I once had a friend that was diagnosed with terminal cancer（晚期癌症）, and the news that he might only live up to six months was a great shock to him, his family, and his friends．However, in spite of the serious illness, he was initially determined to look into all available treatments that might cure or extend his life．I think that when you find yourself in such situations, you tend to look up every possible way for hope of saving your life．
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him．He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity（人性）．His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him．
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice （安养院） came to the home to regulate（调节） his medication （药）and provide any other needed support．He didn't complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him．
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others．You often can't learn these important attributes（属性）in the lap of luxury（处在优裕舒适的环境中）, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind．
【小题1】Which word can best describe the man's initial（最初的） reaction as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer?

A．Satisfied．

B．Sad

C．Surprised

D．Concerned．

【小题2】What did the man do after he first learned of his illness?

A．He was operated on immediately．

B．He researched cancer treatments．

C．He retired from his job

D．He felt sad, doing nothing．

【小题3】What was the man's main source of comfort after several months with the disease? 

A．His family and friends．	B．The care from others
C．His doctors’ encouragement．	D．His belief in humanity．

【小题4】What did the author learn from his friend’s story?

A．Getting comfort from God．

B．Extending life as possible．

C．Caring for yourself and enjoying luxury．

D．Giving more respect to friends

A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking（搭便车）on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel（方向盘）!

         The car started to move very slowly．The man looked at the road and saw a curve （拐弯处）coming his way．Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life．He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel．The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky car．Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town．In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky．

         Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car．Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!

         About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”

1.When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man ________

A．felt very curious                B．was extremely frightened

C．cried for help                         D．remained as calm as possible

2.According to the passage, what made the man’s experience believable?

A．His reasonable behavior．            B．His vivid description

C．His plain appearance．                 D．His honest attitude

3.We can infer from the passage that ________

A．it is unsafe for people to take a free ride

B．the man was telling a lie to his listeners

C．the car probably broke down on the way

D．the two young men were familiar with the man

 

Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path．I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud．As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack．It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected．I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times．I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me．Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing．And I was laughing．After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped, laughing, I took a step forward．My attacker rushed me again．He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain．For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused．I wasn't sure what to do．After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly．I stepped back to look the situation over．My attacker moved back to land on the ground．That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier．He had a mate and she was dying．
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her．I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate．He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate's sake （缘故）, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large．He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her．His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety seemed admirable．I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool．He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed．    
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge barriers facing me.
【小题1】Why did the writer change his direction while walking down a path?

A．To get close to a butterfly.	B．To look over the bad situation.
C．To escape a sudden attack.	D．To avoid getting his shoes dirty.

【小题2】What made the man feel funny?

A．Making the attacker pause.	B．Being attacked by a butterfly.
C．Being stepped on by his mate.	D．Discovering the energetic butterfly.

【小题3】From this experience the man learned       .

A．what he should do when faced with trouble	B．people should show sympathy to the weak
C．how he should deal with attacks	D．people should protect butterflies

【小题4】Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?

A．Careless．

B．Amusing．

C．Courageous．

D．Aggressive.

I once had a friend that was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the news that he might only live up to six months was a great shock to him, his family, and his friends．However, in spite of the serious illness, he was initially（开始） determined to look into all available treatments that might cure or extend his life．I think that when you find yourself in such situations, you tend to look up every possible way for hope of saving your life．
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him．He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity（人性）．His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him．
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice （安养院） came to the home to regulate（调节） his medication （药）and provide any other needed support．He didn't complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him．
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others．You often can't learn these important attributes（属性）in the lap of luxury（处在优裕舒适的环境中）, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind．
【小题1】Which word can best describe the man's initial reaction as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer?

A．Satisfied．

B．Sad

C．Surprised

D．Concerned．

【小题2】What did the man do after he first learned of his illness?

A．He was operated on immediately．

B．He researched cancer treatments．

C．He retired from his job

D．He felt sad, doing nothing．

【小题3】What was the man's main source of comfort after several months with the disease? 

A．His family and friends．	B．The care from others
C．His doctors’ encouragement．	D．His belief in humanity．

【小题4】What did the author learn from his friend’s story?

A．Getting comfort from God．

B．Extending life as possible．

C．Caring for yourself and enjoying luxury．

D．Giving more respect to friends

A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking（搭便车）on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel（方向盘）!  

    The car started to move very slowly．The man looked at the road and saw a curve （拐弯处）coming his way．Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life．He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel．The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky car．Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town．In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky．

    Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car．Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!

    About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”

When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man ________．

    A．felt very curious                B．was extremely frightened

    C．cried for help               D．remained as calm as possible

According to the passage, what made the man’s experience believable?

    A．His reasonable behavior．       B．His vivid description．

    C．His plain appearance．          D．His honest attitude．

We can infer from the passage that ________．

    A．it is unsafe for people to take a free ride

    B．the man was telling a lie to his listeners

    C．the car probably broke down on the way

    D．the two young men were familiar with the man