Danny was just tired about the way things were going. His mum came to school and talked on and on about Rick Jackson. It seemed that she would never stop talking. “Somebody’s got to stop that boy!” she was shouting. “Rick’s troubling everybody in the neighborhood. And he loves to pick on little boys like Danny.”

Mrs. Green, Danny’s teacher, was concerned a lot. “I didn’t know that Danny was being picked on,” she said. “He’s never said anything about this to me!” Mrs. Green looked at Danny. “How long had this been going on?” she asked. Danny could only shake his head and look at the floor. He knew if he said a word about this, he would have trouble at school.

Danny hadn’t said anything about the problem because he wanted to do things with the boys in the neighborhood. After all, most of them were nice to him. He hated to leave the gang just because of Rick. Maybe the time had come to find new friends. He felt it hard to make up his mind.

1.We learn from the reading that          .

2.   When Danny’s mother came for Mrs. Green, the matter was now          to Mrs Green.

3.   Danny now          .

4.  Danny didn’t say anything about the matter to Mrs. Green because          .

5. The word “gang” in the reading means “         ”.

As Danny put his lunch tray onto the cafeteria table, milk spilled all over his sandwich. He sat down, hung his head forward, looking at the food in front of him. Frowning, he began peeling the soggy milk-soaked bread (浸透牛奶的) from his sandwich. “This is the worst thing I’ve ever done!” he said, “It’s not that bad,” said his friend Elena, who was sitting across from him. “Just get another sandwich.”

“Sandwich? What sandwich? I am talking about the talent contest. It’s only two weeks away and I don’t know what I’m doing! Everybody will laugh at me. There’s no way to avoid it!”
“Don’t be so negative, Danny,” said Elena as she rolled her eyes. “You’re going to be great, You’re very capable. You have the skills to do just about anything.”
Danny moved his lunch tray to the side and rested his head on the table.
“Sit up Danny,” ordered Elena, “I have an idea. Let’s brainstorm a list of things you could do. We’ll divide the list into categories or groups. Let’s start with music. You play the piano, right?”
“I stopped taking lessons in the third grade,” said Danny.
“What about singing a song?” suggested Elena.
Danny shook his head no. “Let’s move on to another category.”
“What about performing magic tricks?” asked Elena, as she twisted thin strands of hair around her finger.
“I don’t know how to play magic tricks!” Danny almost shouted. “Elena, how did I get myself into this huge mess?”
“Stop being so…” Elena paused, “That’s it, DRAMATIC!” Elena shouted excitedly. “You could do a dramatic reading. You definitely have the talent for it. Mrs. Pace always calls on you to read aloud in class. You could read a play aloud. Maybe you could even get extra credit from Mrs. Pace. She rewards students with points for doing extra reading work.”
Danny thought for a minute. Then he smiled. “Elena,” Danny said, “You are a great friend!”
Elena smiled back. “I just want to make sure you are a bright, shiny star when you step out on stage.”
【小题1】Elena and Danny were talking ______.