“Mark Twain” was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835～1910) when he wrote books.His father was a lawyer，but a poor one，who lived in Florida，Missouri.The family was so poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching.He had to learn all that he could from the people whom he met.His father died when he was very young，and then there was even less money than before.
Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great Mississippi River，and he did this himself at one time (1857).
Where did he find the name “Mark Twain”？ It came from the great river itself.It was part of one of the cries used by men who worked in the ships.When a man called “By the mark twain！” he meant that the river was “two marks deep” there，that is to say，six feet deep ( “Twain” is an old form of the word “Two”.) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young，and he used them as a pen name all his life.
During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds，and this helped him a great deal when he started to write.But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in 1861.Many of the great ships on the river stopped work.Samuel left then and went to Nevada with his brother，who was at that time Governor of Nevada.There，near the town of Carson，Samuel became a gold miner，but he never made much money at the time.He soon saw that life in the gold mines was not for him.He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada，and this seemed more hopeful.He found that he could write.
He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy.In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon，and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing.Among his books is his own story (1908).
He is now always known as Mark Twain，and many people do not even know that his family name was Clemens.He traveled in America and in England，and went to Oxford in 1907.He was one of the great American writers of the time，and could make his readers laugh—a thing which few writers can do.He died in 1910.
【小題1】“Mark Twain” was         .

A．Samuel loved writing from his early age

B．Samuel did not love writing at the beginning

C．his writings to the newspaper were successful

D．his brother encouraged him to write more

A．write a lot for his readers

B．make a lot of money for his family

C．cause his readers to laugh

D．travel everywhere he wanted

“Mark Twain” was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835～1910) when he wrote books.His father was a lawyer，but a poor one，who lived in Florida，Missouri.The family was so poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching.He had to learn all that he could from the people whom he met.His father died when he was very young，and then there was even less money than before.

Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great Mississippi River，and he did this himself at one time (1857).

Where did he find the name “Mark Twain”？ It came from the great river itself.It was part of one of the cries used by men who worked in the ships.When a man called “By the mark twain！” he meant that the river was “two marks deep” there，that is to say，six feet deep ( “Twain” is an old form of the word “Two”.) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young，and he used them as a pen name all his life.

During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds，and this helped him a great deal when he started to write.But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in 1861.Many of the great ships on the river stopped work.Samuel left then and went to Nevada with his brother，who was at that time Governor of Nevada.There，near the town of Carson，Samuel became a gold miner，but he never made much money at the time.He soon saw that life in the gold mines was not for him.He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada，and this seemed more hopeful.He found that he could write.

He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy.In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon，and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing.Among his books is his own story (1908).

He is now always known as Mark Twain，and many people do not even know that his family name was Clemens.He traveled in America and in England，and went to Oxford in 1907.He was one of the great American writers of the time，and could make his readers laugh—a thing which few writers can do.He died in 1910.

1.“Mark Twain” was         .

A.a famous American writer

B.name of a book

C.a great river in America

D.a large ship

2.As a child，Samuel did not get much education because         .

A.his father died too early

B.the family was very poor

C.he disliked school very much

D.he could learn what he liked from the people he met

3.What gave him a great deal when he started writing?

A.His poor childhood.

B.The Mississippi River.

C.All kinds of travelers he met.

D.His brother.

4.We can infer（推斷）from the passage that         .

A.Samuel loved writing from his early age

B.Samuel did not love writing at the beginning

C.his writings to the newspaper were successful

D.his brother encouraged him to write more

5.According to the writer of the passage，a good writer could         .

A.write a lot for his readers

B.make a lot of money for his family

C.cause his readers to laugh

D.travel everywhere he wanted

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項中選出最佳選項。

　　Miss White was the owner of a little bakery．She was forty years old，and she was not married．

　　A customer who came to Miss White's bakery two or three times a week had never asked for any good bread，but，strangely enough，he wanted only two pieces of old and dry bread each time．

　　One day Miss White found on the customer's finger red and brown dirt．

　　She guessed that the customer probably was a poor artist．He lived in an old house，where he painted pictures and ate dry bread．Miss White，a woman with a kind heart，noticed that the customer began to look thinner and very sad，so she wanted to do something for him．

　　As usual the customer came again and ordered two pieces of dry bread．Suddenly a fire car came by with a great sound．When the customer hurried to the door to look，Miss White quickly cut the bread with a knife and put a lot of butter into it．She covered the bread with paper before the customer turned back to the counter（柜臺）．Not long after，the customer returned and shouted angry words with Miss White．“I'll kill you．You have made my picture waste．I have been working hard for three months drawing a picture for a new city hall．I always make my drawing in pencil first，and when it's done，I cleaned the pencil lines with dry and hard bread pieces．”

　　Hearing that，Miss White knew how foolish her kind heart was．

1．A bakery was a place where ________．

[　　]

A．paper was made

B．pictures were painted

C．colors were sold

D．bread was made and sold

2．The customer only bought hard and dry bread because ________．

[　　]

A．he cleaned the pencil lines with it

B．he liked to eat it

C．Miss White only sold it

D．he was very poor

3．In the end，we know that the artist's drawing must be ________．

[　　]

4．The story shows that Miss White was ________．

[　　]

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(沖突) . It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end, they fell apart.
One morning, a man with a carpenter’s toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said, “I have a job for you. Look at the farm across the creek（河溝）. My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer（推土機）to dig the creek last week to spite(刁難) me. So I want you to build me a fence, an 8 – foot – high fence,  in order not to see his place any more.” The carpenter smiled and said, “I see. I’ll try to do a job that satisfies you.” Then the elder brother went downtown.
At sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide! To his surprise, there was no fence there at all! Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder.
“No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other work for you,” said the elder brother.
“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but I have so many more bridges to build.”

1. 1.

   What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

   1. A.
      They lived a poor life.  
   2. B.
      They lived in peace.
   3. C.
      They never spoke to each other.  
   4. D.
      They lived on the same farm.
2. 2.

   It can be learned that the carpenter was ________.
   

   1. A.
      unwilling to obey the farmer      
   2. B.
      fond of building bridges
   3. C.
      unable to build a fence       
   4. D.
      willing to help others
3. 3.

   The best title for this passage is ________.
   

   1. A.
      A Fine Piece of Work  
   2. B.
      A Carpenter
   3. C.
      A Conflict between Two Brothers
   4. D.
      Two Brothers
4. 4.

   Which of the following is true according to the passage?
   

   1. A.
      The elder brother used his bulldozer to dig a creek.
   2. B.
      The elder brother helped the carpenter build the bridge.
   3. C.
      The brothers were both satisfied with the carpenter’s work.
   4. D.
      The carpenter planned to build an 8-foot - high fence as asked to.

I liked climbing things when I was a baby. My mother remembers and has told me most of those   16  moments like this one. When I was one and a half years old, we lived in our first house in Rue St-Louis. On a hot summer day, my father intended to   17  the roof of our old house. In order to climb up there, he   18  a ladder front of the house.
In my town,   19  could walk outside because the streets were   20 . I was outside watching my father climb on that strange thing. I was curious about why my father disappear at last. So I decided to go up it to   21  why it was impossible to see my father after he reached the   22  of that thing. At 1.5 years old, still a baby wearing pampers, I climbed that ladder to the roof top and started walking   23 . My father did not notice that-he was on the other side occupied with his repairs. It happened that a nice lady in our   24  passed by and   25  me. The nice lady came to my house and   26  my mother of it, who was fearful and   27  ran outside to speak with me.
She really thought I would just   28  that roof, for I was just a baby  29 . She asked me to sit down and stop moving in a   30  way you speak to your babies when they are cute.   31 , I threw myself flat on the   32 and waited.
My mother climbed the ladder to   33  me up and there I was enjoying the view laughing at my mother’s shocked face.   34  the saying goes, “He who knows nothing   35 nothing.”

I liked climbing things when I was a baby. My mother remembers and has told me most of those   16   moments like this one. When I was one and a half years old, we lived in our first house in Rue St-Louis. On a hot summer day, my father intended to   17  the roof of our old house. In order to climb up there, he   18   a ladder front of the house.

In my town,   19   could walk outside because the streets were   20  . I was outside watching my father climb on that strange thing. I was curious about why my father disappear at last. So I decided to go up it to   21   why it was impossible to see my father after he reached the   22   of that thing. At 1.5 years old, still a baby wearing pampers, I climbed that ladder to the roof top and started walking   23  . My father did not notice that-he was on the other side occupied with his repairs. It happened that a nice lady in our   24   passed by and   25   me. The nice lady came to my house and   26   my mother of it, who was fearful and   27   ran outside to speak with me.

She really thought I would just   28   that roof, for I was just a baby  29  . She asked me to sit down and stop moving in a   30   way you speak to your babies when they are cute.   31  , I threw myself flat on the   32  and waited.

My mother climbed the ladder to   33   me up and there I was enjoying the view laughing at my mother’s shocked face.   34   the saying goes, “He who knows nothing   35  nothing.”

1.A．valuable         B．unforgettable  C．endless        D．worthy

2.A．build            B．paint          C．clean          D．mend

3.A．spread           B．laid           C．stood          D．moved

4.A．adults           B．children       C．babies         D．villagers

5.A．smooth           B．wide           C．clean          D．safe

6.A．figure out B．think out            C．pick out       D．point out

7.A．foot             B．top            C．step           D．body

8.A．out              B．up             C．down           D．around

9.A．house            B．neighborhood   C．family         D．company

10.A．met             B．inspected      C．heard          D．spotted

11.A．asked           B．warned         C．reminded       D．advised

12.A．quietly         B．slowly         C．immediately    D．curiously

13.A．fall off        B．climb onto     C．repair         D．destroy

14.A．after all       B．at all         C．in all         D．all in all

15.A．concerned       B．cautious       C．nice           D．clear

16.A．Therefore B．Instead              C．However        D．Otherwise

17.A．ladder          B．ground         C．roof           D．street

18.A．bring           B．pick           C．put            D．take

19.A．When            B．While          C．For            D．As

20.A．doubts          B．fears          C．ignores        D．understands

I liked climbing things when I was a baby. My mother remembers and has told me most of those 　36 moments like this one. When I was one and a half years old, we lived in our first house in Rue St-Louis. On a hot summer day, my father intended to 37 the roof of our old house. In order to climb up there, he 38 a ladder front of the house.

In my town, 　39 could walk outside because the streets were 40 . I was outside watching my father climb on that strange thing. I was curious about why my father disappear at last. So I decided to go up it to 41 why it was impossible to see my father after he reached the 42 of that thing. At 1.5 years old, still a baby wearing pampers, I climbed that ladder to the roof top and started walking 43 . My father did not notice that-he was on the other side occupied with his repairs. It happened that a nice lady in our 44 passed by and 　45 me. The nice lady came to my house and 　46 my mother of it, who was fearful and 47 ran outside to speak with me.

She really thought I would just 48 that roof, for I was just a baby 49 . She asked me to sit down and stop moving in a 50 way you speak to your babies when they are cuts. 　51 , I threw myself flat on the 　52 and waited.

My mother climbed the ladder to 53 me up and there I was enjoying the view laughing at my mother’s shocked face. 　54 the saying goes, “He who knows nothing 55 nothing.”

36．A．valuable　　　　　　　 B．unforgettable　　　 C．endless　　　　　　　 D．worthy

37．A．build　　　　　　　　　 B．paint　　　　　　　　　 C．clean　　　　　　　　　 D．mend

38．A．spread　　　　　　　　 B．laid　　　　　　　　　　 C．stood　　　　　　　　 D．moved

39．A．adults　　　　　　　　 B．children　　　　　　　 C．babies　　　　　　　　 D．villagers

40．A．smooth　　　　　　　 B．wide　　　　　　　　　 C．clean　　　　　　　　　 D．safe

41．A．figure out　　　　　 B．think out　　　　　　 C．pick out　　　　　　 D．point out

42．A．foot　　　　　　　　　 B．top　　　　　　　　　　 C．step　　　　　　　　　 D．body

43．A．out　　　　　　　　　　 B．up　　　　　　　　　　　 C．down　　　　　　　　 D．around

44．A．house　　　　　　　　 B．neighborhood　　　 C．family　　　　　　　　 D．company

45．A．met　　　　　　　　　　 B．inspected　　　　　　 C．heard　　　　　　　　 D．spotted

46．A． asked　　　　　　　　 B．warned　　　　　　　 C．reminded　　　　　　 D．advised

47．A．quietly　　　　　　　　 B．slowly　　　　　　　　 C．immediately　　　　 D．curiously

48．A．fall off　　　　　　　 B．climb onto　　　　　 C．repair　　　　　　　　 D．destroy

49．A．after all　　　　　　　 B．at all　　　　　　　　　 C．in all　　　　　　　　　 D．all in all

50．A．concerned　　　　　 B．cautious　　　　　　 C．nice　　　　　　　　　 D．clear

51．A．Therefore　　　　　 B．Instead　　　　　　　 C．However　　　　　　 D．Otherwise

52．A．ladder　　　　　　　　 B．ground　　　　　　　 C．roof　　　　　　　　　 D．street

53．A．bring　　　　　　　　　 B．pick　　　　　　　　　 C．put　　　　　　　　　　 D．take

54．A．When　　　　　　　　 B．While　　　　　　　　 C．For　　　　　　　　　　 D．As

55．A．doubts　　　　　　　 B．fears　　　　　　　　　 C．ignores　　　　　　　 D．understands

I liked climbing things when I was a baby. My mother remembers and has told me most of those1moments like this one. When I was one and a half years old, we lived in our first house in Rue St-Louis. On a hot summer day, my father intended to 2the roof of our old house. In order to climb up there, he 3a ladder front of the house.
In my town,4could walk outside because the streets were5. I was outside watching my father climb on that strange thing. I was curious about why my father disappear at last. So I decided to go up it to6why it was impossible to see my father after he reached the7of that thing. At 1.5 years old, still a baby wearing pampers, I climbed that ladder to the roof top and started walking8. My father did not notice that-he was on the other side occupied with his repairs. It happened that a nice lady in our9passed by and10me. The nice lady came to my house and11my mother of it, who was fearful and12ran outside to speak with me.
She really thought I would just13that roof, for I was just a baby14. She asked me to sit down and stop moving in a15way you speak to your babies when they are cute.16, I threw myself flat on the17and waited.
My mother climbed the ladder to18me up and there I was enjoying the view laughing at my mother’s shocked face.19the saying goes, “He who knows nothing20nothing.”

1. 1.
   1. A.
      valuable
   2. B.
      unforgettable
   3. C.
      endless
   4. D.
      worthy
2. 2.
   1. A.
      build
   2. B.
      paint
   3. C.
      clean
   4. D.
      mend
3. 3.
   1. A.
      spread
   2. B.
      laid
   3. C.
      stood
   4. D.
      moved
4. 4.
   1. A.
      adults
   2. B.
      children
   3. C.
      babies
   4. D.
      villagers
5. 5.
   1. A.
      smooth
   2. B.
      wide
   3. C.
      clean
   4. D.
      safe
6. 6.
   1. A.
      figure out
   2. B.
      think out
   3. C.
      pick out
   4. D.
      point out
7. 7.
   1. A.
      foot
   2. B.
      top
   3. C.
      step
   4. D.
      body
8. 8.
   1. A.
      out
   2. B.
      up
   3. C.
      down
   4. D.
      around
9. 9.
   1. A.
      house
   2. B.
      neighborhood
   3. C.
      family
   4. D.
      company
10. 10.
    1. A.
       met
    2. B.
       inspected
    3. C.
       heard
    4. D.
       spotted
11. 11.
    1. A.
       asked
    2. B.
       warned
    3. C.
       reminded
    4. D.
       advised
12. 12.
    1. A.
       quietly
    2. B.
       slowly
    3. C.
       immediately
    4. D.
       curiously
13. 13.
    1. A.
       fall off
    2. B.
       climb onto
    3. C.
       repair
    4. D.
       destroy
14. 14.
    1. A.
       after all
    2. B.
       at all
    3. C.
       in all
    4. D.
       all in all
15. 15.
    1. A.
       concerned
    2. B.
       cautious
    3. C.
       nice
    4. D.
       clear
16. 16.
    1. A.
       Therefore
    2. B.
       Instead
    3. C.
       However
    4. D.
       Otherwise
17. 17.
    1. A.
       ladder
    2. B.
       ground
    3. C.
       roof
    4. D.
       street
18. 18.
    1. A.
       bring
    2. B.
       pick
    3. C.
       put
    4. D.
       take
19. 19.
    1. A.
       When
    2. B.
       While
    3. C.
       For
    4. D.
       As
20. 20.
    1. A.
       doubts
    2. B.
       fears
    3. C.
       ignores
    4. D.
       understands

A long time ago, there lived a poor man whose real name has been forgotten. He was little and old and his face was wrinkled, and that was why his friends called him Mr. Vinegar. His wife was also little and old, and they lived in a little old cottage at the back of a little old field.
"John," said Mrs. Vinegar, "you must go to town and buy a cow. I will milk her and churn（攪拌） butter and we shall never want for anything."
"That is a good plan," said Mr. Vinegar, so he started off to town while his wife waited by the roadside.
Mr. Vinegar walked up and down the street of the town looking for a cow. After a time, a farmer came that way, leading one that was very pretty and fat.
"Oh, if I only had that cow," said Mr. Vinegar, "I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"She's a very good cow," said the farmer.
"Well," said Mr. Vinegar, "I'll give you these 50 gold pieces for her."
The farmer smiled and held out his hand for the money, "You may have her," he said, "I always like to oblige（施恩惠） , my friends!"
Mr. Vinegar took hold of the cow's halter and led her up and down the street. "I am the luckiest man in the world," he said, "for only see how all the people are looking at me and my cow!"
But at one end of the street, he met a man playing bagpipes（風笛） . He stopped and listened -- Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dee.
"Oh, that is the sweetest music I ever heard," he said, "and just see how all the children crowd around the man and give him pennies! If I only had those bagpipes, I would be the happiest man in the world!!"
"I'll sell them to you," said the piper.
"Will you? Well then, since I have no money, I will give you this cow for them."
"You may have them," answered the piper, "I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes and the piper led the cow away.
"Now we will have some music," said Mr. Vinegar, but try as hard as he might, he could not play a tune. He could get nothing out of the bagpipes but "squeak, squeak". The children instead of giving him pennies laughed at him.
The day was chilly and in trying to play the pipes, his fingers grew very cold. He wished he had kept the cow.
He just started for home when he met a man who had warm gloves on his hands. "Oh, if I only had those pretty gloves," he said, "I would be the happiest man in the world."
"How much will you give for them?" asked the man.
"Oh, I have no money, but I will give you these bagpipes," answered Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have them for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar gave him the bagpipes and drew the gloves on over his half frozen fingers. "How lucky I am," he said as he trudged（跋涉） homeward. His hands were soon quite warm, but the road was rough and the walking hard. He was very tired when he came to the foot of the steep hill. "How shall I ever get to the top?" he said. Just then he met a man who was walking the other way. He had a stick in his hand which he used as a cane to help him along.
"My friend," said Mr. Vinegar, "if only I had that stick of yours to help me up this hill, I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"How much will you give me for it?" asked the man.
"Well, I have no money, but I will give you this pair of warm gloves," said Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have it for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar's hands were now quite warm, so he gave the gloves to the man and took the stout（結實的） stick to help him along. "How lucky I am!'' he said as he toiled upward.
At the top of the hill he stopped to rest. But as he was thinking of all his good luck that day, he heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw only a green parrot sitting in a tree.
"Mr. Vinegar, Mr. Vinegar," it cried.
"What now?" said Mr. Vinegar.
"You're a dunce（傻瓜） , you're a dunce!'' answered the bird, "you went to seek your fortune and you found it, then you gave it for a cow, and the cow for some bagpipes, and the bagpipes for some gloves, and the gloves for a stick which you might of cut by the roadside. He He He, you're a dunce! You're a dunce!''
This made Mr. Vinegar very angry. He threw the stick at the bird with all his might. But the bird only answered, "You're a dunce! You're a dunce!" And the stick lodged in the tree where he could not get it again.
Mr. Vinegar went on slowly for he had many things to think about. His wife was standing by the roadside and as soon as she saw him, she cried out, "Where's the cow? Where's the cow?" "Well, I just don't know where the cow is," said Mr. Vinegar. And then he told her the whole story.
【小題1】What’s the meaning of the underlined word in the passage?

A long time ago, there lived a poor man whose real name has been forgotten. He was little and old and his face was wrinkled, and that was why his friends called him Mr. Vinegar. His wife was also little and old, and they lived in a little old cottage at the back of a little old field.
"John," said Mrs. Vinegar, "you must go to town and buy a cow. I will milk her and churn（攪拌） butter and we shall never want for anything."
"That is a good plan," said Mr. Vinegar, so he started off to town while his wife waited by the roadside.
Mr. Vinegar walked up and down the street of the town looking for a cow. After a time, a farmer came that way, leading one that was very pretty and fat.
"Oh, if I only had that cow," said Mr. Vinegar, "I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"She's a very good cow," said the farmer.
"Well," said Mr. Vinegar, "I'll give you these 50 gold pieces for her."
The farmer smiled and held out his hand for the money, "You may have her," he said, "I always like to oblige（施恩惠） , my friends!"
Mr. Vinegar took hold of the cow's halter and led her up and down the street. "I am the luckiest man in the world," he said, "for only see how all the people are looking at me and my cow!"
But at one end of the street, he met a man playing bagpipes（風笛） . He stopped and listened -- Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dee.
"Oh, that is the sweetest music I ever heard," he said, "and just see how all the children crowd around the man and give him pennies! If I only had those bagpipes, I would be the happiest man in the world!!"
"I'll sell them to you," said the piper.
"Will you? Well then, since I have no money, I will give you this cow for them."
"You may have them," answered the piper, "I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes and the piper led the cow away.
"Now we will have some music," said Mr. Vinegar, but try as hard as he might, he could not play a tune. He could get nothing out of the bagpipes but "squeak, squeak". The children instead of giving him pennies laughed at him.
The day was chilly and in trying to play the pipes, his fingers grew very cold. He wished he had kept the cow.
He just started for home when he met a man who had warm gloves on his hands. "Oh, if I only had those pretty gloves," he said, "I would be the happiest man in the world."
"How much will you give for them?" asked the man.
"Oh, I have no money, but I will give you these bagpipes," answered Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have them for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar gave him the bagpipes and drew the gloves on over his half frozen fingers. "How lucky I am," he said as he trudged（跋涉） homeward. His hands were soon quite warm, but the road was rough and the walking hard. He was very tired when he came to the foot of the steep hill. "How shall I ever get to the top?" he said. Just then he met a man who was walking the other way. He had a stick in his hand which he used as a cane to help him along.
"My friend," said Mr. Vinegar, "if only I had that stick of yours to help me up this hill, I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"How much will you give me for it?" asked the man.
"Well, I have no money, but I will give you this pair of warm gloves," said Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have it for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar's hands were now quite warm, so he gave the gloves to the man and took the stout（結實的） stick to help him along. "How lucky I am!'' he said as he toiled upward.
At the top of the hill he stopped to rest. But as he was thinking of all his good luck that day, he heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw only a green parrot sitting in a tree.
"Mr. Vinegar, Mr. Vinegar," it cried.
"What now?" said Mr. Vinegar.
"You're a dunce（傻瓜） , you're a dunce!'' answered the bird, "you went to seek your fortune and you found it, then you gave it for a cow, and the cow for some bagpipes, and the bagpipes for some gloves, and the gloves for a stick which you might of cut by the roadside. He He He, you're a dunce! You're a dunce!''
This made Mr. Vinegar very angry. He threw the stick at the bird with all his might. But the bird only answered, "You're a dunce! You're a dunce!" And the stick lodged in the tree where he could not get it again.
Mr. Vinegar went on slowly for he had many things to think about. His wife was standing by the roadside and as soon as she saw him, she cried out, "Where's the cow? Where's the cow?" "Well, I just don't know where the cow is," said Mr. Vinegar. And then he told her the whole story.

1. 1.

   What’s the meaning of the underlined word in the passage?

   1. A.
      成功
   2. B.
      財富
   3. C.
      幸福
   4. D.
      健康
2. 2.

   How many exchanges happen in the passage?

   1. A.
      1
   2. B.
      2
   3. C.
      3
   4. D.
      4
3. 3.

   Why does the parrot think Mr.Vinegar foolish?

   1. A.
      Because Mr.Vinegar married an old woman
   2. B.
      Because Mr.Vinegar gave his fortune for nothing
   3. C.
      Because Mr.Vinegar was little and old
   4. D.
      Because Mr.Vinegar did nothing but be angry
4. 4.

   What’s Mrs.Vinegar’s feeling after she knew the fact?

   1. A.
      Sad
   2. B.
      Calm
   3. C.
      Happ
   4. D.
      Angry

It’s Pigs’ Hometown

The story happened during the Second World War. An old man lived in a small town of Germany. He had three sons and they all worked in the same factory where he had worked. After the war had begun, his sons were all made to join the army one after another and they all died in the fights. The old man was very sad. He didn’t have enough food and was often hungry. And nobody helped him and he didn’t know how to go on living.

It was a very cold winter night. The old man couldn’t go to sleep. He had been hungry for two days and it was so cold in his room that ice could be seen. He had to get up and began to run in the room until he lay down on the floor. The next morning he had to beg from door to door. He had been to a lot of cities and knew a lot.

Once he came to a village, but the villagers were all poor and couldn’t give him anything. He was too hungry to go to another village. He thought hard and found a way. He came to a police station and called out, “Hitler is a foolish pig!”

Out came an old policeman at once. He took the old man into a room, gave him some bread and a cup of tea. Then he said, “Don’t say so in our village, sir!”

“I’m sorry, sir,” said the old man. “I don’t know it’s Hitler’s home town.” “No, no, sir,” the policeman said in a hurry. “It’s pigs’ hometown!”

1.The old man’s son joined the army because ___________

A. they were all strong

B. they loved their country 

C. they wanted to be full

D. they had to do so

2.The villagers didn’t give the old man any food because _______.

A. they weren’t kind-hearted

B. his sons were in the army

C. they were also hungry

D. they hated him

3.The policeman thought _______.

A. Hitler was more foolish than pigs

B. the old man insulted(侮辱) their hometown

C. the old man had to say sorry to him

D. the old man had to fight with Hitler

There was once, in a little market-town not far from Upsala (瑞典一城市), a peasant who lived there with his family, digging the earth during the week and singing in the choir on Sundays. This peasant had a little daughter to whom he taught the musical alphabet before she knew how to read. Daae was a great musician, perhaps without knowing it. Not a violinist in Scandinavia played as he did. His reputation was widespread and he was always invited to set the couples dancing at weddings and other festivals. His wife died when Christine was entering upon her sixth year. Then the father, who cared only for his daughter and his music, sold his land and went to Upsala in search of fame and fortune. He found nothing but poverty.

He returned to the country, wandering from fair to fair, playing his Scandinavian music pieces, while his child, who never left his side, listened to him in delight or sang to his playing. One day, at Ljimby Fair, Professor Valerius heard them and took them to Gothenburg. He insisted that the father was the first violinist in the world and that the daughter had the making of a great artist. Her education and instruction were provided for. She made rapid progress and charmed everybody with her prettiness, her grace of manner and her real eagerness to please.

When Valerius and his wife went to settle in France, they took Daae and Christine with them. "Mamma" Valerius treated Christine as her daughter. As for Daae, he became ill with homesickness. He never went out of doors in Paris, but lived in a sort of dream which he kept up with his violin. For hours at a time, he remained locked up in his bedroom with his daughter, playing and singing, very, very softly.

Daae seemed not to recover his strength until the summer, when the whole family went to stay at Perros-Guirec, in a far-away corner of Brittany, where the sea was of the same color as in his own country. Often he would play his saddest tunes on the beach and pretend that the sea stopped its roaring to listen to them. And then he persuaded Mamma Valerius to allow him to leave for a while. At the time of the "pardons," the village festivals and dances, he went off with his violin, as in the old days, and was allowed to take his daughter with him for a week. They gave the smallest villages music to last them for a year and slept at night in a barn, refusing a bed at the inn, lying close together on the straw, as when they were so poor in Sweden. At the same time, they were very neatly dressed, refused the halfpence offered to them; and the people around could not understand the behaviour of this country violinist, who walked heavily on the roads with that pretty child who sang like an angel from Heaven. They followed them from village to village.

1. When he was in the countryside, Daae did NOT __________.

2.The 3rd sentence “He insisted …” in the 2nd paragraph showed Professor Valerius’ ______.

3. While Daae was in Paris, he never went out of doors because he was ________.

4. What made people curious about the father and daughter was that _______.

I will never forget what my old headmaster taught me. Normally when you are only 15          years of age you do not remember most of the things that are taught by your teachers. But this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning, and he was making a speech to the students on important things in life and about devoting ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was dirty, and a stench(惡臭)came out of the house and it smelled horrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they asked the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house to tell the good news to him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.
59. The headmaster told the story to the students to__________.
A. make the students relaxed in the lesson             B. remind the students to think deeply
C. show how poor the old man was                            D. encourage the students to become rich
60. After hearing what the officer said, the old man_________.
A. believed the officer was playing a joke on him. B. didn't know many people respected him a lot.
C. was very angry to find his house broken into.     D. was not so excited as the officer had expected.
61. What did the author learn from the story?
A . One should devote himself to his dream.            B. The old man was foolish not to stop begging.
C. What the headmaster taught was very important.
D. People must have a plan before taking action.
62. Which word can best describe the author's attitude towards the old man?
A. Pity.           B. Disappointment.                 C. Respect.          D. Anger.
63. We know from the passage that ___________________.
the author had a big dream at the age of 15.         
B. the headmaster was popular with the students.
the old man begged every day without stopping.  
D. the neighbors took great pity on the old man.
BDACC 

I will never forget what my old headmaster taught me. Normally when you are only 15          years of age you do not remember most of the things that are taught by your teachers. But this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.

It was a normal Monday morning, and he was making a speech to the students on important things in life and about devoting ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:

An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was dirty, and a stench(惡臭)came out of the house and it smelled horrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they asked the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.

The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house to tell the good news to him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.

59. The headmaster told the story to the students to__________.

A. make the students relaxed in the lesson             B. remind the students to think deeply

C. show how poor the old man was                            D. encourage the students to become rich

60. After hearing what the officer said, the old man_________.

A. believed the officer was playing a joke on him. B. didn't know many people respected him a lot.

C. was very angry to find his house broken into.     D. was not so excited as the officer had expected.

61. What did the author learn from the story?

A . One should devote himself to his dream.            B. The old man was foolish not to stop begging.

C. What the headmaster taught was very important.

D. People must have a plan before taking action.

62. Which word can best describe the author's attitude towards the old man?

A. Pity.           B. Disappointment.                 C. Respect.          D. Anger.

63. We know from the passage that ___________________.

the author had a big dream at the age of 15.         

B. the headmaster was popular with the students.

the old man begged every day without stopping.  

D. the neighbors took great pity on the old man.

BDACC 

There was once, in a little market-town not far from Upsala (瑞典一城市), a peasant who lived there with his family, digging the earth during the week and singing in the choir on Sundays. This peasant had a little daughter to whom he taught the musical alphabet before she knew how to read. Daae was a great musician, perhaps without knowing it. Not a violinist in Scandinavia played as he did. His reputation was widespread and he was always invited to set the couples dancing at weddings and other festivals. His wife died when Christine was entering upon her sixth year. Then the father, who cared only for his daughter and his music, sold his land and went to Upsala in search of fame and fortune. He found nothing but poverty.
He returned to the country, wandering from fair to fair, playing his Scandinavian music pieces, while his child, who never left his side, listened to him in delight or sang to his playing. One day, at Ljimby Fair, Professor Valerius heard them and took them to Gothenburg. He insisted that the father was the first violinist in the world and that the daughter had the making of a great artist. Her education and instruction were provided for. She made rapid progress and charmed everybody with her prettiness, her grace of manner and her real eagerness to please.
When Valerius and his wife went to settle in France, they took Daae and Christine with them. "Mamma" Valerius treated Christine as her daughter. As for Daae, he became ill with homesickness. He never went out of doors in Paris, but lived in a sort of dream which he kept up with his violin. For hours at a time, he remained locked up in his bedroom with his daughter, playing and singing, very, very softly.
Daae seemed not to recover his strength until the summer, when the whole family went to stay at Perros-Guirec, in a far-away corner of Brittany, where the sea was of the same color as in his own country. Often he would play his saddest tunes on the beach and pretend that the sea stopped its roaring to listen to them. And then he persuaded Mamma Valerius to allow him to leave for a while. At the time of the "pardons," the village festivals and dances, he went off with his violin, as in the old days, and was allowed to take his daughter with him for a week. They gave the smallest villages music to last them for a year and slept at night in a barn, refusing a bed at the inn, lying close together on the straw, as when they were so poor in Sweden. At the same time, they were very neatly dressed, refused the halfpence offered to them; and the people around could not understand the behaviour of this country violinist, who walked heavily on the roads with that pretty child who sang like an angel from Heaven. They followed them from village to village.
【小題1】 When he was in the countryside, Daae did NOT __________.

An old farmer lived on a farm with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early to read his Bhagavat Geeta. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagavat Geeta just like you but I don't understand it, What good does reading the Bhagavat Geeta do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out (漏出) before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the same took place. He told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water with a basket.

The old man said, " You're just not trying hard enough,"  So the boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket into a clean one inside and outside.

"You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Krishna in our lives."

1.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that the grandson_________.

A．was fond of reading

B．liked his grandpa very much

C．got up early to carry water every day

D．helped his grandpa on the farm

2.According to the grandson,___________.

A．he enjoyed reading the Bhagavat Geeta

B．learning the Bhagavat Geeta was easy

C．he was not good at remembering anything

D．reading the Bhagavat Geeta was meaningless

3.We can learn that by getting water with a basket, the grandson__________.

A．washed the dirt off the basket

B．kept some water for the future

C．was punished for what he had said

D．became stronger and cleverer

4.The grandfather gave his grandson a lesson by_________.

A．telling him an interesting story

B．having a heated discussion with him

C．asking him to carry water with a basket

D．performing an experiment for him

5.What would the grandson like to do in the future?

A．To help his grandpa carry water

B．To hold water with a bucket

C．To read the Bhagavat Geeta.

D．To remember everything in his life.