We spent a day in the country and picked a lot of flowers．Our car was full of flowers inside! On the way we had to stop at the traffic lights and there my wife saw the bookshelf．

It stood outside a furniture （家具）shop．"Buy it，" she said at once．"We’ll carry it home on the roof rack（车顶行李架） I’ve always wanted one like that "

What could I do? Ten minutes later I was twenty dollars poorer，and the bookshelf was tied on to the roof rack．It was tall and narrow，quite heavy too．

As it was getting darker，I drove slowly．Other drivers seemed more polite than usual that evening．The police even stopped traffic to let us through．Carrying furniture was a good idea ．

After a time my wife said，"There’s a long line of cars behind．Why don’t they overtake?"

Just at that time a police car did overtake．The two officers inside looked at us seriously when they went past．But then，with a kind smile they asked us to follow their car through the busy traffic．The police car stopped at our village church．One of the officers came to me．

"Right，sir，"he said "Do you need any more help now?"

I didn’t quite understand "Thanks，officer，" I said．"You’ve been very kind．I live just down the road"

He was looking at our things：first at the flowers，then at the bookshelf．"Well，well，" he said and laughed．"It’s a bookshelf you’ve got there! We thought it was ~ eh something else "

My wife began to laugh．Suddenly I understood why the police drove here．They had mistaken the bookshelf for a coffin（棺材）

I smiled at the officer．"Yes，it’s a bookshelf，but thanks again．" I drove home as fast as I could．

（    ）1．From the story we know that ______

A．the writer was poor and didn’t buy the bookshelf for his wife

B．the writer’s wife didn’t like the bookshelf at all

C．the writer was always glad to buy something for his wife

D．the writer was not very glad to buy the bookshelf for his wife

（    ）2．What made the writer think that carrying furniture was "a good idea"?

A．He could drive slowly and it was safe

B．Other drivers would let him go first

C．His wife could use a new bookshelf

D．He could save a lot of money and time

（    ）3．The underlined word“overtake”most probably means______．

A．to catch up with                                         B．to pass after catching up with

C．to take by surprise                                    D．to keep up with

（    ）4．Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why the police officers mistook the bookshelf for a coffin?

A．The writer was driving slowly                      B．There were many flowers in their car

C．The bookshelf was tall and narrow               D．There were many ears behind us

This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store I am employed as a shop assistant.

When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there’s not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. I have informed the social security office so you won’t be able to cash the child benefit next week. I hope that won’t leave you too short．But if you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book．Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid(有效的), so it won’t be much use to you.

Actually I don’t mind about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!

I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book．There were all kinds of papers in it, and notes and things that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you . I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?

Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather handbag. You probably dumped it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We’ve looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.

I’m not really angry with you．I know how the pressures of modern living can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel offended and helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged（耸） their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn’t answer that question. I wonder if you can.

1.In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to __________.

A. describe the contents of the bag in detail        B. give some suggestions to the three thieves

    C. tell the thieves they could hardly get any money  D. state the fact that she was careless with the money

2.Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?

    A. The cash in her bag.                       B. The papers and notes in the bag.

    C. The handbag itself.                        D. The check books in the bag.

3. What can we conclude about the police?

    A. They have doubts about human nature.                     B. They show sympathy for the woman.

    C. They think the case quite common.                        D. They are unable to find the thieves.

4. Why does the author write the letter?

    A. To give the thieves a serious warning.                   B. To complain about the fall of human goodness.

    C. To call people’s attention to their belongings.         D. To express her affection for her valuable bag.

 

Don’t shoot butterflies with guns.

Can you    36    someone running after a butterfly with a gun in his hands? Won’t such stupidity make you burst out laughing? But wait. Stop and consider how often you might have done something    37   .

A hen, Henny-Penny, lived in a forest with many other animals and birds. One fine, sunny morning, she was busy looking for    38    in the ground. Suddenly she let out a frightened cackle (咯咯叫) with wings flapping    39   . A dry leaf had fallen down on her, and she went  40   at whoever she met, “Run, run for your lives; the sky is falling.” The other creatures stopped whatever they were doing. Some ran behind Henny-Penny, screaming warnings with her, while others    41    the unfounded story that the sky was falling.

We all have    42    people like this hen. The rest of us are like the other foolish creatures who didn’t stop to verify (证实) the    43    for themselves. They shoot butterflies with guns. They just will not think for themselves. Why don’t people think for themselves? Often because of laziness, or because they don’t want to be    44    for their way of thinking.

Walking through life    45    is more dangerous than crossing a busy road with eyes closed. Our thoughts should lead us towards the light of wisdom and sense. Our thinking should be high,  46    us to the ranks of the sensible. We have been blessed with reasoning, sensitive minds. Let us make use of them and be    47    of our own minds. Don’t let your mind be enslaved by someone else. Stop, think and then go ahead.

1..

A．suggest

B．imagine

C．recall

D．prevent

2..

A．different

B．extraordinary

C．unusual

D．similar

 

3.	A．trees B．worms C．nests D．leaves

4..

A．in delight

B．in cheer

C．in fear

D．in amazement

5..

A．screaming

B．staring

C．praising

D．criticizing

6..

A．recite

B．edit

C．spread

D．print

7..

A．come across

B．searched for

C．looked after

D．cared about

8..

A．impact

B．process

C．advantage

D．truth

 

9.	A．desperate B．good C．regretful D．responsible

10..

A．speechlessly

B．hopelessly

C．mindlessly

D．homelessly

 

11.	A．declining B．raising C．wiping D．smoothing

12..

A．masters

B．slaves

C．authors

D．employees