A wise man used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning.
One day, when he was walking along the shore（海岸）, he saw a young man moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
He called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man stopped, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide（潮汐）is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish, and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted（赋予）
with the ability to make a difference.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
【小题1】What was the wise man used to doing every morning?

Long ago, Bluebird’s feathers were the colour of dust. She did not like her ugly colour. She was attracted by the colour of the lake near her home. It was as blue as the sky after a storm. Bluebird wanted to be the colour of that beautiful lake very much. Flapping her wings one morning, Bluebird flew from her tree to the blue lake. Then she bathed in the water three times. After each bath, she sang, “Blue water. Still water. I went in. I am blue.” Bluebird repeated this every morning. On the third day, she came out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers.

Now Coyote was a trickster(骗子)—and hungry too. He stayed behind Bluebird’s tree for a long time every day and watched her go to the lake. He pretended(伪装) to be interested in everything she did. He wanted Bluebird for lunch, but he was afraid of the blue water. On the third morning, Coyote saw Bluebird come out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers. Impressed, he sat next to Bluebird’s tree and waited for her. When she returned, he asked, “How did you get blue feathers? I want to be blue like the mountains too.” Bluebird didn’t believe Coyote, but she taught him how to bathe three times each morning and how to sing her song. Coyote did what she said, and after three days of bathing in the lake, his white fur turned deep blue.

Convinced(确信的) that blue fur was even more beautiful than blue feathers, Coyote forgot all about being hungry. He ran as fast as he could to the top of the hill. Standing on his back legs, he raised his front legs off the ground and howled. But Coyote slipped(滑倒) and rolled down the hill. He couldn’t stop himself, and the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur. He rolled and rolled until he hit into Bluebird’s tree heavily. No matter how much he tried, foolish Coyote could not shake the dust from his fur. And so the fur of all coyotes had the dull colour of dust to this very day.

1.How many times did Bluebird bathe every morning before she had beautiful blue feathers?

A. Three times.        B. Four times.        C. Five times.         D. Six times.

2.Why was Coyote a trickster?

A. He wanted to fly like Bluebird near the mountains.

B. He wanted to eat Bluebird but pretended to be curious.

C. He wanted to swim in the lake but was afraid of the water.

D. He wanted to sing Bluebird’s song but didn’t know the words.

3.Where did Coyote go after his fur turned blue?

A. To the lake.         B. To the tree.         C. To the cave.       D. To the hill.

4.Why did Coyote forget all about being hungry?

A. Because his fur had the dull colour of dust.

B. Because the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur.

C. Because he thought blue fur was much more beautiful. 

D. Because he hit into Bluebird’s tree and hurt himself.

5.What words does the writer use to help you imagine the colour blue?

A. sky, lake, mountains  

B. bird, coyote, storm  

C. flapped, climbed, bathed  

D. fur, feathers, dust

A very old lady won a million dollars in a lottery(彩票). Her son and her husband heard the news on the radio.

“How are we going to tell your mother?” the man asked. “The news might kill her!”

“That’s true,” the son said. “Perhaps we’d better speak to her doctor about it. He’ll know how to bring her the news gently.”

They told the old lady’s doctor about this.

“I’m glad you told me, ” he said “A shock(震惊), even a happy one, could give her a heart attack, leave it to me. I’ll find a way of bringing the news to her.”

The doctor thought about the problem for several days, then decided what he would say.

He called on the old lady and sat by her. He took her hand in his.

“Let’s play a game, my dear,” he said. “‘Let’s pretend(假装)’ game.”

“Oh, yes, ” the old lady said. “I love ‘Let’s pretend’ game.”

“Good, I’ll ask you a question first, ” the doctor said, “Then you can ask me one.”

He pretended to think for a few minutes. Then he said, “Tell me, what would you do if you won a million dollars in the lottery?”

“Oh, that’s an easy one,” the old lady said, “I’d give most of it to you, doctor, because you have been so good to me all these years, doctor!” But the doctor was now lying on the floor. He had died of shock.

1.Who won a million dollars in a lottery?

A. The man.        B. The son.       C. The old lady.   D. The doctor.

2.What does “heart attack” mean in Chinese?

A. 攻击心脏.       B. 惊喜.          C. 心情.           D. 心脏病.

3.Why did the doctor play ‘Let’s pretend’ game with the lady?

A. Because he wanted to get the money.                

B. Because he wanted to bring her the news gently.

C. Because he didn’t want to tell her the news.      

D. Because he wasn’t honest.

4.Who had died of shock?

A. The man.        B. The son.       C. The old lady.       D. The doctor.

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. A Sad Shock                      B. A wonderful Shock

C. An Interesting Shock             D. A Lucky Shock