One summer evening as I was cooking dinner, there was a knock at the door. I opened it and saw an old man. But his voice was pleasant as he said, “Good evening. I come to see if you have a room for just one night. I live far away from here, and there's no bus till next morning. ”

I told him we would find him a bed, but it was not comfortable. I went inside and cooked dinner. When we were ready, I asked him if he would like to join us. “No, thank you. I have plenty.” When I had finished the dinner, I went out to talk with him. He told me he fished for a living to help his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was ill and too weak to do anything.

At bedtime, we put a bed in the children's room for him. On his next trip, as a gift, he brought a big fish and some fresh vegetables. In the years he came to stay overnight with us, and there was never a time he did not bring us some fish or vegetables from his garden.

 I know it was thankful for our family to know him, from whom we learn what was to accept the bad without a complaint(抱怨) and the good with thanks.

1Why did the old man go to the writer's house?

A. To give a fish to the writer.                   B. To stay for the night.

C. To sell some fish.                             D. To ask for some money.

2 How many people were there in the old man's daughter's family?

A. Two.           B. Four.                 C. Six.           D. Seven.

3 Which of the following is true?

 A. The old man stayed for the night with the writer only once.

 B. The old man came to the writer's house to ask for some food.

 C. The old man came to stay with the writer for the night many times.

 D. The old man felt lonely because he had no son or daughter.

British people are famous for drinking tea. But brother and sister, Sarah and Bobby Green, became young millionaires(百万富翁) when they opened a chain of American-style coffee shops in the UK.

Having the idea: It started when Sarah took a weekend trip to New York to visit her brother Bobby. One evening, in a Thai restaurant, Sarah told Bobby how much she wished she could buy American-style coffee in London. Bobby suggested they started their own coffee shop. Sarah fell in love with the idea.

Doing the research: Back in London, she spent a whole day on the London subway, getting off the train at different stations to taste the coffee. “It was terrible, and I knew there was a gap (空缺) in the market.” In 1995, they opened their first Coffee Republic shop in the center of London.

Making it work: The first year was very difficult. British people were not used to the names of American coffees, like latte and macchiato. But being successful was their dream and they were not going to give up. Today, there are over 100 Coffee Republic shops all over the country and the company has ￡30 million a year.

Advice for others: Sarah has now written a best-selling book about their experience, called Anyone Can Do It! She hopes it will help other young people to start their own businesses. She says, “If you think you have the energy, then get out and follow your dream.”

4What kind of company do they run?

A. A fast-food restaurant.                                B. A tea shop.   

C. A coffee shop.                       D. A big hotel.

5 Where are their Coffee Republic shops?

A. All over the UK.                        B. All over the US.

C. In the center of London.                D. In New York.

6Which information is mentioned in the passage?

A. Sarah was not interested in Bobby’s idea.

 B. British people never drank coffee before 1995.

 C. Sarah’s best-selling book is about how to make coffee.

 D. Sarah found a business chance while doing the research.

Most people around the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1,500 B. C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world's population is left-handed.

  Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person's two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain(脑). The right side of the brain, which makes a person's hands and eyes work together, controls(控制) the left hand. The left-side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.

No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged(伤害) when they are born. However, this doesn't happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene(基因)for right-handedness, he/she may become either right-handed or left-handed according (根据)to the chance and the people they work or live with.

  Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don't have to.

7 After studying works of art made at different times in history, the scientists

found ____________.

A. the art began from 1,500 B. C.

B. the works of art ended in the 1950s

C. most people shown in the works of art are right-handed

D. most people shown in the works of art are left-handed

8 How many people in the world are left-handed now?

A. Less than one sixth.                 B. More than a half.

C. About 40%.                             D. The passage doesn't tell us.

9 According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed.

B. Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed.

C. Today children are not made to use their right hands only.

D. Left-handedness is cleverer than right-handedness.

10 What is the best title for this passage?

A. Left-handed People                           B. Scientists' New Inventions

 C. Which Hand                         D. Different Brains, Different Hands

Start Today

  "What can you do when you have done nothing but mess up your whole  life  long?" These were the words I heard when I   36   the TV the other day. They were coming  from one of  the  talk shows   37 are so popular on TV  these days.  I started  to  turn the channel but  the words  I had   38   made me stop  for a moment.  I   39    the speaker of  them. He couldn't have been more  than 18 years old, but already he was writing off （认为……已失败） his life as a useless waste.

  I wanted to shout at him:" You're not   40    yet!"

  It is   41   sad that so many people cannot get beyond (摆脱) their pasts and live   42   the present. There are so many people like that talk show guest. There are people still  in  their  teen years   43    that their lives are over. There are people in their twenties who already think they have   44   the boat to success and happiness. There are people in their thirties and forties who sit around complaining that life has passed them by.  I want  to shout  to  them all:" Wake up! You're still  45  ! What have you done today?" If you want a happy  life, you can't dwell on(细想、纠缠于)your past   46  . If you want joy and love  in your  life, you have  to choose  them  today. God gives us a new chance at  life every  time we wake up in the morning. It is up to us to seize it.

  Today  47 be  the beginning of a new  life for each of us. We can choose  joy right now. We can share love today. We can  live  in delight starting at this moment. It doesn't matter how hard our past has been. Our present can be full of joy and our future can be full of 48   .  It doesn't matter  if we are eight 49   eighty--we can still make our  lives   50   . Life isn't over until your last heartbeat. Start today, then, to make your heart beat with joy, love, and light.

36. A. turned down B. turned off     C. turned on D. turned up

37. A. when    B. that    C. one      D. what

38. A. heard   B. found   C. seen     D. listened to

39. A. looked up   B. looked after     C. looked for D. looked at

40. A. death    B. dead    C. die D. died

41. A. so     B. so a    C. such D. such a

42. A. at     B. with    C. in D. to

43. A. think     B. thinking   C. thinks   D. to think

44. A. taken    B. caught    C. missed    D. lost

45. A. alive     B. living     C. lively     D. lovely

46. A. mistake   B. mistakes  C. wrong   D. ideas

47. A. must     B. mustn't     C. can't     D. can

48. A. pain  B. happiness      C. sadness D. challenge

49. A. and     B. to    C. or    D. between

50. A. wonder B. wondering     C. wondered D. wonderful

    One night l was sitting in my room half-listening when my 14-year-old son Tommy fought with his 12-year-old brother Kevin. I didn't pay attention when Kevin rushed up the stairs with the hurt on his face.

    About 20 minutes later, when l was walking upstairs I hear Kevin crying inside the bathroom. I knocked on the door and asked, "Hey, Kevin, do you want to talk?"

    No answer.

    I tried again, "Why don't you come out of there?"

    Again, no answer.

    So, looking around, I took a stack of（一摞）cards and a pencil and wrote, "If you don't want to talk, we can write notes to each other."

An hour later I was still sitting on the floor outside the bathroom with two stacks of cards in front of me. One was blank and one was cards from Kevin on which he expressed all his terrible feeling into words for me, One of Kevin's notes said, "Nobody in this family cares about me. I am not the youngest, and I am not the oldest. Tommy thinks I am silly and Dad wishes he had the other

    Kevin as a kid because he's better at basketball. And you're never around to even notice me."

My eyes became wet as I wrote back to him. "You know, Kevin, I really do love you and I'm sorry I don't always show it. I am here for you and you are loved in this family."

There was no answer for a while, but then l hear a tearing（撕）sound coming from inside the bathroom. Kevin who had run out of cards wrote on a torn paper cup, "Thanks."

I wrote back "For what?"

It returned to me with "Loving me" on it.

Since then, I try my best to never only half-notice my family members any more. Kevin and I have a closer relationship now. And sometimes when one of us notices that the other is unhappy,  we'll smile and say "Write it on a paper cup."

46. Why did Kevin stay inside the bathroom alone crying?

     A. Because he thought he was the worst boy in the family.

     B. Because he hurt his face when rushing up the stairs.

     C. Because he felt no love from the family members.

     D. Because he thought Mum only half-noticed him.

47. What makes Kevin think that Dad doesn't like him?

     A. He is much sillier than Tommy is.

     B. He isn't good at playing basketball.

     C. He doesn't like to make friends with others.

     D. He always refuses to answer others' questions.

48. Which of the following is true about the writer?

     A. She has two children.

     B. Kevin is the child who she loves best in her family.

     C. She didn't love Kevin at all in the past.

     D. She didn't pay enough attention to Kevin before.

49. What's the main idea of the passage?

     A. Writing words on a paper cup is a good way of communication.

     B. It's hard to get on well with family members.

     C. People should show how they love their family members.

     D. It's important to keep peace in the family.