Charlie，a master carpenter(木匠)，was very well respected in his community．Everyone knew that if they wanted the best，they would call on him．Of course that meant that Charlie would never be rich．Other carpenters always told him that if he used inferior(劣质的)materials and cheap labor then he could make a lot of money．Charlie would not take their advice．
One day，John，the richest man in town came to Charlie．He said that he had just bought the best piece of land in town. He was going to Europe for 4 months and wanted Charlie to build him the best house in town．“Spare no expense and give me the best．”
Charlie thought about this and decided finally he would make some money．He did not get his usual great carpenters and fine materials from his normal suppliers．He built the house and covered up the flaws(瑕疵)．After 4 months he had spent about 50％of what he usually spends on a house．
John came back from Europe and immediately called Charlie and asked him to meet him at the house．When they met，John asked him if he had used the finest materials and spared no expense．Charlie said absolutely(绝对地)．John said that he was glad．He paid Charlie，then told him that he wanted to reward Charlie for all of his years of service to the community by giving Charlie this house．
There are many times in our lives where we let down a little bit. When you do，you never know what is going to happen．
【小题1】What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

After death, John went to see God. God looked at him, feeling very unhappy, “You’ve lived in this world for 60 years. Why haven’t you gotten any result at all?” God asked.

John argued, “My God, I couldn’t become a successful person just because you didn’t give me any chance. If you let that magic apple hit on my head, the man who found the law of gravity should be me.”

God said, “OK, we might as well try again.”

God rocked his hands and the time turned back to a few hundred years ago.

God shook the apple tree for the first time, when a red apple fell and happened to drop on John’s head. John picked up the apple, wiped it and ate it up as soon as possible.

God allowed another bigger apple drop on John’s head and John ate it up once again.

God shook the apple tree for the third time, when a much bigger apple fell on John’s head. John got mad, picked up the apple, threw it out heavily. Then he shouted angrily: “The apple annoyed my sweet dream! What a bad luck!”

The apple flew out and happened to fall on Newton’s head. Newton awoke and picked up the apple. After a long time of thinking, he discovered the law of gravity at last.

The time returned once again now.

God said to John, “John, do you understand it now?”

John asked, “My God, please give me another chance…I will …”

God shook his head and said, “No. The chance that the apple drops on the head of everyone is the same, but each person’s ability to catch the chance is different.” 

1.When did John die?

A．At the age of 50.                        B．At the age of 60.

C．At the age of 70.                        D．At the age of 80.

2.How many times was John hit by apples?

A．Once.            B．Twice.            C．Three times.       D．Four times.

3. What did John do after he was hit by the apple for the second time?

A．He ate the apple at once.                 B．He got angry and shouted.

C．He threw the apple out.                  D．He thought something over.

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．God’s Words                         B．Annoying Apples

C．John’s Life                           D．Lost Chances

Charlie，a master carpenter(木匠)，was very well respected in his community．Everyone knew that if they wanted the best，they would call on him．Of course that meant that Charlie would never be rich．Other carpenters always told him that if he used inferior(劣质的)materials and cheap labor then he could make a lot of money．Charlie would not take their advice．

One day，John，the richest man in town came to Charlie．He said that he had just bought the best piece of land in town. He was going to Europe for 4 months and wanted Charlie to build him the best house in town．“Spare no expense and give me the best．”

Charlie thought about this and decided finally he would make some money．He did not get his usual great carpenters and fine materials from his normal suppliers．He built the house and covered up the flaws(瑕疵)．After 4 months he had spent about 50％of what he usually spends on a house．

John came back from Europe and immediately called Charlie and asked him to meet him at the house．When they met，John asked him if he had used the finest materials and spared no expense．Charlie said absolutely(绝对地)．John said that he was glad．He paid Charlie，then told him that he wanted to reward Charlie for all of his years of service to the community by giving Charlie this house．

There are many times in our lives where we let down a little bit. When you do，you never know what is going to happen．

1.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Charlie was an honest and respected master carpenter．

B．Charlie was a very foolish master carpenter．

C．Charlie was a good but stubborn master carpenter．

D．Charlie was a carpenter who would never be rich．

2.What does the underlined phrase “spare no expense” in the second paragraph mean?

A．to spend no money

B．to spend all the money necessary

C．to give not enough money

D．to waste no money

3.From Paragraph 3 we can learn ___________________ .

A．Charlie did as the rich man told him

B．the house was well built

C．Charlie kept some of the money to himself

D．the house was only half finished after 4 months

4.When Charlie heard that he would be given the house, he must have felt _______ .

A．happy            B．sorry             C．1ucky            D．satisfied

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A．A good carpenter shouldn’t earn money from his labor．

B．A carpenter shouldn’t earn a rich man’s money．

C．The richest man often punished carpenters．

D．One should always be honest．

After death, John went to see God. God looked at him, feeling very unhappy, “You’ve lived in this world for 60 years. Why haven’t you gotten any result at all?” God asked.
John argued, “My God, I couldn’t become a successful person just because you didn’t give me any chance. If you let that magic apple hit on my head, the man who found the law of gravity should be me.”
God said, “OK, we might as well try again.”
God rocked his hands and the time turned back to a few hundred years ago.
God shook the apple tree for the first time, when a red apple fell and happened to drop on John’s head. John picked up the apple, wiped it and ate it up as soon as possible.
God allowed another bigger apple drop on John’s head and John ate it up once again.
God shook the apple tree for the third time, when a much bigger apple fell on John’s head. John got mad, picked up the apple, threw it out heavily. Then he shouted angrily: “The apple annoyed my sweet dream! What a bad luck!”
The apple flew out and happened to fall on Newton’s head. Newton awoke and picked up the apple. After a long time of thinking, he discovered the law of gravity at last.
The time returned once again now.
God said to John, “John, do you understand it now?”
John asked, “My God, please give me another chance…I will …”
God shook his head and said, “No. The chance that the apple drops on the head of everyone is the same, but each person’s ability to catch the chance is different.” 
【小题1】When did John die?