A. hurriedly      B. anxiety     C. professionals    D. typical      E. really F. simple        G. bought      H. ending         I. design       J. wonderful

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something __41__but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertisers hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly __42__. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, __43__in the costomer giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods __44__ in almost every family are not __45__ needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the __46__, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in __47__ and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The __48__ example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. So gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing: no choice, no __49__.

Tom was a poor boy. He made a living by cleaning leather shoes for others in the street. Tom was also a clever boy.
One day, a very rich man with the name Miser appeared in front of Tom. He watched his dirty shoes for a while, and then looked at Tom. Tom knew this kind of people well: they love money very much and hate to spend it.
Tom said, “Let me clean your shoes, sir.”
“For nothing?” the rich man asked.
“Only two pence, sir.”
Mr Miser shook his head and walked away.
Tom thought for a moment and then called out, “I’d like to clean it for nothing!” This time Mr Miser agreed. And soon one of his shoes was shining brightly.
When the rich man put his other shoe on the stool(凳子), Tom said he wouldn’t clean it for him unless he was paid two pence for his work. Mr Miser was very angry. He refused to pay anything and went away with a smile on his face.
But to his surprise, the well-cleaned shoe was so bright that it made the other one look even dirtier. Mr Miser took a look around. People in the street were laughing at him. He couldn’t walk on any further.
Finally the rich man returned and gave Tom two pence. In a very short time his two shoes shone brightly.
【小题1】The story happened___________.

A．in a shoe shop	B．in the street
C．at the rich man’s house	D．near the boy’s home

【小题2】The boy called the man back and agreed to clean his shoes for nothing, because_______.
A.he was afraid of the rich man
B.B.he liked to clean shoes for rich men
C.he wanted to get something else instead of money
D.he was sure he could get his pay from Mr. Miser
【小题3】Mr Miser smiled because________.

A．he liked to walk with only one shoe cleaned

B．He had one of his shoes cleaned without paying for it

C．He thought his other shoe needn’t be cleaned at all

D．He thought he wouldn’t be laughed at by the people in the street.

【小题4】Which of the following is true?

A．The boy was waiting for the rich man that day.

B．Mr. Miser didn’t want to have his shoes cleaned.

C．The rich man won at last.

D．The rich man had to pay the boy for his work.

【小题5】From the passage we know__________.
A.Mr. Miser was a generous man
B.B.the boy was fooled by the rich man
C.the boy was clever enough to have his work paid
D.it is good manners to have one’s shoes cleaned before he or she goes out.

In a land far away, once upon a time there was great poverty (贫困）,and only the rich could manage without great  36  . Three of those rich men and their servants were  37  together on a road when they came to a very  38  village.

The first could not stand seeing the poverty,  39  he took all the gold and jewels from his wagons (四轮载重马车) and shared  40  out among the villagers. He wished them all the best of luck, and he left.

The second rich man ,seeing the  41  situation, stopped for a short time and gave  42  all his food and drink, since he  43   see that money would be of little  44   to them. He made sure that they each  45  their fair share and would have enough food to  46  for some time . Then, he left.

The third rich man, on seeing such poverty,  47  and went straight through the  48  without stopping. The two other rich men saw this from a distance and commented with each other  49  the third rich man lacked sympathy. It was  50  that they themselves had been there to offer help.

However, three days later, they  51  the  third rich man ,who was coming in the opposite direction . He was  52  travelling quickly, but his wagons,  53  the gold and valuables they had been  54  ,were now full of farming tools and bags of  55  .He was rushing back to help them out of poverty.

1.                A．loss            B．expectations     C．success   D．problems

 

2.                A．standing        B．travelling        C．gathering D．running

 

3.                A．faraway        B．poor           C．different  D．ancient

 

4.                A．unless          B．because        C．so   D．if

 

5.                A．them           B．anything        C．nothing   D．those

 

6.                A．curious         B．worrying        C．dangerous     D．puzzling

 

7.                A．the villagers     B．his servants      C．the others     D．the rest

 

8.                A．could          B．might          C．should    D．must

 

9.                A．interest        B．concern        C．use D．attraction

 

10.               A．returned       B．gained         C．offered   D．received

 

11.               A．remain         B．last            C．supply D．share

 

12.               A．turned back     B．set out         C．showed off     D．speeded

 

13.               A．village         B．land           C．field  D．road

 

14.               A．whether        B．how           C．where D．when

 

15.               A．good          B．certain         C．true  D．strange

 

16.               A．welcomed      B．met            C．accepted D．persuaded

 

17.               A．still            B．already         C．always D．indeed

 

18.               A．except         B．instead of       C．apart from D．along with

 

19.               A．loading         B．treasuring       C．carrying   D．earning

 

20.               A．food           B．jewels          C．money    D．seeds

 

 

In a land far away, once upon a time there was great poverty （贫困）,and only the rich could manage without great _26_. Three of those rich men and their servants were_27_together on a road when they came to a very_28_village.

The first could not stand seeing the poverty, _29  he took all the gold and jewels from his wagons (四轮载重马车) and shared _30 out among the villagers. He wished them all the best of luck, and he left.

The second rich man ,seeing the _31  situation, stopped for a short time and gave _32  all his food and drink, since he _33  see that money would be of little _34  to them. He made sure that they each _35  their fair share and would have enough food to _36  for some time . Then, he left.

The third rich man, on seeing such poverty, _37  and went straight through the _38  without stopping. The two other rich men saw this from a distance and commented with each other_39  the third rich man lacked sympathy. It was _40  that they themselves had been there to offer help.

However, three days later, they  41 the  third rich man ,who was coming in the opposite direction . He was  42  travelling quickly, but his wagons,  43  the gold and valuables they had been  44  ,were now full of farming tools and bags of  45  .He was rushing back to help them out of poverty.

1.                A．loss            B．expectations     C．success   D．problems

 

2.                A．standing        B．travelling        C．gathering D．running

 

3.                A．faraway        B．poor           C．different  D．ancient

 

4.                A．unless          B．because        C．so   D．if

 

5.                A．them          B．anything        C．nothing   D．those

 

6.                A．curious         B．worrying        C．dangerous D．puzzling

 

7.                A．the villagers     B．his servants      C．the others D．the rest

 

8.                A．could          B．might          C．should   D．must

 

9.                A．interest        B．concern        C．use  D．attraction

 

10.               A．returned       B．gained         C．offered   D．received

 

11.               A．remain         B．last            C．supply D．share

 

12.               A．turned back     B．set out         C．showed off D．speeded

 

13.               A．village         B．land           C．field  D．road

 

14.               A．whether        B．how           C．where D．when

 

15.               A．good          B．certain         C．true  D．strange

 

16.               A．welcomed      B．met           C．taccepted  D．persuaded

 

17.               A．still            B．already         C．always D．indeed

 

18.               A．except         B．instead of       C．apart from D．along with

 

19.               A．loading         B．treasuring       C．carrying   D．earning

 

20.               A．food           B．jewels          C．money    D．seeds

 

 

Tom was a poor boy. He made a living by cleaning leather shoes for others in the street. Tom was also a clever boy.

One day, a very rich man with the name Miser appeared in front of Tom. He watched his dirty shoes for a while, and then looked at Tom. Tom knew this kind of people well: they love money very much and hate to spend it.

Tom said, “Let me clean your shoes, sir.”

“For nothing?” the rich man asked.

“Only two pence, sir.”

Mr Miser shook his head and walked away.

Tom thought for a moment and then called out, “I’d like to clean it for nothing!” This time Mr Miser agreed. And soon one of his shoes was shining brightly.

When the rich man put his other shoe on the stool(凳子), Tom said he wouldn’t clean it for him unless he was paid two pence for his work. Mr Miser was very angry. He refused to pay anything and went away with a smile on his face.

But to his surprise, the well-cleaned shoe was so bright that it made the other one look even dirtier. Mr Miser took a look around. People in the street were laughing at him. He couldn’t walk on any further.

Finally the rich man returned and gave Tom two pence. In a very short time his two shoes shone brightly.

1.The story happened___________.

A．in a shoe shop                          B．in the street

C．at the rich man’s house                 D．near the boy’s home

2.The boy called the man back and agreed to clean his shoes for nothing, because_______.

A.he was afraid of the rich man

B.B.he liked to clean shoes for rich men

C.he wanted to get something else instead of money

D.he was sure he could get his pay from Mr. Miser

3.Mr Miser smiled because________.

A．he liked to walk with only one shoe cleaned

B．He had one of his shoes cleaned without paying for it

C．He thought his other shoe needn’t be cleaned at all

D．He thought he wouldn’t be laughed at by the people in the street.

4.Which of the following is true?

A．The boy was waiting for the rich man that day.

B．Mr. Miser didn’t want to have his shoes cleaned.

C．The rich man won at last.

D．The rich man had to pay the boy for his work.

5.From the passage we know__________.

A.Mr. Miser was a generous man

B.B.the boy was fooled by the rich man

C.the boy was clever enough to have his work paid

D.it is good manners to have one’s shoes cleaned before he or she goes out.