Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made.Although we
were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed flowers and
insects.Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages.I was not an early reader and I could not do
mental arithmetic.
     Before World War ? we spent our summer holidays in Hungary.I have only the dim memory of the
house we lived in, of my room and my toys.Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts,
uncles and cousins who gathered next door.But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals,
the local birds, and above all, the insects.
     I am a naturalist, not a scientist.I have a strong love of the natural world and my enthusiasm led me
into varied investigations.I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil while
reading about other people's observations and discoveries.Then something happens that brings these
observations together in my conscious mind.
     Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle, because it all seems to fit together.This has
resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific
research.
     But curiosity, a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make
a scientist:one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is selfdiscipline, a quality I lack.A
scientist requires not only selfdiscipline, but hard training, determination and a goal.A scientist, up to a
certain point, can be made.A naturalist is born.If you can combine the two, you get the best of both
worlds.

1. The first paragraph tells us the author________.

A. was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood
B. lost his hearing when he was a child
C. didn't like his brothers and sisters
D. was born to a naturalist's family

2. The author can't remember his relatives clearly because________.

A. he didn't live very long with them
B. the family was extremely large
C. he was too young when he lived with them
D. he was fully occupied with observing nature

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The author is a naturalist, but not a scientist.
B. The author is a scientist as well as a naturalist.
C. The author is first of all a scientist.
D. The author is neither a naturalist nor a scientist.

4. The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he________.

A. has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic
B. lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist
C. just reads about other people's observations and discoveries
D. comes up with solutions in a most natural way

     My friend Robert started a new job this week and he's been in the training class for two days. The
employer has a very strict dress code-dark blue shirts and pants.
     On the first day, an older gentleman in his class did not have the proper clothes and he was strictly
told that he would be fired if he didn't have the right clothes the next day. He explained, "Sir, I had been
told about this, but because of my larger size, it's sometimes difficult to find the right clothing for a price
I can afford."
      Last night, Robert and I decided that this old man shouldn't lose the chance of work simply because
he couldn't afford the clothes. I had some cash on hand and Robert took it with him this morning just in
case it was needed.
     When training started this morning, the trainer was ready to fire the older gentleman. "You have 10
minutes to be in proper clothes," he was told. At this point, Robert spoke up and asked if he could have
10 minutes to get him the clothes. He then ran out to the store and bought the proper-sized pants and a
shirt; he returned with both and gave them to the older man.
     The older gentleman began to cry and told him that he couldn't accept such a gift from a stranger.
Robert told him he had to because he had lost the receipt(收据) and couldn't return them-a little white
lie. The pants were a perfect fit, the shirt was a bit tight but he was able to keep his job.
     "My wife and I tried to gather together some money last night, but we didn't have enough to buy the
clothes," he told Robert. "It's unbelievable to me that a person would do such a thing for only knowing
me a day!"
     More unbelievable is how good it has made Robert and me feel to do this.

1.  If the older man did not have the proper clothes, he would _____.

A. be punished
B. be offered another job
C. put off the training class
D. lose his job

2. The money which was paid for the clothes was _____.

A. the trainer's
B. the older man's
C. the writer's
D. Robert's

3. How did Robert persuade the older man to accept the clothes?

A. He told the older man that he would lose his job if he did not take them.
B. He told a lie that the clothes didn't fit himself.
C. He told the older man that he could save money and return it later.
D. He told the older man that he had no way to send them back.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Proper clothes for a stranger
B. Fight against strict rules
C. A strange employer
D. An unbelievable thing

请阅读下面一篇文章,并按照要求匹配信息.
注意:E=ABF=ACG=AD
     On Monica & Hitesh's wedding day, Monica's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook
(银行存折) with $1000 deposit amount. Mother: "Monica, take this passbook.  1  When something
happy and memorable happens in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to
the line. When you look back after years, you can know how much happiness you've had. "    2  This
was what they did after a certain time:
    -7 Feb: $100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage
    -1 Mar: $300, salary raise for Monica
     -20 Mar: $200, vacation trip to Bali
     -15 Apr: $2000, Monica got pregnant
     -1 Jun: $1000, Hitesh got promoted… and so on…
       3  They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the nastiest person in the world....
     One day Monica talked to her Mother: "Mom, we can't stand it anymore. We agree to divorce. I can't
imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!! " Mother: "Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you
want if you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first. Remember the saving passbook I gave
you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first.  4  "
     Monica thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue and planning to cancel the
account. While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and
looked.  5  Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home, putting the passbook back to
the safe.
A. However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for unimportant things.

B. Keep it as a record of your marriage life.
C. They had saved much money when they retired.
D. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind.
E. Monica and her husband both thought it was a great idea.
F. Remember the saving passbook her mother gave her on the wedding day.
G. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.

     Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day
he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there
before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for
them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be
able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it,
he drew an umbrella on a piece of paper. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
    On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman's umbrella was so nice that he
carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train
arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and
was going to get off.
    "Wait a minute, sir, "shouted the old woman. "That's my umbrella!"
    Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a
hurry,  "Oh, I'm very sorry, Madam! I didn't mean it!"
    Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite
to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. It seems that I had
a better result than the other four women. "She thought.

1. We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was   ___ . 

A. a conductor    
B. a worker    
C. a thief    
D. an umbrella maker

2. The underlined word"it"in the first paragraph refers to___    . 

A. his ticket    
B. his bag    
C. his drawing    
D. his umbrella

3. Why did Mr. Brown take the woman's umbrella?

A. Because he was lost in thought. 
B. Because it was much like his own umbrella. 
C. Because he thought the woman would not notice it. 
D. Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown.

4. When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt  ___  . 

A. happy    
B. sad    
C. surprised    
D. angry

5. How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?

A. He picked them on the train.    
B. He brought them from his small town. 
C. He stole them from four women.  
D. He bought them in London.

     When my father was dying, I traveled a thousand miles from home to be with him in his last days. It
was far more heartbreaking than I'd expected, one of the most difficult and painful times in my life. After
he passed away I stayed alone in his apartment. There were so many things to deal with.  It all seemed
endless. I was lonely. I hated the silence of the apartment.
    But one evening the silence was broken:I heard crying outside. I opened the door to find a little cat on
the steps. He was thin and poor. He looked the way I felt. I brought him inside and gave him a can of fish. He ate it and then almost immediately fell sound asleep.
    The next morning I checked with neighbors and learned that the cat had been given up by his owner
who'd moved out. So the little cat was there all alone, just like I was. As I walked back to the apartment,
I tried to figure out what to do with him. Having something else to take care of seemed like the very last
thing I needed. But as soon as I opened the apartment door he came running and jumped into my arrns.
It was clear from that moment he had no intention of going anywhere. I started calling him willis, in honor
of my father's best friend.
    From then on, things grew easier. With willis in my lap, time seemed to pass much more quickly. When
the time finally came for me to return home I had to decide what to do about Willis. There was absolutely
no way l would leave without him.
    It's now been five years since my father died. Over the years, several people have commented on how
nice it was of me to rescue the cat. But I know that we rescued each other. I may have given him a home
but he gave me something greater. 

1.  When the allthor first saw the cat, she  ___  . 

A. was very happy          
B. felt pity for him
C. didn't know what to do
D. was angry at his crying

2. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph suggests that the author   __ . 

A. needed something to fill the empty apartment
B. loved to stay alone in the apartment
C. was too busy and tired to keep a cat
D. needed something to take care of to kill time

3. The cat rescued the author by ___   . 

A. making her feel better in her hard times
B. giving her courage to go on with her life
C. helping her tidy the apartment
D. telling her what life is

4. We can learn from the passage that   __ . 

A. Willis was named after his foiTner owner
B. Willis didn't like staying in the apartment
C. the author and Willis were both homeless
D. time passed quickly after the author kept Willis

5. What's the main idea of the passage?

A. A little lonely cat.        
B. A painful experience. 
C. How to take care of animals.
D. What I got from a little cat.