Once there was a man who lied to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.

So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.

Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived - a well-known sage who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.

He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man.

Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?”  The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: “If I could just come down, I would show you!”

That’s what everybody wanted - that he came down. But how? Now everybody was tense, as to what would happen next! Some wanted to chastise the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was enraged and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge.(复仇)

He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.

However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really sed him because he induced(引诱)him to try his best and save himself.

“I should be thankful and not angry.”

1.From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one        .

A.on the very top of the a tree

B.hidden in the middle of a tree

C.on the tree for the longest time

D.exposed to sunlight less often

2.What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?

A.He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly.

B.He was climbing down quickly but carefully.

C.He remained hanging helplessly on the tree.

D.He shouted loudly for help but no one helped.

3.How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?

A.He was nervous.                        B.He kept silent.

C.He felt surprised.                       D.He was angry.

4.What do you think motivated the man to climb down?

A.Courage.          B.Revenge.          C.Carefulness.       D.Assistance.

5.What does the story imply?

A.Anger saves one’s life.                  B.Wisdom does count.

C.Skill and strength count.                  D.Anger is the biggest enemy.

 

From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.

With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement. One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.

1.Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?

A. No one has come to disturb you.

B. Everything is so quiet and calm around you.

C. The book you are reading is so interesting and attractive.

D. Your book is overdue; you are finishing it at a very fast speed.

2.How would you account for the fact that people like their acquaintances in books even more?

A. They resemble human friends exactly.

B. They are unfamiliar types we like.

C. They never desert us.                   

D. They never hurt our feelings.

3.Which of the following is true?

A. Your wish to visit some far-off place can be realized through the pages of the books.

 B. To escape from the dull realities of everyday life you should take up reading.

 C. Books can always help you to live a colorful life.

 D. You may obtain valuable experience from reading good books.

4. The word “weary” means ______.

A. “to attract someone’s attention”     

B. “to distract someone’s attention”

 C. “to make someone very tired”         

D. “to make someone interested”

5.“... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that ____________.

A. in books the world is more accessible to us

B. we can ask to go anywhere in the world

C. we can make a claim to everything in this world

D. we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge

 

I moved to a new neighborhood two months ago. In the house with a large  21  across the road lived a taxi driver, a single parent with two school-age children. At the end of the day, he would  22  his taxi on the road. I  23  why he did not park it in the garage.

Then one day I learnt that he had another car in his garage. In the afternoon he would come home  24  work, leave his taxi and go out for his  25  affairs in his other car, not in his taxi. I felt it was  26 

I was curious to see his personal car but did not make it until I  27  to be outside one evening two weeks  28  ,when the garage door was  29   and he drove out in his “own” car: a Rolls-Royce(劳斯莱斯)! It shook me completely  30  I realized what that meant. You see, he was a taxi driver. But 31   inside, he saw himself as something else: a Rolls-Royce owner and a(n)32  . He drove others in his taxi but himself and his children in his Rolls-Royce. The world looked at his taxi and  33   him a taxi driver. But for him, a taxi was just something he drove for a living. Rolls-Royce was something he drove for a(n)34  . 

We go to bed every night and  35   every morning as parents or children, not as bankers, CEOs or professors. We go for a  36   as close friends or go for a vacation as a  37 . We love life as it is. Yet often, we base our entire happiness and success on how high we  38   the social ladder—how much bigger and better a  39 we have. And we ignore our Rolls-Royce, by keeping it dusty in our garage. We should focus more on  40  we are than what we do! 

1.

A.window

B.garage

C.door

D.yard

 

2.

A.park

B.stop

C.check

D.repair

 

3.

A.knew

B.understood

C.asked

D.wondered

 

4.

A.for

B.out of

C.without

D.from

 

5.

A.business

B.national

C.personal

D.public

 

6.

A.wasteful

B.meaningful

C.wonderful

D.plentiful

 

7.

A.appeared

B.intended

C.expected

D.happened

 

8.

A.later

B.more

C.ago

D.before

 

9.

A.broken

B.fine

C.shut

D.open

 

10.

A.once

B.before

C.when

D.until

 

11.

A.far

B.deep

C.long

D.little

 

12.

A.driver

B.engineer

C.father

D.son

 

13.

A.called

B.made

C.elected

D.turned

 

14.

A.experience

B.earning

C.life

D.position

 

15.

A.stay up

B.wake up

C.stay home

D.go home

 

16.

A.competition

B.performance

C.debate

D.party

 

17.

A.family

B.company

C.team

D.whole

 

18.

A.build

B.climb

C.stand

D.lay

 

19.

A.house

B.garage

C.car

D.taxi

 

20.

A.who

B.what

C.which

D.Where

 

At Harton College-an English boarding school(寄宿制学校)for boys-there are many rules.Fifteen-year-old Bob Sanders often breaks them.

The boys can go into the town in the afternoon after class. But they must return to the school at six o’clock. One afternoon Bob walked to the town. He looked at the shops and then went to the cinema. After the film, he looked at his watch. It was after eight o’clock. He was a little worried . He walked back to Harton College as fast as possible.

When he arrived, he ran quickly to the main entrance(主要入口).It was locked. He went round the school buiding to another door. That one was locked too. He looked up at the window of his dormitory(宿舍).It was on the third floor. The window was open. But it was quite dark and he could not climb up the wall easily. Then he saw another open window on the ground floor. It was the window of the headmaster’s study(书房).

He looked into the room-no one was there. Bob quickly climbed on to the window and jumped into the room. Just then he heard a noise. Then someone turned on a light in the corridor(走郎).Bob looked around and then hid under the sofa. One minute later, Mr Mannering the headmaster, came in. He turned on the light on his desk, and sat down on the sofa(沙发).Then he opened a book and began to read.

Bob lay under the sofa as quietly as possible. He couldn’t move. The floor was cold and uncomfortable. He looked at the headmaster’s shoes and socks for an hour.

“Why doesn’t he get up and go to bed?”Bob thought.

Mr. Mannering read his book for another hour.Finally, the headmaster closed his book and stood up. He put the book on a shelf and walked towards the door.

“Thank God he didn’t find me under the sofa,”thought Bob.

Then Mr. Mannering stopped and spoke towards the sofa.

“Would you turn off the light when you leave?”

He said, and left the study.

57.Bob returned to the school more than two hours late because_______.

A.he enjoyed himself too much  B.he did not catch the bus

C.he hated the rules     D.he ran into an old friend

58.The main entrance was_______.

A.too high   B.open  C.shut   D.slightly open

59.Bob didn’t go to his dormitory because_______.

A.the gate was locked  B.the window was shut

C.it was quite dark      D.the wall was too high for him to climb up

60.Bob actually went into the headmaster’s_______.

A.dormitory        B.private(私人的)office

C.kitchen            D.bedroom