I remember a time I went shopping on my first visit to Macau. Coming from cold and cloudy England, I
was prepared for the sun and dressed in a T-shirt and a short skirt. Not having much chance to enjoy the sun
in the UK and having naturally fair skin, my legs are very white. In the UK this is not a fashionable (时尚的)
look at all. Most women spend every sunny day out in the sun trying to get darker skin. The darker the skin,
the better the look.
     As I walked around one shop, two shop assistants didn't take their eyes off me the whole time, talking
quietly in Chinese. I began to feel uncomfortable and asked my friend if we could leave. After we left the shop,
she asked me what was wrong. I was embarrassed that they were talking about my white skin. My friend
laughed."They weren't laughing at you. They were saying how nice your legs are. Many Chinese women want
to have white skin like yours. In fact, there are many beauty products in the shops to make skin whiter and a
lot of money is spent on them."
     It just goes to show that we always think what others have is better. The grass is always greener on the
other side. If the women of the West and East thought the same way, Western women wouldn't spend so
much money on cream that makes skin darker and women from the East wouldn't need to use cream that
makes skin whiter.

1. Where did the story happen?
____________________________________________________________________
2. What kind of skin do most British women prefer to have?
____________________________________________________________________
3. Why did the writer think the shop assistants were laughing at her?
____________________________________________________________________
4. What were the shop assistants talking about?
____________________________________________________________________
5. What does the underlined sentence "The grass is always greener on the other side" mean?
____________________________________________________________________

                                                               Millionaire at 14
     Farrah Gray, a self-made millionaire by age 14, recognizes there's more to richness than money alone.
     Not too many people become entrepreneurs, published authors, producers and philanthropists in their
lifetime. But don't tell that to Farrah Gray.
     Gray's rise in the business world is an unlikely story. Growing up poor on Chicago's Southside, Gray
said he used to dream he would one day look from his office onto the streets of Manhattan. He dreamed
of giving speeches that would inspire millions and making enough money to ensure that his mother didn't
have to work two jobs.
     It didn't take Gray very long to _______. At age 14, Gray became a self-made millionaire when his
company, Farr-Out Foods, which specialized in food targeted at young people, gained more than $1.5
million in sales. Shortly after, Gray sold his company for more than $1 million, but has continued working
to inspire others with his success.
     Gray's entrepreneurial spirit was developed at a young age. He started his first business at age 6, selling
homemade lotion door to door. Gray said he experienced a thrill from selling something he helped create
and was instantly hooked.
     "Ideas are the most precious thing that can come to you. Every big idea starts out small," he said.
     Since age 12, Gray has toured the United States sharing his experiences with audiences. Gray tells
audiences that it is important to"believe in yourself when no one else will."
      He has always made a great effort to inspire others to follow in his footsteps of success. His philosophy
is "success is a process that must be taken step by step." He details these steps in his bestselling book,
Reallionaire, which has made its way onto www.Amazon.com's bestseller list.
     An important staple of Gray's career has been his emphasis on philanthropy. His basic belief is, "The
more you have, the more you should give."

Questions:
1. Does Farrah Gray recognize there is more to richness than money alone?
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Why did Farrah Gray use to dream of making enough money when he was young?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Complete the sentence in paragraph 4 within THREE words.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. According to the passage, what is Reallionaire?
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
____________________________________________________________________________

     A famous teacher was speaking to the students at our school. He began his lesson by holding up a
￡100 bill. Then he said to the three hundred students, "Who would like to have this ￡100 bill?" The
students began to put up their hands at once.
     Then he said, "I am going to give this bill to one of you, but first, let me do this." He then made this
bill into a ball. Then he said, "Who wants it?" Hands went into the air.
     "Well," he said, "What if I do this?" and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He picked up the
dirty, crumpled bill and said, "Who still wants it?" Hands went back into the air.
     "My friends," he said, "You've learned a valued lesson today. No matter what I did to the money, you
still wanted it because it didn't go down in value. It was still worth ￡100.
     Many times in our lives, we're dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the
things that happen to us. We feel as if we are worth nothing. But remember, no matter what has happened
to you, you will never lose your value: you are always valuable to those who love you. Your value doesn't
come from what you drop or whom you know,but WHO YOU ARE.
     You are special and valuable. Don't ever forget it!

1. The story happened ______.

A. when the teacher gave the students some advice on how to learn English.
B. when the students were having a meeting.
C. when the teacher gave the students a speech.
D. when the students were discussing something interesting with their teachers.

2. Even though the money was dirty, it _______.

A. went up in value
B. was worth much
C. didn't reduce in value
D. was still ours

3. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph means_______.

A. the students put up their hands again.
B. the students put down their hands.
C. the students agreed to what the teacher said
D. the students put their hands in front of them

4. Why did the famous teacher use a ￡100 at his lesson?

A. Because he wanted to give a lecture about money.
B. Because he was used to dropping a bill on the floor and stepping on it.
C. Because he was going to give the bill to one of the students.
D. Because he wanted to make the students know what the value was.

5. What lesson can you learn from the passage?

A.￡100 bill is worth the same no matter what you do with it .
B. All people love money most.
C. Your value doesn't change no matter what happens to you.
D. The value of money changes when it is made dirty.

     A person who is deaf when he is born is usually dumb (哑的) as well. There may be nothing wrong
with his mouth and tongue, but he cannot speak. This is because he cannot hear people, so he has
nothing to imitate (模仿). He may try to make sounds himself, but cannot hear his own voice. However,
even though he finds it difficult to speak and cannot hear, he can learn to read. Nowadays such persons
can also be taught to speak because we have modern methods and equipment, but we did not have these
when Helen Keller was born.
     Even with modern methods and equipment, however, it is not easy for deaf children to learn to speak,
though most of them succeed. When a child is deaf and blind as well, it becomes much more difficult,
though it is possible. Helen Keller was born in 1880. She became very ill at the age of nineteen months.
Medical knowledge was not as great then as it is now. She did not die but lost her sight and hearing. As
a result, she became dumb as well. Her parents did their best to teach her, but she couldn't speak by the
age of six.
     Then, in 1887, a teacher, Miss Sullivan, came to live with her. Miss Sullivan herself had been blind.
She had been partly cured. Though she could not see very well, she was not blind. Helen was a difficult
pupil at first, but in a month Helen had learned how to understand signs and how to make them herself.
     At last in spite of her great difficulties, Helen learned to read, write and speak, even though she was
deaf and blind. She even went to college and had full education. She wrote many books, and though other
people have written books about her, her own books are the ones that best explain how it feels to be deaf,
dumb and blind. Her best book is The Story of My Life. Perhaps you have read it. Though it was written
in 1902, it is still a very interesting book. Even if you have not read it, you may have heard of Helen Keller.

1. A person who is deaf at birth is also dumb because ______.

A. there's something wrong with his mouth and tongue
B. he cannot hear other people and he has nothing to imitate
C. he doesn't like to speak
D. he cannot hear his own voice

2. Deaf and dumb children can be taught to speak nowadays because _____.

A. we have modern methods and equipment
B. these children are eager to learn to speak
C. they can hear something
D. they have grown up

3. When Helen was nineteen months old, _____.

A. she died of illness
B. she was healthy
C. she was very ill
D. she began to learn to speak

4. How long did it take Keller to understand signs? 

A. A few days.
B. Several years.
C. A moment.
D. A month.

     When Ben delivered milk to my home one morning before Christmas,he wasn't his usual sunny self.
He told me a customer had left without paying the bill,$79,nor leaving her new address. So it meant that
he had to cover the loss.
     "She was a pretty woman,"he said, with six children and another on the way. She was always saying.
'I'm going to pay you soon when my husband gets a second job.' I believed her,but she left. Isn't it annoying?"
     "Give her the milk. Make it a Christmas present to the kids who need it." I said.
     The holidays came and went. On a sunny January morning two weeks later,Ben was rushing to deliver
milk when he saw a woman running down the street,waving money. He recognized her immediately--the
woman who didn't pay her bill.
     "I'm so sorry." she said. "I really have been meaning to pay you."
     She explained that her husband had come home one night and announced he' d found cheaper apartment.
He' d also got a new job. With all that happened, she' d forgotten to leave the new address."But I've been
saving," she said."Here's $20 toward the bill.
     "That' s all right," Ben replied. "It's been paid."
      "Paid!" she exclaimed (惊叫)."What do you mean? Who paid it?"
     "I did," Ben said,"It went to the children as a Christmas present!"

1. Ben was upset one morning because _______.

A. a customer left without paying the bill
B. he lost $ 79 on the way of the delivery
C. he had to buy a present for the children
D. he was going to lose his job

2. The author helped Ben by offering him _______.

A. a Christmas present
B. the debtor' s new address
C. some money to cover the loss
D. a suggestion to cheer him up

3. We can probably infer from the passage that the woman _______.

A. cheated to raise her children
B. moved to escape paying back the debts
C. was a person with honesty
D. wanted to give her children a Christmas gift

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A. An Unhappy Christmas
B. An Unusual Present
C. A Poor Couple's Life
D. A Helpful Customer