A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess（女家庭教师）Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ”I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”

　　“Forty.”

　　“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”

　　“Two months and five days.”

　　“Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.

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

　　Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but - still not a word.

　　“Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect （疏忽）, Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”

　　“You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.

　　“But I made a note of it.”

　　“Well... if you say so.”

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

　　Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!

　　“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”

　　“Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! 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 dollars. She took them and pocketed them.

　　“Merci （法语: 谢谢）,”she whispered.

　　I jumped to my feet 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 - 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 all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless （懦弱）?Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws（爪）—to be such a fool?”

　　Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”

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

While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her ________.

　　A. a protest　　　　　　　　　　　B. gratitude

　　C. obedience　　　　　　　　　　 D. an explanation

What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.

　　A. nervousness in front of her boss

　　B. acceptance of injustice

　　C. shyness when talking about money

　　D. reluctance to express herself

The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.

　　A. to be more aggressive

　　B. to be more careful in her work

　　C. to protect her right

　　D. to live independently

At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”to show ________.

　　A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety

　　B. his worry about Julia’s future

　　C. his concern on the living condition of working - class people

　　D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited

From the story, we can tell that Julia’s employer was ________.

　　A. greedy but honest

　　B. ill - tempered but warm - hearted

　　C. strict but forgiving

　　D. none of the above

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.

    She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: “Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas (睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.”

The writer describes the beautiful sunset to show Jennifer’s ______.

   A. love of the natural beauty               B. desire of getting back home         

C. intention of becoming independent        D. depression of being alone

What does the underlined phrase “This thought” most probably mean?

A. The idea of going back home.            

B. Her anxiety about her parents.

C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

D. The feeling of getting back home safely.

Her father didn’t take care of the garden because ______.

   A. he was busy looking for her

B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict with his job

D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden

What can we infer from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for several days.

B. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.

C. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.

How to Become a Better Student

Maybe you are an average student.You probably think you will never be a top student.This is not necessarily so，however.Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to.Here is how.

Plan your time carefully.

When planning your week，you should make a list of things that you have to do.After making the list，you should make a schedule of your time.First arrange your time for eating，sleeping，dressing，etc..Then decide a good，regular time for studying.Don’t forget to set aside enough time for entertainment.A weekly schedule may not solve all the problems，but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.

Find a good place to study.

Look around the house for a good study area.Keep this place，which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room，free of everything but study materials.No games，radios or TV！When you sit down to study，concentrate on the subject.

Make good use of your time in class.

Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.Really listening in class means less work later.Taking class notes will help you remember what the teacher says.

Study regularly.

When you get home from schools，go over your notes.Review the important points that your teacher has mentioned in class.If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day，read the material.This will help you understand the next class.If you do these things regularly，the material will become more meaningful，and you will remember it longer.

Develop a good attitude about the tests.

The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject.They help you to remember your new knowledge.The world won’t end if you don’t pass a test，so don’t be overly worried.

There are other methods that might help you with your studying.You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

1．According to the text，a schedule may NOT include________.

A．a list of things you have to do

B．what you have to do every day

C．enough time for entertainment

D．something will happen unexpectedly

2．A good place for study should be a place where________.

A．everything needed is available

B．a writing desk is in the corner of a room only

C．nothing is there except your study materials

D．it is comfortable to stay

3．The last sentence in Tip 5 suggests “________”．

A．Tests are the most necessary art in your study

B．Take a test as a friend in need in your study

C．The world will come to an end unless you pass all tests

D．Never let tests trouble you in your study

4．Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Reading materials in your textbook before class will help.

B．In the writer’s opinion，there are five methods for your study.

C．It is necessary to go over your notes at home.

D．There are many other methods besides those mentioned.

A man worked in a post office. His job was to handle all  36  that had unclear addresses. One day he came across a letter which was  37  to God. He opened it and it  38  , "Dear God, I am an 83-year-old woman and I live on a very small pension (养老金). Yesterday someone stole my  39  . There was a hundred dollars in it, which was all the money I had  40  until my next pension comes. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, and I have invited my last two friends for  41 . Without that money, I have  42  to buy food with. I have no family to  43  , and you are my only  44  . Can you please help me?" The man was  45  , and went around showing the letter to all the other workers. Each of them  46 their wallets and donated a few dollars. By the time he  47  his showing, he had collected 96 dollars.  48  then he sent it to the old woman. Thanksgiving Day came and went. The workers 49  forgot about it. Then one day, there came another letter from the old lady to God. All the 50  gathered around when the letter was  51 . It read, "Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your kindness, I was able to  52  a lovely dinner for my friends. We had a very  53  day, and I told my friends about your  54 gift. Thank you very much!" Seeing this, all the workers felt 55  with the nice thing they had done. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.
【小题1】

How would you like an easy way to earn $2,500? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals. There’s a catch, however. You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for amusement. You can’t leave until the week is up. And a camera will be recording your every move.
Two people actually took the job. The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist. He wanted to make a film about the way animals are treated. His goal was to raise people’s awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food. He decided to pay $5,000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to live like chickens for a week.
To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement. He had interviews and selected Eric, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, and Pam, a 27-year-old chemist. The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide. A camera would record their experience, which would take place in an art museum.
The week was long and difficult. They slept on a hard wooden floor. They couldn’t stand up without banging their heads. They ate vegetables and drink water from a garden hose-pipe(橡胶软管). Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain. There were no sinks, mirrors, or toothbrushes in the cage. Their only inspiration was the two framed checks that hung on the wall outside the cage. Visitors who came here were warned, “Do not feed the humans.”
Finally it was over, and Pam and Eric came out of the cage. They had survived the week, and they each had a $2,500 check in their hands. When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away. “It’s great for me to be able to stand up.” he said. Pam just changed her clothes and left. After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she didn’t want to talk to anyone.
1.What kind of person is Rob Thompson?
A. He is curious about people’s personal life   B.He is kind—hearted to animals
C.He dislike people around                 D. He likes to help poor people
2. The underlined word “catch”(in Paragraph 1) probably means _______.
A. unsolved problem                      B. surprising wonder
C. unbelievable condition                  D. hidden difficulty
3. What made it the most difficult for the two to stay in the cage?
A. That they had nothing for amusement.
B. That they couldn’t lie down to sleep in the cage.
C. That they had to do almost everything under others’ very eyes.
D. That they didn’t have meat to eat.
4. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. An Easy Way to Earn $2,500            B. Do Not Feed Humans
C. Living Like a Chicken                 D. Getting Along Well Anyway