A Russian, a Cuban, an American businessman and an American lawyer were on a train traveling across England. The Russian took out a large bottle of vodka, gave each of the men a drink and then threw the rest half bottle of vodka out of the window. “Why did you do that?” asked the American businessman. “There’s too much vodka in my country,” said the Russian, “And really we have more than we will ever use.” A little later, the Cuban passed around fine Havana Cigars. Then he threw his out of the window. “I thought Cuba is not a rich country,” the businessman said. “But you threw that very good cigars out of the window!” “Cigars,” the Cuban answered, “are the cheapest in my country. We have more of them than we know what to do with.” The American businessman sat quietly for a moment. Then he got up, caught the lawyer by the arm and threw him of the window.
【小题1】The people in the story are from ______ countries.

A Russian, a Cuban, an American businessman and an American lawyer were on a train traveling across England. The Russian took out a large bottle of vodka, gave each of the men a drink and then threw the rest half bottle of vodka out of the window. “Why did you do that?” asked the American businessman. “There’s too much vodka in my country,” said the Russian, “And really we have more than we will ever use.” A little later, the Cuban passed around fine Havana Cigars. Then he threw his out of the window. “I thought Cuba is not a rich country,” the businessman said. “But you threw that very good cigars out of the window!” “Cigars,” the Cuban answered, “are the cheapest in my country. We have more of them than we know what to do with.” The American businessman sat quietly for a moment. Then he got up, caught the lawyer by the arm and threw him of the window.

1.The people in the story are from ______ countries.

   A. one             B. two           C. three          D. four

2.The four people are traveling by _______.

   A. bus             B. air            C. train          D. sea

3.Vodka is a kind of _______.

   A. treasure(珍宝)    B. wine          C. food          D. medicine

4.The Russian and the Cuban both wanted to _______.

   A. tell the businessman that their countries are rich

   B. prove(证明) that they were rich

   C. ask the two Americans to visit their countries

   D. make the businessman happy

5.What did the businessman want to say by throwing the lawyer out of the window?

A. I want to buy some vodka.                

B. We have too many lawyers in my country.

C. I’ll go to Cuba and do some business of cigars.

D. If you need lawyers, come to America.

A wise man used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning.

One day, when he was walking along the shore（海岸）, he saw a young man moving like a

dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

He called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man stopped, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”

“The sun is up and the tide（潮汐）is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish, and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted（赋予）

with the ability to make a difference.

We must each find our starfish. And if we throw starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.

1.What was the wise man used to doing every morning?

A．Taking a walk on the shore.

B．Watching the young man dance.

C．Meeting up with the young man.

D．Helping the young man pick up starfish.

2.Why did the young man throw the starfish into the ocean?

A．To have fun.

B．To study starfish.

C．To feed some fish.

D．To save starfish.

3.What can we learn from the story?

A．Each of us should learn to protect starfish.

B．People living on the shore always try to save starfish.

C．Each of us has the ability to make an important effect on something.

D．People can come up with some good ideas when walking on the shore.

Red is the color of China. Among all the colors, red is most   16 seen. The color red is fresh and pure, and in China we call it China Red. Chinese people are attracted by the color red not only because it makes people excited, but also because it has   17  meaning in Chinese culture and history.
No country in the world has ever   18  a color in such a way as China. Here, red is a symbol. It gives color to the soul (灵魂) of the nation. In the past, red represented dignity (尊严) and mystery. Even now, Chinese people   19  the color much more than the rest of the world does. It can be said that China Red is an everlasting theme for China, and an important color for the Chinese people. China Red has   20  a very popular phrase, attracting the world’s attention.
Finding red-colored things in China is very   21 , as you can see the color everywhere. All traditional red things have played special roles in China. Things like the walls of ancient palaces, the   22  flag, Chinese knots, lanterns, traditional paper-cuts, and even tanghulu are all red.
Red is the color of   23 , health, harmony, happiness, peace, wealth and so on. Only real things and events can fully   24  red’s real beauty. The color can be alive and breathing only when it’s connected with people.
In China, red is more than just a color. It carries the ancient history and   25  of the Chinese nation. China Red is filled with mysterious charm beyond description and it is right here in China waiting for you to feel and discover!