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 !”

1.What is this passage mainly about?

A. Love and goodness.                       B. Culture and tradition.

C. Friendship and honesty.                  D. Communication and understanding.

2.Why did the writer and the woman both feel glad?

A. Because the boy had saved some money.     

B. Because they both didn’t need to give anything.

C. Because the cashier didn’t look down on the boy.

D. Because all the shoppers around were willing to help the boy. 

3.What’s the correct order of the following events?

a. The cashier got enough money for the boy’s shirt.

b. The cashier counted the boy’s money.

c. The shoppers looked for some change in their pockets.

d. The boy went to the line to pay.

A. b, a, c, d           B. b, c, a, d           C. d, b, c, a           D. d, c, a, b

When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect(尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire(退休) or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

1.Jack brought the couple their food very fast because______.

A. the manager asked him to do so   B. he respected the elderly

C. the couple wanted him to do so    D. he wanted more pay

2.In Jack’s hometown, ______.

A. people dislike being called “old”　　　　　

B. people are proud of being old

C. many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D. the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

3. After this experience, Jack ______.

A. lost his job in the restaurant      　

B. made friends with the couple

C. no longer respected the elderly　　　

D. changed his way with older people

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A . The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B. Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C. The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D. From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

5.Which is the best title for this passage?

A.  Different countries, different customs     B.  Old people, old customs

C.  Different restaurants, different services    D.  Differences between old and young

We were standing at the top of a church not far from my home. I didn’t know why.
“Look down,” Father said. I tried and saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the streets to the square. “See, Elsa,” Father said. “There is more than one way to the square. If you can’t get where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Earlier that day, I asked Mother to do something about what we had for lunch at school. But she didn’t think the food was as bad as I said. When I turned to Father for help, he brought me to the church.
At school the next day, I filled a bottle with the soup for our lunch and took it home. I told the cook to pour the soup in a plate and bring it to Mother. She drank it and cried out, “What’s the matter with the soup today?” I at once told her what I had done , and Mother said that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day .
Now I really understood why Father had taken me to the church. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every way to my goal.
【小题1】The writer’s father took her to the church to.

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 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 !”

1.What is this passage mainly about?

2.Why did the writer and the woman both feel glad?

3.What’s the correct order of the following events?

a. The cashier got enough money for the boy’s shirt.

b. The cashier counted the boy’s money.

c. The shoppers looked for some change in their pockets.

d. The boy went to the line to pay.