The fairest woman in the world was Helen.
So matters stood when Paris gave the golden apple to Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love and Beauty knew very well where the most beautiful woman on earth was
Menelaus returned to find Helen gone, and he called upon all of Greece to help recover her. The chieftains responded
Army had arrived, the King was plowing a field and sowing it with salt
Achilles was kept back by his mother. She sent him to the court of Lycomedes and made him wear women’s clothing, hiding him among the maidens. Odysseus was dispatched by the chieftains to bring him out. Disguised as a peddler he went to the court
So the great fleet made ready.
2 . It was this very morning that Garrone let us know what he is like.
The master had not yet arrived, and three or four boys were bullying Crossi, the one with the red hair who has a dead arm and whose mother sells vegetables. They were hitting him in the face with chestnut shells. And he, alone on the end of the bench, became quite pale, begging that they leave him in peace.
All at once, Franti sprang upon a bench. Pretending that he was carrying a basket on each arm, he aped the mother of Crossi when she used to come to wait for her son at door. Many began to laugh loudly and Crossi was trembling and turning red with anger.
Suddenly Crossi seized an inkstand and threw it at the other’s head with all his strength, but Franti moved aside, and the inkstand struck the master who entered at the moment, full in the breast. All flew to their places and became silent with terror. The master, quite pale, went to his table, and said in a controlled voice:
“Who did it?”
No one replied.
The master cried out once more, raising his voice still louder, “Who is it?”
Then Garrone, moved to pity for poor Crossi, rose sharply and said resolutely, “ It was I.”
The master looked at him, looked at the confused scholars, then said in a calm voice, “It was not you.”
And after a moment. “The culprit shall not be punished. Let him rise!”
Crossi rose and said, weeping “They were striking me and insulting me, and I lost my head and threw it.”
“Sit down,” said the master. “Let those who provoked him rise.”
Four rose and hung their heads. “You,” said the master, “have insulted an unfortunate companion; you have struck a weak person who could not defend himself. You have committed one of the most shameful acts!”
Then he went over to Garrone and looked him straight in the eye, and said to him, “You are a noble soul.”
Garrone profited by the occasion to murmur some words, I know not what, in the ear of the master; and he, turning towards the four boys, said abruptly, “I forgive you.”
1. What finally provoked Crossi to throw an inkstand?| A．Franti made fun of Crossi’s mother walking with a dead arm. |
| B．Franti imitated the way Crossi’s mother carried her basket. |
| C．The boys hit Crossi in the face hard with chestnut shells. |
| D．The boys pulled Crossi upon a bench and laughed at him loudly. |
| A．advocate | B．leader | C．captain | D．offender |
| A．he dared to speak his mind | B．he forgave the four bullies |
| C．he took the blame for Crossi | D．he brought bad guys to justice |
| A．A Generous Deed | B．A Domestic Incident |
| C．Making the Right Choice | D．To Believe or Not to Believe |
3 . “Uncle Chuchu, look!” Uncle Chuchu turns to where Preet is pointing. She quickly eats up the chips on his plate. He always falls for this trick！
Chuchu is the pet name Preet has given him. Uncle Chuchu is the kindest person in Preet’s world. He is also her best friend. One day, Preet sees Uncle Chuchu scoop (抓起) handfuls of candies from a jar and drop them from his bedroom window. She watches in amazement as he ducks under the windowsill, trying hard not to laugh.
Cries of delight float up from the street!
At the end of the lane is a school. When the lunch bell rings, Uncle Chuchu secretly drops candies down to the school children as they pass under his window.
After lunch, Uncle Chuchu walks back to his office with his briefcase. When he passes the children playing, he doesn’t look at them. So, the children never guess that the hand that sends them candies every day belongs to this thin, solemn man!
But one day, Uncle Chuchu has a terrible pain in his stomach. As he’s taken to the hospital, he presses Preet’s hand one last time...
Now, Preet sits in Uncle Chuchu’s empty room. His yoga mat is on the floor. She remembers that long ago one day when she had walked in and found a pair of long legs poking into the air.
“Help!” Preet had yelled. “Uncle Chuchu is hurt!” Mom and Grandma had rushed into the room and burst out laughing! “He’s not hurt.” Mom said. “He’s doing yoga!” Grandma said. “Yoga,” repeated Preet. She had watched with wondering eyes as Uncle Chuchu lifted his body on the palms of his hands, like a bird about to fly away!
Preet’s eyes are wet. Nobody can fill the Uncle Chuchu-shaped hole in her heart.
…
1. The scene described in the first paragraph is intended to show readers ________.| A．that Uncle Chuchu is easily fooled by others |
| B．what fun Preet used to have with Uncle Chuchu |
| C．how Preet enjoyed eating snacks such as chips |
| D．that Uncle Chuchu always treated Preet equally |
| A．hide | B．hang | C．drag | D．mark |
| A．He didn’t want to eat up all the candies. |
| B．He was too shy to greet the children directly. |
| C．He wanted to bring delight to the children. |
| D．He took pity on the homeless children in the street. |
| A．Uncle Chuchu’s Yoga Mat | B．Preet’s Farewell to Uncle Chuchu |
| C．Preet’s Innocent Childhood | D．Uncle Chuchu’s Jar of Candies |
I was standing in the checkout line behind a woman who looked to be in
The woman looked down,
Then she gave the cashier food stamps.
My heart ached. I wanted to help but didn't know how.
As I walked into the parking lot, I saw the woman
My heart pounded as I approached the woman.
"Excuse me," I said, my voice trembling a bit. "I couldn't help overhearing what you said to the cashier. It sounds like you're going through a really hard time right now. I'm so sorry. I'd like to give you something."
I handed her the small card from my purse.
When the woman read the card's only two words, she began to cry. And through her tears, she said: "You have no idea
I was a little startled by her reply.
The words on the card?
"You Matter."
A few weeks earlier, a colleague gave me a similar card
5 . Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast, mixing up words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny.
Jonas smiled, remembering the morning that Asher had dashed into the classroom, late as usual, arriving breathlessly in the middle of the chanting of the morning anthem (国歌). When the class took their seats at the conclusion of the patriotic song, Asher remained standing to make his public apology as was required.
“I apologize for inconveniencing my learning community.” Asher ran through the standard apology phrase rapidly, still catching his breath. The Instructor and class waited patiently for his explanation.
“I left home at the correct time but when I was riding along near the pool, the crew was separating some salmon. I guess I just got distraught, watching them.”
“I apologize to my classmates,” Asher concluded. He smoothed his messy collar and sat down.
“We accept your apology, Asher.” The class recited the standard response in unison. Many of the students were biting their lips to keep from laughing.
“I accept your apology, Asher,” the Instructor said. He was smiling. “And I thank you, because once again you have provided an opportunity for a lesson in language. ‘Distraught’ is too strong an adjective to describe salmon viewing.” He turned and wrote “distraught” on the instructional board. Beside it he wrote “distracted.”
Jonas, nearing his home now, smiled at the recollection.
Thinking, still, as he wheeled his bike into its narrow port beside the door, he realized that frightened was the wrong word to describe his feelings, now that December was almost here. It was too strong an adjective.
He had waited a long time for this special December, when the Ceremony of the Twelve will be held and the future assignment will be announced by the Elders in the committee.
Now that it was almost upon him, he wasn’t frightened, but he was... eager, he decided. He was eager for it to come. And he was excited, certainly. All of the Elevens were excited about the event that would be coming so soon. But there was a little tremble of nervousness when he thought about it, about what might happen.
Anxious, Jonas decided. That’s what I am.
1. Asher arrived at the school _________.| A．as soon as the students concluded the national anthem |
| B．after all the other students had taken their seats |
| C．when the Instructor had begun the language lesson |
| D．when students had started singing the patriotic song |
| A．To show he accepted the apology. |
| B．To explain the confusing words. |
| C．To warn students against using it. |
| D．To shame Asher for using the wrong word. |
| A．he found himself struggling to describe his feelings precisely |
| B．he was certain that he would make the same mistake as Asher did |
| C．he was reminded to use the appropriate language for the ceremony |
| D．he finally understood how Asher was feeling that morning |
| A．a science fiction novel |
| B．a journal of applied linguistics |
| C．a documentary about campus life |
| D．a manual for using language correctly |
