For a long time, a boy wondered why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, “Am I more stupid than other kids? How come I always lag behind? I just can’t come up with an answer.” Mom was aware that her son’s self-respect had been damaged by the ranking system, but she didn’t know what to say to help.
She was tempted (想要) to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would have so upset her son. Thank goodness she resisted the temptation to say it.
Her son and his friend went on to high school that year, but despite trying as hard as he could, her son’s friend still outdid him. But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud. It was around this time she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. On the trip, she at last found an answer for him.
Today her son no longer cares about rankings. He doesn’t have to, for he himself is now the top of the class – at the top national university he attends. Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: ‘Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The “clumsy” seagulls (海鸥) are far less agile (灵活的) and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these “clumsy” birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which open the widest and allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”
【小题1】 From the first paragraph, we could conclude the mother ______.

For a long time, a boy wondered why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, “Am I more stupid than other kids? How come I always lag behind? I just can’t come up with an answer.” Mom was aware that her son’s self-respect had been damaged by the ranking system, but she didn’t know what to say to help.
She was tempted (想要) to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would have so upset her son. Thank goodness she resisted the temptation to say it.
Her son and his friend went on to high school that year, but despite trying as hard as he could, her son’s friend still outdid him. But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud. It was around this time she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. On the trip, she at last found an answer for him.
Today her son no longer cares about rankings. He doesn’t have to, for he himself is now the top of the class – at the top national university he attends. Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: ‘Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The “clumsy” seagulls (海鸥) are far less agile (灵活的) and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these “clumsy” birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which open the widest and allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”
【小题1】From the first paragraph, we could conclude the mother ______.

For a long time, a boy wondered why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, “Am I more stupid than other kids? How come I always lag behind? I just can’t come up with an answer.” Mom was aware that her son’s self-respect had been damaged by the ranking system, but she didn’t know what to say to help.

    She was tempted (想要) to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would have so upset her son. Thank goodness she resisted the temptation to say it.

Her son and his friend went on to high school that year, but despite trying as hard as he could, her son’s friend still outdid him. But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud. It was around this time she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. On the trip, she at last found an answer for him.

    Today her son no longer cares about rankings. He doesn’t have to, for he himself is now the top of the class – at the top national university he attends. Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: ‘Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The “clumsy” seagulls (海鸥) are far less agile (灵活的) and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these “clumsy” birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which open the widest and allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”

1. From the first paragraph, we could conclude the mother ______.

   A. knew her son was not bright enough

   B. saw the negative effects of the ranking system

   C. decided to help with her son’s school work

D. was troubled by her son’s low rankings

2.The mom was glad she didn’t give an answer at first because ______.

   A. she knew her son would forget his rankings soon

   B. she felt intelligence doesn’t mean everything

   C. she knew he was not strong enough for the truth

   D. she wanted to avoid another blow to her son’s self-respect

3.The story conveys the message that ______.

   a. only rankings show intelligence

   b. hard work and confidence can lead to a change in rankings

   c. parents should see children’s strengths and encourage them

   d. competition between students is good for society

   A. bc                B. cd               C. abc              D. bcd

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the story?

   A. How important are rankings?

   B. Little birds and seagulls

   C. The answer Mom gave

   D. Hard work pays off!

Mr. Dawson was an old bad-tempered man, and everyone in town knew it．Kids knew not to go into his yard to pick apples, because old Dawson, they said, would come after you with his gun.

       One Friday, 12-year-old Janet was walking out with her friend Amy．They had to  1  Daw-son’s house, but as they got  2 , Janet saw him sitting on his front porch and suggested they cross over the street．Like most, she was  3  of the old man.

       Amy said, “Don’t  4  .” When they got close enough, Dawson looked up with his  5   frown （皱眉）, but when he saw it was Amy, he gave a broad  6  .

       Amy smiled back and told him that they were going to listen to music．Dawson told them that sounded  7  , and gave them each a（an） 8  .

       Later, Janet asked Amy, “Everyone says he’s the  9  man in town．10 he was so nice to us? ”

Amy explained that when she  11  started walking past his house, he wasn’t very  12   either , but she pretended he was wearing a（an）  13  smile, so she always smiled．It really took some time  14  he one day half-smiled back.

       After a while, he started smiling a real smile and then  15  to her．She said he always 16  her an apple now, and was always very kind.

       In our everyday life we are always very busy doing a lot of things and trying to accomplish so much．It’s so  17  to forget that we can bring  18 to ourselves and others．Giving a smile takes so little  19 , but few people are aware of that．Please do remember after a while most people can’t  20  our sunniness at all.

1．A．drop into               B．go by              C．move into            D．look at

2．A．close                    B．inside                  C．outdoors             D．away

3．A．proud                   B．ashamed              C．scared                 D．fond

4．A．cry                       B．worry                 C．follow                 D．run

5．A．tired                     B．usual                   C．rare                    D．ugly

6．A．smile                    B．hug                     C．surprise               D．greeting

7．A．strange                 B．fun                     C．boring                 D．special

8．A．ticket                    B．apple                   C．lesson                 D．address

9．A．strongest               B．worst                  C．meanest              D．loneliest

10．A．What if               B．How about           C．What for             D．How come

11．A．first                    B．last                     C．sometimes           D．finally

12．A．charming             B．cold                    C．violent                 D．friendly

13．A．invisible               B．unbelievable         C．false                   D．kind

14．A．until                    B．before                 C．after                   D．when

15．A．suggested            B．came                   C．talked                  D．explained

16．A．sold                    B．offered                C．showed               D．saved

17．A．easy                    B．challenging          C．useful                 D．reasonable

18．A．gifts                    B．cheers                 C．memories            D．rewards

19．A．effort                  B．bravery               C．space                  D．interest

20．A．accept                 B．forget                  C．resist                  D．dislike