My aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary, when doctors discovered what was then thought to be a very serious heart disease.
Aunt Edith doesn’t accept defeat easily .She began studying medical reports in the library and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBekey, of Houston, Texas.He had saved the life of someone with the same illness .The article said Dr. DeBekey’s fees were very high; Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them .But could he tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to him .She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live: her three children, who would be on their own in three or four more years, her little - girl dreamt of traveling and seeing the world .There wasn’t a word of self-pity-only warmth and humor and the joy of living .She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
A few days later, my doorbell rang .Aunt Edith didn’t want to come in; she stood in the hall and read aloud. “Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply .If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation. Signed Michael DeBekey.”
That was seven years ago. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world .Her three children are happily married. For her age, she is one of the youngest, most alive people I know – all because of an open heart surgeon who knew how to honor his profession, and how to open his own heart.
56．Aunt Edith wrote a letter to Dr. Debakey to .
A．ask for his advice B．beg him to operate on her
C．ask him to introduce another doctor D．ask for his sympathy
57．The underlined phrase “open heart” in the last paragraph means .
A．open – minded B．kind – hearted C．patient D．skillful
58．What can we conclude from the passage?
A．Dr. DeBakey is willing to operate on anyone free of charge.
B．Dr. DeBakey is expert in getting along with his patients.
C．My aunt Edith is very poor and mean.
D．My aunt Edith is optimistic and strong – minded.
A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at the risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000, a legacy(遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty.” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents—should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.According to the text, the Fusses ________.
| A．were employed by a truck company | B．led a difficult life |
| C．worked in a school cafeteria | D．lost their home |
What can we learn about the Hatches?
| A．They had their children during the Great Depression. |
| B．They left the old house to live on their family farm. |
| C．They gave away their possessions（财产）to their neighbors. |
| D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs. |
What Sandy Van Weelden said mainly tells us that the Hatches were _________.
| A．understanding | B．kind | C．childlike | D．wealthy |
Early to bed, Early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
This is an old English saying. Have you heard it before? It means that we must go to bed early and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich(wealthy) and clever(wise).
Is this true? Perhaps it is. the body must have enough sleep. Children need ten hours’ sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you cannot have enough sleep. Then you cannot think properly(适当地) and you cannot do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy!
Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We must sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep properly. When the daylight comes, we must get up. This is the time for exercise. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running, jumping, swimming, and playing games are all exercise. If the body is not used, it becomes weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move ,brains(头脑) in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better.
Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we die. We must have a lot of clean, fresh(新鲜的) air to breathe if we want to be healthy.A habit is something we do .
| A．every month | B．twice a day | C．every week | D．very often |
Children need .
| A．ten hours’ sleep | B．two hours’ exercise |
| C．three hours’ homework | D．four hours’ games |
The best time to sleep is .
| A．when it is dark | B．when you are tired |
| C．after supper | D．after watching TV |
When you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets because the traffic drives on the left.
Before you cross a street, you must look to the right first and then the left.
If the traffic lights are red, the traffic must stop. Then the people on foot When you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets because the traffic drives on the left.
can cross the road.
If the traffic lights are green the traffic can go. People on foot mustn’t cross.
In the morning and in the evening when people go to or come from work the streets are very busy. Traffic is most dangerous then.
When you go by bus in England, you have to be careful, too. Always remember the traffic moves on the left. So you must be careful. Have a look first or you will go the wrong way.
In many English cities, there are big buses with two floors. You can sit on the second floor. From there you can see the city very well. It’s very interesting.In China, before you cross a street, you must look to first and then .
| A．the left, the right | B．the right, the left |
| C．the front, the back | D．the back, the front |
You must be careful when you go by bus in England because .
| A．there are too many buses there | B．the traffic lights are different |
| C．crossing the street is dangerous | D．you may go the wrong way |
In England, it is very interesting to .
| A．cross the streets | B．look at the traffic lights |
| C．sit on the second floor of a big bus and see the beautiful city | |
| D．look at the busy streets in the morning |
Which is the best title?
| A．Buses in England | B．Traffic in England | C．Traveling in England | D．Traffic Lights in England |
Modern life is impossible without travelling. The fastest way of travelling is by plane. With a modern airline you can travel in one day to places which it took a month or more to get to hundred years ago.
Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages(便利). You can see the country you are travelling through. Modern trains have comfortable seats and dining-cars. They make even the longest journey enjoyable.
Some people prefer to travel by sea when possible. There are large liners and river boats. You can visit many other countries and different parts of your country on them. Ships are not so fast as trains or planes, but travelling by sea is a very pleasant way to spend a holiday.
Many people like to travel by car. You can make your own timetable. You can travel three or four hundred miles or only fifty or one hundred miles a day, just as you like. You can stop wherever you wish where there is something interesting to see, at good restaurant where you can enjoy a good meal, or at a hotel to spend the night. That is why travelling by car is popular for pleasure trips, while people usually take a train or plane when they are travelling on business.From the passage, we know the fastest way of travelling is .
| A．by train | B．by sea | C．by plane | D．by car |
If we travel by car, we can .
| A．make the longest journey enjoyable | B．travel to a very far place in several minutes |
| C．make our own timetable | D．travel only fifty or one hundred miles a day |
When people travel on business, they usually take .
| A．a plane or a car | B．a car or a boat | C．a boat or a train | D．a train or a plane |
How many ways of travelling are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Four | B．Three | C．Two | D．Six |
Billy and Bobby were small boys. They were brothers, and they often fought each other.
Last Saturday their mother said to them, “I’m going to cook our lunch now, go out and play in the garden……and be good.”
“Yes, Mum,” the two boys answered, and they went out.
They played in the garden for half an hour, and then Billy ran in. “Mum,” he said, “Bobby’s broken a window in Mrs Allen’s house.” Mrs Allen was one of their neighbours.
“He’s a bad boy,” his mother said. “How did he break it?”
“I threw a stone at him,” Billy answered, “and he quickly moved down.”Billy and Bobby were .
| A．sisters | B．classmates | C．not often kind to each other | D．always kind to each other |
Last Saturday their mother asked them .
| A．not to play in the garden | B．to cook their lunch |
| C．not to go out | D．to be good |
broke the window.
| A．Mrs Allen | B．Billy | C．Bobby | D．The mother |
Mrs Allen was .
| A．Billy’s mother | B．their neighbour | C．their mother | D．Bobby’s aunt |