BALTIMORE. MARYLAND—An old postcard changed the lives of an eleven-year-old boy and a very sick woman. The postcard had a picture of the steamship Titanic. The Titanic was the largest ocean ship in the world. It hit an iceberg（冰山）and sank on April 14. 1912. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 people on the ship were killed.
　　The postcard was passed from one person to another for more than 80 years. Then it appeared at a card show for people who liked to collect postcards. An eleven-year-old boy, Joey Russell, came to the show with his grandfather. His grandfather knew everything about the Titanic and its trip from England to New York. “Let’s buy that postcard.” he told Joey. “It will be important someday.”
　　Two years later, Joey’s grandfather took him on a special trip. They went on a trip to the North Atlantic ocean to watch as workers pulled the Titanic up from the bottom of the ocean. Joey put his special postcard in his bag for the trip. On the ship, Joey met Edith Haisman. This woman was on the Titanic when it sank. She was one of the people who were rescued. Joey pulled the postcard out of his pocket. “Please sign this, Mrs. Haisman.” he said. She was happy to write her name on the back of the postcard.
When Joey got home, he put the postcard away and forgot about it, Then Kate Shelley, one of Joey’s friends, told him that her mother was very sick. She needed an operation, but there was a problem. The operation was very expensive, and the family needed $80, 000 to pay for it. Friends and relatives tried to help. But where could they get so much money?
　　Then when Joey went to see the new movie “Titanic”, he had an idea. “Millions of people are seeing this movie and reading about the Titanic.” Joey thought. He remembered the old postcard with Edith Haisman’s signature on it. “Maybe I can sell it for some money. Then I can help Kate’s mom.”
　　Joey told his mother and father about his idea to help Mrs. Shelley. His parents helped him try to sell the postcard to the person who would pay the most money for it. Joey’s story was on television and in newspapers. Joey and Kate even went to New York to be on a national TV show. After the show, many people called in to offer money for the Titanic card. Someone bought it for $60. 000.
Joey’s kind heart and the old Titanic postcard worked together to save a woman’s life.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT true about the old postcard?

There are 12 star signs in total. Your star sign depends on your 41 . In western culture, some people believe that people 42 the same star sign share similar characteristics. There are lots of stories about star signs.   43  a story about Scorpio.

Once upon a time, in Greece, there was a hunter  44  Orion who was the son of a sea god. He was handsome, brave and strong. One day he said he  45 kill all the dangerous animals. The mother of the land was quite 46  at what he said. She ordered a scorpion  47   him. The scorpion hid in the  48  and gave the hunter a sudden attack 49  the shoulder. The hunter tried his best to fight back. The fighting  50  for ten days and ten nights. In the end, they 51  died. From then on,  52  scorpions appeared, hunters would hide. They  53 met again.

  54 your birthday is between Oct. 23^rd and Nov. 21^st, your star sign is Scorpion. You are a powerful person 55 energy. You can always keep secrets. However, sometimes you do not forgive others.

1. A. body              B. day          C. birthday         D. mind

2. A. under                 B. in            C. on           D. with

3. A. Here’s        B. It’s          C. That’s         D. There’s

4. A. was named             B. called        C. is called       D. call

5. A. would like             B. will           C. had better      D. would

6. A. nervous               B. worried         C. angry       D. pleased

7. A. attack          B. to attack         C. kill          D. to invite

8. A. sea                 B. sun           C. river           D. dark

9. A. on                   B. in             C. with          D. for

10. A. lasts                 B. began         C. was on         D. is on

11.A. all                B. both            C. every           D. each

12.A. however       B. whatever         C. whenever        D. wherever

13. A. hardly           B. often              C. sometimes        D. never

14. A. If        B. Before            C. After           D. Unless

15. A. short of         B. fill with       C. full of          D. proud of

BALTIMORE. MARYLAND—An old postcard changed the lives of an eleven-year-old boy and a very sick woman. The postcard had a picture of the steamship Titanic. The Titanic was the largest ocean ship in the world. It hit an iceberg（冰山）and sank on April 14. 1912. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 people on the ship were killed.

　　The postcard was passed from one person to another for more than 80 years. Then it appeared at a card show for people who liked to collect postcards. An eleven-year-old boy, Joey Russell, came to the show with his grandfather. His grandfather knew everything about the Titanic and its trip from England to New York. “Let’s buy that postcard.” he told Joey. “It will be important someday.”

　　Two years later, Joey’s grandfather took him on a special trip. They went on a trip to the North Atlantic ocean to watch as workers pulled the Titanic up from the bottom of the ocean. Joey put his special postcard in his bag for the trip. On the ship, Joey met Edith Haisman. This woman was on the Titanic when it sank. She was one of the people who were rescued. Joey pulled the postcard out of his pocket. “Please sign this, Mrs. Haisman.” he said. She was happy to write her name on the back of the postcard.

When Joey got home, he put the postcard away and forgot about it, Then Kate Shelley, one of Joey’s friends, told him that her mother was very sick. She needed an operation, but there was a problem. The operation was very expensive, and the family needed $80, 000 to pay for it. Friends and relatives tried to help. But where could they get so much money?

　　Then when Joey went to see the new movie “Titanic”, he had an idea. “Millions of people are seeing this movie and reading about the Titanic.” Joey thought. He remembered the old postcard with Edith Haisman’s signature on it. “Maybe I can sell it for some money. Then I can help Kate’s mom.”

　　Joey told his mother and father about his idea to help Mrs. Shelley. His parents helped him try to sell the postcard to the person who would pay the most money for it. Joey’s story was on television and in newspapers. Joey and Kate even went to New York to be on a national TV show. After the show, many people called in to offer money for the Titanic card. Someone bought it for $60. 000.

Joey’s kind heart and the old Titanic postcard worked together to save a woman’s life.

1.Which of the following is NOT true about the old postcard?

A. The Titanic was the largest steamship in the world in 1912.

B. The steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank about a hundred years ago

C. Over two thousand passengers were killed in the ocean accident.

D. More than eighty years had passed before the postcard belonged to Joey.

2.Joey Russell _________.

A. decided to buy the postcard at a shop

B. showed great interest in collecting postcards

C. took the postcard with him to see Mrs. Shelley

D. asked Mrs. Haisman to sign her name on his postcard

3.What does the underlined word “rescued” mean in the sentence?

A. Be made safe from danger.

B. Be on an ocean trip.

C. Be working on board.

D. Be asked to sell the postcard.

4.When did Joey Russell have the idea of selling his old postcard for money?

A. When Kate Shelley told him of her mother’s sickness.

    B. When he went to see the new movie “Titanic”.

    C. When he was reading the new book of Titanic.

    D. When he remembered Mrs. Haisman’s signature on his card.

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The Titanic arrived in New York at the end of April, 1912.

B. At the age of 13, Joey Russell got Mrs. Haisman’s signature.

C. Joey Russell sold out his postcards on a national TV show.

D. The Titanic card was sold to many people for $60, 000.

A

Gladys Holm was a secretary(秘书). She worked in an office all his life. Gladys made about $15,000 a year. She died when she was 86 years old. And she left a big surprise—$18 million! She gave the money to a children’s hospital.

Gladys Holm never got married or had any children. But she always liked children, and she wanted to help them. When her friend’s daughter was ill in hospital. Gladys brought her a toy bear. After that, she visited the hospital many times. Every time she visited, she brought toy bears for those children. After that, people started to call Gladys the “Toy bear Lady.”

Gladys always gave toys and presents to her friends and family but no one knew she had a lot of money. She lived in a small house outside Chicago. Everyone was very surprised when they learned she was a millionaire. A family friend said, “She always gave us nice presents and things, but we didn’t know she was rich.”

How did Gladys get so much money? She asked her boss how to make more money, and she listened to what he said. She brought the stocks(股票) that he told her to buy, and she got very rich. Before she died, she talked to her friends about “giving something to the children’s hospital.” No one knew that the “something” was $18 million!

1. Gladys Holm often visited the hospital and gave children toy bears because______.

A. she had too much money B. she had a lot of toy bears

C. she had never got married and had no children D. she liked children very much

2. People started to call Gladys the “Toy Bear Lady”_______.

A. after she visited the children in hospital many times B. after she died

C. before her friend’s daughter was ill B. before she worked with his boss

3. Everyone was surprised that________.

A. Gladys lived such a long life B. Gladys lived in a small house outside Chicago

C. Gladys had so much money D. Gladys always gave her friends nice presents

4. ________, so she got rich.

A. Gladys made $15,000 a year as a secretary B. Gladys did what the boss told her to do

C. Gladys got the money from the boss D. Gladys did another job in the hospital

5. When Gladys Holm became a millionaire,________.

A. she spent most of the money on nice presents and things B. she stopped working

C. she still lived in the same way D. she could hardly wait to tell her friends and family

B

In 1638, John Harvard donated some money and about four hundred books to a new university. This was the beginning of the library at Harvard University. The gift was so important that the university was named for John Harvard.

Thomas Bray began the first free lending library in the late 1600s. He set up more than 30 or these libraries in the American colonies. However, the idea for this kind of free library ended when Bray died in 1730. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and some friends started the first subscription library in the United States. In a subscription library people pay money to become members, but they may borrow the books without paying again.

In the United States, every child had a free education. This idea soon led to free libraries. One of the first libraries that used tax money to buy books was a library in Peterborough, New Hampshire. This library was set up in 1833.

6.The main idea of paragraph 2 is________.

A.      Franklin started the first subscription library

B.      in a subscription library people pay money to become members

C.      Bray and Franklin were important in the history of public libraries

D.     Bray died in 1730 and Franklin died in 1833

7.The underlined word “borrow” means_______.

A.      read and write with no help from another person

B.      use for a short time and then return

C.      like very much

D.     lend

8.The reading does not say it, but we can guess that_______.

A.      there were free schools in the United States before there were free libraries

B.      free schools and free libraries in the United States began at about the same time

C.      the library in New Hampshire also had a free school in it

D.     there were free libraries in the United States before there were free schools

9.Havard University began_______.

A. in 1731 B. in 1730 C. in 1833 D. in 1638

10.At the library that Franklin started, ________.

A.      children could use books for no money at all

B.      people paid a little money in the beginning but none after that

C.      people paid a lot of money in the beginning but none after that

D.     both A and B