The Doll and the White Rose
I was walking around in a mall, when I saw a cashier(出纳员) hand this little boy some money back.The cashier said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.”The little boy seemed very disappointed.
I walked toward him and asked him who he wished to give this doll to."It's the doll that my sister wanted so much for Christmas.She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her: But Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now.I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there."His eyes were so sad."My sister has gone to be with God.Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.”
My heart nearly stopped.The little boy looked up at me and continued, "I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet.I need her to wait until I come back from the mall."
I quickly reached for my wallet and said," Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll."
"OK, I hope I do have enough," he said.I put some of my money with his without him seeing and we started to count it.There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.
Surprisingly, the little boy cried, "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that Mommy could give it to my sister.He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much.But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose ! "
Then I remembered two days before a local newspaper reported an accident in which a woman and a little girl were badly injured.The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state.Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after I met the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the woman had passed away.I couldn't stop myself from going to the funeral.Teary-eyed, I felt that my life had been changed forever.
The boy wanted to buy the doll because .
A.he had always been eager for such a doll |
B.Santa Claus didn't give him any Christmas gift |
C.he would give it to his mother as a birthday surprise |
D.he wanted to turn his sister's Christmas wish into reality |
We can learn from the story that .
A.the boy's sister died after staying in hospital for two weeks |
B.the boy's family were all seriously injured in a car accident |
C.the author gave the boy some extra money without his notice |
D.the boy's mother always wished to receive a white rose on Christmas |
The story most probably conveys the message that .
A.a kind act can bring joy and hope to others |
B.a gift is a perfect way to express love for others |
C.losing a family member is a heavy blow to children |
D.a religious belief can help one solve problems in his life |
The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful,” says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses(冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral(道德) freedom.
A single angry word has lost many friends. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. “Whoever the gods would destroy they first make them mad.” “Keep cool,” says Webster, “anger is not argument.” “Be calm in arguing,” says George Herbert, “for fierceness(狂怒) makes error a fault.”
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. “Anger,” says Pythagoras, “brings with folly and ends with regret.” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.
Self-control is man’s last and greatest victory.
If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.The importance of self- control. | B.How to conquer oneself? |
C.The relation between a man’s moral freedom and his feelings. | |
D.A man should keep cool. |
What’s the meaning of “whoever the gods would destroy they first make them mad”?
A.If you are mad, the gods will kill you. |
B.If you lose your temper first, gods will kill you first. |
C.If you can’t control yourself, you will be crazy. |
D.If the gods want to kill you, they will make you mad first. |
Which of the following is NOT true, according to passage?
A.The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself. |
B.You will make a small mistake serious if you don’t keep cool. |
C.You must measure a man’s strength by the power of the feelings which conquer him. |
D.Anger brings with folly and ends with regret. |
Which of the following can’t help you avoid anger, according to the passage?
A.Be calm in arguing. | B.Check your temper or anger by speaking low. |
C.Keep your mouth shut. | D.Try to make the other angry first. |
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time :if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those
Around him use. Bit by bit .he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people's. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things: they should learn to do without being taught, such as to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle—compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to .Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.
If it is a matter of right answer, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine(常规)work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer .Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn ,how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.According to the passage ,the best way for children to learn things is by______
A.listening to skilled people's advice |
B.asking older people many questions. |
C.making mistakes and having them corrected |
D.doing what other people do |
which of the following does the writer think teachers should NOT do?
A.Give children correct answers. |
B.Allow children to make mistakes. |
C.Point out children's mistakes to them. |
D.Let children mark their own work. |
According to the writer, teachers in school should______
A.allow children to learn from each other |
B.point out children's mistakes whenever found |
C.correct children's mistakes as soon as possible |
D.give children more book knowledge |
The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are ____
A.different from learning other skills |
B.the same as learning other skills |
C.more important than other skills |
D.not really important skills |
Sitting and eating quietly on his father’s lap, the 18-month-old was oblivious to the infection in his veins(血管).But his father a strong farmer, knew only too well. It was the same one that killed his wife four month ago, leaving him alone with four children. The man started to cry.
“When my wife died, I thought ,well, it is from God, but at least I have him.” he said. “Then I learned he is sick, too. I asked if there was medicine and the doctors said no.
HIV and AIDS have quietly arrived in this land. They remain almost completely underground, hidden in ignorance(无知)and shame.
The father of the infected 18-month-old said his village teacher had never talked about AIDS. Nearly a year of tests on the father have found no HIV, and the old children are clear, but his smallest child tested positive(阳性)at ten months.
Six years earlier, his wife lost a baby and have several transfusions in Pakistan. After she became sick and was found to be infected, “I told the family her blood was not good and to avoid eating with her.” he said. “And I told them not to kiss his son, he burst into tears.
“I don’t know what to do,” he said; “I have sacrificed so much since my marriage.. I mortgaged (抵押)half my land to pay for her medical care.”
The father can do little for his son but keep his secret. There are no AIDS treatment centers in Afghanistan, only a single secret clinic in the capital that just monitors the disease, and no drugs are available.The underlined part “was oblivious to” in Paragraph 1 can best be replaced by______.
A. was shocked by |
B. was afraid of |
C. was curious about |
D. was unaware of |
What happened to the man?
A. He was diagnosed with AIDS just now |
B. He has no money to support the family |
C. His wife died of AIDS four weeks ago |
D. His youngest son was infected with AIDS |
It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that______
A. the wife had several blood transfusions |
B. the family knew how to avoid AIDS |
C. the farmer had little knowledge about AIDS |
D. the family loved the youngest son most |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. There are several AIDS treatment centers in Afghanistan |
B. The farmer will keep his son’s disease unknown to others |
C. The farmer sold his house to pay for his wife’s medial care |
D. Afghanistian’s medical conditions have been greatly improved. |
Each high school has its own policy. One good example is that some high schools require all students to wear uniforms, while others do not. I have been to both types of schools, and if I have to decide which one is better, I will pick the former.
Perhaps every student has this experience: once you are in your school uniforms, you will care more about your own behavior. Uniforms give you an identity that always reminds that you belong to a group. What you do will not only represent yourself, but also the group you belong to, as well as the people with you. In other words, you carry the responsibility to maintain the honor of the group. When you are in your own clothes, it doesn’t matter for you to behave badly in public, but when in your uniform, it does. For high school students, who are not adults yet, this is a good way to shape their behavior.
Moreover, uniforms create an atmosphere of equality. While permitted to wear their won clothes, students may pay much attention to what they wear, in order to show how rich their families are. While in uniforms, all students, rich or poor, look the same, and will be treated equally.
Besides, free from the desires to gain what is new in the shopping mall, wearing uniforms helps students to concentrate on their study.
For all the reasons above, I believe that it is a better choice for high school students to wear uniforms. They can wear them after school or on weekends. According to the author, high schools that require students to wear uniforms______.
A.are more attractive to students |
B. are more strict with students |
C. carry out a better policy |
D. admit more excellent students. |
How many reasons does the author give to support his or her ideas?
A.two | B.three | C.four | D.five |
According to Paragraph 2, wearing uniforms helps students_______.
A.focus on their study |
B.become responsible |
C.build up their confidence |
D.find the group they belong to |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A wise choice, to wear school uniform |
B.An honor, to wear your school uniform |
C.A difficult choice, in school uniform or not? |
D.A difficult choice, which school should we pick? |
Foulsham House is a fine, large house of the 1790s.It stands high above the River Byer, in twenty—five hectares(公顷)of the best farmland in the southwest.
The house was built by Smithson, and the story that George, the son of King of Whales, who fell in love with the beautiful Lady Kitty, at one of the first Foulsham’s wild woods(野外)parties.Many years ago many great men rode on the hills about Foulsham.
House, and many fine girls took tea in the Green Room.
The house has eight bedrooms, three bathrooms(浴室), two living—rooms, and a dining—room with a real Adam fireplace.Its library has a good view over the park and the river.All rooms are light and airy, with good, high windows, and wood floors.
At the back of the house there is room for four cars.The third Foulsham once kept there.In many other ways, this house of the 1790s meets the needs of the 1990s.
If you wish to know more about Foulsham House, write to: Harvey.Platt, Longford &Son 6, Castle Green, Gilham, Byreside.Foulsham House_____
A.is an old farmhouse |
B.stands 25 hectares high above the River Byer |
C.is an old, stone house, standing in very fine farmland |
D.is twenty-five years old, and is of fine stone |
People say that _____
A.Smithson built the house for Lord Foulsham's wild parties |
B.Prince George fell in love with KItty Wake at Foulsham House |
C.Prince George and KItty Wake fell in love with the Green House |
D.Lord Foulsham fell in love with a lady wales |
Foulsham House_____
A.is an old house that meets many new needs |
B.though seventy-nine years old, meets new needs |
C.is a new house that meets many old needs |
D.is a house of the 1970s as good as new |