When I was ten, my mother worked all day so I had to take care of my younger brother. At that time my little brother was about four years old and he missed mum all the time.

One day, after I had given him his dinner, he started crying for mum. He was so young and really needed mum. So I dressed him, put on his shoes, carried him on my back and walked out. Soon he fell asleep. About half an hour later, I found that he had lost a shoe while sleeping. I took him off my back and put him down. I knew we needed to find that shoe, for our mother couldn’t afford new shoes. We had to go back to find it, so I told my brother to wait right there. A man heard it and stopped me just before I walked off. He asked me, “You are leaving your brother here to find the shoe? What would you do if he is not here when you return?” I did not know how to answer that question. He continued, “It’s OK if you can’t find the shoe, but it is not OK to lose your brother.” Then he sent us to mum’s workplace by taxi.

My whole life I have depended on the kindness of many strangers, I feel regretful that I cannot find them and say thank you. I do not even remember what the man’s face looked like, but he taught me a lesson—people are more important than things.

1. Why did the younger brother cry for his mother?

In a cold winter, a couple had to move out of their big house because of bankruptcy（破产）. The husband worked day and night but with no care of his wife. So she thought, “He doesn’t love me any more; he just thinks about his work.”

One day, she wanted to take a shower, but her husband stopped her at the door. “Let me take it first, OK?” “Why not let me take it first?” she asked. “I’m tired, dear. You take it later, OK?” She was very sad.

On a rainy day, she found nothing to do and turned on his computer. After a few minutes, her eyes were full of tears...it was his diary:

Today, I was quite sad. She asked me why I was always taking the shower first, and I said I was tired. She was unhappy. I wasn’t as rich as before! We moved to the small house and it was very cold. I found that if one person took the shower first, the bathroom could get a little warmer. So I always rushed to the bathroom first. When she took the shower, the bathroom could get warmer, at least 1°C. I can’t give her more, but at least I can give her 1°C love.

1.The couple moved out of their house ________.

A. on a rainy day

B. in a cold winter

C. when the husband lost his work

D. when the wife saw her husband’s diary

2.The woman thought her husband didn’t love her because ________.

A. he didn’t buy her beautiful clothes

B. he didn’t have enough money

C. he always worked with no care of her

D. he had another woman

3.The woman’s eyes were full of tears because ________.

A. she felt sad by her husband’s words

B. the rainy day made her sad

C. her eyes were hurt by the computer

D. she was moved by her husband’s diary

4.The man wanted to take the shower first because ________.

A. he was tired and wanted to sleep earlier

B. he wanted to make the bathroom warmer

C. he wasn’t as strong as before

D. he couldn’t stand the cold winter

5.From the reading, we know that ________.

A. the man loved his wife very much

B. the woman didn’t love her husband any more

C. the man was very poor before

D. the woman had no job

My mind seems always to return to the day when I met Carl. The city bus stopped at a corner to         the passengers(乘客).1 was included. After getting on the bus, I looked for a place to sit. At last, I found a seat near the back.

    The passenger of the         next to the one I was going for was an old man in a grey suit. Seated myself, I began to read the book I had been carrying which was Jack Kerouac's On the Road. The man in the seat next to me introduced himself by asking if I        any other book like the one I was holding. When I told him I had, he seemed to become        and so did I. He said he was Carl. And asked if I like jazz(爵士乐),and l told him that I didn't really listen to it and that I like rock and roll. Waiting for Carl to tell me that I          listen to real music, I was shocked when he just smiled and nodded. He said, "You          me of myself when I was your age. I remember how my parents hated jazz, how they couldn't see how I could listen to that terrible noise. I bet your parents say the same thing, don't they?" Now it was my        to smile and nod.

    As the bus took us from one side of the city to the' other, Carl and I talked about a lot of different things. The more we talked, the more amazed I became at          the two of us really had in common, although we had the        difference. I haven't seen him         we parted, but the thought of our relationship that day never leaves my mind.

1.A. take up            B. pick up                 C. put up                   D. turn up

2.A. seat              B. bus               C. city                       D. book

3.A. read            B. was reading          C. had read             D. would read

4.A. worried           B. silent                   C. interested          D. bored

5.A. mustn't            B. shouldn't            C. must                    D. should

6.A. remember B. warn                    C. make                   D. remind

7.A. turn            B. time                      C. day                       D. honor

8.A. why             B. where                   C. how                        D. how much

9.A. race               B. age                       C. sex                       D. color

10.A. after    B. when                   C. since                    D. before