It was not yet eleven o’clock when a boat crossed the river with a single passenger who had obtained his transportation at that unusual hour by promising an extra fare.

While the youth stood on the landing-place searching in his pockets for money, the ferryman lifted a lantern, by the aid of which, together with the newly risen moon, he took a very accurate survey of the stranger’s figure. He was a young man of barely eighteen years, evidently country bred（长大的）, and now, as it seemed, on his first visit to town. He was wearing a rough gray coat, which was in good shape, but which had seen many winters before this one. The garments under his coat were well constructed of leather, and fitted tightly to a pair of muscular legs; his stockings of blue yarn must have been the work of a mother or sister, and on his head was a three-cornered hat, which in its better days had sheltered the grayer head of the lad’s father. In his left hand was a walking stick, and his equipment was completed by a leather bag not so abundantly stocked as to inconvenience the strong shoulders on which it hung. Brown, curly hair, well-shaped-features, bright, cheerful eyes were nature’s gifts, and worth all that art could have done for his adornment(装饰).

The youth, whose name was Robin, paid the boatman, and then walked forward into the town with a light step, as if he had not already traveled more than thirty miles that day. As he walked, he surveyed his surroundings as eagerly as if he were entering London or Madrid, instead of the little metropolis（都市）of a New England colony.

What time of the year was it in this story?

A. Winter.           B. Fall.       C. Summer.    D. Spring.

The boatman was willing to take Robin across the river because ________.

A. he was going to row across the river anyway

B. he saw that Robin was young and rich

C. he would give extra money

D. he felt sorry for him because Robin looked poor

The stockings that Robin wore were obviously _________.

A. well worn         B. very expensive       C. handmade         D. much too big

From the text we can learn that Robin had traveled __________.

A. from London              B. from Madrid

C. from a nearby city                D. over thirty miles

At what time of day did Robin cross the river?

A. Night.      B. Late afternoon    C. Midday.          D. Morning.    

I am a German by birth and descent. My name is Schmidt. But by education I am quite as much an Englishman as a 'Deutscher', and by affection much more the former. My life has been spent pretty equally between the two countries, and I flatter myself I speak both languages without any foreign accent.

I count England my headquarters now: it is “home” to me. But a few years ago I was resident in Germany, only going over to London now and then on business. I will not mention the town where I lived. It is unnecessary to do so, and in the peculiar experience I am about to relate I think real names of people and places are just as well, or better avoided.

I was connected with a large and important firm of engineers. I had been bred up to the profession, and was credited with a certain amount of “talent”; and I was considered—and, with all modesty, I think I deserved the opinion—steady and reliable, so that I had already attained a fair position in the house, and was looked upon as a “rising man”. But I was still young, and not quite so wise as I thought myself. I came close once to making a great mess of a certain affair. It is this story which I am going to tell.

Our house went in largely for patents—rather too largely, some thought. But the head partner's son was a bit of a genius in his way, and his father was growing old, and let Herr Wilhelm - Moritz we will call the family name—do pretty much as he chose. And on the whole Herr Wilhelm did well. He was cautious, and he had the benefit of the still greater caution and larger experience of Herr Gerhardt, the second partner in the firm.

Patents and the laws which regulate them are strange things to have to do with. No one who has not had personal experience of the complications that arise could believe how far these spread and how involved they become. Great acuteness as well as caution is called for if you would guide your patent bark safely to port—and perhaps more than anything, a power of holding your tongue. I was no chatterbox, nor, when on a mission of importance, did I go about looking as if I were bursting with secrets, which is, in my opinion, almost as dangerous as revealing them. No one, to meet me on the journeys which it often fell to my lot to undertake, would have guessed that I had anything on my mind but an easy-going young fellow's natural interest in his surroundings, though many a time I have stayed awake through a whole night of railway travel if at all doubtful about my fellow-passengers, or not dared to go to sleep in a hotel without a ready-loaded gun by my pillow. For now and then - though not through me - our secrets did ooze out. And if, as has happened, they were secrets connected with Government orders or contracts, there was, or but for the exertion of the greatest energy and tact on the part of my superiors, there would have been, to put it plainly, the devil to pay.

1. The writer preferred to be called ________.

A. a German                         B. an Englishman

C. both a German and an Englishman      D. neither a German nor an Englishman

2.Which of the following words cannot be used to describe the writer?

A. Talented         B. Modest       C. Reliable             D. Wise

3.The head of the company where the writer works is ________.

A. Schmidt          B. Moritz       C. Wilhelm’s father        D. Gerhardt

4. The writer often stayed awake on the train or kept a ready-loaded gun in the hotel, because  ________.

A. some people sometimes let out the secrets of his company

B. the writer occasionally didn’t keep the secrets of his company

C. patents and the laws are strange things to have to do with

D. the secrets were connected with Government orders or contracts

Domestic (驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.

Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.

As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics.

Modern-day horse breeds（种类） come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds— typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.

The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.

Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports                           B. hunted for food

C. made to pull ploughs                      D. used to carry people

The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse

B. horses used to have gentle personalities

C. some horses have better shapes than others

D. horses were of less variety before domestication

Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A. carrying heavy loads                      B. changing farming methods

C. serving as a means of transport        D. advancing agriculture in different areas

The passage is mainly about _______.

A. why humans domesticated horses    

B. how humans and horses needed each other

C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes

D. how human societies and horses influenced each other

Some people believe that international sports creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourages international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.

One country received its second-place medal with visible indignation after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said: “This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension of the team for at least three years.

The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disturbance. It was thought at first that the United States had won, by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the USA had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.

Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism (爱国主义).

According to the author, the recent Olympic Games have ______.

A. created goodwill between nations          

B. bred only false national pride

C. barely showed any international friendship

D. led to more and more misunderstanding and hatred

What would the manager mean by saying, “...Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished”?

  A. His team would no longer take part in international games.

  B. Hockey and the Federation are both ruined by the unfair decisions.

  C. There should be no more hockey matches organized by the Federation.

  D. The Federation should be dissolved.

The basketball example implied that ______.

  A. too much patriotism was displayed in the incident

  B. the announcement to prolong the match was wrong

  C. the appeal jury was too hesitant in making the decision

  D. the American team was right in rejecting the silver medals

What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

  A. The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.

  B. Athletes should compete as individuals in the Olympic Games.

  C. Sports should be played competitively rather than for the love of the game.

  D. International contests are liable for misunderstanding between nations.

Ricochet, a 19-month-old golden retriever（金毛寻回犬）, was bred(饲养) to be a service dog but never made it. Now, she has found her role in the ocean, surfing with a disabled teen.
Patrick Ivison, 15, suffered a severe injury in a car accident when he was 14 months old. He has been disabled since, but the Californian boy never gave up on the goal of walking. He recently took his first steps. When Ivison first met Ricochet, the two immediately hit it off. To raise money for Ivison’s physical therapy(治疗), which is not covered by insurance, it was suggested that the pair take up surfing. Ivison said that when he first heard the idea he thought, “We are completely out of our minds.”
But from the start, the two took to surfing naturally. With the help of his mom, Jennifer Kayler, and friends, who carry Patrick to the ocean and guide the extra-large surfboard into the waters, Ivison rides the waves with his pal standing on the back. “It’s kind of like a grand performance out there,” Ivison said of the group of people who help him out. The dog helps to balance out the board The teen remembered one pass when “we were about to flip over and then she stepped on that side of the board and helped us out.”
The two participated Sunday in the Surf City Surf Dog contest as a fund-raiser(募集资金者). They wowed the cheering crowd during their exhibition. The event raised $8,200. About $2,000 will go toward a service dog for Ivison, and the rest will go toward his “Help Patrick Walk” therapy fund.
【小题1】 Ivison got disabled when             .