Growing up on a tobacco farm, Emma Avery was used to hard times. When she was seven, her family’s farmhouse burned to the ground. Her father made a temporary (临时的) shelter, where eight people had to sleep in two beds. As soon as Emma and her four brothers and two sisters were big enough, they were out in the fields.

     Emma would find her comfort in school, even as a C student, thanks to one teacher. When she moved on to middle school, Emma was alarmingly far behind her classmates. She kept her head down, trying not to be noticed, struggling to catch up, and feeling like an outsider.

     Then one day, when Emma was 16, a teacher named Mr. Potts changed everything. Looking his students in the eye, Mr. Potts said, "Being a C student does not mean you do not have a valuable contribution to make. Some of you have to work in the fields in the evening and do not have time to study. But if you do your best, you have a gift to give."

     The teacher’s words made Emma believe she could do well, and she worked harder. In the end she won a scholarship to St. Paul’s College, graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1967, and got a job in the public-school system. Then, at George Washington University, she received a master’s in education in 1970, and afterwards in the same year she married Ron Smothers.

     Over the next six years, Emma taught in public schools in Miami. In 1976, after saving $10,000, she opened her first restaurant in Los Angeles. Eventually Emma stopped teaching, and her business expanded (扩展) to six restaurants.

     In gratitude (感激) for what she has been able to achieve, Emma donates a lot. She has no idea how much money she’s given away. She says, "Those I want to help are the C students who just need help, direction and confidence."

1.The first paragraph serves to show that Emma ______.

A．was poor and had no time to study          B．was born on a tobacco farm C．was sad to lose her house D．was kind enough to help support the family

2.From the text we learn that Emma ______.  

A．won a scholarship to George Washington University                 B．was unsuccessful as a businesswoman C．was thankful to Mr. Potts             D．disliked teaching, and gave up the job

3.From the second paragraph we can infer that Emma was ______.

A．unintelligent       B．unconfident        C．hard-working       D．Considerate

4.The text mainly wants to tell us ______.

A．confidence is the first step to success        B．memory of the past is the teacher of the future C．something attempted, something done       D．nothing is impossible to a willing heart

Catch of a Lifetime

He was 11 years old and often went fishing in a lake. On the day   36   the bass () season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening,   37   sunfish. Then he practiced casting. When his pole   38  , he knew something huge was   39  . His father watched   40   as the boy skilfully worked the fish alongside the dock.   41  , he very carefully lifted the   42   fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen,    43    it was a bass. The father lit a match and looked at   44  . It was 10 P.M. ― two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.

“You’ll have to   45  , son,” he said.

“Dad!” cried the boy.

“There will be other fish,” said his father.

“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy.

  46   no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could   47   by his father’s firm voice that the decision was   48  . He obeyed and lowered it into the black   49  . The boy suspected that he would   50   again see such a great fish.

That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect. And he was   51  . He has never again landed such a magnificent fish as the one he   52   that night long ago. But he does see the same fish ― again and again ―   53  he comes up against a question of ethics (道德规范).

For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the    54    of ethics that is difficult. Do we do   55   when no one is looking?

On my first day of the sixth grade, I noticed one little girl called Amy on the school bus. “Don’t 1 her,” Lauren said, who sat beside me. “Or they will make fun of you.”
Amy had many 2 differences — lots of reasons for other kids to make fun of her. Her eyes weren’t straight. Her glasses were an inch thick. And she had really ugly teeth.
Every day 3 we drove to and from school, kids would shout insults (侮辱) at Amy. “God, what a (n) 4 face! Stop looking at me!” “Mr. Rolland (the driver)! Amy took off her 5, and now her eyes are 6 me! Make her put them back on!” For a while I shouted my share of insults, just so I’d fit in (合群). 7, I didn’t want them to treat me the same way they treated Amy.
But while I was insulting her, my heart 8 for the girl. I could see that the insults were making her look 9, because she was so ashamed (羞愧) and alone. Then I wanted to 10 her. I just didn’t know how to stop my schoolmates 11 the night of our class roller-skating party.
Our whole class was there, including Amy. Amy didn’t know how to 12, but I could see how much she wanted to 13 like the rest of us. So I skated over to her and took her by the hand; we began the journey together around the skating rink (溜冰场). She just smiled, and sometimes she would laugh in 14.
On the school bus the next morning there was much news about Amy and me 15 together, 16 nobody insulted her or me. And they didn’t do that for the rest of the year.
After graduation, I never 17 Amy again. However, I never forget her and I’ve always 18 if I changed her life for the better. But I know for sure she changed my 19. After becoming her friend, I no longer tried to impress (给……留下印象) people by trying to 20 like them. I became myself.

1. 1.
   1. A.
      laugh at
   2. B.
      ask about
   3. C.
      talk to
   4. D.
      be afraid of
2. 2.
   1. A.
      common
   2. B.
      small
   3. C.
      social
   4. D.
      physical
3. 3.
   1. A.
      as
   2. B.
      though
   3. C.
      after
   4. D.
      before
4. 4.
   1. A.
      pretty
   2. B.
      strange
   3. C.
      ordinary
   4. D.
      lovely
5. 5.
   1. A.
      glasses
   2. B.
      coat
   3. C.
      shoes
   4. D.
      hat
6. 6.
   1. A.
      frightening
   2. B.
      interesting
   3. C.
      encouraging
   4. D.
      injuring
7. 7.
   1. A.
      Instead
   2. B.
      After all
   3. C.
      If so
   4. D.
      Therefore
8. 8.
   1. A.
      beat
   2. B.
      lost
   3. C.
      ached
   4. D.
      opened
9. 9.
   1. A.
      happier
   2. B.
      taller
   3. C.
      prettier
   4. D.
      uglier
10. 10.
    1. A.
       give in to
    2. B.
       deal with
    3. C.
       stand up for
    4. D.
       believe in
11. 11.
    1. A.
       until
    2. B.
       except
    3. C.
       before
    4. D.
       after
12. 12.
    1. A.
       stand
    2. B.
       skate
    3. C.
       play
    4. D.
       walk
13. 13.
    1. A.
       catch up
    2. B.
       have fun
    3. C.
       sit down
    4. D.
       fall over
14. 14.
    1. A.
       fear
    2. B.
       surprise
    3. C.
       comfort
    4. D.
       joy
15. 15.
    1. A.
       talking
    2. B.
       chatting
    3. C.
       skating
    4. D.
       travelling
16. 16.
    1. A.
       so
    2. B.
       because
    3. C.
       but
    4. D.
       still
17. 17.
    1. A.
       wrote to
    2. B.
       laughed at
    3. C.
       heard from
    4. D.
       made fun of
18. 18.
    1. A.
       hoped
    2. B.
       wondered
    3. C.
       thought
    4. D.
       considered
19. 19.
    1. A.
       life
    2. B.
       mind
    3. C.
       interest
    4. D.
       friend
20. 20.
    1. A.
       study
    2. B.
       fight
    3. C.
       act
    4. D.
       play

On a Sunday morning, I was driving down a road and saw something I couldn’t believe. A little girl, less than two, was pushing her stroller (婴儿车) across the road. It was Sunday morning and traffic was not heavy.
I stopped my car at once and ran toward her. This little girl knew enough to run from a stranger. I tried to catch her in order that I could get her out of the road.
Suddenly her father came running down a hill across the road from where I had parked my car. He ran right to her and caught her up, saying “bad girl” to her. I picked up the stroller and gave it to him. The father grabbed the stroller and walked toward where he came from without a word.
I went back and sat in my car for a few minutes with my son. My hands were shaking and tears were about to run out of my eyes. “Do you feel cold, Mom?” asked my son. I just shook my head.
After this happened, I thought about how thankful I am. Even though the father didn’t say thank you, I feel that I did something good. Doing something for someone else is pleasing, even when it’s only a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
I didn’t really “save” her, but I feel like it was important that I happened to be there. It is sad that I was the only one who stopped. It really made me a little disappointed that no one else stopped to help

1. 1.

   When the author saw the little girl, _____

   1. A.
      the girl had lost her way
   2. B.
      she was driving to work in a hurry
   3. C.
      the girl feared to go across the road
   4. D.
      there weren’t many cars on the road
2. 2.

   The little girl ran away from the author because _____

   1. A.
      she wanted to stay on the road
   2. B.
      she didn’t know the author at all
   3. C.
      she wanted to look for her father
   4. D.
      she needed to catch her stroller
3. 3.

   Why were the author’s hands shaking?

   1. A.
      Because she was not feeling well
   2. B.
      Because she was too excited to keep calm
   3. C.
      Because the weather was very cold at that time
   4. D.
      Because she failed to be understood by the girl’s father
4. 4.

   The author thought that her help was _____

   1. A.
      really necessary
   2. B.
      worth praising
   3. C.
      not welcome
   4. D.
      not useful

Growing up on a tobacco farm, Emma Avery was used to hard times. When she was seven, her family’s farmhouse burned to the ground. Her father made a temporary (临时的) shelter, where eight people had to sleep in two beds. As soon as Emma and her four brothers and two sisters were big enough, they were out in the fields.
Emma would find her comfort in school, even as a C student, thanks to one teacher. When she moved on to middle school, Emma was alarmingly far behind her classmates. She kept her head down, trying not to be noticed, struggling to catch up, and feeling like an outsider.
Then one day, when Emma was 16, a teacher named Mr. Potts changed everything. Looking his students in the eye, Mr. Potts said, "Being a C student does not mean you do not have a valuable contribution to make. Some of you have to work in the fields in the evening and do not have time to study. But if you do your best, you have a gift to give."
The teacher’s words made Emma believe she could do well, and she worked harder. In the end she won a scholarship to St. Paul’s College, graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1967, and got a job in the public-school system. Then, at George Washington University, she received a master’s in education in 1970, and afterwards in the same year she married Ron Smothers.
Over the next six years, Emma taught in public schools in Miami. In 1976, after saving $10,000, she opened her first restaurant in Los Angeles. Eventually Emma stopped teaching, and her business expanded (扩展) to six restaurants.
In gratitude (感激) for what she has been able to achieve, Emma donates a lot. She has no idea how much money she’s given away. She says, "Those I want to help are the C students who just need help, direction and confidence."

1. 1.

   The first paragraph serves to show that Emma ______

   1. A.
      was poor and had no time to study
   2. B.
      was born on a tobacco farm
   3. C.
      was sad to lose her house
   4. D.
      was kind enough to help support the family
2. 2.

   From the text we learn that Emma ______

   1. A.
      won a scholarship to George Washington University
   2. B.
      was unsuccessful as a businesswoman
   3. C.
      was thankful to Mr. Potts
   4. D.
      disliked teaching, and gave up the job
3. 3.

   From the second paragraph we can infer that Emma was ______

   1. A.
      unintelligent
   2. B.
      unconfident
   3. C.
      hard-working
   4. D.
      Considerate
4. 4.

   The text mainly wants to tell us ______

   1. A.
      confidence is the first step to success
   2. B.
      memory of the past is the teacher of the future
   3. C.
      something attempted, something done
   4. D.
      nothing is impossible to a willing heart