When Mr. David retired（退休）， he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it.

But to his great surprise, many tourists came to see his house in summer holidays, for it was the most interesting building in the village. From room morning to night there were tourists outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into Mr. David's garden. This was too much for Mr. David. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice on the window. The notice said: "If you want to satisfy your curiosity(好奇心), come in and look around. Price; twenty dollars." Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. "I came here to retire, not to work as a guide." he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away.

1.Mr. David's house was ________that many tourists came to see it.

A．so small           B．so quiet           C．so interesting      D．so big

2.Mr. David put a notice on the window in order_______.

A．to drive the visitors away

B．to satisfy the visitors' curiosity

C．to let visitors come in and look around

D．to get some money out of the visitors

3.The notice made the visitors________.

A．more interested in his house              B．lose interest in his house

C．angry at the unfair price                  D．feel happy about the price

4.After Mr. David put up the notice________.

A．the visitors didn’t come any longer

B．fewer and fewer visitors came to see his house

C．more and more tourists came for a visit

D．no tourist would pay the money for a visit

5.At last Mr. David had to sell his house and move away because _____.

A．he did not like it at all

B．he could not work as a guide

C．he made enough money and wanted to buy a new expensive house

D．he could not live a quiet life in it

 

When Steven was a young boy, he moved quite often with his family and so he never had many friends. He spent a lot of time on his own and liked to play with electronic(电子的)things. Steven had a neighbour, Steve Wozniak. Steve was a little bit younger than Steven but also liked to play with electronic things. Steven made a microphone(麦克风)and Steve asked him many questions about it until he understood how it worked. Steven liked the fact that such a young boy was also interest ed in electronic things and so he taught him everything he knew.
When they were a little older and knew more about electronic things, they made a “blue box”. People could make free phone calls by breaking into the phone company’s system with this box. They sold this to many people even though it was illegal(非法的), but this is not why they are famous today.
Steven and Steve were the inventors of the first PC—personal computer. They called their first computer the Apple I. They invented it only for fun and to make themselves known among their friends. They did not think it would become so popular. They just liked playing computer games on it. Their computer made it cheaper and easier for people to own and use a computer. Their PCs were so popular that they made a new PC called the Apple II. Soon many schools, families and factories were using their computers.
Without the two clever men, the personal computers might never have appeared.
【小题1】Why didn’t Steven have many friends?

A．Because he wasn’t a very nice boy.

B．Because he liked electronic things.

C．Because his family moved a lot.

D．Because he did some illegal things.

【小题2】Why did Steven like Steve?

A．Because he made a microphone.

B．Because he was also interested in electronic things.

C．Because he was his neighbour.

D．Because his family moved a lot, too.

【小题3】What did the “blue box” do?

A．People could play computer games with it.

B．It helped people make electronic things.

C．It paid for everybody’s telephone calls.

D．It helped people make free phone calls.

【小题4】Why did they invent the Personal Computer?

A．For fun and to impress their friends.

B．To make money.

C．For a school project.

D．For schools, families and factories.

【小题5】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Steve became interested in electronic things after Steven made a microphone.

B．Steve and Steven had done something illegal.

C．The Apple 1 was the first computer in the world.

D．Factories don’t use PCs.

When Mr. David retired(退休), he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it. But to his surprise, many visitors came to see his house in summer holidays, for it was the most interesting building in the village. From morning to night, there were visitors outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into the house. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice (公告)on the window. The notice said, “If you want to satisfy your curiosity(好奇心),come in and look around. Price: twenty dollars.” Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. “I came here to retire, not to work as a guide(导游)”, he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away.

1.Mr. David’s house was      that many visitors came to see it.

A．so small

B．so quiet

C．so interesting

D．such interesting

2.Mr. David put a notice on the window in order      .

A．to drive the visitors away

B．to satisfy the visitors curiosity

C．to let visitors come in and look around

D．to get some money out of the visitors

3.The notice made the visitors      .

A．more interested in his house

B．lost interest in his house

C．angry at the unfair price

D．feel happy about the price

4.After Mr. David put up the notice      .

A．the visitors didn’t come any more

B．fewer and fewer visitors came to see his house

C．more and more visitors came for a visit

D．no visitor would pay the money for a visit

5.At last he had to sell his house and move away because       .

A．he did not like it at all

B．he could not work as a guide

C．he made enough money and wanted to buy a new expensive house

D．he could not live a quiet life in it

 

For more than four hundred years, people all over the world have been reading ,watching and listening to the plays and poetry of the British writer William Shakespeare.

Most people think of Shakespeare as a writer. But he was also a theater producer, a part owner of an acting company and an actor. For most of his career, he was a producer and main writer for an acting company called the King’s Men. Shakespeare is best known for the thirty—nine plays that he wrote, although only thirty—eight exist today. His plays are usually divided into three groups: comedies, histories and tragedies. Some of his most famous plays are Hamlet ,Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and so on.

Shakespeare was born in 1564 in England. At school he liked watching plays. He decided to be an actor when he finished school at the age of 14.He married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18.The couple had three children, two daughters and a son who died very young. In 1585,Shakespeare left his hometown. No one knows why he left or moved to London and joined a theater company which opened the Globe Theater in 1599.He made much money from it.He became an actor, and he also wrote plays. He usually acted in his own plays. He died in 1616. He left his money to his family. He left his genius to the world. Now you can still see his plays in English and in many other languages. He is one of the most famous writers in the world.

1.What was Shakespeare?

A．A writer                              B．An actor

C．A theater producer                      D．A,B and C

2.Shakespeare made much money from_______.

A．writing                               B．acting

C．opening the Globe Theater                D．selling his books

3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “genius” in the passage?

A．房子             B．遗憾             C．悔恨             D．天赋

4.Which sentence is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Shakespeare died when he was 52 years old.

B．Shakespeare married in 1582,and he had two daughters and a son.

C．Shakespeare’s plays are usually divided into three groups: comedies, histories and science fictions.

D．No one knows why Shakespeare left his hometown at he age of 21.

 

An 8-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him.

One morning, the girl heard her father say to her mother: “Only a miracle can save Andrew now.” The girl went to her bedroom, collected all of her money and counted it carefully. She hurried to a drugstore.

“How can I help you?” asked the salesman.

“I want to buy a miracle,” the girl answered. “My brother has something bad growing inside his head. My daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, my dear. I’m so sorry,” the salesman said, sadly.

“What kind of a miracle does your brother need?” asked a well-dressed man standing nearby.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “He’s really sick and needs an operation in his head. So I brought all my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man.

“$1.11,” she answered, “ but I can try and get some more.” She said again and again.

“Well, what luck,” said the man. “$1.11 is the price of a miracle. Let’s go to see your brother.”

That man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous brain doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was well again. Sometimes miracles do happen.

1.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.

2.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

3.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

4.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.

5.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．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought