Once a traveller came into a village which was suffering from hunger. The villagers asked him to leave, for they feared he wanted them to give him food. They told him that there was no food. The traveller explained that he didn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with them instead. The villagers watched suspiciously as he built a fire and filled a pot with water With great ceremony(仪式), he pulled a stone from a bag, and dropped the stone into the pot of water. After a moment, he smelt the soup and shouted with excitement, “How delicious the soup is!” As the villagers began to show interest, he mentioned how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brought out a cabbage to share. This episode(情节) repeated itself until the soup had cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a full pot of soup that could feed everyone in the village was ready. This story describes when there are not enough resources(资源), humans will store things. We do not want to share. The story of stone soup helps us realize that, in doing so, we often prevent ourselves and everyone else from having a feast(盛宴).The meaning of this story goes far beyond food. We keep to ourselves ideas, love, and energy, thinking we will be richer, but in fact we make the world, and ourselves, poorer. The traveller was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the ability to inspire(激发) them to give. In this way, they created a large meal that none of them could have created alone. Are you like one of the villagers? If you come forward and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The reward is a feast that can feed many.
1. What does the underlined word “suspiciously” most probably mean?
A. doubtfully B. excitedly
C. curiously D. fearfully
2. The traveller put a stone into the pot in order to .
A. teach the villagers to cook a soup with stone
B. inspire the villagers to bring out their own food
C. prove to the villagers that he didn’t want their food
D. help villagers to survive by giving them some food
3.The writer mainly wants to tell us that .
A. storing things in hard times is human nature
B. a good leader is very necessary in hard times
C. skills are needed to inspire people to share with others
D. sharing is more important than keeping things to oneself
Harry is a boy with a learning disability. On his fourth birthday, he was given a pug called Millie. Two weeks after the dog’s arrival, he was happier and calmer and said his first words, “dog” and “mummy”. Just two months later, thieves stole the dog, and now the heartbroken little boy is back to where he started. He has refused to talk since losing his best friend. His mother was worried and gave him another dog, but he just “pushed it away”. Mrs Hainsworth, his mother, says, “My son is very sad. He’ll go over to her cage and just beat(敲打) on the bars. There is no word coming out, but you just know he’s screaming ‘Where is Millie’ inside. Millie was really his best friend. They would play together happily for hours. None of his toys has ever held his attention that long. Now he has just completely turned quiet again. ”Harry suffers from a condition which affects his ability to speak and move. But the dog’s being with him achieved more in days than months of speech therapy and physiotherapy had. Mrs Hainsworth says, “My son was so happy when he saw Millie. Being with Millie changed him, and within two weeks he had said his first words and was working on saying ‘dad’. Just last week, his teachers and I were saying how much Millie had helped him. And now this!” Mrs Hainsworth is considering buying another pug in the hope that her son will accept it. Maureen Hennis of the charity, Pets as Therapy, says she has seen many cases of dogs helping people with speech problems. “People may talk to a dog when they wouldn’t like to talk to another human,” she says. “A dog doesn’t care if words come out wrong.”
1. Before getting Millie, Harry .
A. had never seen a dog
B. had never said a word
C. had received little treatment
D. had never played with toys
2. With Millie gone, Harry .
A. is too sad to continue learning to talk
B. often quietly waits for her beside the cage
C. keeps asking his mother to get him another pug
D. does not want to play with other children any more
3. According to Maureen Hennis, Millie was able to help Harry because .
A. dogs are man’s best friends
B. dogs are very clever and helpful
C. children don’t have stress when talking to dogs
D. children would rather talk to dogs than to humans
My earliest memories of writing are only school homework, nothing of any creativity. All that one day, when Mrs Kumar asked us to write “An autobiography(自传) of a pencil”. For me, it was just another piece of homework, Mrs Kumar reacted(表现) very differently. Maybe she was just being , or maybe she really liked the work. Whatever her , she read it out to the class as an example of “fine writing”. A few years later, I went back to my old school. I was walking through the corridors(走廊) when I passed by Mrs Kumar, who was still teaching her class. She looked up as I passed and I , not wanting to disturb her. Seeing me, she went out and invited me into her class. “This girl is one of the best this school has seen,” she said. “She wrote a wonderful autobiography of a pencil. I hope some of you can learn to write like her. ”Even after all these years, I can still clearly remember that moment. My face shines with whenever I tell someone this experience. I am sure I was not the only student whose school homework Mrs Kumar . It is likely that she made an effort to make each one of us feel . However, I had never had anybody praise(表扬) my writing before that. It encouraged me to do better to prove to her that “Look! Your in me has worked. I am good, because you believe I am. ”Today, I am a successful writer. Thanks to Mrs Kumar, my are not only a tool(工具) to use. They are also a symbol of little beginnings and the power of a teacher’s encouragement.
1.A. started B. repeated C. changed D. appeared
2.A. and B. though C. so D. but
3.A. kind B. excited C. satisfied D. generous
4.A. reasons B. causes C. efforts D. wishes
5.A. strange B. endless C. crowded D. familiar
6.A. whispered B. clapped C. waved D. cheered
7.A. inventors B. writers C. winners D. visitors
8.A. courage B. honesty C. pride D. modesty
9.A. remembered B. checked C. included D. marked
10.A. protected B. special C. loved D. necessary
11.A. understanding B. confidence C. recommendation D. congratulation
12.A. visits B. writings C. memories D. pencils
- Hi, Jim. I hear that you’ve just come back from Sanya. I’m calling to ask .
-Great!
A. how did you visit the city
B. how many days you’ve spent there
C. which hotel you stayed in Sanya
D. how you found the seafood there
—It’s reported that there will be a snowstorm this Sunday.
—. .We’re planning to go on a picnic that day.
A. I hope so B. I hope not
C. I’m afraid so D. I’m afraid not
We should tell the truth. We can’t say one thing to one person and thing to someone else.
A. other B. another
C. the other D. one more
