Once upon a time a little leaf was heard to sigh and cry, as leaves often do when a gentle wind is about.
And the twig (细枝) said, “What is the matter, little leaf?”
And the leaf said, “The wind just told me that one day it would pull me off and throw me down to lie on the ground!”
The twig told it to the branch on which it grew, and the branch told it to the tree. And when the tree heard it, it rustled all over, and sent back word to the leaf, “Do not be afraid; hold on tightly, and you shall not go till you want to.”
And so the leaf stopped sighing, but went on nestling and singing. Every time the tree shook itself and stirred up all its leaves, the branches shook themselves, and the little twig shook itself, and the little leaf danced up and down merrily, as if nothing could ever pull it off.
And so it grew all summer long until October.
And when the bright days of autumn came, the little leaf saw all the leaves around becoming very beautiful. Some were yellow, and some scarlet, and some mixed with both colors.
Then it asked the tree what it meant. And the tree said, “All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these beautiful colors because of joy.”
Then the little leaf began to want to go, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it, and when it was very bright, it saw that the branches of the tree had no color in them, and so the leaf said, “Oh branches, why are you lead color and we golden?”
“We must keep on our work clothes, for our life is not done; but your clothes are for holiday...”
Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go without thinking of it, and the wind took it up, and turned it over and over, and whirled it like a spark of fire in the air, and then it fell gently down under the fence among hundreds of other leaves, and began to dream — a dream so beautiful that perhaps it will last forever.
1. Why was the little leaf anxious?| A．It would lose the twig soon. | B．It would be blown off by the wind. |
| C．It couldn’t nestle on the tree. | D．It would fly away from the tree. |
| A．The tree taught the leaf to be merry. | B．The branches are the nest of the leaf. |
| C．The tree was strong to fight against the wind. | D．The little leaf conquered its fear and anxiety. |
| A．The leaf was changing its color for holiday. | B．The branches were of tired of the leaf. |
| C．The leaf was on the way to falling off. | D．The branches were jealous of the leaf. |
| A．Every dark cloud has a silver lining. | B．Everything on earth goes with the law of nature. |
| C．The grass is always greener on the other side. | D．Life is of high value but freedom is more precious. |
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Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter, some of his words have lived in my heart. One part always stands out. “Right now, you are pretending to be a timekiller . But I know that one day, you will do something great that will set you among the very best.” Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself. “You will do something great.” He didn't know what that would be, and neither did I, but at times in my life when I've felt proud of myself, I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask, “Is this what you were talking about, Dad? Should I keep going？”
A long way from 12 now, I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress. Lately, though, I've come to believe he'd want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in, somebody else. It's time to start writing my own letters to my children. Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had. Our kids don't hold back because they're afraid to fail. They're only afraid of failing us. They don't worry about being disappointed. Their fear－as mine was until my father's letter－is of being a disappointment.
Give your children permission to succeed. They're waiting for you to believe in them.
I always knew my parents loved me. But trust me: That belief will be more complete, that love will be more real, and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts：“Don't worry; you'll do something great.” Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back.
1. We learn from the text that the author ________.
| A．lost his father when he was young |
| B．worked hard before he read his father's letter |
| C．asked his father's permission to believe in himself |
| D．knew exactly what great thing his father wanted him to do |
| A．Children need their parents' letters. |
| B．Children are afraid to be disappointed. |
| C．His children's fear of failure held them back. |
| D．His father's letter removed his fear of failing his parents. |
| A．He got no access to success. |
| B．He wrote back to his father at 12. |
| C．He was sure his parents loved him. |
| D．He once asked his father about the letter. |
| A．describe children's thinking |
| B．answer some questions children have |
| C．stress the importance of communication |
| D．advise parents to encourage their children |
【推荐2】My dad has watermelon-size muscles and enormous hands as if he’s always wearing baseball gloves. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who bakes great bread, but he does. Every Saturday he bakes silently by himself. When he’s done, the whole house smells delicious. The rest of the week, he’s a car mechanic whose job involves complex lifting, tightening, shaking and hitting. People tend to think of cars as metallic members of the family, and Dad seldom lets them down.
I kind of understand Dad’s baking routine. Though he’s into the work, customers’ expectation and understaffing weigh him down. When working on the dough (生面团) he returns to a life of ease.
I had been feeling stressed out myself since I didn’t qualify for the swim team. I would have to wait a whole year, which was like a million years. I thought Dad had found that. He asked me how things were going last Saturday. I said OK. He looked at me for a moment, said it was time for me to help and headed to the kitchen.
Surprised though, I followed him. Dad took out his mixing bowl, telling me to mix materials while he added them. He isn’t big on measuring, knowing instinctively (凭直觉) how much to use. The bread is always great. Then he showed me how to process the dough — repeatedly stretching, pounding and folding it. It took ten minutes and a surprising amount of energy to finish. But what came next was harder and more surprising — doing nothing. We put the dough back into the bowl. It took an hour to rise. Then we pressed and stretched it, put it into pans and waited another hour for it to double. “It’s hard to resist putting the dough directly into the oven, but if you do, the bread will be tough,” Dad explained.
When the dough rose at its own pace, time seemed to slow down. We could do nothing to speed that. As I accepted that, I stopped watching the clock and started enjoying the time. My father taught me how to bake, but I learned something more — appreciate the slow pace of time and let the bread rise.
1. What can we learn about the author’s father?| A．He is not talkative. | B．He enjoys playing baseball. |
| C．He is expert at his work. | D．He doesn’t like fixing cars. |
| A．To get relaxed. | B．To kill the time. |
| C．To pursue his hobby. | D．To learn a new skill. |
| A．Measuring materials. | B．Waiting for the dough to rise. |
| C．Processing the dough. | D．Controlling the temperature of the oven. |
| A．Secrets of Baking | B．Influence of My Father |
| C．A Bread Lesson | D．A Surprising Leisure Time |
Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation－in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two－day trip by train. She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.
It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.
1. According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was .
| A．to do business | B．to see her children |
| C．to visit places of interest | D．to see her old friends |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Satisfied. | C．Worried. | D．Pleased. |
| A．She is too old to drive now. |
| B．She does not like to take trains. |
| C．Although she is old，she has a good memory. |
| D．Her daughters live far away from her home. |
| A．Train ride－a cultural experience | B．A painful experience on the train |
| C．The history of Amtrak | D．A wonderful lady |
Long long ago,there was a young man.His name was Wars.He lived in a little house near the River Vistula.He went there fishing every day for a living.
One day he saw a beautiful girl in the river.The girl's name was Sawa.From then on,the young man and the beautiful girl met every day.They fell in love with each other.When Wars asked Sawa to marry him.Sawa was very sad.She told him that she was mermaid (美人鱼) and she couldn't marry man.But she said she would give him something when they met again.
The next day,Wars went to the river and met Sawa. Sawa was waiting for him with a sword in herright hand and a shield(盾)in her left hand.She told Wars that they wouldn't meet again.She gave the sword and the shield to him.She said he would be successful with the sword and the shield and become a great hero.Then she went away.
Wars missed Sawa very much.He always remembered his first love.What the mermaid had told him came true.Wars became a great hero.He got the land by the River Vistula.There he set up a city. He called it Warsaw.
1. Wars was a ___________when he met Sawa for the first time
| A．hero | B．fisherman | C．mermaid | D．soldier |
| A．Sawa was a mermaid | B．Sawa didn't love Wars |
| C．Wars was very poor | D．Wars didn't love Sawa |
| A．they would marry later |
| B．they would leave together |
| C．he would become a hero |
| D．he would get much money |
| A．the name of a house |
| B．the name of a river |
| C．the name of a mountain |
| D．the names of Wars and Sawa |
| A．Wars lived in a big house near the River Vistula before he met Sawa |
| B．Sawa was kind but not pretty |
| C．Sawa gave Wars nothing but a sword |
| D．Wars named the city Warsaw to remember his first love |
【推荐2】Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including Love.
One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to leave.
Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment.
When the island was almost totally under, Love decided it was time to leave.
She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, “Richness, can I come with you on your boat?”
Richness answered, “I’m sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere.”
Then Love decided to ask Vanity (虚荣心) for help who was passing by in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, “Vanity, help me please!” “I can’t help you,” Vanity said, “You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat.”
Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, “Sadness, please let me go with you.”
Sadness answered, “Love, I’m sorry, but, I just need to be alone now.”
Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, “Happiness, please take me with you.” But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn’t hear Love calling to him.
Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived on land the elder went on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder.
Love then found Knowledge and asked, “Who was it that helped me?” “It was Time,” Knowledge answered. “But why did Time help me when no one else would?” Love asked.
Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is.”
1. Which one is both clever and honest?| A．Knowledge. | B．Sadness. | C．Richness. | D．Happiness. |
| A．Five. | B．Six. | C．Seven. | D．Eight. |
| A．Knowledge. | B．Time. | C．Love. | D．Happiness. |
| A．Knowledge. | B．Time. | C．Happiness. | D．Love. |
【推荐3】Long time ago in a small, faraway village, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. Mirrors were on the top of a couple of stairs, reflecting everything.
A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, after getting to the top, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.” And he told every friend about this fantastic house when he came back to the village.
Hearing the news, another little dog in this same village, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house, too. With serious look on his face, he slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he walked into the door of the house. After getting to the top, he was out of breath. That is when he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him. He growled (恶狠狠地咆哮) at them at once and was frightened to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors, what kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet? In fact, if you take a look around, you will find changing reflections in their faces. From these reflections, you can understand yourself better.
1. What does the first paragraph serve as?| A．Giving examples. |
| B．Introducing a new idea. |
| C．Providing background information. |
| D．Explaining the meaning of the story. |
| A．Villagers loved to go to this house. |
| B．The mirrors in this house are broken. |
| C．There were few mirrors in the house. |
| D．Mirrors were lying on the top of the stairs. |
| A．The first dog made many friends in the house. |
| B．The first dog intended to go back to the house. |
| C．The second was pleased when he left the house. |
| D．The second dog was treated unfriendly by the dogs in the house. |
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．Doing is better than saying. |
| C．You are what the reflections are. |
| D．Never judge a book from its cover. |
