Mary’s dime（一毛钱）

It was Sunday afternoon. I decided to clean up the room nicely so that my parents would feel   1  when they returned from a long ride! Then, I sat in the room, having nothing to do.

　　 What else could I do? Then, with no reason, I suddenly  2  the pale face of that little beggar(乞丐) girl. I could see the glad light   3  her eyes when I put the dime in her little dirty hand.

　　  How much I  4  that dime, too! Grandpa gave it to me a whole month ago, and I had kept it ever since in my red box upstairs, but those sugar apples looked so attractive, and were so   5  — only a dime a piece — that I wanted to have one.

　　  I could imagine the little girl stood there in front of the  6  in her old dirty dress, looking at the   7  that were put all in a row in the window. I wonder what I should say, “Little girl, what do you want?” I gently asked. She felt   8  and looked straight at me, just as if（似乎）nobody had spoken so   9  to her before. She realized what I had meant, so she said seriously and sadly. “I was thinking how good one of those delicious hamburgers would  10 . I haven’t had anything to eat today.”

　　 Now I thought to myself, “Mary Williams, you have had a good breakfast and a good lunch today,   11  this poor girl has not had a mouthful yet. You can give her your  12 . She needs it a great deal more than you do.”

　　 I could not run away from that little girl’s sad,  13  look — so I dropped the dime right into her hand. How  14  the girl was! I am so glad I gave her the dime,  15  I had to go without the apple lying there in the window.

1.                A．disturbed       B．unhappy        C．satisfied  D．interested

 

2.                A．saw            B．remembered    C．forgot    D．described

 

3.                A．filling          B．protecting       C．attracting D．touching

 

4.                A．hated          B．loved          C．missed   D．noticed

 

5.                A．valuable        B．meaningful      C．expensive D．cheap

 

6.                A．market         B．library          C．store D．bookshop

 

7.                A．dresses         B．magazines       C．books    D．candies

 

8.                A．surprised       B．excited         C．pleased   D．worried

 

9.                A．happily         B．kindly          C．angrily   D．sadly

 

10.               A．taste           B．sound          C．feel  D．smell

 

11.               A．since          B．so             C．and  D．but

 

12.               A．apple          B．hamburger      C．dime D．candy

 

13.               A．proud          B．angry          C．calm  D．hungry

 

14.               A．grateful        B．unlucky        C．lonely D．friendly

 

15.               A．unless         B．if              C．though    D．because

 

 

On my eighth birthday, Dad bought me an accordion(手风琴） and said excitedly, "Once you learn to play, it'll stay with you for life." But I didn't want to play it. Ijust wanted to play games, But Dad asked me to take accordion lessons.
One day, I found a box in a corner. When I opened it, I saw a beautiful violin. "You’re your father's," Mum said. "His parents bought it for him. I guess he got too busy on the farm to learn to play it."
I had to practice half an hour every day, and every day I tried to get out of it. But Dad didn't allow. I asked why. He answered, "Because you can bring people joy. You can touch their hearts." He added softly, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had: you'll play beautiful music for your family. And you'll understand why you've worked so hard." I was speechless.
The lessons stopped after I finished high school. When I grew up, I got married and moved into a new house. I put the accordion in the attic（阁楼）.
One afternoon, my two children found the accordion by accident (偶然). They got very excited. "Play it. Play it," they laughed and said. I started to play some simple songs. I was surprised I could still remember them. Soon the kids were dancing. Even my wife was laughing and clapping to the beat.
At that moment, my father's words came back to me, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had. And you'll understand." I finally knew why Dad had asked me to practice hard. Dad never learnt to play his violin. But I told my family, "This is my father's music."
【小题1】My father didn't learn to play his violin when he was young because _______.

A．he didn't like to play the violin	B．he had to support his family
C．he wanted to play games	D．he didn't keep on practicing

【小题2】How might the writer feel when he had to practice playing the accordion?

A．Delighted.

B．Excited.

C．Bored.

D．Relaxed.

【小题3】"Dad didn't allow" means "_______".

A．Dad didn't let me do it.	B．Dad didn't stop me doing it.
C．Dad didn't help me do it.	D．Dad didn't see me do it.

【小题4】Dad asked me to learn to play the accordion so that _______.

A．I could go to a better school	B．I could give myself much joy
C．I could be a useful man	D．I could make people happy

How much should you save? You may be able to save 100% of your money. Does that mean you should? Not at all. The best way to develop good saving habits is to make saving a regular part of your life, along with spending.

Here is the rule you should remember: save before spending. Whenever some money gets into your hands, from a job or your pocket money or whatever, take your savings out immediately, before spending any of the money. The beauty of this system is that if you take away your savings, you are free to spend the rest.

Here are some more suggestions on how to successfully get into the saving habit from teens. Let’s see!

Tony,13: I put my money in a bank instead of my wallet, so the money is not there. And I have to take an extra step to get it.

Bill,14: When considering a major purchase(购买), wait a week or so, at least. This will help you make sure if you still want it, and the price might go down.

Dick, 13: Carry very little money always. You can’t spend money if you don’t have it. A cake would be nice, but without a dollar, you can’t get it. Little things like that really add up quickly.

Steve,16: I used to be weak when it came to money. I bought something whenever I went into a store. I’m glad I’m not that person now. I taught myself discipline by keeping a $20 bill in my pocket while waking around the mall all day and not buying anything. Now I have no strong wish to buy things when I go into a store. It works for me.

These ideas should help you get started. If you have some questions about anything you’ve read here, or would like to share your ideas about saving money, please write to us.

1.How does Tony advise you about saving money?

A．By keeping money in a bank.

B．By putting money in a wallet.

C．By making it easy to get your money.

D．By buying little things.

2.According to Billy, if you want to buy something expensive, you’d better_________.

A．wait at least a month

B．make sure it’s necessary

C．wait until it’s for sale

D．ask somebody for help

3.According to the passage, Steve is the person who _______.

A．didn’t carry any money

B．can’t wait to spend his money now

C．didn’t use to buy anything in a store

D．doesn’t spend money quickly and carelessly now

4.Where is the passage most probably from?

A．A dictionary       B．The instructions     C．A newspaper       D．An advertisement.

5.The writer wrote the passage in order to ask teens to_______.

A．make major purchases

B．save 100% of their money

C．spend all their savings regularly

D．save money regularly as well as spending

 

When I was about 12 years old, I really wanted a new bike! I __31__ my parents my birthday wish, but I knew there was little hope because my family could __32__ have that money.

　　On my birthday my parents told me they had my __33__ outside in the back yard. At once, I __34__ out to the yard. There was my bike, __35__ it wasn’t the bike that I thought it would be. This one was pink, old and worn with age. It was so __36__! I thought I __37__ my parents’ feelings because I could see the disappointment __38__ their faces and I was sure they could see it on mine. I __39__ the old bike and rode it, feeling __40__ that I had made my parents feel this way. So I put on a smile, rode as fast as I could and didn’ t __41__.

　　As time went by, I began to understand my parents gave me __42__ much more than just a rusty（生锈的）old bike. They gave me a life lesson about __43__. When you give something out of love, it doesn’ t matter what it is in fact. What matters is the love that is in it. I like to remember this __44__ because giving a gift is not about money. It’s about how much love you can feel from it. Do remember, a gift that __45__ two dollars isn’t any less valuable（有价值的）than one that costs one hundred dollars, or even more.

1.	A．talked B．spoke C．said D．told

 

2.	A．hardly B．quickly C．slowly D．easily

 

3.	A．guitar B．gift C．cake D．card

 

4.	A．rushed B．rode C．climbed D．came

 

5.	A．and B．or C．but D．because

 

6.	A．exciting B．interesting C．relaxing D．disappointing

 

7.	A．liked B．hated C．hurt D．thanked

 

8.	A．on B．in C．at D．for

 

9.	A．got in B．got on C．got off D．got up

 

10.	A．surprised B．excited C．happy D．bad

 

11.	A．look ahead B．look back C．come up D．come down

 

12.	A．anything B．nothing C．something D．everything

 

13.	A．love B．money C．friendship D．knowledge

 

14.	A．idea B．news C．advice D．story

 

15.	A．spends B．costs C．pays D．offers

 

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
What is your favorite English letter? Many of you may say QQ. Why? Because so many of you chat with your friends on QQ. What do you like about QQ? What do you talk about? The CCTV reporter, Miss Wang, interviews three kids. Let’s listen to what they say.
When do you chat on QQ? What do you talk about?
Lin Yuhan, Xi’an: On weekends. We talk about homework and chat with each other.
Tang Xuting, Shanghai: At weekends and when I don’t have much homework. We exchange test answers and chat.
Yang Yuhang, Dalian: Our class goes online together at 4-6 pm on weekends. We complain about homework, chat and talk about computer games.
What do you put on your QQ blog (博客)?
Lin: I put good articles I have found online on my blog. I also write articles myself. They are about funny things that have happened in my class.
Tang: I put pictures on my blog. Not my own photos, but pictures from my favorite Japanese cartoons (动画片) like Tennis Prince and Conan.
Yang: I put DV films on my blog. I shoot (拍摄) them during sports meetings and school parties. The most popular one is about a dancing teacher. It is so funny that everyone watches it.
How do you like QQ?
Lin: It’s a good space for us to make a record of our lives, of both good times and sad times.
Tang: My friends and I may not have time to chat at school. But we can do it on QQ. It’s very helpful to our friendships.
Yang: If you chat with friends on the telephone, your parents sometimes listen in on your conversation. There’s no such problem with QQ. You can relax and talk freely.
【小题1】How many kids are interviewed about QQ?

A．Nine.

B．Six.

C．Three.

D．Two.

【小题2】________ comes from Shanghai.

A．Miss Wang

B．Lin Yuhan

C．Yang Yuhang

D．Tang Xuting

【小题3】What does Yang Yuhang talk about on QQ on weekends?
① homework    ② chat        ③ test answers ④ computer games

A．①②	B．②③
C．①②④	D．②③④

【小题4】What does Lin Yuhan put on her QQ blog?

A．Some pictures.	B．Good articles.
C．DV films.	D．Japanese cartoons.

【小题5】Which one is TRUE according to this article?

A．Lin says QQ is very helpful to their friendships.

B．Yang says he can chat freely with many friends and relax on QQ.

C．Tang says QQ is a good space for them to make a record of their lives.

D．Tang says he chats on QQ on weekdays though he has lots of homework.