When I was 14, I decided to make some pocket money by mowing lawns (修剪草坪) in summer. I worked hard because that was my first part-time job. After working for one week, Mr Miller said that he had no money for me. Oh, dear! He wouldn’t pay for my work! That surprised me greatly. I argued with him, and then I went back home.
My parents told me not to complain about Mr Miller. He was in difficulties. Then my mother call up Mr Miller and they talked about something on the phone. A few days later, my mother asked me to return to Mr Miller’s garden, because he was too weak to look after it.
When I came back, Mr Miller said, “Sorry, I have no money, but I can do something for you.” He played CD for me. Hearing the beautiful music, I was so interested in it that I forgot the money and did the work with pleasure. At last, Mr Miller gave me a ticket to a concert.
After that, I became very interested in music. And now, I have been a popular musician. I should thank Mr Miller greatly.
【小题1】Why did the author argue with Mr Miller?

When I was 14, I decided to make some pocket money by mowing lawns (修剪草坪) in summer. I worked hard because that was my first part-time job. After working for one week, Mr Miller said that he had no money for me. Oh, dear! He wouldn’t pay for my work! That surprised me greatly. I argued with him, and then I went back home.

My parents told me not to complain about Mr Miller. He was in difficulties. Then my mother call up Mr Miller and they talked about something on the phone. A few days later, my mother asked me to return to Mr Miller’s garden, because he was too weak to look after it.

When I came back, Mr Miller said, “Sorry, I have no money, but I can do something for you.” He played CD for me. Hearing the beautiful music, I was so interested in it that I forgot the money and did the work with pleasure. At last, Mr Miller gave me a ticket to a concert.

After that, I became very interested in music. And now, I have been a popular musician. I should thank Mr Miller greatly.

1.Why did the author argue with Mr Miller?

A．Because that was her first part-time job.      B．Because Mr Miller had no time for him.

C．Because she wanted to go home.           D．Because Mr Miller wouldn’t pay for her work.

2.A few days later, the author’s mother asked her to        .

A．call up Mr Miller                        B．complain about Mr Miller

C．return to Mr Miller’s garden              D．look after Mr Miller

3.The beautiful music from the CD made the author        .

A．forget to go home                       B．forget the money

C．forget the work                         D．forget a ticket to a concert

4.According to the passage, we can learn that        .

A．the author’s mother was kind

B．Mr Miller was so bad that nobody liked him

C．the author was too poor to have pocket money

D．the author had experience to work in the garden

5.In some ways,        , the author has become a popular musician.

A．because of the MP3                     B．because of having no money

C．thanks to Miller                         D．with the help of his mother

Are you looking for a good book to read? Do you need information about middle schools in the United States? Would you like to read newspapers and magazines from all over the country? Do you need a quiet place to study? Did you answer “yes” to any of these questions? Then you should visit “the information place” —— your local(本地的) library.

A library is a place to find almost any book. In it there are all kinds of books, but there are also pictures, papers, magazines and maps. A library is a source(源泉) of information. Students go to libraries to study and write homework. There are many different library services(服务). In children’s libraries there are many interesting picture books. If you like music, you can listen to your favorite CDs in music libraries.

Long ago, however, a library had only books. And there were so few books in it that no one could take them out of the library. After the printing machine was invented(发明), books could be made faster and libraries got more books.

To borrow a book to take home today, a person just needs a library card. The librarian prints the card with the date by which the book must be returned to the library. If the books are returned late, the person must usually pay money for having broken the rule.

55. In a library, you can ______________________________.

A. find a good book to read

B. read newspapers from all over the country

C. find useful information        

D. all of the above

56. Which of the following is not true?

A. A library has only books.   

B. A library is a source of information.

C. To borrow a book, you need a library card. 

D. You can listen to your favorite CDs in music libraries.

57. In the past, no one could take books out of the library because __________________.

A. there were so few books in the library     

B. the books there were too expensive

C. the books there were too heavy              

D. the library was too small

Mr. Brown was a nice teacher．He taught ns science。In the first class，he gave us a talk on an animal called“birdcat”which had died out（灭绝）during the Ice Age．He passed around a skull（头骨）as he was talking．We all took notes carefully and later we had an exam on it．

    When he returned my paper the next day, I found there was a big red“X”on it．I falled! I couldn’t believe my eves! There must be some mistakes! 一 I wrote down exactly what Mr. Brown said．But then I learned that everyone in the class failed．What had happened?

    Very simple! Mr. Brown said that he had made up（编造）all that“birdcat”and there had never been such an animal．So the information in our notes was incorrect．

    But We all felt that was unfair．What kind of exam was this? And what kind of teacher was he?

    “You should have figured it out,”Mr. Brown said．“Actually, the‘birdcat’skull was a cat’s．”Hadn’t he been telling us no other findings about this animal except the skull? He had told us many unbelievable（难以置信）things about the animal，such as the size，the color, the diet…．but none of us had questioned him!

    Mr. Brown said he hoped we would learn something from that lesson．Teachers and textbooks are not always correct．In fact no one is．He told us not to let our minds go to sleep．and to speak up if we ever thought he or file textbook was wrong．

    Mr. Brown's class let me and my classmates learn something important：never fear to look people in the eye and tell them they are wrong．

（   ）1．Mr. Brown was a _______teacher．

    A．math                   B．history                 C．science                  D．music

（   ）2．Why did the writer fall the exam?

    A．Because the exam was too difficult．

    B．Because he didn’t answer the questions according to what Mr. Brown said。

    C．Because Mr. Brown made some mistakes．

    D．Because the information in the answers was incorrect．

（   ）3．The underlined part“figured it out”probably means“________”．

    A．wrote it down      B．found it out          C．took it out              D．talked about it

（   ）4．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A．The writer’s classmates passed the exam，but the writer didn’t．

    B．Mr. Brown found fire“birdcat”skull himself and he succeeded．

    C．During the talk on“birdcat”，some students questioned the teacher

    D．The teacher encouraged us to question what he said arid tell the truth bravely．

（   ）5．Which is the best title for this passage'?

    A．A Birdcat’s Skull                                     B．A Strange Animal

    C．An Unforgettable Exam                               D．An Unfair Teacher