There was a kingdom long, long ago. It was ruled by king who loved riddles. Once a year the king made a new riddle. He gave a prize to the person who could solve the riddle.
There was a baker who also lived in this kingdom. Everyone agreed that he baked the finest breads. The baker had almost everything he needed except for a horse. If the baker had a horse, he could sell his fine breads from one end of the kingdom to the other.
One year the king made a new riddle that puzzled everyone. "I will give a prize to the person
who can solve my riddle, " the king said. Whoever wins will have the pick of one of my strongest
horses." He then drew a line down the middle of the courtyard "Make this line shorter without erasing(清除) any part of it,” the king challenged.
People came from far and wide. They looked at the line and squinted at it. They even put their
noses to the ground and scratched their heads.
How can you make a line shorter without erasing any part of it?” the people in the crowd asked each other. Some of them tried. The dressmaker kicked dirt(泥土)over the line to hide it. The farmer poured water over the line to make it disappear. None of these efforts worked, and the people went home disappointed. Everyone was puzzled about how to solve this new riddle.
A week passed, and nobody had any new ideas. Then one day the baker came into the courtyard with a bag of flour(面粉).
Your Majesty, "the baker said to the king, I can make your line shorter without erasing any part of it. "Then the baker opened his bag of flour. He poured out a line of flour right next to the king’s line. The line the baker made was longer than the king’s line.
Now, good king, "the baker smiled, "your line is shorter.
The people were amazed. The king laughed and clapped his hands. "You have won the prize. I will give you a horse of your choice.
The baker was excited. Now he could sell his breads from one end of the kingdom to the other.
1.What was the baker's problem at the beginning of the story?
A.He couldn't make fine breads
B.He needed money to open more stores
C.He didn’t have enough flour to make more breads
D.He had difficulty selling breads all over the kingdom
2.The dressmaker and the farmer failed because they both__________.
A.tried to erase the line B.poured water over the line
C.kicked dirt over the line D.put their noses to the ground
3.The baker smiled because _______.
A.he was glad to see he king B.he wanted to make the king happy
C.he felt sure that he solved the riddle D.he sold a lot of breads to the villagers
4.This story shows that the king liked _______.
A.to be rich B.to train horses C.to eat breads D.to have fun
5.Who tells this story?
A.The king B.The farmer and the dressmaker
C.The baker D.Someone who is not a character in the story
A girl was working as a nurse in a private hospital. One day, a patient who was ______ ill was brought to her hospital, but soon had to be transferred(转院) to a________ hospital for an operation. The head of the hospital said that the patient couldn't be transferred unless he paid his ________ first. The patient's family asked if they could pay the bill ______ the operation, as the patient was very ill. But their request was refused.
The nurse, who had just arrived to work, ______the situation and made a surprising decision. She removed her golden bracelet(手镯), took it to the cashier's desk(收银台) and said she would use it to _______ the patient's bill. Thanks for her help, the patient was immediately transferred to the other hospital and his life was saved. Although the bracelet was the only piece of ______ jewelry(首饰) she owned, the nurse gave it away to save the patient, even though he was a total ______ to her.
The nurse's actions ______ the attention of the doctor who was on duty that day. He later fell in love with the nurse and they finally got married.
We may give without loving, but we cannot love without giving. Loving means giving as much as we can. Love is like a smile – neither has ______ value unless they are given away.
As Mother Teresa once said, "It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do."
1.A.easily B.hardly C.seriously D.lightly
2.A.same B.different C.strange D.funny
3.A.bill B.paper C.medicine D.operation
4.A.before B.after C.as D.for
5.A.waited for B.talked about C.cared for D.heard about
6.A.buy B.sell C.cost D.cover
7.A.valuable B.beautiful C.interesting D.useful
8.A.friend B.director C.lover D.stranger
9.A.paid B.realized C.caught D.described
10.A.some B.any C.no D.one
—What did your brother say?
—He asked me ________.
A.that I would go shopping with him B.if I will lend my bike to him
C.how could he solve the problem D.whether I had already fed the cat
—It rained heavily yesterday.
—When the rainstorm came all of a sudden, many people ________ home in a hurry.
A.are walking B.were walking C.will walked D.walk
—Is Tina ______ than Tara?
— Yes, but Tara is ________ in her class.
A.taller; the heaviest B.tall; heavy
C.taller; heavier D.the tallest; the heaviest
She soon ________ French when she decided to go to live in France.
A.set up B.took up C.put up D.picked up
