It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp (军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but....”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!”
1.The military camp was built in the village to ________.
A.stop the soldiers from going to towns
B.stop the soldiers from meeting their friends
C.train the new soldiers
D.make the young men live quietly
2.Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because ________.
A.he was kind to them B.they felt lonely
C.they had something important to do D.they were the best of all
3.The young officer was worried because ________.
A.a traffic accident had happened
B.he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers
C.the nine soldiers would come back
D.the nine soldiers drank too much in the town
4.Which of the statements do you think is true?
A. You’ll believe only the last soldier.
B. The officer believed the nine soldiers.
C. You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers.
D. The officer wouldn’t punish his soldiers.
On June 21, 1982, Prince (王子) William, the future King of England, was born. Since then, he has won all the hearts of the public.
When he was very small, he got a number of nicknames (绰号):King Tot, Willys, Billy, and William the Terrible!He was often found climbing into wastebaskets, trying to flush (冲刷) Dad’s shoes down the toilet (厕所) and pressing buttons, which often made alarm ring!
Prince William has a lot of rules to follow:no drinking in public, no smoking or taking drugs, no kissing girls in public. William was especially close to Diana. However, he has been brave beyond his years since his mother’s sudden death because of the car accident.
Prince William’s fans are growing in number every day. He got more than 12, 000 fan letters a week. When he made a trip to Canada, thousands of girls went frenetic and screamed, “William, will you marry me?” His favorite drink is coke and his favorite foods are burgers, fries, pizza, and chocolate. William also loves to search the World Wide Web. So next time when you’re online, you might be chatting with the future King of England.
Want to write to him? Here it is:
HRH Prince William
Kensington Palace Kensington, London W8 4PN Great Britain
1.William’s mother died when he was_____. .
A. 13 B. 20 C. 19 D. 15
2.What does the underlined word “frenetic” mean?
A. Angry. B.Excited. C. Stupid. D. Comfortable.
3.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Prince William loves his mother very much.
B. Prince William likes western food.
C. Prince William has two brothers.
D. Prince William loves to use the computer.
4.Where can you probably see the article?
A. In a magazine B. In a textbook C. In a sports report D. On TV
There was a man who played the piano in a small bar. There were not too many 36 , but because he was a good piano player, some people 37 came in every night just to hear him play. But one night, a patron (老主顾) told him he didn’t want to hear him play but to sing a song.
The man said, “I have never 38 that before in public. I think I’m 39 at playing the piano.”
But the customer 40 . He told the waiter, “I’m 41 listening to the piano day after day. I want to hear something new and I want that guy to sing.”
The waiter 42 across the room, “Hey, buddy! If you want to get 43 , sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”
44 in order to bring some money home that night, the piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And 45 had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung before 46 that night by Nat King Cole, and it surprised all, including the 47 himself!
He had talent he was 48 on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but because he had to sing, he 49 to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.
You, too, have skills and 50 . You may not feel as if your “talent” is particularly 51 , but it may be better than you think! And with persistence (坚持), most skills can be 52 . Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you 53 ! The 54 is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is 55 “How will I use whatever ability I have?”.
Just think a minute…
1. A.waiters B.customers C.singers D.players
2. A.never B.still C.ever D.only
3. A.practiced B.shown C.dreamed D.done
4. A.better B.richer C.easier D.sooner
5. A.agreed B.confused C.insisted D.charged
6. A.familiar with B.fond of C.used to D.tired of
7. A.served B.explained C.shouted D.complained
8. A.changed B.broadcast C.paid D.drunk
9. A.So B.And C.Because D.But
10. A.nobody B.anybody C.somebody D.everybody
11. A.until B.after C.since D.when
12. A.waiter B.singer C.patron D.owner
13. A.sitting B.waiting C.depending D.playing
14. A.went up B.went on C.went off D.went away
15. A.advantages B.character C.principle D.abilities
16. A.unique B.surprising C.famous D.great
17. A.recognized B.wasted C.improved D.impressed
18. A.imagine B.possess C.expect D.develop
19. A.decision B.answer C.question D.solution
20. A.even B.rather C.pretty D.fairly
----Oh, no. It’s 5:45 now. I have to go and pick up my daughter.
---- _____. See you tomorrow.
A.Come on B.Cheer up C.Take care D.Have fun
What they gave us is ______ help; they gave us the confidence to live through the hard times.
A.much more than B.no more than C.no less than D.much less than
--- How about eight o ‘clock outside the cinema?
---- That _____ me fine.
A.fits B.matches C.satisfies D.suits