Paul and Jason were brothers who lived and worked on neighbouring farms．For 35 years they farmed side by side，sharing machinery and goods as needed，without a single problem．

    However，one autumn，things changed．It began with a tiny disagreement about a horse，which grew into a major difference．The difference led to angry words，followed by weeks of silence between the two brothers．

    One morning there was a knock on Paul’s door．He opened it and saw a builder holding his toolbox．“I’m looking for a few days’work，”the builder said．“Are there any jobs here I could help with?”

   “Yes，”answered Paul，extremely pleased to see the builder．“I do have a job for you．Look at that farm across the creek(小溪)．That’s my brother’s farm.That creek used to be a grass field，but last week my brother dug a path from the fiver and made the creek．But I’ll go him one better．See that pile of wood?1 want you to build me a fence，two metres tall，so 1 won’t need to see him anymore．”

    The builder said thoughtfully．“I think I understand the situation and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you．”

    Paul had business in town that day and left the builder to his work．When he returned，the builder had just finished his job．Paul was shocked．Instead of a fence there was a bridge，stretching from one side of the creek to the other．

    As Paul stood on the bridge，staring in amazement，his younger brother Jason，came across，and took Paul’s hand．“You are a good man to have built this bridge after a11 I've done，”said Jason．

    Then，Paul，with tears in his eyes，said to the builder who was packing his bag to go，“Thank you so much。Please stay．I have much more for you to do．”

    “I’d love to．”the builder said quietly，“but，I have many more bridges to build.”

1.What was the cause of the disagreement between the two brothers?

  A．The digging of the creek．

  B．A problem about a farm animal．

  C．Who owned the field between the farms．

  D．Who would pay for building the fence．

2.The underlined expression“go him one better”in paragraph 4 means          ·

  A．do something even worse    B.improve the situation

  C．point out his mistake      D．help him out

3.What do we know about the brothers?

    A．They had been fighting for many years．

B．Their farms were not very successful．

    C．They finally realized their mistakes．

    D．They liked building bridges．

4.Why did the builder build the bridge?

    A．He needed a way to get across the river．

    B．There was not enough wood for the fence．

    C．He misunderstood Paul’s instructions．

    D．He wanted to bring the brothers together．

5.In what order did the following take place in the story?

    a．The brothers stood on the bridge．

    b．Jason dug the creek．

    C．The brothers became angry with each other,

    d．The builder asked for work．

    e．Paul went into town．

    A．b，c，e，d，a    B．c，b，d，e，a

C．b，e，c，a，d    D．c，d，b，a，e

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of work, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our city offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger(陌生人) would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it made our confidence in humanity（人性）stronger as a whole. And it has also influenced us to be more mindful(在意的) of ways we can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be continuing for ever.
【小题1】Why was the bike so important to the couple?

Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year. He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He says he wished he had traveled alone earlier.“ The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person,” said the 30-year-old man.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything.” He said, “The feeling of having conquered something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task.” “I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19th century explorer John Muir once said, “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”
【小题1】Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?