It was Sunday morning. A butcher(屠夫) heard the doorbell(门铃) and thought it must be a customer. But he was surprised to see that a dog was coming into his shop. The dog had $10 and a note in its mouth.
The butcher took the note and read it. It said,“10 pork chops(排骨), please.”So the butcher took the money and put a bag of chops in the dog’s mouth.
Then he quickly closed the shop because he decided to follow the dog. He found the dog on the street. The dog was waiting for a green light. Then the dog walked across the road. The dog went to a bus stop. When a bus arrived, the dog checked the number and then got on the bus.
After a while, the dog stood up on his back paws(爪子) to push the “stop” button(按钮). The bus stopped and the dog got off. Then the butcher followed it to get off the bus.
The dog ran to a house and dropped the bag in front of the front door. It then began to beat its head against the front door. After a while, a big man opened the door and began shouting at the dog. The butcher ran up and shouted at the man, “What are you doing? Your dog is a genius(天才).”
The owner of the dog said, “Genius? No way! I always tell him to take the keys when he goes to the stores. But he never listens to me!” Who was the customer that Sunday morning?
A.A big man. | B.A butcher. |
C.A dog. | D.A little boy. |
How much did the dog pay for the pork chops?
A.$20. | B.$10. | C.$5. | D.$62. |
How did the dog take the note?
A.In the bag. | B.On its back. |
C.In its mouth. | D.Around its neck. |
Which is NOT right according to the story?
A.The dog stood up on its back paws to push the “stop” button. |
B.The butcher quickly closed the shop to follow the dog. |
C.The big man was pleased with his dog. |
D.The butcher thought the dog was a genius. |
What is the story mainly about?
A.A customer. | B.A smart dog. |
C.A butcher. | D.A big man. |
My father woke up early one summer morning when I was fourteen and announced, “Get up, you’re going with me to cut the grass in the garden.”
The idea that my father thought I was old enough to help him in his business made me feel proud and excited. From sunup to sundown, my father, my younger brother and I worked in the large garden. By the end of the day I was too tired to say a word but I felt happy. This was my first time to help my father in his business. I got $6 for my work that day.
One day my father found some leaves I had missed and pulled me aside. “Take away these leaves!” he said. “And don’t make me have to tell you to do it again.” The message was clear. Today I value the importance of doing job well the first time. I will never fail to impress (留下印象) the person I’m working for.
After two years, my father told me and my brother that he felt we were old enough to cut the grass by ourselves. Every Saturday during my last two years of high school, we set off early in the morning with the same wish we had gained while working under our father.
Looking after the garden was neither exciting nor high paying, but that didn’t matter. It taught me that any job was a good job and whatever I was paid was more than I had before.
A newspaper reporter once asked me how someone could possibly live with hard work and low pay. “If you’re only thinking about hard work and money, you probably don’t want to do better than you are doing,” I answered. In every job, from cutting the grass to washing dishes, I’ve learned much. I’ve learned something that helps me in my next job.
If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do.
7. The writer ______ from working in the garden.
A. learned to work hard to get money
B. found he could be well paid
C. felt he could impress others by working hard
D. learned any job was good though he might be paid less
8. When the writer finished high school, maybe he was ______ years old.
A. fourteen B. eighteen C. twenty D. twenty-two
9. The writer’s father was ______.
A. very strict but helpful
B. lazy and easy to get angry
C. careful and enjoyed working in the garden
D. funny and hard-working
10. Which is the most important to the writer according to the passage?
A. Finishing work as quickly as possible.
B. Asking no money for your work.
C. Keeping learning from any job you have.
D. Keeping on looking for different jobs.
It began with a red paper clip and ended with a house. Kyle MacDonald, a 26-year-old Canadian, got a three-bedroom house through 14 trades (交换) that started with a single red paper clip.
Encouraged by Kyle’s successful experience, now more and more young people around the world are starting their own trading activities. They set up websites where people can trade things they don’t usually use with other people. A website called Peerflix allows people to trade their used DVDs. These traders usually prefer face-to-face trading, which means they don’t have to worry about who is going to pay for the delivery (递送).
Last year, a young girl in Beijing decided to follow the example of Kyle. She started with a paper clip and hoped to get a house in the end. After several trades she now has a piano which is more than 10,000 yuan. But she may still have a long way to go.
You may be puzzled about why people are doing this. In fact, everyone in the trade activities gets things that are useful to them. Just as Kyle said, “What’s more important to a man dying of thirst in the desert — one million dollars or a glass of water?” Kyle’s words probably show why these trades are poplar among young people.
4. Where can people trade things they do not usually use according to the passage?
A. On the Internet. B. In Beijing. C. In Canada. D. In the desert.
5. Why are trading activities popular among young people?
A. Because they can make a lot of money by trading with other people.
B. Because the traders can get things that are useful to them.
C. Because young people love trading activities.
D. Because many young people want to get a house.
6. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. If you begin with a paper clip, you will finally get a house by trading.
B. A young girl in Beijing got a house through trading.
C. A glass of water is more important than one million dollars.
D. Many traders like face-to-face trading because they don’t have to pay for the delivery.
David came from a poor family. When he finished his high school, however, he was given a wonderful present. “Some of my friends got new clothes and a rich boy even got a new car,” he remembered, “My dad reached into his trousers pocket and took something out. I held out my hand, and his present dropped into it — a nickel (五分镍币).”
Dad said to me, “Buy a newspaper with that. Read every word of it. Then turn to the classified section (分类栏目) and get yourself a job. Get into the world. It’s all yours now.” I always thought that was a great joke my father had played on me until a few years later when I was in the army, sitting in a foxhole (战壕), and thinking about my family and my life. It was then that I realized that my friends had got only new cars, or only new clothes. My father had given me the whole world. What a great present!
1. When David left school, he received ______ as a present.
A. a new car B. new clothes C. a newspaper D. hardly anything
2. What did David become a few years later?
A. A college student. B. A rich person. C. A soldier. D. A newspaper reporter.
3. The title of the passage may be ______.
A. How to be a Soldier B. How to find a Job C. A Great Joke D. A Great Present
An old man was going home late one night with his horse and cart after a day’s hard work. When he was not far from his house, the light on the cart went out. He tried but could not mend (修理) it. He was near his home, and so he went along the road without a light. When a policeman saw this, he stopped the old carter.
“Where is your light?” asked the policeman. “No man may take a cart along the road at night without a light. You know that. You have broken the law (法律).”“I had a light, but it has just gone out,” said the old man.
“I don’t believe that story,” said the policeman. He took out a book and got ready to write. What’s your name and where do you live?” he asked.
“Please don’t take my name,” said the old man. “My home is just there. You can see it from here. I had a light nearly the whole way. I haven’t come far without a light.”
“You came all the way without a light. What’s your name?”
The carter quickly took the policeman’s hand and put it down on top of the light. The light was still hot and burnt the policeman’s hand. The policeman jumped and he was very angry. “Now, what do you think?” said the carter. “Did I come all the way without a light?”
1. In the passage the word “cart” is ____.
A. something like a car
B. something like a light
C. something pulled by a horse
D. something with a light
2. The old man drove home ____.
A. on the back of his horse
B. late one night
C. very late every night
D. with a policeman
3. Where did the policeman stop the old man?
A. Near the old man’s home.
B. At the traffic lights.
C. Under a road light.
D. Far from the old man’s home.
4. The cart was stopped by the policeman because ____.
A. the old man didn’t have a light
B. the policeman didn’t believe the old man’s words
C. the old man didn’t want to tell his name
D. the light on the old man’s cart was not on
5. What made the policeman believe the old man’s words?
A. He made the policeman touch the light.
B. He jumped and shouted angrily.
C. He made the policeman angry.
D. The light burnt the policeman’s hands.
Americans like traveling on vacations. Today more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns instead of(而不是) hotels. They get a room for the night and breakfast for the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private homes with the breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years.
In the past five to ten years, these bed-and-breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America’s bed-and-breakfast inns are old historic buildings. Some bed-and-breakfast inns have only a few rooms. Others are much larger. Some inns do not provide(提供) telephones or televisions in the rooms while others do.
Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone’s home. The owners are glad to tell about the area and the interesting places to visit. Many people who take such vocations say they enjoy the chance to meet local families.Americans like _______ on their vacations every year.
A.to stay at home | B.traveling |
C.to sleep at home | D.watching TV |
More and more travelers in the United States are spending nights _______.
A.at hotels | B.at small houses or inns |
C.in their cars | D.in the open air |
The bed-and-breakfast places have been popular in the USA _______.
A.for less than five years | B.for one year |
C.for over ten years | D.for a few years |
American travelers like staying at bed-and- breakfast inns because _______.
A.these inns are cheap. |
B.these inns are small and quiet. |
C.they can meet and talk with local people |
D.both A and C |