Christmas was coming. There was a man in rags (衣衫褴褛) walking in a hurry on the road. You might think he was a beggar (乞讨者), but actually he was an artist. His name was Vincent Willem Van Gogh. With a painting he had just finished, the poor Vincent entered a painting store.
"Can you buy this painting to help me pay the rent (房租)? "Vincent asked in a low voice. "I don't really like your painting, but it is said that you are hard-working and I want to help you, Here is five francs(法郎), "the storekeeper answered.
Although it was only five francs, Vincent was very happy. He took the money and said thanks, thinking that he could buy some food and pay the rent.
Near his home, Vincent saw a little girl in old clothes standing in the snow.
The girl smiled sadly at the artist asking for some help. Clearly, the girl was hungry and cold.
"Poor child! I should help her, " he thought.
Vincent put the five francs into the girl's hands, completely forgetting that he still needed money to pay the rent. Before the girl said thanks to him, Vincent had hurried away with his empty stomach.
31. The story happened in .
| A． |
spring |
B． |
summer |
C． |
autumn |
D． |
winter |
32. Vincent Willem Van Gogh was a(n) .
| A． |
beggar B artist |
B． |
farmer |
C． |
storekeeper |
33. The storekeeper gave Vincent five francs because .
| A． |
he thought Vincent was a beggar |
| B． |
he liked Vincent's painting very much |
| C． |
he wanted to help the hardworking man |
| D． |
he wanted to make friends with Vincent |
34. What did Vincent do to help the poor girl?
| A． |
He painted a picture for her. |
B． |
He paid the rent for the girl. |
| C． |
He bought her some food and clothes. |
D． |
He gave the girl five francs. |
35. From the story, we know that Vincent was .
| A． |
kind |
B． |
rich |
C． |
famous |
D． |
Creative |
Chinatown is the name given to an area in the middle of London. It is just between Leicester Square and Shaftsbury Avenue. Gerrard Street is at the center and is the most important street in the area. There is a large Chinese community (社区) with a lot of Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets and shops in this street.
In the 1950s, it was a poor area and everything was very cheap. At the same time, the world rice market changed and thousands of farm workers in Hong Kong lost their jobs. They began arriving in London to look for work. They found jobs in the restaurants in this area. Many British (英国的) people like Chinese food, and the restaurants were popular.
These restaurant workers often worked 17 hours a day and had no time to learn English. As more Chinese arrived, more shops and businesses grew up. Wives came and joined their husbands, and children came and joined their fathers. The community grew, and Chinatown was born.
In the 1970s and 1980s, British-born Chinese started to have a better education and this brought economic (经济的) success to the area. Many families moved out of Chinatown, and there was more space for businesses. Gerrard Street became a street only for visitors and was soon a popular place for tourists.
Now everyone knows about London’s Chinatown. During the Chinese New Year, the streets are seen with national flags and thousands of Chinese go into the streets. For most of the year, though, Londoners and tourists go there mainly for the food in the Chinese restaurants. The best restaurants are the ones where the Chinese eat.Is this Chinatown in the middle of London?
_______________________________________________________How was the area in the 1950s?
_______________________________________________________ Why did the restaurant workers have no time to learn English?
_______________________________________________________When did British-born Chinese start to have a better education?
_______________________________________________________What is the topic of this article?
_______________________________________________________
One morning, a blind boy sat beside a building with a hat by his feet. He held a sign which said, “I am blind. Please help me.”
There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by could see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognizedhis footsteps and asked, “Are you the one who changed my sign in the morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said, but in a different way.”
What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day, but I can’t see it.”
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the beautiful day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind.
The first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.
There are at least two lessons we can learn from this simple story.
The first is: Treasure (珍惜) what you have. Someone else has less. Try your best to help those who need your help.
The second is: Be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way.From the article we know that________.
| A．the boy always has a hat on his head |
| B．the man is one of his neighbors |
| C．the boy is blind and needs help |
| D．the boy works for the man |
On the sign what the man wrote was, “.”
| A．Treasure what we have already had |
| B．Today is a beautiful day, but I can’t see it |
| C．We are so lucky that we are not blind |
| D．Try your best to help those who need your help. |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The hat began to fill up after the man wrote some words on the sign. |
| B．The man took away all the few coins from the hat. |
| C．The boy wanted to get enough money to go to school. |
| D．Nobody wanted to give any coins to the blind boy. |
The word “recognized” here in Chinese means _______.
| A．承认 | B．接受 | C．表扬 | D．认出 |
_______ is the best title (题目) for this story.
| A．Be careful not to be blind. |
| B．Be creative. There is always a better way! |
| C．Be kind to the blind! |
| D．Don’t always get, but offer! |
Biggie Burger, a new fast-food restaurant, will soon be opened in the town. A large group of kids and parents were holding signs shouting outside it yesterday. They were there because they didn’t want the restaurant to open. Never!
“This kind of food is really bad for us!” said Diana, “It’s high in salt, fat, and sugar. it’s unhealthy and we are going to say ‘no’ to it!”
“Our town has been a quiet place. Restaurants like these bring people and also a lot of trouble to this area,” said Barbara. “And I’m afraid they will take business away from our local restaurants.”
Other local people don’t agree. The officials（官员） believe that Biggie Burger will bring in huge amounts of money to help improve the town. And 17-year-old Sandy can’t wait for Biggie Burger to open.” I love their hamburgers and fried chicken wings! And I can get a job there.”
Sandy’s dad, a cleaner, agrees, “Biggie Burger’s prices are just right for a family like ours.”
Michael, who owns a toy shop next door to Biggie Burger, is excited, too. “Maybe people who come for a Biggie Burger will spend a few minutes in my store and pick up something.”
The town will hold a meeting on Thursday to hear sides. Everyone is welcome to take part in it. Come and give your opinion!
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。Biggie Burger was opened yesterday and many people were there.
Diana thinks that the food in Biggie Burger is too expensive.
Barbara is afraid that fewer people will come to the local restaurants.
Sandy and Michael welcome the opening of Biggie Burger.
The town doesn’t care about people’s opinions when making a decision.
阅读下面短文，在表格内的空白处填入合适的答案(每空格限填一词)
It seems that a family just isn’t complete (完整的) without a pet. But if pets aren’t suitable to a family’s lifestyle or environment, they can quickly lead to problems such as stress or arguments (争执). To save yourself and your family such problems, treat this decision seriously. 
When choosing a pet, people must consider the family’s health. Many people are allergic (过敏的) to cats and dogs. Perhaps a dog or cat with short hair will be fine. And a dog might not be the best choice for a child who is naughty (顽皮的) because the dog might bite him or her. Some people can also have problems with certain pets. It’s a good idea to spend a little time with the pet around each member of the family before making your decision.
Consider the quality of life of the pet, too. If a pet is used to having space to run around, it can quickly develop psychological (心理的) problems when it is kept in a small flat all day. If pets are allowed to run about in areas with lots of traffic, they can meet an early end. Cats shouldn’t be brought into homes that already have large dogs because they won’t be able to get along well with each other.
The decision as to what kind of pet to choose is very important. If you find the right one to suit (适合) everyone in the family and their lifestyle, then it’s time to choose one. Remember that your decision is important because it can have effects that last for many years.
| Considerations When Choosing a Pet |
|
| Paragraph Outline (要点) |
Supporting Details |
| Importance of choosing a pet |
●A (1) __________ with a pet seems to be complete. ●Pets can bring some problems if they aren’t suitable to the family. |
| The family’s health must be considered |
●Many people are allergic to pets with (2) hair. ●It’s not (3) _________ to choose a dog for a naughty child. ●Some people have problems with some pets. |
| The pet’s quality of life |
●You shouldn’t (4) a pet in a small flat if it is used to running around. ●Make sure the areas where pets can run about do not have a lot of traffic. ●If your house already has a dog, don’t get a cat. |
| Choose the right (5) of pet |
●Find the right one for your family because your choice can have lasting effects. |
The traditional school exercise book and pen could become history. Every pupil at Writhlinton School is being offered their own laptop (笔记本电脑) to use in class and for homework.
Buildings with wireless (无线的) systems will open soon. The laptop project will cost the school about £400,000. Parents are being asked to pay £2 per week for their children’s laptop as long as the child stays at the school. Those unable to pay will receive economic aid (经济援助).
The headmaster, Will Roberts, says parents think it is a “bargain (划算的买卖)” because it’s expensive to buy a laptop.
“With the help of the laptop, any time they want to learn, they can. Pupils, who are aged between 11 and 18, can complete homework by connecting to the school servers (服务器) from home. And their work can be marked at once and teachers share pupils’ work away from the classroom.”
Mr. Roberts insists, however, that children will continue to use traditional learning materials. “There will always be a place for traditional writing and textbooks here,” he says. “But we want to prepare our pupils for the real world.”
The project was started with the help of the government-supported charity, the e-Learning Foundation (学习平台基金会). It is trying to make information technology (技术) more widely used in schools.
Spokesman, Kevin Pay, says using computers improves pupil’s work speed－“after all, there is no excuse for not having homework”.For what purpose is the school giving each pupil a laptop?
| A．To prepare its pupils well for society (社会). |
| B．To attract more pupils to study there. |
| C．To draw the attention of the public and charities. |
| D．To reduce the stress of teachers and pupils. |
From the passage, what do we know about the project?
| A．It will begin in several months. |
| B．It is not good for poor families. |
| C．It is based on some researches. |
| D．It received support from the government. |
All the following statements are true EXCEPT _____________.
| A．computers can greatly improve pupils’ studies |
| B．the traditional book and pen will disappear from schools |
| C．pupils unable to pay for the laptop can have the laptop too |
| D．computers make it easier for teachers to contact pupils |
What is the parents’ attitude (态度) towards the project?
| A．They are against it. |
| B．The don’t care about it. |
| C．They like it very much. |
| D．They are worried about it. |