A group of swans(天鹅)flew down to a beach where a crow(公鸡) was jumping around. The crow watched them with disdain(鄙视).

“You have no flying skills at all!” He said to the swans, “All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air? No, that’s beyond you. Let’s have a flying competition. I’ll show you what real flying is!”

One of the swans, a strong young male, accepted the challenge. The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan.

Now it was the swan’s turn. He flew up, and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him, making all kinds of comments about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn’t see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was now so exhausted that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle(努力)to keep himself from falling into the water.

The swan pretended not to notice, and said, “Why do you keep touching the water,brother?

Is that another trick?”

“No,” said the crow. He knew he had lost the competition, “I’m in trouble because of my pride! If you don’t help me, I’ll lose my life…”

The swan took pity on him, and took him on his shoulders and flew back to the beach.

1.The underline word “ exhausted” in paragraph 4 means _____________.

A.tired B.angry C.frightened D.regretful

2.Why did the crow keep touching the water?

A.Because he was showing another flying skill.

B.Because he was struggling to keep himself from falling into water.

C.Because he was thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

D.Because he was enjoying himself by doing so.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A.The crow didn’t know flying.

B.Flying skills were useless.

C.The swan saved the crow because they were good friends.

D.The swan was better at long distance flying than the crow.

4.What does the story tell us?

A.No pains, no gains. B.The early bird catches the worm.

C.Pride goes before a fall. D.Practice makes perfect.

One of life's great treats, for a lover of books( especially fantasy books),is to open a cover to find a map secreted inside and filled with the details of a land about to be discovered. A writer's map shows a fully imagined world. A new book, "The Writer's Map," contains dozens of the magical maps that writers have drawn or that have been made by others to explain the places they've created. " All maps are products of human imagination, "writes Lewis Jones, the book's editor." For some writers making a map is absolutely central to the skills of shaping and telling their tale."

The book includes the map from Thomas More's "Utopia", which were published in 1516 and contained the first fantasy map in a work of fiction, as far as anyone can tell. The book also has the maps that remind fantasy —filled childhoods: Middle Earth, the mystenous Narnia, the Hundred Acre Wood,etc. But there are more maps of private treasures here. too. Among these maps, the one for. "Treasure Island" is a landmark," one of the most typical literary(文学的) mans of all "Lewis Jones writes. It comes up more than once in the book's reviews, which are written by writers and mapmakers. Robert Stevenson first sketched the map in 1881 for his son, and a red X marks the place where treasure was buried.

For many writers, mapmaking is a practical work that pulls them into their own work. “ I always draw my way into stories," writes Abi Elphinstone, the author of the "Dreamsnatcher" books. “ I begin every story I write by drawing a map because it helps me know where my characters move next. Also, making maps is fun." Mapping does have problems. Frances Hardinge, a British children's book writer, explains the worlds she dreams up are"unmappable." A map helps shape a reader's idea of a fictional Place, but it may limit the readers' imagination.

1.What is a great treat for a book lover in Paragraph 1?

A.Finding a map in a book. B.Reading a book with great imagination.

C.Improving skills of telling tales. D.Being an editor of a book.

2.According to Paragraph 2, what do we know about "Utopia"?

A."Utopia"is as famous as"Middle Earth". B."Utopia"is a book by Lewis Jones.

C."Utopia"contained the oldest fantasy map. D."Utopia"is a map by Thomas More.

3.Who first drew the Treasure Island map?

A.Frances Hardinge. B.Thomas More. C.Abi Elphinstone. D.Robert Stevenson.

4.According to Paragraphs 4 and 5,which of following is NOT true about mapmaking!

A.Abi Elphinstone thinks that mapmaking is helpful and fun.

B.Some writers don't make maps because they don't have the talent.

C.Frances thinks her dream worlds can't be shown by mapmaking.

D.Making maps sometimes may not help the readers imagine.

5.In which part of a magazine would you most probably read the text?

A.Travel. B.Business. C.Culture. D.Fashion.

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