Once in a village, the villagers built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it. They admired its beauty! They said it was the most beautiful building in the world. Up on the roof, a little nail（钉子）heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure – except the nail! No one even knew he was there, and he became very angry and sad.

“If I am not important, nobody will miss me if I quit!” So the nail then released (松开) its hold, got down from the roof, and fell into the mud.

That night it rained and rained. Soon, the board that had no nail was blown away, and the roof began to leak (漏水). The water flowed down along the walls and over the beautiful pictures on the walls. The plaster (石膏) began to fall, the floor was ruined, and the Bible was also ruined by water. All this was because a little nail decided to quit!

But what of the nail? While holding the board, it was not known by others but it was useful. Buried in the mud now, it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!

What the story wants to say is that every member is important to a whole group!

You may, like the nail, feel not important at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. A big building might fall to pieces. You are important to a group even if you are small.

1.Why did the nail decide to quit?

A．Because he was not able to hold on any longer.

B．Because he was angry and sad without people’s praising him.

C．Because he knew a big nail would replace him.

D．Because he had finished his task successfully.

2.What’s the result of the nail’s giving up?

A．People began to realize the importance of the nail.

B．The nail was put in a more important position.

C．Many things in the building were ruined and the nail was eaten up by rust.

D．The nail regretted his original decision at last.

3.The passage wants to tell us that ______.

A．no matter how small you seem, you are important to a group

B．it is a pity that small people are never looked up to

C．quit when it is necessary, and don’t care about what others say

D．being valued is important to a man

 

 

We can make mistakes at any age．Some mistakes we make are about money．But most mistakes are about people．“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” “And Paul, why didn’t you pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad．But when we look back, it’s too late．

Why do we go wrong about our friends-or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning．And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words．Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog, ”and that’s being friendly．But “lucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words．Maybe he doesn’t see it himself．But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little, what he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck．

“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another．It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole．But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important．It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night．

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking．Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think．The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake．

1．This passage is mainly about ______．

A．how to interpret what people say

B．what to do when you listen to others talking

C．why we go wrong with people and how to avoid these mistakes

D．why we go wrong with people sometimes

2．According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ______．

A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk

B．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say

C．people usually state one thing but mean another

D．we tend to doubt what our friends say

3．The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to______．

A．being friendly                                           B．a bit of envy

C．lucky dog               D．your luck

4．When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is ______．

A．notice the way the person is talking

B．take a good look at the person talking

C．mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes

D．know what he really means from his tone and posture 

 

In a growing number of English classes, teachers are leaving the classic novels on the shelf and letting students select the books they read. Supporters say that the new approach, called reader’s workshop, helps develop a love for reading in students who are bored by classic literature. They argue that the best way to motivate students to read more is to offer them more choices.

Not all educators are on the same page, however. They worry that students who choose trendy, less challenging titles over the classics won’t be exposed to the great writing and key themes of important works of literature.

Student reporters Donald and Sarah express their ideas about this new approach.

Donald thinks that we should turn the page. Students should be allowed to select the books they read in English class. He says he and his classmates are allowed to pick their own books in class. That makes them more focused, and they look forward to class time. Tristin, a classmate of his at Clinton Middle School agrees. “I’m reading books that I want to read, which makes class more fun and interesting,” he says. Offering students a choice may also improve test scores. Studies by Professor John Guthrie of the University of Maryland found that students in grades 4 through 6 who had some choices in the books they read showed improved reading comprehension skills during testing. Giving students the chance to decide what they read helps build a lifelong love for reading. Isn’t that what we want for our students?

Sarah holds a different view. She thinks teachers know more about books than students do. When an English teacher assigns a book, he or she keeps in mind the reading level of most students in the class. Students who choose their own books might be cheating themselves by picking books that are not up to their reading level or that are too difficult. Furthermore, a whole class can discuss a book it reads together. That makes it easier for some kids to understand what they are reading. “The students wouldn’t be able to hold a meaningful conversation if they were all reading different books,” says Kristin, an English teacher at Fleetwood Area Middle School. “If they read the same book, their conversations would be more in-depth.”

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence “Not all educators are on the same page”?

A．Educators have different opinions.          B．Educators didn’t appear at the same time.

C．Educators wrote in different pages.          D．Educators didn’t agree with the author.

2.Donald thinks that the new approach could __________.

A．helped students be more focused in class

B．draw students to reading classic novels

C．make students less worried in English class

D．encourage students to red more challenging books

3.Sarah thinks that the new approach might __________.

A．help students improve reading comprehension skills

B．help students hold meaningful conversations in class

C．make some students read books not suitable for them

D．make some students ignore the important works of literature

4.Who has the same attitude towards the new approach with Kristin?

A．Donald.           B．Sarah.            C．Tristin.            D．John Guthrie.

5.The author develops the text mainly by __________.

A．listing cases                            B．making comparisons

C．following time order                     D．explaining causes and effects

 

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had    1    a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and    2   his father could well    3   it, he told him that was all he wanted.

On the morning of his graduation day his father called him into his own study and told him how    4   he was to have such a fine son. He handed his son a beautiful gift box.   5    but slightly disappointed, the young man    6    the box and found a lovely book.     7   , he raised his voice at his father and said, “with all your money you give me a book?” And rushed out of the house,    8    the book in the study.

He did not contact his father for a whole year until one day he saw in the street an old man who looked like his father, he     9    he had to go back home and see his father.

When he arrived at his father’s house, he was told that his father had been in hospital for a week. The moment he was about to     10    the hospital, he saw on the desk the still new book, just as he had left it one year ago. He opened it and began to     11    the pages. Suddenly, a car key     12    from an envelope taped behind the book. It had a tag(标签) with the dealer’s name, the     13    dealer who had the sports car he had    14   . On the tag was the date of his graduation and the     15    PAID IN FULL.

1.	A．expected B．enjoyed C．admired D．owned

 

2.	A．finding B．proving C．deciding D．knowing

 

3.	A．afford B．offer C．keep D．like

 

4.	A．encouraged B．comfortable C．proud D．moved

 

5.	A．Nervous B．Serious C．Careful D．Curious

 

6.	A．packed B．opened C．picked up D．put aside

 

7.	A．Angrily B．Eagerly C．Calmly D．Anxiously

 

8.	A．tearing B．putting C．forgetting D．leaving

 

9.	A．learned B．realized C．recognized D．admitted

 

10.	A．get to B．search for C．turn to D．leave for

 

11.	A．clean B．read C．turn D．count

12..

A．lost

B．came

C．appeared

D．dropped

13..

A．old

B．same

C．special

D．new

 

14.	A．remembered B．desired C．found D．met

 

15.	A．words B．information C．messages D．card

 

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below 16℃.Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.

In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources (资源): land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’ s wood supply.

Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.

1.Why did humans destroy rainforests in the past hundred years?

A．They tried to get crops and paper

B．They needed other products

C．They wanted to raise farm animals

D．They aimed to get three major resources.

2.Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they________.

A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere

B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world

C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃

D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth

3.What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?

A．We will lose much more than we can gain.

B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests.

C．People have a strong desire for resources.

D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.

4.It can be inferred from the text that________.

A．we can get enough resources without rainforests

B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests

C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land

D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns

5.What might be the best title for the text?

A．How to Save Rainforests

B．How to Protect Nature

C．Rainforests and the Environment

D．Rainforests and Medical Development