Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the sea to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down at the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?’’
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfishes（海星）in the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfishes in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfishes all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.” There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain through the strength of our vision of the power （力量） to shape the future.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
1.One day, the wise man saw a young man _______.
A.dancing along the beach
B.walking with a dancer
C.picking up starfish for sale
D.trying to save as many starfishes as possible
2.The underlined words “something very special” refers to ________.
A.the gifts from friends B.the strength of making decision
C.our own starfish D.the ability to make a difference
3.From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.
A.the wise man realized something new and important
B.the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfishes in the ocean.
C.the young man had the ability to make a difference
D.it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach
4.The writer told this story to show us _____.
A.how and where we can write a good article
B.everyone can do something for the future
C.wise men are sometimes stupid
D.young men are in fact wiser than old people
When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.
Certainly, most of the world’s great religions （宗教） order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally （道德方面） right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil （恶行）. Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of pride and self-dependence.
Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.
It is hard to come to any final conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.
1.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A.Moral deeds of people. B.Religious activities of the church.
C.Moral goodness of the giver. D.Arguments on giving to beggars.
2.What can we infer from the sentence “But has the world changed ?” in the second
paragraph?
A.People no longer know who suffers misfortune in the village.
B.Some people will not do what was morally right in the past.
C.We don’t meet with those who need help any more.
D.Now it is the government’s duty to help the beggars.
3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Some people dress up to pretend to be beggars.
B.Some beggars want money to help their children go to school.
C.Some beggars use the money to buy drugs.
D.Some beggars have no excuse for begging.
4.In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that it is hard to come to any final conclusion，because ______.
A.the cases can be so different
B.there are so many beggars
C.there is so much money wasted
D.there are so many different arguments
Events
Long March exhibit
The Shanghai History Museum is putting on an exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of the Long March. On show are more than 220 photos and 40 items that explain with pictures how the communist Red Army drew back from its besieged （被围困的） bases in Jiangxi Province and fought its way to northern Shanxi province in the mid-1930s. Explanations are all in Chinese. The show will end on November 20.
Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm.
Address: 1286 Hongqiao Road
Admission: 8 yuan for Chinese/ 15 yuan for foreigners
Thai elephants
Eight elephants from Thailand are entertaining visitors at Changfeng Park by riding bikes, playing basketball, balancing on a beam, dancing and blowing a mouth-organ. People are encouraged to have a tug-of-war （拔河比赛） with the animals or lie on the ground and have the elephants walk over them. The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30 am, 3:30 pm and 8:00 pm and there is an additional show at 1:30 pm at weekends. The show will end on November 15.
Address: 189 Daduhe Road
Admission: 30-40 yuan
Dancing dolphins
Dolphins jumping from the water to touch a ball, swaying their bodies to music, kissing people and solving math by tapping their tails have made the dolphinarium in Peace Park an attraction for children. Seals and sea lions also perform.
Hours: 10:30 am, 4:00 pm, and 7:30 pm
Admission: 20 yuan for adults and 10 yuan for children.
1.If you go to visit the Long March exhibit with an Australian, how much will you
pay altogether for the admission?
A.16 yuan B.23 yuan C.30 yuan D.20 yuan
2.At the exhibition, you will see ________.
A.many articles written by famous writers
B.many things left by the Red Army
C.books on the Long March
D.many photos and pictures about the Long Match.
3.Which of the following is NOT done by the Thai elephants?
A.Riding bicycles. B.Blowing a mouth-organ
C.Doing math D.Having a tug-of-war with people.
4.The dolphinarium in Peace Park is a hall where you can see________.
A.not only dolphins but also seals and sea lions perform
B.only seals and sea lions perform
C.only dolphins perform
D.only seals perform
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon（偶像）and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revealed in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester(学期) we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old.. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics （歌词） and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
1.Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A.serious B.cold C.humorous D.crazy
2.From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A.Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
B.Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married
through college education
C.Rose finished the college degree within a year
D.Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
3.Rose delivered（发表） the speech ______.
A.at the graduation
B.which she prepared carefully
C.ended with “The Song of Rose”
D.to challenge all the other speakers
4.According to her speech, ______.
A.whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B.all people don’t grow up while growing older
C.Rose usually regretted having done something
D.a nineteen-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose friends for their children. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
1.Many teenagers think their _________ know them better than their parents do.
A.friends B.teachers C.brothers and sisters D.classmates
2.When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.
A.go to their friends B.talk with their parents
C.have a discussion with their family
D.talk with their friends on the phone
3.Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A.Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.
B.Parents should like everything their children enjoy.
C.In all families, children can choose everything they like.
D.Parents should try their best to understand their children better.
4.The main idea of this passage is that _________.
A.Teenagers need good friends
B.Friends can give good advice
C.Parents often choose friends for their children
D.Good friends can communicate with each other
阅读下面短文,从各题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中选出最佳选项。
Ella Fant was a middle-aged lady who lived with her only son John in a small house. She loved John very much. In her 1he couldn’t do anything2. Every morning she would give him breakfast 3bed and bring him the papers to read. It isn’t really true that he was too 4to work—in fact he had tried a few5. First of all he was a window-cleaner and in his first week he managed to break at least six windows. Then he 6a bus conductor and on his second day a passenger stole his bag with all the fares （车费）collected. He 7lost his job as a postman 8he sent off all the letters when he should have taken them to people’s houses. It seemed that there was 9suitable work for him. So he 10to join the army. Mrs. Fant was so 11about this that she told the 12to all her neighbours. “My John is going to be a soldier”, she said. “He is going to be the best soldier there 13was, I can tell you!”
Then the great day came 14he was to march past the palace in the parade (接受检阅的队伍). His 15mother traveled to the city early in the morning to be sure of getting a good 16in the crowd.
The parade was full of sound and colour. But when John and his17came in sight, some of the people watching 18laughing at the one who couldn’t keep pace with the others as they marched along.
But Ella Fant, who was filled with19, shouted at the top of her voice: “Look at them! They’re all out of 20except my John! Isn’t he the best?!”
1.A. hope B. eyes C. head D. beliefs
2.A. wrong B. great C. good D. strange
3.A. to B. at C. in D. by
4.A. lazy B. young C. weak D. shy
5.A. ones B. years C. tasks D. jobs
6.A. followed B. met C. became D. found
7.A. thus B. even C. once D. only
8.A. even if B. so that C. because D. though
9.A. some B. such C. less D. no
10.A. began B. promised C. managed D. decided
11.A. excited B. worried C. anxious D. curious
12.A. incident B. change C. news D. matter
13.A. yet B. ever C. never D. just
14.A. where B. since C. when D. till
15.A. proud B. kind C. strict D. lucky
16.A. time B. position C. experience D. impression
17.A. neighbours B. army officer C. mother D. fellow soldiers
18.A. couldn’t help B. kept C. stopped D. shouldn’t burst out
19.A. sadness B. happiness C. surprise D. regret
20.A. sight B. order C. mind D. step
