Hundreds of years ago, a Roman army came north from England to make war on Scotland. The Scots, a brave people, love their country. They fought hard to drive the enemy out of Scotland. But there were too many of the Romans. It looked as if the Romans would win.

　　One night, the leader of the Scots marched his soldiers to the top of a hill. “We will rest here tonight, my men,” he said, “Tomorrow we will fight one more battle①. We must win, or we will die.”

　　They were all very tired. So they ate their supper quickly and fell asleep. There were four guards on duty, but they were very tired, too, and one by one, they fell asleep.

　　The Romans were not asleep. Quickly they gathered at the foot of the hill. Slowly they went up the hill. Closer they came to the sleeping Scots. They were almost at the top. A few minutes more the war would be over. Suddenly, one of them put his foot on a thistle (蓟). He cried out and his sudden cry woke the Scots. In a minute they were on their feet and ready for a battle. The fighting was hard, but it did not last long. The Scots wiped out the Romans and saved Scotland②.

　　The thistle is not a beautiful plant. It has sharp needles all over it. Few people liked it. But the people of Scotland liked it so much that they made it their national flower.

　1. Hundreds of years ago, the Romans ____ .

　2.At the shout of a Roman soldier, all the Scots who were asleep at the hill ____ .

　3.The result of the war is that ____ .

　4. The Scots made thistle their national flower because thistle ____ .

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　　As a teenager, I felt I was always letting people down. I was rebellious （反叛的）on the outside,___1___on the inside I wanted people to ___2____me.

　　Once I left home to hitchhike（搭便车）to California with my friend Penelope. The trip wasn't ____3___, and there were many times I didn't feel safe. One situation in particular ___4____ me grateful to still be alive. When I returned home, I was not so outwardly（表面地）different.

　　I was happy to be home. But then I noticed that Penelope, who was____5____with us, was wearing my clothes. And my ____6____seemed to like her better than me. I wondered if I would be __7___if I weren't there. I told my mom, and she explained that ___8___Penelope was a lovely girl, no one could ___9___me. I pointed out,”She is more patient and is heater than I have ever been.” My mom said these were wonderful ___10____,but I was the only person who could fill my ___11____. She made me realize that even with my____12_____——and they were many ——I was a loved member of the family who couldn't be replaced.

　　I became a searcher,___13___who I was and what made me unique（独特的）. My____14___of myself was changing. I wanted a solid base to start from. I started to resist（抵制）pressure to ___15___in ways that I didn't like any more, and I ___16___who I really was. I came to feel much more ____17___that no one can ever take my place.

　　Each of us ____18____ a unique place in the world. You are special, no matter what others say or what you may think. So ____19___ about being replaced. You ___20___ be.

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”

1. The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding 

B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking

C. great and important; common                      

D. hopeful and helpful; careless　

2. According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.

A. a normal person; a funny person                       

B. a strong person; a weak person

C. a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person 

D. a famous person; an ordinary person　

3.It is better for parents ________.

A. to praise and encourage their children more often 

B. to be hard on their children

C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do   

D. to give their children as much help as possible　

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.

B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.

C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.

D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion