A businessman, with a large amount of money, was walking through a remote (偏远的) area. Upon    31   this, a thief followed him, planning to    32   his money at a certain time. The businessman noticed something was   33  , and he started to pay much more   34  to the thief.

The businessman soon asked the thief if he  35   help find some water nearby, and when the thief went to   36   the water, the businessman put all of his   37   into the thief’s bag. Then the thief returned and told the businessman    38   the water was.   39   the businessman left to get some water, the thief quickly    40   the businessman’s bag. Certainly, there was nothing that the thief    41  .

The thief was    42  , but he still did not give up hope. After some time, the businessman returned and they both    43   for a long time. Then the businessman got tired and    44   under a big tree. The thief again checked the businessman’s bag and still did not find any money. So the thief    45   that the businessman did not actually have any money with him.

Finally, they arrived at a city. When the thief went after a job and left his own bag behind, the businessman    46   in and took back all of his own money he had put there    47  . When the thief came back, he was surprised to see that the businessman was    48   some jewels with the money in his bag. The thief couldn’t    49   asking the question, “I didn’t know you had money on the    50  .” The businessman smiled to him, “Of course you didn’t, because it is not yours.”

1.                A．talking         B．learning        C．thinking  D．speaking

2.                A．keep           B．borrow         C．steal D．put

3.                A．new           B．common        C．strange   D．dangerous

4.                A．care           B．mercy          C．need D．attention

5.                A．would          B．could          C．should   D．must

6.                A．carry on        B．look for         C．watch over    D．bring along

7.                A．goods          B．food           C．money   D．clothes

8.                A．how           B．what           C．that  D．where

9.                A．As soon as      B．As far as        C．As well as D．As long as

10.               A．hid            B．searched       C．explored  D．changed

11.               A．saved          B．planned        C．owned    D．wanted

12.               A．frightened      B．angry          C．surprised  D．nervous

13.               A．drank          B．walked         C．rested D．discussed

14.               A．sat            B．stood          C．slept  D．stopped

15.               A．agreed         B．wished         C．doubted   D．believed

16.               A．put            B．got            C．reached   D．broke

17.               A．rightly         B．luckily          C．really D．formerly

18.               A．buying         B．wearing        C．having D．showing

19.               A．keep          B．help           C．enjoy D．avoid

20.               A．trip            B．visit           C．holiday    D．business

It was a cold winter afternoon. Robert stopped for a moment as he crossed the bridge and looked down at the river below. There were hardly any   36   on the river. Near the bridge, however, almost direct below,   37   was a small canoe (独木舟), with a boy in it. The boy was wearing  38   and shivering (颤抖) with cold, Robert noticed.  Just then he heard a cry, “Help! Help!” The cry   39   from the river. Robert looked down. The boy was   40   the water and his canoe was floating away. “Help! Help!” he called again.

Robert was a good   41  . Taking off his clothes, he  42   into the river. The   43   water made him tremble all over,   44   in a few seconds he reached the boy. “Don’t be afraid,” he said and started to swim towards the river bank,  45   the boy with him. But at that   46   he noticed a large motor boat under the bridge. There were several people on the boat, all   47   in his direction. Robert   48   to swim towards the boat.

“Give me a hand,” he shouted   49   he got near the boat. He   50   up into a row of faces. “It’s funny,” he thought. “They look so   51  .” Silently they helped the boy into the boat and   52   him in a blanket (毯子). But they did not move to   53   Robert.

“Aren’t you going to pull me   54  , too?”

“You!” said one of the men. Robert noticed that he was standing next to a large   55  . “You! Why, we were making a film and you spoiled (破坏) a whole afternoon’s work! You can stay in the water!”

The son agreed. So they tied the donkey’s four legs to a long pole. Then, placing the ends of the pole on their shoulders, they started to walk to the village with the donkey hanging upside down between them.

As they walked along the road, a group of people saw them and began laughing. “Ho, ho, ho! Why are these stupid people carrying a donkey? Hey, both of you! Are you crazy carrying a donkey on a pole? Why don’t you get on his back and ride him?”

Chow Khok and his son heard the crowd’s laughter and were greatly embarrassed(局促不安的). They discussed the matter together. “I suppose we must look strange to these people. Let’s untie our donkey and get on him. But he is really too small for both of us to ride. What shall we do?”

After thinking a bit, Chow Khok said to his son, “I know. You ride the donkey, since you are smaller, and I will walk behind. ”

His son agreed. So they untied the donkey’s legs and continued down the road, the son riding and the father walking behind.

When they arrived at the edge of the village, some people called out to the son, “Who is that old man walking behind you?”

“Oh, ” replied the son. “He is my father. ”

Then a villager scolded(训斥)the boy. “You are an ungrateful(不觉得感激的) son. You shouldn’t let your father walk behind you like a servant. Get off and let your father ride. ”

The embarrassed son turned to look at his father, who quickly whispered, “Yes, yes. I will get on the donkey. You walk in front. ”

So the father got on the donkey and the boy walked ahead. Soon they arrived at the village well, where many girls were getting water for their families. Seeing the young boy walking tall in front of the donkey, all the girls thought him quite handsome.

“Hey!” they called to the old father on the donkey. “This donkey is beautiful and the tall boy is handsome. You look like an ugly old monkey sitting up there. Why don’t you get off and let this handsome boy ride?”

When the son heard the girls, he turned to his father and said, “Papa, now we made a mistake again. These girls say that I should ride the donkey. What do you think?”

Wearily(疲惫的), his father answered, “First you ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Then I ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Now, suppose you come up here and sit in front of me and we will ride together. ”

The boy climbed up and they continued through the village until they reached the custom house（税务所）. The customs officer stopped them and asked, “Where are you both going with that donkey?”

“Sir, ” Chow Khok answered, “we are taking the donkey to sell him at the village market. ”

The officer scowled(皱眉) at him. “That donkey is very small, ” he said. “Why are you both sitting on him? You’ll break his back and then you’ll never be able to sell him. A little donkey like that! You should carry him. ”

Chow Khok and his son listened in embarrassment. Shaking his head hopelessly, Chow Khok said, “How can we satisfy all the people in this world? When we carried our donkey on a pole, they said we should ride him. When you rode our donkey, they said that you were an ungrateful son. When I rode our donkey, they said that I looked like a monkey. When we both rode our donkey, they said that we would break his back. How can we satisfy all the people in this world? What shall we do now?”

Taken from Cambodian Folk Stories from the Gatiloke

1. Folk tales often teach a lesson about how people should behave. Which of these lessons might you learn from the folk tale?

A. People are usually unkind.

B. It’s impossible to please everyone.

C. You should never listen to other people.

D. You should trust yourself all the time.

2. What can you infer about Chow Khok based on his actions?

A. Other people’s opinions were important to Chow Khok.

B. He was a generous man.

C. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to other people.

D. He was stupid.

3. Which statement best describes Chow Khok at the end of the story?

A. He’s very angry. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. He is happy.

C. He is confused. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　D. He is comfortable.

There was a man named Chow Khok who had a baby donkey. When the foal was fat, Chow Khok said to his son, “Our donkey is nice and fat now. He will bring us a good price at the market. But if we walk him all the way to the market, he will grow thin and no one will want him. I think that we should tie him gently to a pole and carry him between our shoulders. ”

The son agreed. So they tied the donkey’s four legs to a long pole. Then, placing the ends of the pole on their shoulders, they started to walk to the village with the donkey hanging upside down between them.

As they walked along the road, a group of people saw them and began laughing. “Ho, ho, ho! Why are these stupid people carrying a donkey? Hey, both of you! Are you crazy carrying a donkey on a pole? Why don’t you get on his back and ride him?”

Chow Khok and his son heard the crowd’s laughter and were greatly embarrassed(局促不安的). They discussed the matter together. “I suppose we must look strange to these people. Let’s untie our donkey and get on him. But he is really too small for both of us to ride. What shall we do?”

After thinking a bit, Chow Khok said to his son, “I know. You ride the donkey, since you are smaller, and I will walk behind. ”

His son agreed. So they untied the donkey’s legs and continued down the road, the son riding and the father walking behind.

When they arrived at the edge of the village, some people called out to the son, “Who is that old man walking behind you?”

“Oh, ” replied the son. “He is my father. ”

Then a villager scolded(训斥)the boy. “You are an ungrateful(不觉得感激的) son. You shouldn’t let your father walk behind you like a servant. Get off and let your father ride. ”

The embarrassed son turned to look at his father, who quickly whispered, “Yes, yes. I will get on the donkey. You walk in front. ”

So the father got on the donkey and the boy walked ahead. Soon they arrived at the village well, where many girls were getting water for their families. Seeing the young boy walking tall in front of the donkey, all the girls thought him quite handsome.

“Hey!” they called to the old father on the donkey. “This donkey is beautiful and the tall boy is handsome. You look like an ugly old monkey sitting up there. Why don’t you get off and let this handsome boy ride?”

When the son heard the girls, he turned to his father and said, “Papa, now we made a mistake again. These girls say that I should ride the donkey. What do you think?”

Wearily(疲惫的), his father answered, “First you ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Then I ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Now, suppose you come up here and sit in front of me and we will ride together. ”

The boy climbed up and they continued through the village until they reached the custom house（税务所）. The customs officer stopped them and asked, “Where are you both going with that donkey?”

“Sir, ” Chow Khok answered, “we are taking the donkey to sell him at the village market. ”

The officer scowled(皱眉) at him. “That donkey is very small, ” he said. “Why are you both sitting on him? You’ll break his back and then you’ll never be able to sell him. A little donkey like that! You should carry him. ”

Chow Khok and his son listened in embarrassment. Shaking his head hopelessly, Chow Khok said, “How can we satisfy all the people in this world? When we carried our donkey on a pole, they said we should ride him. When you rode our donkey, they said that you were an ungrateful son. When I rode our donkey, they said that I looked like a monkey. When we both rode our donkey, they said that we would break his back. How can we satisfy all the people in this world? What shall we do now?”

Taken from Cambodian Folk Stories from the Gatiloke

1. Folk tales often teach a lesson about how people should behave. Which of these lessons might you learn from the folk tale?

A. People are usually unkind.

B. It’s impossible to please everyone.

C. You should never listen to other people.

D. You should trust yourself all the time.

2. What can you infer about Chow Khok based on his actions?

A. Other people’s opinions were important to Chow Khok.

B. He was a generous man.

C. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to other people.

D. He was stupid.

3. Which statement best describes Chow Khok at the end of the story?

A. He’s very angry. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. He is happy.

C. He is confused. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　D. He is comfortable.

Being beautiful means a lot to teenage girls. Once it did to me too. I was the vainest person in the world, but that all changed one December night.
It was a Thursday, and I was getting ready for the wrestling tournament the following day. I was so excited; it was going to be my first tournament as a cheerleader. I walked past the mirror and stopped to check my appearance. I noticed my eyebrows were a little bushy, and that’s when my vanity kicked in. The brows could be easily fixed with the waxing kit I had purchased. I put the jar of wax in the microwave. But instead of heating the wax for 30 seconds, I pressed too many zeros and heated it for three minutes. As I reached for the jar, I dropped it, spilling it all over myself.
My mother came running when she heard my screams. The hot wax was rolling down my face and arm. My mom took a wet washcloth and tried to wash the wax off my face. This proved to be a bad idea, because the wax was honey based, and it pulled my skin off with the wax.
The 15-mile drive to the emergency room seemed to take hours. When we finally arrived, the nurse didn’t waste any time. They took me straight to a doctor and gave me extra-strength painkillers, so my mind was in confusion. The doctor explained how severe my burns really were: my arm was a combination of first-, second- and third-degree burns, and needed to stay bandaged. My face was first- and second-degree burns. If the wax had gotten any closer to my right eye, I would have lost my sight. I was covered in multi-colored “goop(药膏)”, wrapped, and sent home to recover.
I got up the next morning and the first thing I wanted to do was wash off the remaining wax. I unwrapped the bandages and “degooped”, letting warm water gently remove the rest of the wax. The next step was to do a self-evaluation of the damage. I couldn’t believe how horrible I looked. A horror-movie monster stared back at me from the mirror. All I could think was, my life is over. For someone as vain as me, this was very true. I thought I was going to be horribly disfigured(毁容的)for the rest of my life! All I could do was cry.
My mom made it worse by forcing me to go out in public. She dragged me to the grocery store and wherever else she felt like taking me. Everywhere we went, people had a million questions, none of which I wanted to answer. Then my mom declared she was going to put me through even more torture—I had to go to school on Monday. School only led to more questions from more people.
Now, two years later, my wounds have healed, leaving a few scars. I still feel self-conscious if I don’t wear make-up, and I’ve discovered that three-quarter length sleeves are wonderful for covering the scars on my arm.
After spending several months adjusting to this injury, I realized how vain I was. I had made beauty important, but it never was or will ever be that important. It took this event to teach me that no matter how much you change on the outside, you’re still the same person on the inside. 

1. 1.

   After the accident, the writer has come to realize that ________.

   1. A.
      teenage girls care too much about their appearance
   2. B.
      loving beauty will necessarily make one disfigured
   3. C.
      we can never judge a person merely by one’s looks
   4. D.
      sometimes being beautiful can cost you something
2. 2.

   Which of the four statements is a fact?

   1. A.
      The severe damage to her sight and face weren’t recovered.
   2. B.
      The mother wished the writer to face her misfortune bravely.
   3. C.
      From the lesson we conclude that “once bitten, twice frightened”.
   4. D.
      The severe burns were caused by her mother’s lack of first-aid.
3. 3.

   The underlined sentence in the last paragraph is closest to ________.

   1. A.
      beauty is not everything
   2. B.
      a student shall not make up
   3. C.
      beauty is not important
   4. D.
      loving beauty will spoil you
4. 4.

   The author develops her composition by ________.

   1. A.
      offering accurate facts
   2. B.
      giving contrast and comparison
   3. C.
      using logical arguments
   4. D.
      representing own experiences
5. 5.

   Which of the following can be the best title?

   1. A.
      The Price of Vanity
   2. B.
      An Unexpected Ending
   3. C.
      A Disfigured Girl
   4. D.
      Beauty Ruins Everything