I watched quietly as my little brother was caught in the act. He sat in the corner of the living room, a   1 in one hand and my father's new book in the other.
  2  my father walked into the room, my brother cowered (畏縮) slowly. He sensed that he had done something   3  . From a distance I could see that he had   4 my father's new book and scribbled (亂畫) in it. Now, looking at my father in  5  , he and I both waited for his punishment.
My father   6  up his prized book, looked at it carefully, and then sat down, without saying a word. Books were   7  to him. He was a clergyman（牧師） and for him, books were   8  .What he did next was unbelievable. Instead of   9  my brother, he sat down, took the pen from   10 , and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbles John had made:
John s work, 1959, age 2. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert (警覺的) eyes looking up at me? And how many times have I  11 God for the one who has now scribbled in my new book?
"Wow," I thought, "This is punishment?" The years and the books came and went. Our family experienced what all families go through and perhaps a little bit more: happiness and   12  , laughter and tears. We always knew our parents   13  us and that one of the proofs (證明) of their love was the book. From time to time we would   14 it, look at the scribbles, read my father's expression of love, and feel   15  .

On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the streets. In Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds(拿著) grapes(葡萄). When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes.

    In Japan, people eat noodles(面條) on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life(生命). Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the new year.

1. This story is about New Year’s Eve in ________.

A. Italy            B. Spain            C. Japan            D. A,B and C

2.People in Spain welcome New Year by ________ after twelve.

A. eating grapes                   B. eating noodles   

C. throwing the old things          D. watching the sunrise

3.People in both Spain and Japan ________ to bring the New Year.

A. Throwing things away         B. sing and dance

C. eat some food                    D. climb a mountain

4.Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _________.

A. look at the stars                B. look for New Year’s wishes 

C. see the sun coming up            D. have a rest

5. The people in ________ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food.

A. Japan          B.China   C. Spain        D. Italy

People often complain they face too many problems. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up.

People have money problems, work problems, family problems, health problems..... the list goes on. And we usually think that people who are happy and successful are having fewer problems than us. Look at the successful people we often mention. They have money they need, they have jobs they love, they have good friends, they have obedient(孝順的) kids, they have the successful business, they have loving families etc. Everything goes well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But in fact, the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, and more success means more risks they have to take.

Young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, educated and uneducated, all have problems. The difference is that their problems are different from each other.  Rich and successful have big problems. Poor and unsuccessful have small problems. Still they all have problems which they can face. Successful people are successful just because they are ready to face challenges larger than ordinary people.

Winning the US elections(選舉) makes Obama very happy. As a new US president, he has to face bigger challenges. He has to be more careful about his work he does, or he will lose his position(位置). Looking at him, we may say he is lucky, happy and successful. But, I think, as the US president, he has more pressure than an ordinary person.

1.You will be a/an ______ person if you are afraid to face more challenges.

A．ordinary          B．successful         C．famous           D．educated

2.From this article we know that President Obama ______.

A．has fewer problems                     B．was born in a rich family

C．takes more risks                        D．is a successful businessman

3.The main idea of this article is _______.

A．why poor people are always poor

B．how many problems people usually have to face

C．how lucky and happy President Obama is

D．how to deal with problems in life

On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the streets. In Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds(拿著) grapes(葡萄). When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes.

    In Japan, people eat noodles(面條) on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life(生命). Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the new year.

1. This story is about New Year’s Eve in ________.

A. Italy            B. Spain            C. Japan            D. A,B and C

2.People in Spain welcome New Year by ________ after twelve.

A. eating grapes                   B. eating noodles   

C. throwing the old things          D. watching the sunrise

3.People in both Spain and Japan ________ to bring the New Year.

A. Throwing things away         B. sing and dance

C. eat some food                    D. climb a mountain

4.Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _________.

A. look at the stars                B. look for New Year’s wishes 

C. see the sun coming up            D. have a rest

5. The people in ________ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food.

A. Japan          B.China   C. Spain        D. Italy