Today, I felt terrible. My head was full of problems, burdens and confusion. I decided to take a walk even though I didn’t know where I would go.
The most extraordinarything happened when I was out on this walk. I saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. He looked at least 70 years old. He seemed so tired and nobody bought his shoes. I wanted to give him something but I had not brought anything with me.
Then, a little girl came toward him. I heard the child say, “Grandpa, may I polish your shoes?” That old man took pity on her and he gave her a shoe to polish. The girl said, “I polish the shoe because I need money to buy my brother a new school uniform.”
I heard this and tears filled my eyes. The old man answered, “Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform.” Then they walked to a market and I followed close behind them. There he bought her a uniform. The girl said, “Thank you so much for doing this. May God bless you.” Then she left, leaving the old man smiling.
The old man walked away from the market, but I stopped him. I whispered in his ear, “You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!” As I walked away, I glanced back and I could see him still smiling.
My own sadness had disappeared, chased away by the light of this kind act. I began realizing that I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope, some day, I can show my appreciation of what I have by following the example of the old man who only had a little, but shared it happily with someone who had nothing.
1.The author decided to take a walk in order to .
A．build himself up
B．lighten his mood
C．enjoy the scenery nearby
D．find out something special
2.When seeing the old shoe seller, the author felt .
A．happy B．sympathetic C．regretful D．disappointed
3.Why did the girl offer to polish shoes for the old man?
A．She took pity on him.
B．She intended to take care of him.
C．She meant to be friendly to him.
D．She wanted to earn some money.
4.By sharing the story, the author conveys a message that .
A．a kind act can cheer us up
B．old men often set us examples
C．people value what they don’t have
D．helping others means helping ourselves
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．A clever little girl B．A pair of old shoes
C．A kind shoe seller D．A girl’s new uniform
Dear Xiaohua,
I’m very glad to receive your letter. From your letter I know you have shown 1.______ great interest in inventing new things. That’s great. As for how to be an inventor, there is no quick answer to 2.______.
Coming from different cultures and having different backgrounds, inventors don’t seem to have much 3.______ common. But creative thinking, 4._______ is greatly valued, is perhaps the basic skill an inventor should have. In order to explore new possibilities, you will have to learn to break5.______ from old thought patterns. When you get stuck, try to look at the problem in 6.____ many ways as possible. Each new way may improve your understanding.
More importantly, always keep it in mind 7.______ success is no accident. It is the result of a long process of trial and error. Above 8._____, the main task for you is to study hard and try to learn more knowledge. This, of course, will lay a solid foundation.
Hope your future invention will make a difference.
Good luck!
Yours,
Wang Li
When I was a teenager, I volunteered to give out water at a marathon. Watching the different runners who passed by and grabbed a cup was 36 . The next year I signed up for the race. I did little preparation and my only goal was to finish. On the day of the race, it was 37 hot. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, “I am never doing this again!”
Have you ever felt that way about something? You eagerly choose a goal 38 soon realize it is 39 to achieve than you imagined it would be. That first 10 km race was quite an experience. I jogged, I walked, I jogged and I walked. Then 40 a decisive moment. Near the end, a 70-year-old man ran past me. I felt 41 that I was younger than him but I couldn’t keep up with him. I felt defeated for a second but then I realized 42 . He was running his race and I was running mine. He had different experience, training and goals and I had mine. 43 in life do we 44 ourselves with others and feel disappointed in ourselves when we really shouldn’t? I decided, then, that one day I would be one of those 70-year-olds who were still running. 45 I crossed the finish line, I was proud of my achievement. Since then I have run several races and run purely for fun.
In life we all 46 compare ourselves with others, which is only natural. But don’t let them weaken you. 47 , you should use them to inspire you and show you what is possible. Then you are a true winner.
1. A．pleasing B．interesting C．inspiring D．amazing
2. A．extremely B．strangely C．sadly D．certainly
3. A．and B．but C．while D．or
4. A．easier B．harder C．better D．worse
5. A．went B．flew C．happened D．came
6. A．exhausted B．disappointed C．embarrassed D．annoyed
7. A．something B．anything C．everything D．nothing
8. A．How many B．How much C．How often D．How old
9. A．cooperate B．compare C．combine D．compromise
10. A．When B．Because C．Since D．Until
11. A．hardly B．sometimes C．always D．never
12. A．Furthermore B．Therefore C．Meanwhile D．Instead
If we ________ the other road, we might have arrived here in time for the meeting.
A．had taken B．take C．took D．have taken
_______ why she wasted money on a lottery ticket, the poor mother answered, “ A dollar is not too much to pay for 24 hours of hope”.
A．Asking B．Having asked C．When asking D．When asked
That day we ended up on the beach ________ aimlessly and the only sound was the waves ________ against the shore.
A．wandering; to beat B．wandering; beating
C．to wander; beating D．to wander; to beat
