Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night
cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.
        She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill.“I would have
liked to go back to it, but the shifts（工作班次） are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the
children up and off to school.”
        So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m.till 6 a.m.five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax
and insurance.“It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’
should get a bit extra.”
        The hours she’ s chosen to work mean that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her
husband.However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.
        Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either.“I do get angry with people
who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs.If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps
they’d be a bit more careful.”
        The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all.Unlike some dark buildings at
night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three.“Since I’ve got to
be here, I try to enjoy myself-and I usually do, because of the other girls.We all have a good laugh, so the
time never drags.”
        Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she
does for a living.“They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said
Margaret.“I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think
that way any more.I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”

1.Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______.  

A.she wanted to earn more money to support her family
B.she had suffered a lot of mental pressure
C.she needed the right time to look after her children
D.she felt tired of taking care of patients

2.Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.

A.they never clean their offices    
B.they look down upon cleaners
C.they never do their work carefully    
D.they always make a mess in their offices

3.When at work, Margaret feels _______.

A.light-hearted because of her fellow workers
B.happy because the building is fully lit
C.tired because of the heavy workload
D.bored because time passes slowly

4.The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______.  

A.help care for her children   
B.regret what they had said
C.show sympathy for her    
D.feel disappointed in her

     When I walked into the house after school, the first thing I noticed was a box with items I recognized
from my dad's office.  When he told me that he was laid off, I thought he was joking.  Then I noticed his
seriousness and realized he was telling the truth.  My father has always been a hard worker.  He has
prided himself on his career.    1   I guess I had taken his work for granted.  
      2   For starters, he was home all the time.  It meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up,
and my homework done right after school.  I would come home every day to find him at the computer
searching for jobs.   3   He seemed down, though he tried to be optimistic.  He asked my brother and me
to spend less.  I gave up my spending money, which wasn't much.  I also found a part-time job.  
      4   He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business.  Day by day, I watched him build it.  One evening I asked if he needed help.  "Only if it doesn't affect
school," he said.  I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two
months.  
      5   The terrible experience for our family taught me how to deal with difficulties.  Now I know that
through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plan B.  I can ask for help and take risks.  What I
have learned from my dad's understanding of business and his work ethic(信条)are two of the most
important lessons I will ever learn.  And they will be my principles for success.  
    A.  Providing for our family has been his joy.  
    B.  I made every effort to solve his problems.  
    C.  I began to notice how losing his job had affected him.  
    D.  My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives.
    E.  After months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction.
    F.  His courage and determination helped him to become successful in his new career.  
    G.  I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action influenced me a lot.

     In 1909 an English newspaper offered ￡1,000 to the first man to fly across the English Channel in an
aeroplane. Today, modern jets cross it in minutes. But at that time it still seemed a good distance. The race
to win the money soon became a race between two men. Both were very colourful.
     One was Louis Bleriot. He owned a factory in France that made motor car lamps. He was already well
known as a pilot because he had had accidents several times. Some people laughed at him. One man said,
"He may not be the first to fly across the Channel but he will certainly be the first to die in an accident!"
But Bleriot was really a good and brave pilot. He also had many good ideas about aeroplane design.
     The other man was Hubert Latham. He was half French and half English. He took up flying when his
doctors told him he had only a year to live. "Oh, well," he said, "if I' m going to die soon, I think I shall
have a dangerous and interesting life now." Latham was the first to try the flight across the Channel. Ten
kilometres from the French coast, his plane had some trouble. It fell down into the water and began to sink
under the water. A boat reached Latham just in time. He was sitting calmly on the wing and was coolly
lighting a cigarette. Bleriot took off six days later. He flew into some very bad weather and very low cloud.
He somehow got to the English side and landed in a farmer's field. When he did so, a customs (海关) officer
rushed up to his plane. Planes have changed since then, but customs officers have not. "Have you anything
to declare (报关)?" The officer demanded.

1. Bleriot was well known as a pilot because _____.

A. he was unusually brave
B. he was quite rich
C. he had many good ideas about aeroplane design
D. he had had a few accidents

2. Why did Hubert Latham want to fly across the Channel?

A. He thought he could manage it easily.
B. He wanted to be the first one to cross the Channel.
C. He knew he only had a year to live.
D. He had always been interested in flying.

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Latham became a pilot on the doctor's advice.
B. He was told he could live another year.
C. His plane had some trouble.
D. He was saved by a boat when his plane was sinking.

                                                                    "You don't say!"
     A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized (强调) the importance again
and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
     One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about
how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head and shrugging his
shoulders, he said, "You don't say!" "You don't say!" I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate
topic."I'd better change the topic."
     So I said to him, "Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?"
"Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent."
     He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. "The Great Wall is one of the wonders in
the world. We are very proud of it" Soon I was interrupted again by his words:"You don't say!"
     I couldn't help asking, "Why do you ask me not to talk about it?" "Well, I didn't request you to do so," he
answered, greatly surprised.
     I said, "Didn't you say 'you don't say'?" Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain,
"you don't say' actually means 'really?' It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don't pay attention to English
idioms." Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic
expressions.
     Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.

1. A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because ______.

A. English idioms were not important
B. I was not careful with English idioms
C. My teacher didn't emphasize the importance of them
D. I had no interest in them

2. At first, on hearing "You don't say," I thought the foreigner meant ______.

A. he was not interested in the topic
B. he was only interested in the Great Wall
C. I had talked too much
D. I had to stop talking

3. The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means ______.

A. interesting
B. important
C. terrible
D. unlucky

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.
B. The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.
C. The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.
D. The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.

5. After the Englishman explained the idiom, ______.

A. I thought the Englishman had made me a fool
B. the Englishman became a real fool
C. I felt very silly
D. I became more careful in everything