The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.

       The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.

       As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money fro my son’s gift! Oh no!”

       “Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.

       Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the registewr, Kandt counted $ 220.

       Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.

       The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

       A．collect $ 220 for her family    B．buy her son a CD player as a gift

       C．buy enough food for her family     D．organize a big party for her son

Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

       A．He was impatient and wanted to go home.

       B．He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.

       C．He wanted the woman to stand in another line.

       D．He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.

What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

       A．a description of a man standing in the line           

       B．the cashier, Jeffery Kandt

       C．the collection of $ 220

       D．a reason why the strangers collected he money

What can we learn from the passage?

       A．The woman collected money by herself.

       B．The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.

       C．Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.

       D．The woman had never ay money.

The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.
The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.
As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money fro my son’s gift! Oh no!”
“Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.
Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the registewr, Kandt counted $ 220.
Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.
The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

1. 1.

   According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

   1. A.
      collect $ 220 for her family
   2. B.
      buy her son a CD player as a gift
   3. C.
      buy enough food for her family
   4. D.
      organize a big party for her son
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

   1. A.
      He was impatient and wanted to go home.
   2. B.
      He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.
   3. C.
      He wanted the woman to stand in another line.
   4. D.
      He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.
3. 3.

   What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

   1. A.
      a description of a man standing in the line
   2. B.
      the cashier, Jeffery Kandt
   3. C.
      the collection of $ 220
   4. D.
      a reason why the strangers collected he money
4. 4.

   What can we learn from the passage?

   1. A.
      The woman collected money by herself.
   2. B.
      The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.
   3. C.
      Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.
   4. D.
      The woman had never ay money.

       The Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, was crowded. People were waiting in long lines at checkout counters to pay for small things that would be next-morning treasures under someone’s Christmas tree.

       The woman standing in cashier Jeffrey Kandt’s line seemed to be living on the edge of subsistence（生计）. Her clothes were worn and her hands were those of a person who’d worked hard for what she had. She held a single item in her arms as she patiently waited to move to the front of the line — a Sony CD player. She had saved all year for this. With tax, the total would be close to $ 220.

       As the woman got close to the cashier, she suddenly shouted, “Where’s my money? All of my money for my son’s gift! Oh no!”

       “Why my line?” Kandt thought as he watched the poor woman searching through her clothes. He was going to have to call his manager to avoid the sale but it would mean a long wait for the customers behind her. “I am going to go home late tonight,” Kandt thought.

       Then an amazing thing happened. At the back of the line, a man took out his wallet, pulled out $100 and passed it forward. As the cash moved up the line, a twen5ty-dollar bill was added here, and a ten-dollar bill was added there. When the collection finally reached the register, Kandt counted $ 220.

       Strangers had fulfilled a poor woman’s Christmas wish.

       The poor in his line at the Wal-Mart in Cleburne, Texas, had come together on Christmas Eve, 2002.

60．According to the passage, the woman’s Christmas wish was to ______.

       A．collect $ 220 for her family                   B．buy her son a CD player as a gift

       C．buy enough food for her family             D．organize a big party for her son

61．Which of the following statements is TRUE about Jeffrey Kandt when the woman couldn’t find her money?

       A．He was impatient and wanted to go home.

       B．He wanted to see whether the woman had money or not.

       C．He wanted the woman to stand in another line.

       D．He didn’t think about the customers waiting behind the woman.

62．What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?

       A．a description of a man standing in the line                                                      

       B．the cashier, Jeffery Kandt

       C．the collection of $ 220

       D．a reason why the strangers collected he money

63．What can we learn from the passage?

       A．The woman collected money by herself.

       B．The woman seemed to be poor, but in fact had lots of money.

       C．Strangers in the line volunteered to help the woman.

       D．The woman had never ay money.

Definition of Happiness

A proverb from ancient China was widely spread in the West: “If you want to be happy for a few hours, go to get drunk; if you want the happiness to last three years, get married; if you want lifetime happiness, take up gardening.” The reason for the last is this: Gardening is not only useful, but it helps you to identify(与……一致) yourself with nature, and thus brings you new joy each day besides improving your health.

A research of a US university that I’ve read gives a definition of happiness as what makes a person feel comfortably pleased. To put it specially, happiness is an active state of mind where one thinks one’s life is meaningful, satisfactory and comfortable. This should be something lasting rather than transitory (短暂的).

Lots of people regard it the happiest to be at leisure (空闲). But according to a study, it is not a person with plenty of leisure but one at work that feels happy, especially those busy with work having little time for leisure. Happiness does not mean gains one is after but a desire to harvest what one is seeking for. People often do not treasure what they already have but desire what they cannot get. That is somewhat like a man with fond dreams of numerous lovers while unwilling to settle down with the woman beside him.

Happiness is a game balancing between two ends — what one has and what one wishes for, i.e. one’s dream and the possibility to realize it. The study comes to this conclusion: A happy man is one who aims high but never forget his actual situation; one who meets challenges that develop his ability and potentiality; one who’s proud of his achievements and the recognition given to him. He has self-respect and self-confidence; treasures his own identity and loves freedom. He is sociable and enjoys wide range communication with others; he’s helpful and ready to accept assistance. He knows he is able to bear sufferings and failures; he is sensible enough to get fun from daily work. He is a man capable of love and passion.

1. According to the passage, gardening can bring lifetime happiness because _______.

A. it is a business that brings money     

B. it can strengthen gardeners’ ability to remake nature

C. it can make gardeners enjoy very happy marriage

D. gardeners can build good relationship with nature

2. It can be concluded from the research of the university that most people feel happy when _______.

A. they are at leisure      

B. they are engaged in working

C. they are gardening     

D. they have numerous lovers

3. The writer mentioned a man with fond dreams of numerous lovers in order to _______.

A. give an example of a person who doesn’t value what he already owns

B. show that this kind of person has plenty of leisure time to do what he wants

C. make it clear that only this kind of person can enjoy happiness

D. show the serious problem in marriage in modern society

4. From the passage we can know that happiness is _______.

A. getting everything one longs for    

B. just dreams made by those confident people

C. taking up gardening              

D. a balance between what one owns and what one dreams of

People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth.”
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.
【小题1】In what kind of situation will a person say “Do not bad mouth me.” ?