You may know the song Happy Birthday very well. But do you know about its writer? It was written by an American girl. And she became very rich after that.

When she was a child, she was poor. Once, she was invited to her friend’s birthday party. She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.

“The party is coming soon, but now I have little money.” Tears ran down her face.

Later that night she was in bed, thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.“ What happened? ” her grandma asked. Hearing the girl’s story, she said, “Don’t worry. I think I can help you. How about singing a song together? Happy birthday to …”What a beautiful song! They sang and sang. Suddenly she woke up. It was a dream! She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.

When she sang the song at the party the next day, her friends were very happy. “How wonderfully you sing! We haven’t heard such a beautiful song before. Thank you for giving me the special gift.” said her friend. And they learnt to sing it together. Later the girl became well-known in America.

1.The song Happy Birthday was written by                     .

   A. an American girl

B. an American girl’s grandma

   C. an American boy

D. an American girl’s friend

2.The girl was sad because                      .

   A. she didn’t want to go to the party.

B. she would be busy that day.

   C. she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift.

D. she wasn’t invited to the party.

3.What gift did she give her friend?                    

A. A flower.          B. A toy.           C. An interesting book.  D. A song.

4.What did her friends think of the song?  It was                  .

A. boring             B. beautiful        C. exciting               D. interesting

5.Which of the following is TRUE?

   A. The girl was still poor after writing the song .

   B. The girl sang the song with her grandpa in her dream.

   C. The girl’s friends had heard the song before. 

   D. The girl became famous because of the song.

完形填空（共12分，每小题1分）
阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳选项。
Haircuts from the Heart

Even though Rebecca didn't enjoy having long hair, still, month after month for two and a half years, Rebecca let her hair grow until it nearly reached her waist. At the right time,  1   would donate（捐献）her beautiful hair to a group in Palm Springs, Florida called Locks of Love.
Locks of Love is a special   2  called a charity(慈善机构). The members of this group work to help others in need.   3  the healthy cut hair that Rebecca sends them, they will have a wig(假发) made for a child who needs it. Children who need wigs are those who   4   all their hair because of illness or as a side effect from certain medicines they have to   5  . Rebecca's hair will be used to help replace the   6   that another child has lost. It will also replace some of the bad feelings that child may have from not having hair.
The day finally came to cut her long hair. Rebecca had chosen a beauty  7   in her city that gave to the Locks of Love program. The hairstylist who worked there took the time to make sure Rebecca's hair was cut and packaged properly .
First the hairstylist made sure that Rebecca's hair was clean, dry, and not damaged by chemicals. The hairstylist also made sure that the cut hair would be at least ten inches long. Then he cut Rebecca's hair. Rebecca had   8   to have her cut hair bundled into a ponytail（绑成马尾辫）. She took great   9   in placing the cut ponytail into a plastic bag and then an envelope to be mailed to Locks of Love. Finally as her reward, Rebecca's   10   hair was styled.
Now with short hair, Rebecca made another important decision. She decided to let it grow long again. 11   she will give it to Locks of Love. Judging from last time, she   12  it will take about three years. Even though Rebecca no longer has long hair, she certainly has a big heart.

When I was 16 years old, a boy gave me an important gift. It was a smile.
It was the early autumn of my first year at a junior high school, and my old school was far away. As a result, no one knew who I was. I was very lonely, and afraid to make friends with anyone.
Every time I heard the other students talking and laughing, I felt my heart break. I couldn’t talk about anyone with my problems. And I didn’t want my parents to worry about me.
Then one day, my classmates talked happily with their friends, but I sat at my desk unhappily as usual. At that moment, a boy came into the classroom. I didn’t know who he was. He passed me and then turned back. He looked at me, without a word, only a smile.
Suddenly, I felt the touch of something bright and friendly. It made me feel happy, lively and warm.
That smile changed my life. I started to talk with other students and made friends. Day by day, I became closer to everyone in my class. The boy with the lucky smile has become my best friend now.
One day I asked him why he smiled, but he couldn’t remember smiling at me!
It doesn’t matter because all the dark days have gone. I believe that the world is what you think it is. If you think it lonely, you might always be alone. So smile at the world and it will smile back.
11. Why was the smile an important gift?
A. Because the writer’s old school was far away.
B. Because the writer didn’t know who the boy was.
C. Because the smile didn’t mean anything to the boy.
D. Because it made the writer feel happy, lively and warm.
12.The writer didn’t talk to anyone in her new school about her problem because   .
A. she was always unhappy
B. she didn’t have any friends there
C. she was in the first year at the junior high school
D. she didn’t want her parents to worry about her
13. How did the smile change her life?
A. She started to make friends.
B. She became the best friend with the boy.
C. Her parents didn’t worry about her any more.
D. She realized that she was lonely.
14. Where does she now think her feeling of unhappiness came from?
A. From her old school      B. From her parents.
C.. From herself.           D. From her classmates at the new school.
15. Who has become the writer’s best friend now?
A. The writer herself        B. The writer’s parents
C. The writer’s classmates     D. The boy with the smile

Annette Kellerman was born in Australia in 1887.She had polio and could not walk easily.She had to wear metal supports on her legs to stand up on her own.To make her legs stronger,her mother took her for swimming lessons every week.Swimming made her legs so strong that when she was 15 she was able to throw away her supports.
Her family was poor so she got work acting as a mermaid.She wore a long tail and fish swam around her.People paid to come and see her.
In 1900 Annette swam in the Paris Olympics and won two gold medals. The next year she tried to swim across the Channel.She was the first woman to try to do it though she had to stop after swimming for six hours.
In 1915 Annette went to Hollywood and was the star of two films.
【小题1】Annette Kellerman was born ________ in 1887.

A lot of teenagers are good at art at school, but how would you feel if people called you “the new Picasso(毕加索)” or if presidents and other famous people collected your paintings?
Alexandra Nechita was ten when her paintings became famous all over the world. She visited Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and her family’s native place (祖籍) Romania where 5,000 fans came to see her at the airport. Alexandra said, “When it all started, I was moved. It was very exciting and I loved the traveling, but I got very tired. And I missed home.”
Alexandra is a good student. Her studies always come first. She only starts painting after she’s done her homework. She works on two or three paintings at a time. The paintings sell for thousands and Alexandra’s parents have given up their jobs to work for their daughter. Life for the Nechita family is very different from what it was like a few years ago.
Alexandra’s father Niki left Romania for political reasons in 1985. At first he tried his best to learn English and had different kinds of low-paid jobs. In 1987, he brought his wife and Alexandra, who was then 18 months old, to America. The family was very poor. Alexandra began to draw at the age of three.
She was drawing for four or five hours a day. Soon people offered to buy her paintings and she had her first art show at the age of eight. Stories about this child appeared in the newspapers and television. They now live in a large house with a swimming pool. Her mother said, “We started without anything, but thanks to Alexandra, we have everything we ever dreamed of.”
【小题1】Alexandra became well-known all over the world for her paintings at the age of _______.