It was Saturday when the entire summer world was bright and fresh. Tom looked at the fence, which was long and high, feeling all enthusiasm leaving him. He dipped his brush into the whitewash before moving it along the top board of the fence. He knew other boys would arrive soon with all minds of interesting plans for this day. As walking past him, they would tease him for having to work on a beautiful Saturday—which burnt him like fire.
He, putting his hands into his pockets and taking out all he owned with the expectation of letting someone paint, found nothing that could buy half an hour of freedom. At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea occurred to him, pouring a great bright light into his mind. He took up his brush and continued to work pleasantly with calm and quietness.
Presently, Ben Rogers came in sight—munching an apple and making joyful noises like the sound of a riverboat as he walked along. Tom went on whitewashing, paying no attention to the steamboat. 
“Hello!” Ben said, “I’m going swimming, but you can’t go, can you?”
No answer. Tom moved his brush gently along the fence and surveyed the result. Ben came nearer. Tom’s mouth watered for Ben’s apple while he kept painting the fence.
Ben said, “That’s a lot of work, isn’t it?”
Tom turned suddenly saying “Here you are! Ben! I didn’t notice you.”
“I’m going swimming,” Ben said. “Don’t you wish you could go? Or would you rather work?”
Tom said, “Work? What do you mean ‘work’?”
“Isn’t that work?”
Tom continued painting and answered carelessly, “Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. All I know is it suits Tom Sawyer.”
“Do you mean that you enjoy it?”
“I don’t see why I oughtn’t to enjoy it.”
“Does a boy have a chance to paint a fence frequently” said Tom.
Ben stopped munching his apple.
Tom moved his brush back and forth—stepped back to note the effect—added a little paint here and there. Ben watched every move, getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed1. After a short time, he said, “Tom, let me whitewash a little.”
Tom seemed to be thinking for a moment before he said, “No, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. If it was the back fence, maybe you could do it. But this fence beside the street is where everybody can see it. It has to be done right.”
“Oh, come on, let me try. I’ll be careful. Listen, Tom. I’ll give you part of my apple if you let me paint.”
“No, Ben, I’m afraid—”
“I’ll give you all the apple!”
Tom handed the brush to Ben with unwillingness on his face but alacrity in his heart. While the riverboat worked and sweated in the hot sun, Tom, an artist sat in the shade close by, munching his apple, and planning how he could trick more of the boys.
Before long there were enough boys each of whom came along the street; stopped to laugh but soon begged to be allowed to paint. By the middle of the afternoon, Tom had got many treasures while the fence had had three layers of whitewash on it. If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, he would have owned everything belonging to the boys in the village.
Tom said to himself that the world was not so depressing after all. He had discovered a great law of human action: in order to make a man cover a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.

1. 1.

   By using “Tom continued painting and answered carelessly”, the author shows Tom ______ when he was talking to Ben.

   1. A.
      made mistakes
   2. B.
      damaged things
   3. C.
      was natural
   4. D.
      wasn’t concentrating
2. 2.

   The underlined word “alacrity” in the last but two paragraph most probable means “______”.

   1. A.
      kindness
   2. B.
      discouragement
   3. C.
      sympathy
   4. D.
      eagerness
3. 3.

   Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? ________

   1. A.
      Tom did not want to go swimming at all
   2. B.
      Tom was asked to help Aunt Polly paint the fence
   3. C.
      Tom did not get along well with his friends
   4. D.
      Tom was very busy that Saturday afternoon.
4. 4.

   We can draw a conclusion from the last paragraph that _______.

   1. A.
      forbidden fruit is sweet.
   2. B.
      a friend in need is a friend indeed.
   3. C.
      all good things must come to an end.
   4. D.
      a bad excuse is better than none.

It is not unusual to see your desk-mate yawn (打呵欠) as he complains that he didn't have a good sleep the night before. Many teens don't get enough sleep because they have too much homework, which keeps them up at night. Some teens cannot sleep at night even when they want to.

Studies show that during your teenage years, the body's biological clock is reset, telling you to sleep later at night and wake up later in the morning.

But changes in the body clock aren't the only reason teens lose sleep. Lots of people have insomnia (失眠). The most common cause of insomnia is stress. But all sorts of things can lead to insomnia. These include physical discomfort, emotional troubles and even sleeping environment. It's common for everyone to have insomnia from time to time. But if it lasts for a month or more go and see a doctor.

Some people have a condition that causes stomach acid (酸) to move backward towards the chest. This produces the uncomfortable, burning feeling called heartburn. So even if the person doesn't notice the feelings of heartburn because he is sleeping, he may feel tired the next day.

Most teens have nightmares sometimes. But, if they are frequent, a person's sleep pattern can be seriously affected. The most common cause of nightmares is emotional problems, such as stress (压力) or anxiety. If you have them a lot, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor.

Doctors encourage teens to make lifestyle changes to develop good sleeping habits. You probably know that coffee can keep you awake, but did you know that playing video games or watching TV does the same?

1. The main idea of the first paragraph is ________.

A. There is a problem that teenagers can’t get enough sleep.

B. Sleeping problems have different causes.

C. Yawning is a good way to get rid of sleep.

D. Teenagers care too much for homework.

2. The Teenagers’ biological clock ________.

A. easily makes teenagers lead to insomnia

B. is the origin of their insomnia

C. provides them with plenty of time at night

D. is helpful to improve their concentration(注意力)

3. What does the writer say about “nightmares”?

A. It is nothing and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

B. It can release their stress or anxiety.

C. Emotional problems are the only way to form nightmares.

D. People will suffer from sleep if frequent.

4. Which way can help to get rid of insomnia?

A. Drinking some coffee before going to bed.

B. Playing video game or watching TV from time to time.

C. Turning to a doctor for help.

D. Eating much medicine for insomnia.

It is not unusual to see your desk-mate yawn (打呵欠) as he complains that he didn't have a good sleep the night before. Many teens don't get enough sleep because they have too much homework, which keeps them up at night. Some teens cannot sleep at night even when they want to.

Studies show that during your teenage years, the body's biological clock is reset, telling you to sleep later at night and wake up later in the morning.

But changes in the body clock aren't the only reason teens lose sleep. Lots of people have insomnia (失眠). The most common cause of insomnia is stress. But all sorts of things can lead to insomnia. These include physical discomfort, emotional troubles and even sleeping environment. It's common for everyone to have insomnia from time to time. But if it lasts for a month or more go and see a doctor.

Some people have a condition that causes stomach acid (酸) to move backward towards the chest. This produces the uncomfortable, burning feeling called heartburn. So even if the person doesn't notice the feelings of heartburn because he is sleeping, he may feel tired the next day.

Most teens have nightmares sometimes. But, if they are frequent, a person's sleep pattern can be seriously affected. The most common cause of nightmares is emotional problems, such as stress (压力) or anxiety. If you have them a lot, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor.

Doctors encourage teens to make lifestyle changes to develop good sleeping habits. You probably know that coffee can keep you awake, but did you know that playing video games or watching TV does the same?

1. The main idea of the first paragraph is ________.

A. There is a problem that teenagers can’t get enough sleep.

B. Sleeping problems have different causes.

C. Yawning is a good way to get rid of sleep.

D. Teenagers care too much for homework.

2. The Teenagers’ biological clock ________.

A. easily makes teenagers lead to insomnia

B. is the origin of their insomnia

C. provides them with plenty of time at night

D. is helpful to improve their concentration(注意力)

3. What does the writer say about “nightmares”?

A. It is nothing and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

B. It can release their stress or anxiety.

C. Emotional problems are the only way to form nightmares.

D. People will suffer from sleep if frequent.

4. Which way can help to get rid of insomnia?

A. Drinking some coffee before going to bed.

B. Playing video game or watching TV from time to time.

C. Turning to a doctor for help.

D. Eating much medicine for insomnia.

It happened to me recently that I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father and how it had changed my views of the current US president. The person I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a wonderfully written book”. However, he then proceeded to talk about Mr. Obama in a way that suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.

    And it seems that he is not the only one. Clearly two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day survey, Dreams from My Father is at number 9. The survey lists top ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading. As I’m not one to lie too often, I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire ten books. But I am pleased to say that I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s absolutely outstanding.

Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to impress someone they were speaking to. This could be difficult if the conversation became more in depth!

The World Book Day survey also has some other interesting information in it. It shows that many people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and so on. But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, they named J.K. Rowling, Jilly Cooper, and Stephen King (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-one percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story.

So which books have you lied about reading — if any — and which is your favourite?

1．The main reason why people lie about reading is to _________.

A. make fun of the listener                 B. impress the listener

C. please the listener                      D. interest the listener

2．The underlined word “proceeded” in the passage probably means “_________”.

A. wanted           B. happened         C. continued            D. stopped

3．What does the World Book Day survey show?

A. Nearly half of the people surveyed didn’t read through a whole classical book.

B. People don’t like Dreams from My Father and George Orwell’s 1984.

C. Few people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen.

D. People usually enjoy reading books by Charles Dickens.

4．What is the best title for the passage?

A. Are You a Book Liar?                 B. Readers Are All Liars

C. World Book Day                       D. Dreams from My Father

It was at a concert that I happened to find David. He was holding his head at a strange   36  as if he were staring down at something. Then the truth  37 me. He was blind. The last thing he remembers seeingwas his daughter being born. Then the whole world went   38 .
Bad luck is no stranger to this 44-year-old man. His mother died of cancer, and his weak father had to  39 11-year-old David to the  40 of the state.
Things seemed always to go for   41  . Two years ago, his beloved guide dog pulled him out of the pathof a truck. David was not  42 . The dog died.
But David does not feel sorry for himself. “These are just little obstacles(障碍困难) you have to   43  in your life,” he said.
He has to make a daily two-hour trip to his working place—the X-ray department of an  44  room. It was a hard job to 45 by. Before he got it, David was determined to escape the workshop run by the Lighthouse, an organization   46  to helping blind people. He wanted a job of developing X-ray film, a job   47   everyone, not just he, must work in the dark, including those with  48  eyesight. The Lighthouse called many hospitals, with no result,   49  they offered to pay his first three months’ salary.
David works alone in a dark room that   50  of chemicals. He doesn’t wear gloves. Otherwise, he could not feel. 51  this is an emergency room, lives can be put either   52  or out of danger. His director says he trusts him 100 percent.
He makes $20,000 a year. But his motivation goes   53  money. “By working I can realize my own   54 . That’s what really counts!” he said.
What a shining example for us to   55 !