A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack(裂缝) in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

This went on daily. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment. Of course, the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

　 “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologise to you.”

　 “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

　 “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back. And youdo no get full value for y our efforts” the pot explained.

　 The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

　 As they went up the hill, the cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it a little.

The bearer said, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?” That is because I have known about you, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walked back from the stream, you have watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

1．Why did the cracked pot feel ashamed?

　 A．Because it didn’t hold water.

　 B．Because the water bearer didn’t like it.

　 C．It couldn’t water the flowers well.

　 D．Because it could only accomplish half of its load.

2．How would the cracked pot feel at the end of the story?

　 A．Delighted with itself.　　　 B．Disappointed with itself.

　 C．Prouder than the other pot. D．Still ashamed of itself.

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

　 A．There were flowers on both sides of the path.

　 B．The cracked pot was more useful than the perfect one.

　 C．We sometimes don’t have to mind too much the way we are.

　 D．The water bearer preferred the perfect pot to the cracked one.

4．Which of the following proverbs can best go with this passage?

　 A．Every dog has his day.　　　 B．Every man has his price.

　 C．Every picture tells a story. D．Who laughs last is the best.

The passengers on the bus watched with sympathy as Susan made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and then, using her hands to  36  the seats, settled in one of them.
It had been a year since Susan became blind. As a result of an accident she was suddenly thrown into a world of  37 . Susan’s husband Mark watched her  38  into hopelessness and he was  39  to use every possible means to help his wife.
Finally, Susan felt ready to  40  to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but she was now too  41  to get around the city by herself. Mark  42 to ride the bus with Susan each morning and evening  43  she could manage it by herself.
For two weeks, Mark  44  Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other  _45 _, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new _46 .
At last, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip  47 _. Monday morning arrived. Before she left, she hugged her husband  48 _, her eyes filled with tears of gratitude（感激）. She said good-bye and, for the first time, they went their  49 ways. Each day went perfectly, and a wild excitement   50 _ Susan. She was doing it!
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work  51 . As she was getting off the bus, the driver said, “Miss, I sure  52  you.” Curious, Susan asked the driver  53 _.
“You know, every morning for the  54  week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you until you enter your office building safely,” the bus driver said.
Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s cheeks. She was so lucky for he had given her a gift more powerful than  55 _. That is the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dumps ( 处于沮丧中), as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your comer store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
1. According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.
A. it makes people more confident
B. it can pick up people' s spirits
C. it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world
D. it can help people get on well with others
2. The author answers the question in the second paragraph with ___________.
A. facts and descriptions                B. evidence and argument   
C. examples and conclusion             D. stories and persuasion
3. The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by __________.
A. explaining carefully                 B. speaking loud
    C. keeping silent                      D. laughing hard
4. In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.
A. talk about his own understanding of humor
B. encourage people to be humorous in daily life
C. introduce a practical way to get through daily life
D. convince people of the power of being optimistic about life[来源:学*科*网]
5. What is the author' s attitude towards the present world?[来源:学科网ZXXK]
A. Positive.          B. Critical.            C. Satisfied.           D. Indifferent.

I recently heard a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs（突破）. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him    1   he thought he was able to be so much more    2   than the average person.
He responded that it all came from a(n)   3   with his mother that occurred when he was about 2. He had been trying to   4  milk from the fridge when he    5   the slippery(光滑的) bottle, its contents running all over the kitchen floor.
When his mother came in,    6   shouting at him or giving him a lecture, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful    7   you have made! I have    8   seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been    9  . Would you like to get down and    10   in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, “Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge(海绵), a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge.
His mother then said, “ You know, what we have here is a    11  experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two    12   hands. Let’s go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can   13 .” The little boy learned that if he    14   the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful    15  !
This scientist then said that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be    16  to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just    17   for learning something new, which is,    18  , what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn't   19 ,” we usually learn something    20   from it.