1 . As you read, remember: gifts from the heart are the best ones you’ll ever receive.

According to legend (传说), a young man while moving about the desert came across a spring of delicious clear water. The water was so sweet that he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to an elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he gave the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was very smelly. It had become no longer fresh because of the old leather container. The student asked his teacher, “Master, the water was smelly. Why did you pretend to like it?”

The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.”

I think we understand this lesson best when we receive gifts of love from young children. Whether it’s a piece of paper or a ruler, the natural and proper response (反应) is appreciation and we express thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.

Gratitude (感激) doesn’t always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling in it. We should tell ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.

1. Based on the story, what did the water for the old man actually stand for?

A．The young man’s loving-kindness.	B．The beauty of the desert.
C．The source of the legend.	D．The importance of giving.

2. What was the old man’s response after drinking the water?

A．He frowned (皱眉) at the water.	B．He showed his appreciation.
C．He didn’t say anything.	D．He was moved to tears.

3. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．The Importance of Gratitude.	B．Gifts from Children
C．Gifts from the Heart	D．A leather Container

2 . 阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。

I went up to the roof for a break after studying for an hour and watched the 50 or so people swimming in the natural rock pool below our house. It was a sunny day--a blue, cloudless sky over a calm sea. But then, as I looked in the distance, I discovered three or four big waves heading towards the shore. I'd seen these mini-tsunamis(海啸) many times before. They were heading at speed in the direction of the pool. Most people knew how to look out for them, but from the screams that started coming from the beach, I could tell someone was in trouble.

Without thinking, I ran down into the street, holding my body board(俯伏冲浪板) on the way and shouted at a stranger to go inside my house and call the coastguard. My neighbor Moises had heard the screaming as well and was also outside with his body board, so together we rushed to the steps that led down to the sea.

Once we got closer, we discovered the waves had pulled a boy and a girl from the pool and into the open sea. I knew that the nearest boat would take at least 30 minutes to reach us. Waiting for help wasn't a choice. I wasn't used to this sort of emergency--I’d never been trained as a lifeguard-but I didn't think twice about trying to save them. I supposed in a way I wanted to impress everyone: at 19, a deal like that can seem like a good opportunity to show off.

Moises and I dived into the water and it took us 10 minutes to get to them. When we finally reached them, they were almost lifeless with only their heads coming in and out of the water. We could tell they were still alive from their small breaths but it was clear they wouldn't have been able to stay there much longer. I held the boy and pulled him over my board. Moises moved the girl onto his board. We discussed pushing them back to the shore, but we were too far out.

注意：
1.所续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:

We had to wait.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

That night, word came from the hospital that the two people were in good condition.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . Long, long ago, there was a small village. This village had a (an) _______ tradition. At the beginning of every year, any boy who had reached the age of majority (成年) was given land and money to build a home. The boy had to _______ his home before winter. If his home failed to endure (忍耐) the cold weather in winter, the villagers could not _______   him in any way.

One _______, Paul and Marc reached their majority. They _______ their land and money and decided to search nearby villages for ideas on building their homes. In each village, they found the nicest _______ and talked to the owners. Each owner gladly offered _______.

After Marc saw several homes, he _______ the best ideas and went back to his own land. Paul, _______, continued collecting more ideas. Soon he had so many great ideas that he began to __________ some of them. But he always believed he could find even better ideas in the next village.

Marc began building his home. He had several false starts, __________ his home gradually rose from his land. By fall, Marc had finished his home. It wasn’t perfect, but it was strong and he could __________ it later. Paul enjoyed all the beautiful homes and __________ with home owners. The first snow came and Paul, realizing he was running out of time, __________ back to his land. He built the best home he could in the time he had, but it was __________. The first winter storm destroyed his home and he froze to __________. The villagers mourned (哀悼) for him.

Marc __________ the winter. Each year, Marc searched for other good ideas he could use to make his own home look better. He became a leader in the village, __________ a family, and lived a happy, content life.

We all build and improve our own mental homes. It’s __________ and fun for us to search for ideas from other mental home owners, but we only improve our own mental home if we actually __________ the best ideas.

1.

A．strange

B．hopeful

C．good

D．reasonable

2.

A．find

B．run

C．complete

D．buy

3.

A．help

B．encourage

C．scold

D．persuade

4.

A．winter

B．summer

C．autumn

D．spring

5.

A．exchanged

B．received

C．recognized

D．won

6.

A．girls

B．jobs

C．houses

D．presents

7.

A．rooms

B．drinks

C．attention

D．advice

8.

A．expected

B．gathered

C．created

D．understood

9.

A．similarly

B．finally

C．however

D．therefore

10.

A．forget

B．believe

C．replace

D．doubt

11.

A．because

B．although

C．but

D．so

12.

A．repair

B．rebuild

C．sell

D．improve

13.

A．conversations

B．achievements

C．struggles

D．arguments

14.

A．drove

B．rushed

C．flew

D．moved

15.

A．weak

B．funny

C．small

D．amazing

16.

A．blindness

B．death

C．sadness

D．disease

17.

A．experienced

B．hated

C．survived

D．spent

18.

A．brought

B．earned

C．contacted

D．raised

19.

A．slow

B．easy

C．dangerous

D．special

20.

A．realize

B．bring

C．collect

D．apply