I was sitting at the counter having breakfast at a restaurant the other day．It' s a small place． A man walked in and sat next to me．On top of the milk-dispenser （ 自动售货机） is a small  1_ placed there for both the customers' enjoyment and the owners when things get   2 The news was mostly about the local people．There was a little girl   3  through some coats in a shop on the screen now．The reporter asked her if she found something that   4  ．She smiled, "I like this store．Mommy said I could have any coat I wanted,   5  I'm getting this one for my friend, Mandy．All I know is that Mandy   6  a coat．"

Out of the comer of my eye I could see the man lower his head and begin to   7  his eyes．"Hey, don't feel bad," I told him．He turned  8  me．I could still see the   9  ．

He said, "I'm Mandy' s father．That's the first time I've seen that．"

Oh, my God! My hands   10  and I also wept．"It must be raining," he   11  ．We spoke for a few more minutes．It turns out that he' s been   12 for more than a year and now does odd （零散的） jobs to pay bills．We said   13  and I went to the cash register．I said in a low voice that I   14  his check．"He only gets coffee," the  15  said．"Well, here．This is for my meal, his coffee and tell him this is for Mandy．"

Many years ago I spoke at my friend' s church in Atlanta．A woman came up to me and gave me everything she had in her  16  ．I was shocked and began to   17  it．"It isn't very much , but God said it would multiply．Please take it," she said．

It was $ 57．I   18  carried it with me until that very day．I gave it away and replaced it． I turned to walk away and another man sitting at the counter said, " I heard your  19  with that man．I'll help him,   20  ．"

His eyes watered and he said," He' s right．It must be raining．"

1.                A．radio          B．television       C．recorder  D．computer

2.                A．busy           B．easy           C．fast  D．slow

3.                A．putting         B．looking         C．waiting   D．taking

4.                A．fitted          B．happened       C．mattered D．started

5.                A．until           B．so             C．but  D．designs

6.                A．needs          B．buys           C．donates  D．designs

7.                A．protect         B．close           C．describe  D．wipe

8.                A．toward         B．at             C．behind   D．for

9.                A．anger          B．eyes           C．tears D．joy

10.               A．cleaned        B．shook          C．helped    D．touched

11.               A．sighed         B．guessed        C．screamed  D．joked

12.               A．sick           B．sad            C．jobless    D．hopeless

13.               A．okay           B．hello           C．nothing   D．goodbye

14.               A．examined       B．wanted         C．watched   D．accepted

15.               A．clerk          B．teacher        C．president  D．nurse

16.               A．glass           B．purse          C．house D．basket

17.               A．forget          B．praise          C．refuse D．advise

18.               A．always         B．sometimes      C．never D．rarely

19.               A．discussion      B．problem        C．conversation   D．decision

20.               A．though         B．yet            C．still   D．too

An inventor seeks to create a new product that serves a specific need and fulfills a role that other products do not. Sometimes an inventor comes up with a wholly new idea, but more often inventions are simply improvements on an older design. With a little imagination and creativity (创造力), an old idea can suddenly become something new.
However, creating a new invention means much more than having a brilliant idea. A good designer follows the design process: identifying the challenge, researching and brainstorming ideas(集思广益), designing a solution, testing and evaluating the ideas, and finally building the product. Designers also use science, math, technology, and engineering to design a tool that satisfies the need they identified.
Anyone can be an inventor —even kids! For example, Chester Greenwood was just fifteen years old when he invented a product that changed his life. In fact, his idea was so good that his invention supported him for the rest of his life. You may not know his name, but you probably know his invention —earmuffs (保暖耳罩)!
The inspiration for his earmuff design came to Chester when he was ice-skating. His ears were cold, and he decided to find a way to keep them warm. With the help of his grandmother, he made a new product to protect his ears and at the age of eighteen, Chester patented his earmuff design.
Many other famous inventors started young as well. Margaret Knight —the inventor of the flat-bottomed brown paper bag —is said to have created a safety device for textile looms(织布机) when she was just twelve years old. Another example is Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history, who applied for his first patent when he was just twenty-one years old. Over the course of his life, Thomas Edison patented a total of 1,093 inventions!
【小题1】In most cases, an invention ________ according to the first paragraph.

How Do Animals Catch Their ZZZ’s?

       Different creatures have developed some pretty creative ways to get their rest and stay safe. The lizard（蜥蝎）likes to sleep at the far end of small branches hanging out over a pond or lake in the rain forest. If a snake tries to slither up the branch to eat it, it will shake the branch and knock the lizard off , and the lizard will fall safely into the water. Chameleons （变色龙）can change color to match their surroundings in order to hide even while sleeping.

       Corillas（大猩猩）like to sleep high in the trees. They build a new bed every night, sometimes taking up to half an hour to pile branches, twigs, and leaves into a comfortable bed. Birds also find it safe to sleep in the trees, but unless they have eggs or young chicks, they don’t use a nest. They just lock their feet around a branch and hang on. A special tendon（腱）in their legs is automatically tight when they are at rest, so they won’t let go and fall.

    Dolphins(海豚) live underwater, but must come to the surface to breathe. Scientists now believe that dolphins may sleep with only half their brain, while the other half stays awake to keep them safe and breathing. Seals (海豹) also do this，lying on their sides on the surface of the water with one flipper underwater paddling to keep their noses above the surface. Some ducks may also have this ability, and actually sleep with one eye closed and one eye open. (281 words)

1.How many animals are mentioned in this passage?

       A．6.                       B．7.                       C．8.                       D．9.

2.How does a chameleon protect itself while sleeping?

       A．By changing its body colors.                   B．By hinging out over a pond.

       C．By sleeping with half their brain.             D．By making beds with branches.

3.Why will not birds fall when they are at rest?

       A．They build nests and sleep in them.           B．They fall asleep automatically.

       C．They have a loose tendon in their legs       D．They lock their feet around a branch.

4.What does the writer intend to tell us?

A．The cleverest animal is the gorilla because it can make beds.

B．Differences in habitat could lead to different living habits.

C．The ways animals catch their ZZZ’s are pretty much the same .

D．In order to protect themselves most animals choose not to sleep.