阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从各题所给的A、 B、 C、D 四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。
One day a father and his 5-year-old son were decorating（装饰） the Christmas tree. A little boy about six years old came to the front door begging. In Mexico, people taking begging as a normal ____1____ of life. People just accept it and they give ____2____ they have.
When they saw the little boy, the father and the son went to the front door. The little boy was ____3____ dressed and seemed very cold. The father went back with his son and said to him, “give him one of your___4___.” The little boy opened his box and ____5____ an old one, but his father said to him, “No, no---give him your ____6____”And the little boy, like a little tiger, shouted, “no way!” He cried and refused to give what he liked best to the little boy. ____7____ the father insisted (坚持) softly, “No, you must give him one of your favorite toys. He may not have a mom or dad. It’s ____8____ outside, yet he can’t stay at home to sit by a fire to enjoy the ____9____ of Christmas.”
Hearing that, the boy, with his ____10____ down, picked out a toy he had just got. He walked to the front door with the toy in his hand, and the father ____11____ in the living room.
After about ten ____12____, his son came running back into the living room.
“Daddy, can I give him ____13____ one” shouted the little boy happily.
The father did not know what had happened to his son and the little boy, yet he felt very ____14____ that his son finally understood the joy of ____15____.

Saturday morning was bright and fresh. There was a song in every heart, cheer on every face, and a spring in every step.

Tom appeared with a bucket（桶）of white paint in one hand and a brush in the other. His Aunt Polly told him to paint the fence（篱笆）around the garden. It was ninety feet long and nine feet high. He felt very blue.

Then he had a wonderful idea. He picked up his brush and started to work.

Soon Ben came along the road. He was happily eating an apple. He stopped to look at Tom. Tom went on painting and pretended（假装）not to see Ben.

“I’m going swimming,” said Ben. “Do you want to go swimming, Tom? But I guess you can’t. You have to stay and work, don’t you?”

 “Work?” Tom said. “This isn’t work. I’m enjoying myself. Does a boy get a chance to paint a fence like this every day?”

Ben thought about this. Tom continued painting carefully. Sometimes he stopped, stood back to look at the fence like an artist, and then added（增加）a bit more paint in just the right place. Ben was watching Tom paint with great interest. He was getting more and more eager（渴望的）to have a try himself.

After a while, Ben asked Tom if he would let him paint a little. Tom thought about it, and said, “No, Ben, I can’t. You see. Aunt Polly wants it to be done well. Aunt Polly said that I must paint it with great care.”

“Oh, please, Tom,” begged Ben. “I can do it. I’ll be really careful. Just let me try. I’ll give you half of my apple. Well, I’ll give you all of it!”

“Well, all right, Ben,” said Tom. “You must be very careful.”

He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He sat down under the tree, and started to eat Ben’s apple. All day, boys came to make fun of Tom, but they ended up staying to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy was waiting. He gave Tom a kite for a chance to paint. Then Johnny offered him a basketball, and so on.

By late afternoon Tom had got all kinds of toys, and the fence had got three coats of paint. Later Aunt Polly came to look at the painted fence. She was so pleased with Tom’s work that she gave Tom a large cake!

1.Why did Tom pretend not to see Ben when he came and watched him painting?

A. He saw Ben eating an apple happily.

B. He tried to make Ben interested in it.

C. He didn’t want to go swimming with Ben at all.

D. He didn’t want Ben to share the chance to paint the fence.

2.What does the underlined word “spring” probably mean in Chinese?

A. 春天           B. 弹簧           C. 泉                            D. 活力

3.What do you think of Tom?

A. Honest.           B. Smart.             C. Shy.                   D. Stubborn.

John and Henry studied in the same school. John lived in fear of Henry — every day he gave his lunch money to Henry, but Henry still beat (揍) him up. He said that if John told anyone he would beat him up in front of all the other kids in his class. John had to ask his mom for more and more lunch money, but he seemed    1   than ever and came home from school hungry every day.
John even cried one day, and a girl told everyone that he was just like a baby and had cried. John was    2    and felt so bad about himself and about school.
One day, John met Jimmy, a boy    3    also had to give his lunch money to Henry. John told Jimmy how he    4    bullying (欺侮), and found that Jimmy felt the same. They finally thought of a good way of dealing with their    5   .
The following day, Henry came to John to ask him for his lunch money.
“I don’t want to give my money to you,” said John.
“What?” Henry shouted.
John said    6   , “I want to have my lunch today, and you, get away (滚开)!”
“You want to get beaten up?!”
Just then Henry’s fist (拳头) was hitting John’s face, they heard    7   shout, “Stop!” Henry was very angry to hear that. He turned around    8    found that his teacher Ms Brown was standing just behind him. He felt very surprised. Jimmy had taken Ms. Brown to John’s class and she    9    the bullying with her own eyes. Henry was taken to the head teacher’s office.   10   that, he never bullied others again. John and Jimmy helped not only themselves but Henry and other kids.

Saturday morning was bright and fresh. There was a song in every heart, cheer on every face, and a spring in every step.

Tom appeared with a bucket（桶）of white paint in one hand and a brush in the other. His Aunt Polly told him to paint the fence（篱笆）around the garden. It was ninety feet long and nine feet high. He felt very blue.

Then he had a wonderful idea. He picked up his brush and started to work.

Soon Ben came along the road. He was happily eating an apple. He stopped to look at Tom. Tom went on painting and pretended（假装）not to see Ben.

“I’m going swimming,” said Ben. “Do you want to go swimming, Tom? But I guess you can’t. You have to stay and work, don’t you?”       

“Work?” Tom said. “This isn’t work. I’m enjoying myself. Does a boy get a chance to paint a fence like this every day?”

Ben thought about this. Tom continued painting carefully. Sometimes he stopped, stood back to look at the fence like an artist, and then added（增加）a bit more paint in just the right place. Ben was watching Tom paint with great interest. He was getting more and more eager（渴望的）to have a try himself.

After a while, Ben asked Tom if he would let him paint a little. Tom thought about it, and said, “No, Ben, I can’t. You see. Aunt Polly wants it to be done well. Aunt Polly said that I must paint it with great care.”

“Oh, please, Tom,” begged Ben. “I can do it. I’ll be really careful. Just let me try. I’ll give you half of my apple. Well, I’ll give you all of it!”

“Well, all right, Ben,” said Tom. “You must be very careful.”

He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He sat down under the tree, and started to eat Ben’s apple. All day, boys came to make fun of Tom, but they ended up staying to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy was waiting. He gave Tom a kite for a chance to paint. Then Johnny offered him a basketball, and so on.

By late afternoon Tom had got all kinds of toys, and the fence had got three coats of paint. Later Aunt Polly came to look at the painted fence. She was so pleased with Tom’s work that she gave Tom a large cake!

1.Why did Tom pretend not to see Ben when he came and watched him painting?

    A. He saw Ben eating an apple happily.

    B. He tried to make Ben interested in it.

    C. He didn’t want to go swimming with Ben at all.

    D. He didn’t want Ben to share the chance to paint the fence.

2.What does the underlined word “spring” probably mean in Chinese?

    A. 春天             B. 弹簧           C. 泉                 D. 活力

3.What do you think of Tom?

    A. Honest.          B. Smart.         C. Shy.               D. Stubborn.