I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all--there wouldn't be enough time in a day. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are mostly asked. Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago, I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my farm is a very pleasant place to be--at all hours. One day, when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was going to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save his life. Three years after I started writing it; it was published(出版). ( I am not a fast writer, as you can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -as soon as I could spell. Children often find pleasure through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was not good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing could be a way of making a living.
Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary (虚构的) stories. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn't write words in her web. Although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too--truth about the way people and animals feel, think and act.The writer wrote this passage to .
| A．introduce his new books. |
| B．introduce two funny stories |
| C．explain why he enjoys writing |
| D．answer some readers’ questions |
We can know from the passage that the writer is a person who .
| A．writes imaginary stories for children |
| B．writes very fast. |
| C．mainly writes stories for adults |
| D．works on a friend’s farm |
The writer started to write because he wanted to .
| A．improve his spelling |
| B．express his thoughts |
| C．show his sadness |
| D．make a good living |
What is probably the last question?
| A．Are your stories true? |
| B．What is the truth in your stories? |
| C．Will you write more imaginary stories? |
| D．Do you know a child looking like a mouse? |
There are many American expressions about insects--- like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They appear to be busy, moving around their homes, or hives (蜂窝). So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn (爆米花) .
Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the 1920s. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!
If your friend cannot sto
p talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet (女帽). If someone asks you a personal question, you might say “that is none of your beeswax”. This means none of your business.
Speaking of personal questions, there is an expression when their children ask, “Where do babies come from?” Parents who discuss sex and reproduction (生殖) say this is talking about the birds and bees.
Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your trousers. That is, to be unable to sit still. If you make a beeline for something, you ______ .
| A．are as busy as a bee | B．go quickly and directly towards it |
| C．always go to the same place | D．buy something at a certain place |
The underlined expression “ it is the bee’s knees” _______ .
| A．is not used at all now | B．was first used in the 1820s |
| C．reminds us that bees have knees | D．means “it is very good” |
If you ask your American friend Jack “How old is your wife?” he may say “______.”
| A．It is none of your beeswax | B．You have a bee in your bonnet |
| C．It is the bee’s knees | D．You are talking about the birds and bees |
When you have butterflies in your stomach, you ______ .
| A．are too sick to sit still | B．have ants in your trousers |
| C．are nervous about something | D．have a stomachache |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
| A．some interesting and useful insects | B．some expressions about insects |
| C．the way of learning expressions | D．some newly-invented expressions |
Junelle Lynch knocked on more than 200 doors in the Gayln Manor neighborhood of Brunswick in recent weeks. Her aim is to collect food for Brunswick Food Bank.
“I like helping people a lot,” said Junelle, who celebrated her 11th birthday in July.
With the support of her parents, Junelle walks along the streets with an orange bag. Her mother follows her by car
, so Junelle can empty her bag when it becomes heavy. Isabella always accompanies(陪伴) her daughter.
Neighbor Lynda Mallory dropped noodles and canned soup, vegetables and
fruit into Junelle’s bag. After visiting the last house, Junelle said she felt good about what she had achieved with the help of her neighbors.
Working an hour a night three times per week, she has collected more than 400 pounds of canned and boxed food. This isn’t the first year she has collected food. Junelle started nearly three years ago, at 8 years old, when she saw a collection box at a grocery store and decided to be a volunteer. In her first year, she collected 80 pounds of food in the undeveloped neighborhood, and 214 pounds the next year. The food helped feed many poor families. Her parents couldn’t 
be prouder of their daughter.
The Brunswick Food Bank volunteer manager Sandy Cox said, “I find her to be an amazing young lady. I don’t think I’ve seen someone that young who cares about the 
needs of other people so much. I wish other people would follow her.” According to the passage, the Brunswick Food Bank is probably _____ .
| A．a bank for people to save and draw money |
| B．a place to store food and give it out when the market is short |
| C．an organization to help the poor by collecting food for them |
| D．an organization which collects food and then sells it |
Isabella usually helps her daughter by _______.
| A．asking the neighbors for food | B．following her and letting her empty the bag |
| C．offering her food for free | D．putting canned and boxed food in the car |
What do we know about Junelle’s food collecting?
| A．She spends several hours doing it each week. | B．She did it following her parents’ advice. |
| C．She believes she can collect much more food next year. | |
| D．She did it because she wanted to work for the grocery store. |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Junelle has collected food for more than three years. | B．Junelle often collects food with her father. |
| C．Junelle started collecting food when she was 11. | D．In Junelle’s parents’ opinion, she is a very good girl. |
Why does Sandy Cox wish that other people would follow Junelle?
| A．Because Junelle cares about what other people need. | |
| B．Because Junelle has collected more food than other people. | |
| C．Because neighbors are willing to help Junelle. | D．Because the Brunswick Food Bank needs more food. |
Our little boy came up t
o his mot
her in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on her apron (围裙) , she read it, and this is what was said:
For going to the store for you $2.
For cutting the grass in the garden $3.
For cleaning up the yard this week $2.5.
For cleaning up my room this week $2.
For setting the table for meals this week $1.
For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $1.5.
For getting a good school report $5.
Total owed: $17.
His mother looked at him, who was standing there with expectation. Memories flashed through her mind. Then she picked up a pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge(收费) .
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you and taken care of you, No Charge.
For all the problems and troubles that you’ve caused through the years, there is No Charge.
When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge.
For all the nights that were filled with fear and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping up your nose? There is No Charge. And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is, No Charge, Son.
Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you..” And then he took the pen and in great letters he wrote, “ PAID IN FULL.” What might the mother be doing when the boy came into the kitchen?
| A．Getting the dishes ready. | B．Repairing the cooker. |
| C．Washing dirty dishes. | D．Laying the table for dinner. |
According to the boy’s
bill, his mom owed him ______ for his helping with the house work.
| A．$7.50 | B．$10.50 | C．$12.00 | D．$17.00 |
This story tries to tell us that ________.
| A．real love is priceless | B．housework is endless | C．the mother is wise | D．the boy is selfish |
Liu Xiang, a 21-year-old Chinese athlete, got the gold medal of the fascinating men’s 110m hurdles before a crowd of 70,000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympics in Athens late Friday local time. He clocked an excellent 12.91 seconds to equal the world record set by Britain’s Collin Jackson in 1993.
It is the first gold Chinese men’s athlete has ever won from the track and field in the Olympics history. China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games since 1984 but its male athletes only got one medal from Olympics’ most popular sport, the track and field.
The Shanghai native, with his father a truck driver and mother an out-of-work housewife, loved sports when he was very little. Liu was selected to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai to practice jumping as a fourth grader in the primary school. But after a bone test showing that he will not be able to become a tall man, Liu was asked to give up sports one year later, although he had won the national champion at that level.
In 1998 when he attracted coach Sun Haiping’s attention as a 15-year-old jumper, Sun was a well-known hurdle coach and he believed a star was born at the first sight of Liu. He visited Liu’s parents several times and finally persuaded them to let Liu transfer to the 110m hurdles.
After only three years, Liu launched his career in style in the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2001 by breaking the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13.12.
But the first warning he sent to the world was his bronze-winning feat（战绩）at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, last year.
In 2004, Liu won the silver in the world indoor championships in Budapest in March. Two months later, he proved the winner in a race against American great Allen Johnson in the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he clocked a new Asian record and world’s season best time of 13.06 seconds.
He went on to win two Johnson-absent races in Lille, France, on June 26 and Zagreb, Croatia, three days later. He put up an exciting show at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on July 3, when he and Johnson clocked an identical time of 13.11. Race officials had to examine a photo finish to declare Johnson the winner. Liu did a better job of clearing the hurdles than Johnson, but Johnson’s stronger start ended up making the difference. The race boosted（提高） Liu’s optimism(乐观) for the Olympics, although Johnson bettered his season best time by 0.01 second in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 6.
The world has put the Olympics a Johnson-Liu duel but surprisingly Johnson crashed out of the Games after falling at the ninth hurdle at round 2. Johnson’s early exit paved the way for Liu’s win. He finally took the gold medal and put a Chinese man’s name on the record book.
(chinadaily.com.cn /Xinhua) Updated:2004-08-28 02:57According to Paragraph One, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Liu Xiang is the fastest of the mentioned athletes. |
| B．Liu Xiang has set a new world record in the event of the men’s 110m hurdles. |
| C．Both Liu Xiang and Jackson got a gold medal at the Athens Olympics. |
| D．In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is the fastest in this event. |
Before the 28th Olympics in Athens, .
| A．no Chinese athlete got a gold medal from the track and field at the Olympics |
| B．there was already a Chinese male medal winner in the track and field at the Olympics |
| C．Terrence Trammell got a gold medal from the men’s hurdles at the Sydney Olympics |
| D．Zhu Jianhua got a bronze medal from the men’s hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Games |
In the last paragraph, the underlined word “duel” most probably means “ ”.
| A．competition | B．friendship | C．partner | D．company |
From the passage, we can conclude that .
| A．Liu Xiang had no gift for jumping when he was a little boy |
| B．Liu Xiang set a new world youth record when he was 17 years old |
| C．Liu Xiang has succeeded because of his coach Sun |
| D．Johnson might have won the gold medal if he had not dropped out |
When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional (情感的) health, and crying seems to work well. One study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don't even know we' re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying — holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering — can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don't fight it. It's a natural — and healthy — emotional response.Why didn't the author cry when her grandmother died?
| A．Because her father did not want her to feel too sad. |
| B．Because she did not love her grandmother. |
| C．Because she was too shy to cry at that time. |
| D．The author doesn’t give the explanation. |
It can be inferred from the text that ______.
| A．there are two ways to keep healthy |
| B．crying does more good to health than laughing |
| C．crying and laughing play the same roles |
| D．emotional health has a close relationship to physical health |
According to the author, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Crying is the best way to get help from others. |
| B．Fighting back tears may cause some health problems. |
| C．We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry. |
| D．We must cry if we want to reduce pressure. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．Power of Tears | B．How to Keep Healthy |
| C．Why We Cry | D．A New Scientific Discovery |