Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known to all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times.

After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards, he became a full-time writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.

Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.

At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

1.In Mark Twain’s childhood, ____________.

A. he learned a lot at school

B. he often went swimming with other boys

C. his mother often worried about his safety

D. he often played games with other boys

2.Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?

a. He became a miner.

b. He worked as a printer.

c. He got into debts.

d. His father died.

e. He became a full-time writer.

f. He joined the army.

A. a-d-b-c-e-f B. c-b-d-f-e-a

C. d-a-f-e-b-c D. d-b-f-a-e-c

3.In order to make a living, Mark Twain ____________.

A. did many kinds of work

B. first worked as a printer

C. wrote stories in the beginning

D. joined the army after he worked in a mine

4.In the later years of his life, Mark Twain ____________.

A. wrote many stories and earned a lot of money

B. must have been very sad because he lost his family

C. continued writing until his death

D. lent too much money to others

A mouse looked through the hole in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a pckage, and he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Returning to the farmyard,he warned everyday. “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap inthe house! There is a mousetrap inthe house! ”

The chicken raised her head and said, “Thanks for your warning. Mr. Mouse, but why should I be bothered by a mousetrap?” the pig sympathized, but said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse, I’m sorry for you I can tell this is a great concern to you, but it is none of my business.” The mouse returned to the house, head down and depressed, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

The very night a sound was heard throughthe house----like that of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a snake whose tailwas caught by the trap, and it bit her. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

The farmer killed the chicken to make fresh chicken soup for his wife, but her sickness continued. Frineds and neighbors came to visit her, and to feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. Then she died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow cooked to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his hole in the wall with great sadness.

1.What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?

A. Great amused B. Slightly worried

C. Completely disappointed D. Extremely shocked

2.What can we infer from what the cow said?

A. He could do nothing to help the mouse

B. He wanted to help the mouse but was too busy

C. He thought the mousetrap would not harm him

D. He felt very sorry for not being able to help the mouse

3.Why did the farrmer kill the pig?

A. To make soup for his wife

B. To punish the pig for not helping the mouse

C. To feed dfriends and neighbors attending his wife’s funeral

D. To provide food for people who visited his sick wife

4.What ddoes the story want to tell us?

A. A danger to one may become a danger to all

B. The unkind will be punished in the end

C. The best friend can be the worst enemy

D. It is important to listen to others

5.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Stupid animals B. A kind mouse

C. The mousetrap D. Stories in the farmyard

The following are about modern wonders of the world.

The Suez Canal

More than 3, 000 years ago, a king of Egypt ordered that a river be built to connect the Mediterranean. Sea (地中海) and the Red Sea. This kind of man-made river is called a canal. However, ancient Egyptians did not keep this canal in use. As years passed, the sands of the great deserts of Egypt closed the small canal.

In 1859, Egyptian workers began rebuilding the canal. It was opened and named the Suez Canal on November I7th, 1869. Though closed several times because of war or political problems, the Suez Canal is still the fastest crossing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean today, saving shipping companies a great deal of time and money.

The Channel Tunnel

The great canal connects oceans. The next great wonder connects land. It is called the Channel Tunnel, or “Chunnel”, connecting Britain with France. The tunnel is 50 kilometers long, built about 45 meters below the earth under the English. Channel (海峡).

The work began in 1987 and it took seven years to finish. The cost was more than 13, 000 million dollars. The Chunnel opened In 1994.

Today, the Chunnel is very busy. High-speed trains carry cars, trucks and passengers from Britain to France and back again. The trains are famous for their smooth, quiet ride. The money paid for the trip is slowly paying for the huge cost.

The Three Gorges Darn

The Three Gorges Dam is perhaps the largest construction project on earth. The work began, in 1993.The Three Gorges Dam is built to produce power and control China’s Yangtze River. The completed dam produces large amounts of electric power.

Completed in 2009, the dam creates a huge lake about 632 square kilometers. Some critics say the dam harms the environment and damages historical areas. More than one million people had been resettled before the dam was finished. Chinese government officials say it will lead to increased economic development in cities near the dam, and the terrible floods caused by the Yangtze have become memories of the past.

1.Which of the following took the longest time to build?

A. The Red sea. B. The English Channel.

C. The Chunnel. D. The Three Gorges Dam

2.What do we know about the effects the Three Gorges Dam has on China?

A. It helps to protect the historical sites.

B. It saves time for ships to travel upstream.

C. It reduces the number of flood victims.

D. It powers an area of 632 square kilometers.

Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basis, there’s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.

1.

The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don’t worry; this happens to all.

2.

The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice, Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slope every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort.

3.

Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed.While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling(滑浆), that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke(滑动).Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process.Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling.Now, try the same thing using the other foot.Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.

4.

Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed.Try some of your own tricks now.Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.

5.

While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other.You can do that simultaneously with both feet.Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going.If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.

A. Find Another to Practise with You

B. Increase Your Speed Now

C. Gain Your Courage

D. Stand Straight

E. Maintain Speed

F. Scull and Be Aware

G. Confidence is What You Need

My son Tom taught me a beautiful lesson today. He is three years old and it is amazing watching him grow up.

He called out to me today saying, “Papa, sit”. That usually means ______ everything and going next to him and sitting down to play with him. I did that, as he can be ______ and will not stop calling out until I ______. He was playing with beads (珠子), pushing a string through them, which is a great exercise to help ______ fine motor skills. Then, after he finished playing with the beads, it was time to put them back in the box that they are stored in. I saw him ______ pick up each bead, look at it ______ it were made of chocolate and then placed it into its box.

With over a hundred beads to go, I was getting ______. “What a long time it will take! Why cannot he ______ ten beads in one go and drop them in?” said my anxious mind. I noticed that he did this with as much ______ as he had while we were playing. I didn’t see any ______ between his play and his putting away the toy. Obviously he enjoyed both.

Then it suddenly ______ me that this boy was enjoying the whole ______. The journey was his goal. For him the ______ was in the game and after the game, not just in the fun part. What a great perspective: to live each moment as it is the ______ moment; to do each task as it is the most awesome task. Nothing else ______.

Looking at how ______ my son was putting beads into the box ______ me that the process was the goal. The joy of pilgrimage (朝圣) is not in getting there but in every ______ of the journey.

This is what living in the NOW is all ______. Tom, my son, was showing me that it was about thoroughly enjoying every moment with ______ love and peace.

1.A. wasting B. leaving C. taking D. preparing

2.A. stubborn B. careful C. helpful D. humorous

3.A. fell down B. turned round C. burst out D. gave in

4.A. highlight B. develop C. process D. identify

5.A. gratefully B. eagerly C. carefully D. quickly

6.A. as if B. even though C. in case D. in that

7.A. fascinated B. satisfied C. impatient D. energetic

8.A. package B. grab C. deliver D. replace

9.A. confidence B. strength C. inspiration D. involvement

10.A. sense B. difference C. need D. value

11.A. excited B. helped C. struck D. encouraged

12.A. process B. morning C. experiment D. design

13.A. victory B. challenge C. difficulty D. pleasure

14.A. urgent B. exciting C. perfect D. dangerous

15.A. matters B. happens C. disappears D. works

16.A. successfully B. peacefully C. responsibly D. systematically

17.A. guaranteed B. warned C. promised D. taught

18.A. plan B. destination C. step D. detail

19.A. for B. with C. about D. from

20.A. complete B. available C. additional D. precious

Finding your feet in a new town can be hard, especially if you’re covered in fur and don’t speak the language. But for pets new to Marlborough, help is at hand.

Marlborough SPCA and the Railway Café, in Blenheim, have joined forces to help welcome pets and their people to the region with a fortnightly morning tea. They hope the morning teas will get tails and tongues wagging as well as giving advice on how to make the move smoother.

Railway Café owner Leanne Harris came up with the innovative plan as a way to help welcome people to the area. Leanne moved to Marlborough from Auckland two years ago and said she initially struggled to find friends and feel part of the community. “Coming from Auckland I thought people would open their doors and that there would be neighbours calling round with cake. I expected people to come to me and, of course, it wasn’t like that. I did get lonely. “I hope to save newcomers having to wait as long as I did to feel part of it all. I would like to welcome them to the town.”

Free platters of sandwiches, cakes and other goodies will be on offer, for the people, while there will be special handmade yoghurt and banana treats for the dogs. The morning teas will take place in the covered area at the back of the popular café beside the railway station off Grove Rd.

Leanne said she was happy to devote both her time and effort into giving back to the community and felt the venture was a great fit with the SPCA.

“Volunteering is such an amazing thing to do and it changed things for me completely, and I met some amazing people with similar interests.”

SPCA Op Shop manager Karina Greenall, originally from the United Kingdom, said she also wanted to help. “I can give advice on how to resettle pets, the best parks to go to , where the best walks are and where the vet centers are in town.” There will be volunteering opportunities too for people where they can help out and hopefully make friends too.”

1.How will Marlborough SPCA and the Railway Café help new pets?

A. By offering morning teas.

B. By giving advice to them.

C. By communication with them.

D. By providing accommodation to them.

2.What was Leanne’s plan originally intended for?

A. Saving animals.

B. Helping newcomers.

C. Making more friends.

D. Expanding her business.

3.What had Leanne expected when she first came to Marlborough?

A. To be left alone.

B. To struggle for a living.

C. To be invited to dinner.

D. To feel part of the community.

4.What can be learnt about SPCA Op Shop manager Karina Greenall?

A. She often misses the United Kingdom.

B. She takes interest in the Railway Café.

C. She is enthusiastic about resettling pets.

D. She has organized the voluntary events.

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