Long ago there were two people--- a young father and an old neighbor. One day the young father was visiting the old neighbor. They were standing in the old man’s garden, talking about children. The young man said, “How strict should parents be with their children?”
The old man pointed to a string（绳子）between a big strong tree and a thin young one．“Please untie（解开）that string，” he said．The young man untied it, and the young tree bent over to one side. “Now tie it again，please,” said the old man, “but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again.”
The young man did so．Then the old man said，“There，it is the same with children. You must be strict with them, but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on．If they are not yet able to stand alone，you must tie the string tight again. But when you find that they are ready to stand alone，you can take the string away.”

1. 1.

   The story is about _________ ．

   1. A.
      how the young father should get on with his old neighbor
   2. B.
      how to tie and untie the string
   3. C.
      how to take care of young trees
   4. D.
      how strict parents should be with their children
2. 2.

   The young man untied the string _________ ．

   1. A.
      only to find that the thinner one bent over to one side
   2. B.
      in order to let the old man teach him
   3. C.
      in order to throw it away
   4. D.
      so that both of the trees would grow straight
3. 3.

   When can the string be taken away？_________ ．

   1. A.
      When the young man has untied it next time
   2. B.
      When the young tree grows strong enough
   3. C.
      When the old man has left
   4. D.
      After you have untied it
4. 4.

   At last the old man told the young man ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

   1. A.
      that he should be strict with his children if they could not yet stand alone
   2. B.
      that he should be hard on them
   3. C.
      that he should tie his children until they are ready to stand alone
   4. D.
      that he should always be strict with his children

There was a king who gave his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. So the king asked to search for it and put a reward for＄50,000 for anyone who found it.

One day, a clerk was walking home along a river when he saw something shinning in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the ＄50,000 reward.

He put his hand in the river and tried to catch the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again.

But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling sad. Just then, an old man walking by saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn’t want to share the secret with him, thinking he might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell him anything.

The old man could see this man was troubled. He again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk told him about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing.

The old man then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was hanging on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to take a reflection of the real necklace all this time.

The clerk tried to get the diamond necklace to ________________.

A. make the king happy.                    B. keep it for himself.

C. get the big reward.                      D. sell it at a high price.

Before the old man asked the clerk what was the matter, the clerk        .

   A. was searching in the water              B. was trying to find help

   C. felt rather tired                       D. was not feeling good

Where did the clerk find the necklace at last?

   A. On the tree      B. On the bank      C. In the river      D. In the sand

What might be the best title for the passage?

A. A beautiful diamond necklace           B. A king’s promise           

C.A lucky young clerk                   D. Changing the way of thinking

Bright, Spacious Room

Spacious, single furnished room in owner- occupied home is available now, for one and a half years. Ground floor flat. Five-minute walk to the town center and local bus services. Well-equipped shared kitchen, including washing machine. Shared shower& toilet. Large rooms, with high ceilings, a warm and pleasant home. Responsible for own food & cooking, washing, telephone, insurance, etc. No smoking or pets. Not suitable for children. WiFi （无线网络）available locally.

Call Jenna on 85756624 if you are interested.

One Bedroom Newly Refurbished (整修) Flat in Burnage

A fantastic one-bedroom flat in the heart of Burnage is available for however long you want. The property has just been refurbished to a high standard. Situated above the pharmacy （药房）on Burnage Lane the property boasts a kitchen, large lounge, separate shower and toilet, and bedroom with in- built wardrobes. A must-see!

Call Daniel on 70554323 at the weekend.

Two Bedrooms Left in Four-bed House Share

A great four- bedroom property in the heart of Fallowfield. Two Bedrooms left in a mixed student house. The property has a dining area, toilet, lounge and one bedroom on the ground floor, followed by three bedrooms on the first floor with an extra toilet. Very close to the main bus stop & local amenities (设施): supermarket, Lloyds pharmacy and local launderette. Two minutes’ walking distance to the centre of Fallowfield. The property is available from the 1^st of July 2012 to 30^th June 2013. Half rent for July/ Aug. We are a private landlord; so there are no agency fees!

Jack welcomes you to call. Phone:22604322.

Board and Lodgings Close to Boston, Lincolnshire

We have a double room available on a board and lodgings basis from 1^st of June, 2012 to 1^st of May, 2013. Within a comfortable, peaceful farmhouse, set in lovely gardens and beautiful countryside. Share a bathroom with one other person only. Room has own TV with Freeview and access to wireless broadband,. Use of the garden and rest of the house. On the bus route to Boston and Horncastle. Free car parking space. All meals, bills, etc. included. Can cater for a variety of special dietary（饭食的）needs if required, Please call Alice at the weekend or after 7p.m. On workdays. Phone:42556755.

1.          Which of the following is TRUE about the first advertisement?

2.          Who should you contact if you want to rent long term?

3.          What does Jack provide, according to the advertisement?

4.          If someone needs a free parking space in particular, he should call__________.

5.          What kind of person would prefer to rent Alice’s house?

The doctor’s dilemma was _____ he should tell the patient the truth.

A. whether        B. which    C. that       D. what

My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.

It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.

I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.

When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.

The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.

1. The writer’s first job was _______.

　 A. to stand down the fairway at a golf course

　 B. to watch over the sugar-cane plantation

　 C. to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields

　 D. to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them

2. The writer learned that_______ from his first job.

　A. he should work for those who he liked most

　B. he should work longer than what he was expected

　 C. he should never fail to say hello to his owner

　 D. he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for

3. _______ gave the writer self-esteem.

A. Having a family of eight people

　 B. Owning his own golf course

　 C. Bringing money back home to help the family

　 D. Helping his father with the work on the plantation

4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　 A. He wanted to be a successful golfer.

　B. He wanted to run a golf course near his house.

　C. He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.

　D. He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.