On a rainy day, about 150 volunteers worked for eight hours to clean up Carson Creek that is near a river. About nine tons of trash was taken out from there.

“We did a good job,” said Alan Specter, the organizer of the event. “We’re planning to come back here one more time, three years from now. Of course, we hope that there won’t be so much trash next time.”

The trash came in all shapes, sizes, and colors: cans, bottles, bicycles, batteries, furniture, clothing, plastic bags, dolls, and even a golf bag with a full set of golf clubs (球棒).

The dirty and tiring work was done by two volunteering groups — Save the Bay and Watch the Whales. Most of the volunteers came from a local police station and a fire station. And some of them were old people who had already retired (退休).

That day, it rained a little. All of them wore boots, gloves and raincoats. They did the work along a two-mile river with over 500 big yellow trash bags everywhere.

No one found anything that cost much. A five-year-old boy found an earring which he thought might be worth a million dollars. He said he’d sell it. Then he’d donate half of the money to Watch the Whales, and use the other half to buy his favorite ice cream every day.

Many people laughed at the boy’s story. However, it was easily found that the environment there did become better.

1.What did the two volunteering groups do in Carson Creek?

A. They helped homeless animals. B. They collected a lot of trash.

C. They found something expensive. D. They helped a small boy achieve his dream.

2.What do you know about the volunteers?

A. They were old and poor. B. They liked collecting old things.

C. They hated to live near the river. D. They were interested in volunteering.

3.What does the underlined word “donate” mean in Chinese?

A. 寻找 B. 遗留 C. 偿还 D. 捐赠

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. There was more trash when the volunteers left that day.

B. The volunteers planned to come back again after three years.

C. In fact, the earring which the small boy found cost little.

D. A lot of trash was thrown around along the two-mile river.

5.Which may be the BEST title for the passage?

A. Rainy days B. A boy’s dream

C. Picking up so much trash D. Doing something funny

In 1883, an engineer named John Roebling got an idea to build a bridge between New York and Long Island. However, bridge-building experts around the world thought that it was impossible. It had never been done before.

After much discussion, he made his son Washington, a great engineer, believe that the bridge could be built.

The project started well, but a few months later, an accident took the life of John Roebling. Washington was badly hurt and he was not able to walk or talk. However, Washington never lost his heart. He still wanted to complete the bridge. But all he could do was to move one finger. So he decided to make the best use of it. By moving his finger, he slowly developed a way of communicating with his wife.

He touched his wife’s arm with his finger, “telling” her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same way to tell the engineers what to do. The project carried on again.

For 13 years, Washington tapped out (敲出) his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed.

Today the Brooklyn Bridge stands as a monument(纪念碑) to one man’s unbeatable spirit.

It is also a monument to engineers and their teamwork, and to their faith in a man who was considered crazy by half the world.

1.Why did the bridge-building experts think John’s idea was impossible?

A. Because the technology was poor then.

B. Because no one had done it before.

C. Because they didn’t accept new ideas.

D. Because they didn’t believe in him.

2.What happened a few months after the project started?

A. The bridge fell down.

B. The father lost his life.

C. The son lost all his fingers.

D. The son was lucky to be safe.

3.What is the right order of the following events?

a. An accident happened.

b. John wanted to build a bridge.

c. The bridge was completed 13 years later.

d. Washington agreed to help build the bridge.

e. Washington used his finger to communicate with his wife and the engineers.

A. d-b-a-e-c B. d-b-e-a-c C. b-c-a-d-e D. b-d-a-e-c

4.The Brooklyn Bridge was successfully built because of Washington’s ____________.

A. good luck B. love for his family

C. never-say-die spirit D. high skill in building bridges

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