A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria (自助食堂), but work for Dave was scarce (不足的，缺乏的), and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—＄7,000，a legacy （遗产） from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident . “ It really made a difference when we were going under financially, ” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of (许多) other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in others, it was more than ＄100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm .
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving, They thrived on（喜欢）comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase (购买) .
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sand Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed (分发；分配). It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents should enrich the whole community（社区）and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors ——that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story. According go the text, the Fusses ______.
| A．were employed by a truck company |
| B．worked in a school cafeteria |
| C．were in financial difficulty |
| D．lost their home |
Which of the following is true of the Hatches?
| A．They had their children during the Great Depression |
| B．They gave away their possessions ( 财产；所有物) to their neighbors |
| C．They left the family farm to live in an old house |
| D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs |
Why would the Hatches routinely go from store?
| A．They decided to open a store |
| B．They couldn’t afford expensive things |
| C．They wanted to save money |
| D．They wanted to buy gifts for local kids |
According to Sand Van Weelden, the Hatches were ______.
| A．curious | B．optimistic | C．childlike | D．understanding |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example |
| B．The summer camp was attractive to the parents |
| C．Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy form the Hatches |
| D．The community of Alto was poor |
Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud. As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack. It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected. I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing. And I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped, laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain. For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused. I wasn't sure what to do. After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. I stepped back to look the situation over. My attacker moved back to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate's sake （缘故）, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her. His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety seemed admirable. I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge barriers facing me.Why did the writer change his direction while walking down a path?
| A．To get close to a butterfly. |
| B．To look over the bad situation. |
| C．To escape a sudden attack. |
| D．To avoid getting his shoes dirty. |
What made the man feel funny?
| A．Making the attacker pause. |
| B．Being attacked by a butterfly. |
| C．Being stepped on by his mate. |
| D．Discovering the energetic butterfly. |
From this experience the man learned .
| A．what he should do when faced with trouble |
| B．people should show sympathy to the weak |
| C．how he should deal with attacks |
| D．people should protect butterflies |
Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?
| A．Careless. | B．Amusing. | C．Courageous. | D．Aggressive. |
The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade told me how many doctors and dentists struggled financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “Job means ‘just over broke（破产）’.” And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, and most workers live within their means. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?”， almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason why so many talented people are poor is that they focus on making a better hamburger but know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that .
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by“ ”.
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don’t work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don’t make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
The success of McDonald’s lies in its .
| A．skills at making hamburgers |
| B．good business systems |
| C．talented workers |
| D．excellent service |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us .
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach students |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald’s makes much money |
One is never too old to learn. Life learning (sometimes called un-schooling or self-directed learning) is one of those concepts that are almost easier to explain by saying what it isn’t than what it is. And that’s probably because our own schooled backgrounds have convinced us that learning happens only in a fine building on certain days, between certain hours, and managed by a specially trained professional.
Within that schooling framestudy, no matter how hard teachers try and no matter how good their textbooks, many bright students get bored, many slower students struggle and give up or lose their self-respect, and most of them reach the end of the process unprepared to enter into society. They have memorized a certain body of knowledge long enough to rush back the information on tests, but they haven’t really learnt much, at least of the official curriculum.
Life learners, on the other hand, know that learning is not difficult, that people learn things quite easily if they’re not compelled and forced, if they see a need to learn something, and if they are trusted and respected enough to learn it on their own timetable, at their own speed, in their own way—no matter what age and no matter whether we’re at school or at home.
Life learning is independent of time, location or the presence of teacher. It does not require mom or dad to teach, or kids to work in workbooks at the table from 9 to noon. Life learning is learner-driven. It involves living and learning—in and from the real world. It is about exploring, questioning, experimenting, making messes, taking risks without fear of making mistakes, being laughed at and trying again.
Furthermore, life learning is about trusting kids to learn what they need to know and about helping them to learn and grow in their own ways. It is about providing positive experiences that enable children to understand the world and their culture and to interact with it. It is implied in the text that it is hard to ___________.
| A．find a specially trained teacher |
| B．carry life learning through |
| C．learn without going to school |
| D．tell the nature of life learning |
. According to the author, the schooling framestudy often ____________.
| A．produces slow students with poor memories |
| B．fails to provide enough knowledge about life |
| C．ignores some parts of the official curriculum |
| D．gives little care to the quality of teaching materials |
Life learners recognize that learning will not be difficult if they are ____________.
| A．clear about why to learn |
| B．careful to make a time table |
| C．able to respect other people |
| D．cautious about any mistakes |
According to the author, life learning ___________.
| A．could be a road full of trials and errors |
| B．teaches a kid how to avoid being laughed at |
| C．makes a kid independent of his parents |
| D．could prevent one from running risks |
Through life learning, children ___________.
| A．will grow without the assistance from parents |
| B．will be separated from the negative side of society |
| C．will be driven to learn necessary life knowledge |
| D．will learn to communicate with the real society |
Yesterday I went to our local grocery store. I often go to their deli counter, and I understand that it can get a little confused for the workers. So normally none of them ever take the time to smile or seem overly friendly. But yesterday it was completely different. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a very welcoming smile by the young man behind the counter. He never sighed heavily or slumped back and forth like he didn’t want to be there. He was all by himself and quite a long line. But not once did he act concerned about it. He just did his job efficiently and acted very kind the entire time.
I was so impressed that I approached the manager. I explained to her that I often visit the deli counter and I have never been greeted with such kindness. She agreed with me that he was a wonderful person and she thanked me for sharing my feelings with her.
As I was walking away，I could hear her approaching the young man with，“I just got a wonderful compliment(praise) about you.” I couldn't hear everything she was saying，but I knew that she did thank him. I couldn't help but smile!
Later I had to pass by the deli counter to get onions. There was no one there，except the diligent young man. He didn't say anything，he just smiled at me. I realized that I hadn't done a huge deed that day，but that small deed made a small difference to someone．I love seeing people smile. I just received my smile cards and I wish I had one with me that day. Maybe I will drop one off at the deli a different day! It's amazing how good I felt after that.
So，friends，the next time you are in a grocery store，retail store，restaurant，or anywhere that someone is working hard，letting them know in some way can mean so much. I hope you get a smile out of it like I did! The passage is mainly about .
| A．friendship between the writer and a young man |
| B．the power of a simple compliment |
| C．a grocery store |
| D．a diligent assistant |
The writer found it was different yesterday because .
| A．the young man was very busy |
| B．the young man was concerned about so many customers |
| C．the writer was warmly greeted by a young man |
| D．the young man acted very kind all the time |
The writer approached the manager to .
| A．thank him |
| B．say hello to him |
| C．complain about the service |
| D．praise the young man |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 implies that the writer will .
| A．smile to others at the deli one day |
| B．give one card to the young man one day |
| C．drop in at the deli one day |
| D．go to the deli for a job one day |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Praising others' hard work means nothing. |
| B．Helping others is always rewarding. |
| C．We should never hesitate to praise hard-working persons. |
| D．Not all good deeds deserve praise. |
If your mother wants to tell you something, she uses words. Birds cannot talk as we do. But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger.
The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe. Jackdaws live together. Young jackdaws do not know their enemies. When an older jackdaw sees a dog, it makes a loud rattling sound. The younger birds know this sound means danger is nearby. The sound warns them to know their enemies.
If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind. The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back. The parent’s tail feathers move quickly from side to side, trying to express, “Follow me.” At the same time, the parent calls out, “Key-aw, key-aw. ”The parent mean, “Fly home with me.” The young bird then follows the older one home. Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch（孵出）.The jackdaw lives in .
| A．Europe | B．Australia | C．America | D．Africa |
Which of the following does this story lead you to believe?
| A．All animal parents can talk to their young. |
| B．Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws. |
| C．Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parents’ sound when they grow older. |
| D．Some birds can give information to one another. |
Parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to .
| A．ask their young to follow them |
| B．play a game with the young |
| C．tell the meal time |
| D．give a warning of a fire |
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