________ that I can't carry it.

[　　]

It was very cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a “shelter” on the river bank. His “shelter” was a tarpaulin(油布)tied to rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away . He had been living there for over a month .I never saw him with warm clothing or food . I knew what I wanted to do .

When I told my parents what I wanted to do they were alarmed . They said l could be putting myself at risk ,  taking a box to a homeless person at night ! But I knew , in my deep heart ,that I would be safe .

I got a box .My parents watched as I added warm gloves , a heavy blanket…into the box until it was full ! Then , I put a Christmas card on top . It said," Even though we hardly know each other , I want to wish you a merry Christmas !” I put ten one-dollar bills inside it as well.

My father insisted he went there with me as it was 10 pm on Christmas Eve. I said he could drive me but he had to stay in the car. He agreed .

I took the box and walked towards his “house” . I called ,"Sir, I have a Christmas box for you !” 

“Go away !” he shouted.

“Sir,” I repeated .

“Go away !” he shouted.

“Why ?” I asked him .

He walked over and I expected to see an angry face .Instead I saw two of the most beautiful , gentle, blue eyes I have ever seen.

“Merry Christmas!” I said.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked .

“Because you matter to me” I said . With that I gave him the box .

Tears came to his eyes and he thanked me .I got back to the car and watched him carry the box like it was filled with gold . I didn't want to embarrass(使困窘) him by watching him any more so Dad and I left .

56. The underlined word “alarmed” can best replaced by _____ .

A. pleased               B. worried

C. disappointed           D. surprised

57. Why did the author ask his father to stay in the car ?

A  Because he wanted to prove he was brave .

B  Because he believed the homeless man was bad .

C. Because he wanted to protect his father from being hurt .

D. Because he didn't want the homeless man to feel bad.

58. when the homeless man saw the author first , he was _____.

A. quite angry      B. very excited

C .quite puzzled    D. very curious

59. The author’s purpose in writing the text is to tell readers that____.

A. it is easier said than done

B. poverty is the mother of health

C. where there is a will , there is a way

D. a willing helper does not wait until he is asked

My grandmother seems to be wrong when she says that good manners will never go out of style.

Several days ago, I tried entering a lift with one of my arms fixed in a bandage(绷带) while carrying a computer bag in the other. Not being fast enough, I was passed by two young people who managed to get into the lift before me. The lift door closed only after I entered. Having already pressed their wanted floor button, the young people waited impatiently for me to press the button for where I was going. If they had decided to help, we could have moved much faster. But they had not. So I did my best and pressed the button with my arm. The two young people looked very angry with me. I was losing heart.

The memory of this incident has stayed with me because it followed shortly after my building’s watchman refused to help me carry a heavy box full of books. His answer was that he could not carry the books a few meters because it was not his job. However, I remembered myself helping people for so many years carrying boxes, shopping bags, or pushing wheelchairs upon the request of a stranger in need or when my conscience(良心) called on me. "Oh, this young generation, they have no manners, ”my grandmother would say. The idea of good manners refers to the considering of other people’s feelings. We need more and more people to have good manners. Good manners should be-come part of our lives.

1.The author believes that ________.

A．good manners will never go out of style

B．her grandmother is right

C．good manners are disappearing little by little

D．it never rains, but it pours

2.How did the two young people feel when the author pressed the button?

A．Excited.           B．Angry.            C．Sad.              D．Confident.

3.The watchman didn’t help the author because ______.

A．the box was full of books

B．the box was too heavy

C．the author was a stranger

D．he thought it was not his job

4.We can infer from the passage that the author ______.

A．always offers help to people in need

B．always has difficulty carrying things

C．has a better memory than anyone else

D．agreed with her grandmother at first

I live in Japan, where electronic items are a way of life, so it is no surprise that many students carry these little electronic dictionaries. Think of it. That huge, heavy paper dictionary that you used to see in your library looked like a building block in size and weight, yet someone has found a way to change all of that into a plastic box smaller than a video cassette tape.

E-dictionaries may be lighter and compacter(简洁的) than any paper dictionary. They may even contain more words and expressions. It depends on which one you buy. To me, these are pretty much the limits to their advantages.

I think e-dictionaries should be limited in their use in classrooms. Let's take a look at some reasons.

E-dictionaries are much more expensive. In Japan, they cost as little as 10,000 yen (US$100) or as much as 40,000 yen, depending on how many functions you want (or think you want) and depending on how fashionable you are. My trusty Random House paper dictionary is copyrighted in 1995, cost me a mere US$12.95 plus tax.

E-dictionaries are more fragile. Drop your paper dictionary. Go ahead. Hold it above your head and drop it. Now, try this with any lightweight plastic e-dictionary, and you'll be picking up the pieces.

E-dictionaries need batteries. Batteries are temperature sensitive. Batteries cost money, no, make that extra money.

E-dictionaries have keypads. Typing in the spelling of a word is harder and more time-consuming(耗时)than looking through pages and using the index at the top of each page.

Let me add a statement about one that really troubles me. Sound. Little devices beep(嘟嘟声)when you press the buttons, but it is very disturbing to some people in a classroom situation or library.

Finally, let's consider making corrections or additions. No dictionary is perfect, paper version or electronic. However, when you find something you'd like to change in the e-dictionary, you can't do anything about it. You can pencil in some notes with the paper type. Similarly, if you learn a word that isn't in the dictionary, a few notes of a pencil make it easy to increase its memory capacity. Not possible with a keypad model. And, for those students whose habit is to mark certain words with a highlight pen for case of future reference, again, the paper dictionary wins out.

9. What's the main idea of the text?

A. The advantages and disadvantages of e-dictionaries from the author's point of view.

B. Electronic items are a way of life in Japan.

C. It's fashionable to carry little e-dictionaries.

D. The bad effect of using e-dictionaries on students and teachers.

10. How many disadvantages does the author address in the text?

A. 4. B. 6. C. 8. D. 10.

11. What does the author hate most of all the disadvantages?

A. Not possible to make additions.

B. Wasting more time looking up words.

C. Too expensive to buy e-dictionaries and batteries.

D. Making sound when pressing the buttons.

12. What is the greatest advantage of the paper dictionary compared with the e-dictionary?

A. Containing more words and expressions.

B. More light and compact to carry.

C. Making corrections or additions for future reference.

D. Costing less money.

My grandmother seems to be wrong when she says that good manners will never go out of style.
Several days ago, I tried entering a lift with one of my arms fixed in a bandage(绷带) while carrying a computer bag in the other. Not being fast enough, I was passed by two young people who managed to get into the lift before me. The lift door closed only after I entered. Having already pressed their wanted floor button, the young people waited impatiently for me to press the button for where I was going. If they had decided to help, we could have moved much faster. But they had not. So I did my best and pressed the button with my arm. The two young people looked very angry with me. I was losing heart.
The memory of this incident has stayed with me because it followed shortly after my building’s watchman refused to help me carry a heavy box full of books. His answer was that he could not carry the books a few meters because it was not his job. However, I remembered myself helping people for so many years carrying boxes, shopping bags, or pushing wheelchairs upon the request of a stranger in need or when my conscience(良心) called on me. "Oh, this young generation, they have no manners, ”my grandmother would say. The idea of good manners refers to the considering of other people’s feelings. We need more and more people to have good manners. Good manners should be-come part of our lives.
【小题1】The author believes that ________.