Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divide the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.
1.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because .
A. he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one
B. his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother
C. elder brother should of course have the bigger one
D. he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer
2.We can conclude from the passage that .
A. it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work
B. it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough
C. it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves
D. it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple
3.The writer tells the story by .
A. organizing it in the order of time
B. making a comparison between two men
C. providing some scientific information
D. describing it in the order of space
4. It is implied in the passage that .
A. we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot
B. in order to get what we want, we should play hard
C. giving children apples will lead them to become criminals
D. a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing
Eighty-year-old retired tailor, James McKay, spent Saturday night in jail after thirty-year-old Keith Smith over the head his walking stick. McKay's wife, Laurence told us that while McKay is usually a person, he had been to this act of violence by getting wet just once too often.
Smith lives above the McKays and it appears that not only is he a keen gardener, he is also a collector. Unfortunately for him, the water he sent over his balcony every day ended up on the McKay's, or too often, on the McKays .
“For the last fortnight, since Smith moved into the flat above us, we have hardly dared to go to our ,” said Laurence. She added that it wasn't so much the water falling onto their balcony from Smith watering his plant bothered them, it was more the way he cleaned his fish tanks. “We'd be there happily reading our newspapers, when so much water would come from above that we'd be as wet as if we'd with our clothes on! Neither could we get rid of the of fish!”
And on Saturday evening it was just too . “It was James's birthday,” explained Laurence, “and I'd made him a birthday cake. The candles were a great sight as you can imagine, but James didn't get to blow them out.” , Smith emptied one of his larger tanks over his balcony and both the McKays and the cake were wet . Rarely had Laurence seen McKay move so fast. “I couldn't him. He was up there in a flash. It was the fastest I'd seen him move since 1964.”
Smith is not going to take things further with the police. He has also promised to change his from now on. And what of James McKay? he left the police station, a large crowd of supporters sang him, “Happy Birthday”. “ the most exciting birthday !” said the cheerful old man. “The best since my adolescence I'd say!”
1.A. hitting B. tapping C. pushing D. touching
2.A. by B. via C. through D. with
3.A. quiet B. peaceful C. sensitive D. stubborn
4.A. accustomed B. taken C. driven D. attracted
5.A. fish B. seed C. plant D. newspaper
6.A. himself B. itself C. themselves D. herself
7.A. bathroom B. kitchen C. bedroom D. balcony
8.A. which B. what C. that D. whether
9.A. sitting B. exercising C. sleeping D. eating
10.A. regularly B. unconsciously C. precisely D. suddenly
11.A. swum B. showered C. watered D. drowned
12.A. taste B. sense C. feeling D. smell
13.A. little B. soon C. late D. much
14.A. Beside B. Instead C. Otherwise D. Consequently
15.A. over B. across C. through D. down
16.A. stop B. blame C. ignore D. stand
17.A. views B. attitude C. ways D. mind
18.A. While B. Since C. Until D. As
19.A. Sincerely B. Impossibly C. Definitely D. Previously
20.A. before B. ever C. already D. since
I’m told that the job is open to everyone ______ their previous experience. So it’s a chance for a green hand like you.
A. apart from B. due to C. on behalf of D. regardless of
They’re ______ choosing a cautious policy in order to avoid a risk in such an important event.
A. thoroughly B. deliberately C. carelessly D. naturally
If what parents say is not ______ with what they do, it will have a bad effect on their children.
A. contrary B. consistent C. confident D. considerate
After a heated discussion, the employees presented many ______ suggestions which might help improve the quality of the company’s product.
A. accurate B. optimistic C. positive D. temporary