(江西省新余一中、宜春中学2010届高三11月联考)

A

One winter evening, a storekeeper was going to close up his shop. Suddenly he saw Seth, a lazy, good-for-nothing fellow grab a pound of fresh butter and concealed it in his hat. No sooner had the storekeeper seen the act than he hit upon exactly the right revenge. He would punish the thief, and satisfy his own appetite for fun.

Seth had his hat on his head, and the butter in his hat. He was anxious to leave. However, the rightful owner of the butter offered him a cup of hot drink, took him by the shoulders and planted him in a seat close to the stove. The grocer stuffed in the stove as many sticks of wood as he could possibly fit inside.

Seth already could feel the butter settling down closer to his hair, so he jumped up, declaring that he must go. “Sit down; don’t be in such a hurry,” replied the grocer, pushing him back into the chair again.

Streak after streak of the butter came pouring from under the poor man’s hat. The fun-loving grocer kept on stuffing wood into the stove. Then, as if surprised, he remarked, “You seem to be perspiring (排汗) as if you were warm! Let me put your hat away for you.”

“No!” exclaimed poor Seth at last, unable to stand it a moment longer. “No, I must go; let me out.”

A greasy (油腻的) waterfall of butter was now pouring down the poor man’s face and neck, soaking (浸泡) into his clothes, and trickling down his body into his boots. He was bathed in oil from head to toe.

Just as his victim darted out the door, the grocer said, “I reckon (估计) the fun I’ve had out of you is worth the money, so I shan’t charge you for that pound of butter in your hat.”

56．Why did Seth put the butter in his hat?

A. Because he just wanted to play a trick on the grocer.

B. Because he had nowhere to put the butter but in the hat.

C. Because he wanted to revenge himself on the grocer.

D. Because he didn’t want to pay for it.

57．What is not the action that the grocer took as a revenge?

A. The grocer offered Seth a cup of hot drink.

B. The grocer forced Seth to take a seat near the stove.

C. The grocer overcharged Seth for the butter.

D. The grocer offered to take off Seth’s hat.

58．What was the purpose of the grocer’s hospitality?

A. He wanted to make friends with Seth.

B. He wanted to be kind to him.

C. He wanted to take his revenge on Seth by making the butter in his hat melt.

D. He wanted to sell more of his goods.

59．What is the best title of the passage?

A. Great fun     B. The right revenge    C. A fun-loving grocer   D. A foolish customer

 (江西省新余一中、宜春中学2010届高三11月联考)

C

       Teachers have long said that success is its own reward, But these days, some students are finding that good grades can bring them cash and luxury gifts.

       In at least a dozen states this school year, students who bring home top marks can expect more than just thankfulness.

       The most ambitious experiment began in September, when seven states—Arkansas. Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington—won spots in an Mobil-funded program that, in most cases, pays students $100 for each passing grade on advanced placement (AP) college-prep exams.

       It’s an effort to get low—income and minority students interested in the courses, says Tommie Sue Anthony, president of the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science. “We still have students who are not sure of the value, who are not willing to take the courses,”she says, “Probably the motivation will make a difference with those students.”

Gregg Fleisher of the National Math and Science Initiative, which runs the seven-state program, says the effort is modeled on a program adopted by Dallas in the 1995-96 school year that saw AP course-taking jump obviously. That program is now statewide.

While many educators would be against offering kids cash for good grades, Fleisher and others say the idea is simple:“It’s an encouragement to get them to basically make the right decision and choose a more strict class,”he says, “This teaches them that if they work at something very hard and have a lot of support, they can do something they didn’t think they could do.”

An analysis of the Texas program last month by Cornell economist C.Kirabo Jackson found that it linked to a 30% rise in the number of students with high SAT and ACT scores and an 8% rise in college-going students.

(Notes:1.SAT:美国学术能力评估考试；2.ACT:美国大学入学考试。)

64．What does the passage mainly talk about?

       A．Success is its own reward                    B．Success makes a difference.

       C．Good grades deserves gratitude.            D．A new motivation for students.

65．What’s the purpose of the experiment?

       A．To get relatively poor students interested in their studies.

       B．To help poor students to keep on with education.

       C．To offer poor students luxury gifts on their birthdays.

       D．To make an effort to raise the value of money.

66．What is the writer’s attitude toward offering kids cash for good grades?

       A．Favorable.           B．Worried.              C．Opposed.            D．Confident.