An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation(手术) could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

　　When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother， “Only a miracle(something couldn’t happen) can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.

　　She hurried to a drugstore(药店)with the money in her hand.

　　“And what do you want？” asked the salesman. “ It's for my little brother，” the girl answered. “He's really，really sick and I want to buy a miracle. ”

　　"Pardon？”said the salesman.

　　“My brother Andrew has something bad growing in-side his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？”“We don't sell a miracle here，child. I'm sorry，”the salesman said with a smile.

　　“Listen，if it isn't enough，I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs. ”

　　A well-dressed man heard it and asked， “What kind of a miracle does your brother need？”　　“I don't know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it， so I have brought all my money. ”

　　“How much do you have？” asked the man. “$ 1.11， but I can try and get some more，” she answered.

　　“Well, what luck，”smiled the man. “$ 1.11， the price of a miracle for little brothers. ”

　　He took up the girl's hand and said， “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need. ”

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again.

　　How much did the miracle cost？

1.What was the trouble in the little girl's family？

A. Her brother was seriously ill.

B. They had no money.

C. Nothing could save her brother.

D. Both A and B.

2.In the eye of the little girl,a miracle might be _______.

A．something interesting

B．something beautiful

C．some wonderful medicine

D．some good food

3.What made the miracle happen？

A．The girl's love for her brother.

B．The girl's money.

C．The medicine from the drugstore.

D．Nobody can tell.

4.From the passage we can infer(推断) that _______.

A．The doctor didn't ask for any pay

B．A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on

C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever

D．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought

 

Problems	Solutions(解决办法)
My best friend Jack goes on vacation a lot and always brings me something expensive. I don’t have enough money to get him anything every time. What should I do? Bob	Souvenirs don’t have to cost a lot. Show him you are thinking of him. That’s important. Imagine how excited he would be if he got a postcard from you! Miller
I have a crush on a movie star. I really wish I did not. I have had dreams about him, and I even find myself wishing to be his wife. Are there any ways to stop this? Alice	A star is cute, but what else? What do you think is important for person? Being good-looking or kind-hearted? Remember that the star in the movie probably isn’t what he is like in real life. So don’t let yourself spend too much time on the star. Staying with friends or taking more activities will help you get him out of your mind. Miller
I’m always arguing with my parents. I hate it, but I can’t help it. What can I do? Harry	Sometimes it seems that our parents just don’t know us well, doesn’t it? When I’m arguing with my parents, I usually take a walk and calm myself down. It gives me time to clear my head. That means I can talk to them and solve(v.解决) the problem. Have a try—parents are easier to talk with when you are cool and calm. Miller

【小题1】__________ always brings his/her friend some expensive souvenirs after vacation

A．Bob

B．Alice

C．Harry

D．Jack

【小题2】Miller thinks Bob ________________.

A．should buy some expensive souvenirs for his friend.

B．could post his friend a postcard

C．should make enough money for his friend

D．doesn’t need to get his friend anything at all

【小题3】Alice says “I have a crush on a movie star”, it means _______________.

A．she loves a movie star too much

B．she doesn’t know the movie star

C．she is the wife of the movie star

D．she wants to argue with the movie star

【小题4】Miller ______________.

A．is a person who can give students some advice

B．thinks a movie star in really life is the same as he is in the movie

C．thinks Alice should spend much time on the star

D．needs help

【小题5】Harry always argues with his parents _______________.

A．because his parents like arguing with him

B．because he hates his parents

C．because he doesn’t have enough money to buy friends gifts

D．but he doesn’t like arguing with them

One day the boss asks Tom to meet his friend Mr. Green in London. But it is his   1  time to come to London. He doesn’t know the   2  to Mr. Green’s home. He thinks he can ask people for help. When he   3  in London, he gets off the bus. There are   4  people in the street. He looks around and stops a   5  and tells her where he wants to go. The woman is very helpful.  6  her help, he finds Mr. Green’s home. Two weeks   7 , Tom needs to visit Mr. Green again. But he can’t   8  where his home is. He stops a person to ask the way. It’s the same woman. The woman is very   9 . She says, “Are you   10  looking for the place?”

【小题1】

A．last B．first C．second D．third

【小题2】

A．name B．way C．city D．man

【小题3】

A．comes B．gets C．arrives D．goes

【小题4】

A．many B．much C．a little D．a lot

【小题5】

A．man B．woman C．boy D．girl

【小题6】

A．With B．Without C．Under D．By

【小题7】

A．after B．later C．behind D．late

【小题8】

A．remember B．forget C．know D．tell

【小题9】

A．sad B．glad C．surprised D．sorry

【小题10】

A．never B．still C．just D．again

Last summer vacation, I volunteered to work at a vet’s（兽医诊所）. There I saw a lot of dogs. Minnie was the funniest-looking dog I’d ever seen. Short thin curly hair covered her sausage-shaped（香肠形）body. Her eyes always seemed surprised. And her tail looked like a rat’s tail.
She was brought to the vet because her owners didn’t want her any more. I thought Minnie had a sweet personality, though.“No one should judge her by her looks,”I thought. Finally, I advertised Minnie in the local paper.“Funny-looking dog, well-behaved, needs a loving family.”
When a boy called, I warned him that Minnie was strange-looking. The boy on the phone told me that his grandfather’s sixteen-year-old dog had just died. They wanted Minnie no matter what. I gave Minnie a good bath. Then we waited for them to arrive. At last, an old car pulled up in front of the vet’s. Two kids raced to the door. They picked Minnie up and rushed her out to their grandfather, who was waiting in the car. I hurried behind them to see his reaction to Minnie. Inside the car, the grandfather held Minnie in his arms and stroked her soft hair. She licked（舔）his face. Her tail wagged（摇摆）around so quickly that it looked like it might fly off her body.
“She’s perfect!”the old man said happily.
I was thankful that Minnie had found a good home.
Suddenly, I saw that the grandfather’s eyes were a milky white colour—he was blind.
【小题1】The last three sentences in the first paragraph tell us      .

A．how funny Minnie looked	B．how well Minnie behaved
C．Minnie was a beautiful dog	D．Minnie was dying

【小题2】Why did the writer advertise Minnie in the local newspaper?

A．Because he wanted to sell her at a good price.

B．Because he didn’t want her any more, either.

C．Because he wanted to find a family for her.

D．Because he wanted to have another dog.

【小题3】Why did the boy who called the writer want Minnie?

A．Because he loved all kinds of dogs very much.

B．Because he had seen Minnie and loved her very much.

C．Because his grandfather’s dog was too old.

D．Because his grandfather’s dog had just died.

【小题4】The underlined word“stroke”may mean      .

A．抚摸

B．拔

C．剪

D．揪

【小题5】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Minnie wasn’t the type of dog the old man loved.

B．The old man couldn’t see how funny Minnie looked.

C．Minnie knew very well how to make others dislike her.

D．Minnie was like the old man’s dog which had just died

人们常常喜欢用一些英语名言来作为自己的座右铭，请根据以下信息，给下面5个人选择合适的座右铭来配对。

1.Ann works hard at English. She never wastes time.

2.Bill is always afraid of failing exam . He needs more confidence.

3.David has good study habits. He thinks the beginning is very important.

4.Linda is 70 years old, but she still likes learning something.

5.Tom wants to be a professional basketball player, but he can’t play it very well.

A. Practice makes perfect.

B. Every minute counts.

C. Failure is the mother of success.

D. A good beginning is half done.

E. It is never too old to learn.