根据所给汉语提示完成下列各句，每空一词．

当心别从梯子上掉下来．

________ ________ ________ ________ fall off the ladder.

The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on the job. A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder (梯子) fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn' t start. With each problem he shouted angrily, more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn't say a word.

I tried talking to the man to kill time. I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job. This was his first job since moving here. I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper. He really needed the job. His clothes told me as much.

On arriving, much to my surprise, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden he suddenly stopped at a small tree and placed his hands on it. Then, when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.

The following day, I asked him about the tree.

"That's my trouble tree," he answered. "Work troubles aren't welcome at home with my wife and the children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again. "

"And you know what else?" he said smiling,"The next morning I find that there aren't as many as I remember hanging up the night before. "

56. Which of the following things did NOT happen to the worker? A. His truck broke down.       B. He was late for work. C. He fell onto the roof.      D. His ladder fell down.

57. When did the worker first arrive in this town? A. Today.      B. Last night.

C. Six weeks ago.       D. Six months ago.

58. Where did the writer find the worker?

A. Through a newspaper.       B. Beside the trouble tree.

C. In his old house.      D. In Blue Hills, Victoria.

59. Why did the worker touch the tree?

A. To get good luck,         B. To leave his trouble outside.

C. To send good wishes to his family.  D. To clean his hands.

60. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Looking for a job can make trouble.

B. It is important to get to work on time.

C. Often our problems are worse than what we think.

D. A happy family can make many problems go away.

You hear a rumor（谣言）from a friend,who heard it from another friend,who read it on a note passed in math class,which was written by somebody who probably just made it up．Chances are rumors are always spreading around your school．Sometimes it can be very hurtful．But why do people still do so?
When people are feeling bad about themselves,they sometimes think they’ll feel better if there were someone worse off than they are．It’s okey being near the bottom,as long as they’re not actually on the bottom．The easiest way for them to make sure someone else is on the bottom is to make up a rumor that puts him or her there．
If everybody else is spreading rumors,you might feel you have to do the same thing in order to fit in．Unfortunately,the person who the gossip or rumor is about is usually let out of the group for the same reason that you’re let into it．
When you know a secret that nobody knows,or are the first person in your group to hear a rumor,it can make you the center of attention．A rumor or piece of gossip is sometimes like money;telling it to people is like buying their attention．Certain people always want to be at the top of the ladder（梯子）．You probably know at least one person who wishes to be the leader,and make all the decisions．One way they do this is by reducing the status（地位）of another person．Spreading rumors and gossip is one way people reduce another person’s status．学科网
Sometimes a period when everyone is happy and getting along just seems kind of dull．Spreading rumors might get two people to start a fight,and that would make life a little more exciting．All those newspapers and TV shows full of gossip about famous people are proving that rumors are a popular form of entertainment．

1. 1.

   We know from Paragraph 2 that some people spread rumors to _______．

   1. A.
      be more confident
   2. B.
      feel like part of a group
   3. C.
      attract attention
   4. D.
      be more powerful
2. 2.

   The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 may mean some people _______．

   1. A.
      love looking down from a high position．
   2. B.
      hope to become leaders．
   3. C.
      are not afraid of falling down．
   4. D.
      are fond of spreading rumors．
3. 3.

   What do we know from the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      Famous people like spreading rumors．
   2. B.
      Rumors can make people feel bored．
   3. C.
      Some people seek excitement from rumors．
   4. D.
      There are many rumors in newspapers．
4. 4.

   The passage is mainly about ________．

   1. A.
      what rumors mean
   2. B.
      how hurtful a rumor is
   3. C.
      how people spread rumors
   4. D.
      why people spread rumors