There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care. To water his flowers, he used two buckets. One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one, which had seen many years of service, but was now past its best.
Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path, one on each side, to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled (溢出). The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds, much water had leaked（漏水） along the path.
Sometimes the new bucket would say, “See how great I am! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day! I don't know why he still bothers with you. What a waste of space you are!”
And all that the old bucket could say was. “I know I am not very useful, but I can only do my best. I am happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me, at least.”
One day, the gardener heard that kind of conversation. After watering the flowers as usual, he said, “You both have done your work very well. Now I am going to carry you back. I want you to look carefully along the path.”
Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare（光秃秃的）earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean?
| A．dirty | B．dark | C．dusk | D．broken |
What was the old bucket ashamed of?
| A．His leaking. | B．His aging. | C．His manner. | D．His past. |
The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to _________.
| A．show off its beautiful looks | B．feel sorry about the old one |
| C．laugh at the old one | D．praise the gardener’s kindness |
Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?
| A．Because it was used to keep balance（平衡） |
| B．Because it stayed in its best condition |
| C．Because it had its own value |
| D．Because it was treated as a treasure |
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were sitting on the sand， reading their magazines． Mr. Gordon was too stingy（吝啬）to rent a chair． Their twelve－year－old daughter，Sandra， was playing at the water's edge． Suddenly a huge wave lifted Sandra up and carried her out to sea． Fortunately， a lifeguard was on duty and he saw the wave carry Sandra away． He ran along the beach and dived into the sea． He swam quickly to where the girl， with her head only just above the water， was shouting for help． She was very frightened． When the lifeguard reached her, she struggled with him， as drowning people often do． However， he was a skilful lifeguard and quickly took hold of her and swam with her back to the beach． By the time he reached it， Mr. and Mrs. Gordon had realized what had happened． They had run down to the water's edge． Neither of them could swim． They just stood in the shallow water， and worried about their daughter． Had the lifeguard reached her in time？ Fortunately， he had． “That was quick work，young man，”Mr. Gordon said． He turned to his wife， “Give the lifeguard a dollar．” “A dollar！” Sandra cried． “Dad，how can you give him a dollar！ He saved my life． I was half dead．” “Quite right， girl” Mr. Gordon said， pleased by his daughter's awareness（知道） of the value of money． He turned to his wife again and said， “She's right． She was only half dead． Give him fifty cents． ”What happened to Sandra？
| A．She ran into the sea． |
| B．Her life was saved by a lifeguard． |
| C．She was drowned． |
| D．She died． |
What did Mr. and Mrs. Gordon do when Sandra was carried out to sea by the wave？
| A．They shouted to the lifeguard． |
| B．They dived into the water． |
| C．Perhaps they were reading magazines． |
| D．They offered the lifeguard money to save Sandra． |
Why was Sandra angry with her father？
| A．He did not give the lifeguard any money． |
| B．He did not swim out to save her． |
| C．He did not show the lifeguard hearty thankfulness． |
| D．He gave the lifeguard too much money． |
Why was Mr. Gordon pleased with her daughter？
| A．She was safe again． |
| B．She was polite to the lifeguard． |
| C．He thought she did not want him to give the life-guard too much money． |
| D．She gave the lifeguard fifty cents． |
One day I took several pairs of shoes to the shoemaker to be mended. After a week I went to take them back. Four months later, my husband and I were invited to dinner. I took out a pair of shoes. I hadn't worn them since they were mended. I put one shoe on my right foot, and then I put the other on my left. But I felt that the other one was on the wrong foot. I took both shoes off for a closer look. They were nearly the same style (式样), color and size, but each was for the right foot. Then I thought of the shoemaker. Though I was sure he wouldn't remember me after such a long time, I called him. "Thank goodness you called me at last!" He said happily. "An angry woman has been troubling me for months!"How many pairs of shoes did the woman take to the shoemaker to be mended?
| A．One shoe. | B．Two pairs of shoes. |
| C．Only three shoes. | D．Some pairs of shoes. |
The shoemaker ___________.
| A．was very careful with his work |
| B．mistook one of the woman' s shoes for the other woman' s |
| C．forgot the woman because it happened a long time ago |
| D．was troubled by two men |
Did the woman look at the shoes carefully after they were taken back?
| A．Yes, she did. | B．The story didn't tell us. |
| C．No, but her husband did. | D．No, she didn't. |
The shoemaker felt very when the woman rang him.
| A．sad | B．angry | C．glad | D．worried |
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer. Sports change with the season.
People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time．
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character(性格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面).According to this passage we know that ____.
| A．people began to play about one hundred years ago |
| B．about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played |
| C．basketball has a longer history than volleyball |
| D．not all the games have a long history |
The writer didn’t tell us in this passage that ____.
| A．basketball was invented in America |
| B．sports change with the season |
| C．games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
| D．football is played all over the world |
People all over the world enjoy sports because ____ .
| A．sports are interesting |
| B．sports help to keep people healthy , happy and to live longer |
| C．sports help to train one’s character |
| D．all of the above |
From this passage we can see that _____ .
| A．sports and games are unimportant things that people do |
| B．sports and games should be treated only as amusement (娱乐活动) |
| C．sports and games are only useful to the old |
| D．none of the above is true |
What’s the writer’s attitude of the sports?
| A．positive | B．negative | C．neutral | D．We have no idea. |
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas．
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something. These things are difficult to tell their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better.
| A．friends | B．brothers | C．sisters | D．parents |
When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parents, they usually____
| A．stay alone at home |
| B．fight with their parents |
| C．discuss it with their friends |
| D．go to their brothers and sisters for help |
The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome．” means _______．
| A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us. |
| B．We have got no idea, so your answers are welcome. |
| C．Your answers are always right. |
| D．You can give us all the right answers. |
Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?
| A．Parents should choose friends for their children |
| B．Children should choose everything they like |
| C．Parents should understand their children better |
| D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help |
Part of the purpose of this passage is to ___.
| A．give information for the parents to make their own judgment (判断) |
| B．give advice to children who want to choose their friends |
| C．help parents to find better friends for their children |
| D．get some information from many readers |
Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life ?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly . Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do?
A writer has said, “people can’t live without computers today.”
The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.
Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别). They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet. The Internet can not be used for ______.
| A．studying | B．shopping | C．thinking | D．playing |
When the computer was invented, it was ______.
| A．large and worked quickly1 |
| B．small and worked |
| C．large but worked slowly. |
| D．small but worked quickly . |
The Internet was born in about _____.
| A．1960 | B．1970 | C．1980 | D．1985 |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Few students like going into the Internet. |
| B．students use the Internet to make “unreal friends.” |
| C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other. |
| D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well. |
What does the writer think of the Internet?
| A．It is wonderful. |
| B．It can make students study harder. |
| C．It is not good for students. |
| D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it. |