I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”?

“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.?

“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!”?

1. We can learn from this passage ________.?

2. Having heard the old man's story, the writer _______ .?

3. It turned out that the thumb in the match box was actually __________.?

4.The waiter hadn't let out the truth of the old man's story earlier because _______ .

5. As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end?      ??

Son’s Help

Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup(拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.

It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.

“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”

1.Mr. Lang was paid much because _______.

A．he was a driver                         B．he worked in a factory

C．he had worked there for a long time         D．he had a lot of work to do

2.Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.

A．she thought her husband was tired          B．she couldn’t find any work

C．her husband spent all time in gambling       D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling

3._______, so he was put into lockup.

A．Mr. Lang was late for work                B．Mr. Lang often gambled

C．Mr. Lang didn’t help his wife at home       D．Mr. Lang wasn’t polite to the police

4.The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.

A．he wouldn’t stop gambling               B．he didn’t love her any longer

C．he had been put into lockup               D．he was hardly sent away by the factory

5.Which of the following is right?

A．The boy thought his father needed some policemen

B．The boy hoped his father to be put into lockup again.

C．The boy hoped his father to stop gambling soon.

D．The boy hoped his mother to come back.

Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know whether you think you are a  36  person or a coward (懦夫). But you will never really know the answer to this question  37  you are tested in real life. Some people think they are brave, but when they come face to face with real  38 , they act like cowards. Others think of themselves as cowards, but when they meet danger, they act like heroes.

Lenny had always thought of himself as a  39  person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. Then on January 15th, 2002, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny happened to see a woman in the ice-cold water. He did not feel afraid. He  40  very calm and did a very dangerous thing. He jumped into the Potomac,  41  to the woman, and kept her head  42  the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny, it was not  43  .

When you are in a very dangerous situation and feel afraid, the body automatically(自动地) produces a chemical called adrenalin in the blood. With adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and stronger and are   44  to fight or run away. However, when you are terrified greatly, the body can produce too much adrenalin.   45   this happens, the muscles become very hard. You are then paralyzed (麻木) with fear. This is why when we are extremely frightened, we sometimes say we are “petrified”. This word   46   a Greek word “petros”, which means “stone”.  We are  47   frightened that we become stonelike.

A. brave                 B. real             C. hard                      D. certain

A. when                 B. until               C. after                      D. once

A. life                    B. question           C. mouse                    D. danger

A. useful                     B. brave             C. nervous                  D. terrible

A. had                   B. kept                C. let                      D. made

A. went                B. ran               C. spoke                     D. swam

A. in                      B. under             C. above                    D. from

A. an accident            B. a mistake                C. seventy-eight            D. seventy-nine

A. ready                 B. unable             C. afraid                          D. anxious

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

A. comes from           B. comes back    C. comes on               D. comes across

A. such                    B. very               C. so                         D. really

On the wall in my mother’s bedroom there was a photo, which showed a soldier with a gun.

Below the photo there was the word ”Speaking”.

“Who’s that soldier called Speaking?” I asked one day.

“He was Harold.” She said, ‘He was my only brother. When the Second War began, Harold was eighteen. I was twelve then, and my sisters were ten and nine.”

“Harold liked to play with us, and we often quarreled. When we quarreled, we said, ‘We’re not speaking to you.’ But before long we were all happy again, and then we said, ‘I’m speaking now. Are you speaking to me?’”

“When the war broke out, Harold joined the army. A month later, he came to see us. He brought the gun to show us. Then he went miles away to the war. We didn’t see him for three years, three long, empty years. We didn’t often hear from him. But one day in May there was a loud bang on the front door.”

“I ran to open it, it was Harold! He was an old Harold, a thinner Harold, too. He looked at me with his two green eyes and smiled. That smile was just the same as before, then he said one word “Speaking’”.

‘I didn’t. I couldn’t answer. I just fell into his arms and he dropped his gun. He stayed with us for a month. We played all our old games again. Then he went back to the war, and never came back again. So I wrote the word on the photo.”

60. When I first saw the word “Speaking” below the photo, I thought ____.

A .the soldier was calling “Speaking” 

B. it was taken when the soldier was speaking

C .“Speaking” was the soldier’s name 

D. Mum wished the soldier could speak to her

61. How old was the author’s mother when Harold came back for the last time?

A.Twelve                  B.Thirteen                    C. Fifteen                     D. Twenty-one

62. When Harold came back home, ____.

A.he changed a lot except for his eyes and smile

B.he made a shoot in front of the door

C.his sister could hardly recognize him

D.his sister had another quarrel with him

63. Harold never came back again because ____.

A.he didn’t want to speak to his sister any more

B.he died in a battle

C.his sister had not answered him when he came back

D.he went far away to the war

All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. “Where shall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town has made preparations.”

Then he saw the statue(雕像) on the tall column.

“I will put up there, ” he cried; “it is a fine position, with plenty of fresh air.” So he flew down and settled just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself as he looked around, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing, a large drop of water fell on him.

“What a curious thing!” he cried; “there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really terrible. ”

Then another drop fell.

“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?” he said; “I must look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined to fly away.

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw –AH! What did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.

“Who are you? ” he said.

“ I am the Happy Prince. ”

“ Why are you weeping(哭泣) then?” asked the Swallow; “you have quite wetted me.”

“When I was alive and had a human heart, ” answered the statue, “I did not know what tears were, for I lived in Palace of Sans-Souci(无忧宫)，where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very high wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. People called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead(铅), yet I can’t choose but weep.”

“ What! Is he not solid gold? ” said the Swallow himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.

1. The Swallow wanted to put up when he arrived at the city because_______.

A. he saw the Statue of the Happy Prince.

B. he flew into a lovely golden bedroom.

C. he had a whole-day flight and wanted to sleep.

D. it was night and a rain was likely to come soon.

2. Why did the Swallow feel curious when a drop of water fell on him?

   A. Because of the heavy rain though there was no cloud in the sky.

   B. Because the statue couldn’t keep the rain off though made of gold.

   C. Because he thought it was raining despite bright and clear stars.

   D. Because he couldn’t understand why the Happy Prince was weeping.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. Seeing the Prince’s beautiful face, the Swallow had pity on him.

   B. The Swallow flew away immediately he found it was raining.

   C. The Prince lived happily because he didn’t know what tears were.

   D. The Swallow had wanted to find a good chimney-pot but failed.

3. What made the Happy Prince weep according to the passage?

   A. The high wall stopping him from going out.

   B. His not being able to play with his companions.

   C. His sudden death and his statue being too high.

   D. The hard life of the people and his inability to help.