Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we should be able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may know really where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham( 火腿 )? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburger. They didn’t speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered. “We came from Hamburger.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like what the men from Hamburger ate. Then he put them between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Today “ hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. The reason may be found in any large English dictionary.
【小题1】According to the writer, English ______.

One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的)to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat untidy. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“May I get you something ?”
“A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr. Gal breath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Gal breath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.
【小题1】The author bought coffee for the old man because     

Joe came to New York from the Middle West, dreaming about painting. Delia came to New York from the South, dreaming about music. Joe and Delia met in a studio. Before long they were good friends and got married.

They had only a small flat to live in , but they were happy. They loved each other, and they were both interested in art. Everything was fine until one day they found they had spent all their money.

Delia decided to give music lessons. One afternoon she said to her husband:

“Joe, I’ve found a pupil, a general’s daughter. She is a sweet girl. I’m to give three lessons a week and get $5 a lesson.”

But Joe was not glad.

“But how about me?” he said.” Do you think I’m going to watch you work while I play with my art? No, I want to earn some money too.”

“Joe, you are silly,” said Delia. “You must keep at your studies. We can live quite happily on $15 a week.”

“Well, perhaps I can sell some of my pictures,” said Joe.

Every day they parted in the morning and met in the evening. A week passed and Delia brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little tired.

“Clementina sometimes gets on my nerves. I’m afraid she doesn’t practice enough. But the general is the oldest man! I wish you could know him, Joe.”

And then Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket.

“I’ve sold one of my pictures to a man from Peoria,” he said, “and he has ordered another.”

“I’m so glad,” said Delia. “Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much to spend before. We’ll have a good supper tonight.”

Next week Joe came home and put another eighteen dollars on the table. In half an hour Delia came, her right hand in a bandage.

“What’s the matter with your hand?” said Joe. Delia laughed and said:

“Oh, a funny thing happened! Clemantina gave me a plate of soup and spilled some of it on my hand. She was very sorry for it. And so was the old general. But why are you looking at me like that, Joe?”

“What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Delia?”

“Five o’clock, I think. The iron-I mean the soup-was ready about five, Why?”

“Delia, come and sit here,” said Joe. He drew her to the couch and sat beside her.

“What do you do every day, Delia? Do you really give music lesson? Tell me the truth.”

She began to cry.

“I couldn’t get any pupils,” she said, “So I got a place in a laundry ironing shirts. This afternoon a girl accidentally set down an iron on my hand and I got a bad burn. But tell me, Joe, how did you guess that I wasn’t giving music lessons?”

“It’s very simple,” said Joe. “I knew all about your bandages because I had to send them upstairs to a girl in the laundry who had an accident with a hot iron. You see, I work in the engine-room of the same laundry where you work.”

“And your pictures? Did you sell any to that man from Peoria?”

“Well, your general with his Clemantina is an invention, and so is my man from Peoria.”

And then they both laughed.

1.To support the family, Delia worked as             .

A. a tutor                            B. a music teacher

C. an artist                          D. a laundry assistant

2.It happened that             .

A. a man from Peoria liked Joe’s pictures              

B. Delia earned $15 dollars a week easily

C. the couple worked at the same laundry                

D. Clemantina and the general were kind

3.Who hurt Delia’s hand?

A. The general                 B. Clemantina    C. Herself        D. A girl

4.We can infer from the underlined sentence that             .

A. Clemantina was an invention of the general

B. Clemantina was an invention of the man from Peoria

C. there were no such men as the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria

D. the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria were the couple’s clients

5.The couple’s attitude towards each other is             .

A. faithful                              B. honest

C. ashamed                               D. heartbreaking

6.Which do you think is the best title of the story?

A. A service of love                  B. A story of Joe and Delia

C. Lies and truth                     D. Servants of love

One very cold and rainy night in the winter of 2012, my husband and I were in a fast food restaurant. We were about to begin our meal  36 a man walked in. He was completely  37 from the rain and went into the men's room.

I watched him go by, then I said to my husband, "That man must have had nothing to eat in a long time." When the man came out of the men's room, he just  38 himself in a chair, not going anywhere near the food counter. I  39 that he didn't have any money for food and  40 wanted to dry off for a while.

I just couldn't eat my food knowing that someone else was sitting  41 only a few tables away. So, I  42 a $20.00 bill from my shopping money to my husband. "Please get him dinner," I said. "We can do with less money this week."

My husband  43 the man and quietly asked if he needed some food. The man    44  at us. "A small cup of coffee would be great," he said. "Thank you so much!" He   45  wasn't going to take advantage of us, but we 46  that he should have a full meal, which he gratefully(感激地)  47 .

After he  48 the food, he thanked my husband and my husband said, "No. Thank my  49 . She noticed that you were  50 ." 

The man asked me, " 51 did you know I haven't eaten in a long time?" I smiled at him and said nothing , just asking him to  52 the change(零钱) from the $20.00.

Giving others a  53  whenever they’re in trouble not only brings happiness to the ones who  54 it but also to the ones who give it. I am so grateful that I was able to  55 with someone truly in need. It is a little bit of extra warmth on a rainy day.

1.                A．while          B．when          C．after D．as

2.                A．angry          B．cold           C．wet  D．energetic

3.                A．devoted        B．found          C．helped   D．seated

4.                A．doubted        B．guessed        C．imagined  D．hoped

5.                A．only           B．completely      C．occasionally   D．hardly

6.                A．sad            B．quiet           C．hungry   D．silent

7.                A．handed         B．took           C．borrowed D．saved

8.                A．respected       B．approached     C．begged   D．invited

9.                A．shouted        B．laughed         C．smiled    D．cried

10.               A．rarely          B．easily          C．clearly    D．immediately

11.               A．instructed      B．insisted         C．admitted  D．observed

12.               A．accepted       B．expressed      C．refused   D．expected

13.               A．ordered        B．revised         C．booked   D．fetched

14.               A．friend          B．children        C．wife  D．boss

15.               A．in surprise      B．in shock        C．in danger  D．in need

16.               A．Why           B．When          C．What D．How

17.               A．return         B．lend           C．keep D．give

18.               A．gift            B．face           C．heart D．hand

19.               A．take           B．bring          C．refuse D．receive

20.               A．connect        B．share          C．talk   D．communicate

Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s?  The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s．Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women．Right? Wrong．Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size．Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain．The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”．While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes．
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women．This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time．When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time．
There are other important differences between two sexes．As white matter is the key to spatial tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things．“A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher．That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for direction and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses（胎儿）are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one．A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others．These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills．It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research．
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t．“The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it．”says a biologist．
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph? ________．