Vickers was very stingy．He hated spending money．Whenever he had to buy something，he always wanted to pay less money，even for the cheapest things．If he wanted to buy a bottle of beer，for example，and the shopkeeper asked for $2，Vickers would say，“Make it $1.9 and I'll buy it．”

Although the shopkeepers didn't like Vickers，sometimes they had to agree with him．They thought，“If I make it $1.9，the man will be happy，and it won’t hurt me very much．” In this way，Vickers saved a few cents（美分）here and a few cents there，and he had saved several hundred dollars by the end of the year．

One day he had a bad toothache and had to go to see the dentist．The dentist looked at the tooth and said，“This tooth will have to come out．”

“How much will I have to pay?” Vickers asked．

“Forty dollars．” the dentist said．

“Forty dollars!” Vickers thought it was much too expensive．“How long will it take you to pull out the tooth?” he said．

“About two minutes．” the dentist said．

Vickers could not believe what he was hearing．“Forty dollars for two minutes’ work!” he shouted，“That's robbery（抢劫）．”

“You are right，” the dentist said with a smile，“Thank you for telling me．Let me spend half an hour on that．will you?”

“OK，but I'll pay only-thirty-five dollars!” he answered．

1．The word “stingy” means ________ in Chinese．

A．吝啬的             B．刻薄的                C．贫穷的

2．The shopkeepers ________．

A．gave Vickers more than what he wanted

B．didn't like Vickers                                    C．usually made the price high

3．Then dentist thought Vickers was ________．

A．lovely                  B．silly                     C．friendly

4．If Vickers wanted to buy a bottle of beer that was $2，how much would he like to pay?

A．$1.9．                 B．$2．                    C．$2.1．

5．From this story，we know that Vickers ________．

A．usually had a toothache                           B．was very poor

C．didn’t like spending money

The teacher stood before his class of 30 students and was going to hand out the final exam papers．“I know how hard you have all worked to get ready for this test．” he said．“And because I know you are all able to understand these questions．I am ready to offer a B to anyone who would prefer not to take the test．’’

    A number of students jumped up to thank the teacher and left the classroom．The teacher looked at the rest students and said．“Does anyone else want to get a B? This is your last chance．”Two more students decided to go．Seven students stayed．The teacher then handed out the papers．There were only three sentences on the paper： Congratulations! You have received an A in this class．Keep believing in yourself．

    I never had a teacher who gave a test like that．but I think that it is a test that any teacher could and should give．Students who do not have confidence in what they have learned are B students at most．

    The same is true for students in real life．The A students are those who believe in what they are doing because they have learned from both successes and failures．They have learned life’ s lessons, whether from school education or from events in their lives，and have become better people．Scientists say that by the age of eight，80% of what we believe about ourselves has already been formed．You are a big kid now and you realize that you have some limits(局限)．However，there is nothing you can’t do or leant to be．Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma (珠穆朗玛峰)said，“We do not conquer the mountain．but ourselves．”

1.Some students left the classroom because_____

A．they were happy with the grade the teacher would give them

B．they were allowed to take another easier exam later on

C．they knew the teacher didn’t like them to take the test

D．they thought the exam was so easy that they don’t need to have a try

2.The teacher gave the rest students an A because______

A．they answered all the questions in the exam correctly

B．they didn’t believe themselves

C．they believed themselves in what they had learned

D．they had been working hard for each exam

3.The underlined word “conquer’’ means ______ in the passage.

    A．发现    B．控制    C．探索    D．征服

4.What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?

A．He wants us to know what our limits are．

B．He wants us to learn to believe in ourselves．   

C．He wants us to receive school education．

D．He wants us to1earn from B students．

David hated spending money. When he had to buy something in a shop, he always tried his best to knock down the price, even for the cheapest things. If he wanted to buy a bottle of orange, for example, and the shopkeeper asked for $2, David would say, “Make it $1.90 and I’ll buy it.” Sometimes the shopkeepers agreed to reduce their prices a little. “What’s ten cents?” they asked themselves. “If it makes this man happy, it won’t hurt me very much.” In this way David saved a few cents here and a few cents there, and by the end of the year he had saved several hundred dollars.

One day he had a very bad toothache and had to go to the dentist. The dentist looked at the tooth and said, “This tooth will have to come out. It’s too serious to save.” “How much must I pay you to take out a tooth?” David asked. “Forty dollars,” the dentist said. “How long will it take you to pull out the tooth?” he asked. “About two minutes,” the dentist answered. “Forty dollars for two minutes’ work!” he shouted, “That’s robbery (抢劫).” The dentist smiled. “You’re right,” she said. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll pull your tooth out very slowly. How about if I take half an hour?”

1.In the passage the underlined word “reduce” means “____________”

2.Why must David’s tooth be pulled out?

3.After the dentist answered David’s question, he became very _________.

4.David thought that two minutes was ____________.

5.What kind of person do you think David was?

In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back.

Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating(挨打) and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs.

Until now, even the most advanced(先进的) robot was almost certain to break down when it was damaged(毁坏). That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed.

To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors(发动机) and two sensors(传感器) that read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine’s software. Using this information, the computer can then figure out the machine’s shape at any moment.

The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it’s far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better artificial(假的) arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out their own sense of place in space.

“It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it’s damaged,” says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in US. “With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem.”

1.Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?

A．They cannot repair themselves.

B．The computer has changed a lot.

C．They have no computers inside.

D．The computer cannot work if the robot changes

2.The new technology allows the robot to     .

A．do housework for humans

B．keep working after being damaged

C．remember a lot of information

D．tell people where it is

3.The underline word “them” in Paragraph 5 refers to     .

A．sensors           B．robots            C．arms and legs      D．scientists

4.How do the sensors in the robot work?

A．They can replace the computer when it’s broken.

B．They can find out where the damage comes from.

C．They help the computer learn the robot’s condition.

D．They can send signals to the person who uses the robot.