He almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front her Mercedes and got out.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt.

He said, “I am here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened, had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were many people who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

1.This story most probably took place_______.

A. in a garage   B. on a highway    C. in a busy street    D. near a gas station

2.When the man approached the old lady, the first thing he did was to______.

A. ask what was wrong with her car        B. get the old lady out of her car

C. change her tire as soon as possible       D. make her know he wanted to help her

3.The underlined part in Paragraph 6 suggests that________.

A. the old lady had got ready to pay the man

B. the old lady was grateful to the man

C. the man had a lot of difficulty changing the tire

D. the man didn’t stop changing the tire

4.Which of the following words can best describe the man?

A. Warm-hearted and sensitive.   B. Careful and serious.

C. Thoughtful and helpful.       D. Generous and open-minded.

5. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______________.

A. the man was happy after helping the old lady

B. the man received a lot of money from the old lady

C. the man made the old lady feel cold and depressed 

D. the man felt extremely frustrated all the way home

You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the drama starts. The person on the other end has a depressing tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. You are still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!

Communicating with negative people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time.

Life brings ups and downs, but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. No wonder they can hardly win others’ pity or respect.

When you communicate with positive people, your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted. When the dagger (匕首) of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that all in all, brings you down.

Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker，or a relative. In this case, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person, but all this does is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that.

Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized. The negative words of another at the start of the day can cling to (附着) you throughout the rest of your day, which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel negative. Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible.

1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to ______.

2.How can negative people have effect on us?

3.Some negative people base their happiness on _______.

4.According to the passage, to reduce negative people’s influence on us, we are advised to ______.

5. What is the author’s attitude towards negative people?

The $586 billion economic stimulus(刺激)package that China announced on Sunday may not be quite as large as it seemed at first sight, but it shows just how seriously the authorities in Beijing take the threat of a slowdown following the international financial crisis. On the face of it, the package of tax cuts, higher public spending, and easier credit makes up the largest such stimulus in history.

The new policy gives President Hu Jintao something to show fellow world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Washington on Saturday as they seek ways out of the financial crisis.

“We must carry out the measures to ensure fast and stable economic development ,” Premier Wen Jiabao told government leaders on Monday. “They are not only for the needs of our own development but also our biggest contribution to the world.”

At first, stock markets(股市) jumped on news of the package, in the hope that if China’s economy continues to grow, it might help other nations go through the expected global decline in economy by offering a market for their exports.

The stimulus package is designed to reduce the effects of falling exports  on China’s own economy, encouraging investment （投资）and consumption （消费）at home. That, the government says, should keep the world’s fastest-growing economy on a “steady and relatively fast” growth track despite the depressing international climate.

The State Council（国务院），China’s cabinet， said it would target spending over the next two years on low-income housing, rural construction, water and electricity supplies, technological innovation(创新)，and recovery from disasters such as the May 12 earthquake. If the plan is carried out, its focus on projects benefiting China’s poorer citizens, rather than on traditional large-scale industrial development, will strengthen the government’s policy of building a “harmonious society” that bridges the present gap between the rich and the poor.

72. China’s economic stimulus package  ______ .

A. shows its serious attitude towards the international financial crisis

B. has stimulated the world’s economy greatly

C. mainly focuses on higher public spending

D. is as large as it seemed at first sight

73. According to Wen jiabao, China’s measures will ______.

A. make the world’s economy grow faster

B. ensure fast economic and cultural development in China

C. be only needed for China’s own development

D. be its biggest contribution to the world

74. How can the new policy reduce the effects of falling exports on China’s own economy? ______

A. By keeping China’s economy one of the world’s fastest growing ones.

B. By making China’s economy the fastest growing one in the world.

C. By encouraging investment and consumption at home.

D. By getting rid of the depressing international climate.

75. What’s the final aim of the new policy? ______

A. To build traditional large-scale industries.

B. To reconstruct the earthquake-hit area.

C. To build a harmonious society throughout China.

D. To provide housing for low-income people.

My father was in the navy, which meant that my mother was married to both my father and

the sea．As was often the case, we had to pack our belongings into boxes and 31 those we had grown to love．We would arrive at our new home and find ourselves once again  32  at the pier （码头） waving good-bye to my father as his  33  pulled him away from us．My mother would turn my brother and I around before the ship was out of  34 , wipe our tears, and take us back home to start the process of  35  in the new environment again．

Throughout the years of changing  36 , schools and friends, there remained one constant in my childhood — my mother．For both my  37  and I, she was the cook, maid and teacher．She played these roles while  38  some type of part-time job．Leaving a promising career is just one of the  39  which my mother made for my family as we moved around the world with our father every three years or so． 40  she had to deal with only a small budget, my mother,  41 , managed to make each house to be the very home that is safe and  42 ．

This probably sounds like a depressing way to live,  43  with two small children: “single” parenthood, short-term friendships, and the inability （无能） to  44  a career or establish a home．But it was not for my mother．She turned this  45  into adventure for us all! Each relocation （变换位置） was a chance to  46  another part of the world．My mother greeted each new culture, climate and neighborhood．Each new house was a  47  to rearrange furniture, make curtains and  48  pictures．Every part-time job was an opportunity to learn something new and work with interesting people．

No matter how difficult the life was, she was always having a  49  attitude．She always had strength in the face of struggle and change．My mother was so  50  all those years during my childhood — she was my island in a sea of change．She is my hero．

A．leave behind  B．leave out        C．leave off        D．leave for

A．living        B．staring          C．standing         D．going

A．car         B．ship            C．train           D．plane

A．range          B．shape           C．sight          D．control

A．adapting      B．suiting          C．matching        D．fitting

A．names         B．jobs           C．addresses        D．directions

A．father        B．classmates       C．brother          D．relatives

A．performing    B．seeking          C．waiting          D．applying

A．programs      B．sacrifices       C．contribution   D．cooperation

A．Once          B．While           C．When           D．Unless

A．somewhere    B．somewhat        C．sometime       D．somehow

A．romantic       B．comfortable     C．mysterious       D．wealthy

A．generally       B．actually         C．especially      D．unfairly

A．desert        B．develop         C．affect           D．limit

A．lifestyle        B．value           C．journey         D．opportunity

A．acquire      B．explore         C．occupy         D．realize

A．load           B．sadness          C．result         D．challenge

A．hang          B．draw         C．take            D．sell

A．changeable    B．cautious        C．positive         D．negative

A．experienced   B．brave         C．ordinary       D．annoyed

When you are far away from home for the first time and have a lot to adjust to，you can't do it alone. However independent you are，it is good to have a roommate during your first year.
Living with someone helps ease your loneliness. Sure it may seem appealing to be able to play your music and turn up your TV as loud as you want, but coming home to an empty room every day can be depressing. If you have a bad day, you may want to talk to someone.
Friends are great sources of venting (宣泄), but friends can't always be there. Even worse, they may be self­centered and show no interest in your problem. It's not that roommates aren't like this, but even just small talk can help you feel better.
Having a roommate teaches you how to get along with people and settle conflict. You two should set up rules immediately and discuss what to do when there is conflict. If you two don't like each other，you still study，relax，and sleep in the same room. You must find a way to get along.
Finally，having a roommate exposes (使接触) you to different ways of living. Your roommate may come from a different city，and have different living habits. He or she also has different interests and personalities. You don't have to end up liking the same things your roommate does，but try to learn something different. You will be surrounded by many different people in college and have the chance to try things you never have before. Why not start learning from your roommate？
Having a roommate gives you the skills and personal background you will need to utilize (利用) when you are out on your own. Make the most of living with a stranger and besides，there will be plenty of opportunities for you to have your own room later in your college years.
【小题1】Who are probably the intended readers of the passage？