In the middle of the first term of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things. His heart was not in school, but in the woods.
One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams. “Steve! Pay attention!” Steve turned to look at her, fixing his eyes on Miss White, as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, her eyes searching his face. “...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!” She just stared at Steve. Steve dropped his eyes.
After that, it was war! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.
“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.
“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing touched him.
“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.
“Steve! Please! I care about you!”
Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it! Someone cared about him? Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, both parents were out. He, quickly, gathered up a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks.
The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all smiles! God, she was beautiful!
Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Miss White’s face was in total shock! The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!
From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!
He discovered that he could understand knowledge and translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to go ahead!
1.Steve used to be bad at his lessons because _______.
A．the teacher blamed him from time to time
B．he was not a smart boy in his class
C．the test for the seventh grade challenged his confidence
D．he hadn’t put his heart into his studies
2.The underlined word “stubborn” in the passage probably refers to “_______”.
A．completely unchanged B．severely punished
C．careless with the homework D．lost in the test
3.It was the _______that made Steve begin to work hard at his lessons later.
A. his parents B．his classmates
C. the teacher D．failure in the test
4.Which of the following descriptions is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Steve often helped his parents work in the woods instead of going to school.
B．The teacher punished Steve for his failure in the test for the seventh grade.
C．Steve not only made progress but finally became a good student of the class.
D．Steve was actually a clever boy, but Miss White hadn’t realized it at first.
5.Which of the following words best describes Steve’s teacher?
A. Hardworking. B. Caring. C. Outstanding. D. Strict.
A young mother set her feet on the pathway of the life. “Is the way long?”
And her guide said, “Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old ____ you reach the end of it, but the end will be better than the beginning.” But the young mother was happy and would not ____ anything could be better than these years. So she ____ with her children and gathered flowers for them along the way and bathed with them in the clear springs. The sun shone on them, and life was good. And the young mother cried, “ Nothing will be ____ than this.”
Then the night came. And the storm (暴风雨) ____ them and the path was dark, and the children shook with ____ and cold. And the mother drew them close and covered them with her clothes, and the children said, “ Oh, Mum, we are not afraid, for you are ____, and we know that no harm (伤害) can come to us.” And the mother said, “This is better than the ____ of the day, for I have taught my ____ courage.”
And the morning came. There was a hill ahead, and the children ____ it and soon grew tired. And the mother was ____, too. But she said to the children, “ A little patience and we are there.” So the children climbed and climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, “Mum, we ____ not have done it without you.” And when the mother lay down to sleep that night, she ____at the stars and said, “This is a better day than the ____ , for my children have learned determination(决心) in the face of ____. Yesterday I gave them courage—today I gave them strength.”
1.A. after B. before C. since D. until
2.A. know B. believe C. feel D. find
3.A. worked B. stayed C. played D. studied
4.A. worse B. better C. easier D. sadder
5.A. hit B. beat C. took D. carried
6.A. excitement B. happiness C. interest D. fear
7.A. far B. away C. near D. out
8.A. coldest B. coolest C. darkest D. brightest
9.A. students B. classmates C. friends D. children
10.A. walked B. moved C. climbed D. flew
11.A. tired B. happy C. angry D. proud
12.A. will B. can C. could D. shouldn’t
13.A. looked over B. looked on C. looked after D. looked up
14.A. last B. next C. latest D. second
15.A. dark B. difficulties C. failure D. success
Is this the shop _____ sells children’s clothing?
A. which B. where C. / D. What
—Betty was feeling pretty blue for a while，but she’s better now．
—_______．
A. Oh, that’s kind of you B. Congratulations
C．It’s my pleasure D．Oh，I’m glad to hear that
You can imagine how different the table manners here are from ______.
A. us B. ourselves C. ours D. our
Are you ready? We’ll go out for a picnic ____ three o’clock.
A. in B. after C. for D. since
