We were all unhappy to learn that the picnic was _________(取消) because of the rain.
Bad news travels fast. What he did a day ago was _________（扩散）throughout the whole country so quickly.
The new house is far too expensive, though it is __________ (无疑地) very comfortable to live in.
There is an old saying, “_________ (骄傲) goes before a fall.”
After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed. During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症).When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming(克服)difficulties and going for my dreams. I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Clearly, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me. When we finished talking, I pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming difficulties than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You won that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.” Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:Dear Rick, My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can. I told you someday that I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me. Your friend, Matthew
1.The underlined part in Paragraph 3 “Why me?” probably means .
A. Why do you come to see me? B. Why do I have to stay at home?
C. Why does the disease fall on me? D. Why give a gold medal to me?
2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Matthew knew clearly about his illness.
B. Matthew once got his own gold medal.
C. Matthew thanked Rick for his kindness.
D. Matthew lived happily and brightly all his life.
3.Rick wrote the passage with the purpose of .
A. expressing his pity to all the disabled children
B. telling an experience of meeting a disabled child
C. describing his unusual friendship with a disabled child
D. showing his admiration towards the disabled child
The wind tried pushing Colin to the ground. It felt as if Colin’s news-bag was full of potatoes.
Maybe it had to do with the news Dad read before Colin left. The morning headlines（标题）were full of the usual sad stories.
“No good news again!” Dad said.
Car accidents! House burns! Storm damage（损害）!
Colin moved quickly from house to house leaving papers in the mailbox. He wished he could bring only good news to his family, also to his friendly neighbours. “How could I make things better for everyone?” he wondered.
Colin noticed Alice coming. She only had one real eye. The other was made of glass. He liked Alice even if many others laughed at her. He didn’t realize how much it helped her, having a friend like Colin.
Each time Colin left a paper by a customer’s door, he thought, “How could I make some good news?”
Colin gave his usual cheerful “Hi” to everyone on his way. His smile was like the rising sun.
Someone was crying and he ran to where a little boy had fallen and hurt his leg. Colin calmed him down until the boy’s mother arrived.
“I’m glad you’re my paperboy,” she told Colin.
He continued on his way, but he didn’t feel tired. It was fun doing what he usually did—helping others.
He raced up the street to his last customer. Mrs. Williams saw Colin coming and had peanut butter cookies as a treat for her favourite paperboy. She wondered why such a lively boy always had time to chat with an old lady.
Colin’s own treat for his customers came from his heart. He did have much good news to share, even if he didn’t realize it. His smile and polite manners brought cheering-up news to all his customers.
1.What was Colin’s trouble?
A. His news-bag was too heavy.
B. He had heard of many sad stories.
C. His dad didn’t like his job as a paperboy.
D. He couldn’t bring good news to his customers.
2.Why did Mrs. Williams think Colin was her favourite boy?
A. Because he would always like to chat with her.
B. Because he liked her peanut butter cookies.
C. Because he didn’t bring bad news to her.
D. Because he always sent papers to her as fast as he could.
3.What was Colin’s treat for his customers?
A. His smile and polite manners. B. His papers full of good news.
C. His honesty and happiness. D. His confidence and friendship.
4.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. No news is good news
B. How paperboys work
C. The boring job as a paperboy
D. A sunny paperboy
