He________down and began thinking of how to________the table more beautifully for dinner．

1. A.
   laid，laid
2. B.
   lay，lay
3. C.
   laid，lay
4. D.
   lay，laid

I was in line waiting to pay. In line there were two people before me. A little boy was buying some rather strange clothes. He chatted with anyone who was interested in the clothes and soon we learnt that he was going to a kindergarten(幼儿园) party. He had done a great job of putting together interesting costumes.
I noticed that the little boy was paying mostly with change(零钱). It seemed that he had robbed his pig bank(猪形储蓄罐) to do this shopping. However, the cashier told him he was short after counting all the money. The boy thought for a moment and said, “Please keep the shirt and I will come back with more money. “
It was clear that he had already used all the money he had and he was $ 8.00 short. The lady in front of me said, “Well, I could pay half of that. “I told the boy that I could pay the other half. We dug into our handbags. However, both of us only had ten-dollar bills(纸币) and we needed the cashier to get the change for us. Other shoppers began digging into their pockets to find some change. It was amazing and touching(令人感动的) as all these strangers seemed to react(反应) with the same mind. All wanted to be of help. Within minutes the cashier said, “I have too much money.” The cashier didn’t need our ten-dollar bills. Then the lady in front of me, who had been the first to offer help, said, “Wait! I didn’t even get a chance to give anything!”
I smiled at her and said, “You did your share, because it was your idea and you started all this. “ The little boy smiled and thanked us. We wished him the best and he left. I was left with a good feeling. I had seen the love and goodness of others all around me. The woman in front of me smiled and said, “It sure feels good to give, doesn’t it?” I smiled back and said, “Yes !”
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?

Sam is twenty-seven now. He’s tall and strong. He worked hard in the small field. He’s known a girl called Mabel for three years, who lives in another village. He wishes she could marry him soon, but she won’t marry him until he has built a new house. He hasn’t enough money. Of course it’s difficult for him to do so.

Winter had come and the fields were covered with thick snow. Sam had nothing to do at home. Mabel told him to find some temporary employment in the town. He thought she was right and came to Mr White’s factory, where he carried stones from the hill to the workplaces. It was hard work but he was paid more. At the end of the month Mr White paid the young man nearly two thousand dollars. He was very happy. He hurried to the post office, but it was closed. He had a look at the clock on the wall. It was half past five, and he was told to go there the next morning. He had to return to the factory. He felt hungry and went into a restaurant and ate something. He didn’t see a thief following him, and as soon as he sat at table, the man sat down next to him and asked him to drink a cup with him. He agreed and drank a lot. And when he woke up two hours later, his money was stolen. He was sad of it and cried for a long time.

The following day Mr White saw the young man’s eyes were red and asked what had happened to him. He told him about it and at last he said, “I worked for the thief last month!”

根据材料内容选择最佳答案，将其标号填入题前括号内。

1.Mabel doesn’t marry Sam because _______.

2.Mabel asked Sam to ______.

3.The underlined word “temporary employment” means _______.

4.Sam went the post office to _____.

5.The money was stolen when ______.

If you want to become a better reader, what should you know about speed of reading?
Some people read very rapidly(很快地), while others read very slowly. But which one is
better?
The rapid reader may be a good reader when he reads a storybook for fun. But he may not be
able to slow down enough to read directions(说明) carefully. He may read so rapidly that he does
not take time to understand fully the ideas and information which are important to remember.
The slow reader may be a good reader when he reads directions for making something. But he
may spend too much time in reading a simple story which is meant to be enjoyed but is not
important enough to be remembered.
So, you see, either a rapid reader or a slow reader is not really a good one. If you wish to
become a better reader, here are four important things to remember about speed of reading.
1. Knowing why you are reading will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or
slowly.
2. Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are directions for making or doing
something, science and history books, and Maths problems. You must read such things slowly or
remember each important step and understand each important idea.
3. Some things should be read rapidly throughout. Examples are simple stories for enjoyment,
letters from friends and bits of news from hometown papers.
4. In some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as
you go along. You will need to read certain(某些) pages rapidly and then slow down and do more
careful reading when you come to important ideas.
【小题1】 What should be read rapidly?

At midnight Mr. King coughed again. He got up and took some medicine. Before he lay down again, he smoked. And he couldn’t go to sleep any longer. He found the medicine book and began to read it. He was afraid he had lung cancer. He seemed to see death was waiting for him. Tears(眼泪) ran down his face. He didn’t see his wife was standing by him.

“What’s wrong with you, dear?” asked the woman.

“Nothing,” the old man answered and covered his face with his hands.

The old woman opened the book and understood at once. She said, “You must stop smoking right now.”

“I began to smoke when I was nine, you know. How can’t I do that?”

“But I think health is more important.”

Mr. King coughed again and his wife said, “Go to see a doctor tomorrow. He will be able to help you, I think.”

The doctor told Mr. King to have an X-ray examination of his lungs. And then he looked at the X-ray carefully for a long time.

“Tell me the truth, doctor.”said Mr.King, “Do you see any shadows(阴影)in my lungs?”

“No, I don’t see anything.”

“Yes?” the old man said happily. “Really?”

“Yes. Your lungs are turning black. How can I see any shadows?”

1. Mr.King got up to ???? .

A. smoke again??????????? B. talk with his wife

C. read the medicine book??? D. take some medicine

2.Mr. King coughed because ???? .

A. he couldn’t go to sleep??? B. he was afraid to die

C. he smoked too much????? D. he was too old

3. ???? , so tears ran down his face.

A. Mr. King thought he had lung cancer

B. Mr. King couldn’t understand the book

C. Mr. King was too sad to go to sleep

D. The doctors refused（拒绝）to help Mr. King

4.The doctor told Mr. King to have an X-ray examination because ???? .

A. he was sure the man would die soon

B. he wanted the man to stop smoking right now

C. he wanted to know if there was something wrong with his lungs

D. he was sure the man would soon be all right

5.Which of the following is true?

A. There was nothing serious with Mr. King.

B. Smoking too much caused Mr. King’s lungs to turn black.

C. The doctor found some shadows in Mr. King’s lungs.

D. Mr. King decided to stop smoking at once.