On the day of a big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.
The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.
The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel of the mountain. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.
John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what had happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. “I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.”“Bring me a cool drink of water,”he said. Then he took his last breath.
His friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death.
Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families to look for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.
【小题1】What does the big event mentioned in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.John Henry’s work on a machine.
B.A competition between John Henry and a salesman.
C.John Henry’s work with his hammer and the steel.
D.A competition between John Henry and a drill.
【小题2】The underlined word “tunnel ”in Paragraph 3 probably means “          ”.
A.flat groundB.big rockC.underground passageD.hard metal
【小题3】 What happened to John Henry when he fell to the ground?
A.He was tired and had to have a rest.
B.He had heart trouble and was dying.
C.He was thirsty and wanted to drink some water.
D.He was injured slightly and was bleeding.
【小题4】What do we know about John Henry?
A.He won the competition finally.B.He was buried under the mountain.
C.He loved his work very much.D.He said nothing before his death.
【小题5】What can we infer from the passage?
A.Humans can never beat machines.B.John Henry was regarded as a hero.
C.Laborers hated machines very much.D.It was easy for laborers to find work.

One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O.Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破坏) and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.

William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.

Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museumm has a special proof of Porter’s love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.

Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.

William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry.

Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.

1.O.Henry’s house in Austin has been well kept up till now so that ____.

A. Americans can explore their history

B more visitors will be attracted to Austin

C. visitors can learn about O.Henry’s life

D. it can show the way of life in the 1860s

2.What do we know about the piano in the house?

A. It was hated by Porter’s daughter.

B. It has a long history of about 150 years.

C. Porter’s wife gave music lessons on it.

D. Porter usually created music on it.

3.How does the museum prove (证明) Porter was fond of language?

A. With a dictionary he used.

B. With the records they keep.

C. Using the books they wrote.

D. Using the photograph they keep.

4.Why did Porter escape from Austin?

A. He didn’t want to lose his job.

B. He didn’t want to make trouble.

C. He meant to save his wife’s life.

D. He was charged with a crime.

5.From the last two paragraphs we know that _______.

A. Porter became famous suddenly

B. Porter spent his time in prison writing

C. Porter suffered a lot from his time in prison

D. life in prison provided what he could write for Porter

 

( A )

There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California, the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle, a big city, on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco, also on the Pacific coast, are larger than Seattle. Henry's cousin, Susan, lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington, D. C. It is the capital, but it is much smaller than New York.

1.How many states are there in the U. S. A. ?

A. Five    B. Forty- Five.    C. Fifty    D. Fifteen.

2.Which state is the largest in population?

A.California.                             B.Rhode-Island.

C.Alaska                                D.Los Angeles.

3.Which state is the newest, and the smallest in population?

A.Rhode Island.      B.Seattle.           C.San Francisco.      D.Alaska.

4.Which of the following is true?

A.The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast.

B.Washington is the most important and the largest city.

C.New York is the largest city in the United States.

D.Henry's cousin lives in the Seattle.

5.Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city?

Because _________.

A. it is the largest city            B. it is the largest in population

C. it is the most beautiful city      D. it is the capital of the United States

 

On the day of a big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.

The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.

The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel of the mountain. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.

John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what had happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. “I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.”“Bring me a cool drink of water,”he said. Then he took his last breath.

His friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death.

Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families to look for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.

1.What does the big event mentioned in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.John Henry’s work on a machine.

B.A competition between John Henry and a salesman.

C.John Henry’s work with his hammer and the steel.

D.A competition between John Henry and a drill.

2.The underlined word “tunnel ”in Paragraph 3 probably means “          ”.

A.flat ground

B.big rock

C.underground passage

D.hard metal

3. What happened to John Henry when he fell to the ground?

A.He was tired and had to have a rest.

B.He had heart trouble and was dying.

C.He was thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

D.He was injured slightly and was bleeding.

4.What do we know about John Henry?

A.He won the competition finally.

B.He was buried under the mountain.

C.He loved his work very much.

D.He said nothing before his death.

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Humans can never beat machines.

B.John Henry was regarded as a hero.

C.Laborers hated machines very much.

D.It was easy for laborers to find work.

 

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