Almost everybody in America will spend a part of his or her life behind a shopping cart (购物手推车).
They will, in a lifetime, push the chrome-plated contraptions many miles. But few will know-or even think
to ask-who it was that invented them.
     Sylvan N. Goldman invented the shopping cart in 1937. At that time he was in the supermarket business.
Every day he would see shoppers lugging (吃力地携带) groceries around in baskets they had to carry.
     One day Goldman suddenly had the idea of putting baskets on wheels. The wheeled baskets would make
shopping much easier for his customers, and would help to attract more business.
     On June 4, 1937, Goldman's first carts were ready for use in his market. He was terribly excited on the
morning of that day as customers began arriving. He couldn't wait to see them using his invention.
     But Goldman was disappointed. Most shoppers gave the carts a long look, but hardly anybody would give
them a try.
     After a while, Goldman decided to ask customers why they weren't using his carts. "Don't you think this
arm is strong enough to carry a shopping basket?" one shopper replied.
     But Goldman wasn't beaten yet. He knew his carts would be a great success if only he could persuade
people to give them a try. To this end, Goldman hired a group of people to push carts around his market and
pretend they were shopping! Seeing this, the real customers gradually began copying the phony (假冒的)
customers.
     As Goldman had hoped, the carts were soon attracting larger and larger numbers of customers to his
market. But not only did more people come-those who came bought more. With larger, easier-to-handle
baskets, customers unconsciously bought a greater number of items than before.
     Today's shopping carts are five times larger than Goldman's original model. Perhaps that's one reason
Americans today spend more than five times as much money on food each year as they did before 1937-
before the coming of the shopping cart.

1. The underlined words "chrome-plate contraptions" in Paragraph 1 refer to _____. (No more than 3 words)
2. What was the purpose of Goldman's invention? (No more than 10 words)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why was Goldman disappointed at first? (No more than 10 words) 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Why did Goldman hire people to push carts around his market? (No more than 10 words) 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
5. What do you think of Goldman? Please give your reasons. (No more than 20 words) 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________

     I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn't be late for! I found
myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries.
A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge
rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.
     We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman
stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile-warm and reassuring-and
I retuned her gift by smiling back.
     "Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers," she said.
     "Yes, she's special," I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out. "It’s only our
second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she's the one," jokingly, I added, "The only problem is
that I can’t figure out why she'd want to date a guy like me."
     "Well, I think she's very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously
in love with her," the woman said. "My husband used to bring me flowers every week-even when tines were
tough and we didn't have much money. Those were incredible days; be was very romantic and-of course- I
miss him since he’s passed away."
     I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked
up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said "You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a
very special lady." I handed the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.
     It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. "You have a
wonderful evening," I said. I left het with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful
flowers.
     I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of
years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped
to seal it for her-that was the night than I won her heart.

1. Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A. He was to meet his girlfriend.
B. He had to go back to school soon.
C. He was delayed by an elderly lady.
D. He had to pick up some groceries.

2. What does the underlined phrase "her gift" (Paragraph 2 ) refer to?

A. Her words.     
B. Her smile.      
C. Her flowers.    
D. Her politeness.

3. Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A. She told him a nice story.
B. She allowed him to pay first.
C. She gave him encouragement.
D. She liked flowers very much.

4. What is the message conveyed in the story?

A. Flowers are important for a date.
B. Small talk is helpful.
C. Love and kindness are rewarding.
D. Elderly people deserve respecting.

     In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh (法老) treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived
at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring
the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.
     Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut
butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand,
a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, "Oh boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says
it’s going to rain." I wanted to strike him on the race with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his
stupid weather report, for his smile.
     Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the
Greyhound counter,  the sales agent said with a broad smile, "Oh that bus left rive minutes ago." Dreams
of head-cutting!
     It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It's the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered.
Everyone must give bad mews from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude.
A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation dose it in a caring way A boss informing an
employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad
news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.
     Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight, has a hotel
clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready ye? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has
your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as traveler or diner want to
land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.
     Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his
warning. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I
probably would have said, "Oh, that's all right. I'll catch the next one." Big winners, when they bear bad
news, deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded (被轰炸的) person is sure to have .

1.  In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to _____.

A. make a comparison                    
B. introduce a topic  
C. describe a scene                         
D. offer an argument

2. In the writer's opinion, his neighbor was _____.

A. friendly          
B. warm-hearted 
C. not considerate
D. not helpful

3. From "Dreams of head-cutting!" (Paragraph 3), we learn that the writer _____.

A. was mad at the sales agent.
B. was reminded of the cruel pharaoh
C. wished that the sales agent would have had dreams.
D. dreamed of cutting the sales agent's head that night.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A. Delivering bad news properly is important in communication.
B. Helping others sincerely is the key to business success.
C. Receiving bad news requires great courage.
D. Learning ancient traditions can be useful.

     I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.
It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this
with boys of my own size or less.
     One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel (毛巾) on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was,
so I thought him a fair game. Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it
would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great
strength swimming quickly to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw
me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by
a crowd of younger boys. "Do you know what you have done?" they said, "It's Amery; he is in Grade Six.
He is champion at gym, he has got his football honor."
     I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel
and so small. He didn't seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word, "My father, who is a great
man, is also small."At this,he laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I
had better be careful in the future, the incident was closed.

1. The writer thought Amery "a fair game" because the boy _____.

A. looked like an animal
B. was fond of games
C. was of similar size
D. was good at sports

2. The writer felt "ashamed" because _____.

A. he was laughed at by other boys
B. Amery turned out to be in the same grade
C. he pushed Amery hard and hurt him
D. he played a joke on an outstanding athlete

3. By saying "My father, who is a great man, is also small", the writer _____.

A. tried to please Amery
B. challenged Amery
C. threatened Amery
D. admired his father

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer could run faster than Amery.
B. The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes.
C. Amery was a student in Grade Four.
D. Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior.

     A few days ago I asked my sons' governess (女家庭教师) Julia to come into my study. "Be seated,
Julia," I said, "Let's settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you're
too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month..."
     "Forty."
     "No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you've been here two
months, so..."
     "Two months and five days."
     "Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you.
Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn't work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And
three holidays..."Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but-not a word.
      "Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons,
as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission
not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven-nineteen. Take nineteen off... that leaves. hmm.... forty one
dollars. Correct?"
     Julia's left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew
her nose, but-still not a word.
     "Around New Year's Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more,
it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. Then, due to your neglect (疏忽), Tom climbed a tree and
tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick's shoes. You ought to
watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave
you ten dollars."
     "You didn't." sobbed Julia.
     "But I made a note of it."
     "Well... if you say so."
     "Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen."
     Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!
     "Only once was I given any money," she whispered, her voice trembling,"and that was by your wife.
Three dollars, nothing more."
     "Really? You see now, and I didn't know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here's your
money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is!"
     I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.
     "Merci (法语: 谢谢)," she whispered.
     I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. "For what, this-'merci'?"
I asked.
     "For the money."
     "But you know I've cheated you-robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this'merci'?"
     "In my other places they didn't give me anything at all."
     "They didn't give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach
you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it
really possible to be so spineless (懦弱)? Why didn't you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in
this world to be without teeth and claws (爪)-to be such a fool?"
     Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression, "It is possible."
     I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She
murmured her little "merci" several times and went out. I looked after her and thought, "How easy it is
to crush the weak in this world!"

1. While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her _____.

A. a protest　　
B. gratitude
C. obedience　　　
D. an explanation

2. What shocked the writer was Julia's _____.

A. nervousness in front of her boss
B. acceptance of injustice
C. shyness when talking about money
D. reluctance to express herself

3. The writer said, "Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?" He was actually telling
    the governess _____.

A. to be more aggressive
B. to be more careful in her work
C. to protect her right
D. to live independently

4. At the end of the story, the writer said, "How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!" to show _____.

A. his understanding of Julia's anxiety
B. his worry about Julia's future
C. his concern on the living condition of working-class people
D. his sympathy for the weak

     "Good evening, everybody!" said the teacher, Donna. "Where is everybody?" That was sort of a daily
joke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or three students present, and then filled up as the
minutes went by. It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long. Class attendance was
always smaller than during fall and spring semesters.
     "I don't know, teacher. Maybe they late or no come," said one student. "Maybe watching TV football
tonight."
     "Is there a soccer game tonight? It seems like there's a soccer game every night. Oh, well. Let's get
started, okay? We're on page 36 in the workbook. Tonight we're studying participles as adjectives. Students
are always confused when they learn about the present and past participles, so we will practice this a lot.
Tonight, we're just going to practice the present participle.
     "The present participle tells us what emotion or feeling the subject is causing. For example, 'Grammar
is boring' means that the subject-grammar-causes an emotion of boredom. If we say, 'The movie is
interesting,' we are saying that the movie causes a feeling of interest. If we say, 'The roller coaster is exciting,'
we are saying that the roller coaster causes a feeling of excitement. Any questions so far? Am I confusing
you? Is everyone confused?"
     The classroom was quiet. Donna looked at blank faces. They were confused. She knew this would take
a while. But eventually, the faster students would grasp it, and then they would help the slower students. By
the end of the evening, most of the class would feel comfortable using the present participle.
     Donna erased the board and put some new examples on it. She loved guiding her students through difficult
topics like this one. She always felt a little bit thrilled when the look of understanding came to their faces.

1. What do you think the class is about?

A. Going over homework.
B. English grammar.
C. Football.
D. British culture.

2. We can infer from the first paragraph that _____ in summer time.

A. some students are often late for school
B. some students often watch football games with the teacher
C. more students often ask for leave
D. more students often go to school

3. The underlined work "blank" probably means _____.

A. excited
B. interested
C. confused
D. pleased

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Donna was experienced in teaching English grammar.
B. Donna made the students practice using the present participle.
C. Donna didn't use any examples to help the students.
D. Donna made herself understood at last.

     The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a
father and his daughter, and put the lid on the cup with a clink. Obviously thinking of something, he hurried
into the inner room, leaving the thermos (热水瓶) on the table. His two guests heard a chest of drawers
opening and rustling.
     They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the
window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something
was hopelessly broken.
     It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girls looked over her shoulder suddenly, shocked,
staring. It was mysterious; neither of them had touched it, not even a little bit. True, it hadn't stood steadily
when their host placed it on the table, but it hadn't fallen then.
     The crash of the thermos caused the host, with a box of sugar cubes in his hand, to rush back from the
inner room. He looked foolishly at the steaming floor and blurted out. "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"
     The father started to say something. Then he said in a low voice, "Sorry I touched it and it fell."
     "It doesn't matter," the host said.
     Later, when they left the house,the daughter said, "Daddy, did you touch it?"
     "No. But it stood so close to me."
     "But you didn't touch it. I saw your reflection in the window. You were sitting perfectly still."
     The father laughed. "Then how would you explain the cause of its fall?"
     "The thermos fell by itself. The floor is uneven. It wasn't steady when Mr. Li put it there. Daddy, why
did you say that?"
     "That won't do,girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which
people accept less true it sounds." The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, "Can you
explain it only this way?"
     "Only this way." her father said.

1. Which statement is a possible main idea of this story?

A. People seldom tell the truth.
B. You can't always make people believe the truth.
C. If you try to defend yourself,people will believe you.
D. People never believe others.

2. It can be inferred from the story that the father _____.

A. didn't know Mr. Li very well
B. was sorry that he hadn't told the host the truth
C. didn't think Mr. Li would believe the truth
D. was glad that he had told the truth

3. From the story,we know that the daughter _____.

A. thought her father should have told the truth
B. knew the thermos would fall and stepped out
C. thought her father shouldn't have told the truth
D. thought her father must have known the cause

4. From the passage, we can see the reason why the thermos fell was that _____.

A. the table was too small
B. the father sat too close to the thermos
C. the father wanted to help himself with some water
D. something impossible to explain happened