Many years ago, there was an old man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge(判断) things too quickly. So he told them to go and look at a pear tree. It was far away from his home. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn.

When the sons came back, the old man asked them to say what they had seen.

The first son complained the tree was ugly. The second son said the tree was covered with buds and full of hope. The third son said the tree was full of green leaves. They looked so beautiful, and it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. The youngest son said that the tree was bowed down with heavy fruits. It was full of life and fulfillment(收获).

The man explained that all of his sons were right, but each of them had seen just one season of the tree. He told them that they couldn't judge a tree or a person by only one season. "If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the hope of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your autumn." said the old man

It is true that we shouldn't let the hard season break the happiness of the other seasons. Never give up during the difficult days and better times are sure to come some day.

1.Why did the old man ask his sons to look at the pear tree?         

A．Because he liked. eating pears.

B．Because the tree was important to his family.

C．Because he wanted to teach them not to judge things too quickly.

D．Because his sons didn't judge things quickly.

2.The fourth son went to see the tree in          .                     

A．Spring

B．Summer

C．Autumn

D．Winter

3.The underlined word "buds" probably means        in Chinese.        

A．叶子

B．枝条

C．果实

D．花蕾

4.Which of the following is true?                                     

A．The pear tree was near his home.

B．The third son said the tree was beautiful.

C．The four sons all liked the tree.

D．Even you give up in winter, you can still get hope in other seasons

5.What's the main idea of this passage?                              

A．Don't judge a life by one difficult season.

B．Father's love is great.

C．Every tree has four seasons.

D．Life is different for everyone.

 

In Britain you may often hear “Drop in any time” or “Come to see me soon”, but you can’t really do that. People just say those things to make you feel welcome. It is better to telephone before visiting someone at home. If you receive a written invitation to an event that says “RSVP”, you should reply to let the person who sent the invitation know whether or not you plan to go.
You should never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying, “Thank you for inviting me, but I will not be able to come.” If, after accepting, you are unable to go, be sure to tell those who are expecting you as soon as possible that you will not be there. Although it is not necessarily expected that you give a gift to your host, it is considered polite to do so, especially if you have been invited for a meal. Flowers, chocolate, or a small gift are all appropriate(合适的). A thank-you note or telephone call after the visit is also considered polite and is an appropriate way to express your appreciation for the invitation.
【小题1】What can you do when a British friend says, “Drop in anytime”?

A．Visit him or her at any time.

B．Say no time to him or her seriously.

C．Telephone him or her before visiting.

D．Visit him or her soon.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “RSVP” probably mean in Chinese?

A．请自便

B．请回复

C．请审阅

D．请来访

【小题3】What should you do if your British friend sends you an invitation but you do not want to go?

A．Do not give him or her an answer.

B．Tell another friend to go instead of you.

C．Tell him or her that you can’t be there for some reason.

D．Tell him or her that you don’t want to go there.

【小题4】Which of the following is considered impolite in Britain?

A．Buy small presents when invited.

B．Refuse the invitation without telling anyone.

C．Write a thank-you note after a visit.

D．Give a telephone call after a visit.

【小题5】Where would you probably see this passage?

A．In an invitation.

B．In a guidebook.

C．On a poster.

D．In a newspaper.

An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. "What's that strange building?" asked the visitor. "That's the Tower of London." "I see. How long did it take to build it?” “About 500 years." "In my country we can build it in five months." said the visitor. A short time after that, they come to St. Paul's Cathedral (大教堂)."Very interesting, "said the visitor, "How long did it take to build it?  Nearly forty years." said the Englishman. "In my country we can finish it in forty days." said the visitor. This went on all day. They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same things much faster in his country. At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. A few days later they came to the House of Parliament(议会大厦) and the visitor asked his usual question. "What's that?” The Englishman answered, "I've no idea. It wasn't there last night."

1.The Englishman showed the foreign visitor around____________.

A．the Tower of London

B．St. Paul's Cathedral

C．some famous buildings in London

D．the whole city of London

2.The visitor said that in his country it would take them ____________to build St. Paul's Cathedral.

A．less than half a year

B．more than a month

C．five hundred years

D．forty years

3.The Englishman was very angry by the end of the day, but he______________

A．tried not to let the visitor know it

B．tried not to show the visitor around the city

C．had no time to tell the visitor

D．didn't want to say anything

4.The Englishman's last answer showed he______________.

A．was sorry that he hadn't seen the building before

B．could say nothing because he didn't know anything about it

C．was not happy and decided to give him a surprising answer

D．didn't know how to tell the visitor the name of the building

5.The best title (标题) for this passage is_______________.

A．English history

B．Around London

C．What's that strange building?

D．How long did it take to build it?

 

That warm day was the only day of the week without rain. I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine. Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold. An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.

“ Hi! My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said,” Hello, Karmen. I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.

One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she didn’t still turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will(遗嘱)， which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.

Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remembered the wonderful friendship we had.

1.The writer came out of the house to________.

A．look at an old lady                       B．enjoy some flowers

C．enjoy the sunshine                      D．clean the house nearby

2.Through visiting the old lady, the writer learned that the old lady_______.

A．disliked all her relatives                  B．had no one to look after her

C．didn’t want to live with her family          D．was looking for someone to look after her

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．The old lady was not kind.

B．The writer didn’t have any good friends.

C．The old lady didn’t know how to make food.

D．The writer got along very well with the old lady

4.What does “ turn up ” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．appear           B．leave             C．try               D．change

5.In order to thank the writer, the old lady decided to_______.

A．give the writer her favourite flowers

B．let the writer know she was her best friend

C．give the writer a key to her house

D．leave all that she had to the writer

 

He was driving home one evening when he saw an old lady standing by the road. He could tell she needed help. So he stopped his car in front of her car and got out.

He smiled at her, but she was worried. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry.

He said: “I’m here to help you ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car? By the way ,my name is Joe.”

She had a flat tire（轮胎瘪了）. Joe crawled under the car and soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. She said that she couldn’t thank him enough for his help. Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk（后备箱）.

She asked him how much she owed（欠）him. But Joe wasn’t thinking about the money. This was helping someone in need. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she should lend a hand.

He waited until she had driven off and felt good as he headed for home.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café. She went in to get a bite to eat. The waitress brought a clean towel for her to wipe her wet hair. The waitress was nearly eight months pregnant（怀孕的）.It was tiring for her to move about. But she did it all with a sweet smile on her face. The lady was moved by the wonderful service the waitress was giving. After the lady had finished her meal, and the waitress had gone to get her change（零钱）from a ￥100 bill, the lady slipped（溜）out the door. At her table, the waitress found something written on a napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady had written. It said: “You don’t owe me a thing. I know life is hard for you right now. Someone once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don’t let the chain（链）of love end with you.”

1.When the old lady first saw the man, she was        .

A. scared          B. excited         C. interested    D. relaxed

2.Joe wanted the old lady to        for his help.

A. pay money back                     B. see someone who needed help

C. lend him a hand                    D. help someone else in need

3.The old lady was moved by the waitress because        .

A. she was nearly eight months pregnant B. it was tiring for her to move about

C. there was a sweet smile on her face  D. she offered him a wonderful service

4.The old lady helped the waitress by        .

A. drawing something on a napkin      B. buying something to eat

C. giving her some money              D. giving her a ride

5.What’s the best title（标题）of the article?

A. A man, an old lady and a waitress. B. Helping someone in need.

C. Love is really important.    D. Unbroken chain of love.