Jane was a nurse. When she came to our house with some beautiful flowers in her hand, she smiled and said, “I’m here to help your mother to get well and to cook meals for you. I think we’re going to have a good time together.” 

She looked older to us though her age was about the same as our mother’s. She was not pretty. But she was kind and good. Then she gave us a good meal. After our mother became ill, we never ate such a good one. My brothers and I liked her before we finished the meal.

Our family moved to Australia not long ago. It was difficult for us to live a good life in the new place. Soon our mother became ill and she was in bed.

Every morning father went out to the forest, and worked all day hard as he could. Of course, we tried to help our parents. I cleaned the house and cooked our meals. My older brother learned to grow vegetables.

My two younger brothers were too young to work. Sometimes we went to school. When father came home on that day, he was surprised. Our mother was sleeping peacefully in the bed cleaned by Jane, and there were some beautiful flowers on the table. He said to Jane, “I have no money. I’m sorry I can’t pay you.” Jane said, “Don’t mind, I’m glad to help you. I don’t take money from people who are not happy.”

1. Why was mother ill?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 

A. Life was hard.

B. The weather was bad for a long time.

C. There were too many children in the family.

D. She was always ill.

2. From the passage, we can know that there are　　    children in the family. 

A. 2　　    B. 3　　   C. 4　　　　 D. 5

3. Where did they live?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   

A. In Australia.　　　　   B. In a city in Australia.

C. They just left Australia.  D. The writer didn’t tell us.

4. Why did Jane come to the family?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 

A. To make money because she was poor.   

B. To help them.

C. She knew their mother very well.

D. To cook meals for the children.

5. We can learn the following from the passage except　　    .　　   

A. Jane was much younger than the writer’s mother

B. the writer’s family was not rich

C. Jane came to the family with some beautiful flowers

D. Jane helped the family for nothing

 

Jeff Keith has only one leg. When he was only twelve years old, Jeff had cancer. Doctors had to 　16　 off most of his right leg.

　17　 Jeff puts on an artificial leg(假肢). The leg is plastic. With the plastic leg, Jeff can ski, ride a bicycle, swim, and play soccer. He can also run.

Jeff made a plan with his friends who had plastic legs, 　18　. They decided to  　19　 across America. They all wore special T-shirts. 　20　 it was “Run, Jeff, Run, Jeff Keith’s Run Across America”.

Jeff Keith ran across the United States from the east to the west 　21　 he was twenty-two years old. He started running in Boston(波士顿). Seven 　22　 later, he stopped 　23　 in Los Angeles（洛杉矶）. He ran 3,200 miles (1 mile = 1.6093km). Jeff wore out thirty-six pairs 　24　 running shoes and five plastic legs. Jeff 　25　 in cities on the way to Los Angeles. In every city people gave Jeff money. The money was not for Jeff, 　26　 for the American Cancer Society. The Society used the money to help people know 　27　 about cancer.

On the way to Los Angeles, Jeff talked to people about 　28　. Jeff is disabled, but he can do many things. He finished college and is studying to be a lawyer(律师). Jeff says, “People can do 　29　 they want to do. I want people to know that. I ran 　30 for disabled people. I ran for everybody.”

1.A. take       　B. cut            C. put               D. set

2. A. Every day 　B. One day      C. Some day       D. A day

3. A. also      　B. too            C. either           D. neither

4.A. walk       　B. fly            C. swim         D. run

5. A. On              B. In         C. With          D. Above

6.A. while      　B. because        C. when          D. if

7. A. months    　   B. days        C. hours            D. minutes

8.A. running      B. to run     C. walking      D. to walk

9.A. at     　B. for            C. in               D. of

10.A. reached   　B. studied        C. stopped      D. started

11. A. and      　B. but        C. or           D. so

12.A. more　　　 B. less        C. fewer            D. little

13.A. cancer    　 B. walk      C. society      D. America

14.A. any       　 B. thing     C. nothing  D. anything

15. A. not only    B. not       C. only         D. just

 

Dear Reader,
Imagine an 11-year old girl whose days are often spent washing clothes, looking after a baby, working hard in the field.
Imagine a little girl who knows there will not be enough food for dinner, who can’t fill her stomach with water because it’s polluted, and who has watched life slip away from her father, little brother and sister because the family is too poor to see a doctor.
Is it hard to believe? For Maria Pastora, these are the real life.
Maria would gladly walk miles to school, but her mother, now alone, needs her badly at home. If Maria grows up without any schooling, what will be her future?
But for just 52 pennies a day, you can sponsor a child like Maria. Through “Save the Children”, you can help Maria’s mother get the tools and ways she needs to turn their poor food into a good dinner and the money she needs to buy clothes and school things for Maria.
To help Maria most, your money is put together with that of other sponsors, so hard-working people can help themselves. Build a school, a hospital…bring in clean water. This is what “Save the Children” has been about since 1932.
For you there are many rewards. Have the chance to write to or hear from your sponsored child. Receive photos or progress reports. Know you are reaching out to another person. Not with a handout(施舍物), but a “handup”. That’s how “Save the Children” works. But without you, it can’t work. Please take a moment now to fill in and post the form below to help a child like Maria and her village.
It can make such a difference in her life and yours.
【小题1】We can most probably read the letter in __________.

A．somebody’s diary	B．a newspaper
C．a progress report	D．a storybook

【小题2】From the passage, we can infer （推断）that _________

A．Maria is an 11-year-old girl.

B．Maria’s family is very poor.

C．Maria has to do a lot of hard work.

D．Maria is hoping to get schooling.

【小题3】What is “Save the Children”?

A．An organization to help poor children go to school.

B．An office of the government to collect money.

C．A program shown at theatres to help the poor.

D．A group who works for children in poor places.

【小题4】The underlined word “sponsor” means “__________” in Chinese.

A．回报

B．资助

C．感恩

D．抢救

【小题5】What does the last sentence in the letter mean?

A．If Maria goes to school, you will be rewarded.

B．What you give is more than what you take.

C．Both Maria’s life and yours will change a lot.

D．Marie and you can help each other at school.