Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divided the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.
【小题1】The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because      .

Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.

The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.

The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divide the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”

After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.

1.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because      .

A. he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one

B. his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother

C. elder brother should of course have the bigger one

D. he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer

2.We can conclude from the passage that      .

A. it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work

B. it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough

C. it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves

D. it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple

3.The writer tells the story by      .

A. organizing it in the order of time

B. making a comparison between two men

C. providing some scientific information

D. describing it in the order of space

4. It is implied in the passage that      .

A. we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot

B. in order to get what we want, we should play hard

C. giving children apples will lead them to become criminals

D. a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing

A businessman had been on a long flight between meetings. After a while, a calm voice said, “We shall not be serving the drinks at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence(漩涡). Please be    1    your seat belt is fastened.”

As the businessman looked around in the aircraft, it became obvious that many  passengers were becoming a bit    2   . Later, the voice said, “We are so sorry that we are unable    3    the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.”

Lightning    4    the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a _  5    moving around on an ocean. One moment the airplane was    6    on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash. All the passengers were upset and scared. Some were praying. The future seemed terrible and many were wondering if they would    7    it through the storm.

Then, he suddenly saw a little girl. Obviously the storm meant    8     to her. She was reading a book and everything within her small world was    9    and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would    10    again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her    11   . All the adults were scared half to __12___, but the great child wasn’t afraid at all.

The businessman could hardly believe his eyes. When the plane finally    13    its destination, he asked why she had not been afraid. The child replied, “Because my Daddy’s the pilot, and he’s flying the plane to take me home.”

There are many kinds of storms that    14    us physically, mentally and financially. And many storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and    15    out planes into uncontrollable movement.

Let us remember: Our Father is the pilot. He is in control and taking us home. So don’t worry!

1.A. quick            B. sure              C. true               D. worried

2.A. excited           B. curious           C. happy             D. nervous

3.A. to serve          B. to take            C. to finish            D. to produce

4.A. broke out         B. lit up             C. came across        D. gave off

5.A. bird             B. boat              C. plane              D. person

6.A. lifted            B. squeezed          C. knocked            D. dropped

7.A. make            B. get               C. carry              D. finish

8.A. something        B. anything           C. everything         D. nothing

9.A. funny            B. easy              C. moving            D. calm

10.A. lie              B. read              C. play              D. smile

11.A. book            B. world             C. story             D. body

12.A. death            B. cry               C. smile             D. madness

13.A. came            B. arrived            C. got               D. reached

14.A. wound           B. warn             C. trouble            D. kill

15.A. reduce           B. throw             C. make             D. destroy

Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.

The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.

The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divided the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”

After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.

1.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because      .

A. he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one

B. he knew how to make his mother happy from her answer

C. elder brother should of course have the bigger one

D. his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother

2.We can conclude from the passage that      .

A. it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough

B. it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work

C. it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves

D. it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple

3.The writer tells the story by      .

A. organizing it in the order of time

B. making a comparison between two men

C. providing some scientific information

D. describing it in the order of space

4.It is implied in the passage that      .

A. we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot

B. in order to get what we want, we should play hard

C. a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing

D. giving children apples will lead them to become criminals

A

Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.

These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate. But there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We've talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”

At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist（专栏作家）really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.

Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.

Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers' imagination and creativity, thousands of young people's pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.

1. How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?

A. Many young people asked them to do it

B. They did it just for pleasure

C. They thought out the idea by chance and imagination

D. They did it in order to honor pirates

2. Why are the holiday become more and more popular？.

A. You can have fun and relax yourself freely.

B. young people can exchange ideas and dreams on the day

C. young people can have fun and be relaxed.

D. you can play the role of the pirate in the movie on the day

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday.

B. Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday

C. Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, a lot of people realize their pirate dream.

D. The holiday has been popular since the birth of it.

4. According to the passage, which of the following can show that the holiday is special?

A. It has a long history.  

B. It is a wonderful and instructive holiday.

C. It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves.  

D. People can make their dream come true on this day.

5. Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage？

A. Can you talk like a pirate?

B. Young people’s pirate dream

C. John Baur and Mark Summers

D. September 19^th ,—a day in honor of pirates