Christmas Eve was tomorrow. I hoped one of the packages that held a camera had already been placed under the Christmas tree. It was the only thing I wanted. I had been dropping hints to my parents. I love taking photos. My bedroom walls are covered with photos I had taken with my mom’s old camera. I’m always trying to capture (捕捉) those perfect moments in which you can hear the laughter or touch the beautiful scene, but my camera has always seemed to fall short.
I knew Mom had put a few presents under the tree this morning, so I went on a hunt in my mom’s room. I opened the door and found my Christmas present was lying unwrapped on the floor — a big pink cat. I felt so disappointed.
Mom seemed to notice that, and she tried to cheer me up. “Stacy, I got your present today. I am so excited to surprise you!” “I can’t wait,” I said.
The next day I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to tell her.
“Mom, may I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure, dear. What do you need to talk about?” she asked.
And so it came — how upset I was that I was getting a cat.
“Stacy, that cat is for your sister Julia!” she said with a smile.
“Then what am I getting?” I asked.
She just smiled. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Next morning, I happily got into the living room and sat next to the tree. I pulled out the box with my name on it and opened the wrapping paper to find ...
My camera! “Thank you!” I said to both Dad and Mom.
Dad picked up the camera and took a picture of Julia, Mom and me. It has become one of my favorite pictures. Just on that Christmas morning, I took lots of photos with my camera — my little sister making a face, my parents giving me a soft smile — and all of these photos have come to mean one thing to me: love.The underlined phrase “dropping hints” in Para-graph 1 means _____.
| A．talking often | B．suggesting indirectly |
| C．sending presents | D．taking pictures |
Why did Stacy feel disappointed at first?
| A．Her mother couldn’t understand her at all. |
| B．Her mother didn’t buy her any Christmas gift. |
| C．She mistook her sister’s Christmas gift for hers. |
| D．She didn’t find her present in her mom’s room. |
We can learn from the passage that _____.
| A．her mother bought Stacy a camera after discovering her disappointment |
| B．her mother knew what gift Stacy wanted for Christmas |
| C．Stacy thought it’s OK to have an old camera |
| D．Stacy finally got her gift on Christmas Eve |
What is the last paragraph mainly about?
| A．The family happiness captured by the camera. |
| B．The nice Christmas that Stacy spent. |
| C．The beautiful pictures that Stacy took. |
| D．The true love that Stacy got from her parents. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Christmas gift as wished |
| B．Love is more important than gifts |
| C．A wonderful Christmas |
| D．Love can not be bought |
Arriving in Sydney on his own from India, my husband, Rashid, stayed in a hotel for a short time while looking for a house for me and our children.
During the first week of his stay, he went out one day to do some shopping. He came back in the late afternoon to discover that his suitcase was gone. He was extremely worried as the suitcase had all his important papers, including his passport.
He reported the case to the police and then sat there，lost and lonely in a strange city, thinking of the terrible troubles of getting all the paperwork organized again from a distant country while trying to settle down in a new one.
Late in the evening, the phone rang. It was a stranger. He was trying to pronounce my husband’s name and was asking him a lot of questions. Then he said they had found a pile of papers in their trash can（垃圾桶）that had been left out on the footpath.
My husband rushed to their home to find a kind family holding all his papers and documents. Their young daughter had gone to the trash can and found a pile of unfamiliar papers. Her parents had carefully sorted them out, although they had found mainly foreign addresses on most of the documents. At last they had seen a half-written letter in the pile in which my husband had given his new telephone number to a friend.
That family not only restored the important documents to us that day but also restored our faith and trust in people. We still remember their kindness and often send a warm wish their way.What did Rashid plan to do after his arrival in Sydney?
| A．Go shopping | B．Find a house |
| C．Join his family | D．Take a vacation |
The girl’s parents got Rashid’s phone number from_______.
| A．a friend of his family |
| B．a Sydney policeman |
| C．a letter in his papers |
| D．a stranger in Sydney |
What does the underlined word “restored” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Showed | B．Sent out | C．Delivered | D．Gave back |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．From India to Australia. |
| B．Living in a New Country. |
| C．Turning Trash to Treasure. |
| D．In Search of New Friends. |
Even though it was only October, my students were already talking about Christmas plans. With each passing day everyone became more , waiting for the final school bell. Upon its , everyone would run for their coats and go home except David.
David was a small boy in ragged（破旧的）clothes. I had often what kind of home life David had, and what kind of mother could send her son to school dressed so for the cold winter months, without a coat, boots or gloves. But something made David . I can still remember he was always a smile and willing to help. He always after school to straighten chairs and sweep the floor. We never talked much. He just simply smile and ask what else he could do, then thank me for letting him stay and slowly home.
Weeks passed and the over the coming Christmas grew into restlessness（骚动不安）until the last day of before the holiday break. I smiled in relief as the last of them out of the door. Turning around, I saw David standing by my desk.
“I have something for you,” he said and from behind his back a small box. it to me, he said anxiously, “Open it.” I took it over from him, thanked him and slowly unwrapped it. I lifted the lid and to my saw nothing. I looked at David’s smiling face and back into the box and said, “The box is nice, David, but it’s .”
“Oh no, it isn’t,” said David, “It’s full of love. My mum told me before she died that love is something you can’t see or touch unless you know it’s there.”
Tears filled my eyes I looked at the proud dirty face that I had paid attention to. I never forget the meaning the little empty box set on my desk. After that Christmas, David and I became good friends
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Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor(走廊). In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to _______.
| A．answer some questions |
| B．arouse (激发) the readers’ curiosity |
| C．express some unusual feelings |
| D．give some advice in advance |
What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?
| A．The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions |
| B．They talked with each other all night |
| C．They got angry about the window |
| D．The author didn’t understand the man’s words |
On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because _______.
| A．he couldn’t find a seat by the window |
| B．he was angry with the man sitting next to him |
| C．the window was kept shut all night |
| D．there were too many people on the train |
It can be learned from Para.10 that the author was afraid that ______.
| A．he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train |
| B．more people might crowd into the train |
| C．he would miss the ship that went where he worked |
| D．he would have to buy another ticket |
The noise in the underlined sentence “a noise started above our heads”(Para.15) was made by ________.
| A．the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices |
| B．the ship that was lying two miles away |
| C．the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor |
| D．the train itself telling people that something was wrong |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．A Train that Is Never Late |
| B．A Quick and Wise Decision |
| C．A Journey to Mendov |
| D．A Bad Experience on the Train |
Study Books
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Future success depends on the ability to learn. Here are the answers to the questions most often asked by parents, teachers, business trainers and by students themselves. Read this book and learn:
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In spite of billions of dollars spent on “educational research”, children are not taught the most basic skills of learning, even the most basic of these: how to use a dictionary. In fact, a research of educational books for children found no book that told them how to use a dictionary or that one should. Written for children 8 to 12-year-olds, this fully illustrated book will teach your child:
How to find words in a dictionary.
The different ways that words are used.
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It includes a section for parents and teachers showing you how to use this book with children. Buy this book and give it to your children to unlock their education. What’s more, you will just pay 50% for it before May 1, 2014.According to the advertisements, the four books are all intended for ____.
| A．teachers | B．children | C．adults | D．women |
Some of the four books were illustrated in order to _______.
| A．persuade foreigners to buy all of them |
| B．reduce the cost of them |
| C．help readers understand them and make a better choice |
| D．make them suitable to different reader. |
If you buy the four books on April 30, 2014, you will have to pay ______ for them.
| A．$ 130 | B．$ 112 | C．$ 65 | D．$ 18 |
The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．show readers how to use the four books |
| B．help children to learn English |
| C．enrich students knowledge about nature |
| D．sell the four books to students. |
If you get into the forest with your friends, stay with them always. If you don’t, you may get lost. If you really get lost, this is what you should do. Sit down and stay where you are. Don’t try to find your friends—let them find you by staying in one place.
There is another way to help your friends or other nearby people to find you. Give them a signal (信号) by shouting or whistling (吹口哨) three times. Any signal given three times is a call for help.
Keep up shouting or whistling always three times together. When people hear you, they will know that you are not just making noise for fun. They will let you know that they have heard your signal. They give you two shouts, two whistles, or two gun-shots (枪声). When someone gives you a signal, it is an answer to a call for help.
If you don’t think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a little house---cover up to the holes with branches (树枝) with lots of leaves. Make yourself a soft bed with leaves and grass.
What should you do if you get hungry or need drinking water? You would have to leave your little house to look for a river. Don’t just walk away. Pick off small branches and drop them as you walk so that you can find your way back. The most important thing to do when you are lost is—stay in one place.If you are lost in the forest, you should _______.
| A．walk around the forest and shout so that your friends could hear you |
| B．try to find your friends as soon as possible |
| C．stay where you are and give signals three times |
| D．try to get out of the forest and shout for help |
If you want to let people believe that you are not just making noise for fun, you should _______.
| A．tell people that you are lost |
| B．shout or whistle three times |
| C．keep up shouting or whistling |
| D．shout at the top of your voice |
When you hear two shouts, or whistles, or gunshots, __________.
| A．it is an answer to your call for help |
| B．you can whistle three times |
| C．you should shout more loudly |
| D．you should try to run to them |
When you want to leave your place to get drinking water, you should ________.
| A．just go to the river |
| B．find some glasses or bottles before you go |
| C．make a fire so that you can have some tea |
| D．leave marks so that you can find your way back |
This passage mainly tells you __________.
| A．when you hear a signal always three times, it is a call for help |
| B．any signal given twice means an answer to a call for help |
| C．how you can live longer in a forest |
| D．What you should do if you get lost in a forest |