There are many kinds of cars in the world. My grandmother thinks that is because cars are like their drivers. She says, “Rich people have expensive cars, big people have large cars, and old people have old cars,” But I don’t agree with her.
My neighbor, Mrs. Hill, is 82 years old. She drives only on Tuesday, and she drives only to the bank. She never drives more than 30 kilometers an hour. Do you think Mrs. Hill has a very old and small car? No! Her car is new. It is very large and it can go 200 kilometers an hour! My friend Mike is an artist. He draws beautiful pictures with a lot of colors. But his car is black! Mrs. Bates has a very old car. It often has engine(发动机) trouble. Does she have that kind of car because she is very poor? No, she has four factories and two million dollars in the bank. My aunt Mary has a car. Every Sunday, she drives to the country with her husband, her three children , her mother and their dog.
Now you read about my friends and their cars. Do you agree with my grandmother? My grandmother thinks________.
| A．big people drive small cars | B．old people drive new car |
| C．poor people have expensive cars | D．rich people have expensive cars |
Mrs. Hill’s car is _______.
| A．fast and new | B．fast but old | C．slow and old | D．fast and small |
Mrs. Bates may be ________.
| A．a worker | B．an artist | C．a boss | D．a bank clerk |
What kind of picture does Mike draw?
| A．He often draws pictures with black |
| B．He often draws very colorful pictures |
| C．He draws pictures with only a few colors |
| D．He never draws beautiful pictures |
There are _____ people in my aunt’s car on Sunday?
| A．5 | B．6 | C．7 | D．8 |
Once a traveller came into a village which was suffering from hunger. The villagers asked him to leave, for they feared he wanted them to give him food. They told him that there was no food. The traveller explained that he didn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with them instead. The villagers watched suspiciously as he built a fire and filled a pot with water With great ceremony(仪式), he pulled a stone from a bag, and dropped the stone into the pot of water. After a moment, he smelt the soup and shouted with excitement, “How delicious the soup is!” As the villagers began to show interest, he mentioned how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brought out a cabbage to share. This episode(情节) repeated itself until the soup had cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a full pot of soup that could feed everyone in the village was ready. This story describes when there are not enough resources(资源), humans will store things. We do not want to share. The story of stone soup helps us realize that, in doing so, we often prevent ourselves and everyone else from having a feast(盛宴).The meaning of this story goes far beyond food. We keep to ourselves ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer, but in fact we make the world, and ourselves, poorer. The traveller was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the ability to inspire(激发) them to give. In this way, they created a large meal that none of them could have created alone. Are you like one of the villagers? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a feast that can feed many. What does the underlined word “suspiciously” most probably mean?
| A．doubtfully | B．excitedly |
| C．curiously | D．fearfully |
The traveller put a stone into the pot in order to .
| A．teach the villagers to cook a soup with stone |
| B．inspire the villagers to bring out their own food |
| C．prove to the villagers that he didn’t want their food |
| D．help villagers to survive by giving them some food |
The writer mainly wants to tell us that .
| A．storing things in hard times is human nature |
| B．a good leader is very necessary in hard times |
| C．skills are needed to inspire people to share with others |
| D．sharing is more important than keeping things to oneself |
Harry is a boy with a learning disability. On his fourth birthday, he was given a pug called Millie. Two weeks after the dog’s arrival, he was happier and calmer and said his first words, “dog” and “mummy”. Just two months later, thieves stole the dog, and now the heartbroken little boy is back to where he started. He has refused to talk since losing his best friend. His mother was worried and gave him another dog, but he just “pushed it away”. Mrs Hainsworth, his mother, says, “My son is very sad. He’ll go over to her cage and just beat(敲打) on the bars. There is no word coming out, but you just know he’s screaming ‘Where is Millie’ inside. Millie was really his best friend. They would play together happily for hours. None of his toys has ever held his attention that long. Now he has just completely turned quiet again. ”Harry suffers from a condition which affects his ability to speak and move. But the dog’s being with him achieved more in days than months of speech therapy and physiotherapy had. Mrs Hainsworth says, “My son was so happy when he saw Millie. Being with Millie changed him, and within two weeks he had said his first words and was working on saying ‘dad’. Just last week, his teachers and I were saying how much Millie had helped him. And now this!” Mrs Hainsworth is considering buying another pug in the hope that her son will accept it. Maureen Hennis of the charity, Pets as Therapy, says she has seen many cases of dogs helping people with speech problems. “People may talk to a dog when they wouldn’t like to talk to another human,” she says. “A dog doesn’t care if words come out wrong.” Before getting Millie, Harry .
| A．had never seen a dog |
| B．had never said a word |
| C．had received little treatment |
| D．had never played with toys |
With Millie gone, Harry .
| A．is too sad to continue learning to talk |
| B．often quietly waits for her beside the cage |
| C．keeps asking his mother to get him another pug |
| D．does not want to play with other children any more |
According to Maureen Hennis, Millie was able to help Harry because .
| A．dogs are man’s best friends |
| B．dogs are very clever and helpful |
| C．children don’t have stress when talking to dogs |
| D．children would rather talk to dogs than to humans |
Boys and girls, this summer vacation is the time for you to prepare(准备) yourself for the future. The following is some advice on how to have a wonderful vacation.
Exercise. You have worked hard most of the time. So you need to join in outdoor activities. They can bring your whole body into action. You can benefit(受益) from different kinds of exercise such as swimming, running and mountain climbing.
Learn some life skills. One day, you will live alone. You can’t depend on your family any longer. So, you should learn to cook, wash and other skills.
Go for a journey. Travel to places of interest. In this way, you’ll understand cultures that are different from that of your hometown. Beautiful sights can also make you relaxed.
Enjoy family time. Don’t always sit in front of a computer alone. It’s great fun for you to spend time with your family.
If you follow the advice above, your summer vacation will be filled with joy and success.
Advice How to
Exercise You should take part in.
You can swim, run and go mountain climbing.
Learn some
life skills You will live alone and yourself one day.
You should learn to cook, wash and other skills.
Go for a
journey Travel to places of interest.
You will understand cultures.
Enjoy family
time You shouldn’t always sit in front of a computer alone.
You will have great funwith your family.
Once there was an between the colors. Each color thought it was the best and most important. So each color looked down upon others. Here are their debates（辩论）.
Green said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the of life and hope. I’m the color of grass, trees and leaves.
me, all animals would die.”
Yellow laughed: “I bring happiness and warmth into the world. Every time people look at a yellow sunflower, they start to smile. Without me there be no fun.”
Orange shouted: “I am the color of and strength. I have the most important vitamins (维生素). Think of carrots,
and oranges. When I appear in the sky, everyone is shocked at my beauty and nobody gives another thought to any of you.”
Red could no stand it, “I am the color of danger and bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood.”
Their voices louder and louder. The thunder(雷) got angry and the rain started to pour. When they became calm, the rain said, “You foolish colors. Don’t you know that each of you is unique (独一无二)? If you don’t agree, just follow me.” They did as the rain told
and together made the most
rainbow (彩虹).
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture(家具) shop that had once been ，a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
In the early morning, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I pay you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug(拥抱). She held on me and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.
| A．show she was familiar with the city |
| B．see some places for the last time |
| C．let the driver earn more money |
| D．reach the destination on time |
The taxi driver did not get the money because he ______.
| A．wanted to give her a hand |
| B．shut off the meter by mistake |
| C．had received her payment already |
| D．was in a hurry to take other passengers |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．People should respect(尊重) each other. |
| C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy. |
| D．People should learn to enjoy our life. |