Once　upon　a　time,　a　young　man　was　standing　in　the　middle　of　the　town　announcing　that　he　had　the　most　beautiful　heart　in　the　world.　A　large　crowd　gathered,　and　they　al　praised　his　heart　for　it　was　perfect.

    Suddenly,　an　old　man　appeared　and　said,　“Why　,your　heart　is　not　as　beautiful　as　mine.”

    The　old　man’s　heart　was　ful　of　scars（伤疤）.　Some　pieces　of　his　heart　were　removed　and　some　pieces　from　other　people　were　put　in,　but　they　didn’t　fit　quite　right.　So　there　were　several　jagged（锯齿状的）edges.　In　fact,　there　were　stil　some　holes　in　his　heart　where　the　pieces　were　missing.

    The　 young　 man　 laughed,“Comparing　yours　with　mine,　mine　is　perfect　and　yours　is　a　mess.”

    “Yes,”said　the　old　man.　“But,　every　scar　shows　that　I　took　out　a　piece　of　my　heart　and　gave　it　to　a　person,　and　often　he　gave　me　a　piece　of　his　heart　in　return.”

    “Why　do　you　have　some　jagged　edges　in　your　heart?”asked　the　young　man.“Because　the　shapes　of　the　pieces　weren’t　the　same.”“Then　the　holes?”“Sometimes　I　gave　pieces　of　my　heart　away,　and　the　other　person　hasn’t　given　back　a　piece　of　his,　so　… but　I　don’t　care.”“How　come?”“They　remind　me　of　the　love　we　shared.”

    The　young　man　was　deeply　moved.　He　walked　up　to　the　old　man,　took　a　piece　of　his　heart　out　and　gave　it　to　the　old　man.

    The　old　man　placed　it　in　his　heart,　then　took　a　piece　from　his　old　scarred　heart　and　placed　it　in　the　wound（伤口）in　the　young　man’s　heart.　It　fitted,　but　not　perfectly,　as　there　were　some　jagged　edges.

    The　young　man　looked　at　his　heart,　not　perfect　any　more　but　more　beautiful　than　ever.

    How　sad　it　must　be　to　go　through　 life　 with　 a　 whole　untouched　heart!

    1.　The　young　man　stood　in　the　town　to　_____.

    A.　meet　the　old　man　　　　B.　compare　his　heart　with　others’

    C.　show　his　beautiful　heart　D.　give　pieces　of　his　heart　to　others

   2.　It’s　clear　that　the　old　man　was　_____.

    A.　a　sily　man　　　　B.　a　humorous　man

    C.　a　wel-known　man　　　　D.　a　kind-hearted　man

  3.　We　learn　from　the　story　that　in　the　end　the　young　man　was　_____.

    A.　lost　　　　B.　moved　　　　C.　hurt　　　　D.　untouched

  4.　The　old　man　said“… but　I　don’t　care”means　_____.

    A.　he　didn’t　expect　others’return

    B.　he　didn’t　feel　pain

    C.　he　didn’t　think　it　serious

    D.　he　cared　nothing

  5.We　can　get　more　beautiful　hearts　by　sharing　_____

    A.　ideas　　　　B.　scars　　　　C.　love　　　　D.　beauty

 

Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.
　    　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.
Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:
having everyday conversations with your children
trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions
encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know
reading to your children each night
listening to your children read
teaching your children how to use dictionaries
talking about your children’s writings
practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails
You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.
【小题1】This passage is mainly written for __________.

A．children

B．teachers

C．parents

D．doctors

【小题2】__________ is the best for the missing part in Paragraph 2.

A．“Listening and speaking skills”	B．“Reading and writing skills”
C．“Listening and writing skills”	D．“Reading and listening skills”

【小题3】__________ is NOT mentioned in the 8 tips above.

A．“Listening to the radio every day”	B．“Listening to your children read”
C．“Reading to your children each night”	D．“Talking about your children’s writings”

【小题4】 In the Reading Challenge Club, children have to read __________ in one year.

A．5 books

B．10 books

C．15 books

D．20 books

【小题5】 Parents can help children to write by encouraging them to__________.

A．draw pictures or take photos	B．listen to pop music
C．write diaries or book reviews	D．play computer games

阅读短文，简要回答问题。

　　I was December 25. Marie, a 13-year-old Australian girl, was happy. It was Christmas, and Marie's mother was making a special cake. She put four small coins into the cake ,and then she baked(烤) it .The four coins were for good luck. After dinner Marie and her family ate the cake. They found three coins in the cake and put them on the table. Where was the fourth coin? It was missing, but Marie's mother didn't notice.

　　After Christmas got sick. She coughed, and she couldn't speak. Marie's parents took her to hospital. Doctors at the hospital looked her over, and then said,“ We are sorry, but we can't help her.”For 12 years Marie didn't speak. She grew up, she got a job, and she got married. But she never spoke. One day, when Marie was 25 years old, she got a sore throat at work. She began to cough. She coughed up something small and black. What was it ? Marie didn't know. She took it to the hospital. A doctor at the hospital said, “This is a coin!”The doctor told Marie, “I think you can speak again.” Marie went to a special doctor, and soon she could talk.

1. What did Marie's mother make on Christmas?

　　____________________________

2.What did Marie's mother put some coins in the cake for?

　　____________________________

3. How many coins did Marie's family find after eating the Cake?

　　____________________________

4. Why did Marie's parents take her to hospital after Christmas?

　　____________________________

5.Could Marie speak at last?

　　____________________________

 

 

阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。（共10分，每小题2分）

　　On Thursday afternoon Mrs. Clarke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the Over 60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old woman who lived alone.

　　At six o’clock she came home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke in her house? How? Had somebody got in? She checked the back door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign of forced entry. Had anything been taken? She went from room to room, checking. Yes, some things were missing — her small radio, her spare watch, a camera. That was all, she thought; but she couldn’t be sure just yet. She was annoyed, of course, but rather glad that nothing had been thrown about.

　　Over a cup of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door — “a master key” perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she went out at her usual time, dressed as usual, but she didn’t go to the club. Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through the garden and the back door. She settled down to wait.

　　It was just after four o’clock when the front door bell rang. Mrs. Clarke was making a cup of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter-box being pushed open. With the kettle（壶）of boiling water in her hand, she moved quietly towards the front door. A long piece of wire（金属丝）appeared through the letter-box, and then a hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob（门把手） on the door-lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs. Clarke heard the sound of running feet.

　　That evening she reported the matter to the police. They were not too pleased, but they came and took away the wire and the skin. “It was only self-protection,” she told the officer. “An old woman must try to look after herself.” With the help of a doctor, the police found the man and recovered Mrs. Clarke’s things. She has become something of heroine at the Over 60s Club.

1. When did Mrs. Clarke go to the Over 60s Club?

___________________________________________________

2. Why did the smell of cigarette smoke surprise her?

___________________________________________________

3. On the third Thursday, did Mrs. Clarke go out at her usual time?

___________________________________________________

4. What was Mrs. Clarke doing when she was waiting for the thief?

___________________________________________________

5. What is Mrs. Clarke like?

___________________________________________________