A man saw a boy standing beside a lake with a mirror (鏡子). "Excuse me," he said "but could you tell me
what you're doing?" "I'm fishing." "With a mirror? Could you tell me how it works?" the man asked. "OK, but I
want five dollars." 
       The man wanted to know the secret very much, so he handed the boy the money. "Now show me how it
works," he said. "Well", the boy began, "you hold (拿) the mirror towards the water, and when a fish goes by,
the sunlight in the mirror gives him a surprise. He stops and doesn't know what to do, and then you catch him at
once." The man was surprised, "Can you really catch fish with the mirror? How many did you catch?" "You're
the fifth today!" replied the boy.

(     ) 1. The man wanted to look at the boy's mirror.
(     ) 2. The man gave the boy five dollars.
(     ) 3. The boy caught five fish that day. 
(     ) 4. The boy got fifteen dollars that day.
(     ) 5. When the man heard the boy's words, he would be very happy.

     "Can I see my baby?" asked the happy new mother. When the baby was in her arms, she couldn't
believe her eyes. The baby was born without ears.
     Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect though he had no ears. He got on well with his
classmates. But one day, he said to his mother, tears in his eyes, "A big boy called me a freak (畸形物)."
     The boy's father asked the family doctor,"Could nothing be done?"
     "I believe I could graft (移植) on a pair of outer ears if they could be gotten," the doctor said. They
tried to find a person who would be helpful to the boy.
     One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have found
someone who will donate the ears you need. But we must keep it a secret who the person is."
     The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared. His cleverness and hard work
made him a very successful person. He married and lived a happy life. He would ask his father, "Who
gave me the ears? I could do enough for him or her."
     "I can't tell you," said the father. "The agreement says that you are not allowed to know…not yet."
     It was kept a secret for years, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother's body.
Slowly, the father raised the thick, brown hair. To his surprise, the son found his mother had no outer ears.
    "Mother said she was glad she never had her hair cut," his father said in a low voice, "and nobody ever
thought Mother less beautiful, did they?"

1. The mother was surprised at the first sight of her baby because the baby ________.

A. had no outer ears
B. was born without hair
C. was in her arms
D. could not hear her

2. The sentence "…, and a new person appeared" means ________.

A. a new baby was born in the hospital
B. a stranger came into the hospital
C. a new doctor took care of the baby
D. the boy came to live a new life

3. Why did the boy's mother never have her hair cut?

A. Because she liked her thick, brown hair.
B. Because her work didn't allow her to do that.
C. Because her hair was good for her health.
D. Because she wanted to keep the fact a secret.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The boy couldn't hear without ears at first.
B. The boy didn't know the truth until his mother died.
C. His parents often encouraged him to work hard.
D. His classmates were always making fun of him.

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. A Clever Boy
B. Kind Parents
C. Great Love
D. An Ear Operation

       A man saw a boy standing beside a lake with a mirror (鏡子). "Excuse me," he said "but could
you tell me what you're doing?" "I'm fishing." "With a mirror? Could you tell me how it works?" the
man asked. "OK, but I want five dollars." 
       The man wanted to know the secret very much, so he handed the boy the money. "Now show
me how it works," he said. "Well", the boy began, "you hold (拿) the mirror towards the water, and
when a fish goes by, the sunlight in the mirror gives him a surprise. He stops and doesn't know what to
do, and then you catch him at once." The man was surprised, "Can you really catch fish with the mirror?
How many did you catch?" "You're the fifth today!" replied the boy.

(     ) 1. The man wanted to look at the boy's mirror.
(     ) 2. The man gave the boy five dollars.
(     ) 3. The boy caught five fish that day. 
(     ) 4. The boy got fifteen dollars that day.
(     ) 5. When the man heard the boy's words, he would be very happy.

     It was Sunday and Tom was staying at home. After breakfast he went out into the garden and played
quietly by himself. There were no kids around and he was used to (1) playing alone quietly. He played
with Bobby, the dog. He climbed up and down the tree. Sometimes a bird would come down to perch (2) on top of the doghouse. Then Tom would have the greatest fun (3) by throwing a stone or something at it.
Though he never made it, he did like doing this kind of thing.
     Now Tom had been in the garden for half an hour. Suddenly a crack (4) was heard and the little boy
began crying.
     "What's the matter, Tom?" his mother looked through the kitchen (5) window.
     Tom ran into the kitchen. "Mum," he sobbed (6). "I broke Bobby's plate. I didn't know it was so
fragile (7)."
     His mother put her arms round him and said, "Don't feel so sad, Tom. We have other plates for Bobby. But how did you break that one?"
     "I threw it at a bird but missed, and it went straight to the plate."
     In Tom's hand was his father's gold pocket watch (8)!

Notes: (1) be used to 習(xí)慣于    (2) perch n.     停歇     (3) fun  n.  愛好       
           (4) crack n.     破碎聲   (5) kitchen n.   廚房     (6) sob  v.  抽泣
           (7) fragile adj. 易碎的    (8) gold pocket watch   金懷表

1. When did the story happen?
    A. On a Sunday afternoon.
    B. On a Sunday morning.
    C. At noon.
    D. In the evening.
2. When a bird perched on top of the doghouse, Tom           .
    A. Would like to play with it
    B. Was very interested in it by throwing a stone at it
    C. Would like to give it something to eat
    D. Would smile
3. There were no kids around and he was used to playing alone quietly. Here "kids" means           .
    A. men
    B. dogs
    C. children
    D. birds
4. How long had Tom been in the garden when his mother heard him cry?
    A. An hour.
    B. A day.
    C. Two hours.
    D. Half an hour.
5. "Though he never made it" means "           ".
    A. Though he couldn't hit a bird with a stone or something
    B. Though he couldn't catch the bird
    C. Though he couldn't have fun from the bird
    D. Though he couldn't eat the bird

      A lot of boys and girls in western countries are wearing the same clothes, and many boys have long
hair, so it is difficult to tell whether they are boys or not.
      One day an old man went for a walk in a park in Washington and when he was tired, he sat down
on a chair by a swimming pool. A young person was standing on the other side of the pool.
     "Oh!" the old man said to the person sitting next to him, "Do you see the person with the loose
clothes and long hair? Is it a boy or a girl?"
      "A girl," said the person, "She is my daughter. "
      "Oh!" the old man said quickly, "Please forgive me. I don't know that you are her mother. "
      "I'm not," said the person, "I'm her father. "

1. What did the old man see on the other side of the pool?

A. A girl. 
B. A boy. 
C. An old woman. 
D. A man. 

2. The old man thought the person sitting next to him was ____. 

A. a woman
B. a man
C. a girl
D. a boy

3. "Please forgive me." in the passage means "____" .

A. I'm not sure. 
B. I'm surprised.  
C. I'm sorry. 
D. I'm not living here. 

4. Which is right according to the passage?

A. Most people in western countries wear the same clothes. 
B. The old man thought the person next to him was a man. 
C. It's difficult to tell boys from girls because they wear the same clothes. 
D. Sometimes men also have long hairs as women in western countries. 

5. Which can be the best title for the passage?

A. Are they wearing the same clothes?
B. Can you tell boys from girls?
C. Are they boys or girls?
D. What's wrong with the boys?

     One of Harry's feet was bigger than the other. "I can't find suitable shoes for them," he said to his
friend, Jack.
     "Why don't you go to a shoemaker?" Jack said, "A good one can make you the right shoes. "
     "I don't want to go to any shoemaker, " Harry said, "Aren't they very expensive? "
      "No," Jack said, "Some of them aren't. There's a good one in our town. Here's his address."
      Harry went to the shoemaker in Jack's town a few days later, and the shoemaker made him some
shoes.
      Harry went to the shop again a week later and looked at the shoes. Then he said to the shoemaker
angrily, "You are a foolish man! I told you to make one shoe bigger than the other, but you made one
smaller than the other. "

1. What was Harry's trouble?
    ________________________________________________________________________
2. Did Jack help him?
    ________________________________________________________________________
3. What did Jack give Harry?
    ________________________________________________________________________
4. When did Harry go to the shoemaker first?
    ________________________________________________________________________
5. Was Harry pleased with his new shoes?
    ________________________________________________________________________