Mary got a little white lamb（羊羔）. She tied it to a tree in her field during the day and went to take it home every evening. One evening, she found the lamb gone. Someone had cut the rope and stolen the lamb. When her husband came home, she told him what had happened. Henry at once set out to look for the thief.
It was easy to find the thief in the small village. Henry heard that his neighbor Alex got a lamb. He went to the neighbors’ house and said angrily, “Return the lamb to me, or I’ll call the police.”
Alex explained that he had bought a lamb, but it was black. Henry looked out of the window. There in the garden was a little black lamb. He felt ashamed. Then he apologized to his neighbour. While they were talking, it began to rain. He stayed in Alex’s house until the rain stopped. When he went outside, he was surprised to see the lamb changed. The lamb, which had been black half an hour before, was now almost white.
“What colour on earth is the lamb,” Henry wondered, “black or white?”
【小题1】When her husband came back Mary told him __________.

A．she had got a lamb

B．someone had stolen the lamb

C．she had tied the lamb to the tree

D．her son was gone

【小题2】Henry said to Alex, “If you ______ return the lamb to me, I’ll go to the police office.”

A．will

B．won’t

C．don’t

D．have to

【小题3】Henry didn’t leave the neighbor’s home ______.

A．until it began to rain

B．until it stopped raining

C．when it was raining

D．before it began to rain

【小题4】To his surprised, he found a _______ lamb there instead.

A．big

B．black

C．small

D．white

【小题5】Which of the sentences is right?

A．The lamb was stolen by Alex.

B．The lamb was bought by Alex.

C．The lamb could change its colour.

D．The lamb went to Alex’s house by itself.

When Mr. David retired, 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（游客）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

【小题5】At last he had to sell his house and move away because_______.

A．he did not like it at all

B．he could not work as a guide

C．he made enough money and wanted to buy a new expensive house

D．he could not live a quiet life in it

Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood．When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.
We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.
I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way would have my own private musician.
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.
I had left the cage out on our back porch, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.
The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened! I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.
Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred. “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.
【小题1】Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of 12?

A．He wanted it to sing for him	B．He had just got a new cage.
C．He liked its beautiful feather.	D．He wanted a pet for a companion.

【小题2】The mockingbird died because it ______.

A．was frightened to death

B．drank the poisonous water by mistake

C．ate the poisonous food its mother gave it

D．refused to eat anything

【小题3】An ornithologist probably means ______.

A．a religious person

B．a kind person

C．an expert in birds

D．a schoolmaster

【小题4】What is the most important lesson the writer learned from the incident?

A．Be careful about food you give to baby birds.

B．All birds put in a cage won’t live long.

C．You should keep the birds from their mother.

D．Freedom is very valuable to all creatures.

There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee（委员会）, the students would be in fear , because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave . A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again . Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.
The professor began to ask. .The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
Then the professor asked about the cure（药剂,疗法）for the illness , and the student , too , answered just as right . “Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon,” answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get,” said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given .Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for the patient. He can take only five drops. ”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the professor coldly, “but it’s too late. Your patient has died. ”
【小题1】The students were afraid of the professor because _______ .

A．they often angered and disappointed him

B．their answers often astonished him

C．their answers seldom satisfied him

D．he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks

【小题2】The student’s description of the illness was ________ .

A．not correct	B．not satisfying
C．completely discouraging	D．accepted

【小题3】Before he left the room the student was almost sure that _________ .

A．he had passed the exam, and the only thing was to wait for the mark

B．his last answer had been wrong

C．he had made a mistake

D．he had not done well in the exam

【小题4】Which guess is the most reasonable from the passage?

A．The student must have passed the exam.

B．The student may not have passed the exam.

C．The student must have been very happy when he heard, “ Your patient has died . ”

D．The professor must have been very pleased and given the student a good mark.

Tomorrow was his girlfriend’s birthday and the young man was having a difficult time deciding on a present for her. She already had more clothes than she knew what to do with them, so he couldn’t get any kind of apparel. She never ate sweets, so candy was out of the question. What then? He had a very special reason for wanting to impress her with just the right gift,for tomorrow he was going to make an offer of marriage to her. He finally decided on perfume(香水). All girls liked perfume. That raised another problem, however. What kind did she prefer? He couldn’t ask her because that would ruin the surprise.
At last the young man hit upon a brilliant idea. That afternoon, pretending to take his girlfriend’s fox terrier(小猎狗),Fritz, for a walk, the young man and the dog went directly to the perfume counter of the town’s biggest department store. Good! There was a large array(长列)of perfume. He beckoned(招呼)a clerk, asking her to open a large number of bottles and wave the stoppers （塞子）under the dog’s nose. Nestled(依偎于) in the young man’s arms, the terrier began to be restless and bored as this seemingly meaningless game went on. Then Fritz suddenly became frisky, wiggling in the young man’s arms and barking excitedly, as the clerk waved one stopper under its nose.
“I’ll take that one,” said the young man to the clerk. The price was high, but it was worth it, he thought.
“ My favorite perfume!” said the delighted girl the next evening as she unwrapped the package. “ How did you know?” she asked, dabbing（轻擦）some perfume behind each ear.
“ Intuition(直觉), I guess.”said the young man, deciding that it wasn’t exactly wrong to tell a lie at that time. One day, after they were married, he would admit that his intuition had really been the little dog named Fritz.
【小题1】Which of the following words best describes the young man in the story?

A．Kind-hearted

B．Curious

C．Creative

D．Mean

【小题2】The underlined word “ frisky” (in Paragraph 4) means “_______”

A．lively

B．angry

C．uneasy

D．puzzled

【小题3】According to the story, the birthday present for the girl was actually decided on by_______.

A．the young man

B．the store clerk

C．the man’s intuition

D．the dog Fritz

【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the story?

A．The young man wanted to give his girlfriend a pleasant surprise.

B．The pet dog Fritz knew what the young man wanted very well.

C．The kind of perfume the young man chose was expensive.

D．The young man told a white lie about his final choice of the perfume.

It was New Year’s Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal --- the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads --- one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and filled with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I’ll choose the better way!” But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall down from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His regret, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year’s Night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents’ early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry: “Come back, my early days! Come back!”
And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year’s Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
Those who still wander on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: “O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that ____.

A．the man returned from a long journey and regretted what he had done

B．the man didn’t enter the deep, dark cave when he was young

C．the man was deserted by his parents when he was only a child

D．the man found it no use crying over the spilt milk

【小题2】Why does the author set his story on New Year’s Night?

A．He wants to tell people it’s time to recall the past

B．he suggests the aged man will have a bright future

C．He tries to stress the man’s sad feeling

D．He expects people to share the man’s emotion

【小题3】The aged man in the passage can be described as ________.

A．sorrowful, fearful and regretful	B．hopeful, cheerful and peaceful
C．regretful, painful and disappointed	D．disappointed, regretful and hopeful

【小题4】The author writes the passage mainly to ________.

A．encourage young people to take the right road	B．help the old man to pick up his confidence
C．describe the old man’s unsuccessful experience	D．show his compassion for the aged man

When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, "Be sure and take a typing course（课程） so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you'll have something to rely on." Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, "the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course," she recalls.
The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom," I don't know how to use a computer," she admits.
Unlike her 1995 autobiography（自传）, After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes (糖尿病). All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. "I felt there was a need for a book like this," she says." I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease."
But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts (甜甜圈). Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up —again—and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet.
Although her disease has affected her eyesight, she refuses to fall into self-pity. "Everybody on earth can ask, 'why me?' about something or other," she insists. "It doesn't do any good. No one is immune (免疫的) to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be."
【小题1】Why did Mary feel regretful?

A．She didn't achieve her ambition.	B．She didn't take care of her mother.
C．She didn't complete her high school.	D．She didn't follow her mother's advice.

【小题2】We can know that before 1995 Mary

A．had two books published	B．received many career awards
C．knew how to use a computer	D．supported the JDRF by writing

【小题3】Mary's second book Growing Up Again is mainly about her

A．living with diabetes	B．successful show business
C．service for an organization	D．remembrance of her mother

【小题4】When Mary received the life-changing news, she

A．lost control of herself	B．began a balanced diet
C．tried to get a treatment	D．behaved in an adult way

A traveller was staying in an Egyptian village. One day, she held up her camera to take pictures of the children. Suddenly the young ones began to shout at her. The traveller's face turned red and she apologized to the head for what she was doing, and told him she had forgotten that people in some places believed a person would lose his soul(灵魂) if his picture was taken. She explained to him the operation of a camera for a long time. Several times the head tried to say something, but he couldn't. When she believed that the head didn't fear any longer, the traveller then let him speak. With a smile, he said, "The children were trying to tell you that you forgot to take off the lens(镜头) cap!"
【小题1】The children shouted when the traveller was taking pictures of them because _______.

A．they didn't want to stop playing

B．the traveller forgot to take off the cap on her head

C．they didn't want to have their pictures taken

D．the traveller was not doing well with her camera

【小题2】The traveller made an apology to (向……道歉) the head because _______.

A．she thought it was not right to take people's pictures without telling them beforehand(事先)

B．the children would lose their souls

C．she had stayed in the village too long

D．she didn't take a picture of the head first

【小题3】The traveller explained how to use a camera to the head because _______.

A．the head was very interested in her camera

B．the head wanted to learn to take pictures

C．she was afraid of the head

D．she wanted the head not to worry about what she was doing

【小题4】When the head smiled, it's clear that _______ .

A．the children wanted to play with her

B．the traveller didn't know what the children meant

C．he wanted the traveller to tell him something else

D．the traveller didn't let him speak

Winston Churchill was born into a famous family．His father was a successful politician．However, as a boy, Churchill was considered a slow learner in school．Later he entered the Army and saw action in various countries．
In October 1900, Churchill began his political career．For the next sixty years Churchill’s work as a great politician was both brighter and more difficult than his father’s had been．In 1939 German attacked Poland．Churchill prepared to fight．In 1940 he became the Prime Minister of English．
France fell．The Germans fought their way through Western Europe．It looked as if Britain was about to lose the war．Was it now possible to ask for peace, and listen to Hitler?
Churchill spoke: “I have nothing to offer but blood, hard work , tears and sweat… You ask what is our policy? I will tell you, it is to fight, by sea , by land and air, with all our force and with all the strength that God can give us．You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory．”
The Germans began moving their armies to the French coast and prepared to go to war with British．The British had not enough guns to go around．Churchill gave the answer: “ We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be．We shall fight on the coast ; we shall fight on the landing grounds; we shall fight in the fields and in the streets; we shall fight in the hills; we shall never give up．”
By his courage and hard work, Churchill heartened his people and other nations fighting together against Hitler．Victory finally came when the Germans lost World War II．
Churchill died in 1965 and was given a state funeral．This was a fitting payment to one of all the greatest men the world had ever seen．
【小题1】Churchill ______ before he became a politician．

A．was a slow student	B．was an army man
C．helped his father in his career	D．had little interest in politics

【小题2】The Germans attacked British _______．

A．after France was defeated	B．before France fell
C．soon after Poland was attacked	D．before Churchill became the Prime Minister

【小题3】The underlined word “heartened” probably means ______ in this passage．

A．surprised

B．encouraged

C．asked for

D．called for

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Churchill had worked as a politician for more than sixty years．

B．The writer admired and respected Churchill very much．

C．Churchill was not so clever as his father．

D．Churchill was one of the most inspiring, brave and wise leaders in the British history．

Adrian’s “Amazing Race” started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn’t hear a thing, not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired(听力受损的)， he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words.
Later on, Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular schools couldn’t take care of a special needs student. His parents were determined to take the risk and pushed him hard to go through his work every day because they wanted to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge. The pace (节奏) was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn’t always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school.
The efforts made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06—being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so.
But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother. “If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great results,” she often said.
【小题1】How did Adrian communicate with other children in the special school?

A．By speaking

B．By using sign language.

C．By reading lips.

D．By making loud noises

【小题2】Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school because ___________

A．they wanted him to live a normal life

B．they wanted to prove the headmaster wrong

C．he wouldn’t mix with other disabled children.

D．he wasn’t taken good care of in the special school

【小题3】How did Adrian finally succeed in his study?

A．He did a lot of outdoor activities.

B．He was pushed hard to study every day.

C．He attended private classes after school.

D．He worked very hard both in and after class.

【小题4】Why is Adrian’s life described as an “Amazing Race”?

A．He did very well in his study.

B．He succeeded in entering a regular school.

C．He reached his goals in spite of his disability.

D．He took part in the World Yacht Race 05/06.

【小题5】Who is the most important person behind Adrian’s achievements?

A．The headmaster.	B．His mother.
C．The other disabled children.	D．An advisor.