1 . A long time ago, there lived a very old man. He was so old that he could not see or hear very well. He also could not walk very well, or eat very well for his hand shook. The old man’s son and daughter-in-law thought he might make trouble at table. So, they had him eat his meals in the corner of the kitchen without a table.
They gave him very little to eat. The old man would have a sad look on his face as he looked at his son and daughter-in-law’s dinner table. One day the old man’s hand shook so terribly that he dropped his dish on the floor. The daughter- in-law became angry and shouted at the old man. And after that, his meals were served in a broken dish.
Not long afterwards, the family was sitting having their dinner while the four-year-old grandson was sitting on the floor carefully checking pieces of wood. The father asked “What are you doing?” “I am making a small bowl.”
“Why are you making it?" The son answered. “So that I can fill it with your and mother’s food when I grow up.”
The old man’s son and daughter-in-law looked at one another and without saying a word and started crying. They quickly brought their old father to their dinner table. From that day on, the old man sat with the family when they had their meals. Even when the old man’s food fell here and there, the son and the daughter-in-law did not say anything.
1. The son and his wife made their father eat in the kitchen to______.| A．teach their son a good lesson |
| B．stay away from trouble |
| C．give him peace and comfort |
| A．because of hand-shaking | B．to ask for a new one | C．on purpose |
| A．Because he realized his mistakes |
| B．Because the old man didn’t drop rice on the floor any more |
| C．Because a gentleman led him back to the family table |
| A．An Old Man and His Son |
| B．A Couple and Their Son |
| C．A Wooden Bowl |
2 . There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn't want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song.
The man said, "I don't sing." But the customer was persistent(执着的). He told the bar manager, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing!" The manager shouted across the room, "If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!" So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song Mona Lisa. He got lots of applause that night. He had such a talent for singing, but he just had been sitting on his talent for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. However, now he has become one of the best-known singers in America.
You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your "talent" is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have!
1. Why did the man start to sing?| A．Because he wanted to make more money. |
| B．Because the bar manager said he liked his song. |
| C．Because the manager asked him to sing at the request of a customer. |
| D．Because he wanted to show everyone that he had a talent for singing. |
| A．The man didn't get paid at last. |
| B．The customers were unsatisfied with the song. |
| C．The man became a singer later. |
| D．The manager had to lay the man off. |
| A．Some people really have no skills or abilities. |
| B．Sometimes through effort we can know our talents. |
| C．None of us is as great as the singer. |
| D．No skills can be improved even if you try your best. |
3 . As a first-aid responder, you never know what type of situation you might walk into, or who you’ll meet along the way. That’s definitely been the case for Jeffrey Lanenberg, a 51-year-old first-aid responder since 1984.
Ten years into the job, Jeffrey received a call that reported that a man in his early 30s had fallen down in the Mall of America. When Jeffrey and his partner arrived at the scene, they found the young male face down on the ground. He had gone unconscious, making weak attempts to breathe. His wife stood beside him holding their small son in horror. They quickly rushed to calm the man to keep him under control and offer necessary first aid. After Jeffrey dropped the patient off at the neighboring hospital, he thought about the man and his family for a long time.
Jeffrey thought he had experienced everything under the sun until one random visit to Office Max three years ago, where he met a man repeatedly walk back and forth while staring at him. As it turned out, the man was the patient he had saved 20 years earlier.
“You gave me 20 years more than I ever thought I’d have,” the man said. He thanked Jeffrey repeatedly and told him he had someone he wanted him to meet. He stepped around the corner and reappeared with a 20-something-year-old man. Jeffrey instantly knew that it was the son he had seen standing by his mother all those years ago.
“That day changed my life,” Jeffrey said. “Before that, everything was about work…When I talk to my beginner-training class, I tell them you never know the impact you can have on someone’s life.”
1. What did Jeffrey do with the young man?| A．He cured the man at the scene. | B．He took care of the man’s wife and son. |
| C．He only sent the man to hospital. | D．He did what was needed. |
| A．It was a common routine.. | B．It was troublesome. |
| C．It was unbelievable | D．It was a dangerous situation. |
| A．Jeffrey helped bring up his little son. |
| B．Jeffrey donated to support his family. |
| C．Jeffrey gave him the present happy life. |
| D．Jeffrey taught his son to be a new doctor. |
| A．He was rewarded with much money. |
| B．He changed his attitude to his job. |
| C．He got a promotion to be a team leader. |
| D．He took up teaching work to train newcomers. |
4 . A Trip to the Forest
One day Bob took two of his friends into the mountains. They put up their tents and then rode off to a forest to see how the trees were growing. In the afternoon when they were about ten kilometres from their camp, it started to snow. More and more snow fell. Soon Bob could hardly see his hands before his face. He could not find the road. Bob knew there were two roads. One road went to the camp, and the other went to his house. But all was white snow. Everything was the same. How could he take his friends back to the camp?
Bob had an idea. The horses! Let the horses take them back! But what would happen if the horses took the road to his house? That would be a trip of thirty-five kilometres in such cold weather! It was getting late. They rode on and on. At last the horses stopped. Where were they? None of them could tell. John looked around. What was that under the tree? It was one of their tents!
1. John and his two friends went to the forest to _____.| A．build their camp |
| B．find their way home |
| C．enjoy the mountains in the snow |
| D．watch the trees in the forest |
| A．there was only one road to their camp |
| B．they couldn't decide which of the two roads led to their tents |
| C．there were no roads in the mountains at all |
| D．everything was covered by the white snow |
| A．John's house | B．the camp |
| C．the forest | D．the mountains |
| A．it was getting late | B．they were tired after running for a long way |
| C．they knew that they had got to the camp | D．they had seen John's house |
5 . A young couple decided to get married. As the big day drew nearer and nearer, they both grew nervous because each of them had a problem. The bridegroom decided to ask his father for advice. “Dad,” he said, “I love Lily very much, but I have very smelly feet, so I’m afraid that she will not put up with them.” His father said，“All you have to do is wash your feet as often as possible, and you should always wear socks, even when you go to bed.” Well, it seemed a workable solution, the young man thought.
The young woman turned to her mother. “Mom,” she said, “My morning breath is so bad that I’m afraid my new husband will not want to live in the same room with me. I love him. I can’t live without him.” Her mother said, “In the morning, get straight out of bed when you wake up, and head for the bathroom and brush your teeth. Don’t say any word before you brush your teeth.” The young woman followed her mother’s advice.
They were finally married in a wonderful ceremony (仪式). Not forgetting the advice each had received, they carefully spent every day. The husband wore his socks every night and the wife kept her mornings silent; they did quite well until about a month later. Just before dawn (黎明), the husband woke only to find that one of his socks was gone! Thinking of the terrible result, he felt frightened at once. He jumped up and began to search the bed for his sock in a hurry. Of course, this made the wife woken. Without thinking, the wife asked, “What on earth are you doing?” The husband stopped in surprise, and then he cried, “Oh, no! You must have swallowed (吞) my sock!”
1. What troubled the young man before he got married?| A．His feet had an unpleasant smell. | B．He was unprepared for the big day. |
| C．He was too poor to marry the girl. | D．His habit was too bad to be known. |
| A．Because he forgot to wear the socks. | B．Because one of his socks was missing. |
| C．Because his wife might find the truth. | D．Because it would disappoint his father. |
| A．his wife was very hungry in the morning | B．his wife often dreamed of eating things |
| C．he wanted to have his wife buy new socks | D．he found his wife’s breath very smelly |
| A．The wife would leave the husband soon. | B．The couple would tell each other the truth. |
| C．The husband would buy a new pair of socks. | D．The couple’s parents would help find the sock. |
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwingstarfishes(海星)in theocean.”
“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfishes in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die”
“But, young man, don’t you realize thatthere are miles and miles of beach and starfishes all along it. You can’tpossibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.” There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all beengifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain through the strength of our vision the power(力量) to shape the future.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
1. One day, the wise man saw a young man _______.
| A．dancing along the beach | B．walking with a dancer |
| C．picking up starfish for sale | D．trying to save as many starfishes as possible |
| A．the gifts from friends | B．the strength of making decision |
| C．our own starfish | D．the ability to make a difference |
| A．the wise man realized something new and important |
| B．the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfishes in the ocean. |
| C．the young man had the ability to make a difference |
| D．it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach |
| A．how and where we can write a good article |
| B．everyone can do something for the future |
| C．wise men are sometimes stupid |
| D．young men are in fact wiser than old people |
