I went home one Saturday afternoon in the autumn of 1993 to get some work done in the garden. While sweeping leaves on the ground, my five-year-old son Nick came over and asked me to write something on a piece of paper to make a sign for him.
“What for?” I asked.
“I’m going to sell some of my stones, " he answered.
Nick was fascinated with stones and had collected many stones from all over. “I’m busy to
do that for you. Go and ask your mum for help." I said.
A short time later, Nick returned with a sign, reading. " Stones. One Dollar Each”. He took the sign, a small chair and 4 of his best stones and walked to the road in front of our garden. There he put the stones in a line and sat down on the chair.
After half an hour, nobody passed by. I walked to him and asked him to go back, but he didn't.
Another half hour later, a small car came down the road. I watched as Nick stood up, holding his sign up. A woman rolled down a window and read the sign. I couldn't hear their talk, but I saw the woman turn to the driver and the man reach for his pocket.
I sat in the yard, as Nick ran to me. Waving the dollar, he shouted. "I told you I could sell one stone for a dollar — if you believe in yourself, you can do anything."
1.Why didn't the writer help his son?
A. Because his wife is better at making a sign.
B. Because he didn't know what to write.
C. Because he was busy sweeping leaves.
D. Because he didn’t want his son to sell the stones.
2.The underlined words "was fascinated with" mean “______”.
A. was far from B. was afraid of
C. was famous for D. was interested in
3.Nick was a boy ______.
A. who was kind B. who had a strong mind
C who was honest D. who had many hobbies
4.Which is the best title(题目) of the story?
A. My son's first sale. B. Let's collect stones.
C. How to sell a stone. D. A hobby that can make you rich.
5.From the passage we know _____.
A. the story happened in spring
B. the car was driven by a woman
C. Nick spent half an hour selling one stone
D. the writer might be moved(感动)by his son
One day, a boy found the cocoon(茧) of a butterfly and brought it home. A few days later, the boy saw a small 31 in the cocoon. He sat and watched for several hours as a butterfly struggled to make 32 body through that little hole. Suddenly it stopped.
So the boy 33 to help the butterfly, thinking the butterfly might be 34 .He took a pair of scissors and cut the hole 35 .The butterfly came out of the cocoon but it 36 a little different. It had a weak body and small, thin 37 .The butterfly didn’t start to fly. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling(爬行) around with a weak body and thin wings. It was never able to fly.
The boy acted with 38 but he didn’t understand why it could be like this. When a butterfly crawls out of the cocoon, it must struggle. The hard work of 39 out of the cocoon makes the fluid(液体) from the butterfly’s body into its wings. It helps the butterfly be 40 to fly. If the butterfly never has to squeeze(挤压) itself out of the cocoon, its wings will never get the fluid and it can never fly.
41 struggles are what we need in our lives. If we lived our lives without any problems, we would never learn or grow. We would not be __42__ we could have been and we would never fly.
In our lives, pain and suffering is the key to all windows, and sometimes even 43 growth, without it , there’s no way of life. We can’t avoid 44 or problems. So, next time you are 45 a problem or difficulty, remember the butterfly. Struggle a little—then fly!
1.A. hole B. worm C. tall D. snake
2.A. it B. it’s C. itself D. its
3.A. decided B. asked C. showed D. ordered
4.A. afraid B. interested C. surprised D. grateful
5.A. slimmer B. bigger C. shorter D. smaller
6.A. touched B. sounded C. looked D. smelt
7.A. wings B. feet C. eyes D. head
8.A. success B. excitement C. kindness D. humour
9.A. get B. getting C. to get D. got
10.A. ready B. quiet C. glad D. used
11.A. Somewhere B. Something C. Some time D. Sometimes
12.A. as helpful as B. as weak as C. as strong as D. as creative as
13.A. repeats B. recommends C. requires D. represents
14.A. happiness B. difficulties C. pleasure D. hope
15.A. served with B. growing into C. bringing in D. faced with
Though the doctor advised Alice strongly that she should take a good rest, ______didn’t help.
A. she B. it C. which D. he
Alan is a careful driver, but he drives _________ of my friends.
A. more carefully B. less carefully C. the most carefully D. the least carefully
–You can’t imagine _______ great fun chatting online is.
– Really? But it may cause you a lot of trouble.
A. what B. how C. why D. whether
One of the most interesting places in Hangzhou ________ are often visited by foreigners is the West Lake.
A. what B. who C. that D. /
