Just how popular was Mini? Very. Every year her classmates voted(推举) her the favorite student. The friends she had were much more than those of anyone else.

One day Mini was caught yakkety-yakking(大声说笑) and ordered to stay back as punishment(惩罚). Staying back meant doing something “useful”, like helping in the library after school.

Now Mini’s school had a rule. Once a month, if you had something else to do the day you were punished, you could ask a friend to stand in for you.

Unluckily, her aunt was visiting Mini that day. That afternoon was the only chance Mini had of seeing her for another five years.

Mini needed someone to stand in for her. She asked Betty, her “best” friend. “Oh, no, Mini, I can’t,” Betty said. “I must help my brother do his homework.”

“Tony, will you stay back for me?” Mini asked another friend. “I wish you’d told me earlier. I have to go to a relative’s house with my father,” he said.

Now, Mini was beginning to doubt(怀疑) if even one of her friends would agree to stay. But she tried again. She asked three more friends and each one refused.

So, after school Mini stayed to help the librarian. And, when she found Mini crying after everyone had left, it was she who surprised Mini by allowing her to leave to meet her aunt. “I may have many friends,” Mini said to herself, “but in reality I have none.”

1.What does staying back mean in Mini’s school?

2.How many friends did Mini ask for help? 

3.Who helped Mini in the end?

4.What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “in reality”?

5. Which of the following can describe Mini’s feeling?

Just how popular was Mini? Very. Every year her classmates voted(推举) her the favorite student. The friends she had were much more than those of anyone else.
One day Mini was caught yakkety-yakking(大声说笑) and ordered to stay back as punishment(惩罚). Staying back meant doing something “useful”, like helping in the library after school.
Now Mini’s school had a rule. Once a month, if you had something else to do the day you were punished, you could ask a friend to stand in for you.
Unluckily, her aunt was visiting Mini that day. That afternoon was the only chance Mini had of seeing her for another five years.
Mini needed someone to stand in for her. She asked Betty, her “best” friend. “Oh, no, Mini, I can’t,” Betty said. “I must help my brother do his homework.”
“Tony, will you stay back for me?” Mini asked another friend. “I wish you’d told me earlier. I have to go to a relative’s house with my father,” he said.
Now, Mini was beginning to doubt(怀疑) if even one of her friends would agree to stay. But she tried again. She asked three more friends and each one refused.
So, after school Mini stayed to help the librarian. And, when she found Mini crying after everyone had left, it was she who surprised Mini by allowing her to leave to meet her aunt. “I may have many friends,” Mini said to herself, “but in reality I have none.”
【小题1】What does staying back mean in Mini’s school?

Betty is not a traditional American beauty. She is unfashionable, has thick red glasses, untidy hair and large metal braces (牙套) on her teeth. But this hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of America’s favorite TV characters. So how did she manage to do it?

The answer is that charm can be more attractive than beauty. Betty is the main character in a TV show Ugly Betty. The show is about her life as an office worker at a fashion magazine in New York.

The TV show has just started. Betty has many exciting experiences and romantic stories. Betty is often looked down on and laughed at by the people around. But she manages to do better than others with her hard work, charm and wisdom. The show tells us about how a girl goes from an ugly young duck into a beautiful swan.

Though you may know the ending of the show from the beginning and the story is familiar to many of us, it has still been a big success in the USA. It has attracted a large number of viewers and won two Golden Globes awards, one of the highest honors for a television program in the USA. “I think you can see a bit of Betty in all of us, and I mean men as well, because it’s about the underdog (弱者) ”, says Ashley Jensen, who plays one of the characters on the show.

The program is so popular because of the performance of the 23-year-old actress America Ferrera who plays the role of Betty. She brings the character alive on the screen.

1.Betty is popular because of                   .

A. her clothes          B. her charm            C. her personality     D. her appearance

2.In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “it” refers to (指的是)                   .

A. the beginning        B. the ending           C. the story            D. the show

3.Which is the reason for the success of the show?

A. A large number of viewers.

B. Her life as an office worker.

C. The wonderful performance.

D. Two Golden Globes awards. 

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Betty is a girl of wisdom. 

B. Betty acts as a beautiful swan on the show.

C. Betty is an American favourite TV character.

D. Betty is often looked down on by the people around.

5.What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Beauty from within.    B. A romantic story.

C. An ugly girl.    D. An exciting experience.

Mary and Her Friends

Mary has some friends. They are Betty, Peter, Alice and Mike. Mary is the oldest of the five. Betty is thirteen years old. She is younger than Mary and older than Peter. Alice is nine and Mike is seven.

Betty and Peter are good runners（长跑运动员）. But Peter runs faster. Mary and Betty like to play basketball. Mary plays better than Betty. Alice sings best of them.

Mary and Betty study in a middle school. Peter, Alice and Mike study in a primary（小学）school. They all work hard at school. But Betty works hardest. Her handwriting（书法）is good, too.

1. Mary has _______ friends.

2. Mike is ______ than Alice.

3. Peter runs _______ than Betty.

4. Betty’s handwriting is _______.

5.They all ______ .