It was Thanksgiving morning and in the crowded kitchen of my small home I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags(破旧衣服) huddling together inside the storm door on the top step.
"Any old papers, lady? " asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread with jam to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich? "
"Am I rich? no!"
I looked at my shabby slipcovers(旧家具套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer (茶托;浅碟)carefully and said, "Your cups match your saucers." Her voice was hungry with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left after that, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said "Thank you." They didn't need to. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china(瓷的) cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job--these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
1. Why did the writer let the children in?
A. She showed great pity on them.
B. She wanted to sell old papers.
C. She knew them and wanted to make them a cup of cocoa.
D. She wanted to invite them to her Thanksgiving party.
2. The girl thought the writer was rich perhaps because_________
A. she saw that the lady's room was comfortable
B. she saw the cups matched the saucers
C. the writer's slipcovers were very new
D. the woman had expensive clothes
3.What was the weather probably like when the story happened?
A. cloudy     B. sunny      C. windy      D. snowy
4. From the passage, we can infer that whether you are rich depends on_______
A. how much money you have had    B. how you feel about your life
C. how you have helped others       D. what job you are doing


When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮)me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think:“Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist(心理学家),who will only fill up the healing(愈合的)silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
69. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.
A. become serious about her study
B. go to her friend’s house regularly
C. learn from her classmates at school
D. share poems and stories with her friend
70. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.
A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London
71. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.
A. call each other regularly
B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other
D. dream of meeting each other
72. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.
A.need professional help       B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend    D. break the silence

When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(light)me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(disappointment)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think:“Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist,who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
【小题1】 In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.

A.become serious about her studyB.go to her friend’s house regularly
C.learn from her classmates at schoolD.share poems and stories with her friend
【小题2】In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.
A.our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B.we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C.our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D.we parted with each other in London
【小题3】 According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.
A.call each other regularlyB.have similar personalities
C.enjoy writing to each otherD.dream of meeting each other
【小题4】 In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.
A.seek professional helpB.be left alone
C.stay with her best friendD.break the silence
【小题5】 What is the best title for the passage?
A.Unforgettable ExperiencesB.Remarkable Imagination
C.Lifelong FriendshipD.Noble Companions


Once upon a time, there was a scholar who wanted to gain more knowledge each day even though he had already gained enough knowledge. One day, he came to visit a saint and wanted to be his student. The saint provided some tea. He slowly filled the scholar’s cup: the cup was full, yet he kept pouring and pouring. The scholar burst out, “Stop! You can’t add anything to something that’s already full!” The saint set down the teapot and replied, “Exactly.”
Whether it’s the silence between notes in music, or some open time in your schedule, you need space to act effectively. Yet most of us, myself included, tend to stuff as much as possible into whatever room is available-closets, schedules, budgets, relationships, and even the mind itself.
However, some people know how to avoid overstuffing their life. For example, in Australia, it seemed that most people there operated at about 85% of their capacity(能力),unlike Americans pushing as close to 100% as possible. So when you run into Australians you know in the street, they have time to hang out and talk with you.
Remember the cup: its value is in the space, the emptiness it holds. How to empty your “cup”?
Be mindful of the element of space, openness , and emptiness  in your life. This includes room in a drawer, the volume of air in a kitchen, and open-mindedness in a friend. Sometimes you’re just stuck with a big bucket of tasks yet to do. But at least empty the bucket faster than you fill it with new tasks. Put some space between finishing one thing and staring another. For example, after sending one email, take a breath before replying to another one. Drop the stuff you can no longer afford to lug around. At sea level, you can run with a brick in your backpack, but if you’re hiking on a mountain, that brick has got to go.
【小题1】By pouring water into the cup, the saint most probably wanted the scholar to know that     .

A.he should pay attention to details
B.he should keep learning every day
C.he had already gained enough knowledge
D.he should be very careful in order to succeed
【小题2】We learn that compared to Americans, Australians      .
A.work much harder
B.know less about their capacity
C.spare more time for themselves
D.spend less time with their friends
【小题3】The underlined word“lug”in the last paragraph probably means“     ”.
A.reachB.carryC.seeD.show
【小题4】What’s  the structure of the passage?
A.Example →advice→ conclusion →story.
B.Topic→ example →advice→ story.
C.Story→topic →example→advice.
D.Reason →topic →advice →example.
【小题5】What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The art of life.B.Value every minute
C.The art of drinking teaD.Empty your“cup”at times

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord.She did it her way.

I got the call at work, and 1 headed home quickly.Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven.I hated going there every weekend.There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.

My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables.The place was rustic (乡下的), with no indoor heat.We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.

In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen.I sang the melody and Mom larmonized.Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Momtold me stones about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk.She loved to tell how my playpen (婴儿圈栏) sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".

As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two.The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad.But I still hated the silence of the farm.While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle (喧闹) of my life at home.But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced

Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio.Music always comforted me,

My heart skipped a beat."Moon River" was playing on the radio.I sat there, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.

Then the radio announcer of this old station came on." Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began.I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves."Come down; come down from your Ivory Tower…"

1.The writer didn't like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ______.

    A.it was too cold and quiet

    B.she could only sing one song in the small farm

    C.there was nothing more that could make her excited

    D.The place was rustic, with no indoor heat

2.From the First paragraph, we know that the writer's mother ______.

    A.died four years ago                                      B.left the small farm with Lord

    C.left for Lord to live her own way                        D.preferred to be with Lord

3.The underlined word reminisced in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.

    A.recalled         B.comforted        C.shouted          D.sighed

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage _____.

    A.The writer was able to dance before she could speak.

    B.The writer preferred to live a quiet life in the country.

    C.The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower",

    D.The writer forgot all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

    A.Two English songs                    B.My happy childhood

    C.Our small farmhouse              D.Mom's music

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网