A small man with a fat stomach got on the train at the last station before the frontier (边境). He carried a paper bag. And four feet ducks could be seen under the cover. The man found an empty seat, put the bag in the middle of the floor, took out a newspaper and began to read. Then a policeman came in. Of course he saw the bag with ducks' legs at once and said, "Whose is that bag?" Nobody answered. The policeman repeated the question, and said, "I'll have to take it away from the owner. Food mustn't be taken out of the country." "Well, then," said the small man with a fat stomach. "Hurry up and take it. We want to go home." The policeman took the bag and went on to the next carriage.

At the next station, when they were safely across the frontier, the small man got up, smiled at the other passengers and said, "I hope they'll enjoy the ducks' feet. The rest of the bag had nothing but rubbish in it." Then he opened his coat and pointed to another bag he was carrying under it. It was tied tightly (紧紧地) over the stomach, which was not really fat. "I have the rest of the two ducks here," he said. With these words, he got off the train. But while he was happily walking to the exit with the bag in his hands, a policeman came up to him, saying, "Hey, man! Foreign food mustn't be brought in."

The small man put the bag in the middle of the floor ___ .

A. so that he could make more room for himself

B. so that the policeman could find it easily

C. because the other passengers didn't like it

D. because there was not an empty seat in the carriage

The first policeman took the paper bag away because ___ .

A. he wanted to find the owner of the bag

B. he enjoyed the ducks feet in the bag

C. the bag was put in a wrong place in the carriage

D. food can't be taken abroad

The bag the policeman took away had nothing in it except ___ .

A. two ducks               B. rubbish

C. the ducks' feet and rubbish  D. the ducks' feet

In the end the small man ___ .

A. failed to take his food home

B. crossed the frontier with two paper bags

C. took the ducks safely home

D. hid his ducks under his coat again

Nobody Benefits

NEW YORK—America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history．Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings．

But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel．

Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street．

During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece．At night, he sleeps on the street．www.7caiedu.cn

"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker．

Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine．But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement．He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available．

However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York．

With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand．

A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month．

One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up．

The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help．

But few housing companies have been built for the poor．Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more．

Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her．She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house．

Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often．

"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said．

1.What kind of life does George Brown lead?

2.From George Brown's life we can find that ______.

3.It can be inferred from this passage that ______.

4.If this passage comes from a paper, on which page would it be?

Martha was busy with her job. She believed she had to work harder because she loved her father who was sick with cancer. She had to provide for his expensive medicines. Her brothers and sisters meanwhile stayed with their father most of the time. They bathed him, sang for him, spoon-fed(用匙喂) him or simply kept him company.

One day Martha was hurt. She overheard(无意中听到) her father telling her mother, "All our children love me except Martha."

 "How can this be?" Martha thought. "Am I not the one killing myself in my work to have money to pay for his medicines? My brothers and sisters do not even provide their share in the expenses."

One night, as Martha was as usual late in going home, she saw her father was lying awake. She walked close to his bedsides. Her father held her hands and said, "I miss you. I don't have much time. Stay with me." And she stayed with her father holding his hand the whole night.

The next morning Martha said to everybody, "I have taken a leave of absence. I would like to be with father. I will bathe him and sing for him from now on." Her father had a beautiful smile. He knew Martha loved him, too.

     As children, we need the presence of our loved ones. Adults need no less. I have observed my mother’s orchids(兰花). When she is away for a long time, they are unhealthy and many of them wither(干枯). But when she is around , they bloom with beautiful flowers. My mother does nothing special . She just spends her time looking after them.

1.Before Martha heard her parents’ talk ,she thought her father _____.

  A. was satisfied with her love for him

  B. disliked her brothers and sisters

  C.was proud of her

  D. would recover from the disease

2.After staying with her father for one night, Martha _____.

  A.decided to give up her job

  B.understood what her father really needed

  C.realized her father loved her most

  D. loved her father more than before

3.By telling Matha’s story, what does the author try to express?

A.Nothing is more important than the company of loved ones.

 B. Money and a successful career don’t always bring happiness

C.Adults need the presence of their loved ones more than children do.

D.Plants like orchids do have feelings.

Twenty years is just a blink in time. But 20 years is also long enough for a man to grow up. It is always painful. For Andrew Agassi, maturing in the spotlight of international tennis competition was even harder.

    On September 3, the American tennis player said a tearful goodbye to his 21-year career after a third-round defeat in the US Open. The 36-year-old tried his best, but was unable to keep up with German Benjamin Becker, more than ten years his junior.

     "The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what I've found," Agassi said to the fans. "I have found inspiration and you willed me to succeed." It was an emotional speech at the end of a long career.

     Agassi hated tennis as a teenager as much as he loves it now. His father made him play when he was a child. He got bored, and became a rebel(叛逆). The strict training that his father pushed upon him got in the way of his wild lifestyle. He grew hair long, wore colorful clothes and spat at a judge. Over the years, he has made bad jokes during news conferences. Asked what he would say to his 17-year-old self, Agassi answered, "I would say, I understand you a lot more than I want to be you."

    The turning point in Agassi's career came in 1992 when he unexpectedly won his first Grand Slam (大满贯赛事)at Wimbledon. It was the first time Agassi understood what real champions finally understand: winning is a test of courage and not just power, it's a marathon, not a sprint(短跑).

     And what a marathon Agassi was about to begin. He cut his long hair, got fitter and tightened up emotionally. On the court, he ranked No. 1 for almost two years. His lowest point came in 1997 when his ranking dropped to No. 141. He didn't quit though. "I knew that I would try to get the most out of myself every day from that day forward. That was my promise," he said. "That never stopped." www.zxxk.com

1.The underlined phrase "more than ten years his junior" in the second paragraph means _________.

A. having lower ranking than Agassi for more than ten years

B. having higher ranking than Agassi for more than ten years

C. more than ten years older than Agassi

D. more than ten years younger than Agassi

2.How did Agassi feel when he was defeated in the competition?

A. He felt angry with the judge

B. He felt satisfied with the scoreboard

C. He felt regretful but encouraged

D. He felt in great desperation

3.The passage implies ______.

A. after 1997 Agassi began to take up marathon besides tennis

B. Agassi began to play tennis before he was fifteen

C. Agassi hesitated to quit his sports career

D. the reason why Agassi lost his last competition was that he lacked courage and power

4.The score of the match between Agassi and Becker is ______.

A. 0-2                                 B. 0-3                                  C. 1-3                         D. 2-3

Having one of those days or weeks — when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster — often within a day or two.

Walk it off

Exercise is the most popular bad-mood buster. A person who’s in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing that bad mood.

Tune it out

Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts associations with past positive experiences we’ve had.

Give yourself a pep talk

Stop and listen to what’s on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper; the pessimistic (悲观的) messages you’ve been giving yourself and then give optimistic answers. ("I still don’t have a job. "vs" I have two interviews next week.")

Reduce your stress

Relaxation techniques are wonderful mood-lifters. These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing (想象), all of which sound complicated but aren’t. One easy way to visualize: close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach. Another simple way to against distress is to make a to-do list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options(选择权) By taking control over certain areas, you realize you’re not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.

Avoid things that won’t improve your mood

TV may not help much: You need to increase your energy level and stimulate your mind something — that the TV show "Neighbors" won’t do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. The better choice? Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta, produce a calming effect in people who have a desire for them.

We learn from the text that it might help rid us of a bad mood ________.

A. to do nothing about it

B. to take a long walk on the beach

C. to do some exercises with light music

D. to talk it to neighbours

Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach?

A. It is not complicated to do so.

B. It is an area to be easily controlled.

C. It helps beat a bad mood.              

D. It brings us a new technique.

TV may not improve your mood because ________.

A. it sometimes shows what happens around you

B. it keeps you stay unmoved

C. it reminds you of eating and drinking

D. it produces a calming effect

This text most probably appears in ________.

A. a book on physical exercises            B. a doctor’s handbook

C. a notice                                    D. a magazine