I was born into a family of five children. As the youngest child, I didn’t have many new clothes. Though my parents worked very hard, we could hardly make ends meet. The only time we would receive new clothes was at Christmas.
The family across the street lived a much better life. They just had two daughters and they were often seen wearing new dresses. The younger girl named Anna was of my age. One afternoon, she walked on the street wearing a beautiful white dress. She looked like an angel in that dress. I, together with many little girls, followed her. We just couldn’t keep our eyes off her dress. We all wished we would have such a dress one day!
That day, after coming back, I told my mom that I wanted a dress like that. My mom frowned(皱眉) she thought such a beautiful dress like that must cost an arm and a leg, but my mom kept that in mind. She worked five days a week at that time, but when Christmas was getting close, she worked even on every Saturday.
However, several days before Christmas, I changed my mind. It was Anna’s birthday that day and I was invited to her home with some other girls. After that party, I asked if I could try on her white dress. “Of course,” she said, “and you can take it if you like it.” I couldn’t believe my ears. How could she give such a beautiful dress to someone else? After trying it on, I knew why.
The dress looked beautiful, but it was uncomfortable to wear. As a matter of fact, my back was quite itchy(痒的) after I put it on. From that day on, I stopped admiring what others had. They may not be as good aswe think.When the writer was a little girl, she .
| A．couldn’t get whatever she liked |
| B．couldn’t see her parents at all |
| C．didn’t like new clothes |
| D．didn’t like Christmas that much |
When the other girls saw Anna’s dress, they thought it .
| A．too little | B．very cheap |
| C．very beautiful | D．very comfortable |
The writer’s mother started working on very Saturday because she .
| A．wanted to buy a new dress for herself |
| B．had to buy all her children expensive gifts |
| C．prepared herself for the busiest Christmas. |
| D．wanted to buy the dress the writer wanted |
From the passage, we learn that .
| A．there are always kind-hearted people around us |
| B．what others have may not be as good as we think |
| C．we should give what we no longer need to others |
| D．we can get what we want if we try hard enough |
Tiny tot’s big adventure：Super Baby，a multimedia children’s play co-produced by Beijing Children’s Art Theater and Yeowoobi Animation Company of South Korea，is running at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities．
Adapted from a popular South Korean cartoon book by Korean writer Cho Soo Min，the play tells the story of the boy named Siqing，who sets out in search of adventure with his friend Weiwei，a dinosaur，and a panda to rescue his kidnapped grandfather．
In director Hang Cheng’s eyes，it is a story of hope，dreams and courage．
He says it is a Chinese interpretation of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland，and Cheng hopes it could inspire the young audience members to love one another, treasure friendship and pursue their dreams．
Time：7：30pm，until August 26
Place：49 fuxingmen Neidajie Street，Xicheng District
Tel：400—810—1887．5905—9082
Lords of the rings：The Chinese Acrobatics Group，established in l950，will put on a performance that includes traditional acrobatics，circus，magic，old Beijing folk plays and more．
The show blends music, dance，local opera and martial arts with acrobatics．
Time：7：30pm，daily
Place：Tiandi Theater，Dongsi Shitiao，100 meters north of Poly Theater，Chaoyang District．
Tel：6416—9893
Fooling around：dashan is taking to the stage with the otherwise all-Chinese cast of Chaoji Bendan，or Super Idiot．The play is an adaptation of the famous French comedy，Le diner de Cons
(The dinner Game)．
Dashan，or Mark Rowswell，is a Canadian who became a household name and popular TV host who speaks superb Chinese．He plays the role of Pierre Brochant，a successful Parisian publisher．who attends a weekly “idiots” dinner．Each guest must bring along an“idiot” for the amusement of the other invitees．At the end of the dinner．the vevning’s “champion idiot” is selected．
Time：7：30pm，September 29—30
Place：Poly Theater，14 Dongzhimen Nandajie，Dongcheng District
Tel：6416—9990
Classic comeback：Chinese drama classic The Top Restaurant (Tianxia diyilou)will be staged by Beijing People’s Art theater．Written by He Jiping，the drama has been one of the most popular Chinese theatrical works performed by the renowned Beijing People’s Art Theater．It has been staged more than 400 times since the premiere．
Time：7：30pm．September 5～14
Place：Capital Theater，22 Wangfujing Dajie
Tel：6524—9847
Order now，you can get a 20％discount．More information，please click here.If you want to enjoy magic on Sunday，you can go to ___________.
| A．Red Theater | B．Tiandi Theater | C．Poly Theater | D．Capital Theater |
The advertisements are about “”．
| A．exhibitions | B．meetings | C．stage performances | D．western cultures |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Super Baby，a children’s play，is performing at Beijing’s Cultural Palace of Nationalities． |
| B．The Chinese Acrobatics Group can perform old Beijing folk plays． |
| C．Dashan is a popular TV host who speaks superb Chinese． |
| D．The Top Restaurant will be performed by He Jinping. |
This passage is most probably taken from _________．
| A．a textbooks | B．a magazine | C．a newspaper | D．a website |
Andy rode slowly on his way to school，day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him．He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him．
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present．He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens．What he saw shocked and terrified him．A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him．
With no time to waste，Andy sped off in the opposite direction，riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm．With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously，he sped down the rough road．As the bees came closer，his panic increased．Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇)．The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days．Suddenly．his father's words came to him．“When you are in a tight situation，don’t panic．Use your brain and think your way out of it．’’
On a nearby hill，he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home．“Bees don’t like smoke，” he thought．“They couldn’t get into the house．’’Andy raced towards the Nelson house，but the bees were gaining ground．Andy knew he could not reach the house in time．He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon．
Suddenly，out of the corner of his eyes，he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden．Off his bike and into the cool water he dived，disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects．After holding his breath for as long as he could，Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone．Dragging himself out of the dam，he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell．Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother．
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover，’’ laughed his mother with relief．“Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her．He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow．Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
| A．He was riding to schoo1． | B．He was listening to a strange sound． |
| C．He was going fishing with his father． | D．He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip． |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
| A．They crowded like a black cloud． | B．They shocked and terrified Andy． |
| C．They tried to attack Andy in a mass． | D．They made Andy stay in hospital for two days． |
How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
| A．He asked Mr. Nelson for help． | B．He hid himself under the water． |
| C．He rushed into the Nelson house． | D．He rode off in the opposite direction． |
Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
| A．No pains，no gains． | B．Once bitten，twice shy． |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way． | D．In time of danger，one’s mind works fast． |
“If there is one thing I’m sure about，it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers．It is not that newspapers are a necessity．Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio．Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday．But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation．
The nature of what is news may change．What basically makes news is what affects our lives—the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters，will continue much the same．I think there will be more coverage of scientific research，though．It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives，like genetic (基因) engineering．In the future，I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do—as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are．
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home．In fact，I’m pretty sure that how it will happen in the future．You will probably be able to choose from a menu，making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read——sports and international news，etc．
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media(媒体)．They actually feed off each other．Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened．What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air．And as for the Internet，it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen．What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Best Way to Get News | B．The Changes of Media |
| C．Make Your Own Newspaper | D．The Future of Newspaper |
What will probably be on in the newspaper made by yourself?
| A．Sports and political news． | B．A menu of important news． |
| C．The most important news． | D．What you are interested in． |
From the passage，we can infer ________．
| A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C．television will take the place of newspaper |
| D．the writer believe some media will die out |
The underlined phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means _________
| A．depend on | B．compete with | C．fight with | D．kill off |
It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by his strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him a lot of questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain this question. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Herpin died at the age of 94.The doctors came to Herpin’s home in order to __________.
| A．treat him for his illness |
| B．find the reason why some old people didn’t need any sleep. |
| C．get some proof to show his sleeplessness was not really true. |
| D．help him to have a rest in some day. |
After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ________.
| A．needed some kind of sleep. |
| B．needed no sleep at all. |
| C．was too old to need any sleep. |
| D．often slept in a chair. |
Al Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ___________.
| A．an unusual one | B．a common one |
| C．very healthy | D．very funny |
The main idea of this passage is that ____________.
| A．large numbers of people do not need sleep |
| B．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive |
| C．people can live longer by trying not to sleep at all |
| D．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep |
After we meet people, it is up to us to make them our friends．Let us stop a moment and consider what really makes a friend. The major qualities like faithfulness, devotion, friendliness，flash through our minds. But it is the large number of very small particular qualities that make up one’s whole character, such as cheerfulness, friendliness and punctuality. After all, “to make a friend, be a friend” is not such a big and difficult order. There are particular favorable qualities, which attract others to us, and some fundamental psychological do’s and don’ts．
If you are in the presence of a shy person, talking and asking casual questions may bring him out of his shell. Think of what would be most acceptable to the other person for you to talk, or to listen. Either way, the goal is to make yourself pleasant．
Always remember to listen, but listen intelligently. To have anyone “hang on our words” is the most unnoticeably clever way in the world to please somebody．For a few extremely happy seconds we are the center of attraction，but when it is our turn to be audience，let us remember how we felt as the actor，and let’s be genuinely interested in what the other fellow is saying．
Other people will like us, if we like them. If you want friends, keep your mind and heart open to friendship. Be alive to the other person’s world．This passage is mainly about________.
| A．the way of talking to a shy person |
| B．some favorable qualities to be a psychologist |
| C．how to make yourself attractive to listeners |
| D．how to make a friend and be a friend |
The underlined part “bring him out of his shell” in the second paragraph most probably means________.
| A．make him become active | B．make him feel more nervous |
| C．help him understand the question better | D．help him listen intelligently |
According to the passage，an important way in making friends is to________.
| A．attract them | B．be attracted | C．listen attentively | D．talk widely |
Of the qualities in a friend，which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Faithfulness. | B．Devotion． | C．Punctuality. | D．Unselfishness. |