A little boy was visiting his grandparents on their farm．He was given a slingshot （弹弓） to play with out in the woods．He （ 1） in the woods, but he could never hit anything．Getting a little （ 2） , he headed back for dinner．As he was （3 ） back he saw Grandma's pet （ 4） ．Just out of impulse （冲动）, he let the slingshot （5）,

hit the duck right in the head and killed it．He was shocked and （6） ．

In a panic, he hid the （7） duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said （8） ．After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the （9）．" But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he （ 10 ） to help in the kitchen．" Then she（11） to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny washed the dishes．Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing．Before they left, Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I （ 12） Sally to help me make supper．"Sally just smiled and said, "Well, you needn't worry about it （13） Johnny told me he wanted to help．"She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went （14） and Johnny stayed to help．After several days of doing both his （15） and Sally's, he finally couldn't （16） it any longer．He came to Grandma and admitted that he had （17） the duck．

Grandma knelt down, gave him a （18） , and said, "Sweetheart, I know．You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the （19） thing, but because I love you．I forgave you．I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a （ 20 ） of you．If you make a mistake, just be brave to admit to it and promise not to make it again．In that way, everyone will forgive you．"

1．A．worked                B．practiced             C．climbed               D．searched

2．A．pleased                 B．worried              C．puzzled               D．discouraged

3．A．turning                 B．looking                C．walking               D．falling

4．A．dog                      B．duck                   C．cat                      D．rabbit

5．A．rise                       B．leave                  C．stop                    D．fly

6．A．sad                       B．lucky                  C．angry                  D．excited

7．A．happy                   B．hungry                C．fat                      D．dead

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

9．A．clothes                  B．dishes                 C．hands                 D．floors

10．A．wanted                B．managed             C．tried                    D．willing

11．A．shouted              B．explained            C．talked                 D．whispered

12．A．command           B．request                C．need                   D．allow

13．A．until                    B．because              C．while                  D．although

14．A．fishing                B．swimming           C．climbing              D．shopping

15．A．exercise              B．lesson                 C．problem              D．housework

16．A．accept                 B．afford                 C．stand                  D．support

17．A．hurt                    B．killed                  C．hidden                 D．wounded

18．A．kiss                    B．surprise               C．gift                    D．suggestion

19．A．strange               B．terrible                C．serious                D．whole

20．A．enemy                 B．winner                C．slave                   D．leader

It had been a tiring day and I was looking forward to a quiet evening．My husband wouldn’t come back until late and I had   1    to sit down in a comfortable armchair in the living room and read a book．I   2   the children to bed early and   3    a cold supper and some coffee．Soon I was sitting comfortably with a plate   4    with food before me and a book at my side．

I was just beginning to eat when the telephone rang．I put down my knife and fork and hurried to   5    it．By the time I got back to the living room, my coffee   6    cold．After I finished my   7    I began to drink my coffee with my book   8    at page one．Suddenly there was a   9    at the door．It gave me such a great surprise that I spilt the  10    and made an ugly stain（污迹）on my skirt．Some stranger had got   11    and wanted me to show him the way．It   12    ages to get rid of him．At last I   13   to sit down again and actually read a whole page without any more interruption until the baby woke up．He began crying loudly and I rushed upstairs．The baby was   14    awake at eleven o'clock when my husband came home．I should have cried myself when he asked me if I had a（n）  15    evening！

1．A．decided            B．started           C．come          D．hurried

2．A．put                B．made            C．threw          D．allowed

3．A．boiled             B．heated         C．cooked          D．prepared

4．A．full                B．filled             C．filling              D．to be filled

5．A．receive                  B．accept                 C．answer                D．reply

6．A．was getting        B．had got          C．would get         D．got

7．A．supper            B．drinking        C．reading          D．coffee

8．A．opening           B．opened           C．open                D．being opened

9．A．stranger           B．loud knock       C．dog                D．man

10．A．food             B．supper           C．coffee               D．plate

11．A．lost               B．gone                C．missing           D．disappeared

12．A．cost            B．spent            C．paid             D．took

13．A．tried             B．hoped           C．managed          D．decided

14．A．already           B．still             C．possibly          D．almost

15．A．pleasant        B．exciting          C．friendly           D．lonely

Waller was a liked－by－all fellow full of fun who often went to coffee houses to tell people interesting stories, of which some even brought him some money. One day, asked by an office secretary who told Waller that his boss was a never－seen before serious man and he never even smiled. Waller would tell a most funny story. “Well, sir,” Waller said before he began the story, “What will be given in return of my success?”“＄100,”replied the secretary. “I haven’t seen him have a bright face since I worked in his office.”
“Then let’s make it.” Waller went to the man’s table and whispered to him, “Please tell your boss that the funny man Waller’s hen gave birth to a baby.”
Three days later a letter reached Mr. Waller in which were ＄100 and a piece of yellow paper with the words, “Mr. Waller, you have succeeded—When I repeated your ＄100－worth sentence, my boss burst into frightening laughter, saying that whoever has managed to make him laugh during the business hours will get dismissed!”
【小题1】The secretary asked Waller for a most funny story because he ______.

A．was tired of his boss seriousness

B．tried to please his serious boss with it

C．wanted to improve his working conditions

D．wanted to see his boss' laughing face

【小题2】Saying "Let's make it," Waller______．

A．was sure of his success

B．thought of nothing but the 100-dollar return

C．knew that his hen had really given a birth to a baby

D．wondered whether he could make the boss smile or not

【小题3】Which of the following ends is true according to the passage?

A．The boss was never so strict with the secretary from then on．

B．The secretary lost his job in office．

C．The secretary dare not make his boss laugh any longer．

D．Mr．Waller was dismissed at last．

【小题4】Which sentence can describe the theme of the story?

A．Things Went Opposite to Wishes

B．Satisfying Both Sides

C．Killing Two Birds with One Stone

D．Either Is in His Proper Place

Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（绿洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.

When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.

Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.

Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________________________.

1.Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.

A. prove that people could walk out of the desert see

B. how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert

C. tell people not to walk in circles

D. show Argutel was a great person

2.According to the passage, Ken Levin ________.

A. knew Argutel before he came to the village

B. came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college

C. became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village

D. taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days

B. the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert

C. tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved

D. Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return

4.Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel’s statue?

A. A new life starts from the fixed direction.

B. Where there is a will , there is a way .

C. A long journey starts with the first step .

D. Two heads are better than one.

 

Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（绿洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.

When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.

Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.

Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________________________________.

1.Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.

A. prove that people could walk out of the desert see

B. how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert

C. tell people not to walk in circles

D. show Argutel was a great person

2.According to the passage, Ken Levin ________.

A. knew Argutel before he came to the village

B. came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college

C. became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village

D. taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days

B. the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert

C. tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved

D. Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return

4.Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel’s statue?

A. A new life starts from the fixed direction.

B. Where there is a will, there is a way.

C. A long journey starts with the first step.

D. Two heads are better than one.