Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most people do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain(抱怨) about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness(孤独) or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct(指导)." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. From the passage, it can be inferred that_______.
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by facing and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.
| A．save space |
| B．persuade readers |
| C．make readers laugh |
| D．get readers' attention |
The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.
| A．most people feel life is easy |
| B．the writer feel life is easy |
| C．the writer likes to complain about his problems |
| D．most people complain about how hard their lives are |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
| A．encourage them to learn |
| B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain |
| D．teach them how to respect problems |
The saying from Benjamin Franklin "Those things that hurt, instruct" suggests that ______.
| A．we do not learn from experience |
| B．we do not learn when we are in pain |
| C．pain teaches us important lessons |
| D．pain cannot be avoided |
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holiday meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership --- a shop selling cars --- was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the show room.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?” I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.
“Thank you”--- two powerful words. They’re easy to say and mean so much.The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City ________.
| A．to pay at the cash register |
| B．to see his parents |
| C．to visit a friend |
| D．to make a plan with his friend |
The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 means “_________”.
| A．put up | B．turned off |
| C．moved off | D．set up |
What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?
| A．The couple offered to help him. |
| B．The couple sent him a business card |
| C．He had it pulled back to the gas station. |
| D．He called his friend for help. |
How does the author explain the importance of expressing thanks in the passage?
| A．By telling his own experiences |
| B．By doing an experiment |
| C．By explaining cause and effect |
| D．By using quotations(引语) |
TENNIS
Indoor and outdoor courts. Coaching from beginners to advanced, every day not
evenings.Children only-Sat. mornings.
SKIING
Dry slopes—3 levels instructors at weekends and Fridays. Daytime parcitice. 8 years upwards.
SWIMMING
2 pools I heated Olympic length. Tuition available.
Women: Tuesday and Thursday.
Men: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Children: Saturday
Family day: Sunday
GOLF
9 hole practice course. Professional Coaching. Lessons must be booked in advance in daytime. Evening practice. Minimum age — 9 years.
GYMNASTICS
Maximum age—18 years. Children aged 5—10. Monday and Wednesdays. 4:00—6:00 p.m. 10—18 year-old. Friday evenings. Bar work on Sunday mornings.
AND MUCH MORE
Table Tennis, Snooker, Darts（标枪）, Chess（everyday and evening）, Café （all day），Bar（lunch time and evenings）, Nursery（weekdays and weekends, not evenings）. Centre open 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. Daily. Interested? More details inside. Quote Card Number: 99.What is this ad mainly about?
| A．It mainly shows us some ways to spend weekends. |
| B．It Shows the ways of saving our time. |
| C．It mainly shows us a place to relax ourselves. |
| D．It shows us a lot of ways to spend our holidays. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．People can play tennis day and night. |
| B．People under 20 can all take gymnastics． |
| C．Children at any age can play golf in the SPORTS CENTER． |
| D．Men and women swim in the SPORTS CENTER separately． |
How many sports items are mentioned in the passage?
| A．5 | B．7． | C．9． | D．12． |
Where can we find this ad in your opinion?
| A．In a company． | B．On a newspaper． |
| C．In a park | D．In a restaurant． |
Lao Yang was born in a small town. He liked reading when he studied at school. He thought the writers were respected and could get a lot of money. He wrote a lot of stories and posted them to the editorial departments (编辑部) but didn’t receive any answers.
Now he works in a factory.h He’s busy at work. When he’s free, he always reads something. He always remembers he hoped to be a writer when he was young. One day, Xiao Ping, his ten-year-old daughter, came back. She looked worried and didn’t eat anything. She said Miss GAO, her Chinese teacher, told them to write a solicit article(征文) “My Father” that evening. But she did not know what to write.
“That’s easy,” said Lao Yang. “Let me help you.”
Then he sat down to write the solicit article at once. He easily finished it on time. He was sure Miss GAO would like it. But one afternoon he asked his daughter if the article had been chosen to post to the editorial department.
“My teacher said your article digressed from the subject(离题),” said the girl.
“I don’t think so,” Lao Yang shouted angrily. “I described just my father!”Lao Yang wrote a lot of stories because _______.
| A．he likes reading |
| B．he learned much at school |
| C．he wanted to be a writer |
| D．he wanted to help others |
Lao Yang hoped _______.
| A．his article could surprise the teacher |
| B．the children could like his article |
| C．everyone could soon know him |
| D．his article could be chosen |
Lao Yang’s solicit article digressed from the subject _______.
| A．because he couldn’t write it at all |
| B．because he didn’t know his father well |
| C．just because he described his father |
| D．because it was too bad to be chosen |
A famous doctor once received a little child who was badly ill. Thanks to his skill and care, his young patient got well and was soon able to get up and run about again.
The child’s mother was very much obliged to the doctor, and she called on him to thank him for what he had done for her child. “Doctor,” she said, “you have saved my little son. I don’t know how to thank you enough. I feel that money alone cannot repay you, so I have made this little purse with my own hands, as a sign of my gratitude. I hope you will accept it.” The doctor stood up and said coldly, “Madam, a little present like that is very nice between friends, but a doctor needs to be paid properly for what he has done.” The lady was so surprised and hurt so much that she could not reply for a moment. Then she said quietly, “Perhaps you will tell me how much your fee is?”
“Fifty pounds”, he answered.
The lady opened the little purse and took out four fifty-pound bank notes. She handed one of them to the doctor, and put the other three back into the purse. She put the purse into her handbag and, saying good bye to the doctor, went out of the room.The doctor refused the lady’s purse because he thought ______.
| A．the purse should be given between friends |
| B．the purse was too small |
| C．the lady was not kind to him |
| D．the lady just gave him that purse and wouldn’t give him the medical fee |
What the doctor said ______ the lady.
| A．worried | B．interested | C．hurt | D．frightened |
The money in the purse _______.
| A．was only 150 pounds |
| B．was less than 200 pounds |
| C．was much more than the medical fee |
| D．was not enough for the medical fee |
How do you think the doctor would feel in the end?
| A．Sorry and worried | B．Regret and proud |
| C．Excited and proud | D．Sorry and regret |
Students in many countries are learning English. Some of these students are small children. Others are teenagers. Many are adults. Some learn at school, others by themselves. A few learn English by learning the language over the radio, on TV, or in film. One must work hard to learn another language.
Why do all these people want to learn English? It is difficult to answer this question. Many boys and girls learn English at school because it is one of their subjects required for study. They study their own language and math and English: Some people learn it because it is useful for their work. Many people learn English for their work. Many people learn English for their higher studies, because at college or university some of their books are in English. Other people learn English because they want to read newspapers or magazines in English.People learn English _______.
| A．at school | B．over the radio |
| C．on TV | D．not all in the same way |
Different kinds of people want to learn English _______.
| A．together with other subjects |
| B．for different reasons |
| C．for their work |
| D．for higher studies at colleges |
From this passage we know that _______.
| A．we can learn English easily |
| B．English is very difficult to learn |
| C．English is learned by most people in the world |
| D．English is a useful language but one must work hard to learn |
Which of the following is right?
| A．We don’t need to learn any foreign languages. |
| B．We can do well in all our work without English. |
| C．English is the most important subject in schools. |
| D．We should learn English because we need to face the world. |