A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people seldom visited. The house was very old and the owner hardly ever came out. They boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, a lot of other neighborhoods children were told the same from their parents.
As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said. “Uh, sir, I am selling these magazines and I was wondering if you would like to buy one.” The old man stared at the boy. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines(小雕像)on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” the little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collectibles(收藏品) in my house. They are my family here. They are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul(鬼魂). Then the old man was ready to close the door and said, “No, boy, I don’t need any magazine of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota(配额)with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the big house. The boy went home and then had an idea. He knocked on the door again and this time the old man came right to the door. “Boy, I thought I told you no magazines.” “No, sir. But I want to give you a gift. The boy handed him the figurine and the man’s face lit up. “It’s a Golden Retriever, and I have one at home, this is for you. The old man was simply stunned(受惊的); no one had ever given him such a gift and shown him so much kindness.
From that day on, the old man started coming out of the house and acknowledging people. He and the boy became friends; the boy even brought his dog to see the man weekly.Which of the following words can’t describe the old man?
A.Serious. | B.Lonely. |
C.Outgoing. | D.Persistent. |
What can we see in the old man’s house?
A.Some magazines. | B.Some dogs. |
C.Some dog figurines. | D.His family members. |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the text?
A.The boy felt sorry only because he was not going to make his quota with the sale. |
B.The old man regarded all the collectibles as his family. |
C.Few people went to the old man’s house. |
D.The boy went to the old man’s house twice. |
The underlined word “acknowledging” means _______.
A.glaring at | B.keeping away from |
C.saying hello to | D.refusing |
What made the old man start coming out of the house?
A.Golden Retriever. |
B.All of his dog figurines. |
C.The magazine. |
D.The little boy’s kindness. |
Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through pop music or basketball or being a TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem rather important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures (the opposite of success). JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat(打败) you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to tell when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you’re struggling(奋斗), even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the third paragraph?
A.To compare these two famous persons. |
B.To explain that the more failures he has, the more successful he is. |
C.If you want to be successful, you should fail first. |
D.To show that failure is the mother of success. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.No one can be successful without working hard. |
B.Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way. |
C.Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help. |
D.One should try his best to make his dream come true. |
Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?
A.One shouldn’t ask questions because it is a sign of strength. |
B.One should believe in himself though he will face much difficulty. |
C.One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times. |
D.One doesn’t have to ask for help because it is a sign of weakness. |
What’s the most important thing for you to have in your life? Somebody mentions hard-work, others suggest knowledge, love and luck.
If you arrange the 26 English letters alphabetically(按字母表的顺序) and use numbers to represent each of them, for example, 1 for a, 2 for b, 3 for c…, you can change an English word into a number. So hard-work becomes 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11="98," meaning 98 is its mark; knowledge: 11+14+15+23 +12+5+4+7+5="96," while love: 12+15+22+5="54," and luck: 12+21+3+11="47," a small mark. None of these words can give one a full mark. What about money or prayer(祈祷)? They can’t, either.
Then what else? Don’t be worried. You can always find an answer to a problem in your life, when you change your way of looking at things or doing things, or your attitude(态度).Yes, attitude is the word. See for yourself: attitude:1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5=100,a full mark.
Different attitudes lead to different courses of life. Most times people hope for a better life. It is possible that one will have a change for the better after one has changed one’s attitude.
When you change your manner and became friendly towards others, you’ll meet more smiling faces towards you. In the same way, if you take a positive (积极地) attitude towards failure(失败), you’ll find it’s also rewarding though it has caused you losses.In the writer’s opinion, what is the most important thing in a person’s life?
A.Hard-work. | B.Knowledge. | C.Money. | D.Attitude. |
According to the passage, if you meet with problems, the best way out is to _______.
A.ask for help from others |
B.say your prayers to God |
C.change your attitude |
D.try maths-solving methods (方法) |
From the passage we can learn that ______.
A.different attitudes come from different courses of life |
B.mathematics can solve every problem easily in our daily life |
C.failure sometimes can bring you good if you take a positive attitude |
D.none of the English words except “attitude” equals to 100 or more |
People in different countries have different ways of doing things. Something that is polite in one country may be quite impolite in another. In Britain, you mustn’t lift your bowl to your mouth when you are having some liquid (液体) food. But it’s different in China. And in Japan you even needn’t worry about making noises when you have it. It shows that you are enjoying it. But it is regarded as bad manners in Britain. If you are a visitor in Mongolia, what manners do they wish you to have? They wish you to give a loud “burp”(打嗝) after you finish eating, Burping shows that you like the food.
In Britain, you should try not to put your hands on the table when you’re having a meal. In Mexico, however, guests are expected to keep their hands on the table during a meal. But in Arab countries you must be very careful with your hands. You mustn’t eat with your left hand. Arabs consider it very bad manners eating with left hands. So, what should you do if you are on a visit in another country? Well, just do in Rome as the Romans do. You can ask the native (本土的)people to help you or just watch carefully and follow them. According to the passage, making noises when you have liquid food isn’t bad manners in.
A.China | B.Japan | C.Britain | D.Mongolia |
is bad manners in Britain.
A.Eating food without making noises |
B.Putting liquid food in the bowl |
C.Having soup directly with a bowl |
D.Keeping hands off the table |
From the passage, we can infer(推断) that .
A.Mongolian people burp when they are eating |
B.Japanese people all make noises when drinking |
C.Chinese people never make noises at table |
D.few Arabs eat with left hands |
The passage mainly tells us .
A.some table manners in Britain |
B.some different table manners |
C.different ways of having liquid food |
D.to have good manners |
We each have a memory. That’s why we can still remember things after a long time. Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things by heart, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories.
A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries. They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.
But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises. Some people can easily learn many things by heart because.
A.they always sleep very well |
B.they often eat good food |
C.they read a lot of books |
D.they have very good memories |
Everybody learns his mother language .
A.at the age of six |
B.when he is a small child |
C.after he goes to school |
D.when he can read and write |
In school the pupils can’t learn a foreign language well because .
A.they have no good memories |
B.they have no recorders |
C.they have too much time for it |
D.they are busy with other subjects |
Your memory will become better and better .
A.if you have plenty of good food |
B.if you do more and more exercises |
C.if you do morning exercises every day |
D.if you get up early |
Is it difficult for you to get up in the morning? Hiroyuki’s bed will solve your problem! Here is how it works.
The bed is connected to an alarm clock. First, the alarm clock rings. You have a few minutes to wake up. Next, a tape recorder in the bed plays soft music. The tape recorder in Hiroyuki’s bed plays a recording of his girlfriend. She whispered in a soft voice, “Wake up, darling, please.” After minutes later, Hiroyuki hears a recording of his boss. His boss shouts, “Wake up at once , or you’ll be late !”
If you don’t get up after the second recording, a mechanical “foot” in the bed will kick you in the head. The bed waits a few more minutes. What! You’re still in bed! Slowly the top of the bed rises higher and higher. The foot of the bed goes lower and lower. Finally you slide off the bed and onto the floor. You are out of bed awake!
Hiroyuki’s bed is not in stores. There is only one bed--- the bed Hiroyuki made for a contest. Maybe someday a company will make Hiroyuki’s bed and sell it in stores. Maybe people will buy millions of beds. Then Hiroyuki will be rich. If the bed makes Hiroyuki rich, he won’t need to work, and he won’t need to get up early! The bed is useful to the people _______.
A.who can’t sleep well | B.who can’t get up early |
C.who go to bed early | D.who go to bed late |
The bed is not connected to _______ .
A.an alarm clock | B.a tape recorder | C.a TV | D.a mechanical “foot” |
What will finally happen to Hiroyuki if he doesn’t get up ?
A. He will slide onto the floor . |
B. A tape recorder will play a recording of his boss . |
C. A mechanical “foot” will kick him in the head . |
D. The bed will rise higher and higher |
Which is TRUE of the following sentences ?
A. Hiroyuki’s company has made many such beds . |
B. Hiroyuki’s bed is the only one made for a contest . |
C. Hiroyuki has made a lot of money . |
D. Hiroyuki needn’t get up early now . |