Paul and Jason were brothers who lived and worked on neighbouring farms.For 35 years they farmed side by side，sharing machinery and goods as needed，without a single problem.
However，one autumn，things changed.It began with a tiny disagreement about a horse，which grew into a major difference.The difference led to angry words，followed by weeks of silence between the two brothers.
One morning there was a knock on Paul’s door.He opened it and saw a builder holding his toolbox.“I’m looking for a few days’work，”the builder said.“Are there any jobs here I could help with?”
“Yes，”answered Paul，extremely pleased to see the builder.“I do have a job for you.Look at that farm across the creek(小溪).That’s my brother’s farm.That creek used to be a grass field，but last week my brother dug a path from the fiver and made the creek.But I’ll go him one better.See that pile of wood?1 want you to build me a fence，two metres tall，so 1 won’t need to see him anymore.”
The builder said thoughtfully.“I think I understand the situation and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Paul had business in town that day and left the builder to his work.When he returned，the builder had just finished his job.Paul was shocked.Instead of a fence there was a bridge，stretching from one side of the creek to the other.
As Paul stood on the bridge，staring in amazement，his younger brother Jason，came across，and took Paul’s hand.“You are a good man to have built this bridge after a11 I've done，”said Jason.
Then，Paul，with tears in his eyes，said to the builder who was packing his bag to go，“Thank you so much。Please stay.I have much more for you to do.”
“I’d love to.”the builder said quietly，“but，I have many more bridges to build.”

1. 1.

   What was the cause of the disagreement between the two brothers?

   1. A.
      The digging of the creek.
   2. B.
      A problem about a farm animal.
   3. C.
      Who owned the field between the farms.
   4. D.
      Who would pay for building the fence.
2. 2.

   The underlined expression“go him one better”in paragraph 4 means         ·

   1. A.
      do something even worse
   2. B.
      improve the situation
   3. C.
      point out his mistake
   4. D.
      help him out
3. 3.

   What do we know about the brothers?

   1. A.
      They had been fighting for many years.
   2. B.
      Their farms were not very successful.
   3. C.
      They finally realized their mistakes.
   4. D.
      They liked building bridges.
4. 4.

   Why did the builder build the bridge?

   1. A.
      He needed a way to get across the river.
   2. B.
      There was not enough wood for the fence.
   3. C.
      He misunderstood Paul’s instructions.
   4. D.
      He wanted to bring the brothers together.
5. 5.

   In what order did the following take place in the story?
   a.The brothers stood on the bridge.
   b.Jason dug the creek.
   C.The brothers became angry with each other,
   d.The builder asked for work.
   e.Paul went into town.
   

   1. A.
      b，c，e，d，a   
   2. B.
      c，b，d，e，a
   3. C.
      b，e，c，a，d   
   4. D.
      c，d，b，a，e

I was not having a happy holiday. My family had decided to go back to the countryside in New Hampshire, US, again. But I found it boring. What made the holiday even worse was that I had to sleep in the same bed as my brother. But I was wrong. This trip was the best holiday I have ever had. During the holiday, I met a very special friend.
While I was walking in the countryside, I saw a man carrying a small brown bag. Wearing white clothes, the man looked like a ghost. As he looked at me, I felt frightened. I wanted to run away when the man spoke to me. “Hello. Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he said. The man talked a lot. I wasn’t listening very carefully because I was looking at his little bag. I wanted to see what was inside it!
He saw me looking at the bag and he asked me if I would like to see. Out came a lively, beautiful puppy. The brown puppy was small and only about two months old. The man then asked me, “Would you like to keep this puppy?” I had always wanted a puppy and now I had the chance. I thanked him, took the puppy and ran home. For the rest of that summer, I played with him all the time. And after the trip, I took him home. The puppy is now loved by all my family. He is a friend to both my brother and me, a warm little ball of happiness in our lives.
I’ve always wanted to thank the man because he changed my life. His gift has given me years of pleasure. And I never have boring family holidays anymore.
【小题1】The “special friend” in the third paragraph referred to _______.