Sally was a student. It was going to be her mother’s birthday. She wanted to buy her a present that would be nice and useful but not expensive.
A week before her mother’s birthday, she went shopping after a quick and simple lunch. When she had been looking for half an hour, she found a shop that was selling cheep umbrellas（伞）, and decided to take a black one, since her mother had lost hers the month before.
She thought, “You could carry that when you are wearing clothes of any color.” So she decided to buy a lovely black umbrella and took it back to school with her until her classes had finished.
On her way back home in the train that evening, she felt hungry because she had such a small lunch that she went along to the buffet car（餐车） for another sandwich and cup of coffee. She had left the black umbrella above her seat in the compartment（车厢）, but when she got back, it had gone! When she had left the compartment, there had been no other passengers（乘客） in it, but now there were three.
Sally began to cry when she saw that the umbrella was no longer there. The other passengers felt very sorry for her and asked what the matter was. She told them that the black umbrella she had bought for her mother was gone, and that she had to get out at the next station. After the three other passengers heard it, they asked her for her mother’s address so that they could sent the umbrella to her if someone had taken it by mistake and brought it back after Sally had got out of the train.
The next week, Sally heard from her mother. It said, “Thank you very much for your lovely presents, but why did you send me three black umbrellas?”
【小题1】Which of the following is the best for the sentence “You could carry that when you are wearing clothes of any color?”

Hi, my name is Wang Jun. Do you want to know about my staying in America? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since Grade Five. But I didn’t know textbook English could be so different from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say “I’m fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the USA, I found that people say “I’m good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted （问候） me with “What’s up?” It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have learnt more and more differences between Chinese and American cultures. To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun getting a tan (晒黑的肤色). In China, girls try every possible way to keep their skin white.
American students are hard-working like Chinese students. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student not only gets good grades, but also does a lot for the public. That is to say, they get lots of knowledge at school and learn many life skills from social （社会的） work

1. 1.

   In China, Wang Jun had _______ English classes every week

   1. A.
      five
   2. B.
      four
   3. C.
      three
   4. D.
      two
2. 2.

   Wang Jun found that _______ when he came to Hotchkiss School in the US

   1. A.
      A. it was really important to learn English well
   2. B.
      English he learnt in China was helpful to him
   3. C.
      American students were more hard-working than Chinese students
   4. D.
      textbook English was different from everyday English
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “confused” mean in Chinese?

   1. A.
      困惑的
   2. B.
      滑稽的
   3. C.
      紧张的
   4. D.
      伤心的
4. 4.

   American girls make Wang Jun feel surprised because _______

   1. A.
      they work hard at school
   2. B.
      they try to keep their skin white
   3. C.
      they hope to get a tan
   4. D.
      they do lots of social work
5. 5.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      My wonderful travel in the USA
   2. B.
      After-school activities in American schools
   3. C.
      What American students learn at school
   4. D.
      My study experience in the USA

Two young men, one was a prisoner while the other was a famous official from the White House, both told a story about how their mothers give apples to them.

The story from the prisoner:

When I was young, one day my mother brought several apples, among which there was a biggest red one that I really wanted to get. My mum put all the apples on the table and asked us, “Which do you like?” I was about to say “the biggest one” while my brother took one step ahead and said what I wanted to say. My mum said angrily, “A good child should give the best to others instead of being self-centered.” I learnt a quick lesson and said, “Mum, give me the smallest one. The biggest one should be left for my brother!” Hearing my words, she felt more than happy and gave the biggest apple to me as a reward.

I told a lie but I got what I wanted! Since then, I learnt to lie. Later, I learnt to fight, steal and rob. I would try all means to get what I wanted. Then later I was put behind bars.

The story from the White House:

When I was young, one day my mum brought several apples of different colors and sizes. Both my two younger brothers and I wanted the biggest one. My mum picked up the biggest apple and said, “It is good to get the biggest apple. Now let’s start a competition. I will divide the lawn (草坪)in front of our house into three parts, one for each. Who could do the job best and fastest would be rewarded with the biggest apple.” I won the apple finally. 

1. Which does the writer want to tell us MOST?

A. Each mother loves her kids.. 

B. Mother’s education is very important. 

C. The earlier education starts, the better result there will be.

D. No pains, no gains.

2.How did the “prisoner” get the biggest apple?

A. By working for the family.          

B. By competing with his brother.

C. By doing the best job.               

D. By cheating his mother.

3. What does the underlined phrase “put behind bars” probably mean?

A. 受批评           B.进监狱          C.受挫折         D.受惩罚

4.It can be inferred from the passage that          .

A. the official was very honest when he was young.

B. the prisoner’s mother taught him how to tell lies.

C. the official learned that what he wanted needed to pay for the same effort.

D. it was his mother who had him break laws.

5.What is the writer probably going to write next?

A. Scientific methods of giving apples.      

B. The importance of mother’s education.

C. Another story about of giving apples.     

D. School education.

Top student Lin Yijian had a problem recently. The 14-year-old boy from Xiamen used to get marks of over 110 points (out of 120 possible points) on his math tests. But during last semester's final exams, his math score was only 90 points.
It was a shock. "I didn't know what happened," said Lin, who kept feeling nervous and frustrated about math during the following month.
Like Lin, many of us have setbacks (挫折) in life. What would you do to deal with these setbacks? Would you just let them be and give up?
Lin chose to face his problem. His parents and teacher also gave him help. After some hard work he now gets marks between 100 and110 points on his math tests. Although he still isn't at his original (原来的) level, Lin doesn't panic anymore.
"Don't be scared by setbacks," he said. "You will beat it."
Chen Xingzhu in Shenzhen also has a story to tell. The 15-year-old girl is not good at doing sit-ups (仰卧起坐), which is necessary for the coming high school PE entrance exam. One has to do at least 35 sit-ups in a minute to pass the test. Most of Chen's classmates can do 40. However, Chen could only do 20.
Feeling worried, Chen decided to do something. She did sit-ups for half an hour every day after school. Now, after a month, she can do 30 sit-ups a minute.
"I finally found what made me slow through continuous practice and then improved little by little," said Chen. "I believe next month I will be able to do 40!"
【小题1】 What problem did Lin Yijian have recently?