Vincent Van Gogh was not always an artist. In fact, he wanted to be a church minister and was even sent to the Belgian mining community of Borinage in 1879. He discovered that the miners there endured terrible working conditions and poverty-level wages. Their families were skin-and-bone and struggled simply to survive. He felt concerned that the small pay he received from the church allowed him a reasonable lifestyle, which, in contrast, seemed to him unfair.

One cold February evening, while he watched the miners trudging home, he spotted an old man staggering toward him across the fields, wrapped in a burlap(粗麻布) bag for warmth. Van Gogh laid his own clothing out on the bed, set aside enough for one change, and decided to give the rest away. He gave the old man a suit of clothes and he gave his overcoat to a pregnant woman whose husband had been killed in a cave-in.

He lived on starvation food and spent his salary on food for the miners. When children in one family caught typhoid fever, though feverish himself, he packed up his bed and took it to them.

A wealthy family in the community offered him free room and board, Van Gogh declined the offer, stating that it was the final temptation (诱惑) he must reject if he was to faithfully serve his community of poor miners. He believed that if he wanted them to trust him, he must become one of them. And if they were to learn of the love of God through him, he must love them enough to share with them.

He was acutely aware of the big difference between words and actions. He knew that our lives always speak louder and clearer than our words. Maybe that is why Francis of Assisi often said to his monks, “Wherever you go, preach(讲道). Use words if necessary.”

Others are “listening” carefully to your actions. What are you saying to them?

1. We can infer form the passage ____________.

A. our lives always speak louder and clearer than our words

B. the miners there worked under excellent working conditions

C. the ministers lived a much better and easier life than the miners at the time

D. Van Gogh himself offered to work in the Belgian mining community of Borinage in 1879.

2. What does the underlined word “trudging” in the second paragraph mean?

A. Moving very quickly              B. Moving with quick light steps

C. Walking slowly for pleasure.         D. Walking with slow heavy steps.

3. According to the passage, which of the following words can best describe Van Gogh?

A. Ambitious and aggressive.          B. Considerate and sympathetic

C. Greedy and selfish.                D. Determined and grateful

4. What does the last paragraph want to tell us?

A. Use words if necessary             B. Actions speak louder than words

C. Rome was not built in a day.         D. Where there is a will there is a way.

Bad teeth can be painful — and worse. They can even be deadly. Infections (感染）of the gums (牙龈）and the teeth can cause bacteria (细菌）to go into the blood system. Those bacteria can increase the chance of a heart attack and worsen the effects of other diseases. And adults are not the only ones at risk. For example, in 2007, doctors in the Washington area said a boy died when a tooth infection spread to his brain. They said it might have been prevented had he received the dental care (牙齿 保健）he needed. He was twelve years old.

Experts at the National Institutes of Health say good dental care starts at birth. Breast milk, they say, is the best food for the healthy development of teeth. Breast milk can help slow the growth of bacteria and acid production in the mouth.

But dentists say a baby's gums and early teeth should be cleaned after each feeding. Use a cloth with a little warm water. Do the same if a baby is fed with a bottle. Experts say if you decide to put your baby to sleep with a bottle, only give the child water.

When baby teeth begin to appear, you can clean them with a wet toothbrush. Dentists say it is important to find soft toothbrushes made especially for babies and to use them very gently.

The use of fluoride (氟化物）to protect teeth is common in many parts of the world. For example, it is often added to drinking water supplies. The fluoride mixes with enamel (法琅质)， the hard surface on teeth, to help prevent holes from forming.

31.According to the passage, bad teeth can be ____________.

A.painful  B. deadly  C.preventive  D.incurable

32.The writer uses the boy's death as an example to show that   _______?

A. not only adults but the young may suffer from teeth problem

B. babies with bad teeth can easily die

C. the doctors should be responsible for the case

D. the boy was not fed with his breast milk

33. What's the main idea of paragraph 4 and 5?

A. How to develop babies' teeth.           B. Why to protect babies' teeth

C. How to keep babies' teeth clean         D. Why to keep babies' teeth clean

34. The passage tells us that _______.

A. Enamel is most widely used to protect teeth in the world

B. Bad teeth may affect the health of adults and the young

C. Breast milk can cure babies' bad teeth

D. Babies' teeth should be brushed once per day

35.Which of the following can be used as the title of the passage?

A. Concerns for Healthy Teeth of the Young  B. Importance of Healthy Teeth of All

C. Causes of Teeth Problem               D. Solutions to Teeth Problem

. It was great joy ________ he received the news that his lost daughter had been found.

Anyone who works in an office knows the power of technology. When it works, life is wonderful. Information files across the world in seconds. It saves time and makes our jobs easier. But when technology goes wrong, everyone hates it.

   In March, Peter Golota received a gas bill for $0.00. He threw it away. In April, he received another bill for $0.00. He threw that one way, too. In May, the gas company sent him a letter which said he had to pay his gas bill. If he didn’t pay it, they were going to cut off his gas. He called and told them the bill was for $0.00. They said it was a computer error. But the bills continued. Finally, he sent a check for $0.00. This caused the bank’s computer to crash. After a lot of angry phone calls and the letters between the man, the gas company, and the bank, the case went to court. The gas company lost, and had to pay Peter Golota $8,000. It all happened because of a bill for $0.00.

   A man from Colorado appeared on the news when he shot his computer because it crashed all the time. The man, who owned a bar, put the “dead” laptop on the wall for everyone to see. The police said, “It’s the first time someone shot a computer because he was angry with it.” They arrested him.

   In December, Margaret Smart, of Energies Solutions, stood up in front of 2,000 people in Taxes. As she began to speak, her microphone stopped working. They found another one. After two minutes, that one also died. When she decided to show her notes on PowerPoint, the computer refused to start up. The title of her presentation was “Technology: The way Forward”.

1.Why did the bank’s computer crash?

   A. Because it kept sending gas bills for $0.00.

   B. Because Peter Golota sent a check for $0.00.

     Because the gas company sent a letter to the bank.

   D. Because the gas bill case went to court.

2.Who got angry with his computer and shot it?

   A. A bar owner.                                          B. A policeman.

  Peter Golota.                                        D. A bank manager.

3.Margaret Smart’s computer refuses to start up probably because ________.

   A. there was a power failure                  B. it worked too long

     it went wrong                                D. someone shot her computer

As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend in the US continues to grow.

“we needed furniture for our living room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.

Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $520. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I have finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”

John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-youselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.

1.We can learn from the text that many newly married people_______.

  A. find it hard to pay for what they need

B. have to learn to make their own furniture

C. take DIY courses run by the government

D. seldom go to a department store to buy things

2. John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to ______.

  A. run a DIY shop                 B. make or repair things

C. save time and money            D. improve the quality of life

3. Jim decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when______

  A. his car repairs cost too much 

B. the car repair class was not helpful

C. he could not possibly do two jobs

D. keeps house and looks after his children