Bill, Frank and Dave were three brothers. Every year they sent their mother expensive gifts on her birthday,. They liked to show her how rich they were.

The eldest brother. Bill, had a lot of money and he wanted his mother to have the most expensive gifts, but he didn’t know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper. “Wanted－the greatest gift for my mother.”

About a week before his mother’s birthday a man came to his office. He brought a big bird.

“This bird.” the man said, “can speak ten languages and sing some pop songs.”

“Really?  I’d like to listen to it,” Bill said.

The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. Bill was very happy and paid nine thousand dollars for the bird. The next day Bill sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.

The day after his mother’s birthday he called his mother. “Well, mother” he asked, “What do you think of the bird?”

“Oh, it’s very delicious, dear.” said his mother.

1.Who is the eldest brother?

A. Dave  B. Bill   C. Jack  D. Frank

2.What did Bill put in the newspaper?

A. A show  B. A magazine  C. An ad  D. A report

3.How many languages could the bird speak?

A. Five  B. Seven  C. Fight   D. Ten

4.How much did Bill pay for the bird?

A. Nine dollars  B. Ten dollars   C. Nine thousand dollars  D. Ten thousand dollars

5.What did Bill send to his mother for her birthday?

A. A bird with a card  B. Some money  C. A joke   D. A song

“My dear lady,” says Holmes. “You’re shivering. Are you old? Do you want a cup of hot tea?”

“I’m not cold,” the woman replies, “I fear for my life!”

“We are here to help you. Don’t worry about anything. I don’t know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(马车).”

“Why, yes. You’re right. But how do you know these things?”

“ I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem.”

“My name is Helen Stoner,” she states, “ My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother’s money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages.”

Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen’s story. He hears every detail.

Helen continues. “My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him.”

“He has no friends at all?” asks Holmes.

“No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now.”

“Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?”

“My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room.”

1.Paragraph 6 beginning with “My name is …” is mostly about_______________.

A．Helen’s dead sister                     B．Helen’s trip to London

C．the house Helen lives in                  D．Helen’s stepfather and the family

2.What is Holmes doing while Helen is telling her story?

A．Walking slowly                         B．Listening carefully

C．standing sadly                          D．Writing quickly

3.Which of the following can best describe the gypsies according to the passage?

A．They are very rich                       B．They are afraid of other people

C．They live on a horse-drawn wagon          D．They move from one place to another

4.The passage is probably from __________.

A．a novel           B．a guide           C．a poem           D．an advertisement

Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without cars most people feel that they are poor. And even though a person is poor, he doesn't really feel poor when he has a car.

Perhaps(可能) you have heard of Henry Ford. He first started making cars in large numbers. Perhaps he didn't know how much the car was going to be to American culture(文化). The car made the United States a nation on wheels(车轮). And it helped make the United States what it is now.

The car has become popular in the United States. The Americans like to move around in cars. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.

1.In the United States ____.

2.Who was Henry Ford? ____.

3.Henry Ford started making cars in large numbers because ____.

4.Which of the following do you think is true? ____.

A. There are too many people everywhere in the USA.  

B. There are a lot of cars everywhere in the USA . 

C. Car pollution(污染) is the biggest problem in the USA.  

D. Every family more or less has a car.

5.We can know from this passage(文章) that ____.

Many young people want to be pop stars. Pop stars are rich. Many people think they are leading a happy and easy life. In fact, they have very hard lives. They spend much of their time on travel. Sometimes the travel is interesting, but in most time it is boring to pop stars. The following chart is a day’s life of a pop star.
Feb. 10, 2012

Bill, Frank and Dave were three brothers. Every year they sent their mother expensive gifts on her birthday,. They liked to show her how rich they were.
The eldest brother. Bill, had a lot of money and he wanted his mother to have the most expensive gifts, but he didn’t know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper. “Wanted－the greatest gift for my mother.”
About a week before his mother’s birthday a man came to his office. He brought a big bird.
“This bird.” the man said, “can speak ten languages and sing some pop songs.”
“Really?  I’d like to listen to it,” Bill said.
The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. Bill was very happy and paid nine thousand dollars for the bird. The next day Bill sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother’s birthday he called his mother. “Well, mother” he asked, “What do you think of the bird?”
“Oh, it’s very delicious, dear.” said his mother.
【小题1】Who is the eldest brother?