It was a village in India. The people were poor but they were happy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were useless to the villagers. What they had to do was to catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. The villagers were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops weren’t doing so well. More worry was that the children fell ill more often, and there were more insects around lately. The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides (杀剂) and medicine. Soon there was no money left.

The people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job--- eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1.From Paragraph l, we learn that the villagers_______.

A. worked very hard for centuries

B. dreamed of having a better life

C. were poor but somewhat happy   

D. lived a different life from their forefathers

2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. The frogs were easy money.

B. They needed money to buy medicine.

C. They wanted to please the visitors.

D. The frogs made too much noise.

3. What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. The crops didn’t do well.                              B. There were too many insects.

C. The visitors brought in diseases.             D. The pesticides were overused.

4.What is meaning of the last sentence of the article?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country.

B. Money is important.

C. The harmony between man and nature is important.

D. Good old days will never be forgotten.

It’s Saturday morning. Tony’s sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space and playing with a piece of bread. He’s not even  16  . Is he ill? No, but he does have a problem. He has nothing to do because the Internet is down.

When he woke up this morning, Tony was feeling   17  . He jumped out of bed full of plans for the weekend ahead. It would be a weekend like any other great weekend. But that was  18  he turned on his computer and  19  he was unable to go online. Having no Internet changes everything.

Every weekend, Tony will go online to email friends, read the news to

20  what’s happening in the world and play a few online chess games with his cousin Helen to kill time. The perfect weekend-online.

Just as Tony is  21  how he can possibly have a normal weekend without the Internet, his mum walks into the  22  “Cheer up, Tony. Don’t think about the Internet any more, OK?” Tony makes no answer but sighs. “Go and play chess with Helen!” Tony’s mum  23   .

“Oh, yes! Helen lives just around the corner. We can meet and play chess face to face for a  24  . Maybe this weekend won’t be so bad.” Tony  25  , as he walks to the phone. There is life beyond the Internet after all (毕竟).

1. A. hungry                B. tired                     C. busy                  D. thirsty

2.A. excited                B. bored                C. tired           D. surprised

3.A. after           B. before                   C. until                       D. when

4.A. thought               B. guessed             C. decided                  D. found

5.A. write                   B. draw             C. listen          D. get

6.A. improving            B. wondering         C. checking           D. doing

7.A. bathroom            B. bedroom              C. kitchen              D. study

8.A. requires              B. answeres             C. invites              D. suggests

9.A. chat                    B. time                    C. lesson                D. change

10.A. continues         B. worries                C. smiles               D. reports

It was midday when I got the call that my grandfather was not well and he was quickly getting worse. My family did not know how long he would stay in the world. I knew I had to get to the hospital to tell him how much I loved him. As I drove to the hospital, I pictured him before I got to tell him how much he meant to me. Trying to fight back the tears, I wanted to stay calm when I saw him.
When I got to the hospital, I hurriedly looked for his hospital room. I found him in a semi-conscious state (半清醒状态). On my knees, I said softly, “Hello, Grandpa.”
Still feeling shy, I decided not to leave his bedside without letting him know. While I asked about how he was, he told me, “I’ll be fine, Henry.” although we both knew that wasn't true. Then he asked me with a smile how I was doing.
Hearing what my grandpa said, I was much moved. I made the decision that I had to show my gratitude for him. As I found all the courage (勇气) I had, I hold his hand tightly. I cried out, “Grandpa. I just want to let you know how much I love you. I hope you already know that yet I just want to make sure.” By this time, tears were rolling down my face. All those years of love that I had shut and not let him know, became free.
Smilingly, he said, “I know. Thank you for telling me that. All I have on this planet is my family and my love for them. If there is anything I could ask of you, I want you to be good to your family, your mother, your father, and your brother. That’s all I want of you.”
What I learned that day changed my whole life. From then on, I began telling people how much I love them, care for them, and respect them. I get in touch with, for example, my babysitter, my barber, to show my appreciation. I go down into the city once a week and serve pizza to the homeless. I wake up every morning and list everything I’m thankful to in my life.
【小题1】The author got the news of Grandpa’s illness________.