2 . Once upon a time, there was a poor man. His ________ was also very poor — a small and empty house, which was ________ with spider webs (蜘蛛网). People tried to ________ coming into his house as they didn’t want to come to such a ________ place. And the poor man thought that poverty (贫困) was the ________ for his unlucky life.

Then, the poor man ________ a wise man and told him about his poverty. The man felt sorry for the poor man and gave him a vase (花瓶). “This will save you from ________,” the wise man ________. The poor man took the ________ from the wise man and wanted to ________ it at first and then spend the money on drinking, as usual. Besides, why would he ________ such a beautiful thing? But then he started ________ the vase carefully and decided not to take it to the market. He brought the vase back to his ________, put it on the table and started watching it again. 

“It’s not ________ for such a beautiful thing to be ________,” the poor man thought. So he ________ some flowers and put them into the vase. It became even ________. “Not good that such a beautiful thing stands next to a spider web,” the poor man ________ again.

So the poor man started ________ his house. He cleaned the dust, washed the floor and whitened the walls. And it became clear that his house wasn’t poor, ________ rather warm and comfortable. And the poor man wasn’t a poor man anymore, but a hard-working host, who had no time to think about poverty.

1.

A．child

B．home

C．health

D．village

2.

A．treated

B．built

C．filled

D．covered

3.

A．consider

B．forget

C．enjoy

D．avoid

4.

A．quiet

B．dirty

C．cold

D．wet

5.

A．reason

B．result

C．problem

D．change

6.

A．helped

B．thanked

C．met

D．protected

7.

A．danger

B．death

C．poorness

D．trouble

8.

A．said

B．shouted

C．cried

D．wrote

9.

A．money

B．vase

C．table

D．flower

10.

A．draw

B．study

C．throw

D．sell

11.

A．bring

B．buy

C．like

D．need

12.

A．washing

B．looking at

C．repairing

D．showing off

13.

A．house

B．farm

C．shop

D．school

14.

A．important

B．right

C．possible

D．easy

15.

A．big

B．empty

C．old

D．safe

16.

A．planted

B．borrowed

C．stole

D．picked

17.

A．more beautiful

B．stranger

C．more expensive

D．stronger

18.

A．expected

B．thought

C．believed

D．doubted

19.

A．cleaning

B．checking

C．moving

D．choosing

20.

A．or

B．for

C．but

D．and

6 . “Be proud of what you do,” my father always told me, “whether you are a boss or a cleaner.” When I was 15, I got a summer job in a hospital. I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad's words. Even though my job was the lowest, it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return, I was treated with respect by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning the toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well. Hearing people say “That young boy really does a good job”, I was filled with pride.

Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one's job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Through every job I have ever had, my father's words have always stayed with me. I was a good cleaner, and now I'm a good manager. I think Dad would be proud of me all the time.

1. The writer's first job was a ________.

A．boss	B．manager
C．cleaner	D．doctor

2. Which of the following didn't the writer do in the hospital according to the passage?

A．Washing dishes.	B．Looking after patients.
C．Cleaning toilets.	D．Sweeping the floor.

3. When the writer was in the hospital, he________.

A．worked hard	B．wasn't tired
C．made the patients sick	D．did everything

4. From the passage we know that ________ .

A．the writer's father always stayed with him

B．the father didn't like the writer's first job

C．the writer wasn't proud of his first job

D．the father's words encouraged the writer to do everything well

7 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied （欺凌）at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.

But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy 1 shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received, I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.

Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.

After surviving the terrible experiences at school and at home, 1 made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.

Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone's life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.

1. What was the author's life like when he was 12?

A．Boring.

B．Peaceful.

C．Joyful.

D．Unhappy.

2. What benefit did the author get from the volunteer work?

A．It helped him find the goal of life.

B．It made him energetic in his life.

C．It helped to shape his dream career.

D．It helped him understand others' lives better.

3. The reason why the author chose writing as his job is that ________.

A．he was inspired by his teacher.

B．he found he had a talent for writing.

C．he could pass positive energy to readers.

D．he wanted to share his teenage experiences.

4. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．Say 'no' to bullies bravely.

B．Make positive changes in our lives.

C．Treat others with kindness in daily life.

D．Learn to care more about others' feelings.

8 . Shortly before Christmas last year, one of Brazilian pianists Joao Carlos Martins invited his friends to a bar near his home. He wanted to show them the best gift he had received: a new pair of gloves. They are not just any gloves, however. The special bionic devices（仿生设备）let the 79-year-old pianist play with both hands for the first time in more than 20 years.

By his retirement（退休） last March, Martins had received 24 medical operations to try to reduce pain caused by a disease and from a series of accidents. Before the gloves, which were especially developed for him, Martins could only play songs slowly with his thumbs and, sometimes, his pointer fingers.

However, one designer believed Martins’ retirement had come too early. The designer, Ubirata Bizarro Costa, created special bionic gloves for Martins’ hands. The gloves help move his fingers up after they press（按） on the piano keys. Costa said he created early models based on images of Martins’ hands, but he said those models were not good. He then decided to tell Martins about his work. Costa and Martins then spent several months testing several kinds of models. Finally, the perfect model came in December, and cost only $125.

These days, Martins never takes off his new gloves, even when he goes to sleep. Martins said, “I have received more than 100 devices in the last 50 years. None of those devices worked well or long enough, but these gloves do.”

The new gloves have given Martins a new goal. He hopes to play the piano at New York’s Carnegie Hall in October. He is already set to conduct a concert celebrating the 60^th anniversary of his first appearance there.

1. What do we know about Martins?

A．He hates playing the piano in bar.

B．He has been fired by a music company.

C．He has received the best present in his life.

D．He often discusses with his friends about music.

2. What caused the pianist’s pain?

A．A failed operation.	B．His friend’s death.
C．The new pair of gloves.	D．A disease and some accidents.

3. How did Costa and Martins create the perfect bionic gloves?

A．By testing different models.	B．By pressing Martins’s fingers.
C．By examining Costa’s hands.	D．By working with other companies

4. What does Martins think of the special pair of gloves?

A．They are useless.	B．They are frightening.
C．They are strange.	D．They are satisfying.

9 . Sitting at a table in my school cafeteria, I looked around,slowly taking in everything. Student after student passed my____carrying that day’s lunch, but if you looked deeper,there was more to___.There was more than just theuniform they were wearing, or the way they had styled theirhair that day. There was a lot more hidden under the_______.

Catching the eye of a girl in my grade sitting at a nearbytable, I waved politely. She smiled___and then continuedto pick at the spaghetti in front of her. If I hadn't___recently that her mother was dying of leukemia, I would havenever___anything was wrong and I may not have been as_____and sympathetic, either. It suddenly____me thatwe judge others too quickly without knowing the whole story.

I have an incurable lung disease. No one at our schoolknows --- I don't show any noticeable____except for a fewcoughs here and there. I go about my day like any other kid,___with the realization that I have a___and terrifyingfuture.

Before that day when I decided to___the world witha new perspective, I__myself almost every day. Ithought only about myself and my heavy__.But I've now realized no one is______---- we just need to accept thewaywe are.

1.

A．order

B．room

C．table

D．cafeteria

2.

A．imagine

B．compare

C．observe

D．exchange

3.

A．uniform

B．rules

C．circumstances

D．surface

4.

A．weakly

B．casually

C．happily

D．impatiently

5.

A．found

B．noticed

C．heard

D．decided

6.

A．remembered

B．suspected

C．predicted

D．regretted

7.

A．willing

B．outstanding

C．understanding

D．demanding

8.

A．escaped

B．satisfied

C．hit

D．attracted

9.

A．diseases

B．symptoms

C．complaints

D．weaknesses

10.

A．but

B．and

C．or

D．so

11.

A．bright

B．real

C．serious

D．dark

12.

A．tolerate

B．create

C．change

D．view

13.

A．forgave

B．pitied

C．challenged

D．encouraged

14.

A．debt

B．reward

C．burden

D．workload

15.

A．changeable

B．perfect

C．unique

D．different

10 . As a volunteer teacher, I moved into an apartment with eagerness. Sorting all the necessary paperwork out, I got ready to start my work. Great, or so I thought. At 4 a.m. And at several intervals after that, I was rudely awoken by the cock that lives opposite me. Fantastic! I now have 5 extra alarms every morning.

In the following weeks, I also started to notice a trend. Things in my flat started to break at the rate of one object per day, like the hot water line, bowls, cups, shower, doors or glass shelves. Yes, I am clumsy but things just fell apart.

If it wasn't broken, it would either be dirty or missing. Using my washing basket for the first time was pretty disgusting. When I took out my clothes, they were swiftly followed by a hundred or so bugs that were living in the bottom.

As for the general lack of equipment in the house, there was no oven, tin opener, or sharp knives. It turns out making a vegetarian burger from scratch wasn't the best idea. I had a small microwave and a grill. I thought the general understanding was never to put metal in a microwave but I went on. Smoke soon started to appear. I'm not quite sure if it was the burger or the grill but as soon as I opened the door, the electricity cut out. I spent the following 10 minutes in a dark, smoky room hunting for the power switch using the light from my mobile phone, which broke the week after and left me without a connection to the outer world.

Luckily, I'm now borrowing a phone and my luck has returned. No more things have broken (probably because there is nothing left to break). I am learning how to adapt to life with limited, broken utensils(用具)。

1. How did the author feel about her new life upon her arrival?

A．She was nervous to kick off the new job.

B．She was annoyed with the rude students.

C．She was full of enthusiasm about her new life.

D．She was satisfied with five alarm clocks in her room.

2. What was the trend in the following weeks?

A．Her flat became dirtier.	B．She developed disability.
C．Things began to go wrong.	D．More clothes needed mending.

3. What happened when the author was making a burger?

A．She suffered a big fire.	B．She made a terrible mistake.
C．She was seriously injured.	D．She broke her phone accidentally.

4. What can be inferred about the author from the end of the passage?

A．She will go on living here.	B．She will resign from her job.
C．She will move into a new flat.	D．She will buy new daily necessities.