Arthur sat at the desk in his room, pencil in hand. He had to write a story for his English class by Friday. “I don’t know what to write about,” he complained to his dog Toby, who was asleep at his feet. Arthur was talkative when speaking to his friends, yet he had trouble finding words when he had to write.
By bedtime Arthur had drawn a picture of Toby smiling. He had drawn a tree with its branches blowing in the strong wind. He had also written a note asking his friend Lee to go to the movies on Saturday. But he had not written a single word of his story.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Solomon, Arthur’s English teacher, asked the class to turn in the first draft of their stories. His heart sinking, Arthur turned in the only work he had—the page with his name, the drawings and the note.
Arthur wasn’t surprised when Mrs. Solomon asked him to stay after class the next day. But he was surprised by what she said to him. “This is an attractive story, Arthur. The dog, the movie, the tree in the wind—I can’t wait to find out how they all fit together.”
“That isn’t my story, Mrs. Solomon,” Arthur admitted. “I haven’t been able to think of one yet.”
“Oh, I think you have the seed(种子of a story there,” Mrs. Solomon replied, “Look at your note and the pictures and see if a story comes to you.”
That night Arthur sat at his desk, and this is what he wrote: “One Saturday Mike went downstairs to meet his friend Julio at the cinema. It looked as if it might rain, so Mike carried his umbrella. Suddenly a big storm blew in, bending the trees. The noise of the wind sounded like the barking of Mike’s dog Toby. Toby really hated storms and barked whenever he wanted to be let inside. Then Mike realized that it wasn’t the sound of the wind. It was Toby. The dog was running after him down the busy street, barking. The sound was filled with blame. Mike felt guilty because he had left Toby outside. He turned and headed home with Toby running beside him. Mike let Toby in the door just as the rain started to pour down.”
Arthur had a story in the end. The last thing he did was to write his name proudly at the top of the page.
【小题1】Why did Arthur turn in the page with only his name, the drawings and the note at first?

A．Because he had no time to fit them together.

B．Because he had difficulty in writing a story.

C．Because he wasn’t willing to do his homework.

D．Because he wanted to show his talent for drawing.

【小题2】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Toby is an imaginative and lovely dog.

B．The small tree will grow into a big one.

C．His friend Lee can give him a lot of support.

D．He can develop his story based on the first draft.

【小题3】What kind of teacher do you think Mrs. Solomon is ?

A．She is a strict teacher	B．She is a wise teacher
C．She is an honest teacher	D．She is an energetic teacher

【小题4】What can we infer(推断from the story?

A．Arthur is a shy and quiet student

B．Arthur isn’t very satisfied with his story

C．There will be a storm on Saturday

D．Encouragement is important in teaching

I won’t forget her advice

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago. Her husband died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights（见解）with us.

The class was nearly over. She said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you an important thought.”

“Each of us is put here on Earth to learn, share, love, enjoy and give all by ourselves. We must make the best of every single day.”

Her eyes were beginning to water and she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see — it could be a nice smell — perhaps of freshly baked bread, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly blowing the leaves in the trees.”

“Please look for these things, and love them. For, although it may seem common, these things are the stuff（素材）of life. They are the little things we are put here on Earth to enjoy. They are the things we often take for granted. We must make it a point to notice them, for at any time it can all be taken away.”

The class was completely quiet. We picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole term.

I usually think of that teacher and try to enjoy all of those things that we sometimes overlook (忽略).

Take notice of something special you see during your lunch hour today. Walk barefoot along the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we regret（后悔）, but the things we didn’t do.

1.What happened to the teacher’s husband?

A．He was ill.	B．He died of a heart attack.
C．He made a promise.	D．He became a teacher, too.

2.The high school teacher shared her insights with her students ____________.

A．on her way to school	B．on her way home
C．at the beginning of class	D．at the end of class

3.The underlined word “breeze” (in Paragraph 4) means ____________?

A．colourful cloud	B．white snow
C．light wind	D．heavy rain

4.What is the teacher’s advice?

A．We should love life and enjoy things around us.

B．We should share our important thoughts with others.

C．We should never feel sorry for what we have done.

D．We should do importand things and overlook little ones.

 

I am not sure when I started listening to the radio. In the evening, I like listening to some talk programmes. The host’s (主持人的) beautiful voice makes me relax. The host often has the same feelings as the audience about love, friendship, life and so on. I am often moved (被感动) to tears. I usually go to bed at 9:30 pm and then I begin to listen to the play on the radio in bed. I can only listen to the sound, but I am always interested in guessing who they are and what they look like. I often fall asleep while listening. During lunch and supper time, I listen to the radio, too.

I like listening to music because it can make me quiet. I also like thinking about something while listening to music, for example, what I shall do tomorrow, that I have to call my family tonight and that I should send short messages to my friends on Christmas Day.  

You see, radio is important in my life, like a friend.

1.In the evening, the writer likes listening to some ____ programmes. 

A．talk

B．sports

C．news

D．music

2.At 9:30 pm, the writer begins to _______.

A．think about what to do tomorrow	B．listen to the play
C．send short messages to his friends	D．call his family

3. According to the passage, when does the writer listen to the radio?

A. When he is having breakfast.    B. When he is having lunch.

C. When he is having supper.      D. Both B and C.

4.The writer likes ______ while listening to music.

A．singing

B．talking

C．thinking

D．dancing

5.Which of the following is RIGHT? 

A．Radio is important in the writer’s life.

B．The writer often talks to the radio like a friend.

C．On Christmas Day the writer must listen to the radio.

D．The writer should send short messages to his friends while listening to the radio.

 

Zhang Qin is a nineteen-year-old young man. Two years ago, when he __46__ middle school, he found work in a shop. Usually he worked __47__ nine o’clock in the evening. When he got home, he always felt very tired. After a quick supper he went to bed and fell __48__. So he never made any noise and his grandfather was very pleased with him.
One day he went back from work a little __49__. On his way home he met Li Jun, one of his __50__. They were both very happy. Zhang Qin asked Li Jun to his house, and Li Jun agreed. Li Jun __51__ some fruit and drink. They talked about their school, their teachers, their classmates and their __53__. They talked for a long time.
“ Have a look at your watch, please.” Said Li Jun, “ What’s the time now?”
“ Sorry, there is something wrong with my watch.” Said Zhang Qin. “ Where is __53__?”
“ I __54_ it at home.”
Zhang Qin thought for a moment and found a way. He began to jump on the floor.
The sound woke his grandfather up. The old man shouted __55__. “ It’s twelve o’clock，Zhang Qin. Why are you still jumping upstairs？“
（

A．asleep

B．future(s)

C．downstairs

D．finished E. until F. classmates G. left H. earlier I. brought J. yours ）

To me, music is food and water. I can’t live without it. I know this is not true for everybody. Many people don’t listen to music and they can get along quite well. But music is everywhere in our life. For example, when you watch films or TV plays, do you find them interesting if there is no music? You would find them boring. And when you are waiting for the train or the plane, you would like music because it makes the time seem shorter.
It is true that music is everywhere in our life. Some people like to sit by the sea and listen to the sound of the sea. Some enjoy listening to the singing of birds. Those sounds are some kinds of music.  So music has meaning for everyone in some way or other. Of course, it has special meaning for people like me. We spend our lives playing or writing music.
Someone said, “Through music, a child goes into a world of beauty, learns to take care of others and makes his mind and body strong.” Music is an important part of our lives.
【小题1】The passage tells us that the writer _______.

A．likes to sit by the sea

B．is not interested in music

C．likes to travel by plane

D．likes music very much

【小题2】The word “boring” in the first paragraph means ______.

A．interesting	B．not interesting
C．tiring	D．foolish

【小题3】Music is important to _______.

A．some people	B．everyone
C．nobody	D．writers only

【小题4】Listening to music can ______ when you are waiting for the train.

A．make time fly quickly

B．help you save time

C．make time short

D．make you feel time passes more quickly

【小题5】Which of the following is true?

A．The writer likes to write music every day.

B．The writer becomes strong through music.

C．Most people like to listen to the sound of the sea.

D．Music has some kind of meaning to everyone.