Nobody likes staying at home in a public holiday, especially when the weather is fine. Last august we decided to spend the day in the country. The only difficulty was that millions of other people had exactly the same idea.  We moved out of the city slowly behind a long line of cars. But at last we came to a quiet country road and after some time, stopped at a lonely farm. We had brought plenty of food with us and we got it out of the car. It was very peaceful in the cool grass until we heard ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up our things and run back to the car as quickly as possible. There were about two hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.

1. Nobody likes staying at home on a public holiday because ________.

A．the weather is especially fine that day

B．everyone is afraid of being busy at home

C．he feels too crowded at home that day

D．each wants to have a good time in the country

2. The family stopped at a lonely farm__________.

A．to watch sheep                         B．to have a meal

C．to visit someone                        D．to find something

3. They ran to their car_________.

A．to hide themselves

B．to enjoy their dinner

C．so as not to be in the way

D．to get their guns and shoot at the sheep

4. Which of the following is true?

A．the road to the country is very busy on a public holiday.

B．the cars were too many to move that day.

C．seeing 200 sheep coming, they were very afraid.

D．that day they didn’t have any meal.

 

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He was the oldest of five children in his family. His father was a wool weaver. He helped his father with the weaving, but he always wanted to sail the seas.

He didn’t get to school very much, but he learned to read and write Spanish during his travels. He also taught himself Latin because all the geography books were written in Latin. Some people thought he was trying to prove the world was round, but this is not true. He wanted to find a short way to get to the Indies by ship.

He was a Christian and wanted to tell the story of Christ to the people he would find in the far-away lands. He also wanted wealth for himself and for Spain, and he wanted to be famous. He tried for eight years to get King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to supply him with ships and money.

They left Spain on August 3, 1492 and sailed toward the west. After many days, the sailors had covered a long distance on the sea and were ready to turn around for home when they saw land, an island Columbus named San Salvador. He thought he had found the Indies and called the people he saw there “Indians”. When they got to Cuba, he thought he was in Japan. The world was a lot larger than he thought.

On Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria was wrecked near Haiti. Columbus built a fort(城堡) and left 40 men to hunt for gold. Then he returned to Spain on the Nina. The people of Spain welcomed him as a hero. He made three more voyages across the ocean. His 13-year-old son, Ferdinand, went with him on the fourth voyage.

Columbus did not become rich as he had hoped. At the end of his life he only had a pension the king and the queen had given him because he was the first to reach the New World. He spent the last few months of his life in bed because of the pain of arthritis(关节炎). Columbus not only discovered a New World, but he led the way for other explorers.

1.Columbus taught himself Latin because _______.

A． he wanted to prove the earth was round.

B．he wanted to find a short way to the Indies by sea.

C．he found Latin was very useful at that time.

D．he wanted to travel around the world.

2.How was Columbus able to make his voyage to the west?

A．He was supported by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

B．He worked hard for eight for to save enough money for his voyage.

C．The king and the queen helped him with money and ships.

D．Many people supported him with money and food for his voyage.

3.Why did Columbus call the local people in Salvador “Indians”?

A．Because he thought he had arrived in Japan.

B．Because he thought he looked like in the Indies.

C．Because he thought it was a wealthy place.

D．Because he thought he had arrived in the Indies.

4.From the fifth paragraph we can infer that “Santa Maria” and “Nina” must be the names of_________.

A．trains

B．ships

C．cities

D．women

5.From the text we know that ________.

A．Columbus lived a difficult life in his later life.

B．Columbus was considered as a hero all his life.

C．Columbus didn’t get the wealth as he had hoped for.

D．Columbus was the first person to travel round the world.

 

I try not to be biased（偏见）but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His social worker assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee. He was short, a little fat, with the smooth facial features and thick-togued speech of Down’s Syndrome（唐氏综合症）. I thought most of my customers would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.

I shouldn’t have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my regular trucker customers had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.

That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a heart surgery. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often had heart problems at an early age and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, did a little dance when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at her and asked, “Okay, Frannie, what was that all about?”

"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."

"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"

Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is."

Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.

After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand.

"What's up?" I asked.

“I cleared off that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting after they left, and I found this. This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup."

She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie".

That was three months ago. Today is New Year’s day , the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he had been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. I took him and his mother by their arms. “To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me.”

I led them toward a large corner booth. I could feel and hear truck customers and the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups and dinner plates, all sitting slightly on dozens of folded paper napkins.

"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said.

Stevie looked at me, and then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed on it.

I turned to his mother. “There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving!”

While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.

1.Why did the author have doubts about hiring Stevie?

    A．Stevie was not that reliable.        B．Stevie was mentally disabled

    C．Stevie was too short and fat.        D．Stevie was bad-tempered

2.What made the author not fully satisfied with Stevie’s work?

A．That he made customers uncomfortable.                        B．That he couldn’t pay attention to his duties.

C．That he often spilled cups of coffee.                        D．That he usually cleaned the table too early.

3.By saying the underlined words in Paragaraph3, the author meant that the money she paid Stevie        .   

A．could help Stevie out of the trouble                        B．could send Stevie to a group home

C．couldn’t thoroughly solve Stevie’s problem                   D．could make a great difference to Stevie’s life

4.Why did the author ask Stevie to clean up the mess on the table?

    A．Stevie could pick up the money that was given to him.

    B．The table was so dirty that it needed cleaning.

    C．It was Stevie’s duty to clean the table.

    D．She wanted to congratulate Stevie on his coming back.

5.What made Stevie popular among the staff and customers in the restaurant?

    A．His special appearance.              B．His hard work and optimism.

    C．His funny speeches and actions.  D．His kind-hearted behaviour.

 

Nobody likes staying at home in a public holiday, especially when the weather is fine. Last august we decided to spend the day in the country. The only difficulty was that millions of other people had exactly the same idea.  We moved out of the city slowly behind a long line of cars. But at last we came to a quiet country road and after some time, stopped at a lonely farm. We had brought plenty of food with us and we got it out of the car. It was very peaceful in the cool grass until we heard ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up our things and run back to the car as quickly as possible. There were about two hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.
【小题1】 Nobody likes staying at home on a public holiday because ________.

A．the weather is especially fine that day

B．everyone is afraid of being busy at home

C．he feels too crowded at home that day

D．each wants to have a good time in the country

【小题2】 The family stopped at a lonely farm__________.

A．to watch sheep	B．to have a meal
C．to visit someone	D．to find something

【小题3】 They ran to their car_________.

A．to hide themselves

B．to enjoy their dinner

C．so as not to be in the way

D．to get their guns and shoot at the sheep

【小题4】 Which of the following is true?

A．the road to the country is very busy on a public holiday.

B．the cars were too many to move that day.

C．seeing 200 sheep coming, they were very afraid.

D．that day they didn’t have any meal.

I try not to be biased（偏见）but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His social worker assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee. He was short, a little fat, with the smooth facial features and thick-togued speech of Down’s Syndrome（唐氏综合症）. I thought most of my customers would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.
I shouldn’t have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my regular trucker customers had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished.
Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.
That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a heart surgery. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often had heart problems at an early age and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, did a little dance when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at her and asked, “Okay, Frannie, what was that all about?”
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."
"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is."
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand.
"What's up?" I asked.
“I cleared off that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting after they left, and I found this. This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup."
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie".
That was three months ago. Today is New Year’s day , the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he had been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. I took him and his mother by their arms. “To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me.”
I led them toward a large corner booth. I could feel and hear truck customers and the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups and dinner plates, all sitting slightly on dozens of folded paper napkins.
"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said.
Stevie looked at me, and then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed on it.
I turned to his mother. “There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving!”
While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.
【小题1】Why did the author have doubts about hiring Stevie?

A．Stevie was not that reliable.	B．Stevie was mentally disabled
C．Stevie was too short and fat.	D．Stevie was bad-tempered

【小题2】What made the author not fully satisfied with Stevie’s work?

A．That he made customers uncomfortable.	B．That he couldn’t pay attention to his duties.
C．That he often spilled cups of coffee.	D．That he usually cleaned the table too early.

【小题3】By saying the underlined words in Paragaraph3, the author meant that the money she paid Stevie       .   

A．could help Stevie out of the trouble	B．could send Stevie to a group home
C．couldn’t thoroughly solve Stevie’s problem	D．could make a great difference to Stevie’s life

【小题4】Why did the author ask Stevie to clean up the mess on the table?

A．Stevie could pick up the money that was given to him.

B．The table was so dirty that it needed cleaning.

C．It was Stevie’s duty to clean the table.

D．She wanted to congratulate Stevie on his coming back.

【小题5】What made Stevie popular among the staff and customers in the restaurant?

A．His special appearance.	B．His hard work and optimism.
C．His funny speeches and actions.	D．His kind-hearted behaviour.