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.
Malls are popular places for Americans to go. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called “mall rats（老鼠）”. Mall rats shop until they drop in the hundreds of stores.
People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations. Parking is usually free, and the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest places with waterfalls and large green trees.
The largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America in Minnesota. It covers 4. 2 million square feet（英尺）. It has 350 stores, eight nightclubs, and a large park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop there every week.
The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina Minnesota. People love doing all their shopping in one place. More malls are built around the country. Now malls are like town centers where people come to do many things. They shop, of course, they also eat in food courts（广场）that have food from all over the world. They see films at theaters. Some people even get their exercise by doing the new sport of “mall walking”. Others go to malls to meet friends.
In some malls, people can see a doctor and even go to the church. In other words, people can do just about everything in malls. Now people can live in their favorite shopping center in fact.
1.Here “mall” means “ ”.
A. a large park B. a big church C. a square D. a shopping center
2.The largest mall in the United States .
A. was built in 1965 B. has 12,750 cars in it
C. has 350 shops in it D. can hold 750,000 people
3.The writer .
A. thinks malls make people’s life easier
B. likes to live in his favorite malls
C. is called “mall rats” by others
D. often goes to the church in malls
阅读理解 （本大题共26分，每小题2分）
1.You can call Zhang Ying if you want to .
A. buy a bike B. sell a bike
C. have your bike repaired D. borrow a bike
2.One of the reasons why Li wants someone to share his room is that 。
A. he wants to live near the campus
B. he wants to improve his English
C. he wants his washer, dryer and kitchen to be used
D. he wants someone to use his kitchen
3.Joseph Hofman .
A. found John Smith’s briefcase
B. was a teacher
C. found the briefcase with many books
D. found the brown briefcase with some money
完形填空 （本大题共10分，每小题1分）
Jim, a successful businessman, told the experience of his childhood.
When he was 12 years old, his parents died. He was alone and didn’t get on well with others. People always laughed at him. No one showed 1 to him.
His only friend was a dog named Tige. He gave his dog enough to eat and drink, but sometimes he was not 2 to it. He didn’t know that an unkind word sometimes could cut one’s heart like a knife.
One day as he walked down the street, a young lady was walking in front of him. One of her bags dropped from her arms. As she stopped to 3 , she dropped other bags. He came to help her. “Thank you, dear! You are a nice little boy!” She said kindly, smiling.
A special feeling came to him. It was the first time that he had heard such kind words. He watched her 4 she went far away, and then he whistled（低语）to his dog and went directly to the river 5 .
“Thanks, dear! You are a nice little boy!” He repeated what the woman said. Then in a low
6 he said to his dog, “You are a nice little dog.” Tige raised its ears as if it understood.
“Hmm! Even a dog likes it!”he said. “Well, Tige, I won’t say anything unkind to you 7 .” Tige waved its tail happily.
The boy thought and thought. Finally he looked at himself in the river. He saw 8 but a dirty boy. He washed his face carefully. Again he saw a 9 nice boy. He was amazed. From then on, he started a new life.
After telling this, the businessman said, “This is the very place in which that kind woman planted the first seed of kindness in my heart.” What a great 10 it has!
1.A. kindness B. interest C. illness D. worries
2.A. exciting B. interesting C. strange D. friendly
3.A. find it B. pick it up C. look it up D. give it up
4.A. until B. after C. since D. because
5.A. far B. nearby C. near D. nearly
6.A. sound B. noise C. voice D. hear
7.A. too B. at all C. any long D. any more
8.A. anything B. nothing C. everything D. something
9.A. clean B. dirty C. smiling D. angry
10.A. present B. dream C. advice D. power
— Why not go out and have a picnic today, Millie?
— ___________, but I will help Li Hong with lessons, she is new.
A. All right B. Let’s go C. I’d love to D. Yes, please.
________unpleasant weather! My sister and I have to stay at home instead of going camping.
A. What B. What an C. How an D. How
