A few years ago I asked my children’s governess, Julia Vassilyevna, to come into my study.

  “ Sit down, Julia Vassilyevna,” I said.“Let’s settle our accounts. Although you most likely need some money, you stand on ceremony and won’t ask for it yourself. Now then, we agree on thirty rubles a month…”

  “ Forty.”

  “ No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now then, you’ve been here two months, so…”

  “ Two months and five days.”

  “ Exactly two months. I made a specific note of it. That means you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract nine Sundays… you know you didn’t work with Kolya on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays…”

   Julia Vassilyevna flushed a deep red and picked at the flounce of her dress, but--- not a word.

   “ Three holidays, therefore take off twelve rubles. Four days Kolya was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Vanya. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven---nineteen. Subtract…that leaves…hmm…forty-one rubles. Correct?”

Julia Vassilyena’s left eye reddened and filled with moisture. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but---not a word.

“ Around New Year’s you broke a teacup and saucer: take off two rubles. The cup cost more, it was an heirloom, but---let it go. When didn’t I take a loss? Then, due to your neglect, Kolya climbed a tree and tore his jacket: take off ten. Also due to your heedlessness the maid stole Vanya’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more rubles off. The tenth of January I gave you ten rubles…”

“ You didn’t ” whispered Julia Vassilyevna.

“ But I made a note of it.”

“ Well…all right.”

“ Take twenty-seven from forty-one ---that leaves fourteen.”

Both eyes filled with tears. Perspiration appeared on the thin, pretty little nose. Poor girl!

“ Only once was I given any money,” she said in a trembling voice, “ and that was by your wife. Three rubles, nothing more.”

“ Really? You see now, and I didn’t make a note of it! Take three from fourteen… leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three , three, three, one and one. Here it is!”

I handed her eleven rubles. She took them and with trembling fingers stuffed them into her pocket.

“ Merci,” she whispered.

I jumped up and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger.

“ For what, this ---‘merci’?” I asked.

“ For the money.”

“ But you know I’ve cheated you, God’s sake---robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this ‘merci’?”

“ In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”

“ They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you … I’m going to give you the entire eighty rubles! Here they are in an envelope all ready for you… Is it really possible to be so spineless? Why don’t you protest? Why be silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws--- to be such a nincompoop?”

She smiled crookedly and I read in her expression: “ It is possible.”

I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and , to her great surprise, gave her the eighty rubles. She murmured her litter “merci” several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: “How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”

1.When the employer called Julia Vassilyevna in to talk with him, what he really wanted to do was _______

A. to settle their accounts

B. to criticize her for neglecting her duties as a governess.

C. to play a joke on her so as to amuse himself.

D. to teach her not to be so spineless.

2.The employer made all those criticisms about Julia Vassiliyevna’s work because __________

A. she had neglected her duties.

B. he wanted to pay her as little money as possible.

C. he wanted to make her realize that she was being cheated and protest against it.

D. he wanted to make her feel miserable.

3. Julia Vassilyevna accepted everything her employer said because ________

A. she had in fact neglected her duties.

B. she was a very dumb girl.

C. she thought it was of no use to protest to her employer.

D. she loved the children she taught.

4. The employer became very angry when Julia Vassilyevna said “ Merci” because ________

A. she didn’t say “Merci” loudly.

B. she didn’t protest to him.

C. he thought that by simply saying “ Merci” she wasn’t polite enough.

D. he didn’t like the way in which she stuffed the money into per pocket and expressed her thanks.

5. The text is about _______

A. how a governess was cheated by her employer.

B. how an employer tried to teach the governess a cruel lesson.

C. how a governess was fired by her employer for being a nincompoop.

D. how an employer punished the governess for not having done a good job.

 

短文填词（每小题1分共10分）

Every morning, Steve goes to work by train. As he has

a long way to__, he always buys a newspaper which helps    1. ____________

make the time p__ more quickly. One Thursday morning he   2. ____________

turned to the sports game. He wanted to read the __(报道)on  3. _____________

an important football _. The report was so interesting that he  4. _____________

forgot to get off. He realised this when he l__ out of the      5. _____________

window and saw the sea. He got off at the next __(站)and    6. _____________

had to wait a long __ for a train to go back. Of course, he    7. _____________

arrived very ___ at the office.                          8. _____________

His boss was very angry when he t__ him why he was late.   9. _____________

" ____(工作) is more important than football ! "he shouted.  10. ____________

 

A few years ago I asked my children’s governess, Julia Vassilyevna, to come into my study.
“ Sit down, Julia Vassilyevna,” I said.“Let’s settle our accounts. Although you most likely need some money, you stand on ceremony and won’t ask for it yourself. Now then, we agree on thirty rubles a month…”
“ Forty.”
“ No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now then, you’ve been here two months, so…”
“ Two months and five days.”
“ Exactly two months. I made a specific note of it. That means you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract nine Sundays… you know you didn’t work with Kolya on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays…”
Julia Vassilyevna flushed a deep red and picked at the flounce of her dress, but--- not a word.
“ Three holidays, therefore take off twelve rubles. Four days Kolya was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Vanya. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven---nineteen. Subtract…that leaves…hmm…forty-one rubles. Correct?”
Julia Vassilyena’s left eye reddened and filled with moisture. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but---not a word.
“ Around New Year’s you broke a teacup and saucer: take off two rubles. The cup cost more, it was an heirloom, but---let it go. When didn’t I take a loss? Then, due to your neglect, Kolya climbed a tree and tore his jacket: take off ten. Also due to your heedlessness the maid stole Vanya’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more rubles off. The tenth of January I gave you ten rubles…”
“ You didn’t ” whispered Julia Vassilyevna.
“ But I made a note of it.”
“ Well…all right.”
“ Take twenty-seven from forty-one ---that leaves fourteen.”
Both eyes filled with tears. Perspiration appeared on the thin, pretty little nose. Poor girl!
“ Only once was I given any money,” she said in a trembling voice, “ and that was by your wife. Three rubles, nothing more.”
“ Really? You see now, and I didn’t make a note of it! Take three from fourteen… leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three , three, three, one and one. Here it is!”
I handed her eleven rubles. She took them and with trembling fingers stuffed them into her pocket.
“ Merci,” she whispered.
I jumped up and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger.
“ For what, this ---‘merci’?” I asked.
“ For the money.”
“ But you know I’ve cheated you, God’s sake---robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this ‘merci’?”
“ In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”
“ They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you … I’m going to give you the entire eighty rubles! Here they are in an envelope all ready for you… Is it really possible to be so spineless? Why don’t you protest? Why be silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws--- to be such a nincompoop?”
She smiled crookedly and I read in her expression: “ It is possible.”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and , to her great surprise, gave her the eighty rubles. She murmured her litter “merci” several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: “How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”
【小题1】When the employer called Julia Vassilyevna in to talk with him, what he really wanted to do was _______

A．to settle their accounts

B．to criticize her for neglecting her duties as a governess.

C．to play a joke on her so as to amuse himself.

D．to teach her not to be so spineless.

【小题2】The employer made all those criticisms about Julia Vassiliyevna’s work because __________

A．she had neglected her duties.

B．he wanted to pay her as little money as possible.

C．he wanted to make her realize that she was being cheated and protest against it.

D．he wanted to make her feel miserable.

【小题3】 Julia Vassilyevna accepted everything her employer said because ________

A．she had in fact neglected her duties.

B．she was a very dumb girl.

C．she thought it was of no use to protest to her employer.

D．she loved the children she taught.

【小题4】 The employer became very angry when Julia Vassilyevna said “ Merci” because ________

A．she didn’t say “Merci” loudly.

B．she didn’t protest to him.

C．he thought that by simply saying “ Merci” she wasn’t polite enough.

D．he didn’t like the way in which she stuffed the money into per pocket and expressed her thanks.

【小题5】 The text is about _______

A．how a governess was cheated by her employer.

B．how an employer tried to teach the governess a cruel lesson.

C．how a governess was fired by her employer for being a nincompoop.

D．how an employer punished the governess for not having done a good job.

 

Dear Expert: I was asked to retrieve my 14-year-old daughter from a five-day camping trip.She was suffering from such severe separation anxiety,her teacher thought she should go home.She hadn’t eaten anything and had refused to participate in any activities.The thing is my daughter is extremely bright and has many friends;she organized a few friends into a band,and it belongs to several school clubs.She’s just always had an extreme fear of being away from home.I don’t want her to miss out on other trips.                                   Yours truly,                                      Jonathan

Dear Jonathan: Sometimes kids can push through homesickness,but in other instances they become hurt mentally and develop greater anxiety around outings,which can worsen and prolong(延长) the problem.Separation anxiety can be the result of many complex interactions some genetic(遗传的) and some learned. People with high anxiety tend to be fearful and worried, ever when the sense of threat is minimum（ 最低程度）.Lots of talented,creative and successful people are exceedingly anxious. I believe your daughter is bright,active and popular,but simply can’t do well outside her home base.My suggestion is to take things in small steps,so your daughter can experience success,and always have a fallback(退却) plan if she needs it.For instance,she can plan an overnight with a friend,but assure her it’s no big deal to pick her up at midnight if she changes her mind. What’s important is to recognize the fear,and make plans to deal with whatever may cause distress.In other words,don’t try to talk your daughter out of her fears,equip her to master them.This way she’ll eventually gain the confidence to go on further trips.                                        Expert

What does the underlined word“retrieve”mean?

  A.Go with someone.              B.Take someone back.

  C.Separate from someone.         D.Miss someone.

Which of the following statements is TURE?

  A. Separation anxiety is the result of different reasons.

  B. Separation anxiety is genetic.

  C.Only creative people suffer from separation anxiety.

  D.Separation anxiety is of the same level.

When can’t the 14-year-old daughter function well?

  A.When organizing a band at school.

  B. When she is not far away from her home.

  C.When she is in a club.

  D. When she is camping far away from home.

 

Dear Expert: I was asked to retrieve my 14-year-old daughter from a five-day camping trip.She was suffering from such severe separation anxiety,her teacher thought she should go home.She hadn’t eaten anything and had refused to participate in any activities.The thing is my daughter is extremely bright and has many friends;she organized a few friends into a band,and it belongs to several school clubs.She’s just always had an extreme fear of being away from home.I don’t want her to miss out on other trips. Yours truly, Jonathan

 

Dear Jonathan: Sometimes kids can push through homesickness,but in other instances they become hurt mentally and develop greater anxiety around outings,which can worsen and prolong(延长) the problem.Separation anxiety can be the result of many complex interactions some genetic(遗传的) and some learned. People with high anxiety tend to be fearful and worried, ever when the sense of threat is minimum（最低程度）.Lots of talented,creative and successful people are exceedingly anxious. I believe your daughter is bright,active and popular,but simply can’t do well outside her home base.My suggestion is to take things in small steps,so your daughter can experience success,and always have a fallback(退却) plan if she needs it.For instance,she can plan an overnight with a friend,but assure her it’s no big deal to pick her up at midnight if she changes her mind. What’s important is to recognize the fear,and make plans to deal with whatever may cause distress.In other words,don’t try to talk your daughter out of her fears,equip her to master them.This way she’ll eventually gain the confidence to go on further trips. Expert

 

1.What does the underlined word“retrieve”mean?

A．Go with someone.	B．Take someone back.
C．Separate from someone.	D．Miss someone.

2.Which of the following statements is TURE?

A．Separation anxiety is the result of different reasons.

B．Separation anxiety is genetic.

C．Only creative people suffer from separation anxiety.

D．Separation anxiety is of the same level.

3.When can’t the 14-year-old daughter function well?

A．When organizing a band at school.

B．When she is not far away from her home.

C．When she is in a club.

D．When she is camping far away from home.