Dear Students,

I am delighted to be your guest.

I would like to tell you about myself. I have been a news reporter

for the past fifteen years. I chose this job so I could travel the world, but the job has taught me many unforgettable lessons. The work is sometimes difficult. I have seen famines, wars, earthquakes, poverty and death. But I have also seen courage, hope and happiness.

In India, I visited a city where there were many homeless children. Some were as young as four years old. They lived in the streets and survived by begging or stealing. But then a wonderful lady called Rosa opened a home for them. Within one year, she was looking after two hundred children. She clothed them, fed them, and taught them. She gave them hope.

Another time, I was in Turkey after a terrible earthquake, in one place. I found an old lady whose house was in ruins, her son was missing and rescuer workers said there was no chance that he was still alive. But the old lady did not give up hope. For four days, she moved heavy stones one at a time by herself. She did not stop until she found her son. He was alive.

Here in China, I met a young boy with a serious condition. He had undergone twenty operations and spent nearly his whole life in hospital. I thought he would be sad, but when I met him, his smile was so warm and welcoming.

In life, we need role models that we can admire and learn from. When my life is difficult, I try to remember the courage and goodness of these three people.

60. The underlined word “ famine ” in Paragraph 2 means __________.

A. pleasure  B. joy       C. luck       D. extreme lack of food

61. What can we learn about Rosa ?

A. She’s a rich lady and she likes to help the homeless children.

B. She’s a kind-hearted woman and she provides houses for the homeless children.

C. She’s a great mother and she looks after the homeless children.

D. She’s a good teacher and she teaches the homeless children.

62. The speaker is giving a speech to students in __________.

A. China     B. Canada    C. Turkey     D. India

63. For what does the speaker admire the Turkish woman and the Chinese  boy?

A. Their bravery.         B. Their strong mind.

C. Their age.             D. Their luck.

____ her joy, her son was __________ Being University.

“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby’ s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed(叹息), knowing that his life was to be unfortunate. He cried to his mum “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人)．”

He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’ re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’ s a secret.” The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.

Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”

The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’ s casket棺材. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears.

“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”

1.Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

A．Because her son had a tiny face.

B．Because she saw her son crying.

C．Because her son was born imperfect.

D．Because her son was in her arms.

2.Which word can describe Mother’ s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?

A．Nervous.          B．Sympathetic.       C．Proud.            D．Angry.

3.We can infer that the person who donate the ears is_____.

A．A doctor.          B．His father.         C．His mother.        D．A stranger.

4.From the passage we know the followings are True except________

A．the mother felt sorry for the son without ears

B．the doctor didn’t like the baby

C．the boy meant everything to the mother

D．the father kept the secret until mother died

5.The best title for the passage would be ________.

A．Mother’s hair                         B．An unforgettable memory

C．Who gave me the ears?                   D．Who is my best respectable person?

For a few years, I have been wearing a ring on my right hand. It’s not always the   16   ring, but it’s always a ring that has  17  on it so that when I look at it, I’m   18   or reminded of something important. I have made a  19  of buying rings like this whenever I see one in a store. Sometimes I give them away as   20  to someone like Jennie.

    I first met Jennie in the   21   waiting room and we had talked several times. One night I sat down beside her and   22   how her son was doing because I knew that he was in very  23    condition. She told me that she didn’t know what to do any more because it seemed none of the   24  from the doctors was good. They weren’t at all sure her son was going to   25   the accident that had hurt him so badly. With  26  in her eyes she said, “They’re   27  my hope.”

    I knew then that it was 28  just a coincidence that I was wearing the ring that I had on that day. As she   29  to talk, I   30  slipped the ring off my finger and placed it in Jennie’s hand. I told her to wear it to remember that God loved her and He would be with her  31   all of this.   32  Jennie looked down at the ring, she got excited and then held it tightly,  33   the word written on the ring was “HOPE”.

    The last day I was at the hospital, I saw Jennie in the distance as I got on the lift. She   34  and held up the hand with the ring on it as she called out to me saying, “Look, I   35   have Hope!”

1.A．special            B．expensive        C．same             D．valuable

2.A．words              B．pictures         C．names            D．symbols

3.A．admired            B．encouraged       C．trusted          D．puzzled

4.A．plan               B．point            C．list             D．habit

5.A．gifts              B．prizes           C．awards           D．thanks

6.A．railway            B．school           C．hospital         D．airport

7.A．asked              B．explained        C．thought          D．found

8.A．favorable          B．normal           C．serious          D．excellent

9.A．advice             B．news             C．instructions     D．comfort

10.A．defeat            B．experience       C．predict          D．survive

11.A．apologies         B．tears            C．anger            D．doubt

12.A．keeping up        B．bringing down    C．cutting off      D．taking away

13.A．other than        B．rather than      C．more than        D．less than

14.A．continued         B．refused          C．attempted        D．started

15.A．cautiously        B．quietly          C．nervously        D．shyly

16.A．over              B．beyond           C．through          D．within

17.A．Until             B．While            C．Since            D．When

18.A．for               B．so               C．yet              D．and

19.A．shouted           B．waved            C．cheered          D．hesitated

20.A．ever  B．only C．still    D．Just

For a long time, a boy wondered why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, “Am I more stupid than other kids? How come I always lag behind? I just can’t come up with an answer.” Mom was aware that her son’s self-respect had been damaged by the ranking system, but she didn’t know what to say to help.

    She was tempted (想要) to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would have so upset her son. Thank goodness she resisted the temptation to say it.

Her son and his friend went on to high school that year, but despite trying as hard as he could, her son’s friend still outdid him. But she was proud of her boy for his hard work, sincerely proud. It was around this time she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. On the trip, she at last found an answer for him.

    Today her son no longer cares about rankings. He doesn’t have to, for he himself is now the top of the class – at the top national university he attends. Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience: “Once, on a trip to the sea, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me: ‘Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The “clumsy” seagulls (海鸥) are far less agile (灵活的) and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these “clumsy” birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which open the widest and allow the bird to travel the furthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.”

1. From the first paragraph, we could conclude the mother ______.

   A. knew her son was not bright enough

   B. saw the negative effects of the ranking system

   C. decided to help with her son’s school work

D. was troubled by her son’s low rankings

2.The mom was glad she didn’t give an answer at first because ______.

   A. she knew her son would forget his rankings soon

   B. she felt intelligence doesn’t mean everything

   C. she knew he was not strong enough for the truth

   D. she wanted to avoid another blow to her son’s self-respect

3.The story conveys the message that ______.

   a. only rankings show intelligence

   b. hard work and confidence can lead to a change in rankings

   c. parents should see children’s strengths and encourage them

   d. competition between students is good for society

   A. bc                B. cd               C. abc              D. bcd

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the story?

   A. How important are rankings?

   B. Little birds and seagulls

   C. The answer Mom gave

   D. Hard work pays off!