My son Jack, a fourth grader, was having a hard time in getting interested in story books recently, so I offered to read the first few chapters to him. In the early pages of ¡®Incident at Halk Hill¡¯, a quiet little boy has a special meeting with a female badger (âµ).Soon after, another badger is caught in a steel leg trap(ÏÝÚå), and the author describes in detail the pain and scare of an animal struggling to its death. We meet the cruel hunter and his ill treatment of a dog; we see the badger being skinned by the boy's father£»and we experience the child's confusion when beaten by his father in anger. Pretty heavy going for ten-year-olds, I thought.
Last night , I returned from a weekend away to find that Jack had finished the whole book on his own. ¡°It was really, really good and sad, and violent£¬¡± he reported. ¡°There was a lot of killing.¡±
¡°Were there any happy parts?" I asked,
"The boy's life was saved by the badger, and that was good. But then that badger got caught in a trap again and at the end it's dying, too. ¡± Jack said, "It was so sad that I almost cried. ¡±
I told him that many books have made me cry, beginning with Heidi, when I was just his age, right on up to the novel I finished last week.
¡°Well£¬¡± he admitted then, ¡°I actually did cry. Reading that book just reminded me of all the sadness in the world, and it made me feel sad ,too. ¡±
So, I think, now he has been through the sad tone of the passage , the discovery that words on a printed page can give rise to such strong emotion £¬that a book can move you right out of your own comfortable little self and into someone else's pain. Thus we come to realize that if we are to remain fully engaged in life, open to its mysteries and feel sorry towards its suffering, we indeed need stories to grab£¨×¥×¡£© us by the neck and remind us of the sadness in the world that is not our own.
¡¾Ð¡Ìâ1¡¿¡®Incident at Halk Hill¡¯ is a _______story.

A£®sadB£®happy C£®funny D£®boring
¡¾Ð¡Ìâ2¡¿The underlined sentence ¡°Pretty heavy going for ten-year-olds" means____
A£®the book is too long for a ten year old child
B£®the book is too difficult for a ten year old child
C£®the book is too violent(±©Á¦) for a ten year old child
D£®the book is too pretty for a ten year old child
¡¾Ð¡Ìâ3¡¿According to the passage , stories can be something to help you_____
A£®enjoy your spare timeB£®develop your care for animals
C£®realize the truth of lifeD£®think about your own life
¡¾Ð¡Ìâ4¡¿By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to____.
A£®tell a story that interested his son
B£®show the importance of reading stories
C£®share an experience between himself and his son
D£®show how to make children interested in books

My father had always been an alert(¾¯¾õµÄ) observer of human character. Within seconds of meeting someone, he could sum up their strengths and weaknesses. It was always a challenge to see if any of my boyfriends could pass Dad¡¯s test. None did. Dad was always right---they didn¡¯t pass my test either. After Dad died, I wondered how I¡¯d figure it out on my own.

That¡¯s when Jack arrived on the scene. He was different from any other guy I¡¯d dated. He could sit for hours on the piano bench with my mother, discussing some composers. My brother Rick loudly announced that Jack wasn¡¯t a turkey like the other guys I¡¯d brought home. Jack passed my family¡¯s test. But what about Dad¡¯s?

Then came my mother¡¯s birthday. The day he was supposed to drive, I got a call. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, ¡°but I¡¯ve been in an accident. I¡¯m fine, but I need you to pick me up.¡±

When I got there, we rushed to a flower shop for something for Mom. ¡°How about gardenias?¡± Jack said, pointing at a beautiful white corsage(ÐØ»¨). The florist put the corsage in a box.

The entire ride, Jack was unusually quiet. ¡°Are you all right?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a lot of thinking,¡± he said. ¡°I might be moving.¡± Moving? Then he added, ¡°Moving in with you.¡± I nearly put the car on the sidewalk. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°I think we should get married,¡± he said. He told me he¡¯d planned his proposal in a fancy restaurant, but after the accident, he decided to do it right away. ¡°Yes,¡± I whispered. We both sat dumbfounded, tears running down our cheeks. I¡¯d never known such a tender moment. If only Dad were here to give his final approval.

¡°Oh, let¡¯s just go inside.¡± Jack laughed. My mother opened the door. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± we shouted. Jack handed the box to her. She opened it up. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, wiping her eyes. ¡°This is only the second gardenia corsage I¡¯ve ever received. I was given one years ago, long before you kids were born.¡± ¡°From who?¡± I asked. ¡°Your father,¡± Mom said. ¡°He gave me one right before we were engaged.¡± My eyes locked on Jack¡¯s as I blinked away(Õ£µô) tears. Dad¡¯s test? I knew Jack had passed.

1.According to the text, we know the writer¡¯s father was __________.

A£®interested in observing things around

B£®good at judging one¡¯s character

C£®strict with her boyfriend

D£®fond of challenges

2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A£®Jack got the family¡¯s approval except Dad¡¯s.

B£®Jack was different from any other boy.

C£®Jack was getting on well with Mother.

D£®Jack knew a lot about piano.

3.The underlined word ¡°proposal¡± in Paragraph 5 means __________.

A£®piece of advice                         B£®wedding ceremony

C£®celebration of birthday                   D£®offer of marriage

4.On hearing ¡°moving in with you¡±, the writer felt          .

A£®pleased           B£®worried           C£®surprised          D£®disappointed

5.Why did the writer¡¯s mother cry?

A£®The gift was the same as the one her husband gave her.

B£®She had never received such a beautiful gift.

C£®Her daughter found her life partner at last.

D£®The gardenia corsage was too expensive.

 

One day when Jack was walking in the park, he saw a woman, who lived a few miles away, sitting on a bench with a dog beside her. The dog was looking up at the woman.

   Jack walked up to the woman and said, "Hello, Sue, how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a while?" "Of course, please sit down," Sue said. Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together. The dog continued to look up at Sue, as if waiting to be fed.

   "That's a nice dog, isn't he?" Jack said, pointing at the animal.

   "Yes, he is. He's handsome. He's a bit of a mixture, but that's not a bad thing. He's strong and healthy."

   "And hungry, "Jack said." He hasn't taken his eyes off you. He thinks you've got some food for him."

   "That's true, "Sue said." But I haven't."

   They both laughed and then Jack said, "Does your dog bite?"

   "No, "Sue said, "He's never bitten anyone. He's always gentle and friendly."

   Hearing this, Jack decided to hold out his hand and touched the animal's head. Suddenly it jumped up and bit him.

   "Hey!" Jack shouted." You said your dog didn't bite."

   Sue replied in surprise, "Yeah, I did. But this is not my dog. My dog's at home."

1. The dog looked at the woman because ___.

A. the woman wanted to feed him      B. the woman was friendly

C. he was strong and healthy          D. he was hungry

2.Jack touched the dog because he believed ___.

A. the dog was handsome         B. Sue's dog was unfriendly

C. the dog belonged to Sue        D. Sue's dog was at home

3.We can infer form the passage that ___.

A. Sue gave a wrong answer       B. Jack made a mistake

C. the dog wasn't dangerous        D. both Jack and Sue liked the dog

4.Which of the Following can be the best title of the passage?

A. A Wrong Question            B. Sue's Dog

C. A pleasant Meeting            D. Sue's Friend

 

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, ¡°Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.¡± Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel£¨¼Í¼Ƭ£© as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

¡°Jack, did you hear me?¡±

¡°Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It¡¯s been so long since I thought of him. I¡¯m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,¡± Jack said.

Well, he didn¡¯t forget you. Every time I saw him he¡¯d ask how you were doing. He¡¯d reminisce (»ØÒä) about the many days you spent over ¡®his side of the fence¡¯ as he put it,¡± Mom told him.

¡°I loved that old house he lived in,¡± Jack said.

¡°You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man¡¯s influence in your life,¡± she said.

¡°He¡¯s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn¡¯t be in this business if it weren¡¯t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important¡­ Mom, I¡¯ll be there for the funeral,¡± Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser¡¯s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before they had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture¡­ Jack stopped suddenly.

¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jack?¡± his Mom asked.

¡°The box is gone,¡± he said.

¡°What box?¡± Mom asked.

¡°There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he¡¯d ever tell me was ¡®the thing I value most¡¯,¡± Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

¡°Now, I¡¯ll never know what was so valuable to him,¡± Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

¡°Mr. Harold Belser¡± it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack¡¯s hands shook as he read the note inside.

¡°Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It¡¯s the thing I valued most in my life.¡± A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: ¡°Jack, Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.¡±

¡°Oh, My God! This is the thing he valued most¡­¡±

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. ¡°Why?¡± his assistant asked.

¡°I need some time to spend with my son,¡± he said.

1.Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Bleser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

2.Jack¡¯s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that ______.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser¡¯s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack¡¯s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

3.Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

4.Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times               B. What He Valued Most

   C. My lost friend                   D. The Lost Childhood Days

 

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