1 . An old man lives with his little grandson. Every day the old man gets 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. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?| A．After the grandson reads books, he can’t understand what he reads. |
| B．After the grandson reads books, he gets up late. |
| C．After the grandson reads books, he always forgets what he reads. |
| D．After the grandson reads books, he sleeps late. |
| A．Once. | B．Twice. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
| A．We won’t have any changes. |
| B．We can understand everything. |
| C．We will be changed, inside and out. |
| D．We can never forget what we read. |
2 . I still remember that busy autumn evening as I hurried with my eldest daughter, Athena, to get to her classroom on time for the parent-teacher night. We walked in and all eyes were on me. A few adults quickly quieted their kids’ whispers. A classmate yelled to my daughter, “What’s wrong with your mom’s face?” Shocked, I started to explain my condition, but my six-year-old daughter looked at him and said, “It’s my mom’s birthmark! Don’t be rude!” I was extremely proud of how she handled that situation.
I was quite young when I realized I looked different because of my large facial birthmark. I always thought I would be alone because of it. Being compared to Batman’s evil Two-Face made me believe I could never find love. But I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who saw me for who I am inside. When I had my first daughter, I was overjoyed, but I began to worry if the world would judge my children. I always worried I might pass my condition onto my children; I didn’t want them to grow up feeling judged. Unfortunately, my facial difference has impacted my children. My daughters get disinvited from birthday parties or sleepovers, or I learn certain kids are no longer friends with mine after their parents saw me at school.
When my kids were young, I explained how my special purple skin was rare and we talked about acceptance and never judging others on how they look. When my girls kiss my purple-skinned cheek, I feel “normal” around them and their unconditional love. With time going by, both my daughters have become my strongest supporters. Thanks to them, I’ve begun to feel more self-confident as I try to be a good role model.
Their worldviews are similar to mine. We see the world a little differently and with a kinder, more accepting heart. As the saying goes, your daughters will grow up to be your best friends. I know that will be the case for me!
1. What happened when the author went to attend the parent-teacher night?| A．Athena was praised by others for her bravery and optimism. |
| B．Athena defended her mother against her classmate’s rudeness. |
| C．Some parents criticized their kids because of their misbehaviour. |
| D．The author felt shocked at her daughter’s response to her classmate. |
| A．Friendship needs to be watered by love. |
| B．We should treat our children as best friends. |
| C．We should accept other people’s differences. |
| D．Our ability to handle difficulties can be developed. |
| A．They have to drop out of school. |
| B．They have the same physical condition as me. |
| C．They have difficulty maintaining friendships. |
| D．They feel worried because they are often judged. |
| A．A birthmark to live with. | B．My strongest supporters. |
| C．A kind and accepting heart. | D．The confidence to be different. |
3 . There are many kinds of friends. Some are always
I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the
It was the golden season. I could see the
Autumn is a harvest season and life is uninteresting. The boring days always get me
I had
Leaves were still falling. Every day
Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly
“You definitely like violin.” she said.
“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
Suddenly, a
“
The girl smiled, and so did I.
I never heard her play again in my life. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine
| A．against | B．for | C．with | D．to |
| A．true | B．humorous | C．funny | D．old |
| A．leaves | B．violin | C．play | D．song |
| A．yellow | B．purple | C．green | D．blue |
| A．turning | B．referring | C．seeing | D．listening |
| A．down | B．off | C．up | D．over |
| A．busy | B．interested | C．lost | D．active |
| A．often | B．once | C．never | D．usually |
| A．standing | B．stopping | C．waiting | D．hearing |
| A．because | B．so | C．but | D．when |
| A．moving | B．interesting | C．encouraging | D．exciting |
| A．stopped | B．began | C．rose | D．changed |
| A．surprised | B．happy | C．strange | D．sad |
| A．In conclusion | B．In fact | C．In short | D．In total |
| A．figure | B．symbol | C．expression | D．sun |
4 . We have all heard that if you talk to yourself, you’re crazy,
My first exposure to positive self-talk was reading The Little Engine That Could. Do you remember that book from your childhood? While trying to make it up a big hill, the little engine keeps saying to himself, “I think I can, I think I can.” And of course, he makes it.
Positive self-talk is one of the most valuable tools you can use to keep yourself physically and mentally balanced. Many Olympic and professional athletes use it every time they practice or compete.
Positive self-talk can also help you calm down from anxiety and feel less sad. There was a period of time when I felt upset. Every morning, I woke up and said to myself, “Hi, Barton. You’re going to have a good day today.”
| A．In fact, that’s not always the case. |
| B．Much to my surprise, I was just fine |
| C．It’s a valuable lesson for us to learn and remember. |
| D．Instead, there are several different types of self-talk. |
| E．You know, I was programming my brain to feel good. |
| F．When it comes to positive self-talk, the simpler, the better. |
| G．That was an opportunity for me to try something challenging. |
Many people think that money brings happiness. However, according to Professor Michael Argyle, this is not true. In Britain, we are
Professor Argyle has found that very poor people and very rich people are unhappier than those in between. For example, very poor people in
Because of this, a few young millionaires are changing their life styles. Richard Cross, a multi-millionaire computer analyst ( 分 析 师 ) from California is an example. His house
So what can make
6 . Happiness is for everyone. You don’t need to care about those people who have beautiful houses with large gardens and swimming pools or those who have nice cars and a lot of money and so on. Why? Because those who have big houses may often feel lonely and those who have cars may want to walk on the country roads at their free time.
In fact, happiness is always around you if you put your heart into it. When you are in trouble at school, your friends will help you; when you study hard at your lessons, your parents are always taking good care of your life and your health; when you get success, your friends will say congratulations to you; when you do something wrong, people around you will help you to correct(改正) it. And when you do something good to others, you will feel happy, too. All these are your happiness. If you notice them, you can see that happiness is always around you.
Happiness is not the same as money. It is a feeling of your heart. When you are poor, you can also say you are very happy, because you have something else that can’t be bought with money. When you meet with difficulties, you can say loudly you are very happy, because you have more chances(机会) to challenge yourself. So you cannot always say you are poor and you have bad luck. As the saying goes, life is like a revolving(旋转)door. When it closes, it also opens. If you take every chance you get, you can be a happy and lucky person.
1. Happiness is for_________.| A．those who have large and beautiful houses | B．those who have cars |
| C．those who have a lot of money | D．all people |
| A．you may correct it | B．you will have no chance to challenge yourself |
| C．anybody will laugh at you | D．you will be happy |
| A．Do Something Good to Others | B．Happy and Lucky |
| C．Happiness | D．Life and Success |
Discovering yourself
In our daily life, it’s common that we may have trouble with our parents. Once, when I did my homework, I met some difficult words and took out my phone
It’s the different opinions
9 . A man was fishing on the bank of a river. A boy came to see him fishing. The man was really good at fishing and he could catch a full basket of fish in a short time. The man saw that the boy was very cute, and he wanted to give him a whole basket of fish. But the boy shook his head. The man was surprised and asked, “Why don’t you want the fish? ”
The boy replied, “I want the fishing rod(竿)in your hands.”
The man asked, “Why do you want the rod? ”
“I will eat up all the fish in the basket soon, but if I have the fishing rod,I can use it to catch a lot of fish by myself.”
Many people will certainly say the boy is very smart...wrong! If he doesn’t know fishing skills. He can’t catch fish without a fishing rod. It’s useless to only have a fishing rod, fishing skills are more important than having a fishing rod.
Many people want to have a “fishing rod” in their life. They are just like the boy, they thought that if they had a fishing rod, they would have fish to eat. Life is full of exciting things, we should try to learn fishing skills instead of having a fishing rod.
1. The man was fishing on the bank of________.| A．a river | B．a lake | C．a pool | D．a sea |
| A．smart | B．silly | C．wrong | D．hardworking |
| A．fish | B．eat fish | C．learn fishing skills | D．have a fishing rod |
10 . The fall leaves are really starting to change now. It looks like the trees and mountains have become a canvas painted by a loving artist. The bright, beautiful reds are
Today I noticed a lovely little girl from our community picking up the fallen leaves from the ground. The prettiest reds, yellows, and oranges were picked up and
I watched this
| A．shining | B．burning | C．flashing | D．shaking |
| A．gone | B．reserved | C．fixed | D．transformed |
| A．pad | B．bed | C．curtain | D．carpet |
| A．fruitful | B．bare | C．safe | D．natural |
| A．tears up | B．brings about | C．holds back | D．differs from |
| A．held | B．received | C．admired | D．searched |
| A．potentials | B．chances | C．treasures | D．exchanges. |
| A．scene | B．view | C．story | D．notice |
| A．return | B．break | C．continue | D．panic |
| A．fastest | B．easiest | C．coolest | D．fullest |
