I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had.
My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (体操运动员). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.
I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.
If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.
During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.
At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.
“Really?” was all I could reply.
“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.
That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.
【小题1】Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.
A.she had been good at sportsB.her sister’s show was perfect
C.she hated drawing and paintingD.her parents wanted her to do so
【小题2】 How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?
A.Satisfied.B.Worried.C.HopefulD.Regretful.
【小题3】 From the story, we can infer that ________.
A.Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics
B.Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first
C.Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town
D.Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting
【小题4】 What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?
A.We should value our own gifts.B.It takes time to find one’s gifts.
C.We could develop different gifts.D.It’s never too late to show our gifts.
阅读上面的短文,然后判断正(T)误(F)。
Jane,
After I left Paris I spent two days in New York City and one day in Washington DC. I got to Miami, Florida on Nov. 13. The weather is wonderful here. This morning I went swimming and then slept on the beach. When I woke up, I found Jennifer Lopez—my favorite movie star!  She was just on my right!  I asked her to take a picture with me. You know, that was my dream. She agreed!  I'm going to show you the picture.
Yours,
John
Dear Dad,
I got here after 18 hours on a train at last!  It's very cold here in Moscow. It's white everywhere. This afternoon I went to have a look at the city. I got lost. I was glad I took Russian lessons in my university. They helped me a lot. A young girl showed me the way back to my hotel. I think I can finish my work here and go back home soon. I'm longing for the warm sunshine at home. See you soon.
Max
Dear Amy,
I arrived in Guilin yesterday. What a beautiful place!  The people are kind here and I have some new friends. Guess who I met here!  Tom, my high school classmate. How small the world is!  He is working here as an English teacher at a middle school. He showed me around the city. I also went to his school. I bought a special bag made in Guilin for you and a silk tablecloth for Mom. Tomorrow evening I'm going to fly to Beijing.
Love,
Mafia
【小题1】Each of the three had a good time.
【小题2】Maria went to see her classmate in Guilin.
【小题3】It was warmer in Max's hometown than in Moscow.
【小题4】Max came from Russia.
【小题5】John was very glad that his dream of going to the beach came true.

阅读上面的短文,然后判断正(T)误(F)。
Jane,
After I left Paris I spent two days in New York City and one day in Washington DC. I got to Miami, Florida on Nov. 13. The weather is wonderful here. This morning I went swimming and then slept on the beach. When I woke up, I found Jennifer Lopez—my favorite movie star!  She was just on my right!  I asked her to take a picture with me. You know, that was my dream. She agreed!  I’m going to show you the picture.
Yours,
John
Dear Dad,
I got here after 18 hours on a train at last!  It’s very cold here in Moscow. It’s white everywhere. This afternoon I went to have a look at the city. I got lost. I was glad I took Russian lessons in my university. They helped me a lot. A young girl showed me the way back to my hotel. I think I can finish my work here and go back home soon. I’m longing for the warm sunshine at home. See you soon.
Max
Dear Amy,
I arrived in Guilin yesterday. What a beautiful place!  The people are kind here and I have some new friends. Guess who I met here!  Tom, my high school classmate. How small the world is!  He is working here as an English teacher at a middle school. He showed me around the city. I also went to his school. I bought a special bag made in Guilin for you and a silk tablecloth for Mom. Tomorrow evening I’m going to fly to Beijing.
Love,
Mafia
【小题1】Each of the three had a good time.
【小题2】Maria went to see her classmate in Guilin.
【小题3】It was warmer in Max’s hometown than in Moscow.
【小题4】Max came from Russia.
【小题5】John was very glad that his dream of going to the beach came true.



Dear Reader,
Imagine an 11-year old girl whose days are often spent washing clothes, looking after a baby, working hard in the field.
Imagine a little girl who knows there will not be enough food for dinner, who can’t fill her stomach with water because it’s polluted, and who has watched life slip away from her father, little brother and sister because the family is too poor to see a doctor.
Is it hard to believe? For Maria Pastora, these are the real life.
Maria would gladly walk miles to school, but her mother, now alone, needs her badly at home. If Maria grows up without any schooling, what will be her future?
But for just 52 pennies a day, you can sponsor a child like Maria. Through “Save the Children”, you can help Maria’s mother get the tools and ways she needs to turn their poor food into a good dinner and the money she needs to buy clothes and school things for Maria.
To help Maria most, your money is put together with that of other sponsors, so hard-working people can help themselves. Build a school, a hospital…bring in clean water. This is what “Save the Children” has been about since 1932.
For you there are many rewards. Have the chance to write to or hear from your sponsored child. Receive photos or progress reports. Know you are reaching out to another person. Not with a handout(施舍物), but a “handup”. That’s how “Save the Children” works. But without you, it can’t work. Please take a moment now to fill in and post the form below to help a child like Maria and her village.
It can make such a difference in her life and yours.
【小题1】We can most probably read the letter in __________.

A.somebody’s diary B.a newspaper
C.a progress reportD.a storybook
【小题2】From the passage, we can infer (推断)that _________
A.Maria is an 11-year-old girl.
B.Maria’s family is very poor.
C.Maria has to do a lot of hard work.
D.Maria is hoping to get schooling.
【小题3】What is “Save the Children”?
A.An organization to help poor children go to school.
B.An office of the government to collect money.
C.A program shown at theatres to help the poor.
D.A group who works for children in poor places.
【小题4】The underlined word “sponsor” means “__________” in Chinese.
A.回报B.资助     C.感恩    D.抢救
【小题5】What does the last sentence in the letter mean?
A.If Maria goes to school, you will be rewarded.
B.What you give is more than what you take.
C.Both Maria’s life and yours will change a lot.
D.Marie and you can help each other at school.

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