April Fool’s Day（愚人节）, was a day of laughing and jokes. This day is kept in many countries, not only in Britain and the USA. This is a day to play jokes and make people laugh. Nobody knows when was the beginning of this custom. Some people connect it with the end of winter and the return of spring which make people merry and ready to play jokes.

In Scotland young people were sent for hen’s teeth or bird’s milk and everybody laughed when they could find such things. In the USA and Britain some people could place a sign on a person’s back with the words “push me!” Children often tell a grown-up that his sock is torn or he has something black on his face, and then shout “April Fool!” There is also the old purse（钱包） trick. A purse is left lying in the street, but when someone wants to take it, it is quickly pulled back by a string which the hidden joker holds in his hand. Or the purse may be filled with stones. Sometimes invitations are sent to people, asking them to come and visit somebody, but when they come they see that nobody expects them. Some people like to telephone to the zoo on the day and ask for Mr. Fish, Miss Fox or Mrs. Cat. All these jokes are very old but still they make people laugh.

1. ____________knows when the custom of April Fool’s Day started．

2.Many tricks are played on April Fool’s day except ____ ．

3.The purpose of playing jokes is to _____ ．

4.The best title of the passage is ____ ．

One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father’s layoffs, I could tell my mother was unhappy. I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother’s Day gift.

One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions and style. I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mother’s Day present.

“Do you think she’d like a purse?” she asked. “I think she might.” I told her.

She took out an Italian handbag made of leather. She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it.

“How much money do you have?” she asked.

“Twelve dollars,” I said.

“You’re in luck,” she told me. “It’s only $11. You have a dollar left over for the card.” She wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm.

When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, “Where did you get this?”

“I bought it at the Agins. It cost me $11.” I said.

My mother was shocked into silence.

It wasn’t until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me. I always felt regretful that I never had a chance to properly thank her.

“You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day,” my mother said. “Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough. But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I’ll never forget.”

1.The author bought his mother a purse to_________.

A. surprise his mother                                         B. make his mother happy

C. show his ability of making money                     D. thank his mother for buying him a bike

2.Why was the author’s mother shocked into silence?

A. The purse was bought from the Agins.

B. She wasn’t expecting a gift from her son.

C. The author bought a card to go with the purse.

D. The Agins charged so little money for the purse.

3.Sylvia Agins’ behavior shows that_________.

A. she is critical and mean                                               B. she is kind and thoughtful

C. she is good at making money                                      D. she knows how to choose presents

4.What amazed the mother most was that_________.

A. the shop owner left one dollar for her son to buy a card

B. her son bought her a beautiful purse on Mother’s day

C. her son rode his bike to buy things by himself

D. the purse was worth several hundred dollars

5.Which can be the best title for the text?

A. An Unforgettable Event               B. A Considerate Mother

C. A Priceless Mother’s Day Gift          D. A Clever Shop Owner

Shoppers throughout the West, wary(谨防的) of a double-dip recession(经济衰退), are still pinching their pennies. However, Chinese consumers are opening their wallets big time. According to Mckinsey, shop sales in China have grown by 25 per cent annually from 2007 to 2009. Consumer confidence is now at its highest point since 2007 and female shoppers are leading the way.

Chinese women saved just 24 per cent of their income, compared with 55 per cent in 2006, according to a recent study in the magazine Women of China. What’s more, three quarters of Chinese women say that they’re the ones who control the family purse strings, which means they are an “emerging powerhouse within the powerhouse” of China.

In the 1950s women contributed just 20 per cent of household income, which rose to about 40 per cent in the 1990s and then reached 50 per cent last year.

In a recent study of Chinese consumer behavior, Mckinsey found that women tend to shop more frequently than men, and spend more on personal-care products and food. Men, by contrast, tend to spend more of their income on gadgets(小玩意), drinks and alcohol, dining out, and socializing. They also tend to save for the bigger-ticket items, like cars and houses.

Chinese women make up an ever-growing small part of the market—up from 20 per cent a decade ago to 50 per cent last year. It’s estimated that in the next five years women will account for 55 per cent of the$9 billion market. “The future is female,” concludes a January HSBC report on special and expensive goods in China.

1.According to the passage, Chinese women ________.                     

2.The underlined phrase in the first paragraph probably refers to _______.      

3.Which of the following is true?

4. Which of the following can probably serve as the title of the passage?           

Our daughter Kerrin, a student at Boston University, had been home for a week-end visit, and I dropped her off at the bus station just in time for her back to college. After Kerrin’s bus had gone and I was driving away, I noticed that she had left her purse on the passenger seat. Worried that she would arrive in Boston without money or keys to her room, I called my wife, Bette Jean, on the car phone, explaining why I would be late. As I was following the bus, Bette Jean phoned me back to say she had phoned the bus dispatcher（调度员）on the other line and he, in return, had phoned the bus driver on yet another phone. The driver asked me to wave out of my window to show where I was. Then he pulled over at a rest stop, and I did the same. Kerrin jumped off the bus, and I handed her the purse and went on my way.

11. The writer saw his daughter’s purse right after       .

  A. seeing her off at the bus station

B. starting his car again

  C. she got off the car

D. she got on the bus

12. Kerrin didn’t find her purse missing until       .

  A. the bus started off

B. her mother told her

  C. the bus stopped again

D. she returned to the university

13. In which order did the following persons know about the loss of the purse?

  A. driver—writer—Better Jean—Kerrin

B. Kerrin—writer—Better Jean—driver

C. writer—driver—Kerrin—Better Jean

D. writer—Bette—Jean—driver—Kerrin

14. Which of the following is not true?

  A. The bus was too fast for the car to catch up with in no time.

  B. The writer had tried to phone the dispatcher but failed.

  C. The writer couldn’t get in touch with the driver by the phone.

  D. Both the writer and the bus driver could use the car phone.

15. Which of the following seems the most necessary in helping the writer?

  a. his car           b. phone

  c. the bus driver     d. the dispatcher

  e. his wife         f. his daughter

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

The purse found on the playground matches the ______ by Mary, so it must be hers.

  A. direction    B. expression   C. description    D. instruction