Mr.Gray traveled a lot on business. He sold machines of various kinds to famers, which he thought not really a very _36_ job, but he had always been interested in _37_, and he was quite satisfied with his life. He had a big_38_, and usually enjoyed driving it long distances, but he was also quite_39_to go by train sometimes too especially when the weather was_40_. He was a little frightened of driving in the rain or snow, and it was _41_tiring to sit comfortably in a train and look out of the windows without being worried about how one was going to get to the next place. One of Mr. Gray’s  _42_was often where to stay when he reached some small _43_in the country. He did not expect _44_and wonderful food, but he found it annoying when he was given a cold room, and when there was no hot water _45_ good food after a long and tiring day.
Late one winter evening, Mr. Gray arrived at a small railway station. The journey by train that _46_had not been at all interesting, and Mr. Gray was cold and tired and _47_. He was looking forward to a _48_but satisfying meal by a brightly burning _49_, and then a hot bath and a comfortable bed. While he was walking to the taxi stand, he said to a local man who was also _50_there. “As this is my _51_visit to this part of the country and I was in too much of a hurry to find out about a hotel before I _52_home, I would very much like to know how many you have here.” The local man answered, “We have two.” “And which of the two would you _53_me to go to?” Mr. Gray asked then. The local man scratched his _54_ for a few moments and then answered, “Well, it’s like this: _55_one you go to, you’ll be sorry you didn’t go to the other.”

B
One cold morning in winter, when I was a little boy, a smiling man with an ax on his shoulder stopped me, saying: “My pretty boy, has your father a grindstone（砂轮）”
“Yes, sir,” said I．
“You are a fine little fellow!” said the man． “Will you let me grind（磨） my ax?”
Pleased with the flattery, I answered, “Oh, yes, sir． The grindstone is down in the shop．”
Patting me on my head, he said, “Will you get me some hot water?” I ran and brought the hot water．
“How old are you, and what is your name?” he asked without waiting for a reply, “I’m sure you are one of the finest boys I have ever seen． Will you turn the grindstone a few minutes for me?”
Hearing the flattery again, I went to work with a will． It was a new ax, and I worked hard until I was almost tired to death． The school bell rang, but I could not get away, because the ax was not half ground．
At last, however, it was sharpened． Then the man turned to me and said, “Now, you little rascal(小坏蛋), you’ve played truant(逃课)! Run to school, or you’ll be sorry!”
“Alas!” thought I． “It was hard enough to turn a grindstone this old day, but now to be called a rascal is too much．”
The memory of turning the grindstone that winter morning sank into my mind． I have thought of it since． Now, whenever I hear words of flattery, I say to myself． “That man has an ax to grind．”
60．In this passage, the word “flattery” means _____．
A．an order or direction
B．nice words used beyond truth
C．kind words spoken by elder people to children
D．good manners
61．The man asked the boy many questions because _____．
A．he liked the boy very much
B．he wanted to know the boy’s name
C．he wanted to sharpen his ax
D．he wanted to know how old the boy was
62．The man called the boy “rascal” because _____．
A．his ax was damaged by the boy
B．he didn’t like the boy’s play truant
C．he didn’t need the boy any more
D．he thought that boy should go to school on time
63．Today in the writer’s vocabulary “That man has an ax to grind” means _____．
A． that man has some selfish reasons for his actions
B． that man works with an ax
C． that man is very kind and polite to boys
D． that man needs to sharpen his ax

When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and "too serious" about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say, " Let's start with a train whistle today." We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, he was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other's dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think, " Yes, I must tell.." We have never met.

It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

1..

. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.

A. become serious about her study

B. go to her friend's house regularly

C. learn from her classmates at school

D. share poems and stories with her friend

2..

. In Paragraph 3, "We gave London to each other" probably means ______.

A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us

B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London

C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared

D. we parted with each other in London

3..

. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.

A. call each other regularly

B. have similar personalities

C. enjoy writing to each other

D. dream of meeting each other

4..

. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.

A. seek professional help

B. be left alone

C. stay with her best friend

D. break the silence

5..

. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Unforgettable Experiences

B. Remarkable Imagination

C. Lifelong Friendship

D. Noble Companions

I think you should end it _______ it’s too late, or you may be sorry about it later.

Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard. 

   “I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast. 

   “And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”

   George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse. 

   Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.

   Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him? 

   George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading. 

   “Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.” 

1.George and Richard were ______ at school.

A. roommates     B. good friends    C. competitors    D. booksellers

2.How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

 A. He envied Richard’s marriage.

 B. He thought of Richard from time to time.

 C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.

 D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.

3.George got information about Richard from ______.

 A. a dictionary collector in Australia

B. the latter’s rivals Dylans

 C. a rare first edition of a dictionary

D. the wrapping paper of a book

4.What happened to George and Richard in the end?

 A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.

 B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.

 C. George established a successful business while Richard was missing.

 D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.