An old man lived in a nice house with a large garden. He took care of his flowers all the time, watering and fertilizing them.
One day a young man went by the garden. He looked at the beautiful flowers, imagining how happy he could be if he lived in such a beautiful place. Then ,suddenly he found the old gardener was blind. He was very surprised about this and asked,“You can’t see these flowers. “Why are you busy taking care of them every day?”
The old man smiled and said ,“I can tell you four reasons. First, I was a gardener when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, I can touch them. Third, I can smell the sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s you.”
“Me? But you don’t know me.”said the young man.
“Yeah, it’s true that I don’t know you. But I know that flowers are angels that everybody knows. We enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”
The blind man’s work opened our eyes and pleased our hearts, which also made his life happier. It was just like Beethoven, who became deaf in his later life and wrote many great musical works. Beethoven himself couldn’t hear his wonderful music, but his music has encouraged millions of people to face their difficulties bravely. Isn’t it a kind of happiness?
【小題1】The young man was very surprised because _________.

A．The old man was deaf.

B．The old man could see nothing.

C．The old man took care of flowers every day.

D．The flowers was very beautiful.

【小題2】Why was the old man busy taking care of the flowers every day?

A．Because he liked doing it.

B．Because it can make him happy.

C．Because everyone enjoyed the happiness these flowers had brought.

D．All the above.

【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE about the old man?

A．He was a musician.	B．He was the writer’s friend.
C．He used to be a gardener.	D．He was very happy.

【小題4】What is the best title of the passage?

A．The beautiful flowers.	B．Beethoven’s life.
C．The blind and The deaf.	D．One kind of Happiness.

Recently,CCTV reporter have asked a simple question, “Are you happy?”
The question has caught many interviewees off guard. Even Mo Yan, who recently won a Nobel Prize, answered by saying “I don’t know.”
We should ask “What exactly is happiness? And how do you measure(測量) it？”. Last year, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation, “Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At last year’s National People’s Congress(全國人民代表大會)， officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target(目標) for the 12^th five-year plan.
Many argue that happiness is elusive. It also means different things to different people. For some, happiness can be as simple as having enough money to buy a new bicycle; for others, it’s about socializing(社交活動) or finding the perfect spouse(配偶).
Chen Shangyuan, 21, a college student, said his idea of happiness always evolves(進化). “At present it relates to how productive I am in a day”, he said. “It might be linked to(聯(lián)系) job security (安全) or leisure(休閑) time after I graduate.”
【小題1】What did Mo Yan say when he was asked the question “Are you happy?”

A．Yes, I am very happy.	B．No, I am not happy.
C．It depends on the weather.	D．I don’t know

【小題2】What’s the top target for the 12^th five-year plan?

A．Economic

B．Peace

C．Culture

D．Increasing happiness

【小題3】What does “elusive” mean in the passage?

A．難以理解

B．難能可貴

C．難以實現(xiàn)

D．難以忘記

【小題4】What does Chen Shangyuan think happiness might be linked to when he works?
A big house.    B. An expensive car.    C. Money       D. Job security or leisure time.
【小題5】Form this passage, we can know that_________.

A．happiness can be measured

B．to be happy is very

C．different people have different ideas about happiness

D．If we have a lot of money we will feel happy

When I was about 13, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings (缺點). Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student.   【小題1】 . I tried to put up with (忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry.   【小題2】 .
My father listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I returned to my room and I did as my father told me. To my surprise, I found that about half the things were true.   【小題3】 . He refused to take the list. “That’s just for you,” he said. “When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Many years have passed.   【小題4】 . In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure (珍惜) all your life!

A. I brought the list back to my father B. The situation often appears in my mind C. My mum didn’t like me D. I ran to my father E. Sometimes she said I talked too much

 

This is part of a book’s table of contents.

Chapter One: North America The Fox and the Raccoon .....      1 Song of the Mountains .........      4 Little Feather Meets Bear .....       7 Chapter Two: South America Kuma and the Big River.........     10 The Smallest Monkey ............    12 Three Tree Frogs ...................    15 Chapter Three: Africa Marumbi Saves the Day.......        18 The Jumping Fish ................      22 Father Lion and His Son ......       25

【小題1】Chapter One is about ____.

A．North America

B．South America

C．Africa

D．Asia

【小題2】If you want to read The Smallest Monkey, you can turn to page ____.

A．4

B．7

C．12

D．25

【小題3】If you are reading page 22, which story are you reading?  

A．Song of the Mountains.	B．Kuma and the Big River.
C．Three Tree Frogs.	D．The Jumping Fish.

After my husband died, my world crashed around me. My six children were ten, nine, eight, six, three and 18 months, and I was overwhelmed(不知所措的) with the responsibilities of earning a living, caring for the children and simply keeping my head above water.
I was lucky to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and frankly(坦誠地) I was uneasy. Every unusual noise or any late-night phone call filled me with fear. I felt really alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd(牧羊犬) on our doorstep. It was obvious he wanted to make the house his home. The children took an instant liking to “German” and asked me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement(地下室) until the next day. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results. Saturday night he was still with us. 
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case(以免) his owner came by, we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He stayed again Sunday night.  
Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn’t come back. We thought we’d never see him again. On Friday evening, German was back again. We took him in, and again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived. It went like this for almost 10 months. We looked forward to his coming. Each Monday morning he left home.
Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little braver, but every weekend I enjoyed being with him . Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. We never saw or heard from German again. I think of him often. He came when I needed him the most and stayed until I was strong enough to go on alone. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how abandoned(被放棄的) and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone.
【小題1】What does the underlined part “keeping my head above water” in the first paragraph mean?

A．trying to keep calm in public

B．trying to get attention from other men

C．showing her high spirit in the face of trouble

D．trying to continue to live

【小題2】When the author’s husband died, ______.

A．she couldn’t raise the six children on her own

B．she couldn’t relax at weekends

C．The housekeeper only came at weekends

D．she was too busy to feel lonely

【小題3】 Which of the following is WRONG according to the article?

A．German was fond of living with the family.

B．The writer felt safe and protected with German around.

C．The dog stayed until the writer was strong enough to go on alone.

D．The writer was too busy that weekend to go to find the dog’s owner.

【小題4】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．A homeless dog	B．A friend’s strength
C．How to keep a dog	D．Keep up when in trouble

One of my favourite things to do is hiking in mountains. Because nobody likes the idea of getting lost, I always prepare before every trip. But what’s the best navigation tool, a Global Positioning System (GPS) or a good old map and compass? Five of my friends and I hiked through the mountains on a trail I marked. One team of three carried a GPS, and the other team used a map and compass.
It took the GPS team 3 hours and 11 minutes to get through the whole hike, however, it took the map and compass team only 2 hours and 49 minutes. The biggest problem the GPS team met was that they lost the satellite signal (衛(wèi)星信號) in some places. With no map or compass, they had to walk around until they were in a place where the signal was good. The map and compass team was able to spot (認出) different landmarks, compare them to their maps and then use the compass to point them in the right direction.
When I head out on my future hikes, I’m bringing a map, a compass and a GPS to show me the way.
【小題1】The writer prepares before every trip because he doesn’t _________.

A．like the old map or compass

B．know how to use the GPS

C．want to get lost in mountains

D．want to get into the mountains alone

【小題2】The two teams _________.

A．had the same navigation tool

B．went along the same trail

C．had the same problem

D．finished the whole hike at the same time

【小題3】In the end, the writer found out _________.

A．the map and the compass were too old navigation tools to use any more

B．it wasn’t necessary to bring a map and a compass together with a GPS

C．the GPS had some bad points in hiking in mountains

D．he wouldn’t use a GPS any more

Money, jewels and important documents may not be the only valuables placed in banks these days. Some mothers store their breast milk (母乳) in banks.
There are ten breast milk banks across the United States, where mothers can donate their extra milk for other women’s babies.
Experts say breast milk is the best food for babies. The World Health Organization says it is the only food babies should get during the first six months of life, in most cases. Breast milk is especially important for babies born too early. Sometimes these premature babies must stay in the hospital for many weeks.
James Cameron is a doctor who treats newborns at Lutheran Children’s Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He says breast milk is almost like medicine. Doctor James Cameron says, “The fact is that there are so many different proteins and specialized sugars in the breast milk that the mom’s able to make that help provide immunity (免疫力). It’s very important for the health of the newborn.”
Lucy Baur lives near Fort Wayne. She breastfed both her children and always had more milk than they needed. She wanted to donate to the Indiana Mothers Milk Bank in Indianapolis. But freezing and shipping milk can be costly. Then, a donor station opened near her home.
Milk donations in the United States work like this. Donors must be willing to provide almost three liters of breast milk. They freeze the milk and take it to the station. There, employees warm the milk and mix it with other mothers’ milk. Then, the milk is heated to kill bacteria. After that, the technicians test samples of all the milk to make sure it is safe and healthful. The milk is re-frozen and sent to the main milk bank. The milk bank transports the milk to hospitals to feed premature or sick babies.
Donors are tested for diseases before any milk is accepted. They are not permitted to smoke tobacco, use illegal drugs or drink too much alcohol.
【小題1】According to the passage, which thing can also be stored in banks except money, jewels and important documents?

A．Notes.

B．Diamonds.

C．Valuable papers.

D．Breast milk.

【小題2】From the text we learn                            .

A．Lucy Baur wanted to donate her milk to the donor station near her home

B．the milk is frozen and sent to the milk station after killing bacteria

C．the milk bank transports the milk to babies’ home to feed them

D．James Cameron is a doctor who feeds the babies on the milk in the milk station

【小題3】 The breast milk is important for newborns because             .

A．only it can stop babies from developing diseases

B．it contains rich nutrients (營養(yǎng)) babies need

C．it is the only food suitable for babies

D．it benefits babies as the best medicine

【小題4】 Who is allowed to donate her extra milk of the following women?

A．A heavy smoker.	B．A heavy drinker.
C．A fruit lover.	D．A drug user.

【小題5】The purpose of setting up breast milk banks is to                      .

A．store extra fresh milk for some school children

B．provide milk to the children who go hungry

C．help other mothers donate milk to their own babies

D．offer breast milk to early born and unhealthy babies

The hottest topic in Yongjin Middle School，it's money. The school held an activity called “making money” last weekend．About 200 Junior1and Junior 2 students were divided into 30 teams．They went out to make money by selling things．
Some sold newspapers；some chose bottled water；some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags．
Hu Qing's team decided to sell some useful books in Activity Center．They thought parents would like to buy the books for their children．But unfortunately，they met urban management officers．The officers asked them to leave．“Finally we had to give up.” said Hu．
Wang Bing and her team sold ice cream in a square．They didn't meet any officers．But few people were interested in what they were selling．The team then put up a board saying “For Country Kids”．It worked．More people came to their stall（小攤）．A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. Later that day they gave the money to the “Project Hope” office．
Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier．They sold all their cakes in four hours．They made 40 yuan．“It was not easy to make the money，” said Meng．“Some people just looked．Others just tasted but didn't buy．Now I know how hard it is for our parents to make the money we need to lead happy lives．”
【小題1】                   took part in the activity

A．All the students	B．Some students of Junior 1 and Junior 2
C．Some teachers	D．About 200 students of the three grades

【小題2】Why did Hu Qing's team finally give up ?

A．their books are not useful

B．the parents didn’t like to buy the books

C．the officers didn’t allow them to sell anything there

D．the Children Activity Center was too crowded

【小題3】According to the passage the students can learn                    

A．it’s impossible for them to make money

B．it's not easy for their parents to make money

C．it's very important for them to make a living

D．it’s necessary for school to hold more activities in the future

If you have failed in the past to try to make big changes in life，try again now，one tiny step at a time．
Every year it’s the same．As December comes to an end，you think about the new year and all the ways you want to improve your life. But as you start to write down your hopes for the new year，you think about the last year．You excitedly write down all the changes you are going to make，but by the end of January those ideas get lost in your busy life．
Here’s a suggestion：Forget the too big，hard-to-achieve goals(目標) and just think about the small ones．“We often think that we have to do everything in big steps, even though it’s so hard for us to reach it．” said Robert Maurer，who recently wrote the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life．“What we try to do is to begin with such a small step that we can’t find any excuse not to do it．”
“Kaizen”，a Japanese word，is used to mean to change behavior and attitudes（態(tài)度）．During World War Il，American factory managers were able to increase productivity by trying small, continuous improvements instead of sudden changes．After the war，the idea was brought to a rebuilding Japan．It made Japan develop fast. The Japanese called it “kaizen”, which means “improvement”．
Maurer studied the idea and did some experiments with it. “Kaizen” could possibly help people succeed in doing everything
【小題1】Robert Maurer wrote a book to tell us           .

A．we should do everything in big steps

B．how to change one’s life with one small step

C．we should try a lot of sudden changes

D．how to find a small step without any excuse

【小題2】The writer of the passage suggests we should           .

A．make changes at the end of the year

B．do few experiments with “kaizen”

C．do things with hard-to-achieve goals

D．take a tiny step to achieve big goals

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE from the passage?

A．Robert Maurer studied “kaizen” and found it helpful.

B．You can achieve your goals if you are not too busy.

C．You can’t find any excuse not to reach a big goal.

D．“Kaizen” was brought to Japan during World WarⅡ.

Everyone needs friends. Friends bring us happiness and hope in our lives. But the ability to make friends changes from person to person. To some people, making friends is easy, and to others it’s very difficult. 
Making friends is a skill, and the first thing is to know how to get along with others.
If you have trouble in making friends, maybe I can tell you how to do it.
★Realize your own good points. You have skills and talents that others will like.
★Believe that you are a good person and have something nice to share with others.
★Be humorous. Learn to laugh at yourself and your weakness. Remember to smile to others.
★Respect the others. Everyone has his own idea. Learn how to listen to others’ ideas without trying to make them accept yours.
★Be kind. If you are kind to others, they will usually be kind to you. There are hundreds of little things you can do to show kindness. Open the door for someone. Wave to a friend and so on.
★Don’t complain(抱怨). Learn to accept what you can’t change, and work hard to change what you can. No one is willing to hear your complaining all the time.
★Never give up. Even if you are faced with some closed-minded people, never give up. And try to find someone who will understand you.
【小題1】Why do we need friends according to the passage?

A．Friends can do everything for us.

B．Friends can bring us happiness.

C．Friends accept our ideas all the time.

D．Without friends we could not live.

【小題2】What’s the first thing we should learn in order to make friends?

A．To help others.	B．To smile to others.
C．To get along with others.	D．To listen to others’ complaints.

【小題3】Which of the following shows a sense of humor? 

A．Opening the door for someone.

B．Complaining to others all the time.

C．Laughing at ourselves and our weakness.

D．Finding someone who will understand us.