A king had a wonderful talent for growing flowers. He became old and didn’t want to deal with big things anymore. So he began to look for someone to take his place. But who could he trust for the job? He thought for a while and got an idea. He would let the flowers decide. He gave everyone a little seed (种子). The one who could grow the most beautiful flower from the seed would be the next leader.

    A girl called Serena was very beautiful and wanted to grow the most beautiful flower. She planted it in a nice pot and took great care of it, but nothing would grow.

    The next year she saw everyone come to the palace with pots full of beautiful flowers. She was disappointed but also went to the meeting with her empty pot. The king looked through all the flowerpots and then stopped at hers.

    “Why is your pot empty?” he asked.

    “Your Majesty (陛下), I did everything to make it grow, but I have failed,” she answered.

    “No, you didn’t,” he said.

“You see, the seeds I’ve given out were all roasted (烤过的), so nothing could come out of them. I have no idea where all these flowers come from. But you have been honest and by being so, you will become my successor (继承人).”

1.The king wanted to choose a person to _____.

A. be the next leader             B. grow beautiful flowers for him

C. be his daughter or son          D. make friends with him

2. How did the little seed show who was the right person?

A. It had some special power.

B. The king knew nothing could grow from it.

C. A special flower could grow from it.

D. Only a good person could grow beautiful flowers from it.

3.The king knew that those with pots of beautiful flowers _____.

A. worked hard          B. cheated him

C. were kind to plants     D. were good at growing flowers

4.In this passage the underlined word “given out” means ______.

A. 收到        B. 拿来         C. 分发       D. 奖励

5.From the story, we learn that _____ is a good quality.

A. Kindness     B. carefulness     C. honesty     D. politeness

Ivan Fletcher loves crazy invention. He writes a Weekly magazine column called "Unbelievable Inventions"

   "One of my favorite inventions is the Butter Stick. It looks like a Stick of glue ( 胶 ), but it's butter. You rub it on the bread instead of using a knife," he says. Another cool invention is Duster Slippers for pets. You put these special shoes on your dog or cat. As the animal runs around your house, it collects dust from the floor. Very useful!" A lot of these inventions come from Japan m the home of the crazy invention.

   Ivan says that the British also invent a lot of crazy things. "The other day I found an invention called a Cat Seat Saver," he says. "The Cat Seat Saver looks exactly like a sleeping cat but it isn't real. You put it on your scat if you have to go to the restroom. No one will sit on your seat because they think there's a sleeping cat on it. Pretty cool!"

  However, does anyone buy these things? Yes. Lucy Wade from the shopping website crazygadgcts.com says that their customers are young, professional people.

  "They buy these small things mostly for fun," she says. "They arc usually looking for a present for a friend's birthday or a silly gift for a colleague."

   If you have an idea for an amazing invention, send it to Lucy at lucyw@crazygadgets.

   Fish Radio

   This useful radio is completely waterproof, so you can listen to it in the shower. Simply stick it on the bathroom wall and sing along to your favorite songs as you shower!

   Watch Your Back Mirror

   Don't get caught surfing the Internet or sending e-mails to your friends. Attach (附上) this mirror to your computer screen and you'll be able to see when the boss is coming!

1. You put the Watch Your Back Mirror

      A. on your bathroom wall                 B. next to your boss

      C. on your desk                         D. on your computer screen

2. One of the inventions that Ivan Fletcher likes best is

      A. the Fish Radio                       B. the Butter Stick

      C. the Watch Your Back Mirror             D. the Cat Seat Saver

3. The Cat Seat Saver

      A. is a real cat                           B. is a pillow for cats

      C. looks like a real cat                    D. collects dust from the floor

4. You put the Duster Slippers

      A. on your pet’s feet                      B. on your feet

      C. on your pet’s head                     D. on the floor

5. Why is the Fish Radio useful?

      A. You can listen to it in the shower.      B. It is small enough to put in the bathroom.

      C. it is shaped like a fish.               D. It sings your favorite songs.