Hans was an honest fellow with a funny round good-humored face. Living alone, every day he worked in his garden. In all the countryside there was no garden so lovely as his. All sorts of flowers grew there, blooming in their proper order as the months went by, one flower taking another flower’s place, so that there were always beautiful things to see, and pleasant odors to smell.
Hans had many friends, the most devoted being the Miller. So devoted was the rich Miller to Hans, that he’d never go by his garden without plucking a large bunch of flowers or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with fruits. The Miller used to talk about noble ideas, and Hans nodded and smiled, felling proud of having such a friend.
The neighbors thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave Hans anything in return, though he had hundreds of sacks of flour, many cows and sheep; but Hans never troubled his head about these, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things about the unselfishness of true friendship.
In spring, summer, and autumn Hans was very happy, but when winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger. Though extremely lonely, the Miller never came to see him then.
“There’s no good in going to see Hans while the snow last.” The Miller said to his wife, “When people are in trouble they shouldn’t be bothered. So I’ll wait till the spring comes when he’s happy to give me flowers.”
“You’re certainly very thoughtful,” answered his wife, “It’s quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship.”
“Couldn’t we ask Hans up here?” said their son. “I’ll give him half my meal, and show him my white rabbits.”
“How silly you are!” cried the Miller; “I really don’t know what’s the use of sending you to school. If Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, our good supper, and our red wine, he might get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody’s nature. I am his best friend, and I’ll always watch over him, and see that he’s not led into any temptation. Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me for some flour. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they shouldn’t be confused. The words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things. Everybody can see that” He looked seriously at his son, who felt so ashamed that he hung his head down, and grew quite scared, and began to cry into his tea.
Spring coming, the Miller went down to see Hans. Again he talked about friendship. “Hans, friendship never forgets. I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life. See, how lovely your roses are!”
Hands said he wanted to sell them in the market to buy back his things which were sold during the hard time of the winter.
“I’ll give you many good things. I think being generous is the base of friendship.” said the Miller. “And now, as I’ll give you many good things, I’m sure you’d like to give me some flowers in return. Here’s the basket, and fill it quite full.”
Poor Hans was afraid to say anything, he ran and plucked all his pretty roses, and filled the Miller’s basket, imagining the many good things promised by the Miller.
The next day he heard the Miller calling: “Hans, would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?”
“I’m sorry, but I am really very busy today.”
“Well,” said the Miller, “considering that I’m going to give you my things, it’s rather unfriendly of you to refuse. Upon my word, you mustn’t mind my speaking quite plainly to you.”
Poor Hans was driven by his friendship theory to work hard for his best friend, leaving his garden dry and wasted.
One evening Hans was sitting by fire when the Miller came.
“Hans,” cried the Miller, “My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I’m going for the Doctor. But he lives so far away, and it’s such a bad windy night. It has just occurred to me that you can go instead of me. You know I’m going to give you my good things, so you should do something for me in return.”
“Certainly,” cried Hans. He struggled into the stormy night, and got the doctor to ride a horse to the Miller’s house in time to save the boy. However, Hans got lost in the darkness, and wandered off into a deep pool, drowned.
At Hans’ funeral, the Miller said: “I was his best friend. I should walk at the head of the procession.” Every now and then he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. .From the passage, we can learn that Hans ______.
| A．was extremely wise and noble | B．was highly valued by the Miller |
| C．admired the Miller very much | D．had a strong desire for fortune |
. “Flour is one thing, and friendship is another” can be understood as ______.
| A．“Different words may mean quite different things.” |
| B．“Interest is permanent while friendship is flexible.” |
| C．“I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life.” |
| D．“I think being generous is the base of friendship.” |
.Hans worked a lot for the Miller because he ______.
| A．was convinced of the Miller’s noble talk | B．owed the Miller many valuable things |
| C．was treated as a best friend by the Miller | D．intended to show off his unselfishness |
.From the Miller’s talk at home, we can see he was ______.
| A．serious but kind | B．helpful and generous | C．caring but strict | D．selfish and cold-hearted |
. What’s the main cause of Hans’ tragedy?
| A．True friendship between them | B．A lack of formal education |
| C．A sudden change of weather | D．Blind devotion to a friend |
. The author described the Miller’s behavior in order to ______.
| A．entertain the readers with an incredible joking tale |
| B．show the friendship between Hans and the Miller |
| C．warn the readers about the danger of a false friend |
| D．persuade people to be as intelligent as the Miller |
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.
It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend（超越） it. Once we truly know that life is difficult---once we truly understand and accept it---then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness, or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, those things that hurt, instruct. It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. From the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ______.
| A．save space | B．persuade readers |
| C．get readers’ attention | D．make readers laugh |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to______.
| A．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problem |
| B．encourage them to learn |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain |
| D．teach them how to respect from problems |
The main idea of Paragraph 3 is that ______.
| A．most people feel life is easy |
| B．most people complain about how hard their lives are |
| C．the writer feels life is easy |
| D．the writer likes to complain about his problems |
In the Ituri forest of America live many tribes，one of which is Pygmy. Most of the Pygmies in the tribe are not taller than four feet. They weigh only about eighty pounds each.
In spite of their small size, they are the best hunters among all the jungle people. Even the great elephant can be caught by them.
Since they do not plant any crops, Pygmies are constantly moving around. They seldom sleep in one camp for more than a few days. In their camps there is not furniture at all except for some weapons such as spears, bows and arrows. There are no cooking pots either. Food is eaten uncooked or smoked over a lire. So when the tribe moves to a new camp there is nothing to carry except these weapons and babies too small to walk.
Pymies can move on the tree tops almost as skillfully as monkeys. Often they travel great distances through the branches without touching the ground.
One of the surprising facts about these small men and women is their great appetite（食欲）. A Pygmy can eat up sixty bananas at a single meal besides quantities of meat. After eating, they will lie on their hard earth bed and groan（呻吟）in all night. But in the morning, they are ready to eat the same amount of food or fight among themselves.Pygmies are small in size, but they are brave in ______.
| A．hunting | B．shooting | C．eating | D．fighting with their enemies |
Pygmies are so skillful that _____.
| A．they never walk on the ground | B．they can move on the top of trees |
| C．they always walk with sticks | D．they can hang from the branches |
The writer wrote this article so as to ______
| A．ask people to learn from Pygmies |
| B．help Pygmies go out of the forests |
| C．let us know the local condition and customs of the Pygmies |
| D．tell us the world is big and wide |
Why do Pygmies move from place to place continuously? The main reason is that _____.
| A．that want to look after wild animals | B．they always walk with sticks |
| C．they plant no crops | D．they don’t sleep in one camp |
As you grow rapidly through your teenage years, you will experience a lot of changes. The changes may seem difficult. 71 . Don’t panic! You will deal successfully with them! You are a young adult now!
With more responsibility, you will find more freedom to make your own choices. This is a time to be well informed about making choices. In this way you can make healthy balanced decisions. 72You may already know your career path or you may have no idea at all what you want to do. Both situations are fine! Work hard and the right opportunity will present itself to you.
Young adulthood means greater freedom and more choices. 73But try not to shut your family out of your life. You should learn to think of others even though you are old enough to look after yourself.
It is also perfectly natural at this time for you to spend more time with your friends than your family 74A true friend will stand by you no matter what happens.
This period is a part of the life cycle. These are some people who will be with you throughout life’s journey. There will be some people with whom you part and go separate ways. Leaving school can be hard. The reality is that you may not even see all of your classmates again.
You are a young adult. It is your life. No one can live it for you. 75So making the right choices will be important to you. Life is for living. Enjoy your life wisely!
| A．Choose your friends wisely. |
| B．They will help shape the future. |
| C．They may seem to happen quickly. |
| D．You will probably want to be independent. |
E. You may appreciate what you have in your own life.
F. The choices that you make from now on will be your choices.
G. Your family has been with you since you came into this world
Little Mark is only 6, but he has an IQ of 200, a genius among geniuses. But his intelligence comes at a cost. His parents must keep him intellectually simulated（启发）while making sure he is like any other little boy.
Mark has been attracted by the way how the world works since he was a baby. When he was 3, Mark was reading fluently, mostly self-taught. His parents haven't been able to keep him away from books since.
"I tried many times to stop him reading. We worry about his crazy fond of reading because he constantly wants to read every-thing whatever it is.”
A psychologist at the Centre for gifted children tested Mark and gave him an IQ of 200. The average child of Mark's age has an IQ of 100. At 200, Mark is a genius-even compared with other child geniuses.
"With children like Mark you can tell that's a bright child as soon as they walk in. They just have this sort of intensity, and maybe they're not so good at communicating with people," the psychologist said. "He will never fit perfectly into a class where he's with children of his age.”But Mark's mother worries about the "socially isolated" labels. "Nobody wants their child to grow up with that image. I want him to communicate with others freely, but not to be frustrated academically, so it's really hard to find a balance," she says.
Helen Dudeney from the Talented and Gifted Children Association says Mark is one in a million with such a high IQ. She points out that geniuses are still rare and difficult for the public education system to handle. "The lack of coping comes because teachers aren't trained in teaching gifted children," says Dudeney.
Helen believes it's also extremely important for them to be recognized and supported in their talents. Mark's parents are trying to figure out how best to help Mark. At the moment, there are few options. Mark finds first year work boring and simple, but he must learn to complete the work. His mother says, "We just want to be happy. Just to have a happy childhood and want to go to school every day.”By saying "But his intelligence comes at a cost. ",the author means that
| A．Mark must pay for his intelligence at a high price |
| B．Mark's intelligence brings him negative effects at the same time |
| C．Mark's intelligence results from his parents |
| D．Mark's parents make Mark clever at all costs |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mark's parents are very satisfied with his love for reading. |
| B．Mark began to teach himself reading at the age of 3. |
| C．Many child geniuses are not good at communicating with others. |
| D．It is hard for parents to bring up a genius. |
If there are 6. 6 billion people in the world, the number of geniuses with an IQ of 200 will be
________．
| A．about 4,400 | B．about 5,500 | C．about 6,600 | D．about 7,700 |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A genius' craziness for books |
| B．The life of the genius' parents |
| C．The burden of being gifted |
| D．The characteristics of Mark |
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sight that Pompeii is famous for—its stadium and theaters, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,ooo years.
Once Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mt Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mt Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not. In August of the year 79 AD, Mt Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ashes began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city almost looked the same as it had looked in 79 AD. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread—a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii. Why do large number of people come to Pompeii each year?
| A．To visit the volcano. | B．To shop and eat there. |
| C．To watch sports and plays. | D．To see how Pompeiians lived. |
Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in 79 AD ?
| A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2,000 years ago?
A. They lived more or less the same as Italians now do.
B. They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup.
C. They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.
D. They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in 79 AD.