It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. The man’s job was bike racing. B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed. D. They used it for work and daily life.
2.We can infer from the text that ____________.
A. the couple worked 60 hours a week. B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike D. life was hard for the young family.
3.How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A. From radio broadcasts. B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV news. D. From a stranger.
4.What do the couple learn from their experience?
A. Strangers are usually of little help. B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous. D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In the United States there was an unusual tale telling of the daughter of a mechanic （技工）. One day while walking along the bank of a lake, the girl 1to see 20 eggs laid by a wild goose. After some time the girl 2the mother would not return to her eggs and she 3to take them home. There she carefully 4the eggs in the heat of a lamp. Several days 5the eggs broke and the baby geese came into the 6.
Geese are known to take the first living thing they see as their mother. 7, to these young geese, the girl was their mother.
As they 8, the girl was able to 9her birds to run across the grass, but she could not teach them to 10. The girl became increasingly worried about this, both when 11and in her dreams. Later, she had an 12: She would pilot a plane to guide them in 13. She asked her father for a plane and he assembled（组装）a small aircraft for her.
Caring about 14safety, the father decided to pilot the plane himself. However, the birds did not 15or follow him, and 16slept in the grass.
One day, the girl 17into the plane, started it and soon left the 18. Seeing their mother take to the air, the birds 19flapped（拍打）their wings and 20. She flew the plane freely in the sky, her young birds following.
1.A. managed B. attempted C. happened D. supposed
2.A. realized B. expected C. imagined D. admitted
3.A. helped B. decided C. afforded D. meant
4.A. placed B. protected C. treated D. examined
5.A. ago B. out C. later D. long
6.A. family B. lake C. home D. world
7.A. But B. Also C. Thus D. Still
8.A. increased B. improved C. rose D. grew
9.A. ask B. lead C. want D. allow
10.A. fly B. race C. swim D. sing
11.A. asleep B. away C. around D. awake
12.A. idea B. opinion C. explanation D. excuse
13.A. sky B. heaven C. flight D. plane
14.A. his B. her C. their D. its
15.A. respect B. remember C. recognize D. receive
16.A. so B. instead C. hardly D. too
17.A. climbed B. looked C. reached D. fell
18.A. house B. floor C. water D. ground
19.A. secretly B. disappointedly C. patiently D. eagerly
20.A. looked away B. set out C. went by D. turned back
The flowers were so lovely that they __________ in no time.
A. sold B. had been sold C. were sold D. would sell
“Goodbye, then,” she said, without even ___________ from her book.
A. looking down B. looking up C. looking away D. looking on
---Can you read the sign, sir? No smoking allowed in the lift! ---__________________.
A. Never mind B. Don’t mention it
C. Sure, I don’t smoke D. Pardon me
I know a little bit about Italy as my wife and I ________ there several years ago.
A. are going B. had been C. went D. have been
