After a serious earthquake happened, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to his son's school, only to find that the building where his son studied had collapsed and looked like a pancake.
He was shocked. He didn't know what he should do for a while, then he remembered the words he had said to his son, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you! "And tears began to fill his eyes. He started digging through the ruins (废墟).
　　As he was digging, other helpless parents and the firemen arrived and tried to pull him off the ruins, saying, "It's too late! They're all dead! There's nothing you can do! " To them he replied with one line, "Are you going to help me now? " And then he kept on digging.
　　No one helped, however. He went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead? " He dug for eight hours. . . 12 hours. . . 24 hours. . . 36 hours. . . then, in the 39th hour, he pulled back a rock and heard his son's words. He shouted his son's name, "ARMAND! " He heard back, "Dad!?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, 'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you!' You did it, Dad! "
"What's going on in there? How is it? " the father asked.
"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're frightened, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When t he building fell down, it made a triangle (三角) , and it saved us. "
"Come out, boy! "
"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me! "
【小题1】The underlined word "collapsed" probably means " ".

A．break down

B．shake away

C．stand by

D．fall into

【小题2】Who came to help the father when he was digging?

A．His wife.

B．Other parents.

C．The firemen.

D．No one.

【小题3】Other parents and the firemen wanted to pull him off the ruins because they thought .

A．he was mad

B．all the children had died in the earthquake

C．he was too dangerous to others

D．it was not his job to dig

【小题4】How many students were already dead when the father found them in the ruins?

A．Fourteen.

B．Thirty-three.

C．Forty-seven.

D．Nineteen.

【小题5】We can learn from the passage that .

A．it took the father one day to find his son and other students

B．his wife died in the earthquake

C．his son was the last one to come out of the ruins

D．the son didn't believe his father would come to save him

1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.
Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.
One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.
Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.
Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.
After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.
In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.
If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.
【小题1】How did Handel begin to learn to compose?

A．His father was sure of his future success.

B．His performance impressed a duke.

C．He begged his father to send him to Italy.

D．He practiced hard and taught himself music.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?

A．bought secretly	B．took secretly
C．carried in advance	D．possessed personally

【小题3】 Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?

A．Because he could find better jobs in London.

B．Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.

C．Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.

D．Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.

【小题4】Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as shown in the passage?

A．bad-tempered

B．talented

C．enthusiastic

D．optimistic

【小题5】 Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

A．Handel was born in the same year with Bach.

B．Many people worked both as a barber and a surgeon.

C．Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.

D．Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.

1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.

One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.

Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.

Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.

After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.

In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.

If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.

1.How did Handel begin to learn to compose?

A．His father was sure of his future success.

B．His performance impressed a duke.

C．He begged his father to send him to Italy.

D．He practiced hard and taught himself music.

2.What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?

A．bought secretly	B．took secretly
C．carried in advance	D．possessed personally

3. Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?

A．Because he could find better jobs in London.

B．Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.

C．Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.

D．Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.

4.Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as shown in the passage?

A．bad-tempered

B．talented

C．enthusiastic

D．optimistic

5. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

A．Handel was born in the same year with Bach.

B．Many people worked both as a barber and a surgeon.

C．Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.

D．Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.

 

They say a cat has nine lives, and I think that possible since I am now living my third life and I’m not even a cat．My father died when I was 15, and we had a hard struggle to make a living．And my mother, who was seriously ill in her last years, died while still in her 60s．My sister married soon after, and I followed her example within the year．

This was when I began to enjoy my first life．I was very happy, in excellent health．I had a good job in San Jose and a beautiful home up the peninsula (半岛) in San Carlos．Life was a pleasant dream．Then the dream ended．I became afflicted (使苦恼) with a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first my right arm and leg, and then my other side．Thus began my second life…．

In spite of my disease I still drove to and from work each day, with the aid of special equipment installed in my car．And I managed to keep my health and optimism (乐观), to a degree, because of 14 steps．Crazy? Not at all．Our home was an affair with 14 steps leading up from the garage to the kitchen door．Those steps were a standard measure of life．They were my yardstick, my challenge to continue living．I felt that if the day arrived when I was unable to lift one foot up one step and then drag the other painfully after it ---repeating the process 14 times, I would be through---I could then admit defeat and lie down and die．

Then on a dark night in August, 1971, I began my third life．It was raining when I started home that night; strong winds and slashing rain beat down on the car as I drove slowly down one of the less-traveled roads．Suddenly the steering wheel jerked (猝然一动)．In the same instant I heard the bang of a blowout．It was impossible for me to change that tire! Utterly impossible!

I started the engine and thumped slowly along, keeping well over on the shoulder until I came to the dirt road, where I turned in and where I found lighted windows welcomed me to a house and pulled into the driveway and honked the horn．

The door opened and a little girl stood there．When she knew what happened to me, she went into the house and a moment later came out, followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting．I sat there comfortable and dry, and felt a bit sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm．

About an hour later, the man’s voice was heard, “This is a bad night for car trouble, but you’re all set now．” “Thanks,” I said．“How much do I owe you?” He shook his head, “Nothing．Cynthia told me you were a cripple．Glad to be of help．I know you’d do the same for me．There’s no charge, friend．” I held out a five-dollar bill, “No! I like to pay my way．” He made no effort to take it and the little girl stepped closer to the window and said quietly, “Grandpa can’t see it．”

1．“A cat has nine lives” here means ___________．

A．a cat can live nine times longer than any other animal

B．a cat can die ninth

C．a lucky man can not die easily

D．the writer will live nine times

2．What do you think of the man who helped change the tire?

A．Warm-hearted but pitiable

B．Warm-hearted and happy

C．A blind old man that has nothing to do every day．

D．A poor old man that is always ready to help others．

3．How will the story be ended?

A．The writer paid the little girl but the old man did not accept．

B．The writer drove away with tears running down his cheek．

C．The writer stayed there, without knowing what to do and how to do．

D．In the next few frozen seconds the writer felt the shame and astonishment he had never felt before．

4．How do you understand the underlined sentence “I followed my sister’s example?”

A．He listened to his sister carefully．

B．Mother told him that he must get the agreement from his sister for whatever he would do．

C．His sister got married．He, too．

D．His sister was a great woman．．He must learn from her．

5．The best title for this passage perhaps will be _____．

A．The Old Man and His Daughter                    B．Heart Leaping Up

C．Never Lose Heart                                        D．Good Will Be Rewarded Good

     John，a very thin boy, loved football with all his heart when he was very young．Practice after practice，he eagerly gave everything he had．But being half the size of the other boys，he could only sit on the bench and hardly ever played in games．Even though the son was always on the bench，his father was always standing with cheers and encouraging him．

     When John went to college，he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on”．Everyone was sure he could never make the cut，but he did．The coach  thought he could provide the other members with the spirit they needed．

     The news that he had survived the cut excited him so much that he rushed to the  nearest phone and called his father．His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games．

      It was the end of this last football season．One day John received a telegram and  asked one week off．Nobody knew what happened except the coach．The coach said，“Don't plan to come back to the game on Saturday．”

     Saturday arrived，and the game was not going well：When the team was ten points behind，John came back．“Coach，please let me play．I’ve just got to play today,”said John．The coach pretended not to hear him．But John persisted，and finally feeling sorry for the kid，the coach gave in．

     Before long everyone could not believe their eyes．John was doing everything fight．The opposing team could not stop him．He ran，he passed and blocked like a star．And at last his team won the game．

     After the game，John looked at the coach，with tears in his eyes，and said，“Well， you knew my dad died，but did you know that my dad was blind?''John swallowed hard and forced a smile，“Dad came to all my games，but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him that I could do it．”

31．Why did John hardly have any chance to play in games?

   A．Because he had no time to practice．

   B．Because he was too young to play games．

   C．Because everyone looked down upon him．

   D．Because his body condition was not good．

32．The underlined phrase “make the cut” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “       “

    A．make progress    B．be allowed to join the team

    C．cut himself       D．be refused by the coach

33．How did the other members feel when they saw John play in the saturday game?

  A．Surprised．    B．Hopeless．    C．Excited． D．Disappointed．

34．From the text we can know that        ．

A．John felt very depressed as a “walk-on”

B．John's father always taught him how to play

C．John's father went to most of his college games

D．the coach was sure John would be the best player one day

35．This story tells us that        

  A．a burden of one’s choice is not felt    B．better to do well than to say well

  C．a fall into a pit，a gain in your wit    D．where there is a will，there is a way