I recall my mother’s voice which called me to order, and often ended with some strong proverb to express the gravity of the wrong done. It was common practice for my mother to send me off soul-searching with a proverb.
Of the many interactions I had with my mother those many years ago, one stands out with clarity. I remember the occasion when Mother sent me to the main road, about twenty yards away from the farmhouse, to invite a passing group of seasonal work-seekers home for a meal. She instructed me to take a container along and collect dry cow dung (牛粪) for making a fire. I was then to prepare the meal for the group of work-seekers.
The thought of making an open fire outside at midday, cooking in a large three-legged pot in that high heat, was enough to upset even an angel. I did not manage to hide my feelings from my mother, and after serving the group, she called me to the balcony, where she usually sat to attend to her sewing (缝纫).
Looking straight into my eyes, she said, “Tsholofelo, why were you so unhappy when I requested you to prepare a meal for those poor people?” Despite my attempt to deny her allegation (断言), and using the heat of the fire and the sun as an excuse for my alleged behavior, Mother, giving me a firm look, said, “A foot has no nose.” It means, “You can’t detect what trouble may lie ahead of you.” Had I denied the group of people a meal, it may have happened that, in my travels some time in the future, I found myself at the mercy of those very individuals. As if that was not enough to shame me, Mother continued, “A person is a person because of another person.” We learn from the passage that Tsholofelo’s mother often _____.
| A．quoted proverbs when she was talking with others |
| B．asked Tsholofelo to read more proverbs |
| C．collected proverbs in her spare time |
| D．used proverbs to teach Tsholofelo |
What was Tsholofelo’s attitude towards the meal?
| A．Unwilling. | B．Interested. | C．Critical. | D．Unconcerned. |
The atmosphere on the balcony was probably _____.
| A．very strange | B．a bit tense | C．quite lively | D．pretty relaxed |
According to the passage, Tsholofelo’s mother seemed to hope Tsholofelo could be _____.
| A．flexible and creative | B．sincere and honest |
| C．active and confident | D．sympathetic and helpful |
The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head stubbornly—and felt the ache in my tooth. I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunch time, I got lucky.
“If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry. The dentist is very good. ”
“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.
“Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said.
“The artwork?” I was puzzled.
The chair went back, suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief! Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
| A．Happy. | B．Nervous. | C．Satisfied. | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one’s friend. |
| C．Put oneself in other’s shoes. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
American parents usually think that their child should not have more pocket money than the children with whom he regularly connects no matter they are wealthier or not than he.
Whatever the pocket money is, its entire use is not controlled by the parents, because a child learns to use money correctly only through dealing with it himself. If a seven-year-old child gets a quarter as a week pocket money and is made to put it all in his piggy bank to save it up, he gets no idea what the real use for the money is. He gets the shiny coins and they soon disappear. The idea of a bank account(在银行开户) is too early for so small a child, although he can be made understand and enjoy saving his coins-not all of them, only a part of what he receives-to buy something he especially wants. By the time he is eight, he is old enough to take part in the opening of his own savings account, parents may take him to the bank, open a saving account for him, and encourage him to put a certain quantity(数量) of money he receives as gifts into the bank and watch his bank saving grow as entry by entry(存入)is made. He will be saving, earning, and spending suitable quantities all along in order to learn how to manage money and to keep him in a favorable position with his friends. The boy is a sorry child who can't join his fellows in a sweet shop once in a while because he has to save every cent he gets or earns for some big unknown projects his parents have chosen for him. What does the underlined word "piggy bank" refer to?
| A．Something in the shape of a pig for saving coins. |
| B．A kind of bank run by the children. |
| C．A bank whose building looks like a pig. |
| D．A bank for children's saving. |
Which of the following statement is NOT true?
| A．Whatever the pocket money is, its entire use is not controlled by American parents. |
| B．If an eight-year-old child receive 10 dollars as his birthday gift, he probably have most of it saved in the bank. |
| C．American parents never interfere(干涉) with their children's use of their pocket money. |
| D．American parents don't usually give their children much pocket money. |
Why does the author think the boy is a sorry one if he saves every cent he gets or earns?
| A．Because he can not manage his money and it keeps him in an unfavorable position. |
| B．Because he can not learn the use of money through spending it himself. |
| C．Because he can not have any other choice but to save, earn or spend money. |
| D．Because he can not join the fellow in a sweet shop once in while. |
People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles, pushing your shopping cart. You probably hear soft, slow music in the supermarket. This kind of music is playing to relax you and make you walk slowly. Thus, you will probably stay longer and buy more food.
Where do you go in the supermarket when you first arrive? Many people go to the meat section first. This area of the store has many different kinds of meat. Some kinds are expensive and others are not. Usually, some kinds of meat are on sale. So it has a special low price. The manager of the store knows where the customers usually enter the meat section. The meat on sale is usually at the other end of the section, away from where the customers enter. If you want to buy this specially priced meat, you have to walk by the more expensive meat first. Maybe you will see something that you want to buy before you reach the cheaper, inexpensive meat. Then you will spend more money in the meat section.
The diary section sells milk that is low in fat. Some supermarkets sell three different containers（包装盒）of low-fat milk. Each container looks different, but each contains the same product. One says "1% fat", one says "99% fat free" and one says "low-fat" in big letters and "1%"in very small letters. If you look carefully you can see that all the milk has the same amount of fat, and each container is the same size. The prices of all these three should be the same. However, in many stores these three containers of milk would each have a different price. The store will make more money if a customer chooses the milk that costs the most.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. People often stop to look at the products in attractive containers. But remember, many products will say, "Buy me!". Stop and think which ones are the best value for your money. The word "aisles" in the first paragraph means _______ .
| A．the entrance of a supermarket |
| B．the place where you pay for your goods |
| C．the way between the shelves |
| D．the place where the special priced meat is on sale. |
When you walk by the expensive meat, _______ .
| A．maybe you will buy some | B．you will not look at it |
| C．you will buy diary products | D．maybe it is on sale |
The three different kinds of low-fat milk _______ .
| A．contain three different amount of milk |
| B．contain three different kinds of milk |
| C．each have the same amount of fat |
| D．are all the same price |
Supermarket managers make the food attractive so _______ .
| A．it is cheap |
| B．the customers will buy more |
| C．it is expensive |
| D．it is in the diary section |
Pottery is the name given to all kinds of useful or artistic objects made from clay. Pottery can be plates or water pots or baskets. Pottery can be large or small, fancy or plain. Pottery is part of the large family of ceramics（陶器）.Ceramics are synthetic materials. For example, bricks and tiles (瓦片) are both ceramics.
How is pottery made? First, a potter takes some clay. Clay is a soft, red material from the earth. It looks a little like red dirt, but it's very different. Clay is thick and rich. Wet clay can be worked into any shape. When the clay dries, it will keep that shape. The potters takes some clay and pushes and squeezes（挤压）it until it is soft and smooth. After that, the clay can be shaped into anything. There are several ways to shape clay. Sometimes potters use their hands. Sometimes they use a special wheel. They place the clay in the center of a round, flat wheel. The wheel moves very fast, and the potter shapes the clay.
After the potter has shaped the clay, it can be decorated(装饰). Potters use glaze, which is a kind of paint, to decorate their work. Some glazes are very simple. Other glazes have beautiful colors and designs. The glaze is not just beautiful. It is also useful. The glaze makes the pottery smooth and waterproof. Potters also make some decorative lines and designs on the surface. After it is decorated, the clay must be baked, or fired, in a special oven.
Baking the clay at very high temperature makes it hard and strong. Firing also makes the glaze stick to the pottery. When the firing is over, the potter carefully removes the pottery from the oven and lets it cool slowly. If it cools too quickly, it could crack and break.
Since pottery is waterproof, it is very popular for dishes. You can find examples of pottery in almost any home. But pottery can also be found in museums. Some pieces of pottery are valuable and beautiful pieces of art. It is possible that ceramics are materials of _______ .
| A．metal | B．plastic | C．wood | D．earth |
The word "waterproof" means _______ .
| A．能盛水的 | B．防水的 | C．溶解于水的 | D．吸水性强的 |
Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Plates, water pots and bowls are all examples of pottery. |
| B．Wet clay can be made into anything of different shapes by the hands or a special wheel. |
| C．The clay becomes smooth and waterproof because of the glaze. |
| D．After the firing in high temperature, pottery is easy to break. |
The week after Jane's birthday, Barbara and Mary were away. Jane decided to have a late birthday party. She telephoned several friends. She asked some to bring records, some to bring food and others to bring something to drink. She rang another friend to see if she could borrow his record player. She herself bought some food and drink to get the party going. She took up all the carpets (地毯) so that they could dance. She did not know whether Barbara and Mary would have approved (赞成), but as long as she was careful, she was sure that they would not mind. She warned the two people in the flat above and invited them down.
“Oh, ” said Jane, surprised. “What's all this about? ”
The first guests arrived soon after eight. The music was soon playing loudly and they started dancing. Some of Jane's friends brought other friends with them. As more and more people arrived,the noise increased. People started shouting at each other, so they turned the music up. This made it more difficult to hear each other above the music, so they shouted more loudly. At half past ten the bell rang. “Turn down the music!” someone shouted. “Someone probably called the police.” When Jane opened the door, there was a policeman standing there. She started to apologize, “I'm sorry about all the noise, officer. But you see, it was my birthday last week and I'm having a party.” “Never mind about that, miss. We're here because of something much more important.”
“Well, there's been a report of burglary (盗窃行为). We think the thief may have come to your party, pretending to be a friend of someone here. ”When did Jane have the party?
| A．On her birthday. | B．After her birthday. |
| C．Before Barbara and Mary left. | D．As soon as she telephone her friends. |
Why did people shout at each other at the party?
| A．They got rather angry with each other. |
| B．They were very glad to make new friends. |
| C．They became too excited while dancing. |
| D．They couldn't hear each other because of the music. |
What reason did Jane think the policeman came for?
| A．They made too much noise. |
| B．A thief was among the guests. |
| C．He had some important things to do. |
| D．He was interested in birthday parties. |
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