A woman repeated a bit of gossip (流言) about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole neighborhood knew the story. The neighbor was deeply hurt. Later the woman learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old man to find out what she could do to repair the harm.

“Go to the market,” he said, “and buy a chicken, and have it killed, then on your way home, pick its feathers(毛) and drop them one by one along the road.” Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.

The next day the wise man said, “Now, go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me.”

The woman followed the same road, but she was so discouraged when she found the wind had blown all the feathers away. After looking for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.

“You see,” said the old man, “it’s easy to drop them, but it’s impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn’t take much to spread（散布） a gossip, but once you do, you can never completely undo（弥补） the wrong.”

1.Why did the woman feel sorry?

A．She didn’t know the story.

B．She hurt her neighbor deeply.

C．She was hurt deeply.

D．She was told an untrue story.

2.The underlined word “discouraged” might mean          .

A．surprised         B．excited           C．upset             D．pleased

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A．The gossip didn’t hurt anyone at all.

B．The wise man is not kind enough.

C．All the feathers had been blown away..

D．The woman was given a lesson.

4.What the wise man said has nearly the same meaning as the Chinese phrase “_________”.

A．覆水难收         B．无中生有          C．欲速不达         D．得道多助

The marathon(马拉松) in my town usually takes place in hot weather. My job was to follow the runners to help those who needed medical help. “We should stay behind the last runner, so take it slowly,” I said to the driver, Doug.

As it began, the front runners started to disappear(消失). Then I noticed a woman in blue running shorts and a white T-shirt. “ Doug, look!” We knew we were watching our “last runner”. Her feet turned in , yet her left knee turned out. Her legs were so crippled(畸形的) that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk. How could she run a marathon？

We watched in silence as she slowly moved forward. We would move forward a little bit, then stop and wait for her. Then we would slowly move forward a little bit more. As I watched her try to put one foot in front of the other, I found myself breathing for her. I wanted her to stop, and at the same time, I hoped that she wouldn’t. Finally, she was the only runner left in sight. When the finishing line came into sight, we found the cheering people had all gone home. She slowly crossed through the line and lifted her hands, full of happiness.

I do not know the woman’s name, but since that day she has become a part of my life. For her, it was about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter what. When I think things are too difficult and want to say “I just can’t do it”, I think of the last runner. Then I realize how easy the task before me really is.

1.When does the marathon usually take place in the writer’s town？

2.The last runner had problems with her      .

3.Why did the woman take part in the marathon?

The marathon(马拉松) in my town usually takes place in hot weather. My job was to follow the runners to help those who needed medical help. “We should stay behind the last runner, so take it slowly,” I said to the driver, Doug.
As it began, the front runners started to disappear(消失). Then I noticed a woman in blue running shorts and a white T-shirt. “ Doug, look!” We knew we were watching our “last runner”. Her feet turned in , yet her left knee turned out. Her legs were so crippled(畸形的) that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk. How could she run a marathon？
We watched in silence as she slowly moved forward. We would move forward a little bit, then stop and wait for her. Then we would slowly move forward a little bit more. As I watched her try to put one foot in front of the other, I found myself breathing for her. I wanted her to stop, and at the same time, I hoped that she wouldn’t. Finally, she was the only runner left in sight. When the finishing line came into sight, we found the cheering people had all gone home. She slowly crossed through the line and lifted her hands, full of happiness.
I do not know the woman’s name, but since that day she has become a part of my life. For her, it was about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter what. When I think things are too difficult and want to say “I just can’t do it”, I think of the last runner. Then I realize how easy the task before me really is.
【小题1】When does the marathon usually take place in the writer’s town？

A woman repeated a bit of gossip (流言) about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole neighborhood knew the story. The neighbor was deeply hurt. Later the woman learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old man to find out what she could do to repair the harm.
“Go to the market,” he said, “and buy a chicken, and have it killed, then on your way home, pick its feathers(毛) and drop them one by one along the road.” Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told.
The next day the wise man said, “Now, go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me.”
The woman followed the same road, but she was so discouraged when she found the wind had blown all the feathers away. After looking for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.
“You see,” said the old man, “it’s easy to drop them, but it’s impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn’t take much to spread（散布） a gossip, but once you do, you can never completely undo（弥补） the wrong.”
【小题1】Why did the woman feel sorry?