Joy Mangano was 33 and divorced（离婚）, had three kids under age 7, and was hardly keeping up payments on her small two-bedroom home by working extra weekend hours as a waitress.

　　“Sometimes I would lie in bed and think. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the bills,” Mangano said.

　　But she had a gift for seeing the obvious. She knew how hard it was to mop the floor. “I was tired of bending down, putting my hands in dirty water and wringing（拧）out a mop.” Mangano says. “So, I thought: There’s going to be a better way.”

　　How about a “self wringing” mop? She designed a special tool that could be twisted（转动）in two directions while not making hands wet and dirty. She set out to sell it, first only a few at flea markets（跳蚤市场）.

　　Then Mangano met with the media. But would couch potatoes（泡在电视机前的人）buy a mop? The experts on shopping TV were less than certain. They gave it a try, and it failed. Mangano was sure it would sell if they’d let her do the on-camera demonstration.

　　QVC took a chance on her. “I got onstage and the phones went crazy. We sold every mop in minutes.”

　　Today she’s the president of Ingenious Designs, a multimillion-dollar company, and one of the stars of the Home Shopping Network. Talking about her household inventions is “as natural for me as it is for parents to talk about their children”.

　　Today one of her favorite products is Huggable Hangers. The thin, space-saving inventions are the most successful gadget（器具）ever sold on HSN, with 100 million hanging out there in closets across the country. Of course, you couldn’t possibly sell hangers on TV.

(1)What would be the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．There is going to be a better way

B．A woman invented the self-wringing mop

C．An ordinary woman sells her invention on TV

D．Women can all achieve remarkable success

(2)What does the underlined sentence “the phones went crazy” (in Paragraph 6) mean?

[　　]

A．Many people made calls to say they were mad.

B．There were lots of calls to order the new mop.

C．Many people were mad to see me on TV.

D．The telephone broke down at my home.

(3)Which is the correct order of the following events?

a．Mangano invented the most popular Huggable Hangers.

b．Mangano was tired of mopping the floor.

c．Mangano designed a self-wringing mop.

d．Mangano was ever worried about how to pay the bills.

e．Mangano did an on-camera demonstration to sell her mops.

[　　]

(4)What conclusion can be made from the story?

[　　]

A．Women can invent household tools because they often do housework.

B．Mangano treated her household inventions as she treated her children.

C．Mangano used to lie in bed and think of how to invent household tools.

D．One can make life better through work though it is sometimes hard.

When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you ? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It’s happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.

A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself, completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn’t my friend’s talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table.

When we picked up the check, the waitress said, “ Your meal was already paid for .” My friend and I didn’t have a clue how it happened. Then I remembered a man I saw out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes. The waitress said, “Yes, the gentleman in white paid for you .” It felt like an angel was saying “I see you, honey. It’s going to be okay.”

Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just 1 mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it “hitting the wall”. I thought I couldn’t move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, “What’s your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let’s go! Come on! It’s just around the corner! You can do it!” And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn’t even supposed to be in the race that day.

 I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these?

1.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. The kindness of strangers.              B. Valuable friendship .

C. Two special experiences .               D. Helping others is worthwhile

2.Why did the author suffer when dining out with a friend?

A. Because she didn’t like the dishes.

B. Because she quarreled with her friend

C. Because her friend only talked about himself.

D. Because she was sad for her last relationship.

3.The underlined expression in the passage means “______”.

A. being hurt by the wall              B. winning the game

C. taking a deep breath              D. running out of energy

When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you ? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It’s happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.
A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself, completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn’t my friend’s talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table.
When we picked up the check, the waitress said, “ Your meal was already paid for .” My friend and I didn’t have a clue how it happened. Then I remembered a man I saw out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes. The waitress said, “Yes, the gentleman in white paid for you .” It felt like an angel was saying “I see you, honey. It’s going to be okay.”
Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just 1 mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it “hitting the wall”. I thought I couldn’t move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, “What’s your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let’s go! Come on! It’s just around the corner! You can do it!” And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn’t even supposed to be in the race that day.
I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these?

1. 1.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The kindness of strangers
   2. B.
      Valuable friendship
   3. C.
      Two special experiences
   4. D.
      Helping others is worthwhile
2. 2.

   Why did the author suffer when dining out with a friend?

   1. A.
      Because she didn’t like the dishes
   2. B.
      Because she quarreled with her friend
   3. C.
      Because her friend only talked about himself
   4. D.
      Because she was sad for her last relationship
3. 3.

   The underlined expression in the passage means “______”

   1. A.
      being hurt by the wall
   2. B.
      winning the game
   3. C.
      taking a deep breath
   4. D.
      running out of energy

When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you ? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It’s happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.

A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself , completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn’t my friend’s talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table.

When we picked up the check, the waitress said , “ Your meal was already paid for .” My friend and I didn’t have a clue how it happened. Then I remembered a man I saw out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes . The waitress said ,”Yes , the gentleman in white paid for you .” It felt like an angel was saying “I see you ,honey. It’s going to be okay.”

Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just 1 mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it “hitting the wall”. I thought I couldn’t move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, “What’s your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let’s go! Come on ! It’s just around the corner! You can do it!” And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn’t even supposed to be in the race that day.

 I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these?

56. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

  A. The kindness of strangers.             B. Valuable friendship .

C. Two special experiences .        D. Helping others is worthwhile

57. Why did the author suffer when dining out with a friend?

  A. Because she didn’t like the dishes.

  B. Because she quarreled with her friend

  C. Because her friend only talked about himself.

  D. Because she was sad for her last relationship.

58. The underlined expression in the passage means “______”.

  A. being hurt by the wall        B. winning the game

  C. taking a deep breath               D. running out of energy

It was getting dark and snow was coming down. Joe was driving home. He’d been unemployed since the factory closed. Most of his friends had left, but he stayed on. After all, he was born here.

Suddenly he saw a lady standing on the side of the road and pulled up. She was worried. No one had stopped to help her. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry. Joe knew how she felt and said, “My name is Joe and I’m here to help you.” All she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Joe changed the tire, but he got dirty and his hands were hurt. She wanted to pay Joe and said any amount would have been all right. Joe never thought twice about the money and there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed.

Later the lady went in a dingy-looking restaurant to grab a bite to eat. The cash register was like the telephone of an out-of-work actor----it didn’t ring much. The waitress, who was nearly eight months pregnant, brought a clean towel to her with a sweet smile. The old lady remembered Joe. After the waitress brought the change from a 100-dollar bill, she found the lady gone and something written on a piece of paper, “Someone once helped me out----the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don’t let the chain of love end with you.”

That night the waitress gave her sleeping husband a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Joe.”

What do we know about Joe from this passage?

A. On his way home after work, he helped an old lady.

B. He had worked in a factory in his hometown before.

C. He would move away to fulfill his dream soon.

D. Though he was poor, he didn’t care about money at all.

The saying “she wanted to pay Joe and said any amount would have been all right” in Paragraph 2

suggests that _____.

A. the old lady was very grateful to Joe’s timely aid

B. the old lady was much worried to be hurt by Joe

C. the old lady wanted to show off her fortune to Joe  

D. the old lady’s car was very difficult to repair for Joe

Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A. The restaurant was not only light but also clean.

B. The old lady did have a big meal in the small restaurant.

C. The waitress was more than eight months pregnant.

D. The old lady left the remaining money to the waitress.

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Acts of luck                               B.A warm-hearted man

C. The chain of love                       D.A generous lady