An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.

She hurried to a drugstore with the money in her hand.

“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.

“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.

“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

“I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.

“Well, what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11, the price of a miracle for little brothers.”

He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.

How much did the miracle cost?

What was the trouble in the little girl’s family?

A．Her brother was seriously ill.                B．They had no money.

C．Nothing could save her brother.                    D．Both A and B.

In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be        .

A．something interesting                                  B．something beautiful

C．some wonderful medicine                            D．some good food

The little girl said again and again “...I can try and get some more.” That shows      .

A．she had still kept some money

B．she hoped not to be refused

C．There was no need to worry about money

D．she thought money was easy to get

What made the miracle happen?

A．The girl’s love for her brother．                  B．The girl’s money.

C．The medicine from the drugstore.                 D．Nobody can tell.

From the passage we can infer(推断) that        .

A．the doctor didn’t ask for any pay

B．a miracle is sure to happen if you keep on

C．the little girl is lovely but not so clever

D．the doctor had great sympathy for the girl’s little brother

People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth.”

For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.”  Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.

Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”

Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.

Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.

But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.

1.In what kind of situation will a person say “Do not bad mouth me.” ?

    A．When he feels down.                  B．When he feels regretful.

    C．When he is spoken ill of.            D．When he feels innocent.

2.If a person feels sorry for what he has said, he might say “           .”

    A．Do not bad mouth me

    B．I really put my foot in my mouth this time

    C．Do not put words in my mouth

    D．Stop mouthing off

3.If a person lives from hand to mouth, it implies            .

    A．he is badly – off                    B．he is hard – working

    C．he is well – off                     D．he has enough to eat

4.By saying, “I have been running my mouth long enough”, the speaker means “             ”.

    A．I have run a long way                B．I have been a mouthy person

    C．I have learned a lot     D．I have talked too much

 

 

I believe that my country,Poland,is a perfect example for a place where food is particularly important.When we were little children,we began to understand how much a loaf of bread meant to our parents—to some it might sound silly but for me the custom of kissing bread before you started cutting it was simply amazing.It’s not so common nowadays to treat food that way,since you hardly ever bake your own bread.Besides,everyone would call you crazy if you tried to kiss every bread roll before you ate them!But though we no longer make our food from scratch(起点),some customs have been kept—that’s why I feel so sorry every time I have to throw any food away—even though I no longer live with my parents and nobody would blame me for this anymore!

Many people of our nation are still working as farmers,eating what they grow and harvest and therefore enjoying everything more.It’s widely known that you value more anything that needs your effort in the first place.In most homes in Poland,especially those of farmers,the whole family would try and have their meals together—extremely difficult now,but so rewarding(值得)!You can share other members’ troubles and successes,give your children some attention,or just sit down for a moment instead of rushing through life aimlessly.Furthermore,your body,and stomach in particular will be very grateful(感激) for such a time!

In Poland,a wedding,Christmas or even a birthday is celebrated with a great meal.Women in the house get together and cook,sometimes for a few days before the event,and the extremely good or unusual food will be remembered and widely talked about.

You cannot over-value the importance of food in the country.What’s more,almost everyone in Poland will be as interested in the topic as I am.

1.When the writer was a child,he/she ______.

A.found people were crazy about bread

B.began to realize the importance of food

C.thought that cutting bread was amazing

D.learned people hardly baked their own bread

2.The writer feels very sorry when he/she has to throw away any food because ______.

A.he/she makes food from scratch

B.his/her parents would blame him/her

C.some customs still have effect on him/her

D.many people are still working hard as farmers

3.From the text,we can learn that,in Poland,_______.

A.most meals can be interesting topics for a long time

B.the whole family often have meals together nowadays

C.it’s common for women to get together to cook for a few days

D.family members can know more about each other by having meals together

 

—Helen must obey her parents.?

—Oh，she must，__________??

A.must she                                        B.mustn’t she

C.shouldn’t she                                  D.should she?

I received a letter from a grandmother who told me about her four-year-old granddaughter Skylar. Ever since Skylar 31 of Disneyland from TV, she 32 her nickels and dimes (零钱) in a piggy bank in 33  of visiting there someday. Her parents 34 her with a trip when she was four, however, and didn't even 35 her to use her own money!

When Skylar returned. It was 36. She decided to buy presents with her 37. But she also learned from announcements on TV about a local 38 shelter called "The Road House". She 39 asked her mother what "homeless" meant and why those children 40 coats and warm clothes. She couldn't seem to get the homeless off her mind.

Her mother took her to the store to buy 41. Instead of buying for herself or her family, however, she 42 to purchase a warm coat, socks and gloves for a little girl in the 43 .She also wanted to buy a doll, but when she 44 she didn't have enough money, she left the doll 45 .

When Skylar got home, she chose one of her 46 dolls and put it into the box with the other items she bought that day. She could hardly wait for Christmas! Skylar was thinking about going to the shelter and giving her carefully 47 gifts to a homeless child. She was much filled with joy at 48 helping someone else.

"Perhaps it's good to have a beautiful mind, 49 an even greater gift is to have a beautiful heart," says Nobel Laureate John Hash. Young Skylar has a beautiful heart. It is one 50 , above all else, which makes beautiful people.

1.                A．learned        B．cared          C．thought   D．reminded

 

2.                A．saved          B．gathered        C．took D．spent

 

3.                A．honor          B．favor           C．hopes    D．search

 

4.                A．disappointed    B．annoyed        C．helped   D．surprised

 

5.                A．order          B．require         C．persuade D．force

 

6.                A．Christmastime    B．payday         C．birthday  D．school time

 

7.                A．expenses       B．earnings        C．savings   D．debts

 

8.                A．poor           B．homeless       C．big  D．famous

 

9.                A．generally       B．curiously        C．strangely  D．seriously

 

10.               A．used           B．took           C．needed   D．liked

 

11.               A．presents        B．dolls           C．socks D．gloves

 

12.               A．refused        B．decided        C．hesitated  D．wished

 

13.               A．shelter         B．nursery        C．house D．hospital

 

14.               A．predicted       B．promised       C．explained  D．discovered

 

15.               A．out            B．behind         C．aside D．alone

 

16.               A．expensive      B．cheap          C．favorite   D．useless

 

17.               A．collected       B．bought         C．selected   D．demanded

 

18.               A．deeply         B．quickly         C．truly  D．exactly

 

19.               A．but            B．and            C．if D．or

 

20.               A．quality         B．expensive       C．sense D．expression