Died of shock (震惊)
    A very old lady won a million dollars in a lottery（彩票）. Her son and her husband heard the news on the
radio. 
    "How are we going to tell your mother?" the man asked. "The news might kill her." 
    "That's true." said the son. "Perhaps we'd better speak to her doctor about it. He will know how to bring the
news to her gently."
    They told the old lady's doctor about this . 
    "I'm glad you told me," he said, "A shock even a happy one could give her heart attack (打击). Leave it to
me. I'll find a way of bringing the news to her." 
    The doctor thought about the problem for several days. Then decided what he would say.
    He called on the old lady and sat by her. He took her hand in his. "let's play a game ,my dear," "A Let's
Pretend Game (一个假装游戏)." 
    "Oh, yes," said the old lady. "I love playing it." "Good , I'll ask you a question first" the doctor said. "Then
you can ask me one." 
    He pretended to think for a few moments. Then he said, "Tell me , what would you do if you won a million
dollars in the lottery?" 
    "Oh. That's an easy one," the old lady said. "I'd give most of it to you, Doctor. Because you have been so
good to me all these years. Doctor!" 
    But the doctor was lying on the floor. He had died of sock.

1. Why didn't the son and his father tell the lady the good news at once? Because they _______.

A. weren't sure it was right
B. didn't want her to die of sock
C. want to kill her first

2. The doctor was also worried that the news would ________.

A. make her worried
B. kill him
C. cause a heart attack

3. The doctor went to the old lady's house ________.

A. to give her a heart attack
B. to play games with her
C. to tell her the news

4. Why was the doctor lying on the floor? Because ________.

A. he hoped the old lady would do the same.
B. It was part of the "Let's Pretend" game.
C. he had died of shock

5. Which of the following is wrong?

A. The son took bad care of the old lady's health
B. They wanted to tell her the happy news, but they didn't want to shock her.
C. The doctor tried to tell the news gently.

      One day I happened to meet an Englishman in the street and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about
how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be very surprised, gently shaking his head and saying "You
don't say!" I was puzzled, and I thought, "Perhaps this is not a right thing to talk about." So I said to him. "Well,
shall we talk about the Great Wall? Have you ever been there?"
      "Certainly! Everyone at home will laugh at me if I leave here without seeing it. The Great Wall is wonderful!"
"Yes, it is one of the wonders in the world. And people of many countries have come to visit it." As I went on
more about it, he stopped me again, "You don't say!"
      I couldn't help asking, "Why do you ask me not to talk about it?"
      "Well, I don't ask you to do so," he answered, greatly surprised.
      "Didn't you say 'You don't say'?" I asked again.
      Hearing this, the foreigner laughed loudly. He began to explain, " 'You don't say!' means 'Really?'. Perhaps
you know little about English idioms (习语)."
      Wow! How foolish I was! Since then I began to learn more English idioms.

1. The writer was puzzled (疑惑) because _________.

A. the foreigner has some trouble in understanding him
B. the writer himself didn't understand the meaning of "You don't say!"
C. the foreigner was not polite

2. What made the foreigner laugh?

A. The English idiom.
B. The writer's talking about the Great Wall.
C. The writer's question.

3. The story probably happened in _______.

A. China
B. America
C. England

4. The writer was puzzled ______ in the passage.

A. once
B. twice
C. three times

5. The English idiom "You don't say!" means "________".

A. Really?
B. You're right.
C. Thank you.

       Orlando, Florida — Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter
Park High School can quickly get up just in their clothes for sleeping and go to class in their own bedrooms. Of
course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer.
       This school, the state's only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. 
       "I feel a lot more comfortable at home," says Luke Levesque, a 16-year-old student who is taking a
computer class online. He thinks the school's computer lad is so noisy that he can't study well. "Home is much
better," he says. 
       When a student is ready to begin a class, he or she turns on the computer, reads the teacher's instructions
(指示), and begins working on the lessons for the day. What happens if a student has a question for the teacher?
Or the teacher wants to say something about the work a student is doing? The student and the teacher can talk
to each other every day through e-mail or by telephone. For example, when Luke opened his daily e-mail from
the teacher, it contained (包含) her instructions for the day's computer lesson. When he finished, he sent his
work back by e-mail to her for correcting. 
       Is it easy for students to cheat on tests when they're working at home? The teachers have already thought
about this. They make students take their final exams in person in the classroom. 
       If this first online program goes well, in three years Florida's high school students will be able to take all
their classes by computer. When that happens, students will be able to get their high school diplomas (文凭)
without having to set foot in a classroom.

1. Winter Park High School is _______.

A. one of the online schools in Florida
B. an ordinary high school in Florida
C. in fact Luke Levesque's own bedroom
D. the only online school in Florida

2. Luke likes taking classes at home because _______.

A. he feels more comfortable at home
B. his school has not enough computers
C. he can learn what he likes at home
D. he doesn't need to face his teachers

3. Students can talk to each other and to the teacher _______.

A. face to face
B. through e-mail or by telephone
C. only by telephone
D. only through e-mail

4. What can we know from the passage?

A. In three years, all the school students in Florida can take their lessons by computer.
B. All the Florida's high school students can get their diplomas without going to their classrooms.
C. Computers and the Internet will be used more and more widely in school.
D. No students will have to attend school.

    Don't worry if you have a problem! This is easy to say if you don't have one yourself, I know. But the only
people who don't have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods. We call them cemeteries (坟墓).
    If you're breathing, you have difficulties. That's how life is. But believe it or not, most of your problems may
actually be good for you! Let me explain.
    Maybe you know about the Great Barrier Reef (大堡礁), running some 1800 miles from New Guinea
(新几内亚) to Australia. Tour guides often take visitors to see the reef. On one tour, the guide was asked an
interesting question. "I notice that the lagoon (泻湖) side of the reef looks pale (苍白) and lifeless, while the
ocean side is lively and colorful. Why is this?"
    The guide answered:"The coral (珊瑚) around the lagoon side is in still water. With no challenge to its survival
(生存), it dies early. The coral on the ocean side is always being tested by wind, waves and storms. It has to
fight for its survival every day. As it is challenged and tested, it changes and grows healthy, it grows strong." He
added, "That's the way it is with every living thing."
    That's how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive! Like coral by the sea, we grow. Physical
problems make for a stronger body. Stress makes for a stronger mind.
    So, you have problems-no problem! Just tell yourself,"There I grow again!"

1. From the beginning of the passage we know _______.

A. we needn't worry about our problem
B. problems follow us for ever
C. it's natural to face all kinds of problems
D. above the all

2. Who has no problems according to the passage?

A. The persons who are very famous
B. The persons who are living in the cemeteries.
C. The persons who have been born
D. The persons who have much money.

3. In the writer's opinion, ________.

A. problems bring us much trouble
B. we should try to stay away from any trouble
C. problems have two sides, good or bad.
D. the fewer things we do, the less trouble we'll meet

4. The reason why lagoon side of the reef has no life is _______.

A. it hasn't got any sunlight
B. it never faces any challenge and tests
C. it has less energy than others
D. it has no work to do every day

5. After reading this passage, we should ________.

A. regard any problem as challenge
B. learn from the lagoon side
C. worry your problem
D. enter into cemeteries