(C)His parents didn?t like her. (D)She was too young.
六
A long, long time ago, there lived an old widow (寡妇) in a hut (小屋) in the forest. Her husband had been killed by a tiger some years before. Life was difficult for her and her daughter, Xiu Mei.
Xiu Mei?s mother was old and weak. So Xiu Mei did all cooking and cleaning herself. She looked after the precious (宝贵) silkworms (蚕) in their garden. The worms gave them fine thread to make beautiful silk. Xiu Mei sold the silk to travellers in the village market. In this way she earned enough money to buy food and other things.
One day as Xiu Mei was returning home, it started to rain heavily. It was getting dark, too. Xiu Mei ran into the first hut she saw. The door was open and there was no one inside.
“Is anyone here?”she called loudly, again and again. But there was no reply. Xiu Mei looked around the hut. The floor was very dirty. Bowls and pots were left unwashed. Xiu Mei swept the floor and washed all the bowls and pots. By the time she had finished, the hut was as clean as new. By then rain had stopped too. “I?d better go home now,”she said to herself. “Mother will be worried.” As she walked out of the hut, she met a strange old man. His long beard(胡子) reached down to his waist. He looked about a hundred years old. The old man looked at Xiu Mei and smiled. And the girl realized that it was his hut. “Uncle,”she said,“I went into the hut to keep out of the rain. I hope you don?t mind.” The old man?s eyes fell on the clean floor and on the bowls and pots. He replied,“Did you clean the hut for me?” “Yes,”answered Xiu Mei.“Let me help you get into the hut.” The old man was very happy.“You?re a very kind girl.”he said,“I must give you a present.”He took out a pair of scissors (一把剪刀) and cut off a little of his long white beard. He wrapped (包)it in a piece of old cloth and gave the bundle (包裹) to her.“Do not give it to anyone,”said the old man.“When you get home, open it and you will see your reward.” Xiu Mei thanked him and went home. Her mother was very glad to see Xiu Mei safe and sound. She told her mother about the old man. Xiu Mei opened the bundle to show her mother the man?s white beard. To their surprise, they saw the finest silk thread in the whole of China. They began to weave with the silk thread. When they had finished weaving, they had made the finest silk they had ever seen. They noticed that the bundle of silk thread was exactly the same size as before. News of their wonderful silk spread far and wide. The old widow and her daughter became famous and lived happily ever after.
1.Life was difficult for her and her daughter, Xiu Mei. This means they ____. (A)were unhappy living in the forest (B)had a lot of money (C)had very little money for food and other things (D)were frightened of the tiger
2.Xiu Mei earned enough money to buy food and other things by selling ____. (A)silkworms (B)thread (C)silk (D)many things 3.As Xiu Mei was returning home, ____. (A)she met an old man (B)the road was full of rain water (C)a terrible genie stood before her
(D)it was getting dark and it was raining heavily.
4.Xiu Mei told the old man that she had gone into the hut ____.
(A)to seek shelter from the rain (B)to hide from wild animals (C)because she was afraid (D)because she was all wet 5.When they had finished weaving, the bundle of silk thread was ____.
(A)very much smaller (B)exactly the same size as before (C)all gone (D)twice as big as before 6.The widow and her daughter ____.
(A)travelled far and wide (B)became very famous and happy (C)became very rich and proud (D)soon died 7.The phrase“safe and sound”means ____. (A)wet (B)dry (C)unharmed (D)happy
七
A boy of twelve was standing at the foot of the stairway up to the Panama. He had left home early, against his father?s wishes, to see the ships at the port. Suddenly he saw a small fire at one end of the Panama. But there was nobody else around, and in time, the fire grew dangerously big.
Seeing this, the boy shouted at the top of his voice. His shout woke up the port workers living nearby, who were enjoying a Sunday morning in bed.
The Panama was among the six ships in the port, where were lots of old buildings, shops and houses nearby. It was carrying oil, paint and paper from the Far East.
The fire burned a great deal of paper, which was why it spread very quickly. The end of the ship was now black with smoke, but thanks to the boy, the fire didn?t reach the paint or the oil. The boy was also lucky for his father was pleased rather than angry with him. 1. The Panama was ____.
(A)a ship (B)a shop (C)a port (D)a building 2. The boy was standing ____ when the fire happened.
(A)on the Panama (B)at the doorway to the ship (C)near the Panama (D)far from the port 3. The small fire soon became dangerously big because ____. (A)no one found it (B)it began with the paper (C)there was a strong wind (D)it burned the paint 4. ____, the ship might have been burnt out.
(A)If the boy wasn?t standing there (B)If the boy hadn?t found the fire (C)Thanks to the boy (D)Without the boy 5. The father wished his son ____. Otherwise he would get angry. (A)to get up early (B)to get up late (C)not to leave home for the port (D)not to leave home early
八
John James Audubon was born in 1785 and died in 1851, but his name is still spoken of every day. Audubon was a scientist who loved nature. He wanted to show people the importance of nature in their lives. He was especially interested in birds, and painted many beautiful pictures of them.
In 1905, the National Audubon Society was formed by people who also interested in birds and wanted to continue Audubon?s nature studies. Even now, when people think of Audubon Society, they usually think of birds. But the Society does other things besides watching birds.
The members of the Society try to improve the environment (环境) as much as they can. They let the public (公众) know about laws that are needed. They have to pass many laws that protect birds and animals, and people, too. They teach young people how to protect their environment. They try to make their own communities (群体) cleaner, better places to live in.
John James Audubon knew that nature was important. He did not know how important his work would become.
1.“His name is still spoken of every day”means ____.
(A)people often speak of his name (B)he is still remembered by people (C)his name is very important (D)everyone knows his name 2.Audubon was especially interested in birds because ____.
(A)birds were very nice (B)birds were very useful to people (C)he always enjoyed drawing picture of birds (D)he wanted to study nature through watching birds 3.The writer of the article seems to ____.
(A)respect John James Audubon (B)be against John James Audubon (C)envy (嫉妒) John James Audubon (D)be fond of birds, too 4.The main idea of this article is ____.
(A)that we should try our best to keep the balance of nature. (B)that we should protect birds and animals (C)how to improve the environment around us (D)that John James Audubon is a great scientist
5.Why do they say that the laws protect birds and animals, and people,too?
(A)Because birds can eat destructive insects (害虫) and do a great deal of good to people. (B)Because birds, animals and people depend on each other for existence. (C)Because people can?t live well without animals. (D)Because people should not to hunting.
九
I had just gone to bed after a very hard day when the phone rang. It was an eccentric(怪僻的)farmer. I had never met him before although I had often heard people talk about him. He sounded quite nervous and he had been talking for a minute or so before I understood anything. Even then all I could make out was that someone called Milly had had a very bad accident. I hadn?t the slightest idea who she was but I obviously had to go.
It had been snowing heavily that day and I didn?t know the way. I had been driving for at least an hour when I finally found his place. He was standing there, waiting for me. It seemed Milly had died. ? She meant more to me than anyone …even my own wife ?! He said. I could see that
he had been crying. I thought something terrible had taken place, a possible scandal(丑闻). I was even more shocked when he told me he had put her in the barn(厩). ? I wouldn?t leave her out in the cold!? he said.
Milly had clearly been a secret lover of his. I was about to tell him he could not expect me to cover anything up when he opened the barn door. He lifted his candle and I saw a dark figure on the ground. ? She was such a good cow! I wouldn?t let anyone but a doctor touch her!? he said, and burst into tears again.
1.The underlined phrase make out in the first paragraph means ____. (A) expect (B)understand (C)seeclearly (D)hear clearly
2.Before he arrived at the farmer?s house, the writer expected to see Milly lying____ . (A)on the ground of a barn (B)on the floor of a room (C)in bed in a room (D)in bed in a barn 3.What do we know about Milly from the story?
(A) She had met with an accident (B)She had caused a scandal (C)She was seriously ill. (D)She was hidden somewhere 4.The farmer wished that the writer might ____ .
(A)look into the matter (B)bring Milly back to life (C)free him from a scandal (D)keep the whole thing a secret. 5.The person who told the story is probably a ____ . (A)farmer (B)policeman (C)country doctor (D)newspaper reporter
十
All the housewives who went to the supermarkets(超级市场)had one great ambition(野心)to be the lucky customer who didn?t have to pay for her shopping. For this was the notice just inside the entrance promised. It said ?Remember, once a week, one of our customers gets free foods. This may be your lucky day.
For several days Mrs. Edwards hoped, like many of her friends, to be the lucky customer. Unlike her friends, she never gave up hope. Her kitchen was full of the things that she did not need. She dreamed of the day when the manager of the supermarket would come to her and say, ?Madam, this is your lucky day. Everything in your basket is free.?
One Friday morning, after she had finished her shopping and had taken it to her car, she found that she had forgotten to buy any tea. She rushed back to the supermarket, got the tea and went towards the cash desk (收款台).As she did so, she saw the manager of the supermarket come to her,“Madam,? he said, holding out his hand, ?I want to congratulate. Everything in your basket is free.?
1. The housewives who went to the supermarket were ________. (A)poor (B)lucky (C)hopeful (D)fortunate 2. The housewives learned about the offer of free goods ________. (A)on the radio (B)from the manager (C)from their friends (D)at the supermarket 2. Mrs. Edwards wanted very much to ________. (A)fill her basket (B)get a free basket
(C)meet the manager (D)get a free basket of goods 3. The manager held his hand because he wanted to ________.
(A)shake hands with Mrs. Edwards (B)carry her basket (C)give her some money (D)take away her shopping 4. The manager chose Mrs. Edwards as the lucky customer because ________. (A)she was always lucky (B)he saw nothing but some tea in her basket (C)she was hopeful (D)he knew her well