My father woke me up early one summer morning when I was fourteen and announced: “Get up, you're going with me to cut the grass in the garden. ”

　　The idea that my father thought I was old enough to help him in his business made me feel proud and excited. From sunup to sundown, my father, my younger brother and I worked in the large garden. By the end of the day I was too tired to say a word but I felt good. This was my first time to help my father in his business. I got $ 6 for my work that day.

　　One day my father found some leaves I had missed and pulled me aside. “Take away these leaves! ”he said, “and don't make me have to tell you to do it again.” The message was clear. Today I value(珍视)the importance of doing a job well the first time. It will never fail to impress(给……留下印象） the person you are working for.

　　After two years, my father told me and my brother that he felt we were old enough to cut the grass by ourselves. Every Saturday during my last two years of high school, we set off early in the morning with the same strong wish we had gained while working under our father.

　　Looking after the garden was neither exciting nor high paying, but that didn't matter. It taught me that any job was a good job and that whatever I was paid was more than I had before.

　　A newspaper reporter once asked me how someone could possibly live with hard work and low pay. “If you're only thinking about hard work and money, you probably don't want to do any better than you are doing.” I answered. In every job, from cutting the grass to washing dishes, I've learned much. I've learned something that helps me in my next job.

　　If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do.

46. The writer felt proud and excited when he was asked to cut the grass because he thought______.

　　 A. he could cut the grass himself

　　 B. he could make much money

　　 C. he could enjoy sunup and sundown

　　 D. he could help his family

47. The underlined word "message" in the passage probably refers to_____.

　　 A. not leaving leaves behind

　　 B. giving no excuse for your mistakes

　　 C. doing a good job at the very beginning

　　 D. missing things which can be found out

48. When the writer finished high school, maybe he was _____ years old.

　　 A. fourteen     B. eighteen        C. twenty　　      D. twenty-two

49. Which of the following does the writer probably think is the most important?

　　 A. Keeping learning from any job you had.

　　 B. Asking no money for work.

　　 C. Finishing work as quickly as possible.

　　 D. Keeping looking for different jobs.

50. The writer probably thinks his father is_____.

　　 A. lazy　　      B. helpful　　    C. careless        D.interesting

A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, Paul?” he asked.

Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…”He hesitated.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.

“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”

“Oh yes, I’d love that.”

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.

He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.

“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it …then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.

注：urchin顽童    hesitate犹豫    neighbour邻居

crippled残疾　　     cent 美分

1.The street urchin was very surprised when _______________

2.From the story we can see the urchin _______________

3.The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ___________

4.We can infer（推断） from the story that___________

5.The best name of the story is____________

　　Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a book-lover or only there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find a shelter from a sudden rain. Whatever the reason, you can soon totally unaware of your surroundings. You soon become interested in some books or others, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent too much time there and have to rush off to keep some forgotten appointment.
　　This chance to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can walk around such a place as much as you wish. If it is a good shop, no assistant will come up to you with the greeting “Can I help you?” You needn’t buy anything you don’t want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished reading. Then, and only then, are his services necessary.
　　Once, a medical student had to read a textbook which was far too expensive for him to buy. He couldn't borrow it from the library and the only copy he could find was in a certain bookshop. Every afternoon, therefore, he would go along to the shop and read a little of the book at a time. One day, however, he was disappointed to find the book missing from his usual place. He was about to leave, when he noticed the owner of the shop beckoning to him. Expecting to be told off, he went towards him. To his surprise, the owner pointed to the book which was tucked (folded beautifully) away in a corner. “I put it there in case anyone tries to buy it,” he said, and left the delighted student to continue his reading.
　　shelter: 遮蔽　　 unaware: 未意识到 attraction: 吸引　 beckon: 示意
　　45. According to the passage, the main attraction of a bookshop is that________.
　　A. people can learn something from books 　 　
　　B. it can be a shelter from a sudden rain
　　C. the surroundings are all about new knowledge 　　
　　D. it offers a chance to get free from the realities

　　46. The writer thinks that the assistant in a good bookshop should ________.
　　A. always greet customers pleasantly and warmly 　　
　　B. help the readers to find what they want to read
　　C. not talk while the customers are reading 　　
　　D. not stand beside the bookshelf all the time

　　47. The purpose of the writer in writing the last paragraph is to ________.
　　A. tell us a story that happened in a bookshop 　　
　　B. tell us what a good bookshop assistant is like
　　C. teach us how to read in a shop without buying books
　　D. advise us to hide books if we need them
　

阅读短文，然后根据短文内容选择正确答案 。

　　 A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, Paul?” he asked.
　　Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…”He hesitated.
　　Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
　　“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
　　“Oh yes, I’d love that.”
　　After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
　　Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
　　He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
　　“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it …then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
　　Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.
　　注：urchin顽童, hesitate犹豫, neighbour邻居, crippled残疾,cent 美分

( 　) 1. The street urchin was very surprised when _______________

A. Paul received an expensive car 　　B. Paul told him about the car
　　C. he saw the shining car 　　　　 　D. he was walking around the car
( 　) 2. From the story we can see the urchin _______________
　　A. wished to give his brother a car
　　B. wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car
　　C. wished he could have a brother like Paul’s
　　D. wished Paul could be a brother like that
( 　) 3. The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ____________
　　A. to show his neighbours the big car
　　B. to show he had a rich friend
　　C. to let his brother ride in the car
　　D. to tell his brother about his wish
( 　) 4. We can infer（推断） from the story that___________
　　A. Paul couldn’t understand the urchin
B. the urchin had a deep love for his brother

C. the urchin wished to have a rich brother

　　D. the urchin’s wish came true in the end
(　 ) 5. The best name of the story is ____________
　　A. A Christmas Present　　 B. A Street Urchin
　　C. A Brother Like That 　　　D. An Unforgettable Holiday Ride