Many objects that people use each day started with a simple idea. These objects have often changed the way we  46 . Some help us to do a job more   47 . Others fill a need or solve a problem.
In 1858, Lipman had such an  48 . He took out a pencil, a piece of paper,   49 an eraser. Then he began to write. Sometimes he needed to  50  a word. Each time he had to search under his books and papers to   51  the eraser. “ I wish my eraser would stay in one 52 !” he said.
Then Lipman had his simple idea. He   53  a groove(凹槽) in one end of the pencil. He glued(粘牢) the eraser into the groove. Lipman had solved his problem. Later he thought that others might like to have such a pencil. So he sold his  54 .Some pencils with erasers were 55 . His design earned $ 100000.

In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father is an African and his mother is a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.

When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.

“I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince（王子）. But I kept asking myself who I am,” said Obama.

However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president（总统） in US history.

This unusual background（背景） made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol (酒) to help forget this question.

With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became only the third black senator (参议员) in US history.

“Obama’s success has made Martin Luther King’s dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged （判断）by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character,” wrote ABC news.

1.Obama was born in _______________.

A Britain       B America       C Kenya         D Indonesia

2.There was/were _______black students besides Obama at the school where he studied when he was ten.

A no            B one               C two           D three

3.Obama became the first black president in US history when he was ______.

A 37            B 40                C 47            D 50

4.Which of the following is true?

A Obama’s father was a Kenyan prince.

B Obama once forgot who his father was with the help of alcohol.

C Obama was so dishonest when he was young that nobody believed him.

D Obama changed his college life because of his friends’ help and his hard work

5.From the passage we can see that____________.

A. we could judge a person by the colour of his skin 

B. we could not judge a person by the content of his character 

C. we should not judge a person by the color of his skin 

D. we should judge a person by what he did when he was young

Alan worked in an office in the city. He worked very hard and really looked forward to his holiday. He usually went to the seaside, but one year he saw an ad. in a newspaper “Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at William Farm. Good food, fresh air, horse riding, walking, fishing…”
“This sounds like a good idea.” he thought, I’ll spend a month at William Farm. I’ll go horse riding, walking and fishing. It’ll be different from the seaside.” Four days later, he returned home.
“What’s wrong with William Farm?”His friend Jack asked him.“Didn’t you enjoy country life?”
“Country life was fine,”Alan said.“But there was another problem.”
“Oh, what problem?”
“Well, the first day I was there, a sheep died, and we had roast(烤肉) mutton for dinner.”
“Fresh meat is the best.”
“I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner.”
“Lucky you!”
“You don’t understand,” Alan said, “On the third day a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner.”
“A different roast every day.” Jack said.
“Let me finish.”Alan said,“On the fourth day a farmer died and I didn’t want to stay there for dinner.”
【小题1】Alan saw ________ in a news paper.

During his college years, Sherman Rogers spent a summer in logging(伐木) camp. When the boss had to leave for   41  days, he put Rogers in charge(掌管).
“What shall I do if the men   42  to follow my orders?” Rogers asked. He thought of Tony, a worker who complained all day, gave the other men a   43  time.
“Fire（解雇） them,” the boss said. Then, as if reading Rogers’ mind, he added, “I suppose you are going to fire Tony if you get the   44 . I’d feel badly about that. I have been logging for 40 years. Tony is one of the best workers I’ve ever had. I know he hates everybody and   45 . But he comes in first and leaves last. There has not been an   46  for eight years on the hill where he works.”
The next day, Rogers went to Tony, “Tony, do you know I’m in charge here today?” Tony said yes. “I was going to fire you the first time we quarreled,   47  I want you to know I’m not,” he told Tony, adding   48  the boss had said.
When he finished, Tony dropped the things in his hand and tears went down his   49 .
“Why didn’t he tell me that eight years   50  ?”
That day Tony worked   51  than ever before – and he smiled!
Rogers went back to   52  after that summer. Twelve years later he met Tony again who was now boss for one of the largest logging companies in the West. Rogers asked him how he came to California and happened to be so   53 .
Tony replied, “Were it not for the one minute you talk to me back that day, I would kill somebody some day. One minute   54  my whole life.”
Have you got one minute to thank someone? One minute to appreciate(欣赏) her or him? One minute. It can make a   55  for a lifetime.