“Do you like my dress?” She asked a stranger. “My mum made it just for me,” She said with tears in her eyes.

“Well, I think it's very pretty, so tell me, little girl, why are you crying?”

The little girl answered in a low voice, “After mum made me this dress, she went away. My dad says that she's up in heaven now with Grandfather.”

Finally the woman realized why she was crying. She felt very sorry for the little girl and gently held the child in her arms.

Then suddenly the little girl did something a bit strange. She stopped crying, walked back from the woman and began to sing. She sang softly. It was the sweetest sound the woman had ever heard, almost like the song of a very small bird.

After the child stopped singing, she said to the lady, “My mum often sang that song to me before she went away, and she asked me to sing it whenever I started crying and it would make me stop.”

“See”, she said loudly, “it did, and now my eyes are dry!”

Just before the lady wanted to go, the girl showed her a spot (印迹) on her dress, and said, “Right here is where my mum kissed  my dress, and here,” pointing to another spot, “and here is another kiss, and here, and here. Mum said that she put all those kisses on my dress so that I would forget my sadness.”

Then the lady realized that she wasn't just looking at a dress, no, she was looking at a mother. The mother knew that she was going away and would not be there to kiss away her daughter's hurts any longer.

So the mother gave all her love to her beautiful daughter and put it into this dress. Now her child was wearing it so proudly.

The lady no longer saw a little girl wearing a simple dress. She saw a child wrapped (包) in her mother's love.

46. Who told the little girl to sing a song when she was crying?                       

A. the lady.                               B. her father.        

C. her mother.                             D. her grandfather.

47. Why was the little girl crying?                                

A. Because her mother went to a big city.   

B. Because her mother died.

C. Because her mother went out with her grandfather.        

D. Because her mother was ill in hospital.

48. The little girl showed the lady           .                        

A. how rich she was                        B. her happiness

C. how beautiful she was                   D. her mother's love

49. What do we know about the lady in the passage?                              

A. She was kind to the girl.               B. She was beautiful.

C. She was worried to see the girl.        D. She was a careless woman.

50. It can be learned from the passage that            .                                           

A. The girl's mother went away because of cancer.

B. Mother's love is the greatest in the world

C. A girl should wear a dress made by her mother

D. A mother should take her child with her wherever she goes.

“Do you like my dress?” She asked a stranger. “My mum made it just for me,” She said with tears in her eyes.

“Well, I think it's very pretty, so tell me, little girl, why are you crying?”

The little girl answered in a low voice, “After mum made me this dress, she went away. My dad says that she's up in heaven now with Grandfather.”

Finally the woman realized why she was crying. She felt very sorry for the little girl and gently held the child in her arms.

Then suddenly the little girl did something a bit strange. She stopped crying, walked back from the woman and began to sing. She sang softly. It was the sweetest sound the woman had ever heard, almost like the song of a very small bird.

After the child stopped singing, she said to the lady, “My mum often sang that song to me before she went away, and she asked me to sing it whenever I started crying and it would make me stop.”

“See”, she said loudly, “it did, and now my eyes are dry!”

Just before the lady wanted to go, the girl showed her a spot (印迹) on her dress, and said, “Right here is where my mum kissed  my dress, and here,” pointing to another spot, “and here is another kiss, and here, and here. Mum said that she put all those kisses on my dress so that I would forget my sadness.”

Then the lady realized that she wasn't just looking at a dress, no, she was looking at a mother. The mother knew that she was going away and would not be there to kiss away her daughter's hurts any longer.

So the mother gave all her love to her beautiful daughter and put it into this dress. Now her child was wearing it so proudly.

The lady no longer saw a little girl wearing a simple dress. She saw a child wrapped (包) in her mother's love.

46. Who told the little girl to sing a song when she was crying?                       

A. the lady.                               B. her father.       

C. her mother.                             D. her grandfather.

47. Why was the little girl crying?                               

A. Because her mother went to a big city.   

B. Because her mother died.

C. Because her mother went out with her grandfather.        

D. Because her mother was ill in hospital.

48. The little girl showed the lady           .                        

A. how rich she was                        B. her happiness

C. how beautiful she was                   D. her mother's love

49. What do we know about the lady in the passage?                              

A. She was kind to the girl.               B. She was beautiful.

C. She was worried to see the girl.        D. She was a careless woman.

50. It can be learned from the passage that            .                                           

A. The girl's mother went away because of cancer.

B. Mother's love is the greatest in the world

C. A girl should wear a dress made by her mother

D. A mother should take her child with her wherever she goes.

Maybe you have seen this in schools: some students are Studying nearly all the time but they just pass their exams, while some others may spend much less time on their books but do much better in exams．How could this happen? People used to think that hard work is the only way to success．But now they have understood that smart work can make them succeed, too．

     Hard workers don't mind working for long hours, while smart workers always think of several different answers to these questions, "Why should I suffer this?  Isn't there a better way to do this?" Thanks to these people, we can use computers instead of the abacus now．Progress in every field is the direct result of "try to find a better way" by smart workers．

There was a large soap factory in Japan． Once it received an unusual letter from someone who complained that there was no soap in the soapbox he bought．

How could empty soapboxes go out of the factory? The engineers checked the producing and packing The producing was fine, but in about one in ten thousand cases, the packing machine （机器）let an empty soapbox go．There was no need to spend a lot of money repairing the machine for such a small problem．The engineer soon worked out a solution: he put a huge X-ray （X光射线） machine and two large computers to find out the empty soapboxes．After teaching the workers how to use it, he sat down in his seat, exhausted．

     "Sir, we could have solved the problems in a much simpler and cheaper way," a worker said．

     "Really? How? "

     "We can put a huge fan （风扇） near the packing machine． The wind coming from the fan will blow away the empty boxes, leaving the other boxes with soap．There would be no need for an X-ray machine, two computers, and operating by workers．"

     See, this is smart work． In order to succeed, we should not only work hard like the engineer, but also think smart like this worker．

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

1．Some students spend much less time on schoolwork but do much better in exams _______.

A．because of their hard work

B．because of different education

C．because they try to find a better way

D．because they study for a much longer time

2．Someone wrote to the soap factory and complained that _______.

A．the soapbox he bought was empty

B．their soap was too expensive

C．the soap he bought was terrible

D．their service was very bad

3．The soap factory could only _______ near the packing machine to solve the problems in a much simpler and cheaper way．

A．set some soapboxes

B．set an X-ray machine

C．put two large computers

D．put a huge fan

4．The phrase "blow away" here in Chinese means _______.

A．停止                   B．吹走                     C．熄灭                      D．逃脱

5．The article mainly tells us that we should _______ in order to succeed．

A．think of different answers to our questions

B．spend much less time on our schoolwork

C．work hard like the engineer and think smart like the worker

D．spend enough money repairing the machine for any problem

"Do you like my dress?" she asked a stranger. "My mum made it just for me," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Well, I think it's very pretty, so tell me, little girl, why are you crying?"

The little girl answered in a low voice, "After mum made me this dress, she went away. My dad says that she's up in heaven (天堂) now with Grandfather."

Finally the woman realized why she was crying. She felt very sorry for the little girl and gently held the child in her arms.

Then suddenly the little girl did something a bit strange. She stopped crying, walked back from the woman and began to sing. She sang softly. It was the sweetest sound the woman had ever heard, almost like the song of a very small bird.

After the child stopped singing, she said to the lady, "My mum often sang that song to me before she went away, and she asked me to sing it whenever I started crying and it would make me stop."

"See," she said loudly, "it did, and now my eyes are dry!"

Just before the lady wanted to go, the girl showed her a spot (印迹) on her dress, and said, "Right here is where my mum kissed (吻) my dress, and here," pointing to another spot, "and here is another kiss, and here, and here. Mum said that she put all those kisses on my dress so that I would forget my sadness."

Then the lady realized that she wasn't just looking at a dress, no, she was looking at a mother. The mother knew that she was going away and would not be there to kiss away her daughter's hurts any longer.

So the mother gave all her love to her beautiful daughter and put it into this dress. Now her child was wearing it so proudly.

The lady no longer saw a little girl wearing a simple dress. She saw a child wrapped (包) in her mother's love.

46. The little girl was crying because her mother ____.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A. went to a big city　　　　　　　　　　 B. died

C. went out with her grandfather　　　　　 D. was ill

47. Who told the little girl to sing a song when she was crying?　　　　　　　　　　　

A. The lady.　　　　 B. Her father.　　　 C. Her mother.　　　 D. Her grandfather.

48. The little girl showed the lady ____.　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A. how rich she was　　　　　　　　　　 B. her happiness

C. how beautiful she was　　　　　　　　 D. her mother's love

49. What do we know about the lady in the passage?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A. She was kind to the girl.　　　　　　　 B. She was beautiful.

C. She was glad to see the girl.　　　　　　 D. She was a careless woman.

50. From the story, we learn that_____.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A. the girl's mother went away with her love

B. mother's love is the greatest in the world

C. a girl should wear a dress made by her mother

D. a mother should take her child with her wherever she goes

Dear Rose,

I like your programs very much. I'm now writing to ask you something about American social customs (社交习惯). My American friends want me to join them in their dinner party. I am very happy and have decided to go, but I’m a little worried about it, too. The social customs in my country are very different from here, so I’m afraid of making mistakes. Should I bring a present, such as sweets or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?

Wang Lin

Dear Wang Lin,

It’s a good idea to bring a small present when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always nice, or you may bring a bottle of wine if you know that your friends drink it. You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you’re going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them. Try to be free at the dinner table. If you don’ t know about choosing the right fork or knife, just watch the other people, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, ask the person next to you. If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank them for the meal and for their kind ness. It’s also a good idea to send a thank you card the day after.

Rose

1. Wang Lin wants to　　　　 .　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

A. make friends with Rose　　    B. know some social customs for a dinner party

C. make her friends happy　　    D. give her friends a surprise

2. Rose is possibly　　　　 .　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 

A. a good housewife　　　　    B. a TV hostess (主持人)

C. a member of the dinner party   D. a friend of Wang Lin’s

3. If you’re asked to a dinner party but not sure about what to bring as a present, it’s good to bring.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　　　　　 

A. some fruits　　　　　　　　 B. a bottle of wine

C. some flowers　　　　　　   D. a knife and fork

4. Which of the following is NOT proper(适当的)for joining in a dinner party?  

A.　　  Get there 15 minutes earlier.　　　　   B. Make yourself at home.

C. Follow others to use forks and knives.    D. Thank your friends for the meal.

5. From the letters we’ve learned that it’s very　　　　 to know something about American social customs.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 

A. difficult　　     B. friendly　　　　  C. enjoyable　　  D. helpful