O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.
【小题1】 In which order did O. Henry do the following things?
a. Lived in New York.   b. Worked in a bank.       c. Travelled to Texas.
d. Was put in prison.    e. Had a newspaper Job.     f. Learned to write stories.

A．e. c. f. b. d. a

B．c. e. b. d. f. a

C．e. b. d. c. a. f.

D．c. b. e. d. a f.

【小题2】People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because       

A．they had surprise endings	B．they were easy to understand
C．they showed his love for the poor	D．they were about New York City

【小题3】O. Henry went to prison because        .

A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper

B．he broke the law by not using his own name

C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners

D．people thought he had taken money that was not his

【小题4】What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?

A．He was well-educated.	B．He was not serious about his work.
C．He was devoted to the poor.	D．He was very good at learning.

【小题5】Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?

A．His life inside the prison.	B．The newspaper articles he wrote.
C．The city and people of New York.	D．His exciting early life as a boy.

O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.

1. In which order did O. Henry do the following things?

a. Lived in New York.   b. Worked in a bank.       c. Travelled to Texas.

d. Was put in prison.    e. Had a newspaper Job.     f. Learned to write stories.

A．e. c. f. b. d. a

B．c. e. b. d. f. a

C．e. b. d. c. a. f.

D．c. b. e. d. a f.

2.People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because       

A．they had surprise endings	B．they were easy to understand
C．they showed his love for the poor	D．they were about New York City

3.O. Henry went to prison because       .

A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper

B．he broke the law by not using his own name

C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners

D．people thought he had taken money that was not his

4.What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?

A．He was well-educated.	B．He was not serious about his work.
C．He was devoted to the poor.	D．He was very good at learning.

5.Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories?

A．His life inside the prison.	B．The newspaper articles he wrote.
C．The city and people of New York.	D．His exciting early life as a boy.

 

 It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor. On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life." At my inquiry, he answered, "Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave."

As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague's words no longer existed. When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher. It obviously isn't the money. Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change. He was working at Nintendo Corporation. His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade. With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired. I thanked him, but declined his kind offer.

A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades, I found a note a student had slipped in with her homework. She thanked me for being her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class — not about math, but about life — would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away. As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher.

Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of blue hats and gowns, I did so with renewed dedication (奉献) and a deeper sense of satisfaction — I will always be grateful that I am a teacher.

1.Hearing his colleague's description of graduation for the first time, the author         .

A. quite agreed with his colleague        B. thought it very funny

C. was very puzzled                   D. was very sad.

2.The computer science student called up the author because he         .  

A. wanted to inform the author of his present job

B. tried to persuade the author to work with him

C. wanted the author to share his joy and satisfaction

D. thought the author wasn't fit to be a teacher

3.The underlined part blue hats and gowns refers to         .  

A. university colleagues                        B. life memories

C. graduates' clothes                        D. decorations in the hall

4.The author wrote this passage to         .  

A. express his devotion to being a teacher

B. compare two different graduation ceremonies

C. talk about the meaning of graduation

D. give advice on how to be a good teacher

5.The reason why he earns less than the computer science student is that         . 

A. he was only a young professor   

B. he didn't do well in his work

C. he taught his students more about life than math

D. salaries for different careers are different

 

Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”
“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband, “A big party will be the easiest thing, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.”
So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I’ll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December.”
“How many will that be?” Mr. Harris asked. “Don’t invite too many.”
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party. 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.”
“That isn’t very nice, is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go at 8.30.” So Mrs. Harris just wrote “Party. 6.30 p.m.”
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8.30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained.”
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Who complained about the noise?”
“I did,” Mr Harris answered in a tired voice.
【小题1】Why did Mr. Harris and his wife move to another town?

A．They wanted to make some new friends.

B．Mr. Harris changed his work.

C．They wanted to meet a lot of interesting people.

D．They enjoyed going to parties and visiting other people’s houses.

【小题2】What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?

A．It was easy to hold a big party at home.

B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers.

C．They had gone to other people’s parties many times.

D．They liked making friends with others.

【小题3】How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?

A．From the morning till night.	B．About fourteen hours.
C．About two hours.	D．Till midnight

【小题4】When did the party end that evening?

A．At about 8.30.

B．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone.

C．About twelve o’clock..

D．When someone telephoned the police station.

【小题5】Why did Mr. Harris telephone the policeman about the noise?

A．Because someone rang his door bell many times at mid-night.

B．He did not want his friends to stay late that night.

C．His friends had a good time that night and also feel tired.

D．Because he hated the noise.

Five people are at our table, including myself. I’ve already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we’ve been at sea, although we rarely meet except at mealtimes.
First of all, there is Dr. Stone. He is a man of about sixty-five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quite country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the army and visited many countries. He’s told us a great deal about the city to which they are going.
Then there is “Grandmother”. I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks remarkable young, no more than fifty. She is on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen.
Then there is a man I don’t care for very much, the engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been on leave in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore.
The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I’ve found out hardly anything about her. She’s extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult the doctor about children’s various illnesses. She is on her way to join her husband in India.
【小题1】What can we know about Mr. Stone?

A．He is a doctor in the army now.

B．He is going to give up his work.

C．He has been retired for many years.

D．He knows a lot about the city the author is going to visit.

【小题2】Who live in India?

A．Mrs. Hunt

B．Grandmother

C．Mr. Hunt

D．The doctor

【小题3】The writer calls the second person “Grandmother” because _____.

A．She looks old.

B．he respects her

C．She has three daughters

D．he can’t think of her name

【小题4】 The underlined phrase “on leave” in Paragraph 4 probably means _____.

A．on vacation

B．at home

C．about to leave

D．leaving