A big, mighty(高大的) tree stood in a forest. Its branches(树枝) spread out and its roots (根) went deep in the earth. A lot of people came here to have a rest under it. And a lot of birds stood on its branches to sing and dance. The big tree was very proud all the time.
At the foot of the tree, there was a little plant. The plant was thin, and seemed to be blown down by any of a little wind.
One day, the two neighbors were having a little chat.
“Well, little one,” said the tree to the plant, “why not put your feet deeply in the earth, and raise your head high in the air as I do?”
“I see there is no need to do so,” said the plant with a smile. “In fact, I think I may be safer in this way.”
“Safer?” said the tree. “Are you safer than I am? Do you know how deep my roots are in the earth and how strong my branches are? Who can possibly pull me out by the roots or bow my head to the ground?” And the tree didn’t want to say anything to the weak plant.
But the tree was to regret its words very soon. One evening, a great hurricane(飓风) came. It blew the trees off their roots and almost destroyed the forest completely. It uprooted（将……连根拔起）the mighty tree and blew it away with great force.
When the storm had gone, the villagers living nearby came to check the damage. The mighty tree lay on the ground, but the little plant still stood there.
【小题1】Who was the big tree’s neighbor?

Last Sunday I saw the hardest storm in years. It came suddenly and went on for more than three hours. After lunch, I went into my room to have a rest. The air was hot, and all was quiet.
Then the strong wind started blowing into my room. Pieces of paper on my desk flew high into the air and some flew out of the open window. As I ran out to catch them, big drops of rain began to fall.
When I came back into the house, it was raining harder. I tried hard to close the window. Then I heard a loud crashing（撞击）sound from the back of the house. I ran out of my room to find out what it was—a big tree had fallen down and broken the top of the back room

1. 1.

   There was a heavy storm_____ last Sunday

   1. A.
      at the afternoon
   2. B.
      in the morning
   3. C.
      in the evening
   4. D.
      during the lunch-time
2. 2.

   It was very quiet outside because____

   1. A.
      the weather was very cool
   2. B.
      it was rainy
   3. C.
      the weather was very hot
   4. D.
      there was a lot of thunders
3. 3.

   The paper flew out of the window because of ____

   1. A.
      the heavy rain
   2. B.
      the hot sun
   3. C.
      the strong wind
   4. D.
      the tall tree
4. 4.

   The storm lasted_____

   1. A.
      more than four hours
   2. B.
      more than three hours
   3. C.
      from one to six o’clock
   4. D.
      from two to five o’clock
5. 5.

   What happened when I closed the window?

   1. A.
      The rain became harder
   2. B.
      I was hurt by a big tree
   3. C.
      I was very scared of the loud sound
   4. D.
      A big tree fell down and broke the house