I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the American society until I was injured in a car accident. After the accident, I had to see a doctor and go to court. When the accident happened, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and decided to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He said he had good reason to charge me and that if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me to find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every time I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report only contained ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to fire him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Because of my inexperience, I told the insurance the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time … and I left without getting a cent.
My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America, money is everything. It is more important than friendship, honor or professional morality; secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its advantages and disadvantages.
【小题1】 The author’s roommate offered to help him because ________.

A．he felt sorry for the author.

B．he thought it was a chance to make some money

C．he knew the doctor was a very good one

D．he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

【小题2】 A good lawyer is important for the author to _______.

A．be properly treated

B．talk with the person responsible for the accident

C．recover before he leaves America

D．eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

【小题3】 Which of the following statements is wrong according to the passage?

A．The author has learned a lot through the experience.

B．Everything about America is advantageous.

C．The author’s roommate helped him but charged for that.

D．The author’s final examination report only contained ten lines but cost $215.

【小题4】 What conclusion can you draw from this story?

A．Going to court is something very common in America.

B．One must be very careful while driving a car.

C．There are more disadvantages in America than advantages.

D．Money is more important than other things in the US.

Pete took his seat this day on his usual bench in Union Square．Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years Pete had taken this same seat exactly at one o'clock, and each time the same pleasant thing had happened．But this time Pete had come here more from habit than from hunger．Certainly today Pete was not hungry．Two rich old ladies gave him a Thanksgiving dinner of everything he could eat．
Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move．The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst．The November breeze and the first light fall of snow felt cool and pleasant to his face．He happened to look to the left and there in the distance he saw the old Gentleman coming toward him．He wanted to get up and run, but he was so full of food he stayed right there．Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, the Old Gentleman had come there, found Pete on this same bench, and then taken him to a restaurant and bought him a Thanksgiving dinner．It was a kind of tradition which the Old Gentleman, who had no family and lived alone, had tried to continue．
"How do you do' "said the Old Gentleman．" Glad to see that the changes of another year have permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world．"
Each time the Old Gentleman had said exactly this same thin? It was part of the tradition．Pete, too, began to feel as though he himself was now a part of the tradition, and he therefore did not have the courage to tell the old man that he had already eaten．This dinner seemed to mean so much to the Old Gentleman.
"Thank you, sir, " said Pete at last. “I’ll go with you gladly. I’m very hungry, sir.” Together the Old Gentleman and Pete walked south to the same restaurant where each year Pete had his Thanksgiving dinner. The Old Gentleman seemed pleased and happy. When the waiter brought dish after dish of food to Pete, the Old Gentlenman sat quietly and smiled．Under the circumstances, Pete had to eat．It was part of the tradition, and so he ate like a hero, although when he entered the restaurant even the smell of food almost made him sick．At last Pete leaned back with the battle won．
" Thank you, sir, " he said, with some effort, " for a fine dinner．"
They parted as they did each year at the door, the Old Gentlemen going south, Pete north．
Around the corner, Pete stopped for a moment, felt a terrible pain in his stomach, and then fell to the sidewalk unconscious．A little time later an ambulance came．In the hospital they discovered that he had had an attack of indigestion （消化不良）.
An hour later, another ambulance brought the Old Gentleman to the same hospital．At first they thought it was also indigestion but later one of the nurses said, "That nice old gentleman over there—you wouldn't think that it was a case of hunger．"
【小题1】Where did Pete and the Old Gentleman meet every Thanksgiving Day?

A．In the restaurant．

B．In Union Square．

C．At the Old Gentleman's house．

D．At the hospital．

【小题2】Which of the following sentences in the passage doesn't show Pete was full?

A．Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move．

B．The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst．

C．Glad to see that the changes of another year have permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world．

D．When he entered the restaurant even the smell of food almost made him sick．

【小题3】The underlined sentence "I'm very hungry, sir．" in Paragraph 5 implies that        .

A．Pete didn't have the heart to refuse the offer

B．Pete was so greedy that he wanted to have another dinner

C．Pete was suffering from hunger

D．Pete enjoyed having the Thanksgiving dinner for free

【小题4】Which of the following words can best describe the Old Gentleman?

A．Self-centred.	B．Mosdest.
C．Stubborn．	D．Generous

On a summer day, John was sitting on a beach in Hawaii with his parents. The six-year-old child suddenly said he was so lucky because he had so many toys to play with at home.

His surprised parents replied that he was lucky, since a lot of kids didn’t have any toys at all. “How can that be?” John said, confused, but then he said that he would like to get toys for those children. His parents naturally thought their son was just kidding. But as soon as they returned home, John began using his pocket money to buy toys for other kids and asking his friends to do the same. His parents responded by organizing pizza suppers for other families interested in helping other children that can’t afford to buy toys. John thought that he just wanted to cheer those kids up.

John’s parents started to find a place that would allow children as young as six and seven to volunteer. They finally find a day care center for disabled children to let John and his friends visit. They went and played with these kids, playing around the room as if they belonged there.

John and his friends named their work Kids Cheering Kids. John and his friends visited kids at some childcare centers, helping out with a party they organized. They also prepared a performance for children with disabilities. Their activities have drawn public concern.

The spirit of helping is as fresh as it was that day in Hawaii. “The whole purpose,”

John says, “is to make the kids feel better.”

1.Why did John get toys for the children who didn’t have any toy at all?

A．Because he wanted to make them happy.

B．Because he wanted to show off his toys.

C．Because he wanted to share his toys with them.

D．Because he wanted to make friends with them.

2.What was John’s parents’ attitude towards his plan?

A．Positive.          B．Critical.           C．Doubtful.          D．Puzzled.

3.What do we learn about Kids Cheering Kids?

A．It’s a children’s game enjoyed by John and his friends.

B．It’s a project started by John to help other kids.

C．It’s a program performed by John and his friends.

D．It’s an after-school activity planned by John’s friends.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．An unforgettable vacation                 B．A valuable experience

C．Let kids cheer kids                      D．Let kids learn to share

 

The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
【小题1】The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

A．courage

B．assistance

C．instruction

D．challenge

【小题2】Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?

A．To frighten them.

B．To satisfy their curiosity.

C．To warn them of the danger of the place.

D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

【小题3】Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?

A．The old man envied him.	B．The old man was foolish
C．He was too busy to listen to others.	D．He was greedy for more crops.

【小题4】Why did Tom scream and faint?

A．He saw Dennis’s shadow	B．He was scared by a plant
C．His friends played a joke on him.	D．The weather became extremely cold.

【小题5】What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?

A．Grasp all, lose all

B．No sweat, no sweet.

C．It is no use crying over spilt milk

D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out.” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
“It was a strange-looking machine –one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1: …
VOYAGER 2: …”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED（自动回收程序已启动）.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow (光芒), until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”
【小题1】Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?

A．He wanted to take a voyage.

B．He wanted to practice his skill

C．He was so much attracted by it.

D．He was eager to do an experiment.

【小题2】Where did the boy’s father most likely work?

A．In an electronic factory.

B．In a computer company.

C．In a scientific research center.

D．In an information processing center.

【小题3】Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of          .

A．a computer game	B．a company website
C．a software producer	D．an astronomy program

【小题4】Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?

A．He was afraid of being scolded.

B．He didn’t like the loud noise and light.

C．He didn’t want to play games any more.

D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen.

【小题5】What happened to the boys at the end of the story?

A．They were blown into the air.

B．They were sent to another planet.

C．They were hidden in the strong light.

D．They were carried away to another country