Albert was an ordinary worker in an oil company in America. His workmates gave a nickname (绰号)“Four dollars a bucket of oil” below his name whenever and wherever he wrote down his name. As time went by, people forgot his real name. Later, when Rockefeller, the board chairman(董事长)of the oil company heard of it, he was very surprised, so he invited Albert to his office.
“Some people give you a nickname. Why aren’t you angry?” asked Rockefeller with some puzzlement in his eyes.
“Mr. Rockefeller, I like this nickname very much, because it is our company’s advertisement. When someone calls me ‘Four dollars a bucket’, I think it’s free advertisement for our company. It’s not necessary for me to get angry. Don’t you think so, Mr. Rockefeller?”
“What a wonderful man!” Rockfeller said excitedly when hearing Albert’s words. “Young man, work harder, you must be successful in the future! I believe in you!”
Five years later, Albert became the second board chairman after Rockefeller. Later Albert said in one of his reports, “I don’t think we should feel upset when we have no way to do the world—shaking things.” We should treat everything actively because maybe our future success will begin from a small thing!”Albert was ___________in the oil company at the beginning.
| A．a worker | B．an assistant |
| C．a manager | D．the second board chairman |
Albert wasn’t angry about his nickname because ____________.
| A．he liked to have a nickname |
| B．it could make his workmates happy |
| C．he could become famous |
| D．it was a free advertisement for his company |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Rockefeller asked young people to work harder. |
| B．It’s very important to do small things well. |
| C．You can’t get angry when someone calls your nickname. |
| D．You should make more advertisements for your company. |
What did Rockefeller mean when he said “the world-shaking things”?
| A．The big things | B．The interesting things |
| C．The small things | D．The frightening things |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．I Believe in You | B．Albert and Rockefeller |
| C．Four Dollars a Bucket | D．The Second Board Chairman |
Stamps（邮票） help people keep in touch with their friends and families．
They have played an important role in people's lives for centuries now． People have a special day for stamps．October 9is World Post Day．
Before stamps，peple did not pay for the letters they sent， but instead thay paid for the letters they got．The first stamp ever made in 1840with a picture of Queen Victoria on it．
The earliest stamps didn't have sticky（ 黏性的）backs．In the past ，people used paste（糨糊） sometimes， but usually they had to pin （钉住） or sew （缝） stamps onto letters!
Years ago sending letters used to be the most important way to communicate with other people． It seemed that everyone had stamps on hand．Although now fewer people send letters，stamp collecting is still one of the world's most popular hobbies．There are even stamp clubs to help people find new stamps to add to their collections． Interestingly enough，the Internet may have reduced the need for stamps，but it is actually helping collectors find more stamps to add to their collections．
41．The first stamp was made in ．
| A． |
Britain |
| B． |
China |
| C． |
America |
| D． |
Indis |
42．Before stamps，people paid when they the letters．
| A． |
sent |
| B． |
received |
| C． |
wrote |
| D． |
read |
43．The earliest stamps didn't have sticky backs，so people ．
| A． |
used to put the stamps into the envelopes（信封） |
| B． |
asked the police for help |
| C． |
gave the stamps to the postmen |
| D． |
usually had to pin or sew stamps onto the letters |
44．Which is NOT true according to the passage？
| A． |
Stamps help people keep in touch with friends and families． |
| B． |
Now everyone has stamps on hand． |
| C． |
There was a picture of Queen Victoria on the first stamp． |
| D． |
Stamp collecting is still one of the most popular hobbies in the word． |
45．The main idea of the passage is about ．
| A． |
the history of stamps |
| B． |
the World Post Day |
| C． |
what the stamps are |
| D． |
how to send a letter |
Li Haoqin is an 8th﹣grader in Mianyang，Sichuan．The 14﹣year﹣oldgirl studies hard in her English class．Every day，she listens carefully in class and does many exercises after class．However，she can't get good grades，so she is very sad．"Why doesn't my hard work pay off（回报）？"Li Haoqin asks．Lots of middle school students are now facing this problem：They try theirbest at something but can't _make it_．"They don't have effective（有效的）learning methods．This is the main reason of their difficulties，"says Bi
Qin．She is a well﹣known English teacher in Bejing No.4High School．Bi Qin thinks that hard work is not enough for middle schoolstudents．She says，"Students have more subjects now．They shouldlearn in many different ways．The more you use new words，the betteryou can remember them．For example，making sentences with newwords is an effective way to learn．"Chen Xiping，13，of Shandong，has his own ways of learningEnglish．"I study hard in school，and I also like watching CCTV﹣9．Onthis TV channel，I always see the English words from my textbook，"says Chen Xiping．"It's really useful．"Lin Pingyi，13，of Shanghai，has a habit of reading．"I like Englishnovels like The Old Man and the Sea（《老人与海》）．And I write notes inmy diary，"says Lin Pingyi．"In this way，I can remember more words，and make my reading and writing better．"
36．Li Haoqin studies hard at English but she can't get good gradesbecause she doesn't ．
| A． |
listen carefully in class |
| B． |
have effective learning methods |
| C． |
do many exercises |
| D． |
play sports after class |
37．Bi Qin is a ．
| A． |
writer |
| B． |
student |
| C． |
teacher |
| D． |
reporter |
38．The underlined phrase "make it"means" "in Chinese．
| A． |
按时到达 |
| B． |
获得成功 |
| C． |
能够出席 |
| D． |
事倍功半 |
39．In Bi Qin's opinion，students should remember new words effectively by ．
| A． |
listening to them |
| B． |
using them more |
| C． |
writing them often |
| D． |
reading them aloud |
40．From the passage，we know that ．
| A． |
Li Haoqin is a student in Grade 9 |
| B． |
Bi Qin asks students to learn different subjects in the same way |
| C． |
Chen Xiping doesn't like watching CCTV﹣9 |
| D． |
Lin Pingyi has a habit of reading English novels |
School is a good place for us to study．Yet sometimes，it's easy focus to have accidents there．Experts suggest that right safety training could avoid 80% of these accidents．Here are parts of safety rules in some countries．In China，fire training at school is common to teach students to deal with emergencies（紧急情况）．During the training，students hurry to the playground with a wet cloth covering their mouth．Fire training is held each term．In Japan，public elementary schools hold earthquake training once a month．They teach students how to escape during an earthquake without pushing．Most US school buildings have fire escapes on each floor．A fire escape has platforms（露台）with ladders（梯子）．In many middle schools in the UK，students can choose to take a bicycle course．There，they learn how to ride to school safely．
31． countries are mentioned in this passage．
| A． |
Two |
| B． |
Three |
| C． |
Four |
| D． |
Five |
32．Students should receive right safety training because ．
| A． |
it is easy |
| B． |
it could avoid most of these accidents |
| C． |
it is interesting |
| D． |
it is accepted by the teachers |
33．If there is a fire，Chinese students should go to the playground hurriedly ．
| A． |
with a wet cloth covering their mouth |
| B． |
by using ladders |
| C． |
by bike |
| D． |
by pushing each other |
34．Public elementary schools in Japan hold earthquake training ．
| A． |
once a week |
| B． |
once a month |
| C． |
once a year |
| D． |
every day |
35．This passage mainly talks about ．
| A． |
how to escape from earthquakes |
| B． |
how to put out the fire |
| C． |
some school safety rules in some countries |
| D． |
a bicycle course |
How Can You Become a Successful Learner？
Everyone is born with the ability to learn． But whether or not you can do this well depends on your learning habits． Research shows that successful learners have some good habits in common．
Creating an interest in what they learn
Studies show that if you are interested in something， your brain（脑）is more active and it is also easier for you to pay attention to it for a long time． Good learners often connect what they need to learn with something interesting． For example， if they need to learn English and they like music or sports， they can listen to English songs or watch sports programs in English． This way they will not get bored．
Practicing and learning from mistakes
Good learners think about what they are good at and what they need to practice more． Remember， "Use it or lose it．" Even if you learn something well， you will forget it unless（除非）you use it． " Practice makes perfect．" Good learners will keep practicing what they have learned， and they are not afraid of making mistakes． Alexander Graham Bell did not invent the telephone overnight． He succeeded by trying many times and learning from his mistakes．
Developing their study skills
It is not enough to just study hard． Good learners know the best way they can study． For example， they may take notes by writing down key words． They also look for ways to go over what they have learned． They may do this by reading their notes every day or by explaining the information to another student．
Asking questions
Good learners often ask questions during or after class．They even ask each other and try to find out the answers． Knowledge comes from questioning．
Learning is a lifelong journey because every day brings something new． Everything that you learn becomes a part of you and changes you， so learn wisely and learn well．
62．According to the passage， what can make you become a successful learner？
63．How can learners create an interest in what they learn？
64．Why is it important to practice using what you've learned？
65．What study skills does the writer talk about？
66．What is the last good learning habit in the passage？
67．Are you a successful learner？ Why or why not？
Habits in Russia
There is an old saying that says when in Rome， do as the Romans do． I learned the meaning of this when I stayed in Russia as a visiting scholar（学者）．
One day I invited some of my Chinese friends to a famous local restaurant in Moscow． My guests and I were excited about our meeting． We had a lively talk until the waiter told me that we were too loud． We lowered（降低）our voices．（38） The waiter came over to us two more times with the same message．
How bad an impression（印象）we must have left on the local people! In China，it's natural and important for a host（主人）to make a lively atmosphere（气氛）． However， in Russia and Western countries， having a meal in a public place means you must keep your voice low． You need to be polite to others．
I felt bad about this．（39）
（40） My Russian friend Andrey always looks around and thinks for a while before leaving home． I asked him why he did this． "Aha，" Andrey said， "In Russia， people always spend about a minute going over things and plans in their minds before leaving home．（41） "
Finding the differences between cultures is so much fun． I like to keep my eyes and mind open．
| A． |
But this didn't last long． |
| B． |
Russians have their own special habits， too． |
| C． |
Russian people are usually careful and polite． |
| D． |
So they won't leave anything necessary behind． |
| E． |
Luckily， people usually do not pay much attention to that in Russia． |
F． Even though we tried our best， it's very difficult to fight against habits．