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

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

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

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

Mr Brown was going away for a week. Before he left, he said to his son, "if anyone asks for me, you can tell him that your father has been out for doing something, and will be back in a week, then be sure to ask him to sit down for a cup of tea."

 "OK, Dad," said his son. But he was afraid his son couldn't remember this, he wrote these words down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. His son put it into his small pocket, took it out and looked at it now and then.

 Four days passed, but no one came to see his father. The boy thought that there was no man to come and that the piece of paper was of no more use for him, so he burnt it that evening.

 The next afternoon, someone knocked at the door. The boy opened it. A man was standing at the door and said, "Where is your father?" The boy put his hand into his pocket at once and looked for the piece of paper. He could not find it. He suddenly remembered he had burnt it, so he shouted, "No more."

 The man was very surprised. He asked, "No more? I met your father last week. When did it happen?"

 "Burnt yesterday evening."

Mr Brown told his son that _____.

A. he would be away from home for four days

B. he would be back in seven days

C. he would be back in a month

D. he liked a cup of tea

Mr Brown wrote the words down on ________.

A. the wall B. the door

C. a piece of paper D. his son's pocket

A man came to visit the boy's father on ________.

A. the second day B. the third day C. the fourth day D. the fifth day

What was burnt? ___________.

The piece of paper B. Mr Smith C. The visitor D. The boy

Mr Brown was going away for a week. Before he left, he said to his son, "if anyone asks for me, you can tell him that your father has been out for doing something, and will be back in a week, then be sure to ask him to sit down for a cup of tea."
"OK, Dad," said his son. But he was afraid his son couldn't remember this, he wrote these words down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. His son put it into his small pocket, took it out and looked at it now and then.
Four days passed, but no one came to see his father. The boy thought that there was no man to come and that the piece of paper was of no more use for him, so he burnt it that evening.
The next afternoon, someone knocked at the door. The boy opened it. A man was standing at the door and said, "Where is your father?" The boy put his hand into his pocket at once and looked for the piece of paper. He could not find it. He suddenly remembered he had burnt it, so he shouted, "No more."
The man was very surprised. He asked, "No more? I met your father last week. When did it happen?"
"Burnt yesterday evening."
【小题1】Mr Brown told his son that _____.

The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out. ---Thomas Macaulay

Some thirty years ago, I was studying in a public school in New York. One day, Mrs Nanette O'Neill gave an arithmetic   36   to our class. When the papers were   37   she discovered that twelve boys had made exactly the same mistakes throughout the test.

There is nothing really new about   38  in exams. Perhaps that was why Mrs O'Neill didn’t even say a word about it. She only asked the twelve boys to   39   after class. I was one of the twelve.

Mrs O'Neill asked   40   questions, and she didn't   41   us either. Instead, she wrote on the blackboard the   42   words by Thomas Macaulay. She then ordered us to    43   these words into our exercise-books one hundred times.

I don't know about the other eleven boys. Speaking for   44   I can say:it was the most important single   45   of my life. Thirty years after being introduced to Macaulay's words, they   46   seem to me the best yardstick(准绳), because they give us a way to _47____ourselves rather than others.

 48   of us are asked to make   49    decisions about nations going to war of armies going to battle. But all of us are called   50   daily to make a great many personal decisions.   51   the wallet, found in the street, be put into a pocket or turned over to the policeman? Should the   52  change received at the store be forgotten or   53  ? Nobody will know except   54  . But you have to live with yourself, and it is always   55   to live with someone you respect.

1.A. test           B. problem       C. paper            D. lesson

2.A. examined   B. completed         C. marked           D. answered

3. A. lying     B. cheating      C. guessing            D. discussing

4.A. come      B. leave              C. remain          D. apologize

5.A. no        B. certain          C. many          D. more

6.A. excuse     B. shout           C. help               D. scold

7.A. above      B. common         C. following       D. unusual

8.A. repeat     B. get            C. put                 D. copy

9.A. myself     B. ourselves        C. themselves        D. herself

10.A. chance        B. incident       C. lesson          D. memory

11.A. even      B. still              C. always          D. almost

12.A. measure       B. respect          C. love              D. believe

13.A. All           B. Few            C. Some            D. None

14.A. quick     B. wise           C. great           D. personal

15.A. out           B. for            C. up               D. upon

16.A. Should   B. Must           C. Would           D. Need

17.A. extra     B. small              C. some            D. necessary

18.A. paid      B. remembered     C. shared          D. returned

19.A. me            B. you            C. us              D. them

20. A. easier       B. more natural  C. better          D. more peaceful