How can we improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, “this is my destiny (命运). I cannot change it.”
Certainly not! You don’t have to suffer too much. Your destiny depends on yourself, not on any other factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows. Huh! Is this what she calls “doing her best”? She believes she has tried her best. But in fact she hasn’t.
Remember that you get what you pay. You just don’t sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a little failure, but use it as feedback (反馈). Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It’s not enough to think positively (积极地), you also have to act positively.
If someone’s life is in the trouble, do you just hope that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don’t just stand (or sit) there, do something to improve your life.
小题1:The writer’s attitude towards destiny is that ________.

A．we can change it	B．we can’t depend on ourselves
C．we must accept it	D．we have to suffer it

小题2:According to the passage, what should you do if something goes wrong?

A．Regard it as a little failure.	B．Get your hands off your phone.
C．Sit around and wait for luck.	D．Do something to solve the problem.

小题3:The underlined word “turn out” in the passage means ________.

A．翻转	B．关闭
C．变得	D．清空

小题4:From the passage, we know ________.

A．we only need to hope for the best in our life.

B．we can get what we pay if we think positively.

C．the woman has tried her best to improve her life.

D．maybe our luck will change if we do something about the life

小题5:What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Understand Yourself	B．Improve Your Life
C．Believe in Yourself	D．Accept Your Life

I stood there listening to my father shout at top of his voice. The        on his face said that one of us had done something wrong.
“     one of you did this?”
We all stared down at the step. There was child’s handwriting in chalk (粉笔) there. I was very         . I hoped no one could see it. Would he guess it was me? I was so scared. When he asked me, I       : “Not me, Dad.”
The others denied (否认) it as well. Of course, we all knew that one of us        have done it. But as the        and smallest of the three, I just couldn’t find the courage (勇气) to tell the
__   _
To find out who had written on the       , Father gave us each a piece of paper and a pencil. “I want each of you to        exactly what you see on the step.”
I tried my best to write the words        . I didn’t want Dad to be able to tell it was me.
He gathered up our pieces of paper and looked at them. “Since        of you will admit to have done it, then I will punish you all.” I stood there and said       . The last thing I wanted was for Dad to punish me!
“I ____ it.” My sister stepped forward and said she had done something she hadn’t. She was grounded (受处罚) for a month.
We didn’t talk        that day for many years. Not until we were all older and I knew it was safe to finally tell my dad it was really me. I always felt sorry      __it. That was the last time I let anyone take the blame (责任) for me.

小题1:	A．sound B．taste C．look D．feeling

小题2:	A．What B．Which C．Who D．Where

小题3:	A．unhappy B．surprised C．angry D．frightened

小题4:	A．lied B．said C．talked D．told

小题5:	A．can B．may C．must D．might

小题6:	A．oldest B．kindest C．youngest D．healthiest

小题7:	A．answer B．story C．truth D．thing

小题8:	A．step B．ground C．floor D．door

小题9:	A．write B．draw C．paint D．print

小题10:

A．carefully B．differently C．heavily D．badly

小题11:

A．all B．none C．neither D．both

小题12:

A．something B．anything C．everything D．nothing

小题13:

A．did B．done C．do D．doing

小题14:

A．on B．with C．to D．about

小题15:

A．because B．because of C．though D．except

阅读下面短文，根据要求完成下列各题。
It was December 25. Marie, a 13-year-old Australian girl, was happy. It was Christmas, and Marie's mother was making a special cake. She put four small coins into the cake,  and then she baked (烤) it. The four coins were for good luck. After dinner Marie and her family ate the cake. They found three coins in the cake and put them on the table. Where was the fourth coin? It was missing, but Marie's mother didn't notice.
After Christmas, Marie got sick. She coughed, and she couldn’t speak. After six weeks she felt better, but she still couldn't speak. Marie's parents took her to hospital. Doctors at the hospital looked her over, and then said, "We are sorry, but we can't help her." For 12 years Marie didn't speak. She grew up, she got a job, and she got married. But she never spoke. One day,  when Marie was 25 years old,  she got a sore throat ( 嗓子疼 ) at work. She began to cough. She coughed up something small and black. What was it? Marie didn't know. She took it to the hospital. A doctor at the hospital said, "This is a coin!" The doctor told Marie, "I think you can speak again." Marie went to a special doctor, and soon she could talk.
根据上面短文的内容回答问题。
小题1:What did Marie's mother make at Christmas?
__________________________________________________________
小题2:What did Marie's mother put some coins in the cake for? 
__________________________________________________________
小题3: How many coins did Marie's family find after eating the Cake?
___________________________________________________________
小题4:How long didn’t Marie speak?
__________________________________________________________
小题5:Could Marie speak at last?
__________________________________________________________

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
In the early morning, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I pay you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug(拥抱). She held on me and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
小题1:The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

A．show she was familiar with the city

B．see some places for the last time

C．let the driver earn more money

D．reach the destination on time

小题2:The taxi driver did not get the money because he ______.

A．wanted to give her a hand

B．shut off the meter by mistake

C．had received her payment already

D．was in a hurry to take other passengers

小题3:What can we learn from the story?

A．No pains, no gains.

B．People should respect(尊重) each other.

C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

D．People should learn to enjoy our life.

A famous study was done in a school by a professor from a university. At the start of the school year, the teachers were given the names of five children. They were told that these five were the most excellent students in the class. But the fact was that these students were only average，and they were not the best students at all. Well, guess what? At the end of the year, all the five average students scored among the highest in the class.
　What made these average students change so much to become top students？The only difference was the change in their teachers’ attitude. Because the teachers believed that these five kids were the top students，they expected more from them. And so these five average students began to believe and expect more from themselves. So they worked harder to do as well as they could.
　Do you know why? If you expect the best from people, they’ll usually want to give you their best. A great leader said, “Treat a person just how he appears to be on the outside, and you’ll make him even worse. But treat a person like he’s already a success，and you’ll help make him the best he can be.”
　Like the true story of 7-year-old Johnny, his teacher got so angry with him that one day she said，“Johnny，you’re the naughtiest boy in this class. I’m sure you’ll never change.” The next year Johnny had a new teacher. And on the first day of class，she met with Johnny after school and said，“Johnny, I’ve heard a lot about you! But do you know that I don’t believe a word of it.” And every day after that, this new teacher treated Johnny as if he was one of the smartest students even when Johnny did naughty things. Later on, Johnny became a school leader. Because that’s the power of our belief and attitude toward children.
小题1:The professor started his research by _______.

A．teaching the five children himself

B．asking the five children to find a new teacher

C．telling the five students to work harder than ever before

D．telling the teacher the five students were the best in the class

小题2:The five average students became top students mainly because of ________.

A．the professor’s study	B．the teachers’hard work
C．the change in the teachers	D．the change in the teachers’ attitude

小题3:What does the passage mainly tell us？

A．Attitude and belief can change a person.

B．Only teachers can make you a top student.

C．A professor’s study can help you score highest.

D．If you want to get more，you should have new teachers.

Charlie was about to climb into bed when he found there was a light on in his garden shed(棚). Then he noticed some people who were busy stealing his things.
He call the police right away. The policeman asked, “Are there any intruders(闯入者)in your house?” Charlie replied “no” and explained what was happening.
The policeman said, “All patrol cars(巡逻车) have gone out, and a policeman will go to your house when one is free.”
Charlie hung up, waited 30 seconds, and then called the police again. “Hello, I just called a short while ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. I want to let you know that they’re not a problem anymore because I’ve just shot every one of them.”
Charlie then hung up the phone. In five minutes, three patrol cars, nearly twenty policeman and an ambulance arrived at his house. Of course, the police caught the thieves.
One policeman said, “I thought you said that you shot every one of them!”
Charlie replied, “I thought you said there were no patrol cars free!”
小题1:The story happened            .
A. in the morning              B. in the afternoon         C. in the evening
小题2:The police didn’t want to come at once because            .
A. there was no patrol cars free.         B. they didn’t think it was crucial.
C. they didn’t know what happened.
小题3:Charlie called the police      __  for help.
A. only once                  B. twice                  C. three times
小题4:The police came quickly because they thought            .
A. the thieves died           
B. Charlie was shot        
C. the thieves broke into the house
小题5:We can infer(推断) that Charlie           .
A. was good at shooting                 
B. liked to play a joke on the police.  
C. didn’t belive what the policeman said.

Long long ago, an elephant and a monkey lived in the same forest. They were good friends, but both of them were very proud. The elephant thought of himself strong, and the monkey felt himself quick.

One day they went to ask the old bird, “Can you tell us which one of us is more important?” The old bird didn't give them the answer at once.  However, he asked them to get some bananas on the other side of the river and bring them to him.
So the elephant and the monkey went to the river, but the water ran so fast that the monkey was afraid.
“Get on my back, Monkey,” said the elephant, “I shall take you there. I'm big and strong, and I can swim across the river.”
Soon they got to the other side. The elephant tried to reach the bananas, but they were too high. “Wait a minute, please. I can climb,” said the monkey. He quickly ran up the tree and gave the bananas to the elephant.
Then they came back happily to the old bird and showed him the bananas. “Now, you see, the elephant is strong,” said the old bird with a smile, “but he couldn't get the bananas; the monkey is quick, but he couldn't, either. Only you two could do the work well when you helped each other.” 
小题1:Both the elephant and the monkey are ______ in the story.
A. quick                        B. proud                   C. strong
小题2:According to the story, ______ is more important.
A. the monkey               B. the elephant                C. neither
小题3:Picture ______ shows the right position of the banana tree.

A.                        B.                         C.
小题4:They should ______ to get the bananas.
A. first swim across the river and then come back
B. first climb up the tree and then swim across the river
C. first swim across the river and then climb up the tree
小题5:The best title for the story is “______”.
A. Teamwork is important       B. An elephant and a monkey      C. Strong or quick

Johnny, a lizard (蜥蜴），lived between some rocks in the country, where he liked sunbathing every morning. One day, he felt so       that he didn’t notice some boys coming up behind him. The boys caught Johnny, and he could only escape from their hands by losing his       and running to hide.
The children watched his tail moving about, but they soon threw the tail away and left. Johnny came out to       his tail, but could find no       of it. Feeling so sad, he decided to       doing everything else in his life and spending all his time finding his tail. Days and months passed, and Johnny kept looking, asking everyone       they had seen his tail. However, there was      no news about it.
One day, he asked a boy and the boy       replied, “Why do you need two tails?” After hearing this, Johnny turned back and saw that he had grown a new, stronger tail. He suddenly realised how       it had been to waste so much time on a problem like it. Johnny headed for home.
    , he suddenly found his old tail on the roadside. Although it       terrible, Johnny was still excited to have it back. He picked it up and was about to       his journey. Just at that moment, an idea hit him that he shouldn’t look at the past and worry about it since it was not useful for      .
He then decided to       his old tail there, leaving with it all his past worries. As he continued his journey, all he took with him were thoughts of the present and the dreams of the       .
As we know, it’s not good to look at the past, unless it helps in the future. Let the past go with the wind.

小题1:	A．interested B．relaxed C．lonely D．nervous

小题2:	A．hand B．nose C．tail D．head

小题3:	A．look at B．look after C．look up D．look for

小题4:	A．need B．sign C．reason D．use

小题5:	A．keep B．finish C．begin D．stop

小题6:	A．whether B．that C．how D．why

小题7:	A．only B．still C．also D．always

小题8:	A．hopefully B．generally C．surprisedly D．wonderfully

小题9:	A．lucky B．hard C．careless D．silly

小题10:

A．In a way B．By the way C．On the way D．In the way

小题11:

A．sounded B．looked C．smelled D．tasted

小题12:

A．change B．continue C．plan D．end

小题13:

A．you B．me C．her D．him

小题14:

A．return B．cut C．move D．drop

小题15:

A．tail B．present C．future D．past

On a cold November afternoon, my mother and I were walking back home from a pizza store. We had bought many things. We were dressed warmly, and I was feeling a little         as I was carrying our shopping bag, I decided to         something away. I was walking towards a dustbin         I noticed a poor man walking out of the restaurant in front of us. He headed over to the nearby dustbin and started looking through it.
I suddenly felt very         because I was about to throw away a new drink just because it was too heavy. I walked up to him and handed the        and some bread over to him, which surprised him .The man looked at me         and took what I gave him. A huge smile      on his face. I felt I couldn’t be happier with        . But then he said, “Wow, this is my son’s lucky day!”
With that, he thanked me happily and started off on his bike. I        heard him singing as he rode away. I got a warm         inside. I now understand what it         by the saying “Giving is getting”.
      it was only a little action, I got and learned more in those two minutes than I did in the rest of the month. Everyone in the world        help. Everyone can give help and everyone can be helped.
The look of that man’s happiness appears in my mind         I have the chance to do something nice. This is the power of        .

小题1:	A．worried B．interested C．surprised D．tired

小题2:	A．throw B．put C．give D．keep

小题3:	A．and B．but C．so D．when

小题4:	A．nervous B．happy C．sorry D．proud

小题5:	A．money B．toys C．drink D．clothes

小题6:	A．in silence B．in surprise C．in anger D．in excitement

小题7:	A．turned B．appeared C．went D．ran

小题8:	A．myself B．ourselves C．yourself D．himself

小题9:	A．still B．once C．even D．ever

小题10:

A．idea B．welcome C．word D．feeling

小题11:

A．aims B．means C．looks D．offers

小题12:

A．If B．Though C．Because D．While

小题13:

A．needs B．gives C．takes D．brings

小题14:

A．whichever B．however C．whatever D．whenever

小题15:

A．kindness B．friendship C．knowledge D．feeling

One young excellent person was trying to find a high position in a big company. It was the director who would make the final decision.
The director discovered that the young man did an excellent job in his college, which interested him a lot.
The director asked, “Who paid for your college?”
The young man answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old, so it was just my mother.”
“What did your mother do?” The director seemed surprised.
“She is a clothes cleaner,” the young man answered, with no feeling.
“Have you ever helped your mother wash some clothes before?”
“Never. My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. She could wash clothes faster than me,” the young man seemed puzzled (迷惑) when answering.
“Well, now I need you to do something. When you go back home today, clean your mother’s hands and see me tomorrow.”
The youth was happy when hearing this because he felt that his chance of getting the job was great. When he went home, he happily asked his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange but happy. With mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.
The young man cleaned his mother’s hands, with tears falling. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled (皱的), and there were so many wounds. This pair of hands enabled him to go through college. This pair of hands was the price that his mother had to pay for his life and his future.
The next morning, the director asked the young man, “Now tell me what you learned yesterday.”
After hearing what he said, the director knew the young man had learned his lesson. “This is the man whom I am looking for. We want you to be our member.”
小题1:Did the young man do quite well in college?
__________, ______________________________________________.
小题2:Who paid for the young man’s college?
_________________________________________________________.
小题3:Why hadn’t the young man helped clean the clothes before?
________________________________________________________.
小题4:What did the director ask the young man to do when he went back?
_________________________________________________________.
小题5:Why did the mother feel strange but happy when her son wanted to wash her hands?
_________________________________________________________.
小题6:The young man had learned his lesson. What can you learn from his lesson?
__________________________________________________________.