I hurried into the store to get Christmas gifts. Suddenly, I saw a little boy holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair. I watched him turn to a woman and say, “Are you sure I don’t have enough money?” She said yes and told the boy not to go anywhere before she came back. Then she left.
The boy continued to hold the doll. I asked the boy who the doll was for. He said, “It’s the doll that my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it.” I told him that Santa was going to bring it. He said, “No, Santa can’t go where my sister is. I have to give the doll to my mom to take it to her.”
I asked him where his sister was. He looked at me sadly and said, “She’s gone to heaven. My daddy said that Mom was going to be there with her.” My heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy said, “I told my daddy to tell her not to go there until I got back.” He took out some pictures of him and said, “I want my mom to take these with her so she’ll never forget me. I love my mom so much that I wish she didn’t have to leave me, but Daddy said that she needed to be with my sister.”
The boy lowered his head. While he was not looking, I reached into my purse and asked him, “Shall we count that money again?” He grew excited and said, “Yes, I just know it has to be enough.” So I put my money with his and we began to count it. He said, “Thank you for giving me enough money.” He continued, “I just asked God to give me enough money to buy this doll, and he heard my prayer.”
Soon the woman came back and I left. I remembered a story I had read in the newspaper several days earlier about a drunk driver who hit a car. A little girl was killed and her mother was in serious condition. Two days later, I read the news that the mother had died.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，将其标号填入题前括号内。Who did the boy buy the gift for?
| A．His mother. | B．His father. |
| C．His sister. | D．The writer. |
What happened to the boy?
| A．His sister died in a car accident. |
| B．His father left him with his mother. |
| C．His father was killed by a drunk driver. |
| D．His mother left him with his sister. |
What do you think of the writer?
| A．Rich. | B．Kind. | C．Brave. | D．Careful. |
What does the underlined word mean in Chinese?
| A．祈祷 | B．哭喊 | C．谩骂 | D．心声 |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Christmas shopping | B．A special gift |
| C．A poor boy | D．Great love |
The largest animal ever to live on Earth is the blue whale（鲸鱼）. It weighs(重) about 80 tons-more than 24 big elephants. It is more than 30 metres long. A new baby whale weighs as much as a big elephant. Cats won't die if they fall off very high places because they can turn themselves up the right way so as to keep their bodies safe. One cat fell off 32 floors onto the street, but it was just hurt a little. A bear can run as fast as a horse. A new-born panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about 100 grams. Elephants are the most careful animals in their love. A male（雄性） elephant may show his lady love for up to three years until the female(雌性) elephant takes his love. They often show their love by touching each other's body. Usually, wolves do not hurt people. For years a Canadian newspaper says that they would give anyone a lot of money if he or she could show that a wolf could hurt a person. But nobody could do that. Wolves do not usually go together though（尽管） they may do this in winter and they only hurt people at an unusual time.How much does a new-born blue whale weigh?
| A．About 10 tons | B．As much as a baby elephant |
| C．About 80 tons | D．About 3 tons |
A bear can run_______people think they can.
| A．faster than | B．slower than | C．as fast as | D．as slowly as |
How many kinds of animals are mentioned(提到) in this passage?
| A．Five | B．Six | C．Seven | D．Eight |
Last year, some groups of students in their community (社区) made a survey about “How do people spend their free time? ” The following diagrams(图表) show some results of it:
Diagram (1): Hours for people of different ages who surf the Internet in a week.
Diagram (2): Different days people go to the library. (library attendance出席)
Diagram (3): Different programs people like.
People agedspend the most time surfing the Internet every week.
| A．7—16 | B．17—30 | C．31—55 | D．over 56 |
How many people go to the library on Saturdays?
| A．About 20%. | B．About 40%. | C．Over 60%. | D．More than 80%. |
The three diagrams show us the results of a survey about.
| A．what people do every day | B．people’s different habits |
| C．people’s different lifestyles | D．how people spend their free time |
Some inventions are so useful, but seem so simple, that we wonder why no one thought of them long ago. Post-it Notes, the pieces of paper that you can fasten almost anywhere and then remove without leaving any sign that they were there, are an example of such an invention.
Post-it Notes were invented about twenty years ago by Art Fry, a scientist at 3M Corporation. The idea for the product came from a frustrating experience he often had while singing in his church choir. Fry used pieces of paper as bookmarks to mark the places in his book of songs, but these bookmarks were always falling out. He knew he needed a bookmark that would stay where he put it, but that he could remove without damaging the pages.
Around that time, Fry heard about a new adhesive (粘合剂) that a workmate, Dr. Spence Silver, had created. This adhesive was special because it was sticky, but not too sticky. It was strong enough to hold papers together, but weak enough to not tear the paper when it was removed. Fry saw that the new adhesive could help solve his bookmark problem. One morning, Fry put some of the adhesive on the edge of a piece of paper. Just as he hoped, it made a perfect bookmark.
A short time later, Fry realized that his new invention had even more uses than being a great bookmark. He came to this realization when he wrote a note on one of his new "bookmarks" and attached it to a report he was going to give to a workmate. Soon, co-workers were asking Fry for more samples of his invention so that they could use the new type of notes themselves.
Fry and some other people at 3M believed so much in the new product that they persuaded the company to give away thousands of the "sticky pieces of paper" for trial use(试用). When some salespeople at 3M went to offices and showed workers just how helpful the new type of notes could be, they immediately received many orders. As more and more people discovered how useful Post-it Notes could be, the product took off. The invention of Post-it Notes showed that Art Fry________.
| A．had a lot of knowledge |
| B．was very hard-working |
| C．was good at creative thinking |
| D．loved his job in the church |
In what way did Dr. Spence help Art Fry?
| A．They worked together and often discussed science. |
| B．His invention of a special adhesive made Art's invention possible. |
| C．He advised 3M Corporation to give away lots of Post-it Notes for trial use. |
| D．He worked together with Art by providing the new adhesive for Art. |
The underlined phrase "took off" means_______.
| A．started to leave the ground |
| B．disappeared from the market |
| C．had even more uses |
| D．became popular very quickly |
The biggest advantage of Post-it Notes is_______.
| A．it can stay anywhere and leave no sign when removed |
| B．it is very cheap to use |
| C．it is good to write notes on |
| D．it is very thin and beautiful |
We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this high tower in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.
“Look down, Elsa," Father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw several streets leading to the square. ‘‘See, my dear," Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can't get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another. "
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the bad lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said.
When I turned to Father for help, he would not help. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.
At school the next day, I poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to Mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She tried one spoonful and sputtered. “The cook must have gone mad!” Quickly I told what I had done, and Mother promised that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed I often remembered the lesson Father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible way. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.Father brought Elsa to the top of the church tower to_________________ .
| A．have sports with Elsa | B．explain what he means clearly |
| C．enjoy the views | D．have a rest there |
Elsa wanted her mother to_____________ earlier that day.
| A．do something delicious for lunch |
| B．know he was complaining about his lunch |
| C．speak to the school about lunch |
| D．change the terrible eating habit |
By sharing her own experiences, Elsa tries to tell us________
| A．when one road is blocked , try another |
| B．how bad the lunch of her school is |
| C．how wise her father is |
| D．how terrible her mother is |
A subway is not just an important form of transport. It is also a window for other people to learn about local cultures.
Beijing, China
The Beijing Subway was opened in 1969 and is the oldest subway system in China. It has added some modern technologies. All stations now have touch-screen maps. In some stations, people can also see traditional Chinese cultures. For example, on the walls of a few stations of Line 8, there are some pictures of blue and white porcelain(青花瓷）.
Stockholm, Sweden
The system of the Stockholm Subway has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. The first subway line for Stockholm was opened in 1950. The Stockholm Subway is well-known for its decoration of the stations. It is called the longest art gallery in the world. Over 90 percent of its stations are decorated with paintings. A few stations are decorated with red bedrocks（岩床）. This makes you feel as if you are in a cave.
London, UK
The London Underground or the Tube is the oldest subway in the world. It was opened in 1863. During World War II, it was used to protect people from German plane attacks（袭击）on London. Now, it is a symbol of the city. There is no air conditioning in the trains, so it is very hot in summer.
New York, US
The New York City Subway has the most extensive public transportation system in the world, with 469 stations. It is also one of the world’s oldest public transit systems. The New York City Subway runs 24 hours a day. It has an express train on almost every line. You can get to your destination(目的地）safely. The trains themselves are full of fun; you will see people doing moonwalk dances like Michael Jackson, playing the guitar and singing.The _____is called the longest art gallery in the world.
| A．Beijing Subway | B．Stockholm Subway |
| C．London Underground | D．New York City Subway |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Michael Jackson used to dance in the New York City Subway. |
| B．Tourists feel cool when they take the London Underground in summer. |
| C．Several stations of the Stockholm Subway are built in caves. |
| D．Some stations of the Beijing Subway are decorated with pictures of porcelain. |
We may read the passage from a_____.
| A．travel magazine | B．science book | C．newspaper report | D．picture book |