Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station."The
railway owes me ￡12," she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office."You sold me a ticket
for May 22nd, but there was no ship to Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost
me￡12."  
     Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. "come into the office, Madam," he
said politely. "I'll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd."
     The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There
was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn't have sold her a
ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child."You look sun burnt," he said to her."Did you
have a nice holiday in Jersey?"
     "Yes," she answered, shyly."The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!"
     "That's fine," said Harry. "My little girl can swim a bit yet. Of course, she's only three…"
     "I'm four," the child said proudly. "I'll be four and a half."
     Harry turned to the mother."I remember your ticket, Madam,"he said."But you didn't get one for your
daughter, did you?"
     "Er, well…" the woman looked at the child. "I mean… she hasn't started school yet. She's only four."
     "A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child's return ticket to Jersey costs… let me see…
￡13.50. So if the railway pays for you hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since it's me who
made the mistake…"
     The woman stood up, took the child's hand and left the office.

1. Harry was worried because ________.

A. the woman was angry with him
B. he had not done his work right
C. the Jersey timetable was wrong
D. the little girl didn't have a return ticket

2. Harry started talking to the little girl ________.

A. because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do
B. because he had a little girl about the same age
C. because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice
D. when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl.

3. When Harry said "The law is the law, but since it's me who made the mistake…," he meant that ________.

A. they must follow the law without other choice, even though the mistake was his
B. he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn't want to
C. the woman had to pay him￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel
D. she should pay￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she should go without paying

4. The woman left the office without saying anything because ________.

A. she wanted to go home and get money for the child's ticket
B. she was so angry that she didn't want to say anything more with the young man
C. she was moved by Harry's kindness
D. she knew she would have to pay for her child's ticket if she held on to her idea

5. What do you think the woman felt when she left the office?

A. Angry
B. Peaceful
C. Embarrassed
D. Nervous

     On a very cold evening in northern Virginia many yean ago, an old man was waiting for a ride across the
river. Anxiously (焦急地), he watched as several horsemen passed by, then another. Finally, the last rider
came to the place where the old man sat. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider's eyes and said,
"Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side?"
     Reining (勒隹韁繩) his horse, the rider replied, "Sure." Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen
(凍得半僵的) body from the ground, the rider got off the horse and helped the old man onto it. He took the
old man not only across the river, but also to his house, which was just a few miles away.
     As they came to his house, the rider's curiosity (好奇心) caused him to ask the old man, "Sir, I noticed
that you let several other riders pass by without asking for help. Then I came up and you immediately asked
me for a ride. What would happen if I had refused and left you there?"
     The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes and replied,
I've been there for some time. I think I know people well. I looked into the eyes of the other riders and
immediately saw there was no worry about my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a
ride. But when I looked into your eyes, I saw kindness and compassion (同情)? I knew you would give me
a hand."
     Those words moved the rider deeply. He said to the old man, "I am very grateful for what you have said.
May (但愿) I never get too busy with my own things that I fail to help others with kindness and compassion."

1. The old man found that the last rider was _____.

A. unhelpful
B. kind and helpful
C. curious and active
D. indifferent (漠不關(guān)心的)

2. What did the last rider do after the old man asked him to give him a ride?

A. He refused the old man at first.
B. He only took the old man across the river.
C. He took the old man to his house at last.
D. He asked the old man to get on the horse himself.

3. The old man let several other riders pass by without asking for help because _____.

A. he was so frozen that he couldn't say a word
B. he was too nervous to ask them for help
C. he couldn't see kindness and compassion in their eyes
D. he didn't want to accept their help at all

4. By saying "May I never get too busy with my own things that I fail to help others with kindness and
    compassion.", the last rider means _____.

A. he will try to help others whole-heartedly (全心全意地) from now on even if he is busy
B. he will never get too busy in his own things any longer
C. he wasn't willing to help others with kindness and compassion in the past
D. he failed to help others in the past because he was not very kind

     A terrible explosive noise was heard, immediately followed by strong shaking of the classroom building.
Mrs Li Lan, a country school teacher in Sichuan, who was giving a class, could hardly keep on her feet, and
many of her pupils made panic cries. Mrs Li realized at once that it must be a powerful earthquake hitting the
area. Though she herself was scared, she managed (設(shè)法) to make the children calm down, opened the door
right away and told the children to leave the classroom and get down to the playground as quickly as possible.
     When all the children had left, she followed them to the first floor. The earth still kept moving violently
(巨烈地). Some of the buildings nearby were falling down, and a great number of falling stones were rolling
down from the hills behind the school. Suddenly, she found a little boy fell over and was hit by a big stone
right on his body. She forgot the danger she was facing and ran over, trying to push the stone away. The
stone was so big that it was not easy for her to move it. She kept pushing until the boy was pulled out,
carrying him to the center of the playground. The boy was later sent to hospital and saved.

1. What kind of disaster (災(zāi)難) happened in the story?
   ____________________________________________________________ 
2. What were the children doing when the disaster happened?
   ____________________________________________________________
3. What was Mrs Li's action when she saw the boy under the stone?
   ____________________________________________________________
4. Did Mrs Li fear death in the face of great danger?
   ____________________________________________________________
5. What do you want to say after you finish reading the story?
    ____________________________________________________________

     One Sunday morning John was crossing a bridge. He saw a fisherman on the bank of a river under him.
He stopped to watch him quietly.
     After a few minutes, the fisherman pulled his line out. There was a big, fat fish at the end of it. The
fisherman took it off the hook and threw it back into the water. Then he put his hook and line into the water
again. After a few more minutes he caught another big fish. Again he threw it back into the river. Then, the
third time, he caught a small fish, He put it into his basket and started to get ready to go. John was so
surprised that he went down to the river bank and asked the fisherman,"Why did you throw those beautiful,
big fishes back into the river, and keep only the small one?"
     The fisherman smiled and answered, "Oh, my frying pan is small."

1. Where was the fisherman?

A. In the river.
B. By the river.
C. On the river.
D. Near the river.

2. The fisherman put _____ into his basket and started to go home.

A. a small fish
B. a big fish
C. a small frying pan
D. Both A and B

3. How many times did the fisherman pull his line out?

A. Once.
B. Twice.
C. Three times.
D. Four times.

4. The fisherman only kept the small fish because ______.

A. he didn't like big fishes
B. the small fish was lovely
C. his frying pan was not big enough to cook a big fish
D. small fish was usually more delicious

5. We can infer (推斷) from the passage that ______.

A. the fisherman enjoyed a relaxing life
B. the fisherman was poor
C. the fisherman loved small fishes
D. the fisherman was foolish

     In ancient China, the State of Wu made an attack on the State of Yue. The king of Wu was badly hurt
and soon died. His son Fu Chai became the new king. Fu was very sad and angry and he decided to fight
back for his father's death. He trained his army strictly until it was very strong. Three years later, he led his
army against the State of Yue and caught its king Gou Jian, who was taken to the State of Wu.
     Gou Jian was put into a small black stone house which was full of terrible smell and was made to raise
(飼養(yǎng)) horses. Gou worked hard and tried to keep himself quiet, but he never forgot his pain. Many years
later, he was set free. Gou secretly trained his army after he went back to his own state. In order to make
himself strong-minded he slept on firewood and ate a gall bladder before having dinner and going to bed
every night. After a few years, his country became strong once more. Then Gou took hold of a golden
chance to fight against Wu and won the war in the end.
     If one voluntarily (自愿) works very hard and voluntarily stands up to pains and difficulties in order to
succeed, we might call him a "Gou Jian", and his story, a "Gou Jian's story".

1. _________ was seriously hurt and died.

A. Gou Jian's father
B. Fu Chai's father
C. Gou Jian's brother
D. Fu Chai's brother

2. Three years later _______ was caught and taken to the state of Wu.

A. Gou Jian
B. Fu Chai
C. Gou Jian's father
D. Fu Chai's father

3. Gou Jian ________ when he was in the state of Wu.

A. ate gall bladders
B. raised horses
C. trained his army
D. forgot his pain

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The gall bladders tasted good.
B. Gou Jian loved horse-raising.
C. Finally Gou Jian was set free.
D. Finally Fu Chai was set free.

5. The story mainly tells us that ________.

A. a country without a strong army is easy to defeat
B. if someone attacks you, you should just fight back
C. if you fail in doing something, it's better for you to forget the pain
D. if you face difficulties bravely without giving up, you'll finally succeed

     It was the last day of the final examination in a college. On the steps of building, a group of engineering
students were waiting for the last exam. On their faces was confidence.
     They knew the exam would be easy. The professor (a teacher at a college) had said they could bring any
books or notes during the test.
     Right after they came into the classroom. The professor handed out the papers. There were only five
questions on it.
     Three hours passed. Then the professor began to collect the papers. The students no longer looked
confident. On their faces was nervous expression. The professor watched the worried faces before him, and
then asked, "How many of you have completed all five questions?" No hand was raised. "How many of you
have answered four?" Still no hands."Three? Two?" The students moved restlessly in their seats. "One, then?
Certainly somebody has finished one." But the class kept silent. The professor said,"That is exactly what I
expected. I just want to make you know clearly that even though you have completed four years of engineering.
There are still many things about the subject you don't know. These questions you could not answer are
common in everyday practice." Then, smiling, he added, "You will all pass this course, your education has just
begun."
     The years have obscured the name of this professor, but not the lesson he taught.

1. Why did the students think the exam was easy at first?

A. Because it was their last exam in the college.
B. Because they knew there were only five questions.
C. Because they thought they were clever and talented.
D. Because they were allowed to bring any books and notes during the text.

2. What does the underlined word "obscured" mean in the last paragraph?

A. 模糊
B. 回憶
C. 提醒
D. 改變

3. What could the students learn from the last exam?

A. He laughs best who laughs last.
B. A good beginning is half done.
C. One is never too old to learn.
D. The early bird catches the worm.

4. What's the best title for the article?

A. Some Confident Students.
B. An Engineering Exam.
C. An Interesting Professor.
D. An Unforgettable Lesson.

     A few years ago, an Englishman called Roy Jones went on holiday to a small town near the sea in the
west of England. He was swimming in the sea one day. As he opened his mouth, his false (not real) teeth
fell out and floated (漂) away. The following year, Mr Jones returned to the same town. When he was
having dinner in a local cafe one evening, he mentioned the story of his lost teeth to the manager. The
manager looked surprised. He explained that he had found a set of false teeth on the beach last month.
Then he asked Roy Jones if he wanted to try them on. "OK," said Mr Jones. "I suppose it won't do any
harm." When the manager brought him the teeth, Mr Jones put them into the mouth, and laughed and
laughed. They were his!
      In 1987, an American couple called Jane and Robert Bentley went for a picnic on a beach in
California. When they returned home, Mrs Bentley realized that she had lost her wedding ring (結(jié)婚戒指).
It wasn't expensive but it was valuable to Jane. The Bentleys drove back to the beach and searched for the
ring for three hours, but couldn't find it. A few months later, Mr Bentley went fishing off the same beach.
As he pulled a large crab (螃蟹) out of the sea, he noticed that there was something on one of its claws
(爪). It was his wife's wedding ring!

1. Mr Jones was _____ when he lost his false teeth.

A. having dinner
B. laughing on the beach
C. talking to someone
D. swimming in the sea

2. Jones' teeth were found _____ .

A. in the sea
B. in a local shop
C. by the manager of a cafe
D. by Mr Jones himself

3. Jane Bentley found something missing when _____.

A. she got home
B. her husband was fishing
C. she was having a picnic
D. she drove back to the beach

4. What did Mrs Bentley lose on the beach?

A.      
 
B.

C.

D.

    In 2000, at the age of 56, Jeff was going to take a difficult and dangerous journey (旅行) in the Arctic
(北極地區(qū)). He was planning to walk to the North Pole all by himself, pulling his food, tent (帳篷) and
other things behind him in two sledges (雪橇). Because the Arctic is covered with ice and water, he would
sometimes have to sit on his sledges and use them like a boat!
    Before he started his journey, to make himself stronger, Jeff spent 2 years practicing running and took
part in many boat races. He had also traveled in the Arctic for 28 years. All of this was good for him. But
there was still trouble.
    Jeff was seven days into his journey in the Arctic. It was dark and terribly cold (-35℃). In face of this
terribly low temperature, he had made good progress across the ice. Suddenly, the ice broke and one of his
sledges fell into the sea. Jeff needed to get it back, so he had to put his hand into the ice-covered water.
    Once he had got the sledge back, Jeff put up his tent, lit a fire and tried to warm up his cold hand. It was
no help-his hand was seriously hurt as it had been in the cold for so long. He radioed for help, and an airplane
was sent to save him. Finally, he arrived at a hospital in Canada. The doctors there said he hurt his left hand
in the icy water. They saved his hand and advised him not to travel to the North Pole alone any more.
    But Jeff was an explorer and nobody could change his mind. It would be yet another long and difficult
challenge for Jeff soon.

1. Jeff started to travel in the Arctic in           .

A. 1970
B. 1972
C. 1998
D. 2000

2. Jeff            for 2 years before his journey.

A. made a special tent
B. practiced running
C. had medical checks
D. took a long walk

3. After one of his sledges fell into the sea, what did Jeff do first?

A. He put his hand into water.
B. He lit a fire near the tent.
C. He warmed up his hand.
D. He put up his tent.

4. In your opinion, what was Jeff like?

A. He was a terrible old man.
B. He was a good tour guide.
C. He was a famous scientist.
D. He was a nice man with strong will.

     John is thirteen now. He began to study in a middle school two years ago. His home is in a small village
and it's nearly five kilometers from the school. He has to get up early in the morning. After a quick breakfast
he has to run to school and get there on time. His father hopes to borrow some money to buy a bike for him,
but he knows his mother is always ill and his father spends much money on medicine. He doesn't agree with
his father and keeps running there every day. Now he's very strong. He is never late for class and his teachers
often praise him.
      Last week there was a sports meeting in his school. John ran faster than any other boy and won the boy's
800 meters, 1, 500 meters and 3, 000 meters. The whole school knew him. He was very happy. He told his
grandma about the good news as soon as he got home.
     "I broke two school records today, Granny, " called out the boy.
     To his surprise, the old woman wasn't happy. She thought for a while and said, "I'm sorry to hear that.
We have no money to pay for them, you know!"

1. John began to study in a middle school at the age of _________.

A. nine
B. eleven
C. thirteen
D. fifteen

2. John runs to school every day in order to _________.

A. keep healthy
B. win the boy's race
C. make his teachers happy
D. get to school on time

3. John doesn't ask his father to buy him a bike because _________.

A. he doesn't like riding a bike
B. he doesn't like his father
C. his home is near the school
D. he knows his father doesn't have enough money

4. John _________ after the school sports meeting.

A. ran faster
B. worked harder
C. became famous
D. got a bike

5. John's grandma wasn't happy because _________.

A. she thought John had broken some things in the school and they had to pay for them
B. she thought John hadn't done well in the school sports meeting
C. John's father couldn't afford a bike
D. John's mother was ill and they spent much money on medicine

     (A) An old horse has three sons. One day the father horse says to them, "It's time for you to learn some
skills." So the three horses all leave their home.
     (B) In three months, the youngest son comes back home, too. He learns nothing. Only his hair looks
different.
     (C) Soon, the eldest son comes back home. He learns the skill of running from a leopard (豹). He can run
very far without stopping. His father is happy with him.
     (D) Why is this? Because he sees a lion. The lion's hair is curly. He thinks that it is very cool. So he makes
his hair curly, too. He also dyes it red. He feels happy with his hair.
     (E) The old horse is very angry. He whips (鞭打) the youngest son and tells him to get out of the house.
People see the marks of the whip on the youngest son' s body, and call him "Zebra".
     (F) In two months, the second son also comes back home. He learns to carry things on his back from the
elephants. He feels OK even if he carries many things on his back. His father is happy with him, too.
The right order is: 1______ 2______ 3______ 4______ 5______