A young man went to the local expert (专家) on gems and said he wanted to become a gemologist (珠宝家). The expert turned him down because he was afraid that the youth would not have the patience to learn. The young man asked for a chance. Finally, the expert told the youth, "Be here tomorrow."
The next morning the expert put a jade (玉) stone in the youth's hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work, cutting, weighing and setting gems. The boy sat quietly and waited.
The following morning the expert again put the jade stone in the youth's hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth and fifth days, the expert asked the young man to do the same thing. On the sixth day, the youth held the jade stone but he could no longer stand(忍受) the silence. "Master, when am I going to learn something?" he asked.
"You will learn." the expert said and went about his business.
Several more days went by and the youth almost lost his patience. But one morning as the master put the stone in the youth's hand, the young man said without looking at his hand, "This is not the same jade stone!"
"You have begun to learn." said the master.
Practice makes perfect. The experience we learned from practice teaches us and develops our abilities. Experience is the best teacher. Even the most successful person had no absolute confidence once. It is experience that gives people confidence. The truth is: if you do the work and gain the experience, you'll have more confidence because you'll actually know what you're doing.The phrase "turned ... down" probably means _______.
| A．refused | B．liked |
| C．understood | D．held |
The expert let the young man hold the jade stone for so many days because he wanted to see if the young man was _______.
| A．brave | B．patient | C．clever | D．honest |
What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．An Experienced Gemologist | B．Experience, the Best Teacher |
| C．Experience of a Young Man | D．A Confident Teacher |
An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can
save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from itshiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore (药店) with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddysays only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.
“Well, what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11, the price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?What was the trouble in the little girl’s family?
A. Her brother was seriously ill.
B. They had no money.
C. Nothing could save her brother.
D. Both A and B.In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be _______.
| A．something interesting |
| B．something beautiful |
| C．some wonderful medicine |
| D．some good food |
The little girl said again and again “...I can try and get some more.” That shows _______.
| A．she had still kept some money |
| B．she hoped not to be refused |
| C．There was no need to worry about money |
| D．she thought money was easy to get |
What made the miracle happen?
| A．The girl’s love for her brother. |
| B．The girl’s money. |
| C．The medicine from the drugstore. |
| D．Nobody can tell. |
From the passage we can infer (推断) that _______.
| A．The doctor didn’t ask for any pay |
| B．A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on |
| C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever |
| D．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought |
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything—tutors (家庭教师), cards, special learning centers—in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic (天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread (铺开) out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down
to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back to his room, without aword. In no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mom looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity (好奇心). She went to his room and asked, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns (修女)?”
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head, “No. ”
“Well then,” she asked again. “WHAT was it?”
Little Tommy looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed (钉) to the plus sign (加号), I knew they weren’t joking. ”Why did Tommy’s parents send him to a catholic school?
| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could earn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn’t want him to learn math any more. |
Tommy’s mother felt surprised that his son _______.
| A．was still the same as usual |
| B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．kissed her hello after school |
| D．worked hard but said little |
“Hitting the books” means “_______” in Chinese.
| A．用功 |
| B．捶书 |
| C．发泄 |
| D．振作 |
The last sentence in the passage shows that _______.
| A．Tommy felt sorry for the mail |
| B．Tommy was afraid of being nailed |
| C．Tommy didn’t like the plus sign |
| D．Tommy liked playing jokes on others |
From the passage, we can infer (推断) that _______.
| A．teachers should be strict with their students |
| B．mistaking (误解) might do good sometimes |
| C．a catholic school is much better than other ones |
| D．nuns are good at helping children with their math |
阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。（共10分，每小题2分）
People in different parts of the world eat different things. In South China people eat rice every day. Sometimes they eat it two or three times a day, for breakfast, lunch and supper. And people usually eat rice with fish, meat and vegetables.
The Japanese eat rice, too. They also eat a lot of fish because they live near the sea. It’s easy for them to get fish. Sometimes, they eat raw（生的）fish.
In western countries such as Britain, Australia and the USA, the most important food is bread and potatoes. People there can cook potatoes in many different ways. In Britain the most popular food is fish and chips. Sometimes people cook this kind of food at home, but they usually buy it at the shop. They eat it at home, in their workplace, in the park or even on the road. People call it “take-away” food.What do people in South China eat every day according to this passage?
Do the Japanese eat rice?
What is the most important food in western countries?
Where do people in western countries eat “take-away” food?
What does the passage mainly（主要地）tell us?
“Well, we’re in our new house. Let’s get a new pet,” Mrs. Brown says to her husband. “That sounds like a very good idea,” he answers. “Do you want to see the ads （厂告）in the newspaper?” “Let’s go to the animal shelter. Many pets there need homes. Tomorrow is Saturday, so we can both go,” Mrs. Brown says.
The next morning, the Browns (Mr. Brown and Ms. Brown) meet Mr. Snow at the animal shelter. “We want to be sure that the pets here go to good homes,” Mr. Snow says, “So I need to ask you some questions.”
After they talk for a while, the Browns decide to get a small dog. It will not need a big house. A small dog will bark (吠) and warn (警告 ) them if someone tries to go into their house. After Mr. Snow gives the Browns a book on pet care, they choose one and want to take her home right away. But the animal doctor hasn’t checked her yet. So Mr. Snow tells them to come back on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon the Browns go to the animal shelter. The animal doctor said, “Coco has got all of her shots (预防针) . She is healthy.” The Browns thank the doctor and take Coco home.From the passage we learn that________.
| A．Coco is a small and healthy dog |
| B．the Browns know about Coco from the newspaper |
| C．Mr. Brown and Ms. Brown take Coco home on Saturday |
| D．Mr. Brown and Ms. Brown have different ideas on getting a pet |
The underlined word “shelter” means _______.
| A．a place to sell small dogs |
| B．a place to keep animals without home |
| C．a place to study animals |
| D．a place to sell books on pet care |
Mr. Snow asks the Browns some questions because__________.
| A．the Browns want to get a small dog |
| B．the Browns don’t have money to get a pet |
| C．he wants to be sure the Browns has a big house |
| D．he wants to be sure the Browns will be friendly to pets |
The Browns want a small dog because________.
| A．it is usually healthy |
| B．it eats a little food |
| C．it can help them watch their house |
| D．it usually has a beautiful name |
When you are not happy, there are six ways to make you happy or feel good about yourself.
(1) Look in the mirror (镜子) and say to yourself, “I’m a special person and there’s no one in the world like me. I can do anything!” It really works!
(2) Do something nice for someone. Helping others always makes you feel good.
(3) Smile! Be friendly to people around you. Look for the good things in your friends and family.
(4) Learn something new! Do you always want to learn how to swim? Go for it!
(5) Read and start a diary (日记) . Turn offthe TV and let your imagination (想象) fly! If you have any ideas or dreams, write them down!
(6) Stay with your family. We all need our family time. Talk with your mum and dad or maybe even your cousin.What should you do if you have any ideas or dreams according to the passage?
| A．Do some reading. | B．Tell others. |
| C．Talk with your parents. | D．Write them down. |
Where can you read this passage?
| A．In a story book. | B．In a dictionary. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．In a diary. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Do something nice. | B．Smile at other people. |
| C．Stay with your family. | D．Feel good about yourself. |