The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.

“Who are these people?” I asked.

“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer, I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.

By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the commodities in Mr. Hopkins’shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.

I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.

“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away.

“That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.

On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.

When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, past the department store and found...nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.

As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something sir?” he asked.

I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”

“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”

I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.

“How strange” I exclaimed.

1.How did the writer like the shop?

A. He found it a modern big shop.

B. He thought it a wonderful shop for all Christmas presents.

C. He thought it a good shop with an ancient camera.

D. He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop.

2.Which of the following is true about the shop?

A. It was knocked down a few weeks ago.

B. It was a well-known little shop in London. 

C. It was a special shop selling special presents.

D. It was between a music shop and a department store.

3.The word “the commodities’ in the 4^th paragraph means _____.

A. the writer’s works

B. the goods in the shop  

C. Mr. Hopkins’ photographs

D. Some presents left by other customers

4.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. Christmas Shopping

B. Hopkins and His Son

C. The Strange Little Shop  

D. The Strange Experience

 

A lawyer and a young lady were sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer asked if she would like to play a fun game. The lady just wanted to take a nap, so she politely refused.

The lawyer explained that the game was actually very easy. He explained “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me, and vice versa（反之亦然）.” Again, the lady politely refused and tried to get some sleep.

The lawyer added eagerly, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $50!” Considering that there would be no end to this suffering unless she played, the lady agreed.

The lawyer asked the first question, “What is the distance from the earth to the moon?” The young lady didn't say a word, pulled out five dollars from her purse and handed it to the lawyer.

Now, it was the lady’s turn. She asked the lawyer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The lawyer was greatly puzzled. He took out his computer and searched all of his references. He searched the Net and sent e-mails to all of his friends, but it was all to no avail. After over an hour, he woke up the lady and handed her $50. The lady politely took the money and turned away to get back to sleep.

The lawyer, very puzzled now, woke the lady up again and asked, “Well, what on earth is the answer?” Without a word, the lady reached into her purse, handed the lawyer another $5 and went back to sleep.

1.The lawyer tried to persuade the lady to play the game because he       .

A．knew he could win

B．wanted to have fun with the lady

C．wanted to lose money to her

D．liked to chat with young ladies

2.Which of the following best describes the meaning of the underlined words?

A．No messages arrived	B．No one could help him
C．The Net failed to work	D．Nobody answered his e-mails

3.We may infer from the story that       .

A．the lawyer and the lady used to be lovers.

B．there was no answer to the lady’s question.

C．the lady didn't like playing games with strangers.

D．the lawyer was too stupid to answer the question.

4.The author’s purpose for writing the story is to       .

A．tell us how clever the lady is

B．describe the rules of playing games

C．show that it is interesting to play games

D．make fun of the lawyer

 

Time is very important in our life. It  36  our everyday moments. However, time never had any importance in my life until I   37   a watch from my father, which organized my life and made me more   38   . It’s round(圆形的) in the center with two silver bands(带，条) that go   39  my wrist(手腕) and all of it is made of silver.

I received this   40   on a gray-sky day. I had to go to the airport at 9:00 a.m. to   41   up my uncle Ali and take him to my father’s house.   42   , I was late because I was  43  with my friends. Later on that day, around 11:00 a.m., I  44  my uncle, but I was very late for him. He had   45   the airport and taken a taxi to my father’s house.

I got to my father’s house at 2:00 p.m. that day and felt  46  of myself at that moment. After I said hello to my  47  father and tired uncle, my father asked me to sit next to him and handed me this watch as a gift from him. Then he said, “Peter, did you have  48  with your friends today?” I answered, “Yes, father, and  49 

apologized for not meeting my uncle Ali.” He said, “What you  50  was not very nice and you should feel sorry for your  51   .” I was ashamed and said, “Father, I’ll never do it again. I promise.” He said, “I hope today you learned something important, and this watch will be a   52   for you.” He told me to take this watch and use it as an organizer of my  53   .

I learned a very important lesson from my father: to  54  time and never to be late to get someone. This watch is  55   to me, not because of its price, but because of the lesson that I learned from it.

1.A. makes        B. organizes           C. orders         D. supplies

2.A. received      B. accepted            C. won           D. achieved

3.A. confident     B. independent         C. efficient        D. responsible

4.A. around       B. in                 C. on             D. with

5.A. card         B. thing               C. gift            D. letter

6.A. call          B. pick               C. put            D. bring

7.A. Otherwise     B. Fortunately         C. However       D. Therefore

8.A. going        B. leaving             C. standing        D. shopping

9.A. forgot        B. remembered        C. saw            D. visited

10.A. arrived       B. recognized          C. left            D. found

11.A. ashamed      B. frightened          C. disappointed    D. shy

12.A. nervous       B. happy             C. angry          D. doubtful

13.A. lunch         B. quarrel            C. appointment     D. fun

14.A. I             B. he                C. they           D. we

15.A. said          B. did                C. thought        D. forgot

16.A. idea          B. word              C. action          D. movement

17.A. wonder       B. hope               C. requirement     D. reminder

18.A. life           B. day               C. way           D. thought

19.A. waste         B. respect            C. ignore          D. enjoy

20.A. useful         B. necessary         C. helpful          D. important

 

Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr John Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest–fach, near Swansea. “There was a trip to the White City, but it was ten shillings’ return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said. But when British Rail offered him an all–expense–paid birthday gift to the capital, he just could not refuse.

He arrived at Paddington Station in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Fracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked. During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament.

The only arrangement he does not like is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair—people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized—no wine, no tobacco and no anger.

Before setting off from Swansea with his 76–year–old son, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”

1.Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world because he                .

A. had already been on the seas to Fracombe                 B. was too busy to go too far away from home

C. couldn’t afford both the time and money   D. believed “East or west, home is the best”

2. Mr Evans didn’t like the wheelchair because                 .

A. he was not used to traveling in it

B. the wheelchair was not easy to operate

C. he preferred walking to sitting in it at home

D. he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip

3.The probable explanation to Mr Evans’ long life lies in                  .

A. his good living habits       B. his hard working for the family

C. his sticking to his hometown D. his living conditions near the Swansea

 

 

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. “Where shall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town has made preparations.”

Then he saw the statue(雕像) on the tall column.

“I will put up there, ” he cried; “it is a fine position, with plenty of fresh air.” So he flew down and settled just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself as he looked around, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing, a large drop of water fell on him.

“What a curious thing!” he cried; “there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really terrible. ”

Then another drop fell.

“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?” he said; “I must look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined to fly away.

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw –AH! What did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

“Who are you? ” he said.

“ I am the Happy Prince. ”

“ Why are you weeping(哭泣) then?” asked the Swallow; “you have quite wetted me.”

“When I was alive and had a human heart, ” answered the statue, “I did not know what tears were, for I lived in Palace of Sans-Souci(无忧宫)，where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very high wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. People called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead(铅), yet I can’t choose but weep.”

“ What! Is he not solid gold? ” said the Swallow himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

1. The Swallow wanted to put up when he arrived at the city because_______.

A. he saw the Statue of the Happy Prince.

B. he flew into a lovely golden bedroom.

C. he had a whole-day flight and wanted to sleep.

D. it was night and a rain was likely to come soon.

2. Why did the Swallow feel curious when a drop of water fell on him?

   A. Because of the heavy rain though there was no cloud in the sky.

   B. Because the statue couldn’t keep the rain off though made of gold.

   C. Because he thought it was raining despite bright and clear stars.

   D. Because he couldn’t understand why the Happy Prince was weeping.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. Seeing the Prince’s beautiful face, the Swallow had pity on him.

   B. The Swallow flew away immediately he found it was raining.

   C. The Prince lived happily because he didn’t know what tears were.

   D. The Swallow had wanted to find a good chimney-pot but failed.

3. What made the Happy Prince weep according to the passage?

   A. The high wall stopping him from going out.

   B. His not being able to play with his companions.

   C. His sudden death and his statue being too high.

   D. The hard life of the people and his inability to help.