Steven Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, was not clever when he was in school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made troubles with his schoolmates. When he went into college, he didn’t change a lot. Then he dropped out（退学）. But he was full of new ideas.
After he left college, Steven Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in his life.
Steven Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India.
In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple Computer with his friend in his garage. He chose the name “Apple” just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden.
His Apple Computer was so successful that Steven Jobs soon became famous all over the world.
He often said, “I live in order to change the world, there aren’t any other reasons. The only way to have a great achievement is to love your own career. If you can’t find your favorite career, go on looking for it and never give up.”
This is Steven Jobs, though he is dead, his spirit and achievements still influence our lives.
【小题1】Steven Jobs was not a good student in school because he ________.

A．never did his lessons	B．dropped out
C．always made troubles with his schoolmates	D．he was full of new ideas

【小题2】Why did Steven Jobs go to India?

A．Because he wanted to be a video game designer.

B．Because he wanted to get some new ideas.

C．Because he wanted to make a new type of computer.

D．Because he wanted to have a happy summer.

【小题3】Steven Jobs was famous for his ________ all over the world.

A．new ideas

B．Apple Computer

C．video games

D．saying

【小题4】From this passage we know Steven Jobs ________.

A．didn’t finish his studies in the college because he hated his schoolmates

B．liked traveling in India and California

C．liked trying new things and making his new ideas come true

D．thought he had many reasons to live in the world

【小题5】Which of the following sentences is NOT true according to this passage?

A．The only way to have a great achievement is to love your career.

B．The name “Apple” helped Jobs to remember a happy summer in an apple tree garden.

C．If you can’t find the career you love, give it up and try another one.

D．People remember Jobs because of his achievements.

Smith was a landlord（地主）. He loved money very much and never gave anything to anybody. Soon he became rich. One day the weather was fine. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was very warm. The landlord was walking along a river with his friends, when, all of a sudden, he slipped（滑倒） and fell into it. He cried, "Help! Help!" One of his friends held out his hand and said, "Give me your hand and I will pull（拉） you out." The landlord's head went under the water and then came up again, but he did not give his hand to his friends. Then another of his friends tried but the same thing happened. Just then a farmer came over and saw all this. He knew the landlord very well. He said to the others, "Let me try." He held out his hand and said to the landlord," Take my hand and I will pull you out." Hearing this, the landlord took the farmer's hand, and in a minute the farmer pulled the landlord out of the water. All the others got very surprised at this and asked the farmer, "Why did he give his hand to you but not to us?" The farmer said, “You don't know your friend very well, When you say 'give' to him, he does nothing, but when you say 'take', he takes."
【小题1】Smith was a ____.

A．doctor

B．farmer

C．landlord

D．waiter

【小题2】Smith became very rich, because he ____ gave anything to anybody.

A．always

B．never

C．often

D．sometimes

【小题3】One day Smith was walking along a ____ with his friends.

A．river

B．park

C．street

D．lake

【小题4】The rich man held ____ his hand when he heard "Take my hand."

A．in

B．into

C．down

D．out

【小题5】Who knew the rich man very well?

A．his friends

B．his wife

C．the farmer

D．his children

A young man once went to town and bought himself a pair of trousers. When he got home, he went to his room and put them on. He found that they were about two inches too long. He went into the kitchen, and his mother and two sisters were doing some washing there. He said to them, “The new trousers are too long. They need cutting by two inches. Would one of you mind doing this for me?” His mother and sisters were busy and none of them said anything.
But as soon as his mother had finished washing up, she went to her son’s room silently and cut the trousers by two inches. She came back without saying anything to her daughters. After supper, the elder sister remembered her brother’s trousers. She went to his room and cut the trousers by two inches without saying anything to anyone. The younger sister went to the cinema. But when she came back, she also remembered her brother’s trousers. So she went to his room and cut them by two inches, too.
【小题1】The trousers were ______.

A．too long

B．new

C．for the young man

D．A, B and C

【小题2】Why didn’t the young man’s mother and sisters answer him?

A．Because they didn’t hear him clearly.

B．Because they thought others would do it for him

C．Because they didn’t want to do it for him.

D．Because they were busy at that time.

【小题3】What can we infer from the story?

A．Maybe the young man didn’t try on the trousers when he bought them

B．The trousers are just right for the young man now.

C．His mother and sisters didn’t hear what the young man said.

D．The young’s mother and sisters didn’t want to help him.

【小题4】If the trousers were 197 inches at first, how long were they at last?

A．191 inches

B．193 inches

C．195 inches

D．199 inches.

【小题5】Which one is true from the story?

A．The young man’s mother and sisters want others to know what they did.

B．They young man would be very happy to see his trousers were short.

C．The young man had to throw the trousers away at last.

D．The young man would be very thankful to his mother and sisters.

A butcher watching over his shop was really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He went over to the dog and noticed it had a note in its mouth. He took the note and it read “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well.”
The butcher looked carefully and was surprised to find that there was really a ten-dollar note there. So he took the money and put the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher was so impressed, and since it was about closing time, he decided to shut up shop and follow the dog.
So off he went. He followed the dog to a bus stop. The dog stopped and started looking at the timetable. The dog checked out the time, and then sat on one of the seats provided. Along came a bus. The dog walked around to the front, looked at the number, and went back to its seat. Another bus came. Again the dog went around to the front, looked at the number and climbed on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, followed it onto the bus.
The bus traveled through the town and out into the suburbs. Eventually the dog got up, and moved to the front of the bus. It stood on two back paws and pushed the button to stop the bus. Then it got off with groceries still in its mouth.
Well, the dog and the butcher were walking along the road, and then the dog turned into a house. It walked up the path, and dropped the groceries on the step. Then it walked back down the path, took a big run, and threw itself against the door. Then again, it threw himself against it. There’s no answer at the house. so the dog waited at the door.
The butcher watched as a big guy opened the door, and started shouting at it. The butcher ran up, and stopped the guy. “Why do you shout at the dog? It is really a genius.” The guy responded, “You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog’s forgotten its key.”
【小题1】Which may be the best title of the passage?

A．A clever dog.	B．A curious butcher.
C．A cruel owner.	D．A second lost key.

【小题2】Why was the butcher surprised when he saw the dog?

A．Because there was a note in the dog’s mouth.

B．Because a dog was not supposed to come into his shop alone.

C．Because the dog was not afraid of being butchered.

D．Because the dog could read.

【小题3】The passage implies that _________.

A．dogs are cleverer than man

B．dogs are our best friend

C．the butcher is a cruel person

D．some people are never satisfied with what they have got

【小题4】The dog threw itself against the door, because _________.

A．it wanted to force the door open

B．it wanted its owner to open the door

C．it wanted to punish itself for forgetting the key

D．it wanted to get the butcher’s help

【小题5】Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The butcher was curious so he followed the dog.

B．The dog didn’t get on the first bus because it was the wrong number.

C．To get off the bus, you should let the driver know by pressing the button.

D．The dog would be driven away by the big guy.

A twenty-nine-year-old kindergarten teacher from Maryland was named National Teacher of the Year in 2006. On June first she would begin a year as a national and international spokeswoman for education.
Kimberly Oliver was the first National Teacher of the Year from her state. She taught five-year-old children at a public school in Maryland, near Washington, D.C. President Bush honored her and other top teachers at the White House.
Kimberly Oliver said she wanted people to understand that the first several years of a child’s life were the most important for learning. She said investing in children at a very young age would result in great gains later in school and in life. She called on parents to read to children from an early age so they would not fall behind in school. One of the activities at her school was an event called “ Books and Supprer Night ”. Families read together at the school and received free books to take home. Parents, children and teachers also ate dinner together.
Broad Acres Elementary School was in a poor area. Many of the parents were immigrants with limited English. Kimberly Oliver helped improve learning environment at her school. She received money to buy electronic learning systems, tape players and books in English and Spanish and sent them home with students. Parents said she had shown them how to help their children at home.
She was born and raised in Delaware. She held one degree in English and another in Elementary Education. Kimberly Oliver would follow in the footsteps of another teacher Jason Kamras from the Washington area as National Teacher of the Year. Jason Kamras, as honored for his work, teaching math to middle school students in the nation’s capital.
The National Teacher of the Year program began in 1952. A fourteen-member committee choose from among teachers honored as the best in their states.
【小题1】From the text we know that in the state of Maryland, __________.

A．no other teacher than Kimberly Oliver had been given the honor

B．Kimberly Oliver had been teaching in a middle school for many years

C．Kimberly opened her own school early in Washington in 1952

D．many other teachers were given the honor together with Oliver

【小题2】Oliver hoped that parents should __________.

A．spend more time playing with their children

B．read to their children at an early age

C．not give too much money to their children

D．stay at school with their children more often

【小题3】Kimberly Oliver had been named National Teacher of the Year mostly because ___________.

A．she taught five-year old children at a public school

B．the elementary school she taught in is in a poor area

C．she was helpful ahd had many special and good ideas in teaching children

D．she called on parents to read to children from an early age

【小题4】The National Teacher just before Oliver comes from __________.

A．Delaware

B．Maryland

C．New York

D．Washington

A well-known manufacturer of weighing machines produced a new model.
The machine had a computer inside it, and this computer could do wonderful things: it could weigh people very accurately; it could tell them their weight in their own language; and it could tell them what they should eat to reduce their weight.
The manufacturer decided to try out his machine before he sold it to the shops.
He looked around for a good place to put it and finally decided on an airport. There were always people at an airport from many different countries.
The first person to use the machine was an Italian woman. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.
The machine took only a second or two to weigh her, decide on her nationality and the language she spoke, and figure out what kind of food she should eat.
“Good morning, madam,” it said in perfect Italian. “Your weight is 72 kilos, three more than it should be for a woman of your height, age and nationality. This is because you have been eating too much spaghetti. I suggest you eat more fruit and vegetables. Please have a nice day”.
The second person to use the machine was a Chinese girl. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.
“Good morning, Miss," the machine said in perfect Chinese. "Your weight is 38 kilos, exactly the correct weight for your height, age and nationality. Continue to eat what you are eating. Please have a nice day.”
The third person to use the machine was a huge Australian woman. She walked up to the machine and looked at it for a long time. At last she found the courage to stand on the machine and put a coin in. The machine spoke immediately.  “Good morning. Will one of you ladies please get off?”
【小题1】What could the computer do?

A．Weigh and talk to people.	B．Translate information.
C．Give them diet pills.	D．Make them lose weight.

【小题2】What did the machine say to the Italian woman?

A．She was a little too light.	B．She was a little too heavy.
C．She disliked spaghetti.	D．She couldn’t speak Italian.

【小题3】What did the machine say to the Chinese woman?

A．She should eat more.	B．She could speak Chinese.
C．She would have a nice day.	D．She was fine.

【小题4】What did the machine suggest about the Australian woman?

A．She was unwell.	B．She was courageous.
C．She was too heavy.	D．She had dieted well.

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper．Money was tight and he became infuriated（愤怒的） when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree．Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.”
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty．He yelled at her, stating, “Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all．I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed．He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness．
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child．It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there．
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God．There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this．
【小题1】The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________．

A．decorating a box

B．wasting wrapping paper

C．putting the box under the Christmas tree

D．bringing the gift to her father

【小题2】The father remembered the love of his daughter by ________．

A．kissing the gold box

B．putting gold into the box．

C．taking out an imaginary kiss from the box．

D．keeping the little girl’s ash box by his bed．

【小题3】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．The kisses in the box

B．A girl and his father

C．A love story

D．The box under the Christmas tree

Once there was an 11-year-old boy who went fishing with his father in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before bass (巴斯鱼) season opened, they were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure (鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 p.m.—two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
【小题1】What happened when the big fish turned out to be a bass?

A．The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.

B．The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.

C．The father lit a match in order to check the time.

D．They worried other fishermen may discover what they had done.

【小题2】From the text we know that the father _________.

A．didn’t love his son

B．always disagreed with his son

C．disliked the huge fish

D．was firm and stubborn

【小题3】How did the boy feel when the huge bass was thrown into the water?

A．Excited.

B．Embarrassed.

C．Disappointed.

D．Annoyed.

【小题4】The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because _________.

A．they might catch a big fish there

B．he was taught an important lesson there

C．it was a most popular fishing spot

D．their children enjoyed fishing there

While Nick was on the bus, reading his newspaper, the man sitting next to him suddenly pushed a large envelope into his hands. “Here, take this!” the man said, stood up and got off the bus before Nick could say a word.
Nick sat there, holding the envelope. It felt heavy. There were papers inside, or money perhaps. “I’d better hand it over to the police,” he thought. There was a police station close to his office. But, as he got off the bus, a man came to him. He seemed to be waiting for something. “He wants the envelope,” Nick thought. Nick began to walk quickly, and the man hurried after him. Nick started to run, and the man began to run, too. But then, just before he got to the police station, Nick managed to lose the man in the crowds. When he entered the police station, the man was no longer in sight.
Inside the police station, Nick handed over the envelope to a policeman in charge. The man opened it. The envelope was full of money, false money. “Clearly the man made a mistake,” the policeman said. “He thought you were one of the gang (团伙)!”
Nick felt like a hero. He could already see his name in all the papers. He could imagine an interview on television.
“However,” the policeman went on, “I’m afraid I must ask you to keep quiet about all this. We’re trying to catch some very clever thieves, and we don’t want them to know that we have some of the money. So you mustn’t say a word to anyone – not even your boss!”
【小题1】The man who suddenly gave Nick an envelope was most probably________.

A．Nick’s friend

B．a thief

C．the bus driver

D．a postman

【小题2】Nick decided to give the envelope over to the police probably because_________.

A．the whole thing was strange

B．another man was waiting for it

C．he didn’t want the money inside it

D．the police station was near his office

【小题3】As Nick got off the bus, a man came to him because_________.

A．he wanted to catch Nick

B．he thought Nick was a policeman

C．he wanted to give Nick some money

D．he thought Nick was one of their gang

When Mr. David retired（退休）,he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it.
But to his great surprise, many tourists came to see his house in summer holidays, for it was the most interesting building in the village. From morning to night there were tourists outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into Mr. David’s garden. This was too much for Mr. David. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice on the window. The notice said: “If you want to satisfy your curiosity（好奇心）, came in and look round. Price: twenty dollars.” Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. “I came here to retire, not to work as a guide（导游）.” he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away.
【小题1】Mr. David’s house was              that many tourists came to see it.

A．so small

B．so quiet

C．so interesting

D．such interesting

【小题2】Mr. David put a notice on the window in order                   .

A．to drive the visitors away

B．to satisfy the visitor’s curiosity

C．to let visitors come in and look round

D．to get some money out of the visitors

【小题3】The notice made the visitors                 .

A．more interested in his house

B．lost interest in his house

C．angry at the unfair price

D．feel happy about the price

【小题4】After Mr. David put up the notice ,                          .

A．the visitors didn’t come any longer

B．fewer and fewer visitors came to see his house

C．more and more tourists came for a visit

D．no tourist would pay the money for a visit