An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle (奇迹) can save him now.” The little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore (药店) with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother.” the girl answered.
“He’s really, really sick and wants to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?” I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. He’s really sick and Mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.
“Well, what a luck,” smiled the man, “$1.11, the price of a miracle for little brother.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?
What was the trouble in the little girl’s family?
A. Her brother was seriously ill.
B. They had no money.
C. Both A and B.
In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be .
A. something interesting
B. something cheap
C. some wonderful medicine
The little girl said again and again “I can try and get some more money.” That shows .
A. she had still kept some money
B. she hoped not to be refused
C. there was no need to worry about money
What made the miracle happen?
A. The girl’s love for the brother.
B. Nobody can tell.
C. The medicine from the drugstore.
From the passage we can infer(推断)that .
A. the doctor didn’t ask for any pay
B. the doctor must be one of the girl’s family’s closest friends
C. the little girl is lovely but not so clever
A few days ago, I ran into (撞上) a stranger as he passed by. I said sorry to him, and he said, “Excuse me too, I wasn’t even watching for you.” We were very polite, this stranger and I. Then we went on our way after saying goodbye.
Later in the kitchen at home, as I cooked our meal, my daughter Betty walked up to me, very quietly. When I turned around (转身), I nearly knocked her down. “Get out of the way!” I shouted angrily. She ran away, crying.
That night, when I lay in bed, my husband said to me, “You were so rude to Betty. Go and look around on the kitchen floor, and you’ll find some flowers there. Betty brought those for you. She picked them herself ¾ pink, yellow, and your favourite blue.”
When I heard this, I thought deeply: “While meeting with a stranger, I was calm and polite; but with my daughter, I was not patient (耐心的). I felt sad and tears began to fall.
I quietly went to Betty’s bed, “Wake up, my dear,” I said, “Are these the flowers you picked for me?” She smiled, “t found them by the tree. I knew you’d like them, especially the blue.” I said, “I am so sorry that I treated (对待) you that way today.” And she whispered (悄声说), “Mommy, that’s okay ¾ I still love you anyway.” I kissed her and said, “I love you too and I do love the flowers.”
That day Betty gave me a lesson on how to get along with each other in the family. I spent much time on work before and didn’t realize how important family life was. I decided to do better in the future.The writer ___________ to a stranger when she ran into him.
When the writer nearly knocked Betty down, she _________ at her.
The writer’s ______ told her Betty had picked those flowers for her.
The writer felt sad and began to cry because ___________.
The writer decided to ___________.
Dubai is a city of big business, expensive hotels, skyscrapers (摩天楼), and shopping malls. In the early 20th century, Dubai was a successful trading port. People from the world stopped in Dubai to do business. But it was still a small city, and most people lived as fishermen and businessmen. Then in 1966, oil was discovered. This brought a lot of money into the area, and soon Dubai began to change.
Today Dubai is one of the world’s most important business centers. In fact, each year the city gels its money mainly from business, not oil.
Recently Dubai has attracted more and more visitors from abroad. They come to relax on its beaches, and every year, millions visit just to go shopping!
Dubai is also one of the world’s fastest growing cities. Many tall buildings are built in months. The city also has many man-made islands. One of these, the Palm Jumeirah, is like a palm tree (棕桐树) and is very beautiful.
The city is still an amazing mix (混合体) of people from different countries. The people from 150 countries live and work in Dubai, and foreigners now outnumber Dubai natives ( 本地人) by eight to one!
Many people welcome the city’s growth. But an increasing number of Dubai natives worry about the speed of change. As a Dubai native says, “We must always remember where we came from. Our kids must know we worked very, very hard to get where we are now, and there’s a lot more work to do.”Why did people stop in Dubai in the early 20th century?
| A．To relax | B．To buy oil. |
| C．To go shopping. | D．To do business. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Dubai has created many man-made islands.
B. There are many foreigners working in Dubai.
C Many international visitors come to Dubai every year
D. Dubai now gets money mainly from selling oil.What does the underlined word “outnumber” mean?
| A．To be smaller in size than another group. |
| B．To be more in number than another group. |
| C．To be bigger in area than another group. |
| D．To be smaller in area than another group. |
In the last paragraph, what does the underlined part mean?
| A．We should always visit Dubai, |
| B．We should learn from foreigners. |
| C．We must always remember our past. |
| D．We must only think about the future. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Dubai is growing very fast. |
| B．Dubai was a big city before 1966. |
| C．Many tall buildings are built in months. |
| D．Many tourists come to relax on Dubai’s beaches. |
Every morning my father buys a newspaper on his way to work. Every evening my mother looks through magazines at home. And every night, I look at the posters with photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep. Can we imagine life without paper or print?
Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago, and has been made from silk, cotton, bamboo, and, since the 19th century, from wood. People learned to write words on paper to make a book. But in those days, books could only be produced one at a time by hand. As a result, they were expensive and rare. And because there weren’t many hooks, few people learned to read.
Then printing was invented in China. When printing was developed greatly at the beginning of the 11th century, books could be produced more quickly and cheaply. As a result, more people learned to read. After that, knowledge and ideas spread quickly.
Today information can be received online, downloaded from the Internet rather than found in books, and information can be kept on CD-ROMs or machines such as MP3 players.
Computers are already used in classrooms, and newspapers and magazines can already be read online. So will books be replaced by computers one day? No, I don’t think the Yao Ming poster on my bedroom wall will ever be replaced by a computer two metres high!What does the writer do before he goes to sleep’?
| A．He reads books. | B．He reads newspapers |
| C．He looks through magazines | D．He looks at the posters on the wall. |
When was paper first created?
| A．About 2.000 years ago. | B．In the 19th century. |
| C．About 1.000 years ago. | D．In the 11th century. |
Why were books expensive and rare before the invention of printing?
A. People could not read.
B. People could not write words on paper.
C. People could not find silk, cotton or bamboo.
D People could only produce books one at a time by handWhat happened after books became cheaper?
| A．People didn’t want to buy books. |
| B．Printing was invented in China. |
| C．Knowledge and ideas spread quickly. |
| D．The Internet was introduced to people soon |
What is the writer’s opinion about books and computers’?
| A．People won’t need books any more |
| B．Books won’t be replaced by computers. |
| C．People prefer to find information in books. |
| D．Computers have already replaced books. |
My grandfather Jack is 96 years old, and he has had an interesting life. He has travelled a lot in his life in the Far East. He visited the Taj Mahal in India and the Pyramids in Egypt. He hunted (狩猎) lions in Africa, and rode a camel in the Sahara Desert. He says the most beautiful place he has travelled to is Kathmandu in Nepal.
Jack has married twice. His first wife died when she was 32. He met his second wife Maria while he was cycling round France They have been married for 50 years, and they have lived happily in a small village since they got married.
Jack says that he has never been ill in his life. The secret of good health, according to my grandfather, is exercise He goes swimming every morning. He has done this since he was a boy. He also has a glass of wine every night! Perhaps that is his secret!What kind of life has Jack lived?
| A．A short life. | B．An interesting life. |
| C．A lonely life | D．A poor life. |
Which of the following does Jack think is the most beautiful place?
| A．Kathmandu. | B．The Pyramids |
| C．The Sahara Desert. | D．Taj Mahal |
How many times has Jack married?
| A．Once. | B．Twice. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
Where did Jack meet Maria?
| A．In India. | B．In Nepal. | C．In France | D．in Egypt. |
What does Jack do every night?
| A．He has a glass of wine. | B．He goes swimming |
| C．He hunts lions. | D．He rides a camel. |
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Every year, wildfires(野火) destroy much forest land. homes are broken down, and thousands of people die. smokejumpers are stop helping to stop this.
Smokejumpers are a special kind of firefight. they jump from planes into areas that difficult to reach by car or on foot. they race to put out fires as fast as they can.
At a fire site, Smokejumpers first examine the land and decide how to fight the fire. their main goal is to stop fire from spreading. using basic tools such as shovels and axes, smokejumpers clear land of burnable material like plants and other dry material. they carry water with them too, but not much.
Although most smokejumpers are men, more women are joining. Most important are your weight and height. Smokejumpers in the U.S. for example ,must be 54 to 91 kilograms, so they don’t get hurt when they land, or get blown by strong winds.
Smokejumpers must be able to live in the wilderness. in Russia ,many smokejumpers know how to find food in the forest and even make simple furniture from trees.
They work is dangerous, the hours are long. But for these firefighters, smokejumpers isn’t just a job. They love being able to jump out of planes, fight fires, and live in the forest. As 28-year-old Russian smokejumpers Alexi Tishin says,“This is the best job for the strong and brave.”What are Smokejumpers?
Where do the jump from?
What’s their main goal?
Why should they have proper weight?
What’s needed to be a smokejumpers?