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 can I always fall 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 tended to say that intelligence differs and that yes, her son’s friend really was the smarter boy. But that would 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 that 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. After university his teachers and peers fully expect him to have a promising career.

Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience. It concerned that holiday his mother had prepared for them:“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 are far slower and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these clumsy birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which 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. ”

56. The story mainly conveys the message that        .

  A. competition between students is good for society

  B. only rankings show intelligence of a child

  C. parents should build up children’s self-respect

  D. children take competition among them to heart

57. From the 2nd paragraph, we can see that the mother        .

  A. saw the negative effects of the ranking system

  B. decided to help with her son’s homework

  C. knew her son was weak in his study

  D. felt sorry for her son’s bad behavior.

58. We can infer from the passage that        .

  A. the son knew intelligence didn’t mean anything

  B. the mother was not strong enough to face the truth

  C. the mother was careful to protect her son’s self-respect

  D. the son would forget his rankings soon after leaving high school

59.Which of the following has the similar meaning with the underlined word“outdid”?

  A. was equal to                          B. did better than

  C. laughed at                            D. worked harder than

For a lang time,a boy wonder why his next-desk-pal was always the first in the class ,  whereas he could only rank the 21^st.
At home,he asked his mom：“Am I more stupid than other kids? How can I alwasys fall behind? I just can’t come with an answer.”Mom was aware that her son’s selfrespect had been damaged by the ranking system,but she didn’t know what to say to help.
She tended to say that intelligence differs and that yes,her son’s friend really was the smarter boy.But that would so upset her son .Thank goodness she resisted the temption (诱惑)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 aroud this time that 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 care about rankings.He doesn’t have to,for he himself is now the top of the class at the national unversity he attands,After university his Teachers and peers fully expect him to have promising career.
Invited to speak to his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience. It concerned that holiday his mother had prepared for them: “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(笨拙的)seagulls are far slower and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these clumsy birds prove to have the biggest, strongest wings, which 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. 1.

   The story convey the message that.______.

   1. A.
      competion between students is good for society
   2. B.
      only rankings show intelligence of a child
   3. C.
      chilren take competion among them to heart
   4. D.
      parents should build up chilren’s self-respect
2. 2.

   Form the 2^nd paragraph,we can see that the mother______.

   1. A.
      decided to help with her son’s homework
   2. B.
      saw the negative effects of the ranking system
   3. C.
      knew her son was weak in his study
   4. D.
      felt sorry for her son’s bad behavior
3. 3.

   We can infer from the passage that ______.

   1. A.
      the mother was cafeful to protect her son’s self-respect
   2. B.
      the mother was not strong enough to face the truth
   3. C.
      the son knew intelligence didn’t mean anything
   4. D.
      the son would forget his rankings soon after leaving high school
4. 4.

   Which of the following has the similar meaning with the underlined word “outdid”?

   1. A.
      was equal to
   2. B.
      laughed at
   3. C.
      did better than
   4. D.
      worked harder than

There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. Sadly, she went to the holy man and asked, “What magical things do you have to bring my son back to life?”

Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, “Fetch me a mustard (芥菜) seed from a home that has never known sadness. We will use it to drive the sadness out of your life.” The woman happily went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed.

She first came to a splendid house, knocked at the door and said, “I am looking for a home that has never known sadness. Is it such a place? It is very important to me.”

They told her “You’ve certainly come to the wrong place” and began to describe all the tragic things that had happened to them recently.

The woman said to herself, “I have had misfortune of my own. Who is able to help these poor, unfortunate people?” She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home that had never known sadness. But wherever she went, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. She became so involved in other people’s sorrow that finally she forgot about her search for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sadness out of her life.

56. Which of the following does the story lead us to believe?

　　 A. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

　　 B. Time passed cannot be called back again.

　　 C. You can’t feel happy unless compared with others.

　　 D. You can’t expect to know the result until you have tried.

57 Instead of sending the woman away, the holy man 　　　 .

　　 A. asked her to help him first

　　 B. tried to comfort her with kind words

　　 C. asked her to look for a thing that didn’t exist at all

　　 D. tried to encourage her by talking with her

58 Leaving the holy man, the woman 　　　 .

　　 A. was full of hope　　　 　　　　　　　 　 B. was filled with sadness

　 C. was determined to try again　 　　 D. became discouraged

59 The best title for the text would be “ 　　　 ”.

　　 A. A woman’s misfortune　　　　　　 B. A nice surprise　

　 C. The holy man’s faith　　　　　　　　　 D. Cure for sadness　

There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. Sadly, she went to the holy man and asked, “What magical things do you have to bring my son back to life?”
Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, “Fetch me a mustard (芥菜) seed from a home that has never known sadness. We will use it to drive the sadness out of your life.” The woman happily went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed.
She first came to a splendid house, knocked at the door and said, “I am looking for a home that has never known sadness. Is it such a place? It is very important to me.”
They told her “You’ve certainly come to the wrong place” and began to describe all the tragic things that had happened to them recently.
The woman said to herself, “I have had misfortune of my own. Who is able to help these poor, unfortunate people?” She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home that had never known sadness. But wherever she went, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. She became so involved in other people’s sorrow that finally she forgot about her search for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sadness out of her life.
【小题1】Which of the following does the story lead us to believe?

There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. Sadly, she went to the holy man and asked, “What magical things do you have to bring my son back to life?”
Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, “Fetch me a mustard (芥菜) seed from a home that has never known sadness. We will use it to drive the sadness out of your life.” The woman happily went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed.
She first came to a splendid house, knocked at the door and said, “I am looking for a home that has never known sadness. Is it such a place? It is very important to me.”
They told her “You’ve certainly come to the wrong place” and began to describe all the tragic things that had happened to them recently.
The woman said to herself, “I have had misfortune of my own. Who is able to help these poor, unfortunate people?” She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home that had never known sadness. But wherever she went, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. She became so involved in other people’s sorrow that finally she forgot about her search for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had, in fact, driven the sadness out of her life.
【小题1】Which of the following does the story lead us to believe?