The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr.Smith, a rich neighbour, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.
“ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said the blacksmith. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”
【小题1】The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ___________.

The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.

     The son of Mr.Smith, a rich neighbour, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.

     “ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said the blacksmith. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”

     The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

     Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.

     Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

     “ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”

1.The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ___________.

   A. his father told him to             B. he wanted to learn a skill

   C. Jones encouraged him to          D. he just wanted to pass his time

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?

   A. Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks.

   B. The blacksmith had predicted the young man would be in need of the skill.

   C. The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get.

   D. The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young.

3.What can we learn from the story ?

   A. Practice makes perfect.        

 B. Skill makes life easy.

   C. A good beginning makes good ending.

   D. Every man has his gift.

The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks (火星) fly from his hammer.

The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.

“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉), even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.”

The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.

Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

“How funny it seems,” he used to say, “even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”

1. The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ________.

A. his father told him to                        B. he wanted to learn a skill

C. Jones encouraged him to                   D. he just wanted to pass his time

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks.

B. The blacksmith had predicted the young man would be in need of the skill.

C. The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get.

D. The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young.

3. What can we learn from the story?

A. Practice makes perfect.                   B. Skill makes life easy.

C. A good beginning makes a good ending.        D. Every man has his gift.

The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks (火星) fly from his hammer.

The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.

“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉), even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.”

The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.

Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

“How funny it seems,” he used to say, “even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”

1．The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because __________.

A．his father told him to                           B．he wanted to learn a skill

C．Jones encouraged him to                      D．he just wanted to pass his time

2．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Old Mr．Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks.

B．The blacksmith had predicted the young man would be in need of the skill．

C．The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get.

D．The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young.

3．What led Young Smith to live in another country?

A．His father died and he lost his goods in the war.

B．He heard that there was great need for tack makers there．

C．He didn’t learn to make the tacks well.

D．He just wanted to live there.

4．What can we learn from the story?

A．Practice makes perfect.                                                                                       B．Every man has his gift.

C．A good beginning makes a good ending.                                                        

D．Skill makes life easy.

The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks (火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.
“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉), even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“How funny it seems,” he used to say, “even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”
【小题1】 The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ________.

The hardworking blacksmith(铁匠) Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith everyday and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the blacksmith worked. "Young man, why don't you try to learn to make shoe tacks（鞋钉）, even if it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you." The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and settled down in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that he had learned how to make tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
"How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a fortune（财富）.”
【小题1】From the passage, we can learn the young Mr. Smith became rich ______.
A by selling shoes  B by making shoe tacks  C with his father’s help D by making bread
【小题2】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A The young Mr. Smith’s father was very wealthy.
B The young Mr. Smith was lazy before learning to make shoe tacks.
C The shoemakers offered him a working place to make shoe tacks.
D The shoemakers were unwilling to buy the young Mr. Smith’s tack.
【小题3】What can we learn from the young Mr. Smith’s success?

The hardworking blacksmith(铁匠) Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith everyday and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the blacksmith worked. "Young man, why don't you try to learn to make shoe tacks（鞋钉）, even if it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you." The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and settled down in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that he had learned how to make tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
"How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a fortune（财富）.”

1. 1.

   From the passage, we can learn the young Mr. Smith became rich ______.

   1. A.
      by selling shoes
   2. B.
      by making shoe tacks
   3. C.
      with his father’s help
   4. D.
      by making bread
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      The young Mr. Smith’s father was very wealthy
   2. B.
      The young Mr. Smith was lazy before learning to make shoe tacks
   3. C.
      The shoemakers offered him a working place to make shoe tacks
   4. D.
      The shoemakers were unwilling to buy the young Mr. Smith’s tack
3. 3.

   What can we learn from the young Mr. Smith’s success?

   1. A.
      It is no use crying over the spilt milk
   2. B.
      A friend in need is a friend indeed
   3. C.
      All roads lead to Rome
   4. D.
      Seeing is believing
4. 4.

   What is the right order of the events related to the young Mr. Smith?
   a. He was born in a rich family.
   b. He became rich by selling tacks.
   c. His father died and he became poor.
   d. He was asked to learn to make shoe tacks.
   e. He settled in another country

   1. A.
      a-d-c-e-b
   2. B.
      a-d-b-c-e
   3. C.
      b-d-c-e-a
   4. D.
      b-d-a-e-c

Jones, a hardworking blacksmith, used to work all day in his shop. So hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his   36   .

The son of Mr. Smith, a rich    37 , would come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself   38  how the tradesman worked.

"Young man, why don't you    39  your hand to learn to make shoe tacks,  40    it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "   41    knows, one day, it may be of use to you."

The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little    42   he found that he was becoming very   43   and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

Old Mr. Smith died and the son    44   the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to    45   residence in another country. It so    46   that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were spending a lot of money 47    tacks for their shoes and even  48  when they paid high prices they were  49  able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.

Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to  50  his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a  51  with the shoemakers. He told them that he  52   make the tacks if they could help him to  53  a workshop. The shoemakers were  54   willing to do so. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

"How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a  55  . My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches."

36．A. hand            B．finger            C. gun               D．hammer

37．A. classmate       B. neighbor               C. blacksmith         D．workmate

38．A. observing             B. noticing          C. watching         D．finding

39．A．put            B．raise            C．tie               D．try

40．A．even if        B．whether or not      C．only if             D．in that

41．A．He              B．Somebody      C．Who             D．Nobody         

42．A．advice         B．practice        C．knowledge            D．training       

43．A．serious         B．caution          C．devoted              D．skilled         

44．A.on account of    B．regardless of    C．instead of             D．in need of

45．A．take in         B．take up          C．take off               D．take on

46．A．occurred       B．took place      C．happened             D．appeared

47．A．selling          B．buying             C．making          D．promoting

48．A．at times         B．at a time        C．at one time     D．at the time

49．A．never          B．ever             C．often           D．not always

50．A．eat             B．cook             C．earn            D．make

51．A．living            B．bargain          C．mistake         D．sense

52．A．would                 B．used to          C．should          D．dared

53．A．set down       B．set out          C．set up           D．set to

54．A．much too       B．too much       C．only too              D．not too

55．A．fortune         B．fame             C．profit          D．welcome