Once upon the time, there was a farmer whom worked very hard in his field every day. One day, while he is working in the field, a rabbit ran out of the grass but bumped into a tree stump, dead. The farmer was very happily to take the rabbit home and cook a delicious meals. The farmer thought, “I needn’t work hard from now on. What I need to do is just to wait the rabbit bumping into the tree stump and pick them home.” Since then, he no longer worked, just sat next to the tree stump and waiting for the rabbit. But from then on, he never saw another rabbit was bumped into the tree stump.
2 . I was born in a poor community on the north side of Boston, US, raised by a single mother who didn’t finish 3rd grade, lived each day on food stamps and attended what the media called “the most dysfunctional (功能失调的) public school district”. Not many people expected much of me, so I had to expect.
On my 13th birthday, I bought a poster of Harvard to hang in my room. Being at Harvard became what I dreamt about. Even if my electricity was cut off, I still woke up at 5:30, because I knew that my poster of Harvard was still hanging only two feet away from me.
Reminding myself of my goal each day made it easy to say no to the same choices I saw my peers making, because those paths wouldn’t have had me closer to my goal. Being poor could not take away my power to decide what I choose to do with my day. The poster gave me the courage to send emails to about 50 Harvard students to ask for feedback on my application essays; it gave me the energy to study just one more hour on my SATs when my friends were asleep; and it gave me the determination to submit just one more scholarship application when 180 others had already turned me down.
Every day, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to my goal as my writing got better, my SAT score increased, and my scholarship checks started coming in. Finally, an email arrived from Harvard. The first word was “Congratulations!” A month later, Harvard flew me up to visit the campus where for the first time I stepped onto my dreaming land.
Who you are today is the result of the decisions you made yesterday, and who you will be tomorrow will be the result of the choices you make today. Who do you want to be tomorrow?
1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．All people expected too much of him. |
| B．He grew up in a happy family. |
| C．He accepted the greatest education. |
| D．He had high expectation of himself. |
| A．He spent more time preparing for the exams. |
| B．He learnt from his peers from time to time. |
| C．He often wrote feedbacks on others’ essays. |
| D．He turned to his teacher when facing problems. |
| A．Intelligent and humorous. | B．Generous and selfless. |
| C．Determined and hardworking. | D．Courageous and friendly. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Perseverance can help realize your dream. |
| C．Easier said than done. |
| D．It’s never too late to study. |
3 . A decade ago, I was engaged in pet therapy work. As I dug deeper into the job, I had a desire to
Clark is 12 now and still works every week. As a(an)
We have seen some very special things through our
| A．record | B．change | C．search | D．arrange |
| A．donations | B．contributions | C．appearance | D．sufferings |
| A．In all | B．After all | C．As a result | D．In addition |
| A．satisfied | B．strict | C．familiar | D．disappointed |
| A．left | B．regretted | C．sponsored | D．matured |
| A．rule | B．exercise | C．phenomenon | D．arrangement |
| A．poor | B．young | C．injured | D．elderly |
| A．appropriate | B．particular | C．special | D．normal |
| A．recognize | B．comment | C．consult | D．contact |
| A．volunteer | B．therapy | C．recovery | D．safety |
| A．occasionally | B．randomly | C．totally | D．hardly |
| A．nodded | B．declined | C．hesitated | D．doubted |
| A．nervously | B．willingly | C．anxiously | D．gently |
| A．petting | B．nursing | C．changing | D．beating |
| A．hid | B．moved | C．reached | D．cured |
| A．Somewhat | B．Somehow | C．Anyway | D．Anyhow |
| A．performs | B．allows | C．reminds | D．features |
| A．stepped forward | B．backed off | C．lay down | D．fled away |
| A．still | B．calm | C．quiet | D．silent |
| A．sets off | B．gets through | C．looks up to | D．comes across |
4 . It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货), saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1. Why was the bike so important to the couple?| A．They used it for work and daily life. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．The man’s job was bike racing. |
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. |
| B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. |
| D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
| A．From a stranger. |
| B．From a newspaper. |
| C．From TV news. |
| D．From radio broadcasts. |
| A．commercial | B．evil | C．kind | D．notorious |
5 . There was a boy who was sent by his parents to a boarding school (寄宿学校)
But the boy changed after
His parents started
They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him some casual questions about his classes, teachers and
The boy answered back, “To
“No, no,” his dad replied. “I am here to tell you that you are the most
These words
Now the boy had
| A．After | B．Before | C．When | D．While |
| A．hardest | B．naughtiest | C．brightest | D．dullest |
| A．exam | B．activity | C．game | D．class |
| A．coming | B．returning | C．leaving | D．reaching |
| A．rising | B．increasing | C．reducing | D．dropping |
| A．group | B．term | C．company | D．party |
| A．led to | B．felt like | C．thought back | D．looked for |
| A．worthless | B．careless | C．concerned | D．annoyed |
| A．caring | B．turning | C．worrying | D．speaking |
| A．crazy | B．true | C．possible | D．wrong |
| A．talk with | B．listen to | C．tell to | D．care about |
| A．family | B．friends | C．study | D．grades |
| A．realize | B．analyze | C．check | D．test |
| A．outstanding | B．important | C．famous | D．familiar |
| A．happy | B．excellent | C．interested | D．satisfied |
| A．caused | B．wanted | C．encouraged | D．forced |
| A．answered | B．ignored | C．hated | D．hugged |
| A．nothing | B．something | C．everything | D．anything |
| A．showed | B．meant | C．intended | D．expressed |
| A．sad | B．angry | C．pleasant | D．joyful |
6 . Many families usually take their children to travel during school breaks. But Julie and Tim Rivenbark planned a(n)
Right now, the four travellers are about halfway through their
Mr. Rivenbark says the family has
“People have been
Eleven-year-old Tyler says he has enjoyed
Ms. Rivenbark says that the trip is
It took the family a year to
Tyler and Kara each have iPads so they can communicate with teachers to stay
| A．shorter | B．important | C．complicated | D．longer |
| A．pass | B．visit | C．walk | D．guide |
| A．destination | B．experience | C．trip | D．voyage |
| A．world | B．nature | C．forest | D．country |
| A．competed | B．kicked | C．shot | D．ridden |
| A．scary | B．surprising | C．exhausting | D．interesting |
| A．largely | B．extremely | C．mainly | D．rarely |
| A．caution | B．passion | C．reaction | D．attention |
| A．teasing | B．learning | C．attracting | D．copying |
| A．similar | B．different | C．odd | D．special |
| A．discovered | B．realized | C．suggested | D．explained |
| A．witnessing | B．exploring | C．teaching | D．studying |
| A．benefit | B．influence | C．reflection | D．action |
| A．changing | B．concerning | C．understanding | D．sharing |
| A．leave | B．hope | C．fight | D．prepare |
| A．adjusted | B．designed | C．quit | D．found |
| A．filled with | B．consisted of | C．carried out | D．taken along |
| A．practices | B．prefers | C．enjoys | D．dislikes |
| A．rapid | B．active | C．fresh | D．current |
| A．completing | B．creating | C．revising | D．managing |
7 . When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy Christmas presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.
I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his presents. Finally he came to the checkout counter and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money. Mark stood there holding his basket, tears falling down his face.
Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. “You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you,” said the woman. “It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I would like you to find someone you can help. When you help others, 1 know you will feel as good about it as I do now.”
Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.
I would like to say “thank you” to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later, Mark went house to house collecting blankets and clothes for the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.
1. When did the story probably happen?| A．On Christmas Day. | B．Before Christmas Day, |
| C．On New Year’s Day. | D．After New Year’s Day. |
| A．His gifts were stolen. | B．He broke his basket. |
| C．He lost his money. | D．He lost his way. |
| A．Because she bought Mark a nice present. |
| B．Because she always paid money for others. |
| C．Because she collected clothes for the homeless. |
| D．Because she taught Mark to help people in need. |
| A．A big supermarket | B．A kind woman |
| C．A happy family | D．A wonderful gift |
1. Why did the waiter refuse to serve the man any drink?
| A．The man was a taxi driver. |
| B．The man had had plenty of drink. |
| C．The man had never paid of the drink. |
| A．Unexpected. | B．Angry. | C．Afraid. |
| A．The front door. | B．The side door. | C．The back door. |
| A．The waiter called a policeman in the end. |
| B．The man asked the waiter to call a taxi for him. |
| C．The man thought he went to three different bars. |
9 . Once upon a time, a young man wanted to go to a village on business. Halfway there was a mountain. Before he left home, his family warned him to stay calm and climb onto trees if he was in face of beasts(野兽). In this way, the beasts couldn’t do anything to him.
The young man remembered these words and began his trip.
He walked for a long time carefully and found no beasts were out there. He thought his family’s worries were unnecessary. And he became relaxed as he walked. Just at that moment, he saw a fierce(凶猛的) tiger running to him and he climbed onto a tree nearby at once.
The tiger roared(咆哮) around the tree and even jumped to reach the man. The young man was too scared to hold the tree and fell right on the back of the tiger. Full of fear, he had to hold the tiger tightly. The tiger thought that must be a giant beast. So it was afraid and started running madly.
People on the road didn’t know what had happened and said, “Look at the young man. He is riding a tiger!” “Cool!” “Superman!”
Hearing these words, the young man was very angry. “Why can’t they see I’m suffering a lot? Don’t they understand I am in fear and almost scared to death?” he said to himself.
1. Why did the young man go to the village?| A．To travel | B．To visit friends. | C．On business. | D．For holiday. |
| A．Excited | B．Scared. | C．Surprised. | D．Bored. |
| A．It was old and weak. |
| B．The young man was very strong. |
| C．It thought people around would kill it. |
| D．It mistook the young man for a giant beast. |
| A．People on the road were wise. |
| B．The young man was very brave. |
| C．We shouldn’t admire others blindly. |
| D．The young man shouldn’t listen to his family. |
10 . There was once a captain. who loved money so much that he cheated（欺骗）his sailors（水手）at the end of every voyage（远航）and took their wages（工资）.
On the last day of one voyage, the ship was in a small port. It was winter time, and these a was very cold, so the captain said to his sailors, “If one of you stays in the water during the whole night, I will give him my ship. But if he comes out before the sun appears, I shall get his wages.”
The sailors had heard about the captain's cheating, so they didn't trust him. But then one of them, who thought that he was cleverer than the captain, said that he would do it. He got into the water, and, though it was very cold, he stayed in it. When it was nearly morning, some fishermen lit a fire on the shore about half a mile away.
“You are cheating,” the captain said to the sailor. “The fire's warming you.”
“But it's half a mile away!” said the sailor.
“A fire's fire,” answered the captain. “I have won.”
The sailor came out of the water, and said, “Perhaps you think that you are clever because you have won my wages, but you can't cook a chicken.”
“I can,” answered the captain.
“If you cook this chicken,” said the sailor, “I shall work for you without wages for seven years, but if you can't, you will give me your ship.”
The captain agreed, took the chicken and said, “Where's the fire?”
“There it is,” answered the sailor. “On the shore.”
“But it's half a mile away,” said the captain angrily.
“‘A fire's fire’ you said,” answered the sailor. “If it is enough to warm me in the water, it is enough to cook your chicken.”
1. The captain got the sailors' wages ________.| A．to buy a chicken for himself | B．and kept the money for future use |
| C．by cheating him | D．and said he would return the money soon |
| A．All the sailors refused to get into the water because it was too cold |
| B．The captain knew that the fire the fishermen made was enough to warm the sailor in the water. |
| C．The captain succeeded in cheating the sailor. |
| D．It was the sailor who was cleverer. |
| A．didn't want to lose the bet | B．didn't believe the sailor's success |
| C．wanted to keep his promise | D．wanted to show his cleverness |
| A．How a Captain Cheated His Sailor | B．How a Sailor Got a Ship |
| C．A Brave Sailor | D．A Fire Is Fire |
