1 . Edward rose early on the New-year morning. He looked in every room and wished a Happy New Year to his family. Then he ran into the street to repeat that to those he might meet.
When he came back, his father gave him two bright, new silver dollars.
His face lighted up as he took them. He had wished for a long time to buy some pretty books that he had seen at the bookstore.
He left the house with a light heart, expecting to buy the books. As he ran down the street, he saw a poor family.
“I wish you a Happy New Year.” said Edward, as he was passing on. The man shook his head.
“You are not from this country.” said Edward. The man again shook his head, for he could not understand or speak his language. But he pointed to his mouth and to the children shaking with cold, as if (好像) to say, “These little ones have had nothing to eat for a long time.”
Edward quickly understood that these poor people were in trouble. He took out his dollars and gave one to the man, and the other to his wife.
They were excited and said something in their language, which doubtless meant, “We thank you so much that we will remember you all the time.”
When Edward came home, his father asked what books he had bought. He hung his head a moment, but quickly looked up.
“I have bought no books”, said he. “I gave my money to some poor people, who seemed to be very hungry then.” He went on, “I think I can wait for my books till next New Year.”
“My dear boy,” said his father, “here are some books for you, more as a prize for your goodness of heart than as a New-year gift.”
“I saw you give the money cheerfully to the poor German family. It was nice for a little boy to do so. Be always ready to help others and every year of your life will be to you a Happy New Year.”
1. Edward expected to ________ with the money he got from his father.| A．help the poor family | B．buy something to eat |
| C．buy some pretty books | D．learn another language |
| A．He couldn’t understand the boy | B．He wouldn’t accept the money |
| C．He didn’t like the boy’s language | D．He was too cold to say anything |
| A．One dollar | B．Two dollars | C．Three dollars | D．Four dollars |
| A．got a prize for his kind heart | B．had to buy his books next year |
| C．bought the books at the bookstore | D．got more money from his father |
2 . Long long ago, there was a king who liked to write stories. He was so proud of his stories that he showed them to many people. Although the people didn’t like the stories, they were afraid to say that. Instead, they all said his stories were good.
One day he showed his stories to a well-known critic (评论家) . The critic said that they were bad. The king got very angry and sent him into prison.
After sometime the king sent his men to the critic to tell him that he was free. When the critic returned from the prison, the king invited him to his palace to dinner. Again he showed him some of his stories and once again asked him what he thought of them. The critic said nothing but turned to the soldiers who were standing behide him, and said, “Take me back to prison.”
1. What did the king like to do?| A．He liked to read. | B．He liked to joke. |
| C．He liked to write stories. | D．He liked to play. |
| A．Bad. | B．Famous. | C．Wonderful. | D．Beautiful. |
| A．A good writer. | B．A well-known critic. |
| C．A famous singer. | D．A wonderful artist. |
| A．Because he didn’t like the palace. |
| B．Because he enjoyed reading stories. |
| C．Because he enjoyed the life in prison. |
| D．Because the king’s stories were still bad. |
3 . Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening,I was attracted by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftops.I stopped to watch it for a few moments,thinking about what a pity it was that most city people,myself included,usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it.He grew up living in a forest in Europe,and the moon meant a lot to him then.It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling.Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends.We stayed in a forest rest-house with no electricity or hot water.Our group had campfires outside every night,and indoors when it was too cold outside.The moon grew to its fullest during our trip.Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys.Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard.It was one of the quietest places I had ever known,a bottomless well of silence.And above me was the full moon,which struck me deeply.
Today our lives are filled with glass,metal,plastic and fibre-glass.We have televisions,cellphones,heaters,ovens,air-conditioners,cars and computers.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day,most of it spent indoors,I thought:before long,I would like to live in a small cottage.There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains.I may become an old man there,and wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and measure out my life in coffee spoons.But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon.
1. The writer felt sorry for himself because .| A．there was too much pollution |
| B．he usually missed the full moon sights |
| C．he didn’t adapt to modern inventions |
| D．there were too many accidents on the road |
| A．No modern equipment. |
| B．Complete silence. |
| C．The nice full moon. |
| D．The high mountains. |
| A．show that the writer likes city life very much |
| B．tell us that people greatly benefit from modern life |
| C．explain that people have few chances to enjoy nature |
| D．show that we can also enjoy nature at home through them |
| A．Touched by the Moon |
| B．The Pleasures of Modern Life |
| C．A Bottomless Well of Silence |
| D．Break away from Modern Life |
