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

An old man lived in a nice house with a large garden. He took care of his flowers all the time, watering and fertilizing them.

One day a young man went by the garden. He looked at the beautiful flowers, imagining how happy he could be if he lived in such a beautiful place. Then ,suddenly he found the old gardener was blind. He was very surprised about this and asked,“You can’t see these flowers. “Why are you busy taking care of them every day?”

The old man smiled and said ,“I can tell you four reasons. First, I was a gardener when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, I can touch them. Third, I can smell the sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s you.”

“Me? But you don’t know me.”said the young man.

“Yeah, it’s true that I don’t know you. But I know that flowers are angels that everybody knows. We enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”

The blind man’s work opened our eyes and pleased our hearts, which also made his life happier. It was just like Beethoven, who became deaf in his later life and wrote many great musical works. Beethoven himself couldn’t hear his wonderful music, but his music has encouraged millions of people to face their difficulties bravely. Isn’t it a kind of happiness?

1.The young man was very surprised because _________.

A．The old man was deaf.

B．The old man could see nothing.

C．The old man took care of flowers every day.

D．The flowers was very beautiful.

2.Why was the old man busy taking care of the flowers every day?

A．Because he liked doing it.

B．Because it can make him happy.

C．Because everyone enjoyed the happiness these flowers had brought.

D．All the above.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the old man?

A．He was a musician.                      B．He was the writer’s friend.

C．He used to be a gardener.                 D．He was very happy.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A．The beautiful flowers.                    B．Beethoven’s life.

C．The blind and The deaf.                   D．One kind of Happiness.

Doctor Seuss was born in 1904. By the middle 1950s, he had become one of the best-loved and most successful children's book writers in the world. His books are very popular with young readers. They enjoy the invented words and the pictures of unusual funny animals and plants.

In 1954, life magazine published(刊登) a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children's books were not interesting. Doctor Seuss strongly hoped to help children and decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read. He used words with the same ending sound, like fish and wish. He did not receive training in art. Yet, he drew the pictures for most of his books.

     In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 230 words to write the book and even a six-year-old should be able to read it. It was a fun story and easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today it is still one of the stories they like best. The success of The Cat in the Hat made him want to write more books for children. In 1960, he wrote a book using less than fifty words. The book is called Green Eggs and Ham.

     In 1984, Doctor Seuss won a Pulitzer Prize (普利策奖). He was honored for the education and enjoyment his books provided（提供） American children and their parents.

     He died at the age of 87, but his influence（影响） remains. Millions of his books have been sold worldwide. People say his books helped change the way American children learned to read. Yet, his books are loved by people of all ages. Doctor Seuss once said, "I do not write for children. I write for people.

1.Doctor Seuss learned from the magazine that _______.

      A. some school children could not read

      B. many children's books were interesting

      C. children wanted to learn to read

      D. a writer for children was wanted

2.People like his books because the books ______.

     A. are cheap and easy to get

      B. were written in different languages

      C. are easy and interesting to read

      D. were written with invented words

3.He wrote the book The Cat in the Hat at the age of _____.

     A. 50          B. 53            C. 56           D. 87

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

     A. Doctor Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham with over 230 words.

     B. Doctor Seuss wrote books only for children in the United States.

     C. The Cat in the Hat was written only for six-year-old children.

     D. His books provided education and enjoyment for Americans.

5.From the text we know that Doctor Seuss __________.

A. won a Pulitzer Prize soon after his death

B. sold millions of his books himself worldwide

C. changed American children's way of reading

D. wrote the largest number of books in the world

An old man lived in a nice house with a large garden. He took care of his  1 all the time, watering and fertilizing(施肥)them.  

One day a young man went by the garden. He looked at the beautiful flowers, imagining how happy he could be  2 he lived in such a beautiful place. Then, suddenly he found the old gardener was  3 . He was very surprised about this and asked, “You can’t see these flowers.  4 are you busy taking care of them every day?”  

The old man smiled and said “I can tell you four reasons. First, I was a gardener when I was young, and I really like this job. Second,  5 I can’t see these flowers, I can touch them.   6 , I can smell the sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s you.”

“Me? But you don’t know me,” said the young man.

“Yeah, it’s  7 that I don’t know you. But I know that flowers are angels(天使) that everybody  8 . We enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”

The blind man’s work opened our eyes and  9 our hearts, which also made his life  10 . It was just like Beethoven, who became deaf in his later life and wrote many great musical works. Beethoven himself couldn’t  11 his wonderful music, but his music has  12 millions of people to face their difficulties bravely. Isn’t it one kind of happiness?

1.                A．flowers         B．trees           C．vegetables D．grass

2.                A．after           B．as             C．before   D．if

3.                A．deaf           B．blind           C．smart D．strange

4.                A．What          B．Who           C．Why D．Which

5.                A．although        B．since           C．because  D．unless

6.                A．First           B．Second         C．Third D．Fourth

7.                A．true           B．hard           C．cool D．fair

8.                A．greets          B．knows          C．meets    D．doubts

9.                A．broke          B．hurt           C．pleased   D．treated

10.               A．emptier        B．busier          C．luckier    D．happier

11.               A．write          B．hear           C．play D．believe

12.               A．changed        B．directed        C．discovered D．encouraged

A boy was walking home from school when he saw a large, red apple on the tree near a house. The boy didn’t like eating __35__ very much. He preferred a piece of chocolate if he was given the choice, but this time, seeing the nice apple, the boy wanted it very much. The more he looked at the apple, the __36__ he felt and the more he wanted it.
He stood on tiptoe (脚尖), stretching (伸展) as high as he could, but he was still unable to touch it. He began to __37__ up and down, as high as he could, at the top of each jump stretching his arms to get the apple. Still it remained out of __38__.
Not giving up, he thought, if he had something to __39__ on, he could reach it. His school bag wouldn’t give enough height and he didn’t want to __40__ the things inside, like his lunch box, pencil case, and Gameboy. Looking __41__, he hoped he might find an old box, a rock, or, with luck, even a ladder, but he found nothing that he could __42__. 
He had tried everything he could think to do. Without seeing any other choices, he gave up and started to walk away. At first he felt angry and disappointed (失望的) thinking about how hungry he had become from his __43__, and how he really wanted that apple. The more he thought like this, the more unhappy he became.
However, the boy of our story was a __44__ one, even if he couldn’t always get what he wanted. He started to say to himself, “This isn’t helpful. I don’t have the apple and I’m feeling unhappy as well. There’s __45__ more I can do to get the apple. That is unchangeable. But we should try to __46__ our feelings. If that’s the case (情况), what can I do to feel better?”