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　　Mr Gray traveled a lot on business. He sold machines of various kinds to farmers. It was not really a very 1 job, but Mr Gray had always been interested in 2 , and he was quite satisfied with his life.

　　He had a big car, and usually 3 driving it long distances, but he was also quite 4 to go by train sometimes tooespecially when the weather was 5 . He was a little frightened of driving in rain or snow, and it was less tiring to 6 comfortably in a train and look out of the windows without being worried about 7 one was going to get to the next place.

　　One of Mr Gray's problems was often where to 8 when he reached some small place in the country. He did not expect 9 but he found it troublesome when he was given a cold room 10 a long and tiring day.

　　Late one winter evening, Mr Gray arrived at a 11 railway station. The journey by train that day had not been at all 12 , and Mr Gray was cold and tired and 13 . He was looking forward to a simple but satisfying meal by a brightly burning 14 , and then a hot bath and a comfortable bed.

　　While he was walking to the taxi stand, he said to a local man, “ 15 this is my first visit here and I was in too much of a 16 to find out about hotels before I left home, I would very much like to know 17 you have here.”

　　The local man answered,“We have two.”

　　“And which of the two would you 18 me to go to?”Mr Gray asked then. The local man thought for a few moments and then answered,“Well , it's 19 this: whichever one you go to, you'll be 20 you didn't go to the other.”

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Once upon a time two brothers who lived on neighbouring farms fell into conflict. 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 cooperoration 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's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days’ work" he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with. 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 river 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 or his face any more. 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, 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, and hammering.

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 spread out ..

"You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done."

The two 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 many more bridges to build."

1..  What was the life for the two brothers before the conflict ?

  A. They live a poor , miserable life .

B. They were friendly neighbours ,helping each other .

C. They never speak to each other .

D. They live together as one family.

2..  The underlined word “spite” in paragraph 4 probably means ______________.

A. try to please                     B. make angry on purpose

C. laught at                         D. look down upon

3...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 brothers made peace at last .

4..  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

 

O．Henry，born in Greensboro，North Carolina，was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.His father，Algernon Sidney Porter，was a physician.When William was three years old，his mother died，and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt.William was a good reader，but at the age of fifteen he left school，and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm.After that，he moved to Houston，where he had a number of jobs，including that of bank clerk.After moving to Austin，Texas，in 1882，he married.

In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The  Rolling Stone.When the weekly failed，he joined The  Houston Post as a reporter and columnist(专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial(财务的)dealings.While in prison，William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret.His first work，Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking(1899)，appeared in McClure’s Magazine.After serving three years of the five years’ sentence，he changed his name to O．Henry，hoping to forget his bitter past.

O．Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World，and also published the stories in other magazines.His first collection，Cabbages and Kings，appeared in 1904.Many other works quickly followed，such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room.O.Henry’s best known work is The Ransom of Red Chief.His stories always have surprising endings.He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.

O．Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking，ill health，and financial problems.In 1907，he experienced a failed marriage.In 1910，O.Henry died after an illness.

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A．A brief introduction to O．Henry.

B．O.Henry’s career and marriage.

C．How O．Henry became a well­known writer.

D．O.Henry’s best known works.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that O．Henry ________.

A．didn’t like to study during his childhood

B．had little parental love as a child

C．was very interested in medicine and farming

D．took up only one job after he moved to Houston

3.Which is the right time order for the following events in O．Henry’s life?

①He moved to New York City.

②He joined The Houston Post.

③Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking came out.

④The Furnished Room came out.

⑤Cabbages and Kings appeared.

A．①②③④⑤  B．②①③⑤④    C．③②①④⑤  D．②③①⑤④

4.Which of the following works of O. Henry’s is the most popular according to the passage?

A．Cabbages and Kings.

B．The Gift of the Magi.

C．The Furnished Room.

D．The Ransom of Red Chief.

 

Work is a part of living—my grandparents understood that. They lived and worked on a farm that has been in my family for 150 years. They raised chickens for eggs, pigs and cattle for meat. Cows were kept for milk and the cream, from which Grandma made butter and cheese. What little yard they had became a garden.

The Depression, therefore, didn’t make much change in their lives. But it did bring an unending flow of men out of work, drifting from job to job, to the farm. The first to show up at the door of the kitchen was a man in rags. He took off his hat and quietly explained that he hadn’t eaten for a while. Grandpa stood watching him a bit , then said , “There’s a stack of firewood against the fence behind the barn (谷仓). I’ve been needing to get it moved to the other side of the fence. You have just about enough time to finish the job before lunch.”

Grandma said a surprising thing happened. The man got a shine in his eyes and he hurried to the barn at once. She set another place at the table and made an apple pie. During lunch, the stranger didn’t say much, but when he left, his shoulders had straightened. “Nothing ruins a man like losing his self-respect,” Grandpa later told me.

Soon after, another man showed up asking for a meal. This one was dressed in a suit and carried a small old suitcase. Grandpa came out when he heard voices. He looked at the man and then offered a handshake.” There is a stack of firewood along the fence down behind the barn I’ve been meaning to get it moved. It’d sure be a help to me. And we’d be pleased to have you stay for lunch.” The fellow set his suitcase aside and neatly laid his coat on top. Then he set off to work.

Grandma says she doesn’t remember how many strangers they shared a meal with during those Depression days—or how many times that stack of wood got moved.

51. When he was asked to move a stack of firewood, the first man who asked for a meal got a       shine in his eyes for he was glad that          .

      A. he had found a good job

       B. he would have something to eat

       C. he would get what he wanted without losing his self-respect

       D. he would no longer suffer from the Depression

52. The writer’s grandfather asked those jobless men to move the stack of firewood because          .

       A. he didn’t want them to have a meal free of charge

       B. he had been needing to get it moved

       C. he wanted to help them in his own way

       D. he wanted to show them his kindness

53. The writer’s grandfather was all of the following but          .

       A. thoughtful           B. kind                    C. sympathetic        D. wealthy

54. The best title for the story would be          .

      A. No Pains, No Gains                            B. Work—A Part of Living

       C. The Depression                                                                 D. The Pleasure of farming