Cheng Long is a famous action star of Hong Kong. He took part in the fourth Chinese Children's Charity
Day. At the meeting he also  1  (give) his collection of World Leaders Stamps to the China Children and
Teenagers' Fund (少年基金会). He  2  (say) everyone should show their love to poor children. On June 22,
2005 in Beijing, Cheng Long  3  (invite) to have an important meeting by the Charity. The Charity  4  (collect)
money for poor children. Because the children  5  (leave) their schools already. The Charity wants to help
them return to their schools again.

     Marie Curie (居里) was a great woman scientist. She was the 1______ (young) child in the family.
Her mother died of illness when Marie was 11 years old. In 1883, Marie graduated from a middle school.
How she wanted to go to college! But her family was so poor 2______ she could not continue to go to
college. She had to work as a 3______  (teach) in a private family. In 1892, she saved enough money to
continue her study. So she left for Paris and entered Paris University. In her college days, she 4______  (live)
a simple life. Every evening she would study in the University library until it closed, then she would go back
5______  her room and work until late at night.

     O. Henry, a famous American writer of short stories, was born in North Carolina in 1862. O. Henry was
a pen name. His real name was William Sydney Porter. When he was a young boy, he did not go to school for
long because of being born in a poor family, but he tried to teach himself everything he needed to know.
     When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas. There he tried different jobs. He first worked
on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank. But he got himself into some trouble. Some money went missing
from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have stolen (偷) it, so he was sent to prison (监狱). During the three
years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and went on writing.
     He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because almost all
of them finished with a sudden change. This made the readers surprised.

1. _______ was the real name of the famous American writer.

A. O. Henry
B. William Sydney Porter
C. Carolina
D. Texas

2. O. Henry was sent to prison because _______.

A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper.
B. People thought he had stolen money from the bank.
C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners.
D. he broke the law (法律) by not using his own name

3. Which of the following is true?

A. O. Henry was from a rich family
B. O. Henry was in school for a long time
C. O. Henry learned everything he needed by himself.
D. O. Henry liked writing stories when he was a little boy.

4. O. Henry got most materials for his stories from _______.

A. his happy life as a boy
B. New York and the poor of the city
C. the newspaper
D. his life in prison

5. People enjoyed reading O. Henry's stories because _______.

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

     Dou Kou, a Chinese boy, is called "the youngest writer in the world". He has written three books till now.
Dou Kou was born in Jiangsu in 1994. When he was 7 months old, his parents started working in over 30
different cities, such as Xi'an and Shenzhen. This kind of life gave him things to think and write about. When
he was 9 months old, he could speak and at the age of one, he could say five to six hundred words. At three,
he could look up words in the dictionary. At four, his father taught him how to learn by himself. His parents
like reading very much. So does he. At the age of 5, he began writing fairy tales. At the age of 6, he wrote a
novel about his life in different cities with his parents. His fairy tales are all from his life. One day, he found
many mice in the house. They not only ate their food but also hurt his mother's hand. So he thought, "If we give
mice the stomach of cows, they will eat grass and they will be helpful to people." This was his first fairy tales
Change Stomach for Mice. Now he studies well in a middle school. He has written his third book, the novel
called Eyes of Children. He says, " I am not different from other children. I just wrote several books. "

1. How many books has Dou Kou written?

A. Three.
B. Four.
C. Five
D. Six

2. Thanks to his _____, Dou Kou could write his books.

A. mother
B. father
C. school life
D. life in different cities

3. Dou Kou began to use a dictionary _____.

A. when he wrote fairy tales
B. before his father taught him how to learn something
C. after he went to school
D. after his mother taught him how to learn something

4. The underlined (画线的) sentences show us that Dou Kou _____.

A. is different from other children
B. doesn't tell the truth
C. is the same as other children
D. likes his books

5. Which is the best title?

A. Three Books by a child
B. How to Write a Fairy Tales
C. How Clever the Boy is
D. Dou Kou, the Youngest Writer

     George Stephenson was born in 1781 in a poor family. He had to start work when he was only eight.
When George was fourteen, he became his father's helper. He spent a lot of time learning about engines
(发动机). And on holidays he often make one engine to pieces and studied each piece carefully. Soon he
became a very good worker though he could not read or write. He began to learn English letters when he
was seventeen years old. Every day after he did twelve hours of hard work, he walked a long way to have
lessons from a young school teacher. On his eighteenth birthday, he wrote his own name for the first time
in his life. George invented (发明) many things in his life. The train was the greatest one among them.
Today when we take trains from one place to another, we'll think of this great man---George Stephenson.

1. In which year did George Stephenson start to help his father?

A. In 1781
B. In 1789
C. In 1795
D. In 1798

2. He learned about the engine ________.

A. through reading and writing
B. by making it to pieces and studying each piece carefully
C. at lessons from a young teacher
D. by asking a lot of questions

3. He spent a lot of time learning about engines and soon he became ________.

A. a great man
B. a good maker
C. a good worker
D. a good student

4. George Stephenson invented the ________.

A. the train
B. the telephone
C. the car
D. the computer

5. From the passage we know George Stephenson was one of the greatest ________ in the world.

A. workers
B. writers
C. learners
D. inventors

     Helen Keller was a very bright and beautiful girl. At age of six months she could already say a few
words. But before she was two years old, she was badly ill. She could not see or hear, and could not
even talk.
     When she was six, her parents invited a teacher for her. With the help of the teacher, she began to
see and hear the world around her through her hands. She learned to read the books for the blind. The
teacher took Helen for long walks, and told her about all the beautiful sights. Helen touched flowers,
climbed trees, and smelt a storm before it came. She also learned how to swim and ride a horse.
     After she grew up, she became a famous writer in America. Her first and most famous book was
"The Story of My Life". Her story has brought new hope to many blind and deaf people. It gave light to
those in darkness and encouraged them to live and work.

1. When could Helen Keller already say a few words?

A. At the age of two.
B. At age of a year and a half.
C. At the age of six months
D. When she was six years old.

2. Why couldn't Helen see or hear later?

A. Helen was badly ill.
B. She had a traffic accident
C. Helen was very tired.
D. She became very lazy.

3. How could Helen begin to see and hear the world around her?

A. With the help of her father.
B. She could see and hear the world around her through her feet.
C. With the help of her parents.
D. With the help of the teacher, she could begin to see and hear everything around her through her hands.

4. After Helen grew up, she became a famous ________.

A. doctor
B. scientist
C. teacher
D. writer

5. What gave light to those in darkness and encouraged them to live and work?

A. The teacher's help
B. The Parents' help
C. Helen's story
D. Helen's songs