The engine of a giant ship broke down，so the ship lost its power．The owner of the ship was very worried．The owner of the ship was very worried．He sent for one expert after another，but none of them could figure out（弄清楚）how to fix the engine．Then an old man who had been fixing ships since he was young was brought in．
The old man carried a large bag of tools with him．When he arrived，he went to work immediately．He examined the engine very carefully，from top to bottom，The owner of the ship stood there，watching the old man's every move．After looking things over，the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer（锤子）．He tapped（敲打）something gently．The engine started back up at once．He then put his hammer away carefully．The engine was fixed．
A week later，the owner of the ship received a bill from the old man for ﹩ 10，000．
"What？！"the owner shouted，"He hardly did anything．"
So he wrote the old man a note saying，Please send me an itemized（逐条记录的）bill．
The man sent a bill that read：Tapping with a hammer﹣﹩2
Knowing where to tap﹣﹩9，998
Effort（努力）is important，but knowing where to put the effort in your life is more important．
（1）How did the owner of the ship feel when the engine broke down？
| A． |
Excited |
| B． |
Worried |
| C． |
Tired |
| D． |
Interested |
（2）After pulling out a small hammer，the old man ．
| A． |
looked things over rapidly |
| B． |
reached into his bag secretly |
| C． |
tapped something gently |
| D． |
put his hammer away carefully |
（3）According to the itemized bill， knowing where to tap cost
| A． |
﹩10，000 |
| B． |
﹩9，998 |
| C． |
﹩9，996 |
| D． |
﹩237 |
（4）What's the main idea of the text？
| A． |
Effort is very important when you are in trouble． |
| B． |
Fixing the engine of a giant ship costs too much． |
| C． |
Putting the effort in the right place is more important． |
| D． |
Losing the engine s power is the reason for asking for help． |
The world’s population has reached 7 billion（十亿）according to the United Nations（联合国）by 2011. It comes just 12 years since the total reached 6 billion - with official estimates saying the population will top 8 billion in 2025 and 10 billion before the end of the century.
And it is most likely that the 10-billionth baby will be born in the Asia-Pacific region - where the population growth rate is higher than anywhere else in the world.
Of the 2.3 billion people, the United Nations believes will be added by 2050, more than 1 billion will live in sub-Saharan Africa. The Indian subcontinent（次大陆）will add some 630 million people.
With more people to feed, more houses & medical care to provide, experts say the world’s resources（资源）will face more strain than before.According to the picture, the population of the world reached 6 billion in ________.
A. 1987 B. 1999 C. 2011We know that more than 1 billion will live in _______ by 2050.
A. sub-Saharan Africa
B. Indian subcontinent
C. the United StatesAccording to the picture, _______ will have the largest population in 2050.
A. China B. India C. NigeriaThe underlined word “strain” in the last paragraph（段落）means “_________”.
A. 破坏 B. 关闭 C. 压力The population of the world grows ________ according to the picture.
A. slower and slower
B. faster and faster
C. smaller and smaller
An armless pianist who plays with his toes has won the first series of China’s version of the internationally popular TV talent show, “China’s Got Talent.”
Liu Wei, a 23-year-old Beijing-born pianist, who lost both his arms at the aged of 10 when he was electrocuted（触电）during a game of hide-and-seek. Liu Wei stayed in rehabilitation（康复）centre for 2 years. When he got out, he was introduced to Beijing’s disabled swimming team, and he managed to take 2 gold medals in the National Disabled Swimming Championship at the aged of 14. But soon he was told not to do too much sport by the doctor.
Liu Wei was very sad. Luckily, the door was shut on sports, but it opened in music. At the age of 18, he started to learn the piano. He could not find a teacher to lead him to play with his toes, so he began teaching himself. Liu said, “I knew if I tried, I might get a chance at success. If I didn’t try, I would lose my future.”
He carried on a daily 7-hour practice, his improvement gave him hope. He kept practicing and made progress gradually. In early 2011, he gave a memorable performance in Vienna’s Golden Concert Hall. In 2012, he receivedthe award “Top Ten People Who Moved China”.Liu Wei lost both his arms when he was______ years old.
A. 10 B. 14 C. 23Besides playing the piano, Liu Wei is also good at _______.
A. playing games
B. learning from others
C. armless swimmingLiu Wei was taught by ________ to play the piano with toes.
A. his teacher B. his mother C. himselfThe sentence “The door was shut on sports, but it opened in music” means that Liu Wei ______.
A. lost the future of music
B. got other chances at success
C. couldn’t do sports The best title of this passage is “_________”
A. One is never too old to learn
B. Time and tide wait for no man
C. Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Mr. Jones works in a factory far away from his home. One day he wanted to send a letter to his wife, but he could neither read nor write, and he had to work all day, so he could only look for somebody to write his letter late at night. At last he found the house of a letter-writer whose name was Nasreddin.
Nasreddin was already in bed. “It is late,” he said. “What do you want?” “I want you to write a letter to my wife,” said Mr. Jones. Nasreddin was not pleased. He thought for a few seconds and then asked, “Has the letter got to go far?”
“What does that matter?” answered Mr. Jones.
“Well, my writing is so strange that only I can read it, and if I have to travel a long way to read your letter to your wife, it will cost you a lot of money. ”Mr. Jones went away with no words. Mr. Jones is a ________.
A. letter-writer B. postman C. workerMr. Jones looked for somebody to write a letter for him ______.
A. late at night
B. in the morning
C. in the afternoonNasreddin was not pleased because he wanted to ______.
A. write the letter B. make money C. remain in bedWe know from the story that Nasreddin is a _______ man.
A. kind B. funny C. strictWhich of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Mr. Jones paid no money to Nasreddin.
B. Mr. Jones was happy when he heard the words.
C. Nasreddin wrote the letter for Mr. Jones.
Happiness is important for everyone. Most people want to be happy but few know how to find happiness. Money and success don’t bring lasting happiness. Happiness depends on ourselves. In other words, we make our own happiness.
Some people believe that if they are wealthy, they will be able to do anything they want, which means happiness. On the other hand, some people believe that holding a high position in the government is happiness. In this way, you have not only money, but also many other things which can’t be bought by money. However, other people believe that having lots of money is not happiness, nor is holding a high position in the government. These people value(重视) their beliefs, or their intelligence, or their health. They think these can make them happy.
Here are a few ways to help you be happier.
The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend so much time thinking about the future, for example, getting into college or getting a good job, that we don’t enjoy the present. You should enjoy life’s simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have close friends usually enjoy happier and healthier lives.
The second secret of happiness is to be active. Many people go dancing or play sports. People can forget about their problems and only think about the activities.
Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. According to studies, people feel good when they volunteer their time to do many meaningful things for other people. If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to get food for an old neighbor, or simply help around the house.
Now maybe you know how to find happiness!The underlined word “wealthy” means “__________” in the article.
| A．pleased | B．healthy | C．excited | D．rich |
Some people who hold a high position in the government think they can _________.
| A．get money and something they can’t buy with money |
| B．do what they want to do at any time |
| C．enjoy health which makes them work hard |
| D．take an active part in all kinds of activities every day |
The writer thinks the secret of happiness is that people ___________.
| A．think about getting a good job |
| B．think of presents they don’t like |
| C．often spend time with close friends |
| D．often spend time on entering the college |
Many people find it happy to ___________.
| A．remember the old days and troubles |
| B．do some meaningful things for others |
| C．go shopping to buy some food |
| D．make much money and little success |
The passage mainly tells us __________.
| A．how to find happiness |
| B．how to save happiness |
| C．to do something good for others |
| D．to value our beliefs or health |
Like many people, I have no clear idea about heroes. At some point, we all wonder if we need a hero and what a hero really is.
Although there are a lot of differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics (特点) which give us courage and make us want to learn from them.
A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a special story to tell and people think highly of it. But a hero is not just the person with great fame (声誉) .
A hero has powers (力量) larger than himself. Some people want to live like a hero, and they have to experience life with new and further meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom they serve. What do they want to live and die for? If the answer suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes.
A hero has a vision from the mountaintop. He has the power to move people. He creates new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of Britain. Without Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans might take different buses, eat in different restaurants, go for walks in different parks, and shop in different stores because of the different colors of their skin.
There might be changes in society without a hero, but the speed of change would be rather slow. Thanks to heroes in history, they make the society develop so rapidly. According to this passage, a hero is a person who always __________.
| A．gives us courage | B．thinks highly of others |
| C．shares great fame | D．stands on the mountaintop |
If you want to live like a hero, you should __________.
| A．experience a new and meaningful life |
| B．listen to something worth talking about |
| C．serve your own fame and try to be famous |
| D．know where and how you want to live and die |
The underlined word “vision” in the passage means “__________”.
| A．风景 | B．想象 |
| C．远见 | D．形象 |
Black people in America used to __________ before Martin Luther King, Jr..
| A．shop at the white’s stores |
| B．drive buses with the white |
| C．take walks in the white’s parks |
| D．eat in restaurants without the white |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．We don’t need heroes anymore at some point now. |
| B．Heroes are all the same though different in cultures. |
| C．People get power from heroes to move to a new place. |
| D．Our society has developed faster because of heroes in history. |