1 . An old man lived with his little grandson. Every day the old man got up early to read books.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I always forget what I read. What are the advantages of reading?”
The grandfather didn’t answer him, but said, “Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked out before he got back home. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to walk faster next time.”
The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he returned home. The boy said, “See, Grandpa, it’s no use!”
“Is it no use?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different. It was cleaner, inside and out.
“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”
1. What did the old man do every day?| A．He carried water. | B．He wrote something. |
| C．He read books. | D．He did some chores. |
| A．was too busy to do it | B．got up late |
| C．he slept late | D．always forgot what he read |
| A．Twice. | B．Once. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
2 . I grew up five minutes from Clapham Junction station in south London. Our house backed onto the railway, so the regular sound of passing trains was a sound I found noisy. Clapham Junction was famously busy, but it felt separate from the rest of London, as if its purpose was to carry people away from the capital. I felt I stood on the edge of the city.
During my last year at primary school, I spent every afternoon going across the road with my mum to eat white toast with drinking sugary tea. My mum would argue with the Greek Cypriot owner about politics. They disagreed about everything, but laughed a lot while arguing. Our life seemed uneventful.
But as time passed by, our area changed. The town became modern, and I changed a lot too. I went from a state primary school to a private secondary school. I stopped drinking sugary tea. I cared less about branded skirts but more about books. I spent less time hanging around the common but more travelling to the libraries where I found my interest.
It was then that I discovered Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle and Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado. After that I scanned the shelves of bookshops for some writing. In this way I found so many writers who have influenced me: Barbara Pym, EM Delafield and so on.
Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People wasn't like any other book I'd read. For more than sixty years the rock solid, time-tested advice in this book has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. Now this previously revised and updated bestseller is available in trade paperback for the first .time to help you achieve your maximum potential throughout the next century! I read it as a guide anyway. And in a way it was.
1. How did the author feel about her childhood?| A．Meaningful. | B．Unsatisfied. | C．Unforgettable. | D．Colorful. |
| A．She often felt lonely. | B．She usually drank sugary tea. |
| C．She began to become modern. | D．She started to like reading. |
| A．The world. | B．A dream. | C．The inspiration. | D．A plan. |
| A．My Colourful Life | B．Reading Changed Me |
| C．My Hometown Raised Me | D．My Learning Experience |
