Huckleberry Finn，the great character from the Mark Twain book，did not like school．He preferred floating down the Mississippi River on a raft and looking for adventure．That’s why generations of schoolboys have loved reading Huckleberry Finn：they feel the same way about the school as he did．

　 For many boys，being forced to sit all day in a school room is like being punished for a crime they did not commit．There are endless hours of boredom spent learning things they have no interest in．That’s why many boys do poorly in school and many give up on education altogether．

　 Ironically(具有讽刺意味的是)，the whole idea for schools was invented for boys．If a boy wanted to grow up to be a useful man，he had to be educated．By and by，people realized that educating girls was a good idea，too．And，ironically again，it was discovered that the schoolsystem suits girls just fine；so fine that girls now do much better than boys in school．

　 No one really knows why that is．Some say that girls mature(发育成熟)quicker than boys and adapt better to school life．Some also say that the school system and the curriculum(课程) have changed to encourage girls but the needs of boys have been overlooked．

　 Educators are now trying to find ways to get boys to be more successful in school．There are suggestions to separate the sexes and teach boys separately．There are also suggestions to change the curriculum to make it more interesting for boys．

　 Whatever the changes are，boys still will be boys，and dreams of floating down the Mississippi River will always be an attractive choice to just sitting in a classroom．

47. Huckleberry Finn is________.

A. a boy of Mark Twain’s　　 B. a character in a book

C．an American writer　　　 D．a river’s name　

48．Many boys do poorly in school because________．

A. they give up on education

B．they’re punished for a crime they did not commit

C．they have no interest in the things they’re learning

D．they prefer floating down the Mississippi River on a raft

49．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 means that________．

A. more boys are needed　 B. boys need to be cared about a lot

C．the needs of boys have been very important

D. People have paid little attention to the needs of boys.

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

A. Girls now do much better than boys in school.

B．The school system has changed to encourage girls．

C．Girls mature quicker than boys and adapt better to school life．

D. The curriculum has changed to be more interesting for boys.

The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.
“Who are these people?” I asked.
“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer, I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.
By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the commodities in Mr. Hopkins’shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewelry box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.
I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.
“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away.
“That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.
On Christmas Day, my friends and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.
When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, past the department store and found...nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.
As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something sir?” he asked.
I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”
“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”
I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.
“How strange” I exclaimed.
【小题1】How did the writer like the shop?

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to school, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times.

After his father's death in 1847, Mark twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.

In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him a great fortune.

Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments （投资）and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of their children passed away.

At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

45．Mark Twain left school at 12 to________.

A．work as a printer    B．write stories    C．join the army    D．make a living

46．Which of the following about Mark Twain is not true?

A．He was not a healthy boy.                  B．He caused much trouble for his parents.

C．He gained lots of money by writing     D．He had a happy childhood but a sad later life.

47．Arrange the following facts about Mark Twain’s life in order of time.

a．working as a printer       b．working as a river-boat pilot

c．working as a miner       d．joining the army

e．working as a full-time writer

A．a, b, c, d, e     B．a, b, d, c, e     C．a, c, b, d, e    D．c, a, b, d, e

48．Which of the following would be the best title________.

A．Mark Twain’s works       B．Mark Twain’s life

C．Mark Twain’s Fame        D．Mark Twain’s Success

The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.

“Who are these people?” I asked.

“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer，I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.

By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the articles in Mr. Hopkins’s shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewellery box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.

I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.

“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away. “That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.

On Christmas Day, my friend and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.

When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, passed the department store and found…nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area, again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.

As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something, sir?” he asked. I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”

“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”

I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.

“How strange!” I exclaimed.

61. The photos in the back of the shop showed          .

         A．the items that Mr. Hopkins had sold  B．Mr. Hopkins’ family members

         C．Mr. Hopkins’ former customers      D．the antique paintings.

62. How did the writer like the shop?

     A. He found it a modern big shop.         

         B. He thought it a wonderful shop for old books.

         C. He liked the ancient camera in the shop most.

     D. He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop.

63. Which of the following is true about shop?

    A. It was a very famous little shop in London.     

    B. It was a popular bookshop in Oxford.

    C. It was between a music shop and a department store.    

    D. It sold Christmas presents only.

64. The word “the articles” in the 4th paragraph means          .

         A．the goods in the shop        B．the writer’s works

         C．Mr. Hopkins’ writings        D．some writings by old customers

65. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

         A. Christmas Shopping          B. Hopkins and Son 

    C. The articles                 D. A Little shop

The old shopkeeper led me through to the back of the shop. The room was filled with boxes and photographs of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding packages in their hands.

“Who are these people?” I asked.

“Satisfied customers,” answered young Mr. Hopkins. “We have a very wide choice of items for sale. Whenever I serve a new customer，I always take their picture.” Mr. Hopkins pointed to an ancient camera standing next to one wall. “Now, how can I serve you?” he added.

By this time, I had started to trust Mr. Hopkins and had begun to appreciate the lovely items on sale. I needed to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends, and this seemed to be the perfect place to purchase them. I spent a very pleasant hour being shown the articles in Mr. Hopkins’s shop. No matter what I asked for, Mr. Hopkins found it for me. Finally, I bought an antique jewellery box, a pair of riding boots, a leather-bound edition of the Complete Works of Mark Twain, and a sewing machine.

I was very excited that I had found such a good little shop. I promised Mr. Hopkins that I would come back soon. “I will tell all my friends about your lovely place,” I told the shopkeeper.

“Please do not do that, sir”, said Mr. Hopkins. “This is a special place for special people. You must keep this shop a secret.” Then he took my photograph, and handed me the picture straight away. “That was quick!” I exclaimed. I looked at the photograph. In the picture I looked proud and excited holding the presents I had bought in Mr. Hopkins’ dusty shop.

On Christmas Day, my friend and relatives were delighted with the presents I had bought for them. For weeks, my brother begged me to show him where to find this wonderful little shop. I finally agreed to take him to London to show him.

When we arrived in London, we walked along Oxford Street, passed the department store and found…nothing. The little shop was no longer there. In its place was an empty space being used as a car park. I checked the area, again. There was the music shop, and there was the department store. In between should have been Hopkins and Son, but it wasn’t there.

As I was staring at the place where the shop should have been, an old policeman came along. “Are you looking for something, sir?” he asked. I turned and said “I am looking for a little shop called Hopkins and Son. I thought it was here.”

“Oh yes,” said the policeman. “There was a shop here once called Hopkins and Son. It sold all sorts of things, but it was knocked down over 30 years ago.”

I looked again at the place where the shop had been. Then I reached into my pocket and took out the photograph that Mr. Hopkins had taken of me holding my presents in the little shop.

“How strange!” I exclaimed.

61. The photos in the back of the shop showed          .

       A．the items that Mr. Hopkins had sold  B．Mr. Hopkins’ family members

       C．Mr. Hopkins’ former customers    D．the antique paintings.

62. How did the writer like the shop?

     A. He found it a modern big shop.    

       B. He thought it a wonderful shop for old books.

       C. He liked the ancient camera in the shop most.

     D. He found it a dusty, old but friendly and lovely little shop.

63. Which of the following is true about shop?

    A. It was a very famous little shop in London.     

    B. It was a popular bookshop in Oxford.

    C. It was between a music shop and a department store.     

    D. It sold Christmas presents only.

64. The word “the articles” in the 4th paragraph means          .

       A．the goods in the shop      B．the writer’s works

       C．Mr. Hopkins’ writings     D．some writings by old customers

65. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

       A. Christmas Shopping          B. Hopkins and Son 

    C. The articles                 D. A Little shop