2 . Mark Twain, a great writer and speaker, was famous for his humor. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.   

One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes (蚊子) in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Waving his hand, Mark Twain said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will visit me.”

After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.

Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.

But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.

1. Why did Mark Twain’s friend warn him not to go to the town?

A．Because it was not a safe place.

B．Because there were no relatives of Mark Twain.

C．Because there were a lot of mosquitoes there.

D．Because he wanted to do something there for his writing.

2. What did the waiters feel sorry for?

A．Many mosquitoes in Mark’s room.

B．Their small hotel.

C．The room not being very clean.

D．The lock of the door going wrong.

3. All the people present laughed heartily because __________.

A．the mosquitoes were very clever without coming into the wrong room

B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

D．Mark Twain made a joke

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Mark was well looked after in the hotel.

B．No mosquitoes troubled Mark in the night.

C．Mark didn’t have a good sleep that night.

D．There were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer.

5 . On weekends, I went to the local library to borrow books as usual. On my way there I would pass by the nursing home. This time as I_________toward the library, I saw an old woman_________there all by herself. Today I decided to go to_________to her instead of just walking past.

The old woman was very_________to share her life with me. She told me about her_________and that her father was an activist. She told me about the wonderful_________she had taken when she was exploring in Africa and the_________moments she had with her friends. And it felt nice to_________a smile on her face while she was_________her best times. We sat there for about an hour.

She told me she was__________and that it was nice to talk to someone after such a__________time. The last person she had had a(n)__________with was one of the nurses but she had found another__________and left. Up to now there wasn’t anyone for her to__________with.

It made me feel__________that some old people are easily affected by the social__________. And sometimes this can have a serious impact on their__________. We should try to best to spare some time to__________the elderly, whether they are our grandparents, neighbors or__________a random elderly person. The elderly woman was highly__________and I learned so much from her in less than an hour.

1.

A．drove

B．rode

C．walked

D．rushed

2.

A．singing

B．sitting

C．sobbing

D．sleeping

3.

A．apologize

B．complain

C．talk

D．listen

4.

A．excited

B．surprised

C．anxious

D．embarrassed

5.

A．hobbies

B．success

C．friends

D．family

6.

A．adventures

B．theaters

C．places

D．experiments

7.

A．different

B．terrible

C．difficult

D．fun

8.

A．make

B．see

C．bring

D．leave

9.

A．enjoying

B．describing

C．performing

D．remembering

10.

A．alone

B．happy

C．popular

D．grateful

11.

A．short

B．sweet

C．long

D．great

12.

A．party

B．discussion

C．appointment

D．conversation

13.

A．agent

B．patient

C．job

D．destination

14.

A．chat

B．argue

C．exchange

D．bargain

15.

A．sad

B．proud

C．ashamed

D．certain

16.

A．rank

B．separation

C．pressure

D．discrimination

17.

A．view

B．ability

C．future

D．health

18.

A．observe

B．understand

C．accompany

D．ignore

19.

A．also

B．even

C．ever

D．still

20.

A．considerate

B．determined

C．careful

D．wise

6 . When David Carter started his art major at the University of Texas at Austin in 1971, he had big dreams of becoming an artist or a writer. But he dropped out of university at 23 after he hurt his hand badly in an incident. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia(精神分裂症) and spent several years without a home. Carter liked to spend time around UT-Austin, because he dreamed of being able to continue his study in the university and becoming a writer.

UT-Austin student Ryan Chandler said he met Carter during an assignment(任务)   on homelessness for The Daily Texan. “I interviewed him about homeless problems. After I heard his story, we kept in touch and really became friends. I learned he wanted to get back to UT-Austin, so I decided to help him.” said Chandler.

With the help of Chandler, who worked with the university office, Carter was assigned and adviser by UN-Austin’s College of Fine Arts. “It’s the greatest blessing I’ve ever received,” Carter said. “He did what had to be done to get me back to school, and I couldn’t have done it without him.” after seeing a magazine article about Carter, a UT-Austin alumnus(校友) decided to pay his tuition fees without telling his name.

Doug Dempster, dean of the college of Fine Arts, said in a statement that the school would be looking to help Carter in any way it could. “David Carter’s determination to complete his degree is a testament to finishing well what was started, and stopped, even many years earlier. We welcome him back as we do many students each year whose education could not be completed easily. We’re going to help him through his remaining course work.”

1. Why did Carter stop studying in the university?

A．He couldn’t afford his study.	B．He had a hand injury.
C．He got a strange disease.	D．He hurt an artist.

2. What was Chandler’s purpose in interviewing Carter?

A．To do an assignment on homelessness.

B．To learn why he hung around UT-Austin.

C．To make friends with a homeless person.

D．To finish his homework on helping others.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Chandler?

A．Brave.

B．Honest.

C．Strong-minded

D．Warm-hearted

4. What can we learn from Dempster’s words in the statement?

A．He encourages Carter to study hard.

B．He calls on other students to help Carter.

C．He supports students who never give up.

D．He suggests other students learn form Carter.