Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhooD.When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.
We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.
I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way would have my own private musician.
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.
I had left the cage out on our back porch, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.
The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened! I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.
Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred. “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.
64.Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of 12?
A.He had just got a new cage.         B.He liked its beautiful feather.
C.He wanted it to sing for him.         D.He wanted a pet for a companion.
65.The mockingbird died because it ______.
A.was frightened to death          B.ate the poisonous food its mother gave it
C.refused to eat anything            D.drank the poisonous water by mistake
66.An ornithologist probably means ______.
A.a religious person                 B.a kind person
C.a schoolmaster                   D.a expert in birds
67.What is the most important lesson the writer learned from the incident?
A.Freedom is very valuable to all creatures.
B.All birds put in a cage won’t live long.
C.You should keep the birds from their mother.
D.Be careful about food you give to baby birds.

The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
  Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
  Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
  It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chins. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.
  Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.
【小题1】According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.

A.his special tricks and supernatural powerB.his unusual ability and a skeleton key
C.his magic tricks and supernatural powersD.his wisdom and magic tricks
【小题2】In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.
A.his first prison escapeB.the year 1898
C.the publicityD.Harry Houdini’s success
【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.
A.in 1894B.before he married
C.at the age of 17D.when he was about 24
【小题4】Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.A Skeleton KeyB.A Man of Many Secrets
C.World-wild FameD.Great Escape

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday(but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale(士气). Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
【小题1】David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because      .

A.he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt
B.he couldn’t stand a clean appearance
C.he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time
D.he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes
【小题2】David Smith wears casual clothes now, because    .
A.they make him feel at ease when working
B.he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes
C.he looks handsome in casual clothes
D.he no longer works for any company
【小题3】According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A.Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.
B.Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.
C.A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.
D.All the employers in the US are for casual office wear.
【小题4】In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT      .
A.saving employees’ money
B.making employees more attractive
C.improving employees’ motivation
D.making employees happier

An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe(贿赂),but is close to it.
All sorts of people are apple polishers, including politicians and people in high offices ── just about everybody. Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing” ── “soft-soaping” or “butter-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”. Another that is just as effective is flattery, giving someone high praise ── telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is.
Endless are the ways of flattery. Who does not love or hear it ? Only an unusual man can resist the thrill of being told how wonderful he is. In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who gets so little of it.
We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it. But we just lap it up for its food value and nourishment, as a cat laps up milk, then we can still remain true to ourselves.
Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it. A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England. The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers(朝臣).They overpraised him to the skies, as a man of limitless power.
He decided to teach them a lesson. He took them to the seashore and sat down. Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in. The tide was too busy to listen to him. The king was satisfied. This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery.
【小题1】Which of the following activities has nothing to do with “apple-polishing” ?

A.A boy tells his girlfriend how pretty she looks
B.An employee tells his boss how good he is at management
C.A knight(骑士)is said to be of limitless power by his followers
D.A teacher praised his students for their talent and wisdom.
【小题2】Which of the following statement about flattery is TRUE according to the author ?
A.Too much flattery can carry us away
B.Flattery is too empty to do people any good
C.Flattery can get nothing but excessive(过度的)pride
D.Flattery is one of the ways to apple-polish people.
【小题3】King Canute of Denmark and England took his followers to the seashore because __________.
A.he was sick of his normal
B.he disliked being overpraised any more
C.he wanted them to realize how wise he was
D.he wanted them to see how weak he was as a king
【小题4】The author thinks that flattery can do good to those who _________.
A.are really excellent
B.lack confidence
C.are politicians or in high offices
D.think highly of themselves

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his Hunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts.Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life.“Banana 300 naira.Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice.I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts.When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill.He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry.He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun.My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us. I pulled over and rolled down my window.He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready.I waved them away.“What’s up?” I asked him.“I … I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.
“Will this help?” I asked.He looked around nervously before taking the money.One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year.
“Thank you, sir,” he said.“Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks.
What  if he’s a swindler (骗子)? And then I wondered why I did it.Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive.When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face. “Oh, gosh! Long time.”  “Are you in school now?” I asked. He nodded. “That’s good,” I said.A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted.“Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill.“Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt.“What’s wrong?” I asked.“It’s a gift.” He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back.His face shone with sweat.He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”
【小题1】What was the author’s first impression of the boy?

A.He seemed to be poor and greedy.B.He seemed to have suffered a lot.
C.He seemed younger than his ageD.He seemed good at bargaining.
【小题2】The second time the author met the boy, the boy _____.
A.told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts
B.wanted to express his thanks
C.asked him for money for his schoolbooks
D.tried to take advantage of him
【小题3】Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A.Because he had enough money to do that.
B.Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.
C.Because he held a higher position in the society.
D.Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.
【小题4】Which of the following best describes the boy?
A.Brave and polite.B.Kind and smart.
C.Honest and thankful. D.Shy and nervous.

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