Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady
asked him to sing a song.
     "I don't sing," said the man.
     But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!
     The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'
     So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody
had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!
     He had talent(天賦) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano
player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working
hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
     You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better
than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all
if you just sit on your talent.

1. The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____.

A. she had paid him for this
B. she knew him very well
C. she wanted to have a change
D. she enjoyed his singing

2. Nat King Cole succeeded because _____.

A. the lady helped him a lot
B. he caught the chance
C. he continued to play in the bar
D. he stopped playing the piano

3. The words "sit on" in the passage probably mean "_____".

A. 參加
B. 擱置
C. 開發(fā)
D. 展示

4. Which could be the best title for the passage?

A. Sing in the Bar
B. Achieve Success in Life
C. Never Lose Heart
D. Find Your Hidden Talent

    A wise man used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every
morning.
    One day, when he was walking along the shore(海岸), he saw a young man moving like adancer. He
smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to
catch up.
    As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the
shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
    He called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man stopped, looked up and replied,  "Throwing starfish in the ocean." "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide(潮汐)is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die."
     "But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You
can't possibly make a difference!"
    The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish, and threw it into the sea,
and said, "It made a difference for that one."
    There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted(賦予) with the
ability to make a difference.
    We must each find our starfish. And if we throw starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.

1. What was the wise man used to doing every morning?

A. Taking a walk on the shore.
B. Watching the young man dance.
C. Meeting up with the young man.
D. Helping the young man pick up starfish.

2. Why did the young man throw the starfish into the ocean?

A. To have fun.
B. To study starfish.
C. To feed some fish.
D. To save starfish.

3. What can we learn from the story?

A. Each of us should learn to protect starfish.
B. People living on the shore always try to save starfish.
C. Each of us has the ability to make an important effect on something.
D. People can come up with some good ideas when walking on the shore.

       One afternoon, in Paris, I took a trip to an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a
business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet view (看) of some great paintings of excellent artists.
       A young couple looking at the paintings in front of me were talking non-stop. I watched them a
moment and decided she was doing all the talking. In fact, I was surprised at this man for putting up
with her everlasting speech. Bored by their noise, I moved on.
       I met them several times as I moved through those rooms of art. Each time I heard her voice, I
moved away at once. 
       I was standing at the museum gift shop buying some cards when the couple walked to the exit
(出口).
       “He’s a brave man,” said the shop assistant. “Most of us would give up if we were blinded
at such a young age. But he and his wife come in whenever there’s a new art show.”
       It explained the non-stop talk! A sudden sense of shame came to my heart for what I was thinking
just now. “But what does he get out of the art?” I asked.
       “His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head.”
       At that moment I realized what is patience, courage and love. I saw the patience of a young wife
describing paintings to a person who can’t see and courage of a husband who would not allow
blindness change his love towards art. And I felt the love shared by the two as I watched them walking
away holding each other’s hands.

1. How did the writer feel in the beginning when hearing the woman’s talking?

A. Surprised
B. Bored
C. Excited
D. Happy  

2. What can we infer (推斷) from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?

A. The writer was waiting for somebody.
B. The writer was a silent person.
C. The writer was looking for some great paintings.  
D. The writer wanted t to enjoy some great paintings quietly and carefully.

3. The woman kept talking while she and her husband were enjoying the art show because ___________.

A. she was too excited to keep silent    
B. she preferred talking to listening    
C. she had to explain everything to her blind husband    
D. she liked to show off in front of others

4. What did the writer think of the woman at last?

A. The woman was too noisy.    
B. The woman was patient and loving.    
C. The woman was blind.    
D. The woman was brave.

5. The passage mainly shows us ___________.

A. patience, courage and love  
B. how to watch paintings  
C. how art changed people’s life        
D. a trip

       When my grandmother was 89 years old ,she was having problems with her heart. My family
went with her to the doctor, who told her that she needed an operation. However, the doctor said
that because of my grandmother's age, the operation could be dangerous. He went on to say that
my grandmother would have a 40% chance of having a heart attack(心臟病) and a 30% chance
of dying during the operation.
       My grandmother, shocked , quickly stopped the doctor and said,"Doctor,  as long as you're
talking about statistics(數(shù)據(jù)),I have a statistic for you: there is a 100% chance of you not operating
one me !"With these words, my grandmother got up and left the doctor's office.
       My grandmother might have been stubborn, but she was not a fool. So the next day she went to
another doctor, and he also told her she needed an operation.
       My grandmother asked the doctor.  "If I were your mother, what would you suggest? " The
doctor walked up to her, smiled, put his arm around her and said, "Mom, let's do this operation!"
She had the operation and came out fine.
       My grandmother passed away(去世)a few weeks before her 97th birthday. However, because
of her positive attitude(積極的態(tài)度),she gave us ,her family and friends almost eight years of life to
enjoy sharing with her.

1. The grandmother didn't choose the first doctor because           . 

A. he was afraid to do the operation.
B. he talked too much about the risks
C. he had never done such an operation

2. The second doctor's words might have made the grandmother          .

A. nervous            
B. unhappy            
C. relaxed

3. We can tell from the story that the grandmother          .  

A. wanted to be the second doctor's mother
B. celebrated her 97th birthday with her family
C. lived through the operation by the second doctor.

4. The underlined word"stubborn" probably means        in Chinese.

A. 執(zhí)拗的            
B. 嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)?shù)?nbsp;           
C. 無知的

5. What can we learn from the story?

A. It is better to depend on statistics.
B. A positive attitude can change a person's life.
C. A good doctor only cares for his patients' health.