Once upon a time two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(对抗). It was the first serious one in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed.

      Then the long cooperation fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

      One morning there was a knock on John’ door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days’ work,” he said. “Could I help you?”

     “Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek(河沟) at that farm. That’s my neighbor, in fact, it’s my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow(草地) between us and he took his bulldozer(推土机) to the levee(堤) and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll go him one better. I want you to build me a fence―an 8-foot fence ―so I won’t need to see his place anymore. Cool him down, anyhow.”

     The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.” The older brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.

  The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped.

      There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge― a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work― and his younger brother was coming across, his hand outstretched.

  “You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.”

  The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother.

  “I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but, I have so many more bridges to build.”

72. What was life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

A.  They lived a poor, miserable life.

B.  They were friendly neighbors, helping each other.

C.  They never spoke to each other.

D.  They lived together as one family.

73. Which of the following best describes the carpenter?

A. He was skilled but dishonest.

B. He was hardworking but unskilled.

C. He was clever, hardworking, but cold hearted.

D. He was clever, helpful and skilled.

74. The best title for this passage is ________.

   A. A Fine Piece of Work

B. A Clever Carpenter

   C . A Conflict between Two Brothers

D. Two Brothers

75. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A.  The younger brother used his bulldozer to dig a creek.

B.  After the conflict John was angry with his younger brother.

C.  At first the carpenter planned to build an 8-foot fence as John asked him to.

D.  The two brother made peace at last.

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(冲突) . It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end, they fell apart.
One morning, a man with a carpenter’s toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said, “I have a job for you. Look at the farm across the creek（河沟）. My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer（推土机）to dig the creek last week to spite(刁难) me. So I want you to build me a fence, an 8 – foot – high fence,  in order not to see his place any more.” The carpenter smiled and said, “I see. I’ll try to do a job that satisfies you.” Then the elder brother went downtown.
At sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide! To his surprise, there was no fence there at all! Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder.
“No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other work for you,” said the elder brother.
“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but I have so many more bridges to build.”
【小题1】What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

Once upon a time，two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(冲突)．It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end，they fell apart.
One morning，a man with a carpenter's toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said，“I just have a job for you. Look at that farm across the creek(河沟)．My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer(推土机)to dig the creek last week to spite(刁难)me. So I want you to build me a fence，an 8­foot­high fence，in order not to see his place any more.”The carpenter smiled and said，“I see. I'll try to do a job that satisfies you.”Then the elder brother went downtown.
At sunset when the farmer returned，the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide! To his surprise，there was no fence there at all！Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge，and then they met in the middle，taking each other's hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder. “No，wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other work for you，” said the elder brother.“I'd love to stay on，”the carpenter said，“but I have so many more bridges to build.”
【小题1】What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

But George Eastman is not how he died, and the Eastman Kodak Company is not how it is being killed. Though the ends be needless and premature, they must not be allowed to overshadow the greatness that came before. Few companies have done so much good for so many people, or defined and lifted so profoundly the spirit of a nation and perhaps the world. It is impossible to understand the 20th Century without recognizing the role of the Eastman Kodak Company.
Kodak served mankind through entertainment, science, national defense and the stockpiling of family memories. Kodak took us to the top of Mount Suribachi and to the Sea of Tranquility. It introduced us to the merry old Land of Oz and to stars from Charlie Chaplin to John Wayne, and Elizabeth Taylor to Tom Hanks. It showed us the shot that killed President Kennedy, and his brother bleeding out on a kitchen floor, and a fallen Martin Luther King Jr. on the hard balcony of a Memphis motel. When that sailor kissed the nurse, and when the spy planes saw missiles in Cuba, Kodak was the eyes of a nation. From the deck of the Missouri to the grandeur of Monument Valley, Kodak took us there. Virtually every significant image of the 20th Century is a gift to posterity from the Eastman Kodak Company.
In an era of easy digital photography, when we can take a picture of anything at any time, we cannot imagine what life was like before George Eastman brought photography to people. Yes, there were photographers, and for relatively large sums of money they would take stilted pictures in studios and formal settings. But most people couldn’t afford photographs, and so all they had to remember distant loved ones, or earlier times of their lives, was memory. Children could not know what their parents had looked like as young people, grandparents far away might never learn what their grandchildren looked like. Eastman Kodak allowed memory to move from the uncertainty of recollection, to the permanence of a photograph. But it wasn’t just people whose features were savable; it was events, the sacred and precious times that families cherish. The Kodak moment, was humanity’s moment.
And it wasn’t just people whose features were savable; it was events, the precious times that familes cherish.  Kodak let the fleeting moments of birthdays and weddings, picnics and parties, be preserved and saved. It allowed for the creation of the most egalitarian art form. Lovers could take one another’s pictures, children were photographed walking out the door on the first day of school, the person releasing the shutter decided what was worth recording, and hundreds of millions of such decisions were made. And for centuries to come, those long dead will smile and dance and communicate to their unborn progeny. Family history will be not only names on paper, but smiles on faces.
The cash flow not just provided thousands of people with job, but also allowed the company’s founder to engage in some of the most generous philanthropy in America’s history. Not just in Kodak’s home city of Rochester, New York, but in Tuskegee and London, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He bankrolled two historically black colleges, fixed the teeth of Europe’s poor, and quietly did good wherever he could. While doing good, Kodak did very well. Over all the years, all the Kodakers over all the years are essential parts of that monumental legacy. They prospered a great company, but they – with that company – blessed the world.
That is what we should remember about the Eastman Kodak Company.
Like its founder, we should remember how it lived, not how it died.
History will forget the small men who have scuttled this company.
But history will never forget Kodak.

1. 1.

   According to the passage, which of the following is to blame for the fall of Kodak?

   1. A.
      The invention of easy digital photography
   2. B.
      The poor management of the company
   3. C.
      The early death of George Eastman
   4. D.
      The quick rise of its business competitors
2. 2.

   It can be learnt from the passage that George Eastman         .

   1. A.
      died a natural death of old age.
   2. B.
      happened to be on the spot when President Kennedy was shot dead.
   3. C.
      set up his company in the capital of the US before setting up its branches all over the world.
   4. D.
      was not only interested in commercial profits, but also in the improvement of other people’s lives.
3. 3.

   Before George Eastman brought photography to people,             .

   1. A.
      no photos has ever been taken of people or events
   2. B.
      photos were very expensive and mostly taken indoors
   3. C.
      painting was the only way for people to keep a record of their ancestors.
   4. D.
      grandparents never knew what their grandchildren looked like.
4. 4.

   The person releasing the shutter (Paragraph 5) was the one        .

   1. A.
      who took the photograph
   2. B.
      who wanted to have a photo taken
   3. C.
      whose decisions shaped the Eastman Kodak Company
   4. D.
      whose smiles could long be seen by their children
5. 5.

   What is the writer’s attitude towards the Eastman Kodak Company?

   1. A.
      Disapproving
   2. B.
      Respectful
   3. C.
      Regretful
   4. D.
      Critical
6. 6.

   Which do you think is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Great Contributions of Kodak
   2. B.
      Unforgettable moments of Kodak
   3. C.
      Kodak Is Dead
   4. D.
      History of Eastman Kodak Company

A beggar, carrying a shabby(破旧的) old wallet, was begging alone from house to house. As he complained about his 36 , he kept wondering that people who lived in 37 houses should always be unsatisfied, 38 rich they might be, and they should go so far as to 39 all they have.

       “Here, for example,” he said, the former master of this house succeeded in trading, and made himself very rich. By then, instead of stopping, and handing over his 40 to another, and spending the rest of his years 41 peace, he took to(从事) equipping ships. He expected to get mountains of gold; but the ships were 42 , and his treasures were lost. Now they all lie at the bottom of the sea, and he has found his 43 disappeared like those in dreams. In short, examples of this are 44.

       At this moment Fortune suddenly appeared to the beggar and said, “Listen! I have long wished to 45 you. Here are a lot of gold coins I have found. Hold out your wallet, and I will fill it with them; but only on this condition: All shall be gold that falls into the wallet, but if 46 of them falls out of the wallet to the ground, it 47 become dust. Consider this well. I have warned you I shall 48 keep my word. Your wallet is old, don’t fill it 49 its power.” The beggar was almost too overjoyed to breathe. He 50 felt the ground below his feet. A stream of coins were poured 51 it. The wallet soon became rather heavy.

       “Is that 52 ?” “Not yet,” “Isn’t it 53 ?” “Never fear.” “Consider, you are a millionaire.” “Just a little more, just 54 a handful,” But at that moment the wallet broke, the gold coins 55 dust and Fortune disappeared. The beggar had nothing but his empty wallet and remained as poor as before.

A. plan            B. fate                          C. idea                         D. dream

A. dark            B. poor                        C. clean                        D. rich

A. how              B. so                   C. however                   D. whatever

A. win                B. lose                C. throw                       D. forget

A. business         B. debt                 C. money                            D. chance

A. to                     B. on                       C. with                   D. in

A. bought                B. sold                 C. missed                      D. robbed

A. luck              B. riches                       C. trade                        D. future

A. countless        B. wonderful                  C. helpless                    D. funny

A. admire             B. help                  C. encourage                 D. excite

A. little            B. much                       C. any              D. lots

A. must                   B. may                C. shall                        D. can

A. mostly          B. simply               C. possibly             D. strictly

A. beyond          B. within                      C. during             D. by

A. really           B. actually                     C. hardly                      D. nearly

A. for                  B. into                     C. on                     D. from

A. so               B. enough                     C. true                D. right

A. trembling        B. shaking           C. breaking                   D. rolling

A. try              B. put                 C. leave                        D. add

A. cleared up        B. brought up          C. fell into                  D. turned into