初中英语人物故事类阅读阅读理解

One day， while I was waiting for my father， I saw a little boy， around two years old， running freely on the grass as his mother watched from a short distance． The boy had a big smile on his face as if he had just been set free from some sort of prison（监狱）． The boy would then fall to the grass， get up， without looking back at his mother， run as fast as he could， again， still with a smile on his face， as if nothing had happened．

At that moment， I thought to myself， "Why aren't most adults this way？ " Most adults， when they fall down， make a big deal out of it and don't even make a second attempt． They would be so embarrassed that they would not try again if someone saw them fall． Or， because they fall， they would find a good excuse for themselves that they're not fit for it． They would end up being too afraid to attempt again for fear of failure（失败）．

However， with kids， when they fall down， they don't consider their falling down as a failure， instead， they treat it as a learning experience． They try again and again until they succeed． The answer must be that they have not connected "falling down" with the word "failure"． What's more， they probably think to themselves that it's quite okay to fall down and that it's not wrong to do so． In other words， they allow themselves to make mistakes， so they remain energetic．

I was deeply impressed by the boy' s persistence（坚持不懈） and the manner in which he did．

（1）What did the little boy do when he fell down？ 　　

A．	He cried and lay on the grass．
B．	He asked his mother for help．
C．	He got up and went on running．
D．	He got up and stood there crying．

（2）In the writer's opinion， what might the little boy regard his falling down as？ 　　

A．	A failure．
B．	A joke．
C．	An interesting game．
D．	A learning experience．

（3）In the writer's opinion， why can't many adults succeed？ 　　

A．	Because they are afraid of being embarrassed．
B．	Because they can't find a good excuse．
C．	Because once they fail， they won't attempt again．
D．	Because they don't allow themselves to make mistakes．

（4）The underlined word " attempt" in Paragraph 2 means 　　

A．	尝试
B．	放弃
C．	面对
D．	怀疑

（5）What does the writer want to tell us？ 　　

A．	Practice makes perfect．
B．	Failure is the mother of success．
C．	All roads lead to Rome．
D．	Each coin has two sides．

On September 13th， I woke up in the best mood． It was a late start， so I got to sleep in． Not only did I get my full eight hours of sleep， but an additional two more hours as well． I got ready， danced in my room to my favorite music while I picked out my clothes， made my lunch， and was on my way to school． I arrived at 9： 50 a．m．． Little did I know， in the next 20 minutes， my life would change forever． As I got out of my classroom， there he was， holding the gun．

Although everything happened so fast， in a matter of about 4 minutes， I remember it clearly． I remember every face I saw， and I remember every sound I heard． I remember the fear and the panic of the unknown． And lastly， I remember running． Running for my life． I ran down the stairs， out of the school's front doors， and down the street to the primary school． I remember looking down at my feet． As I looked down I thought to myself， "How am I running so fast？"

I finally made it to a safe classroom， and 20 other students and I settled in for lockdown． We stayed close to one another and cried． It felt as though the tears going down our faces would never stop． We passed our phones around to text our loved ones that we were safe and that there was a school shooter， shots were fired， and 4students were injured thus far．

The lockdown lasted about 30 minutes， even though it felt like forever． Our headmaster made his way to our room and explained that the shooter had been caught and we were all going to make our way to the football field．

（1）How did the writer feel before going to school？ 　　

A．	Relaxed．
B．	Worried．
C．	Scared．
D．	Puzzled．

（2）What does the phrase "sleep in" probably mean in Paragraph 1？ 　　

A．	sleep in bed
B．	sleep with clothes on
C．	sleep with face covered
D．	sleep longer than usual

（3）What did the students do when the shooting began？ 　　

A．	Calling the police for help．
B．	Running away in all directions．
C．	Fighting back against the shooter．
D．	Texting their beloved ones about it．

（4）Where did the writer find safety in the shooting？ 　　

A．	On a football field．
B．	In a neighboring school．
C．	In a classroom of her school．
D．	Back at her own home．

（5）What can we tell from the story？ 　　

A．	The headmaster didn't care about his students．
B．	There was more than one shooter in the killing．
C．	Not all the 21 students took phones with them．
D．	The shooter killed himself in the end．

A goup of working adults got together to visit their teacher． The teacher was glad to see them， and they talked about everything in their life． All of a sudden， conversations soon turned intocomplaints（抱怨） about stress in work and life．

The teacher just smiled and went to the kitchen to get different cups﹣﹣﹣some in plastic， somein glass， some plain （平庸） looking and some looked rather expensive． The teacher offered his students the cups to get drinks for themselves．

When all the students had a cup in hand with water， the teacher spoke． "If you noticed， allthe nice looking， expensive cups were taken up， leaving behind the plain and cheap ones．It is normal that you only want the best for yourselves， but that is the beginning of your problems and stress． What all of you wanted was water， not the cup， but we went for the better cups．"

Just like in life， if Life is Water， then the jobs， money and position in society are the cups．They are just tools to hold Life， but the quality of Life doesn't change． If we only care about thecup， we won't have time to enjoy the water in it．

（1）How did the teacher feel when his students visited him？ 　　

A．	Angry
B．	Bored
C．	Happy
D．	Stressed

（2）Why did the teacher get different cups for the students？ 　　

A．	To get drinks for them．
B．	To show off his cups．
C．	To complain about life．
D．	To teach them a lesson．

（3）The students did not prefer to take up 　　．

A．	cheap cups
B．	useful cups
C．	expengsive cups
D．	nice looking cups

（4）According to the passage， the word"water"probbably means 　　．

A．	jobs
B．	life
C．	tools
D．	money

（5）What does the writer mainly want to tell us？ 　　

A．	We should have a good job．
B．	We should make much more money．
C．	We should care more about life itself．
D．	We should drink much water in our life．

On a summer day， a man sitting under a tree on the bank of a river， watched a group of ducks on the river．

Soon a branch（树枝） with leaves came drifting（漂浮） among them， and they all flew away． After circling in the air for a little time， they landed again on their feeding ground．

Soon another branch came drifting down among them， and again they took flight from the river． But when they found the branch had drifted by and done them no harm， they flew down to the water as before．

After four or five branches had drifted by in this way， the ducks gave little attention to them． At last， they hardly tried to fly out of their way， even when the branches nearly touched them．

The man who was watching all this， now wanted to know who had drifted these branches． He

looked up the river， and noticed a fox slyly（偷偷地） watching the ducks．" What will he do next？" thought the man，

When the fox saw that the ducks were no longer afraid of the branches． he took a much larger branch， and hid himself behind it． Then he drifted himself with the larger branch． When he was right among the ducks， he caught two young ducks quickly and swam off with them． The rest of the ducks flew away in fright（惊吓）， and did not come back for a long time．

The fox must have enjoyed a fine dinner for what he had done．

（1）What did the man watch on the river at first？ 　　

A．	Ducks
B．	Foxes
C．	leaves
D．	Branches

（2）What did the ducks do as soon as the first branch came near them？ 　　

A．	They fed themselves．
B．	They stayed still
C．	They looked for food．
D．	They flew away．

（3）At last， even when the branches nearly touched the ducks， they 　　．

A．	tried to fly at once
B．	swam off quickly
C．	were no longer afraid
D．	came back for a long time

（4）Why did the fox drift the larger branch？ 　　

A．	To have fun
B．	To catch the ducks．
C．	To cross the river
D．	To swim with ducks．

（5）What do you think of the fox？ 　　

A．	Clever and patient
B．	Kind and thankful
C．	Interesting and outgoing
D．	Lovely and friendly

When Charley got up one morning， he looked out of the window and saw the ground deeply covered with snow． On the side of the house nearest the kitchen， the snow was deeper than Charley's head． Charley's father told him that they needed a path（小路） through the snow．"I would make one if I had time， "said his father， "but I have to go to work． Could you make a path， Charley？" "How could I do that？ " asked Charley in surprise． "The snow is higher than my head! "Little by little， " said Charley's father．

So Charley got the snow shovel （铲）and started working． He shoveled and shoveled as hard as he could， but it was very slow work．"I don't think I can do it， mother， "he said．"There is too much snow!"

"Little by little， Charley， "said his mother．"The snow fell in tiny flakes （薄片）， but see what a great pile（堆） it has made．" "Yes， I see， Mother． If I throw it away little by little， I can do it．"Charley went on working as hard as he could． When his father came home in the evening， he wasvery happy to see a nice and clear path． The next day he gave Charley a nice card． Written on the card were the words "little by little．"

（1）Why did Charley's father ask him to make a path？ 　　

A．	Because he was very busy．
B．	Because it was too cold．
C．	Because he didn't like snow．
D．	Because there was little snow．

（2）How did Charley feel when his father asked him to make a path？ 　　

A．	Excited
B．	Tired
C．	Surprised
D．	Relaxed．

A．	（3）The mother's words showed that　　．

A．	she was very angry with the boy
B．	she wanted to encourage the boy
C．	she wanted to work with the boy
D．	she wanted the boy to have a rest

（4）Why was Charley′s father happy when he got home？ 　　

A．	Because Charley gave him a nice card．
B．	Because Charley was making a path alone．
C．	Because Charley made a path with his efforts．
D．	Because Charley wrote the words on the card．

（5）From the passage， "little by little" probably means" 　　"．

A．	Well begun is half done
B．	Failure is the mother of success
C．	Many hands make light work
D．	A thousand journey takes every step

Last week， I visited my friend Pete in his new home， where he lives with his wife and daughter． Pete used to spend his holidays traveling around the world ﹣ visiting the pyramids in Egypt or scuba diving （水肺潜水） in the Caribbean． Nowadays， he prefers to spend his holidays and weekends making his house look more beautiful． Like hundreds of thousands of other British people， he's found the joy of DIY （do it yourself） home repairs． This means that if there's anything that needs fixing around the house， he will try to do the job himself．

Pete showed me his new kitchen， which he put together himself， and his newly﹣painted walls． I asked him where he got the idea to do these things． He told me that his favourite source （来源） of ideas is a DIY program on TV．

This got me thinking about how popular DIY programs are in the UK． Each main channel （频道） has at least one home or garden makeovershow． There are even channels totally on the subject．

I suppose it's not really surprising that DIY programs are so popular． There are two common sayings in Britain ﹣ "an Englishman's home is his castle （城堡）" and "there's no place like home" ﹣ which show how important our houses are to us． With the social changes of the last ten years or so， many people can't afford to buy bigger houses． So they are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money． DIY， clearly， is the perfect choice．

（1）Pete usually spent his holidays 　　in the past．

A．	traveling round the world
B．	visiting Egypt
C．	diving in the Caribbean
D．	building a new house

（2）What do most British people enjoy doing nowadays？ 　　

A．	Finishing their work at home．
B．	Doing everything on their own．
C．	Spending their spare time at home．
D．	Doing the home repairs themselves．

（3）How did Pete manage to make his house more beautiful？ 　　

A．	He asked house builders for advice．
B．	He got help from a DIY TV program．
C．	He called some of his friends for help．
D．	He paid workers to do the house work．

（4）What does the underlined word " makeover" in Paragraph 3probably means？ 　　

A．	修建
B．	交换
C．	修饰
D．	化妆

（5）DIY programs have become popular because 　　．

A．	other programs are too boring to watch
B．	people are spending more time watching TV
C．	people can't afford new houses any more
D．	people are spending more time fixing their houses

Steve was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew， but whose face he didn't ﹣ the girl with a rose． She was his pen friend． She had helped him a lot both in study and life． They planned their first meeting for 7pm at Grand Central Station in New York．

"You'll find me，" she wrote， "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my coat．" So at 7pm he was in the station looking for the girl with a red rose．

A young woman was coming towards him． She was wearing a green coat and was everything that he hoped Miss Maynell would be． But there was no red rose． Then a plain﹣looking （相貌平平的） woman walked past． She was well past 40years old． On her coat there was a red rose．

He did not hesitate （犹豫）． "I'm Steve Blanchard， and you must be Miss Maynell． I am so glad you could meet me． May I take you to dinner？" he asked．

A kind smile appeared on the woman's face． "I don't know what this is about， son，" she answered， "But the young lady in the green coat who just went by asked me to wear this rose on my coat． She said if you asked me out to dinner， I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street． She said it was a kind of test!"

（1）Why did Steve go to the Grand Central Station？ 　　

A．	To see his girlfriend．
B．	To meet his pen friend．
C．	To visit his online friend．

（2）How did Steve know that he met the right person？ 　　

A．	The girl wore a green coat．
B．	The woman was 40years old．
C．	The girl wore a rose on the coat．

（3）Miss Maynell asked the woman for help to see if Steve 　　．

A．	treated people by their looks
B．	was young and handsome
C．	could find her at once

（4）From the last paragraph we learn that 　　at last．

A．	the woman went to dinner with Steve
B．	Steve invited Miss Maynell to dinner
C．	Steve had dinner with Miss Maynell

（5）Which of the following is the best title for the passage？ 　　

A．	Girl with a Rose Tests Kindness
B．	Looks can Give People Wrong Ideas
C．	Friendship can Bring People a Surprise

There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son． The businessman wanted his son to realize the value of labor．

One day， he told his son， "Today， I want you to earn something． If you fail， you won't have your meal tonight．"

The boy didn't want to find a job， so he asked his mother for help． She gave him a gold coin． In the evening， when the father asked his son what he had earned， the son showed him the gold coin． The father then asked him to throw it into the well （水井）． The son did as he was told．

The father guessed that the gold was from the boy's mother． The next day， he sent his wife to her parents' home and asked his son to earn something． Since no one helped him， the son had to go to the market to look for a job． A shopkeeper told him that he would pay him a coin if he carried heavy tools for him． The son accepted． As he returned home and gave the coin to his father． he was asked to throw it into the well． The boy cried， "Dad! My body is aching． I'm tired． How are you asking me to throw my hard﹣carned coin into a well？"

The businessman smiled． He told his son that one feels pain only when the fruits of labor are wasted． The son realized the value of hard work． He promised not to be lazy any more．

（1）Who helped the son when he was asked to earn something for the first time？ 　　

A．	His father．
B．	His mother．
C．	His sister．
D．	The shopkeeper．

（2）The underlined word "aching" has the similar meaning with " 　　"．

A．	painful
B．	hopeful
C．	helpful
D．	powerful

（3）Why did the father ask the boy to throw his coin into the well？ 　　

A．	To fill the well．
B．	To check if the coin is real．
C．	To keep the coin for the boy．
D．	To check if the boy had earned the coin by himself．

（4）How did the son feel when his father asked him to throw the coin into the well again？ 　　

A．	Surprised
B．	Sad
C．	Excited
D．	Relaxed

（5）The story is mainly about 　　．

A．	a wise father
B．	a gold coin
C．	the fruits of labor
D．	a lazy boy

I did not have a rich father． I tried 3times for university， but all failed． I applied （申请） for Harvard for 10times， but all failed． They didn't even want to see me． For the last time， I went to the teachers' college which was considered the third or fourth class of my city． I applied jobs for 30times．

A lot of people said Alibaba was a terrible model． As I said， "I believe it． I think this thing could be big． I never thought it would be that big like today．" I believe that something， something is waiting for me there， and I have to work hard to prove myself． That was the toughexperience． So we gathered 50thousand US dollars from 18founders． Little by little， we built up our business． And now， after 16years， we have a Alibaba group； We have a T﹣mall group； We have a Taobao group； We have Alipay．

People said， "You are so smart， how could you make a company like that？" Bill Gates， Warren Buffet， the Jack Welch， Larry Page， Mark Zuckerberg， the difference between those people and other people， they are always optimistic （乐观的） for the future． They never complain． They always try to solve the problems of the others． When you are optimistic， it's always a opportunity （机会）． "Jack， Where's the opportunity？ I don't have a job． I don't have this． I don't have that．" We are at the best of time of this century． The best asset （财产） you have is that you are young． Don't complain． Let the other people complain． The opportunity lies， always lies where people complain． I saw a lot of people， especially young people have fantastic ideas every evening． But the next morning， they go to the office again．

Tomorrow is new． Make the move． Make action．Whether investors （投资者） believe this or not， whether your friends believe it or not， whether your parents， believe it or not， that's not important． You believe it． Your team believe it and work day and night on this． Everything happens． Make enough mistakes． You fall， and you stand up． Any mistake is an income， is a wonderful revenue （收益）． Don't worry about the money． Money follows the people． Young people should follow the dreams． If you have a dream， just to go ahead．

（1）How many successful people did the writer talk about from the article？ 　　

A．	4．
B．	5．
C．	6．
D．	7．

（2）The underlined word "tough" in the second paragraph mainly means 　　．

A．	difficult．
B．	easy．
C．	different．
D．	same．

（3）According to the article， which of the following statements is Wrong？ 　　

A．	The writer looked for jobs for 30times．
B．	The successful people are always optimistic for the future．
C．	The opportunity always lies where people complain．
D．	Don't make any mistakes．

（4）What good advice did the writer give the young people？ 　　

A．	Believe your parents．
B．	Believe money．
C．	Follow your dream and go ahead．
D．	Go to the office on time every day．

What could a poem writer and a movie director share？ More than you think!

Langston Hughes began writing poems in high school and soon became one of America's greatest writers． Most of his writing is about his experiences as an African American． He wrote poems about people who worked hard through life but still found things to be happy about． He wrote plays and books about justice （正义） for all people， and he wrote kids' books， too． The Sweet and Sour Animal Book is a book of his animal poems． Pictures and photos were used in the book． "Hold fast to dreams" is a line in a famous Hughes' poem． That's exactly what he did throughout his life．

When Steven Spielberg was in middle school， he wanted to make a film．He had an idea for a movie，but no money． He started a tree﹣planting business and made his film with the money he earned．Spielberg never stopped making films， even after many famous film universities refused him． Today he is one of the most popular and important filmmakers in the world．His movies are about people who are adventurous，brave and kind．His characters often fight for what is good．Some of his films are about his Jewish（犹太人的） background， such as Schindler's List．Spielberg once said， "I don't dream that much at night because I dream for a living．"

In different ways， both Hughes and Spielberg have encouraged people of all ages to reach for their dreams．

（1）What did Langston Hughes do？ 　　

A．	He was a writer．
B．	He was a director．
C．	He was a teacher．

（2）Which of the following is Langston Hughes' writing about？ 　　

A．	Adventurous experiences．
B．	Hard working and happy people．
C．	The fair treatment of animals．

（3）Steven Spielberg's movies are about the following except 　　．

A．	animals in danger
B．	brave people
C．	friendly people

（4）When Langston Hughes became great he was 　　Steven Spielberg， who became popular．

A．	older than
B．	as young as
C．	younger than

（5）What can be a suitable title for the text？ 　　.

A．	Two Men Who Dare to Dream
B．	Two Men Who Were Afraid to Dream
C．	Two Writers Who Weren't Afraid to Dream

Mom is a great cook． She started cooking when she was three years old! I know that sounds silly， but she would help her mother cook． And， now I'm helping my mom cook． I like to make chicken the best． Baked（烤肉）chicken is my most favorite thing to make． It is also my favorite food to eat． One day， when mom was sick， I tried to make the chicken all by myself． I washed the chicken and put it in a pan in the oven to bake． When the bell rang to tell me the chicken was done， I opened the oven door． Guess what？ The chicken was not cooked! I started to laugh． I laughed and laughed! Did you know what I did？ I forgot to turn on the oven! The oven! Did you know what I did next？ I called on the telephone for pizza to come to our house． Mom was happy that I "cooked" by myself． She was happy that we could eat the pizza together． Guess what？ We will have chicken some other night．

46．What can we learn about the writer's mom？ 　 　

A．	She is silly．
B．	She is in bad health．
C．	She is good at cooking．
D．	She likes baked chicken best．

47． Why did the writer deciding to cook by himself （herself）？ 　 　

A．	He / She loves cooking．
B．	His / Her mother was ill．
C．	His / Her mother was not at home．
D．	He / She wanted to eat baked chicken．

48．What did the writer forget to do？ 　 　

A．	To ring the bell．
B．	To wash the chicken．
C．	To turn on the oven．
D．	To show the oven door．

49．Which is true about the pizza？ 　 　

A．	It was bought from a shop．
B．	It was cooked by the writer．
C．	It was left for some other night．
D．	It was borrowed from a neighbor．

Today， roller skating （滑旱冰） is easy and fun． But many years ago， it wasn't easy at all． Before 1750， people never tried skating on wheels．That changed because of a man named Hoseph Merlin．Merlin's work was making instruments． In his free time he liked to play the violin． Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams． People called him a dreamer．

One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party． He was very pleased and a little excited． As the day of the party came near， Merlin began to think． He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party． Merlin had an idea． He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room．

Merlin tried different ways to make he roll． Finally， he decided to put two wheels under each shoe．These were the first roller skate shoes． Merlin was very proud of them．He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin． He was sure that everyone would be very surprised．

On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room， playing his violin．Everyone was really surprised to see him． There was just one problem． Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating． He rolled on，playing the violin． Then， with all eyes on him， Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall． The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise． But nobody forgot Merlin's wonderful entrance after that．

（1）What's Merlin's job？ 　 　

A．	Making instruments．
B．	Playing the violin．
C．	Roller skating．
D．	Making roller skate shoes

（2）People called Merlin a dreamer because 　 　．

A．	he slept and dreamed a lot
B．	he always made people's dreams come true
C．	he invented the first roller skate shoes
D．	he was full of many different ideas

（3）Why did Merlin think of skating on wheels？ 　 　

A．	Because he loved his work．
B．	Because he wanted to make a wonderful entrance at a party．
C．	Because he wanted to play the violin better．
D．	Because there was a huge mirror．

（4）What was Merlin's problem after he rolled into the room？ 　 　

A．	He couldn't stop his roller﹣skating．
B．	He couldn't attract a lot of attention．
C．	Everyone was surprised at him．
D．	He couldn't play the violin while rolling．

（5）What does the passage talk about？ 　 　

A．	How to use the roller skate shoes．
B．	How people enjoyed themselves in the 18 ^thcentury．
C．	How the roller skating was invented．
D．	How people made instruments．

阅读理解

Most of Tom's neighbors were friendly． They were always ready to help each other when they were in trouble． But there was one woman who was disliked by everyone because she was always borrowing things from her neighbors but forgetting to give them back．

One morning， Tom heard a knock at his front door， and when he opened the door he found this woman outside．

"Good morning， Tom！I have to take some things to my sister in the town today， but I haven't got a horse， as you know． Will you lend yours？ I will bring it back this evening．"

"I'm sorry，" answered Tom． "If my horse was here， I would lend it to you， but it isn't．"

"Oh？"said the woman． It was here last night because I saw it under the tree in your garden．"Where is it now？"

 "My wife took it to the town early this morning，" answered Tom．

Just then the horse made a big noise．

"You're not telling the truth， Tom!" "I can hear your horse．You should tell the truth to your neighbor．"

"Sure!" said Tom． "Is is good manners to believe a horse's word rather than that of your own neighbor？"

The woman left without a word．

（1）How were most of Tom's neighbors？ 　 　

A．	They were impolite．
B．	They were friendly．
C．	They were unfriendly．
D．	They were in trouble．

（2）When did the woman knock at Tom's door？ 　 　

A．	One morning．
B．	One noon．
C．	One afternoon．
D．	One evening．

（3）What did the woman want to do？ 　 　

A．	She wanted to return something．
B．	She was looking for her own horse．
C．	She wanted to see Tom．
D．	She wanted to borrow Tom's horse．

（4）Why did the woman because angry？ 　 　

A．	because Tom didn't let her in．
B．	Because Tom's wife took the horse to the town．
C．	Because Tom didn't tell her the truth．
D．	Because her horse missing．

（5）What can we infer （推断） from the passage？ 　 　

A．	Tom lent his horse to the woman．
B．	Tom didn't lend his horse to the woman．
C．	Tom's horse was not at home then．
D．	The woman told a lie．

Esperanza lives in a poor Latino （拉丁美洲人） neighborhood in Chicago， America． She dreams of having her own house one day． Her parents told her that when they moved from their last house， they would have a new and shiny （亮闪闪的 ） house． But the house is small and old．

Many people live in Mango Street in a big old house． Esperanza lives behind it with her family． A lot of the people who have come from Mexico don't speak English． Many miss their home country． Esperanza understands their sadness， but she also feels at home in America． She is an American， but her roots （根） will always be Latino．

Esperanza is young． Like her friends， she has to grow up fast． She is stuck between being a girl and being a woman． In the poor and dangerous area where she lives， this is difficult for her． Mexican people usually live in a close neighborhood． This means that people live packed （挤塞的） in together． Everyone knows everyone else． So Esperanza knows other older girls that do things she is not comfortable doing． It is just a fact of her life．

But Esperanza has good friends too． She becomes friends with two sisters named Lucy and Rachel． They ride bikes and have adventures （冒险） together． Esperanza is also friends with a girl named Alicia． Alicia is afraid of the rats in her apartment． She shares her poems with Esperanza．

61． Who is Esperanza？ 　 　

A．	She doesn't like what some of her older girls are doing．
B．	She isn't quite used to her life in America．
C．	She is an American and has a comfortable life．
D．	She often lives with her friends enjoying doing things together．

62． Where does Esperanza live？ 　 　

A．	In a big old house in Mango Street．
B．	In a small and old house in Mango Street．
C．	In a new and shiny house．
D．	In a small and dangerous house．

63． We can infer from the text that 　 　．

A．	Many people who live in Mango Street are dangerous．
B．	Mango Street is an area where Esperanza's childhood is unforgettable．
C．	In Mango Street， people don't speak English．
D．	In Mango Street， everybody understands Esperanza's sadness．

64． What does the word " stuck" in the third paragraph mean？ 　 　

A．	hard to agree
B．	hard to believe
C．	hard to move
D．	hard to have a correct idea

65． The passage is mainly about a simple introduction to 　 　．

A．	a person's experience
B．	a person's friends
C．	a place named Mango Street
D．	love and sadness from Mango Street

On December 24， kids around the world waited for Santa Claus （圣诞老人）． They thought that the fat， white ﹣ bearded man would bring them gifts． But do you know that some people would rather keep Santa out of the door？

Last month， 10doctoral （博士的） students from Tsinghua， Peking and Renmin Universities said Santa Claus wasn't welcome in China．

"Foreign holidays like Christmas are now very popular in China， while fewer and fewer people celebrate traditional Chinese festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival，" said the students in a public letter．

They asked people to stop sending Christmas cards and giving gifts to their children． Instead， they said， Chinese should spend more time on traditional festivals．

They have lots of support． In Hunan， several people went out on the street on Christmas Day． They made poems and wrote Chinese calligraphy （书法）．

"Rather than spending money on Christmas， we should care more about our own culture，" said one of them．

But others have different ideas． "Celebrations of foreign holidays help us know more about foreign cultures． It is good for us to make friends，" said Liu Yang， a 14 ﹣ year ﹣ old boy from Shanghai．

Sun Long， 13， from Beijing， sees the celebration as a way to make people happier and closer． "My school held a big party on Christmas Day． We played games and shared gifts with each other． I think we have got closer，" he said．

56． Why did some people not like Santa Claus？ Because 　 　．

A．	he was fat and white bearded
B．	he was kind
C．	he stopped some Chinese from caring more about their own cultures
D．	he had lots of presents but usually stayed out of the door

57． Which of the following is true？ 　 　

A．	Some college students wanted Chinese people to pay more attention to traditional Chinese festivals．
B．	All students are interested in foreign holidays．
C．	More students want to stop spending more time on Chinese cultures
D．	Fewer people like the Dragon Boat Festival．

58． What did people do in China after the 10students' letter came out？ 　 　

A．	They stopped sending Christmas cards and giving gifts to their children．
B．	They made poems and wrote Chinese calligraphy．
C．	Few of them cared more about their own culture．
D．	Many of them supported the students' idea．

59． What did a student called Sun Long think of foreign holidays？ 　 　

A．	It was good to make friends．
B．	It was helpful to know more about cultures．
C．	It was a happy time to relax and get closer．
D．	It was a good time to get gifts．

60． The best title for this passage is 　 　．

A．	Santa Claus
B．	A Public Letter
C．	Foreign Holidays
D．	Celebration of Christmas