George Stephenson was born in 1781 in a poor family. He had to start work when he was only eight．When George was fourteen, he became his father's helper．He spent a lot of time learning about engines（发动机）．And on holidays he often make one engine to pieces and studied each piece carefully．Soon he became a very good worker though he could not read or write．He began to learn English letters when he was seventeen years old．Every day after he did twelve hours of hard work, he walked a long way to have lessons from a young school teacher. On his eighteenth birthday，he wrote his own name for the first time in his life．George invented（发明） many things in his life．The train was the greatest one among them．Today when we take trains from one place to another，we'll think of this great man---George Stephenson．

(   )11. In which year did George Stephenson start to help his father？_____．

A． In 1781    B． In 1789      C． In 1795    D． In 1798

(   ) 12. He learned about the engine ________．

A．through reading and writing

B．by making it to pieces and studying each piece carefully

C．at lessons from a young teacher  D．by asking a lot of questions

(   )13.He spent a lot of time learning about engines and soon he became ____．

A．a great man  B．a good maker  C．a good worker  D．a good student

(   ) 14. George Stephenson invented the ________.

A. the train     B. the telephone     C. the car     D. the computer

(  )15.From the passage we know George Stephenson was one of the greatest______ in the world．

A. workers      B. writers     C．learners       D．inventors

Once there lived an old man. He liked gold better than anything else in the world. He often said, “If I have plenty of(足够的) gold, I shall be the happiest man in the world.”

One day when he was traveling in the desert(沙漠), the old man lost his way. He was very hungry and thirsty, but there were only rocks and sand around him. Just then, he found a bag lying on the sand. He hoped he would find water and food in it. He took up the bag and opened it. He saw that the bag was full of gold. He was so sad that he threw away the bag and began crying.

Now, the old man knew that there was something better than gold in the world.

(  ) 6. The old man liked ____ best before he traveled in the desert.

A. food          B. water         C. gold          D. bags

(  ) 7. When he lost his way, he wanted to get ____.

A. some food and water    B. some rocks and sand 

C. bags full of gold       D. everything in the desert

(  ) 8. What did he do with the bag? ______.

A. He didn’t take it up       B. He brought it home  

C. He kept it for himself     D. He threw it away

(  ) 9. The old man did not become the happiest man when he got the bag of gold because ____.

A. the bag was too small              B. the gold wasn’t his   

C. there wasn’t much gold in the bag    D. he was very hungry and thirsty

(  )10. In the end, the old man knew that gold was ____ in the world.

A. the best thing           B. not the best thing   

C. better than anything      D. the worst thing

Many years ago, there was a family named Franklin. They lived in Boston. There were five girls and six boys in the family. On a January day in 1706 another baby boy was born. The boy’s mother and her husband gave the boy a name-Benjamin.

Benjamin was the brightest of all the children. He could read when he was five and he could write by the time he was seven. When he was eight, he was sent to school.

In school, Benjamin had been good at reading and writing but not good at maths.

He read all his father’s books. And whenever (无论何时) he had a little money, he spent it on a book. He liked books. They told him how to do something. At that time he invented the paddles (桨形工具) for swimming.

(  ) 1. The Franklins lived in      .

A. England      B. America      C. France           D. Australia

(  ) 2. There were       children in the family.

A. five         B. six          C. eleven           D. twelve

(  ) 3. Benjamin was born in the           month of the year 1706.

A. first        B. sixth            C. seventh      D. fifth

(  ) 4. Benjamin         maths when he was in school.

A. did well in      B. did well at  C. didn’t do well in     D. didn’t do well at

(  ) 5. Benjamin         much money          books.

A. spent, on    B. cost, buying   C. took, buy     D. pay, off

Maria Gomez was born in Peru. She grew up in a small village. She 　1 when she was six years old. She went to elementary school, but she 　2 to high school. Her family was very 　3 ,and she had to go to work when she was thirteen years old. She 　4 in a shoe factory.

When Maria was seventeen years old, her family 　5 to the United States. First they lived in Los Angeles, and then they moved to San Francisco. When Maria 　6 in the United States, she was not happy.

She missed her friends in Peru, and she didn't 　7 a word of English. She began to study English at night, 8 worked in a factory during the day.

Maria studied very hard, and now she speaks English well. She's still 　9 at night, but now she is studying typing. She wants 　10 in Peru. Maria still misses her friends in Peru. But she is very happy now, and she hopes she will have a good future in the new country.

(　 )1.A.went to school B. go to school C. goes to school D. begins school

(　 )2.A.went　 B. didn't go　 C. began　　 D. wasn't

(　 )3.A.rich　　　 B. poor　　 C. happy　　　 D. glad

(　 )4.A.works B. is working　 C. is going to work D. worked

(　 )5.A.moved B. go　　 C. stayed　　 D. lived

(　 )6.A.reached　　　 B. arrived　 C. got　　　 D. moved

(　 )7.A.tell　　　 B. talk　　 C. know　　　 D. say

(　 )8.A.when　 B. so　 C. or　　 D. and

(　 )9.A.studying　　　 B. studied　 C. study　 D. studies

(　 )10.A.to do　　 B. do　　　 C. to be　　　 D. be

When Jim was a child, they 　　　　 to France.

A. lived       B. worked C. reached   D. moved

 Sam  was  ill  yesterday, so he  _____his  homework.

A. didn't     B. not  did      C. didn't  do     D. didn't  did 

Yao Ming was born _____September 12, 1980. 　　

A. on　　　 B. in 　　　C. at　　 　D. to

Deng Yaping went to Tsinghua University and __    _ English and management.

A. majored in   B. majors in   C. majored for   D. major for

 Hawaii  is famous _____its  beautiful  beaches.

A. for        B. in         C. of            D. with

 The old man was        angry       say a word.

A. too; too         B. so; to           C. very; to         D. too; to