“Father, don’t you want me to be clever and great one day? ” said Willie to his father.
“I want you, my boy, to do your duty in whatever work or task given to you. Also do not be too sure of anything,” he replied. “When I see people, as the saying goes, ‘never count chickens before they are hatched’, it makes me think of the famous Napoleon.”
When Napoleon was ruling over France, and had beaten most of Europe, he wanted to rule over England, too. He was so sure of beating England that he chose the day and time he would come over and enter London as the winner.
“He got a number of his soldiers together, and had ships ready to carry them from France to England. He looked over the blue waves towards England and thought, I’ll land in England soon, march(行进) to London, and take it.”
“He was too sure,” laughed Willie.
“He was so sure,” said the father, “that he actually had a medal made to celebrate his success! On the medal was written in French, ‘STUCK AT LONDON’, which means that the medal was made in London.”
“But he never even got to England!” said Willie.
“He made so sure of success,” said the father, “that he had a medal made in celebration of beating a city that he was never even to set foot in.”
“Well, that was counting his chickens before they are hatched!” laughed the boy. “How shameful Napoleon must have felt later whenever he thought of that medal! Have you got any more stories for me, father?”
“Yes, I have a story about a very different man from the one who STUCK the medal; it’s about the Duke of Wellington...”
1. What can this passage be described as?| A．A personal interview. | B．A short play. |
| C．A daily conversation. | D．A famous poem. |
| A．He was born to be the king of France. |
| B．He failed to step into England. |
| C．He landed in England and ruled over it. |
| D．He made a medal after beating England. |
| A．Brave and independent. | B．Great but not too proud. |
| C．Clever but not too believable. | D．Famous and strong-willed. |
| A．No one is wise at all times. |
| B．There is no ending to learn. |
| C．Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket. |
| D．Never fry（油炸）a fish until it caught. |
| A．The father thought Napoleon was too sure to beat England. |
| B．The father taught his son a lesson by telling stories. |
| C．The father wanted to show how successful Wellington is. |
| D．The father compared Napoleon with Wellington in two stories. |
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【推荐1】My husband and I recently had the good luck to celebrate our 25th anniversary (周年纪念日) in Morocco. Our daughter had very kindly gifted us the trip for it.
One day, we were walking around in the noisy, dirty, and busy streets. My eyes were just drinking in all the surprising places and buildings and all the beautiful faces of the people around us. While I was lost in all the scenery, my husband went into a shop. I was left standing alone. Women in this country are never alone.
After fifteen minutes, I started feeling a little worried. A man dressed in broken, old and dirty clothes was coming my way. Sad to report, I thought the worst. I thought at once that he was an beggar coming to ask for money. As he was passing, he stopped, touched me and with eyes that made me weak at the knees (膝盖) because of the great love shining through them asked, “Are you OK? Are you OK?” I said, “Yes!”
With his smile and those incredibly peaceful loving eyes, I was full of energy (能量) for days. For me, it was a reminder (暗示) that we can have a good talk. Usually, I tell others that we should love everyone. That day, I did not continue our talk. But this stranger in rags (破布) gave me the most special reminder.
1. According to the first paragraph, what can we know?| A．The writer’s daughter gave her parents a trip as her gift. |
| B．The writer’s daughter went to Morocco with her parents. |
| C．The writer and her husband would visit a friend in Morocco. |
| D．The writer and her husband were so lucky that they were invited to Morocco. |
| A．She wanted to enjoy the scenery. | B．She was just drinking something there. |
| C．She didn’t notice her husband had left her. | D．She wanted to talk with the local people. |
| A．She thought he would help her out kindly. |
| B．She thought he would ask her for something. |
| C．She thought he could show friendship to her. |
| D．She thought he could steal something from her. |
| A．Hard to catch. | B．Sad and very sharp. |
| C．Strange but beautiful. | D．Very difficult to believe. |
| A．The writer always thought of the poor. |
| B．The writer showed the man smile in return. |
| C．The writer felt regretful for not talking with the man. |
| D．The writer thought one could always find beauty around if caring. |
I was riding a bike when I saw a person about 250 meters ahead of me. I could tell he was riding a little slower than me and I decided to try to catch up with him. I had about a kilometer to go on the road before turning off.
I started riding faster and faster and with every block (街区). After a few minutes I was only about 100 meters behind him, so I really picked up the pace (速度) and tried my best.
Finally, I caught up with him and passed him. On the inside, I felt so good. I “beat him”, but he didn’t even know we were racing.
After I passed him, I found that I had missed my turn, had gone six blocks past it and had to turn around and go all the way back.
Isn’t that what happens in life when we race with others, trying to outdo them or trying to show that we are more successful or more important? We spend our time and energy chasing after them and we miss out on our own way.
The problem with unhealthy competition is that it’s a never-ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you in one way or another. What you should do is just run your own race and wish others well. Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
1. When the writer saw a man riding in front of him, he decided to _____.| A．ride past the man |
| B．ride slower than the man |
| C．make friends with the man |
| A．The man shouted at him. |
| B．He told the man he was feeling good. |
| C．He missed his turn. |
| A．catch up with | B．get on with | C．take care of |
A． | B． | C． |
| A．Competition is important in life. |
| B．Try to get better grades than others. |
| C．Follow your own way instead of trying to get ahead of others. |
【推荐3】Ambition(理想)is making a decision and being involved to do it. Ambition gives us motivation(积极性)to achieve our goals and dreams in life. Just as Joseph Epstein, a famous American writer puts it, “And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed.”
Ambition gives us a sense of purpose.
Ambition can help a person fulfill his or her potential(潜力).
As a poet once said, “Life can be good; life can be bad; life is mostly cheerful; but sometimes sad.” A person can make his life beautiful, meaningful, rewarding and stand out as a honorable person if motivated by proper ambition.
根据短文内容，从方框中选出四个选项填入文中空缺处，使短文内容通顺完整。有一项剩余。
| A．However, we should always remember that ambition must be directed correctly. |
| B．Indeed, once we make up our minds to do something, then our life becomes meaningful and hopeful. |
| C．Only a strong purpose may enable one to achieve great success. |
| D．Macbeth, whose ambition was to become the king of Scotland. |
| E．Without ambition, one’s talents will remain undeveloped and unused. |
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【推荐2】Teenagers will grow up some day, leaving their parents and facing the challenges in life alone, so they should learn basic life skills and form good working habits.
The government has been trying to pay attention to the importance of hardworking spirit education (劳动教育). But this has been overlooked in recent years. Many teens do not value the importance of working hard. There is a teenage girl named Nancy. She never helps out around the house. Once her mother was on vacation for a week, leaving her alone at home. When her mother came home from vacation, she could not find a clean dish or a clean shirt.
Schools play an important role in teaching students about the value of working hard. Primary and middle schools should provide students with hardworking spirit courses every week. To our joy, some schools have provided each class with a piece of field to plant their favorite vegetables. For example, No. 38 Middle School in Hefei, set up a 500 square-meter farm on an open platform（露天平台）of their teaching building. Each class are asked to grow and pick vegetables there.
Parents should also encourage children to learn how to do chores at home. Teens should master one or two life skills every year. These skills can include cooking, washing their own clothes and tidying their rooms. The basic skills may help teens to solve the problems they will meet some day.
1. What does the underlined word “overlooked” mean in Chinese？| A．强调 | B．忽视 | C．珍惜 | D．高估 |
| A．Many teens do not value the importance of working hard. |
| B．Nancy is too busy to help out around the house. |
| C．Nancy’s parents don’t want her to help with chores at home. |
| D．Nancy is too lazy. |
| A．Schools should teach students the value of working hard. |
| B．Parents should encourage their children to do chores at home. |
| C．The government never pays attention to hardworking spirit education. |
| D．Teens should master one or two life skills every year. |
| A．Family education | B．School education |
| C．Hardworking spirit education | D．Doing chores at home |
【推荐3】Wang Jiaming from Beijing Chenjinglun High School says he is a lucky boy. He’s happy that he’s sitting the senior high school entrance exam (中考) in 2014 instead of 2016.
On Oct 22, Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (北京市教委) announced that, from 2016, the English scores in the senior high school entrance exam will be reduced from 120 to 100.
“The change won’t affect me.
Why such a change? It places the importance on Chinese in our study, and reduces students’ stress, said Li Yi, spokesman of the commission.
“
Wang Jiaming said he understood the change.
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
| A．I feel so lucky because English is my strongest subject, |
| B．Many students can’t get good grades in the English exam. |
| C．There isn’t news that other cities will have the same change. |
| D．Of the 100 points, the listening ability scores will increase to 50. |
| E．It’s more important for students to learn Chinese than English. |
| F．English has long been the world’s most commonly used language. |
| G．The change will also push us to pay attention to the practical usage (运用) of English. |
During a visit to northwest China's Shanxi Province, Wen visited the home of Yang Saike, a primary school boy in a village of Xingping City. Yang, whose parents were working in Fujian, thousands of kilometers away, was cared for by his grandparents. His parents fail to go home even once a year. Wen talked with many children and asked them many questions about their schooling and life.
"You are so pretty," Wen said to Liu Mengqi, a seven-year-old girl living with her grandmother. Liu's parents were also working in the city.
"Have you been to school yet?" Wen asked two other girls.
"We are going to the pre-school class," said one.
"Mom and dad at home?" Wen asked. The children shook their heads.
"Children cannot see their parents very often, which is a new problem in the country-side. We should give them more care and love," said the premier.
The premier asked local governments to do something to protect and care for such children at home and freeing their parents in cities from worries about their children.
1. Wen says a new problem in the country is that "left-behind" children _________.
| A．seldom get care from the government |
| B．seldom get together with their parents |
| C．cannot do well in school like others. |
| D．cannot get any love from their parents |
| A．to do more for "left-behind" children and their parents |
| B．to let the parents see their children only once a year |
| C．to stop the local people from going to work in cities |
| D．to build more schools for the "left-behind" children |
| A．poor children | B．disabled children |
| C．country children | D．'left-behind' children |
A young man named Ding Zhen, a 20-year-old Tibetan(藏族的) man from Litang in Sichuan, has become famous on the Internet and many visitors are getting interested in his home town.
On Ctrip, the search for Litang started going up on November 20th. In the week from November 23rd to November 29th, the search rose by 620% compared with the week before and was four times greater than during the National Day holiday in October.
Ding first came to people’s attention after a photographer (摄影师) shared a video of him on Douyin. In the video, Ding wore Tibetan clothes and smiled happily. He then put a short video on his own Douyin account (账号), showing his white horse in poor Chinese. It attracted a lot of people.
Ding said, “They call me ‘pence(王子) on a horse’. For me, the happiest thing is to have horse competitions with my friends. I’m really good at it and I often get first in our village.”
Ding now works in a company to improve tourism (旅游业) for his home town Litang. “To do the job well, Ding needs to work with others and learn a lot of things, such as history and tourism. He also needs to improve his Chinese,” the company’s manager said.
1. According to the first two paragraphs, what do we know about Ding?| A．He comes from Tibet. | B．He is popular online. |
| C．He suddenly became famous in October. | D．He searched Ctrip a lot. |
| A．Interested. | B．Pushed. | C．Hurt. | D．Changed. |
| A．People first knew Ding from his Douyin account. |
| B．Ding showed his white horse in the first video on Douyin. |
| C．Ding’s main job in the company is to get more money. |
| D．Ding doesn’t do well in Chinese. |
| A．A Famous Young Man Helps Home Town Tourism. |
| B．A Famous Video Helps Home Town Tourism. |
| C．A Famous Young Man and His White Horse. |
| D．A Famous Young Man on Douyin. |
| A．How did Ding Zhen become popular. | B．How did Ding Zhen show the white horse. |
| C．How did Ding Zhen use the Douyin. | D．How did Ding Zhen share the video. |
【推荐3】When I was a grade 9 student, I often felt tired and stressful because of the busy schoolwork. Finally I lost my confidence and even hope in my study. Thanks to a famous writer whose words shine with the beauty of love and wisdom, I was saved from pain and hopelessness. Her name is Bi Shumin (毕淑敏).
When I was reading her books, I felt something special burning in my heart. When I was sad, she told me, “In an imperfect life, mud (泥土) and sand are actually the raw materials of life. You should learn to be strong.” Lifting my head, I felt a power I couldn’t name filled my heart. When I looked outside the window, birds were singing and everything looked so warm. Her soft but powerful words made me relaxed and finally I found my way out of sadness.
Bi not only saved me from pain but also told me something about life. In her books, she tells me to be true to myself. I need neither to please others nor to wrong myself. Her soft words have the power to help me stay positive (乐观的) towards life. Like the shining light, it leads me to a more beautiful and wonderful world.
Now I always stay in a book club, where I can talk about the books I have read with my classmates. I do enjoy reading so much and it really brightens my days.
1. How did the writer’s feelings change?| A．Painful--relaxed--positive. | B．Relaxed--painful--hopeless. |
| C．Stressful--sad--relaxed. | D．Positive--stressful--hopeful. |
| A．Bi’s words were easy to understand. |
| B．Bi’s words gave her great encouragement. |
| C．The writer couldn’t understand Bi’s words at all. |
| D．The writer enjoyed the sights outside the window. |
| A．Please others. | B．Wrong herself. |
| C．Be honest to herself. | D．Be kind to others. |
| A．Because the club is popular. |
| B．Because she can do many activities there. |
| C．Because she can meet her best friend there. |
| D．Because she can talk about the books with classmates. |
| A．Bi Shumin will meet her in the book club. |
| B．She will keep the good habit of reading books. |
| C．She will help more classmates with their reading. |
| D．She has met Bi Shumin and they had a nice talk. |
Frank and his brother Jack lived near the ocean. Frank was outgoing while Jack was shy. They liked doing different things. Frank was famous for organizing games of beach volleyball, football, and any other sport imaginable. Jack preferred to draw, paint, or build sandcastles.
Frank didn’t understand why Jack would rather do artistic things than play ball. He believed sports often allowed many kids to play together. That was when Jack’s idea hatched. He would show Frank what doing things together looked like!
After Jack finished creating a special sandcastle with stairs, towers and walls, he took pictures of it. Then he painted colorful posters featuring (突出) his sandcastle and the question, “Can you top this?” He hung his posters everywhere in town, announcing his plan for a day of sandcastle artistry — all ages welcome.
When Frank saw the poster, he not so nicely told Jack that no one would come. Still, shortly after sunrise on Saturday, Jack was on the beach digging in the sand. By mid-morning, four kids were sculpting (雕塑) the sand alongside him. By noon the number had increased a lot.
After Frank came back from his ball game, he went to check how his brother’s plan turned out. He couldn’t believe what he saw. At least 30 people were building a city of sandcastles, and everyone was chatting and laughing and working together! It was the most beautiful thing he had seen on the beach.
“I guess you’ve proved me wrong,” Frank said. “You should make this sandcastle day a yearly tradition!” Handing Frank a shovel (铲子) with smile, Jack got started together with his brother on their super creation in the sand.
1. What does the underlined word “hatched” in Paragraph 2 probably mean in Chinese?| A．broke out | B．came out | C．handed out | D．ran out |
| A．It did work well. | B．It came from a picture. |
| C．It proved Frank right. | D．It needed 30 people’s support. |
| A．Honest. | B．Lively. | C．Outgoing. | D．Creative. |
I had now the key to all languages, and I was eager to learn to use it. Children who hear acquire language without any particular effort, while the little deaf child like me must trap them by a slow and often painful process. But whatever the process, the result is wonderful.
At first, when my teacher told me about a new thing, I asked very few questions. My ideas were not clear, and my vocabulary was inadequate. But as my knowledge of things grew, I learned more and more words. Sometimes a new word revived an image that some earlier experience had engraved (雕刻) on my brain.
I remember the morning that I first asked the meaning of the word, “love.” This was before I knew many words. I had found a few early violets in the garden and brought them to my teacher, Miss Sullivan. She put her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, “I love Helen.”
“What is love?” I asked.
She drew me closer to her and said, “It is here,” pointing to my heart, whose beats I was conscious of for the first time. Her words puzzled me very much because I did not then understand anything unless I touched it.
I smelt the violets in her hand and asked, half in words, half in signs, a question which meant, “Is love the sweetness of flowers?”
“No,” said my teacher.
Again I thought. The warm sun was shining on us.
“Is this not love?” I asked, pointing in the direction from which the heat came.
It seemed to me that there could be nothing more beautiful than the sun, whose warmth makes all things grow. But Miss Sullivan shook her head, and I was greatly puzzled. I thought it strange that my teacher could not show me love.
A day or two afterward I was stringing beads (串珠子) of different sizes in symmetrical groups. I had made many mistakes, and Miss Sullivan had pointed them out again and again with gentle patience. Finally, I noticed a very obvious mistake in the sequence and for an instant I concentrated my attention on the lesson and tried to think how I should have arranged the beads. Miss Sullivan touched my forehead and spelled with decided emphasis, “Think.” In a flash I knew that the word was the name of the process that was going on in my head. This was my first conscious understanding of an abstract (抽象的) idea.
For a long time I was still trying to find a meaning for “love” in the light of this new idea. The sun had been under a cloud all day, and there had been brief showers, but suddenly the sun broke forth in all its southern splendor (光辉).
Again I asked my teacher, “Is this not love?”
“Love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out,” she replied. The she explained in simpler words. You cannot touch the clouds, you know, but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. “You cannot touch love either, but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play.” The beautiful truth burst upon my mind — I felt that there were invisible lines stretched between my spirit and the spirits of others.
1. Why did Helen have trouble understanding what love is?| A．Because she was deaf. | B．Because she was little. |
| C．Because she had no teacher. | D．Because she made no effort. |
| A．the warm sun | B．the beating heart |
| C．the sweetness of flowers | D．the clouds before the sun came out |
| A．Love. | B．Think. | C．Find. | D．Touch. |
| A．Learn about love | B．Language is fun |
| C．My kind teacher | D．Ways to arrange beads |
【推荐3】A young boy and his father were walking along a forest path. They came across a large tree branch (树枝) on the ground in front of them. The boy asked his father, “If I try, do you think I could move that branch?” His father replied, “I am sure you can, if you use all your strength.(力量)”
The boy tried his best to lift or push the branch, but he was not strong enough and he couldn’t move it. He said with disappointment, “You were wrong, Dad. I can’t move it.” “Try again,” replied his father. Again, the boy tried hard to push the branch, but he did not move it again.
“Dad, I cannot do it,” said the boy. Finally, his father said, “Son, I advised you to use all your strength. You didn’t. You didn’t ask me for help.”
We haven’t used all our strength until we have recognized, made good use of the strength and support of those who love us, and those who care about our purpose. Our real strength lies not in independence, but in interdependence (互相依赖).
No individual (个人的) person has all the strength needed to do everything. That needs the joint help of many people. To ask for help when we need it is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom. It is a call for greater strength.
When we ask for help and we are refused, it just means we have to ask at another time, or ask in another way, or ask another person.
1. The father suggested his son should ________.| A．not be disappointed at the failure | B．not pay attention to the branch |
| C．use all his strength to move the branch | D．move the branch all by himself |
| A．asking his father for help | B．trying hard to push the branch |
| C．giving up with disappointment | D．trying his best to lift the branch |
| A．普遍的 | B．联合的 | C．加固的 | D．统一的 |
| A．The boy understood his father’s suggestion in the beginning. |
| B．We shouldn’t give up if we are refused when asking for help. |
| C．The father was sure that his son could move the branch himself. |
| D．Everyone himself has all the strength needed to do everything. |
| A．be brave to ask for help if necessary | B．support those who love and surround us |
| C．try to do things on our own | D．be strong enough to overcome difficulties |
