“My dear lady,” says Holmes. “You’re shivering. Are you old? Do you want a cup of hot tea?”

“I’m not cold,” the woman replies, “I fear for my life!”

“We are here to help you. Don’t worry about anything. I don’t know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(马车).”

“Why, yes. You’re right. But how do you know these things?”

“ I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem.”

“My name is Helen Stoner,” she states, “ My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother’s money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages.”

Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen’s story. He hears every detail.

Helen continues. “My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him.”

“He has no friends at all?” asks Holmes.

“No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now.”

“Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?”

“My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room.”

1.Paragraph 6 beginning with “My name is …” is mostly about_______________.

A．Helen’s dead sister                     B．Helen’s trip to London

C．the house Helen lives in                  D．Helen’s stepfather and the family

2.What is Holmes doing while Helen is telling her story?

A．Walking slowly                         B．Listening carefully

C．standing sadly                          D．Writing quickly

3.Which of the following can best describe the gypsies according to the passage?

A．They are very rich                       B．They are afraid of other people

C．They live on a horse-drawn wagon          D．They move from one place to another

4.The passage is probably from __________.

A．a novel           B．a guide           C．a poem           D．an advertisement

School BBS （校园论坛）

Topics（话题）: Ask for help

1.The topic of the BBS is             .

A．how to learn English

B．to ask for help

C．how to make friends

D．Don’t play computer games.

2.If you want to help Simon, what should he do ?

A．Don’t play computer games any more, and spend more time on lessons.

B．Go on playing computer games.

C．Don’t play computer games in the net bars, just play games at home.

D．Pay no attention to (不在意) parents and teachers.

3.Which is the best present for Tom’s father?

A．A coat.                               B．A pair of sports shoes.

C．Some flowers.                          D．Some story books.

4.Which is Jim’s favourite subject?

A．English           B．Chinese           C．Maths            D．PE

5.If you have problems, what will you do?

A．Don’t tell anyone about your problems.

B．Have a talk to your classmates and ask them to help you.

C．Pay no attention to (不在意) them.

D．B and C

Once there was a man who had two children, a boy and girl. The boy was good-looking but the girl was not. One day they found a mirror for the first time and they saw what they looked like. The boy was very pleased and he said to his sister, “ How handsome I am ! I look much nicer than you!” The girl did not like what her brother said and gave him a hard push. “ Go away”, he said. Their father saw what was happening. He went up to them and said to the boy, “ You must always BE good as well as Look good.” Then to the girl he said, “ My dear, if you help everyone and do your best to please him, everyone will love you. It doesn’t matter that you are not as good-looking as your brother.”

（   ）1. Once a man had _______.

A．a good-looking boy                             B．an ugly girl

C．two good-looking children                   D．a boy and a girl

（    ）2. The boy saw what he looked like in the mirror and was pleased because he ______.

A．found a mirror                                    B．knew he looked as nice as his sister

C．and his sister were good-looking           D．was handsome

（   ）3. The girl gave the boy a hard push because ______.

A．she was stronger                                  B．what he said was wrong

C．she was not pleased with what he said    D．her father loved her

（   ）4. Father told the girl that _______.

A．it was important to be good –looking

B．it was a good thing to be ugly

C．if she did her best to help people, she would enjoy people’s love

D．her brother wasn’t handsome at all

（   ）5.What can we learn from this story ?

A．To be good to people is more important than to be good-looking

B．To be good-looking is very important

C．If you want to make yourself good-looking, you must be good to people

D．If you often help people, you will become more and more beautiful