A good heart
Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship(奖学金) to study medicine — but Coach(教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his fortune with others. He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”
Success and kindness
After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children’s videos(录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new program: “I believe it’s the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”
Bravery and courage
A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨), and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. He says: “We have got to show each other some love.”
【小题1】 Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ______.

A good heart

Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship(奖学金) to study medicine — but Coach(教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his fortune with others. He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”

Success and kindness

After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children’s videos(录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new program: “I believe it’s the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”

Bravery and courage

A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨), and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. He says: “We have got to show each other some love.”

1. Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ______.

    A. helpful to his personal development          B. something he should do for his homeland

    C. a chance for his friends to share his money    D. a way of showing his respect to the NBA

2.What did the Baby Einstein Company do at its beginning?

    A. Produce safety equipment for children.       B. Make videos to help protect children.

    C. Sell children’s music and artwork.           D. Look for missing and exploited children.

3.Why was Wesley Autrey praised as a hero?

    A. He helped a man get across the rails.            B. He stopped a man from destroying the rails.

    C. He protected two little girls from getting hurt.     D. He saved a person without considering his own safety.

4.The title of the passage is most likely to be_______________.

   A. Three Stories                      B. Heroes of Our Time

   C. Be Ready to Help Others            D. To Be a Kind Person

B

       In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada．The sound of children shouting made her turn around．To her horror, Lydia saw  a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son．Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away．She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could．A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear．But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children's lives．A local policeman described it this way: "…I guess when your back is up against the wall, …we come up with super-human strength．"

       Where does this "super-human strength" , courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action．These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it．

       When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects．Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful．In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel．

       Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline （肾上腺素） which in turn increases our energy and excitement．The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more．This is why some people say they work better under a deadline．

       Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them．We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit．Stress can also make us more confident．Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future．Who knows? Today's stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!

55．In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to ______．

       A．introduce the topic to be followed

       B．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery

       C．remind us of the unexpected danger of life

       D．show the importance of super-human strength

56．What does the policeman probably mean by saying "your back is up against the wall"?

       A．You are helped．            B．You are inspired．

       C．You are confident．          D．You are cornered．

57．What would be the best title for the passage?

       A．Brave Mother          B．The Cause of Stress

C．The Benefit of Stress    D．Super-human Strength

There was once a boy who was very rich and clever but nothing could make him feel happy. He had almost everything a boy could ever want, so he was only _36_ in the most rare things. One day his parents bought him a very strange _37_. When the boy went to see his reflection (映像) in it, he looked very_38_. He tried smiling, _39_ his reflection continued with its sad expression.
_40_, the boy went off to buy sweets and lots of toys. He came home as happy as he could be, but he _41_ looked sad in that mirror.
“What a(n) _42_ mirror! It’s the first time I’ve seen a mirror that didn’t _43_ properly!”
That afternoon he went out to buy some toys and on his way he saw a little girl who was _44_. The boy went over to see what had __45_ to her. The little girl said that she couldn’t find her parents. Together the two children set off _46_ them. As the little girl wouldn’t stop crying, the boy spent all of his money buying her sweets to _47_ her up. After much walking, they _48_ her parents who were looking for her, very worried.
Then the boy said _49_ to the family. When seeing the time, he _50_ to head for home, without toys and without _51_. In his room, to his great surprise, he found a(n)  _52_ face in the mirror. And so he understood the _53_ of that mirror. The mirror could only reflect the _54_ feelings of its owner. He felt really happy at having _55_ that little girl.

I moved into a new house in July. Since then I have met a few of my neighbors who are very nice people. For Christmas, I thought I would do something nice for each of the neighbors I know. There were nine neighbors whom I knew by name or spoke with often when I was out in my yard. I knew which houses they lived in.
I decided to add one more to my list. This lady I decided to add lives down the street from me. I meet her every morning walking to work as I drive down the street. She always smiles to me. But I had no idea who she was and which house she lived in.
I planned to make small fruit baskets and leave them on my neighbor’s front porches(门廊) on Christmas Eve. I signed the cards: "Happy Holidays from 5104 Northumberland Road."
I saved the last for the friendly lady. I finally decided on a house where I met her each morning and guessed that it was hers.
My neighbors really appreciated the baskets and would tell me as they saw me in the yard or they would call, and a couple even came by to thank me.
This morning I found a small note in the mailbox. It was addressed simply: Resident, 5104 Northumberland Road.
The Thank You card really caught me by surprise. I opened it and read the message, "Thank you for the lovely fruit basket you left on our porch. It was very thoughtful. Richard Kelly passed away last week. He talked a lot about how nice it was that someone remembered him in his time of illness. He really appreciated it."
I had no idea who Richard Kelly was and that he had been seriously ill. I had left that nice lady’s basket on his porch by mistake. I wanted to say sorry, but that would be wrong. I believe that Mr. Kelly was meant to have that basket because he was dying. I hate that the nice lady did not get to receive a fruit basket on Christmas, but I believe if she knew what had happened, she would be happy. I feel pleased to have helped Richard Kelly’s last days be more cheerful.
【小题1】How many Christmas gifts did the author intend to send?