An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to __1__ the house－building business to live a more __2__ life with his wife and __3__ his extended family. He would miss the paycheck(工资) each week, but he wanted to retire. They could __4__. 

The employer was __5__ to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, __6__ over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used bad workmanship and __7__ materials. It was an unfortunate way to __8__ a dedicated(献身的)career.

When the carpenter finished  his work, his employer came to __9__ the house. Then he handed the front－door __10__ to the carpenter and said, “This is your house... my __11__ to you.”

The carpenter was shocked!

What a __12__！ If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

__13__  it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting __14__ than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we __15__ we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot __16__. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or build a wall. Someone __17__ said, “Life is a do－it－yourself project.” Your __18__，  and the choices you __19__ today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build __20__！

1. A. continue　　　  B. start　　　C. leave　　　D. find

2. A. leisurely       B. lonely     C. orderly    D. friendly                 

3. A support        B. share      C. enjoy     D. care                  

4. A. go off             B. get by

C. pass on            D. work away

5. A. polite         B. nervous   C. proud     D. sorry                   

6. A. but           B. while     C. which       D. before         

7. A. perfect        B. inferior   C. superior    D. tough                  

8. A. satisfy      B. improve     C. meet      D. end                      

9. A. buy        B. repair       C. inspect    D. sell                  

10. A. roof      B. window      C. key      D. design                   

11. A. gift       B. promise      C. salary    D. words

12. A. disappointment      B. shame         

C. pleasure             D. success        

13. A. So       B. Yet          C. As       D. Such                    

14. A. worse     B. more        C. rather     D. less                     

15. A. realize    B. explain       C. think      D. admit                   

16. A. step forward         B. go back

C. come out            D. look around

17. A. never     B. again        C. once     D. nearly            

18. A. attitude   B. experience    C. skill      D. advantage       

19. A. learn       B. take       C. see        D. make                   

20. A. badly  B. wisely      C. early         D. confidently             

French novelist Jules Verne (1828—1905) is often called the father of science fiction. Although he was not a great traveler himself, his characters travelled to the moon (in From the Earth to the Moon), under the sea (in Twenty thousand leagues under the sea), into a volcano (in A journey to the centre of the earth), around the world (in Around the World in Eighty Days) and to many other places.

　　Jules Verne was born in the French city of Nantes in 1828. When he was a boy he ran away from home to work on a ship. However, his father soon found him and brought him home. After that he decided that any future travel he did would be in books. In 1847 his father sent Jules to Paris to study to be a lawyer. Even though he was busy writing, Verne passed his exams in 1849 with high marks.

　　When Jules told his father he did not want to be a lawyer, his father was very angry. He stopped sending his son any money, so Jules had to earn a living by his writing. Over the next few years he wrote many stories and plays, which brought him only a little money. Then, in 1856, he met Honorine de Viane, a rich, young widow with two children. The couple married the next year.

After his marriage, Verne worked as a businessman in Paris. However, he was not very successful at his job and spent most of his time writing books and doing research for the next one. In 1863 he published his novel Five Weeks in a balloon and the following year he published A Journey to the centre of the earth which made him famous. His books became so popular and earned him so much money that he was able to leave his job and work full time on his writing.

In his Lifetime, Jules Verne wrote more than 50 books and he became a rich man. Many of this imaginative novels have been turned into films.

56.When Jules Verne was brought home by his father, he decided that ________.

   A. he would devote himself to writing

   B. he would go on more travels in the future

   C. he would stop writing about future travels

   D. he would do what his father required

57Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. He was not good at his schoolwork.

   B. He went to Paris because he wanted to be a lawyer.

   C. His early stories and plays didn’t bring in much money.

   D. He got married in 1856.

58. Jules Verne became rich mainly because of his ________.

   A. family     B. marriage     C. business     D. writing

59. Which book can be considered as a turning point in Jules Verne’s life?

   A. From the Earth to the Moon.

   B. Five Weeks in a Balloon.

   C. A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

   D. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

60. Which can we infer from the passage?

   A. Jules Verne’s stories and plays were liked by film makers.

   B. Jules Verne was not clever enough to learn law.

   C. Jules Verne’s wife helped him a lot in his writing career.

   D. Jules Verne’s stories and plays made him famous in the 1850s.

Musa teaches English at Chunmiao Primary School in Wuhan. He had never heard of China’s idol (偶像) of selflessness before he arrived in the country, but this unusual young man from Nigeria is carrying on the good work of China’s hero soldier.

Musa’s week begins with a crowded two-hour bus ride for a flag-raising ceremony (仪式) at Chunmiao Primary School with old classrooms for the children of migrant (移民) workers on the outside parts of Wuhan. An hour later, he steps in front of a room full of expectant (期盼) students, some of whom recently organized a dance exhibition for their foreign teacher.

The dance showed the spirit of Lei Feng (1940-1962), a soldier who was idolized (作偶像) across China for his selflessness. It was especially meaningful to Musa because the students call him “foreign Lei Feng”.

“I know Lei Feng, he is a good man. Everyone should learn from Lei Feng,” he says.

Born to a family of diplomats (外交官) in 1985, he is the second of nine children and the eldest son. Musa was expected to become a diplomat like his father, who worked in Canada from 2007. In 2008, Musa was picked by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study in China for a master’s degree in sociology (社会学硕士学位). With the hope of joining the foreign service, he then went on to study for a doctor’s degree in international relations at Central China Normal University.

1.The students Musa teaches at Chunmiao Primary School are __________.

A. native children in Wuhan

B. children of workers from outside Wuhan

C. children from different foreign countries

D. children from poor families

2.Musa is called “Foreign Lei Feng” because __________.

A. he is doing good deeds as Lei Feng did

B. he is teaching English at a primary school

C. he is loved and respected by the students

D. he helps the students dropping out of school

3.Some students organized a dance exhibition to __________.

A. say good bye to their foreign teacher

B. show their wish to learn English

C. remember China’s hero soldier

D. honor their foreign teacher

4.Before he came to China, Musa ___________.

A. taught English in his country

B. did what Lei Feng did in the countryside

C. knew nothing about Lei Feng

D. was interested in Chinese dance

5.What can we learn about Musa from the last paragraph?

A. He studies Chinese in a China’s University.

B. He has an elder sister in his big family.

C. He was a foreign official in Canada.

D. He got a doctor’s degree in a China’s University.

 

阅读理解。从ABCD中选出正确的答案。（每题2分，共40分）

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

    The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour a week to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货）, saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

    I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.

    People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性） as a whole. And it has influenced（影响） us to be more mindful（注意的，留神的）of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

1.Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A. They used it for work and daily life.

B. It was their only possession.

C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.

D. The man's job was bike racing.

2.What does the underlined phrase mean?

A. go very far to see someone

B. walk out on foot to greet someone

C. help someone with one’s best

D. enjoy the moment with someone

3.We can infer from the text that ________.

A. the couple worked 60 hours a week

B. people were busy before Christmas

C. the stranger brought over the bike

D. life was hard for the young family

4.How did people get to know the couple's problem?

A. From a stranger.

B. From a newspaper.

C. From TV news.

D. From radio broadcasts.

5.What do the couple learn from their experience?

A. Strangers are usually of little help.

B. One should take care of their bike.

C. News reports make people famous.

D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

 

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that，several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影响) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
【小题1】Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. The man’s job was bike racing.     B. It was their only possession.
c. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.        D. They used it for work and daily life
【小题2】We can infer from the text that ________

A．The couple worked 60 hours a week

B．people were busy before Christmas

C．the stranger brought over the bike

D．life was hard for the young family

【小题3】How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A．From radio broadcasts.	B．From a newspaper.
C．From TV news.	D．From a stranger.

【小题4】What does the couple learn from their experience?

A．Strangers are usually of little help.

B．One should take care of their bike.

C．News reports make people famous.

D．An act of kindness can mean a lot.