Our village carpenter（木匠），John Hill, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for his job. My wife said to me quietly, “That's his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said in a loud voice, “It's a beautiful table, dear, isn't it?” “I'll decide about that when I see the bill.” I said. John laughed and gave me his bill.
It said:
One dining table 10th November，2014
Cost of wood（木头费用） $17.00
Paint $1.50
Work，8 hour（ $1.00 an hour） $ 8.00
Total $ 36.50
When I was looking at the bill，John said，“It's been a fine day，hasn't it? Quite sunny．”
“Yes,” I said．“I'm glad it's only the 10th of November.”
“Me too.” said John, “You wait—it'll be a lot colder by the end of the month．”
“Yes, colder—and more expensive! Dining tables will be $20 more expensive on November 30th, won't they, John?”
John looked hard at me for half a minute. I gave his bill back to him.
“If it isn't too much trouble, John,” I said，“please add it up again. You can forget the date…”
I paid him $26.50 and he was happy to get it．Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill?
| A．Because he didn't want the writer to read the bill carefully. |
| B．Because he wanted to show that he was really polite. |
| C．Because it’s a good way to chat with each other. |
| D．Because he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like. |
How much would John ask for if he made a dining table on the last day of December according to his bill?
| A．$36.50 | B．$57.50 | C．$56.50 | D．$26.50 |
When the writer gave him the money，John was happy because _________．
| A．he felt lucky to get the money for his work |
| B．he got more money than usual for his work |
| C．he got as much as money as he had expected |
| D．he didn’t have to add up the costs any more |
Which word can describe John best?
| A．Clever | B．Silly |
| C．Dishonest | D．Humorous |
From the story we know that _________．
| A．John made a mistake in the hill |
| B．John tried to get more money for his work |
| C．John wrote out the bill before the writer got home |
| D．John talked about the bill with the writer’s wife |
Taking part in charity is not just for adult people. Kids can do it too! Melvin Sheppard, 14, an American student, has done charity work for 8 years. He has also encouraged his classmates to join him.
Melvin studies at William Allen Middle School in Philadelphia. Recently, he collected $ 1,500 by himself and $487 from his classmates to donate to Cooper University Hospital.
Melvin was born nine weeks premature (早产的) in Cooper University Hospital, weighing 2.6kg. His father told him how Cooper saved his life, so he feels thankful to the hospital.
Melvin's classmates joined him once they found out about his kind behavior. Their teacher, Michael Bemer, also held a class with them about helping others. "It wasn't really about the money," Bemer said. "It was about the fact that they were doing something good."
"It feels great, helping someone that I know." said Jordan, Melvin' s classmate. Melvin's neighbors also helped out.
Since Melvin was 6, he and his parents have given money to Cooper University Hospital every year. This year, Gray E. Stahl, the head of Cooper's division of neonatology(新生儿科学部门), went to Melvin's school to accept the money.
The money goes to a part of the hospital that helps about 500 young patients every year.
"When they leave, we call them graduates," Stahl said, "my co - workers and I are pleased when our graduates and their families do well, like Melvin and his family."When did Melvin start to do charity work?
| A．When he was 14 years old. |
| B．When he was 8 years old. |
| C．When he was 6 years old. |
| D．When he was born. |
Why did Melvin donate to Cooper University Hospital?
| A．He was a doctor in Cooper University Hospital. |
| B．His father worked in Cooper University Hospital. |
| C．He was thankful to Cooper University Hospital. |
| D．He used to volunteer in Cooper University Hospital. |
Where did Gray E. Stahl accept the money?
| A．At Melvin's school. |
| B．At Melvin's house. |
| C．At Cooper University Hospital. |
| D．At Cooper's division of neonatology. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Many college graduates accept the money every year. |
| B．The money helps about 500 0ld patients every year. |
| C．Melvin does the charity work alone for many years. |
| D．Melvin's teacher thinks it is a great thing to learn to help others. |
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish - born chemist, who died in 1896, at one time believed that his invention of explosives (炸药) could bring wars to an end, But later he found he was wrong.
Nobel was born in Sweden in 1833. With only one year of formal schooling, he became a chemist and inventor by age of 16.
He was also a linguist, speaking English, Russian, German and French besides Swedish. He wrote poetry(诗歌). He began his work with producing liquid nitroglycerin (硝酸甘油) for use in mining and construction. He then discovered that liquid nitroglycerin could be dried. He called it dynamite, after the Greek word dynamis, meaning "power". Then he became rich. When he died, his estate (财产) was worth about 89 million.
Nobel never married, and he left most of his estate to those who have been known as Nobel Prizes. The money is invested (投资) and the interest (利息) is given out as yearly prizes for persons who have done something special for mankind in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature, and peace.
Prizes were first awarded in 1901. Over the years, many great people such as Albert Einstein in physics, Marie Curie in chemistry, Martin Luther King, Jr. for peace and Mo yan for literature got the awards.From the passage we can guess the underlined word "linguist" is a person who_______.
| A．can speak a foreign language |
| B．writes good poetry |
| C．knows several foreign language well |
| D．makes many inventions |
Alfred Nobel believed_______.
| A．he would become the richest person of the world |
| B．his invention could stop wars in the world |
| C．the Nobel Prizes could be world - famous |
| D．no one could use his invention to start wars |
All the questions have been answered Except_______.
| A．who chooses the Nobel Prize winners |
| B．when were Nobel Prizes first awarded |
| C．who could win Nobel Prizes |
| D．what else was Nobel interested in besides chemistry |
Joe and his friends were on their way to the Red Cross Headquarters to take the test for the first- aid badge（徽章）.They had worked and practiced very hard the whole year and were confident that they would do well for their test.
On their way to the test place, they saw a hit - and - run accident. A taxi driver had sped through the red light and almost hit a schoolboy, However, he could not stop in time to avoid（避开）a motorcycle that had turned round the corner. The passenger at the back was thrown off the motorcycle and landed heavily on the ground. The taxi driver was frightened and drove off.
Everyone on the street was greatly surprised.
Joe realized that they should take action when he saw the victim（受害者）bled heavily. "Come on," he said to his friends and wanted them to follow him but they didn't move.
Joe knew what they were thinking. They would have to wait for another year if they were to miss the test. "Which is more important? A man's life or a badge?" Joe asked his friends.
The question made his friends feel small.
The victim had a deep cut on his head. Joe and his friends dressed his wound to stop the bleeding while waiting for the hospital car to arrive. This was what the Red Cross Society had trained them for.Joe and his friends were on their way to the Red Cross Headquarters to_______.
| A．take a test on first - aid badge |
| B．collect their first - aid badges |
| C．report a hit - and - run accident |
| D．help the victim of an accident |
Who got hurt in the accident?
| A．The passenger in the taxi. | B．The passenger on a motorcycle. |
| C．The taxi driver. | D．The motorcycle rider. |
The test for the first - aid badge is held _______.
| A．once a year | B．twice a year |
| C．once a term | D．twice a term |
What did Joe and his friends do for the victim?
| A．They took him to the hospital. |
| B．They stopped the bleeding for him. |
| C．They did nothing for him. |
| D．They made a phone call to his family. |
In the morning, Mr. Martin comes into his garden. He sees too much snow in the garden. Mr Martin wants to take his car out, so he asks a cleaner to clean the road(路) from his garage(车库) to the gate. He says to the cleaner, “Don’t put any snow on the flowers or on the wall. And don’t put any into the street, or the policeman will come.” Then he goes out.
When he comes back, the road is clean. There is no snow on the flowers, on the wall or in the street. But when he opens the garage to get his car out, he sees: it is full of snow, the snow from the road, and his car is under the snow!What is the weather like?___________
| A．It’s very hot. | B．It’s raining. | C．It’s cold | D．It’s windy. |
Who cleans the snow on the road? ___________
| A．Mr Martin. | B．A policeman. | C．Mrs Martin. | D．A cleaner. |
Why can’t the cleaner put any snow into the street? ___________
| A．Because there’s too much snow, too. |
| B．Because the policeman will come. |
| C．Because there are flowers in the street. |
| D．Because there’s a car in the street. |
Where is the snow after the cleaner cleans the road? ___________
| A．On the flowers. | B．In the garage. |
| C．In the street. | D．We don’t know. |
What does Mr Martin think of the cleaner? ___________
| A．He is smart. | B．He does a right thing. |
| C．He does a wrong thing. | D．He helps Mr Martin. |
Tim and Li Fang are not going to have any classes next week. They’re going to work on a farm. They are going to leave at about seven thirty on Monday morning. They are going to travel to the farm by bus. They are going to wear old clothes because they are going to grow rice. They are going to have fish for lunch. They are also going to have a swim at the farm.
Tim and Li Fang are excited about going to the farm. Not only are they going to help around the farm, they are going to learn about farming.
Li Fang is worried that Tim won’t arrive on time to catch the bus because he is nearly always late. Li Fang often has to say to him, “Don’t be late, Tim.”When are Tim and Li Fang not going to have any classes?
| A．Tomorrow. | B．Next week. | C．Next month. | D．Next year. |
What time are they going to start?
| A．At 7:00 a.m. | B．At 7:30 p.m. | C．At 6:30 a.m. | D．At 7:30 a.m. |
What are they going to do there?
| A．Grow rice. | B．Play. | C．Eat fruit. | D．Pick apples. |
How are they going to the farm?
| A．By bike. | B．On foot. | C．By bus | D．By car. |
Who is often late?
| A．Tim. | B．Han Mei | C．Li Fang | D．Both Tim and Li Fang |