My friend got married. His mother carried two bags of cotton from the countryside by bus and train
to his city. After arriving at the city, there was still a long way to his house without any bus passing by the
house. His mother walked to his home breathlessly for 40 minutes without taking a taxi in order to save
money.
     My friend felt bitter as well as funny as his mother’s deeds. He pointed to the cashmere (山羊绒) and
silk quilts and said, “So long as you have money, you can buy anything in the supermarket. There is no
need for you to carry so much cotton here in such a long way.”
      But his mother insisted and said, “The cotton of this year is light and warmth-keeping. Have a try and
you will know!”
     Maybe every parent is the same, caring for their children with stubborn love without caring about
whether they know or like it.
     This early spring, I went to visit my grandmother. We had dry beans stew （炖菜）, eggplant salad
bar, sauce radish （酱萝卜条）for our dinner, all of which were dried by my grandmother last autumn
and tasted wonderful. I loved the dishes to my heart’s content and could not help praising them again and
again.
     After a few days, my grandmother, who seldom visited us, came to my home and unpacked her bag,
smilin gly taking out bags of dried eggplants, dried beans and dried vegetable. She told me that I left so
hastily last time that she forgot to give me some of these foods, so she took this chance to bring me what I
liked.
     I was speechless at that time. Due to my casual complimentary her food, my grandmother , a nearly
70-year-old lady, by taking three buses from the west of the city to the east, came to my home with the
food I liked. But she was bus-sick in life and even seldom went strolling in the street.
     My pretty girlfriend had a failed marriage in the past. After divorce, her parents shed the deepest
protection and care to her by helping her attend to the child and offering financial aids. Her parents’love
made her pull herself together and forgot the man who had hurt her before.
     Nonetheless, her father, an honest and upright old man, after hearing his ex-son-in-law got promoted
in his company, felt terrifically irritatedand went to his company to question his boss why a
philanderingman with corrupt conducts could get promoted. The whole office fell into a mess immediately
and many staff just watched on the sidelines. Some people even whispered lightly, "It is a new era now
and the relationship between men and women is very open. No one would care about that any more!"
     The old man stood silently in the office with his hands shivering and eyes tearing.
     That night, my girlfriend cried heavily in front of me. I asked her whether it was her father’s stupid
deeds that made her feel humiliated. But she said that she felt guilty for her dad and that though the rest
of the whole world betrayed her, her old father would still back her up and help her get the justice she
deserved, just as when she was young and the neighboring boy grabbed her ball, her father would get it
back for her. However, this changed world was no longer the stage for her old father and his deeds
became funnily obsolete. No one managed to see the real and ever-lasting love to his daughter behind his
seemingly rude behaviors.
     Now we have grown up, so much so that we could support our family and have our own children.
But in our parents’ heart, they are still worried that we do not have sufficient quilts and dried vegetables.
They would not feel troubled to bring all these to us regardless of long tough journey. They even would
not like us to suffer a bit and try all means to protect us without caring about whether what they do is
awkward and stupid or no
     Who in the world would love us so deeply and relentlessly without asking for any repay? Only our
parents!

1. What does the author want to tell us?

A. The love from our parents is real and deep though sometime it doesn't appear so.
B. The love from our parents is awkward sometime, which is rather annoying.
C. Children should appreciate parents' love because their life is so hard.
D. The world is changing so the love of parents should change too.

2. What does the underlined world "humiliate" in the eleventh paragraph mean?

A. guilty        
B. Moved
C. happy      
D. ashamed      

3. How many examples are there in the passage?

A. One        
B. Two        
C. Three      
D. four

4. After the author's girlfriend's former husband got promoted, her farther _____?

A. congratulated him    
B. Made his daughter marry him again
C. had a quarrel with him  
D. argued with his boss

5.What kind of woman is the author's grandmother?

A. upright and honest  
B. loving and troublesome    
C. thoughtful and careful
D. generous and active

     Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: Trevor The Taxi
     In this children's story, suited to younger children, we have an adventure with Trevor. He is a taxi.
Trevor loves his life:
     'Sometimes he takes patients to the nursing home, where they can get better after being ill, and
sometimes he takes people home when they have been shopping, and Stan puts all their packages inside
Trevor's boot, so they will not get wet or broken.'
     The black cab, in this adventure, goes far beyond the call of duty whilst he achieves his wildest dreams!  What could this be? Well you will just have to read this short story for yourself!
     Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: The Girl Who Believed In Fairys
     The fairy queen is upset and the elves just don't know what to do:
     '"Oh dear, oh dear," sobbed the queen, getting her hankie all wet with her constant crying. For the
twelfth time that day, Elgie the chief elf took her hankie and wrung it out on to the carpet of grass that
grew all around the palace.'
     How will they manage to help the queen? Why was she so unhappy? There is only one person that
can help! Can she do it? This is a lovely fairy tale that will glow the embers of your heart - only for young
little princesses!
    Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: The Envious Kings
     This story is suitable for 6 years and upwards.
     Unfolding in the story pages of this recommendation is a children's story about two envious kings
who were competing with each other:
     'In spite of the easy life that the two kings had, they were not happy, for each of them kept thinking
that the other one had a bigger and better palace, or owned more horses, or had more jewels or even
had creamier milk.'
     They were both petty and, through their envy, they caused themselves much trouble. Who do you
think saved the day? Well, you will just have to read the story to find out!
    Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: The Wise Old Woman
     This story is probably suited to the 8 year old age range and upwards, although would appeal to
adults, alike.
     Here I introduce you to one of my kids on-line stories listed on the writing and literature section of
Hubpages. In this parable you will find a magical world of wisdom involving trees, people and someone
very special.
    'As she stood and watched, the knowledge melted into her and the sapling grew...The magical
transition took her breath away and as she watched on with ore, she noticed something strange.'
So, what was this strangeness and magical transition? Let me leave you with wonderment ... and a
click of the link!
     Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: Unusual Stories - Faffenburger's Odyssey
     This story is probably more suited to the older child. So who is Faffenburger? Well with one of these
free on-line short stories for kids, we enter into a different realm. A world of nonsense as Faffenburger
moves within alpha and omega. This is a rather unusual story as you will find out!
     'My friend, Henry Faffenburger stomped down the long lane on his short stumpy legs, moonlight
glancing off his bald-spot, which was a little surprising as there was no moon that night. As he rounded
the bend, he saw a pair of headlights coming toward him. They drew level, and stopped. A small man
with yellow eyes emerged from the darkness behind the lights, and enquired if Faffenburger would like
a lift.
     "Where are you going ?" asked my friend. "Wherever you want to go", replied the owner of the
yellow eyes.'
     So, the adventure begins! Where will they go? Alpha, Omega or just the middle? After all, it was a
long summer - especially the middle! Take a closer look at this - you might find something a little more
strange and a little more hidden that you have noticed before. Intrigued? Well you should be with
Faffenburger's Odyssey!

1.This passage gives us information about ________?

A. Story books for adults  
B. On-line stories for adults 
C. Story books for children
D. On-line stories for children

2.Which story is more suitable for the older children?

A.Trevor The Taxi
B.Faffenburger's Odyssey
C.The Wise Old Woman
D.The Envious Kings

3.You can find the character "queen" in__________?

A.The Envious Kings
B.The Girl Who Believed In Fairys
C.The Wise Old Woman
D.Trevor The Taxi

4.Who will find the passage useful?

A.parents with children
B. children who loves stories
C. teachers in high school
D. experts who concern children

5. According to the passage, the kings in "The Envious Kings" can be described as_______?
A..envious
B. powerful
C. rude
D. ugly

      Three Frenchmen were sitting together to talk about their experience in England. The first said, "I once
heard someone shout, 'Look out.' I put my head out of a window and a bucketful of water fell on me. It
seems that 'Look out' may mean 'don't look out'."
      The second said, "I was once on a ship and heard the captain shout, 'All hands on deck (甲板).' I put
my hands on the deck and someone walked on them."
      Here's the third Frenchman's story. He once called early on an English friend and the maid (女仆) who
came to the door said, "He's not up yet. Come back in half an hour." When the third came back half an hour
later, the maid said, "He is not down yet." Then the third said, "If he's not up and he's not down, where is
he?" The maid said, "When I say 'He's not up' it means he has not yet got up, and when I say 'He is not
down yet' it means he has not yet come downstairs."

1. When the first Frenchman heard someone shout, "Look out", it means "_____".

A. to put your head out of the window and look
B. I'm going to pour the water
C. to be careful
D. to help me

2. When the captain shouted, "All hands on deck", it means "_____".

A. to put both your right hand and left hand on deck
B. to give your hands to me
C. to shake your hand with me
D. that all the sailors gather on deck

3. When the maid said, "He's not up yet", she meant that "_____".

A. he has not grown up yet
B. he has not yet got up
C. he has not woken up yet
D. he has not yet come upstairs

4. When the third Frenchman came back half an hour later, the English friend _____.

A. was still in bed
B. was having his breakfast
C. was still in an upstairs room
D. was going out for shopping

5. The main idea of the article is _____.

A. it's difficult for a foreigner to understand the language of other countries
B. the Frenchmen had some trouble
C. we should know the meanings of French words
D. three Frenchmen and their friends had interesting experiences

     On a cold January morning in a Washington, DC Metro Station, a man with a violin played for about an
hour. During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to
work.
     After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He stopped for a few seconds
and then hurried on. Four minutes later the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in
the hat without stopping and continued to walk. After 6 minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to
listen to him, then looked at his watch and walked away. After 10 minutes, a 3-year-old boy stopped but his
mother dragged him along hurriedly. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent,
without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
     Finally only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk
at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $ 32. When he finished playing, no one applauded.
     The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most
intricate(复杂的) pieces ever written, with a violin worth $ 3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell
sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $ 100 each.
     The program was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste,
and people's priorities. In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do
we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
     If we do not take a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of
the finest music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

1. The first paragraph intends to tell us _____.

A. the man chose a bad place for playing
B. few people showed interest in music
C. how busy people were that morning
D. what background the story was set in

2. Compared to their parents, the children seemed to _____.

A. have more spare time
B. be more easily touched by music
C. be better at playing the violin
D. have more music knowledge

3. We call infer from the passage that _____.

A. none of the passers-by were fond of music
B. beauty can only be enjoyed in particular places
C. Joshua Bell first played the violin in the station
D. in a way, the violinist was mistaken as a beggar

4. According to the writer, people should _____.

A. listen to as many great musicians as possible
B. try to create beautiful things for others to enjoy
C. show kindness to anyone whether they're rich or not
D. notice and appreciate what's going on in their daily life

     I was born in Rockville, Maryland into an immigrant (移民的) family that came to America from
Mainland China in the 1940's. Last summer, I was in Beijing to work at the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention.
     For 20 years I was regarded as Chinese or Asian in America. So answering the question "Where are
you from?" in China with "United States" was a little uncomfortable, sometimes for both sides. Some
co-workers were surprised at my use of chopsticks and my taste for Chinese food, as if being "American" could only mean eating at McDonald's.
     Luckily, I was not always looked on as an American. One afternoon, I took a bus back to my
apartment. A local (当地人) was talking with a white American in English. When the American got up at
his stop, I took his seat and heard the local's conversation with a friend sitting on the other side of her. The local told her friend she often talked with foreigners and that was the best way to learn spoken English.
Meanwhile, I sat there and wanted to tell her that an American was still next to her.  
     Then I received a call from a friend about meeting up to watch Peking Opera the next day. When I
hung up my cellphone, the woman sitting next to me asked for how long I had been learning English in
order to speak it that well. She was a bit disappointed at my answer that I was born in the US, but the
question led to an interesting conversation on language learning.    

1.Why did the author come to China last year?

A. To learn Chinese.            
B. To do a job in China.
C. To learn more about China.    
D. To help Chinese learn English.

2. From the second paragraph we can learn that the author _____.

A. liked McDonald's food        
B. knew some Chinese culture
C. didn't like the life in China    
D. didn't come from the US  

3. The local talked with the white American mainly to _____.

A. spread Western culture            
B. discuss how to learn Chinese  
C. ask how to go somewhere          
D. practice spoken English  

4. When the author was telephoning, the local thought he was _____.

A. a Chinese who spoke English well
B. an American who worked in China
C. a Japanese who could speak English  
D. a local who liked Peking Opera  

5. Which of the following would be the best title of the text?

A. Why do I love Beijing so much?      
B. More American than Americans
C. A Chinese-American in China        
D. Is English the global language?

     Long ago in a small town, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small,
happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived, he bounced (跳) happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked
through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great
surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as
his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly.
As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit
often."
    In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to
visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door.
When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was
horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "This is a
horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
     All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of the
people you meet? 

1. Why was the first dog surprised when he entered the house?

A. Because he didn't expect to see so many happy dogs.
B. Because he didn't know there were 1,000 mirrors in the house.
C. Because he was always in a mixed mood.
D. Because he saw so many dogs smiling at him.

2. Why did the first dog like the house?

A. Because there were 1,000 mirrors in the house.
B. Because he thought he could keep himself warm in the house.
C. Because he liked everything presented to him.
D. Because he felt he was welcome here.

3. The underlined word "growling" probably means ______.

A. make an unfriendly noise                    
B. smile    
C. say hello                                  
D. stare

4. Which of the follwing is the most suitable title for the passage?

A. A Small happy Little Dog                    
B. The House of 1,000 Mirrors
C. The Wonderful Place and the Horrible Place.  
D. Two Little Dogs