Everyone knows the story of Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite flight. He was a man of many talents and interests. His natural curiosity about things and the way they work made him try to find ways to make them work better. Although he made important discoveries and advancements, Ben didn’t “invent” electricity. He did, however, invent the lightning rod which protected buildings and ships from lightning damage.
In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood. Ben figured that there had to be a better way. His invention of an iron furnace stove allowed people to warm their home less dangerously and with less wood. The furnace stove that he invented is called a Franklin stove. Interestingly, Ben also established the first fire company and the first fire insurance company in order to help people live more safely.
As the postmaster, Ben had to figure out routes for delivering the mail. He went out riding in his carriage to measure the routes and needed a way to keep track of the distance. He invented a simple odometer and attached it to his carriage.
In his old age, Ben retired from business and public service and wanted to spend his time reading and studying. He found, however, that his old age had made it difficult for him to reach books from the high shelves. Even though he had many grandchildren to help him, he invented a tool called a long arm to reach the high books. The long arm was a long wooden pole with a grasping claw at the end.
Later, other famous inventors, like Thomas A. Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, would follow in Ben’s footsteps by trying to find ways to help people live better. Today’s curious thinkers are keeping Ben’s traditions alive by inventing new and improved ways to make things work.
68. We can learn from the passage that Benjamin Franklin ___________________.
A. made his first invention using a kite
B. made his living by delivering the mail
C. set up some companies to help people to live better
D. made a stove which used other fuels instead of wood
69. The underlined word “odometer” in Paragraph 3 refers to something that ________.
A. contains the mail                                                 B. shows the direction
C. makes the carriage go fast                    D. records total miles covered
70. Benjamin Franklin invented a long arm in order to _________.
A. replace his disabled arm
B. play games with his grandchildren
C. get books from the bookshelf more easily
D. clean and tidy his house and the bookshelf
71. The last paragraph mainly wants to tell us that _____________.
A. Ben was the most famous inventor.
B. other inventors learned a lot from Ben.
C. Ben’s spirit of inventing remain with us.
D. thinkers are more likely to become inventors

I think it was my mother who taught me the meaning of honesty. Not because she actually was honest, but because she lied all the time. She felt that the easiest way out of any given situation was generally the best way out. And, for her, that generally meant telling a “little white lie.” As a young child I thought it was kind of cool. And, naturally, when I would come to her with a concern or question wondering what I should do, she generally advised me to lie.
“Mom, I told Theresa that I would go over to her house, but now I would rather go to Sue’s house to play.”
“Tell Theresa you’re sick,” she would advise. And generally I did. But I didn’t seem blessed with her lack of conscience. On many painful occasions Theresa would find out that I really went to Sue’s house without her. These occasions taught me that it is more painful to be caught in a lie than it is to tell the truth in the first place. I wondered how it was possible that my mother had never learned that lesson.
I started thinking of all the lies that I’d heard her tell. I remembered the time she told someone that her favorite restaurant had closed, because she didn’t want to see them there anymore. Or the time she told Dad that she loved the lawn-mower he gave her for her birthday. Or when she claimed that our phone lines had been down when she was trying to explain why she hadn’t been in touch with a friend of hers for weeks. And what bothered me even more were all the times she had involved me into her lies. Like the time she told my guidance counselor that I had to miss school for exploratory surgery, when she really needed me to babysit. And it even started to bother me when someone would call for her and she would ask me to tell them that she wasn’t there.
So, I started my own personal fight against her dishonesty. When I answered the phone and it was someone my mother didn’t want to talk to, I said, “Louise, mom is here, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.” The first time I did it, she punished me, but I refused to apologize. I told her that I had decided that it was wrong to lie. And the next time it happened I did the same thing. Finally, she approached me and said, “I agree that lying is not the best thing to do, but we need to find a way to be honest without being rude.” She admitted that her methods weren’t right, and I admitted that mine were a bit too extreme.
Over the past few years, the two of us have worked together to be honest—and yet kind. Honesty should mean more than not lying. It should mean speaking the truth in kindness. Though I started by trying to teach my mom the importance of honesty, I ended up gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of the term.
【小题1】 The author’s mother __________. 

By the third year of teaching I’d begun to expect Christmas break more for the school holiday and less for the excitement of the children. I was teaching fourth grade and my students had made me   36  . I just had to get through one of the hardest days of the school year.
　　The morning bell rang. I walked   37  through the cold into the overly heated school building. Twenty-two smiling faces   38  me at the school bus stop. I forced myself to   39  their smiles. Back into the classroom, they   40 , comparing plans for the   41  . I had to remove one student from each arm   42  I could take a seat at my desk for my morning duties. Before I could find my roll book（点名册） my desk was covered with   43  and gifts followed by a   44  of “Merry Christmas” wishes.
　“Oh, thank you,” I must have   45  a million times. Each gift was truly special to me, except my   46  mood（情绪）. It was kind of them to   47  me. After a while, I heard a small nervous   48  say my name. I looked up to see Brandon standing   49  by my desk, holding a small, round gift. “This is for you.”
　 “Thank you, Sweetheart.” I laid it on my desk with the others.
　“Um, could you   50  it now?”
　I gently tore at the paper and tape. “  51  ,” he said, “it’s breakable.” Slowly I opened a small, green Christmas tree ornament（装饰物）, complete with a hook already   52 . It dawned on me what he had done. Then a nearby student said that he just pulled that off his own tree. I tried to keep my   53  back.
　Later that day, I sat   54  the ornament in my hands. Was I really so important to this child that he had searched for something to give me? Now every year as I   55  pull a green Christmas ball from my ornament box, I remember the deep influence my students have on me.

I think it was my mother who taught me the meaning of honesty. Not because she actually was honest, but because she lied all the time. She felt that the easiest way out of any given situation was generally the best way out. And, for her, that generally meant telling a “little white lie.” As a young child I thought it was kind of cool. And, naturally, when I would come to her with a concern or question wondering what I should do, she generally advised me to lie.

“Mom, I told Theresa that I would go over to her house, but now I would rather go to Sue’s house to play.”

“Tell Theresa you’re sick,” she would advise. And generally I did. But I didn’t seem blessed with her lack of conscience. On many painful occasions Theresa would find out that I really went to Sue’s house without her. These occasions taught me that it is more painful to be caught in a lie than it is to tell the truth in the first place. I wondered how it was possible that my mother had never learned that lesson.

I started thinking of all the lies that I’d heard her tell. I remembered the time she told someone that her favorite restaurant had closed, because she didn’t want to see them there anymore. Or the time she told Dad that she loved the lawn-mower he gave her for her birthday. Or when she claimed that our phone lines had been down when she was trying to explain why she hadn’t been in touch with a friend of hers for weeks. And what bothered me even more were all the times she had involved me into her lies. Like the time she told my guidance counselor that I had to miss school for exploratory surgery, when she really needed me to babysit. And it even started to bother me when someone would call for her and she would ask me to tell them that she wasn’t there.

So, I started my own personal fight against her dishonesty. When I answered the phone and it was someone my mother didn’t want to talk to, I said, “Louise, mom is here, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.” The first time I did it, she punished me, but I refused to apologize. I told her that I had decided that it was wrong to lie. And the next time it happened I did the same thing. Finally, she approached me and said, “I agree that lying is not the best thing to do, but we need to find a way to be honest without being rude.” She admitted that her methods weren’t right, and I admitted that mine were a bit too extreme.

Over the past few years, the two of us have worked together to be honest—and yet kind. Honesty should mean more than not lying. It should mean speaking the truth in kindness. Though I started by trying to teach my mom the importance of honesty, I ended up gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of the term.

1. The author’s mother __________. 

A. thought white lies were not lies

B. helped the author get out of trouble with white lies

C. told the author to lie when in trouble

D. taught the author the importance of being honest

2.The author __________.

A. was thankful to her mother’s advice

B. felt more awkward when being caught lying

C. found that telling the truth hurt more than telling a lie

D. felt guilty when hurting people with her honesty

3.It can be inferred that the author’s mother __________.

A. met her friends in the same restaurant regularly

B. didn’t get along with the author’s teachers

C. was not popular among her friends

D. wanted to have something else for her birthday

4.Finally the author and her mother agreed that __________.

A. kind-heartedness is more important than honesty

B. appropriate methods are the key to telling a good lie

C. honesty is defined as kindness as well as truthfulness

D. absolute honesty is basic to good interpersonal relationships

By the third year of teaching I’d begun to expect Christmas break more for the school holiday and less for the excitement of the children. I was teaching fourth grade and my students had made me   36  . I just had to get through one of the hardest days of the school year.

  　　The morning bell rang. I walked   37   through the cold into the overly heated school building. Twenty-two smiling faces   38   me at the school bus stop. I forced myself to   39   their smiles. Back into the classroom, they   40  , comparing plans for the   41  . I had to remove one student from each arm   42   I could take a seat at my desk for my morning duties. Before I could find my roll book（点名册） my desk was covered with   43   and gifts followed by a   44   of “Merry Christmas” wishes.

  　“Oh, thank you,” I must have   45   a million times. Each gift was truly special to me, except my   46   mood（情绪）. It was kind of them to   47   me. After a while, I heard a small nervous   48   say my name. I looked up to see Brandon standing   49   by my desk, holding a small, round gift. “This is for you.”

  　 “Thank you, Sweetheart.” I laid it on my desk with the others.

  　“Um, could you   50   it now?”

  　I gently tore at the paper and tape. “  51  ,” he said, “it’s breakable.” Slowly I opened a small, green Christmas tree ornament（装饰物）, complete with a hook already   52  . It dawned on me what he had done. Then a nearby student said that he just pulled that off his own tree. I tried to keep my   53   back.

   　Later that day, I sat   54   the ornament in my hands. Was I really so important to this child that he had searched for something to give me? Now every year as I   55   pull a green Christmas ball from my ornament box, I remember the deep influence my students have on me.

1.A. excited               B. tired                                  C. amazed                 D. relaxed

2.A. eagerly          B. aimlessly                          C. gently                   D. heavily

3.A. watched            B. greeted                            C. delighted               D. warned

4.A. return                 B. forget                                     C. ignore                    D. refuse

5.A. calmed               B. settled                                   C. chatted                  D. argued

6.A. study                  B. weekend                          C. vacation                D. lesson

7.A. before                B. when                                 C. after                       D. because

8.A. letters                B. books                                      C. chalks                     D. cards

9.A. knowledge        B. collection                       C. series                     D. bunch

10.A. confirmed       B. assessed                          C. responded            D. explained

11.A. pleased            B. low                                     C. thrilled                   D. angry

12.A. talk about           B. think of                             C. turn to                   D. connect with

13.A. call                    B. sound                                     C. shout                      D. voice

14.A. shyly                 B. bravely                             C. rudely                     D. sadly

15.A. classify             B. collect                                    C. open                       D. arrange

16.A. Careful             B. Dangerous                                C. Patient                            D. Hasty

17.A. exposed           B. adapted                            C. adjusted                D. attached

18.A. trees                    B. hooks                                      C. gifts                        D. tears

19.A. looking into     B. turning over                    C. giving away D. packing up

20.A. anxiously         B. hurriedly                               C. delicately              D. casually