Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as “Mumbet” or “Mum Bett.” 

    For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley’s wife tried to strike Mumbet’s sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起诉) for her freedom. 

While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution. 

   Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants(后裔). One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights. 

   Mumbet’s tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part:“She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal.”

1. What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1? 

A. She had a famous sister.     B. She was born into a rich family .  
C.  She was born a slave.     D. She was a slaveholder. 

2. Why did Mumbet run away from the Ashleys? 

  A. She had to take care of her sister.     B. She was hit and got angry.   
C. She wanted to be a lawyer.     D. She found an employer. 

3. What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new consititution? 
A. She should always obey her owners’ orders.   B. How to be a good servant.   
C.  She should be as free and equal as whites.     D. How to apply for a job. 

4. What did Mumbet do after the trial? 
A. She went to live with her grandchildren.     B. She continued to serve the Ashleys.     
C. She found the NAACP.   D. She chose to work for a lawyer. 

One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like“I was wrong about that,” and it is even harder to say,“I was wrong, and you were right about that.”

I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain store in the neighborhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons (in many countries, eggs are sold by the dozen and are put in cartons.) Then he related an incident (event, matter) and I began to remember unclearly the incident he was describing.

I was about eight years old at the time. I went into the store with my mother to do some shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the food department where the incident took place.

There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there were lots of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were put three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of the piles of egg cartons. Just then a woman came by pushing her shopping cart and knocked off the cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the eggs back together, so I went to work.

The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees looking at some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the one who just did it. He severely reprimanded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, it is plain that the manager did not.

5. Which is the correct order of the following?

a. I forgot all about the incident.            b. I went into the store.

c. A woman knocked off the egg cartons.          d. I stood in front of the egg cartons.

e. The manager reminded me of the incident.   

f. The manager didn't believe my explanation.

g. I picked up the unbroken eggs.

A. b; d; g; c; a; f; e        B. b; d; c; g; f; e; a          C. b; c; d ;g; e; f; a          D. b; d; c; g; f; a; e

6. The word “reprimanded” in the last paragraph most exactly means “_________ ”.

  A. frightened             B. scolded             C. warned             D. comforted

7. The best title for this passage should be________ .

  A. A Case of Mistake                      B. The Manager I Never Forget

  C. The Manager and I                   D. An Incident 15 Years Ago

Kids' health: Four steps for fighting stress 

Everybody gets stressed time to time.    8      Some ways of dealing with stress -like screaming or hitti-ng someone--don't solve（解决）much. 

But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:

(1) Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or other relatives.     9      They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet. 

  (2) Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear, that's good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself.     10    

(3) Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and  friends, it's time to get down to business.11    Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.

(4) Be positive. Most stress is temporary(暂时的).Remember stress does go away,  especially 

When you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.  

   These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster.  12  

A. Then, find a way to calm down. 

B. And don't forget about your friends.   

C. Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone

D. Different people feel stress in different ways.   

E. You need to figure out what the problem is. 

F. Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them. 

G. Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation. 

  One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about  33    (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop, 34     some of them looked very anxious and 35      (disappoint) . when the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next 36     the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike 37     (catch ) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused 38      (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept 39     (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked,“40     anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop?” A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh, dear! It ‘s 41    (I )”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully, Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done， and the crowd of strangers 42     (sudden) became friendly to one another.

My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “ __13__ my job. Family to Feed.”

At this store, a __14___ like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and make a __15____ on how bad it must be to have to stand ___16___ in the cold wind.

In the store, I asked each of my kids to __17__ something they thought our “friend” there would ___18___. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a ___19____. I thought about it. We were ___20__ on cash ourselves, but… well, sometimes __21___ from our need instead of our abundance is ___22__ what we need to do! All the kids __23___ something they could do away with for the week.

When we handed him the bag of __24__, he lit up and thanked us with ___25__ eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for _26___his family might need, he burst into tears.

This has been a wonderful ___27__ for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can 28   ! Things would have played out so __29____ if I had simply said, “No, we really don’t have ___30___ to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in __31___, it also gave my kids the __32____ taste of helping others. It’ll go a long way with them.

13. A. Changed           B. Lost           C. Finished        D. Quit

14. A. place                 B. condition       C. show             D. sight

15. A. comment           B. suggestion      C. call              D. decision

16. A. proudly              B. outside        C. angrily                                      D. by

17. A. say                    B. draw          C. pick               D. arrange

18. A. supply               B. order          C. discover        D. appreciate

19. A. job            B. dollar          C. gift card      D. hot meal

20. A. low           B. easy          C. loose         D. soft

21. A. saving         B. giving         C. begging        D. spending

22. A. even          B. yet           C. just                 D. still

23. A. shared         B. declared       C. expected     D. ignored

24. A. medicine       B. toys           C. clothes        D. food

25. A. watery         B. sleepy        C. sharp            D. curious

26. A. whatever             B. whoever     C. whenever        D. whichever

27. A. example              B. experience    C. adventure     D. message

28. A. respect               B. rely on       C. help               D. learn from

29. A. vividly                 B. suddenly     C. perfectly        D. differently

30. A. power                 B. time        C. money              D. patience

31. A. love                    B. fear        C. memory            D. need

32. A. sweet                  B. strong      C. simple              D. strange