There was a blacksmith(铁匠) who wasn't satisfied with his work. Once he complained, “I am not well and my work is too warm. I want to be a ____1.____ on the mountain. There it must be _____2.____, for the wind blows and the trees give a shade..” A wise man who had ___3.____ over all things replied, “Go you, be a stone.” And he was a stone, high up on the ____4.____ side. It happened that a stone-cutter ____5.____ that way for a stone and when he saw the one that had been the  ____6.____, he knew that it was what he ____7._____ and he began to cut it. The stone ____8.____ out, “This hurts! I no longer want to be a stone. A stone-cutter I want to be. That ____9.____ be pleasant.” The wise man, humoring him, said, “Be a cutter.” ____10.____ he became a stone-cutter and as he went seeking a suitable stone, he ____11.____ tired and his feet were sore（酸痛）. He ____12.____,” I no longer want to cut stone. I would be the sun; that would be pleasant.” The wise man ___13.___, “Be the sun.” And he was the sun. But the sun was warmer than the blacksmith, than a stone, than a stone-cutter, and he complained, “I do not ____14.___ this. I would be the moon. It ___15.____ cool.” The wise man spoke yet again, “Be the moon.” And he was the moon. This is warmer than being the sun,” ____16.___ he, “for the light from the sun ____17.____on me ever. I do not want to be the moon. I would be a ___18.____ again. That, indeed, is the ___19.____ life.” But the wise man replied, “I am ____20.___of your changing. You wanted to be the moon; the moon you are and you will remain.”

We still don’t understand the influence of the mind’s power over the body, nor do we understand why there should be such power. All we can say for certain is that the mind does have power over the body in very many different ways.
If a man is told that he is at the North Pole and he believes what he is told, he’ll show physical signs which suggest that his body is reacting as though he were at the North Pole. He’ll go pale and shiver. When the film Lawrence of Arabia was shown, cinema managers around the world reported that the sales of ice cream rocketed. The endless desert scenes had made the moviegoers feel uncomfortably hot.
Hypnotists use the power of the mind over the body in order to use their influence. The hypnotist must only convince the patient that something is true, and the patient will act accordingly. If he convinces the patient that his arms are as heavy as lead, then the patient will be unable to lift his arms. If he convinces the patient that a piece of ice is a hot iron and he then touches the patient’s skin with the ice, a blister（水泡）will develop. The body will react to the suggestion and not to the reality, and signs of a real burn will appear.
1 From the passage, we can imagine that people watching a film about the North Pole would probably want __________.
A. an ice cream             B. a cold shower    C. a hot drink        D. a hot iron
2. A hypnotist is supposed to be able to control __________.
A. patients’ bodies            B. people’s minds
C. patients’ diseases              D. people’s movements
3. The phrase “the reality” refers to __________.
A. a real burn B. a hot iron  C. the touch of ice   D. the body’s reaction
4. A good title for this passage would be __________.
A. Mind and Body            B. Physical Signs
C. Research on Mind            D. The Power of the Mind

Long ago, near the village of Hedley, there lived a strange and playful trickster(骗子), known as the Hedley Kow.  Sometimes it looked like an ordinary object.  Sometimes it looked like a donkey or a goat.

One evening, as an old woman went along the path, she saw an old iron pot lying in the ditch. “Fancy that,” she said.  “Nobody seems to want this old pot. I will take it home and plant pretty flowers in it.”

When she tried to lift it, she saw that it was full of gold pieces. “Well, now, if that doesn’t beat all,” she said. “I’m rich! I can buy a fine house and fancy clothes.”

The pot was heavy, so she tied her shawl around it and began to drag it home.  After a while, she stopped to rest. When she looked in the pot, she was amazed to see that it was full of silver pieces!

“Oh, my god!” she said.  “Aren’t I the lucky one ! If it were gold, thieves would have been after me.  My friends might have been jealous.  But I can hide these silver pieces, take out a few at a time, and live like a queen.”

On she went, pulling the pot after her. She was nearing home now. At her gate, she looked into the pot. What a surprise! The silver had changed into a lump(块) of iron. “Iron,” she said.  “Well, now! No one will be jealous or want to steal this from me.  I can use this iron to prop my door open and let in fresh air and sunlight. Lucky  me!”

As soon as she said that, the pot began to grow and later it became a goat. Then it jumped up and ran off down the road laughing.

“Fancy that!” said the old woman.  “I believe I have seen the Hedley Kow! Not many folks can say that, and that’s a fact. I’ll just sit up by my fire tonight thinking about how lucky I was to see it for myself. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world!”

Which of the following sayings can best describe this story?

A. All good things come to an end.                    B. The early bird catches the worm.

C. Content is better than riches.                       D. All bad luck goes away.

What does “the Hedley Kow” stand for in the eyes of the old woman?

A. Glory         B. Honor           C. Misfortune     D. Luck

From this passage we can know the old woman is _________.

A. optimistic     B. pessimistic        C. strange       D. mindless

Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. The woman   B. The Hedley Kow    C. The pot       D. The Effort

Uganda is a country in East Africa and,as in many such countries,a high percentage of the population,about 80 percent,are village-dwellers living in huts,which are often no bigger than a garage. The walls of the huts are made of mud,which is held together by reeds and sticks,and the roofs of the older ones are thatched（覆盖）with grass,although an increasing number of newer village houses have roofs made from corrugated（波纹形的）iron.

Several generations of the same family live together in the huts,which are usually divided into two sections by a curtain. The inner section,the one furthest from the open door of the hut,is where everyone sleeps and food is prepared and served in the outer part. If the family owns chickens or goats,they are kept in a small room attached to the main house.

Food is usually prepared on open fires although some people prefer to cook inside. However,this is quite dangerous and also means that the walls of the hut are stained by smoke and the atmosphere is acrid. The family sit in a circle on mats while they eat.

Newer village houses are almost always made of corrugated iron and are bigger,with one or two separate bedrooms and the kitchen in a smaller building beside the main house. But,old or new,the houses are not powered by electricity,and all homes are lit by paraffin（石蜡）candles called “tadobba”.

Nor is there any running water in the houses. Some villages have their own well,but in many cases,collecting water involves a long and arduous walk to a river or spring,carrying plastic containers or pots made of clay.

Children are the ones who have to fetch water,and they have to do this early in the morning before they go to school,or in the evening when they come home. They often have to climb high hills or walk through valleys with narrow paths through dense vegetation. It is no surprise that they grow up muscular and fit after such daily exercise,walking for several kilometres carrying such heavy weights.

1.Most Ugandans live        .

A．with their whole family in large mud houses in the countryside

B．in towns in small houses made of mud and iron

C．in villages in small houses made of wet earth,grass and wood

D．With their parents and children as well as their chickens and goats

2.Where is food usually prepared?

A．In the kitchen.

B．On the floor in the middle of the house.

C．On fires in front of the hut.

D．In a small room attached to the main house.

3.How are the old and new houses the same?

A．Both of them have roofs made of corrugated iron.

B．Neither of them have a garage or kitchen.

C．Neither of them have electricity,lights or running water.

D．Both of them have water inside but no electric light.

4.The majority of Ugandan children have to          .

A．go to a well or a river and often carry it for a long distance

B．do a lot of work cooking and carrying water

C．collect water on the way home from school

D．get water out of their own well

How the iron of tomorrow

(the first Self Clean Iron)

can change your lifestyle today?

General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself. Inside where irons get dirty. Because it cleans itself each and every time you empty it.

How?  With a push of a magic blue button.

The magic blue button

The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked “Self Clean”. Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.

Less chance of brown spots

Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.

Steams much longer

Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams much longer. That’s another joy of owning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.

What does it mean to you

Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids.

You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle. By giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better house maker, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from General Electric.

Lifestyle.

We’re with yours.

GENERAL ELECTRIC

1.This passage is ______.

A．an introduction to General Electric

B．an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron

C．an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron

D．a description of the change of lifestyle

2.This iron can clean itself by ______.

A．empting itself                          B．washing out mineral deposits

C．locking up mineral deposits                D．giving off more steam

3.According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?

A．It is made by General Electric.

B．The iron will not produce mineral deposits.

C．There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes.

D．Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time.

4.Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because ______.

A．you can run your house better             B．you don’t have to run after the kids

C．you can use it while you are working         D．we want you to be a better house maker