Do you know this girl?
     I was in the park with my elder sister, Cathy, on Friday. My sister left her jacket on a chair while we
talked to some friends. When we went back to the chair, a girl in a red T-shirt was sitting there. She had
some money in her hand. When she saw us, she got up and walked away.
     I asked my sister,"Did you have any money in your jacket?"
     She said, " Yes, Anna, I did."
      I said,"Look in your jacket quickly."
      Cathy looked in her jacket, but her money was not there.
     "That girl stole it!" I said, and we both ran after her. We caught her quickly.
     My sister was very angry and she said, "Give me the money." The girl gave the money to Cathy and
ran away. We both ran after her, but we lost her.
     Then we went home. But before we could tell our parents, my mother said to Cathy, "You left your
money at home. It's on the table in the sitting room. You must be more careful with money."
     So the girl in the red T-shirt was not a thief! She probably thought we were thieves! We felt terrible.
     Please telephone us if you know this girl! We are very sorry for our mistake. We would like to say sorry
to her and give the money back to her.
     Our number is 512667. My name is Anna.

1. Cathy thought the money in the girl's hand was _____.

A. from her jacket
B. the girl's own money
C. from their home
D. from the chair

2. The girl gave the money to Cathy because _____.

A. she was afraid
B. Cathy asked her nicely
C. it was Cathy's money
D. she wanted to help them

3. Hearing their mother's words, they knew that _____.

A. they did a good deed
B. the girl was a thief
C. the money was Anna's
D. they had the girl's money

4. The writer writes the passage to _____.

A. telephone the girl
B. say thanks to the girl
C. say good-bye to the girl
D. return the money to the girl

      A strange woman comes to my door one day in early March. In this area we often have people selling
things door-to-door, but she doesn't look like a professional saleswoman. She just smiles and gives a card
to me:"Amy Turner."
      I hold the card and look at her, waiting for an explanation.
      "I'll paint any animal in your own home," Amy Turner says. "Wouldn't you like a picture of your loved
one? I've had experience of dogs, cats, parrots, prize bulls…"
      "I don't have any animals," I say as we look past each other. She must be wishing some little cat or dog
would come down the hall. It is the first chance I've had to breathe the air outside. In this spring morning
when you wake up, you will find winter is gone.
      "Why are you still in your dressing gown?" She asks. "It's nearly lunchtime. Are you ill?"
      "I'm fine," I lie. I'm not going to tell a stranger I've just been sick in the toilet (廁所) upstairs. I was still
sticking my fingers down my throat if the doorbell hadn't rung. But now I'm not sure what to do next. She
is still standing there. She doesn't seem to be leaving.
      "I'm hungry," she says and I smile politely, nodding my head before saying goodbye.
      "No," she puts her foot in the door. "I'm really hungry. I've had nothing to eat for two days and no one
has any animal for me to paint. I need some food or I'll fall down, right here on your doorstep."
      I stand to one side and let her in.

1. Who came to the writer's home one day?

A. A saleswoman.
B. A strange woman.
C. An animal lover.
D. A professional woman.

2. What did the woman want to do?

A. To sell things to the writer.
B. To give the card to the writer.
C. To help the writer who was ill.
D. To paint an animal for the writer.

3. When did the story happen?

A. Early in the morning.
B. Late in the morning.
C. Early in the winter.
D. Late in the winter.

4. When the woman came, the writer _____.

A. was sleeping
B. was eating
C. was lying
D. was ill

5. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The woman got in to look for an animal.
B. The writer told the woman to leave.
C. The woman asked the writer for some food.
D. The writer agreed to let her in at once.

     Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it ? Just talking about it or writing it
down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
     By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic behind what you think, feel,or only
partly understand. Often,explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you
increase your brain power by exercising your"explain power".
     Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many,if not most,highly productive people
are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head,but if you keep a journal (日志)of your
ideas the next time you're working on a big project, you'11 probably have more success. 
     Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That's an extreme example, but if you are
learning
something new,write a letter to a friend about it,and you will understand it better. Want to invent
something? Write an explanation of the problem---why you want to solve it,and why it is worth solving,
and you're half-way there.
     Writers don't always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often,they write
about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you
to all understanding. Give it a try.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. A Way on How to Write      
B. Increase Your Brain Power Through Writing
C. Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing
D. How to Start Your Writing

2. According to the passage,writing can help you a lot EXCEPT_________.     

A. to increase your brain power    
B. to improve the ability to remember
C. to develop your interest in study  
D. to strengthen the understanding of a topic

3. If a writer writes something, it means that he or she_________.

A. has understood it very well              
B. needs to understand it better
C. wants to remember it in his or her mind    
D. is testing his or her new ideas

4.The underlined sentence "You're half-way there" in the fourth paragraph means that_________.

A. you are already successful      
B. there is a long way for you to go to reach your goal
C. you are left wondering what to do    
D. you have been on the way to success

1. According to the words on the paper, which sentence below is TRUE? 

A. It asked a gentleman named George Sang to claim his hat.
B. It asked a gentleman named George Sang to claim his important thing.
C. It was a lottery ticket and he needed to find the owner.
D. It was a lottery ticket and the owner is unknown.

2. The artist didn't take the lottery ticket for himself because he ____.

A. chose to be honest                  
B. didn't need the money
C. thought the lottery was worth nothing  
D. was afraid of blame if he kept it for himself

3. From this article, we can learn that ____.

A. we should share with others if we find something valuable
B. we should know the importance of honesty and lead a happy life
C. keep the lottery if you find one
D. playing the violin could make you feel happy