D. what
