Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, was not very handsome, and he knew

One day, Lincoln was walking in the street when he was stopped by an ugly man. The man had a pistol(手枪) in his hand. He aimed at Lincoln’s nose. Lincoln was very surprised, but he still asked the man peacefully, “What do you want, sir?”

“I have promised myself,” said the man, “If I find a man who is uglier than I, I’ll kill him.”

Lincoln looked at the man’s face carefully and said finally. “Please take aim at me, sir. If I was uglier than you, I would not want to live.”

1. Why did the man stop Lincoln in the street?

A. Because he was very ugly.

B. Because Lincoln was handsome.

C. Because he thought Lincoln was uglier than him.

D. Because he thought Lincoln was laughing at him.

2. Lincoln was ______ when he was aimed at with a pistol by the man.

A. frightened    B. excited

C. angry    D. calm

3. In Lincoln’s opinion, ________.

A. he was as ugly as the man    B. he was less ugly than the man

C. he was uglier than the man    D. he was as handsome as the man

4. What did the man promise to do?

A. To persuade ugly men to live actively.

B. To kill anyone uglier than himself.

C. To grow into a handsome man.

D. To help those who was ugly.

5. Where did the story probably happen?

A. In Paris    B. In London

C. In Washington    D. In Johannesburg

Mother’s Day was coming.

A man stopped at a flower shop. He wants to order some flowers to be posted to his mother, who lived two hundred miles away.

As he got out of his car, he noticed a young girl sitting on the roadside, crying.

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked. “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.” the young girl replied.

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.”

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.”

She directed him to a cemetery(公墓), where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave(坟墓).

The man returned to the flower shop, gave up the order, picked up a big bunch of flowers and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

6. Why did the young girl cry on the roadside?

A. She couldn’t find her mother.

B. She lost her money for a red rose.

C. She lost her way in front of a flower shop.

D. She didn’t have enough money for a red rose.

7. The girl still needs _______ more for her rose.

A. 75 cents    B. 25 cents

C. 125 cents    D. 2 dollars

8. Where was the man’s mother?

A. In a flower shop    B. In a cemetery

C. 200 miles away    D. On the roadside

9. What made the man change his mind at last?

A. The girl’s advice

B. The price of rose...

C. The distance between he and his mother

D. The experience of the girl

10. We can infer that _______.

A. The girl’s mother has just died

B. The girl’s mother must like the rose

C. The girl’s mother has been dead for many years

D. The girl’s mother must thank the man for his help

Long ago, people who were rich or important rode horses that were very tall. Today, if a girl acts like she is better than everyone else, you might say she should “get off her high horse.”

Yesterday, my children wanted me to take them to the playground. But I had to finish my work, so I told them to “hold your horses” — wait until I finish what I am doing. My two boys like to compete against each other and play in a violent way. I always tell them to stop “horsing around” or someone could get hurt.

We live in a small town. It does not have any exciting activities to offer visitors. My children call it a “one-horse town.”

Last night, I got a telephone call while I was watching my favorite television show. I decided not to answer it because “wild horses could not drag me away” from the television — there was nothing that could stop me from doing what I wanted to do.

Sometimes you get information “straight from the horse’s mouth.” It comes directly from the person who knows most about the subject. Let us say your teacher tells you there is going to be a test tomorrow. You could say you got the information “straight from the horse’s mouth.”

You may have heard this expression, “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.” That means you can give someone advice but you cannot force him to do something he does not want to do.

11. How many idioms(习语) about “horse” does the passage talk about?

A. 5    B. 6

C. 7    D. 8

12. What’s the probable meaning of “hold your horses”?

A. wait a moment    B. stop working

C. keep on trying    D. never do that again

13. When you get the information “straight from the horse’s mouth”, it means the information is_____....

A. reliable    B. false

C. useless    D. frightening

14. When someone forces you to do something as he advises, you can say “______” to him.

A. hold your horses

B. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink

C. get off your high horse

D. wild horses could not drag me away

15. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. It mainly talks about horse in the west.

B. It mainly introduces some idioms about horse.

C. It mainly shows the importance of horse.

D. It’s mainly about the quality of horse.

Last Sunday, an earthquake struck the Napa Valley area of northern California. It happened in the middle of the night, becoming the strongest earthquake to strike the Napa Valley in 15 years. No one was killed, but many people were treated in hospitals.

I said to my seven ­year ­old twins, Brad and Brett, and three ­year ­old Meghan, “We have so much, and these poor people in trouble now have nothing. We’ll share what we have with them.”

I filled a box with foods and clothes. While I was doing this, I advised the boys to choose their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and put them together. Then she walked away. A few minutes later she came back with Lucy, her much ­loved doll. She put the doll on top of the other toys. “Oh, dear,” I said. “You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much.” Meghan said, “Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make another little girl happy, too.”

I looked at Meghan for a long moment. She taught me a lesson. It’s easy to give something that we don’t want any more, but hard to give what we cherish(珍爱), isn’t it?

16. How many children does the writer have?

A. One    B. Two

C. Three    D. Four

17. Which of the following is TRUE?...

A. The earthquake caused many deaths.

B. The earthquake is the biggest in history.

C. The earthquake happened at night.

D. The earthquake hit the city of California.

18. What did Meghan take out for the people in trouble?

A. A toy         B. Clothes

C. A doll    D. Food

19. What’s the best title of this passage?

A. A Family Story    B. The Spirit of Giving

C. A white night    D. A Sad Experience

20. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. It’s really selfless to give what we have.

B. It’s really selfless to give what we love.

C. It’s really selfless to give what we want.

D. It’s really selfless to give what we don’t want.

An artist in Oakland, California, is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small___21___that make life on the streets a little more___22___, which offer the homeless some safety and___23___from bad weather. Each little house also has___24___on the bottom so it can move wherever its owner goes.

“I like to help them. Actually, I mean it is___25___for me. I like to make things, and doing something that makes a big___26___to someone’s life is good.”

Sweet Pea, who lives in one of the little homes the artist built, says it protects her___27___and keeps her safe. “I love my house,” she says___28___. In another little house, Mr. Young gets___29___from cold night on the streets. “Well, it is___30___than living on the ground. If it was not for Greg, I would be still on the ground.” “I’m living in one of Greg’s houses, and I am___31___to that man.” Sheila Williams, a mother says.

In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn___32___for his building materials in the streets. He___33___what he can and takes them to his house. There, he ___34___his special houses.

A shelf becomes a window. Flat wooden structures used in storage(仓库) become walls. Empty coffee bags become the roof. The artist also___35___a small electrical device (电气装置) to the house just towards the sun, for the device is___36___by the sun. Nails(钉子), screws(螺丝) and the glue(胶水) hold all the___37___together.

The Kloehn house owners have got used to collecting wood and other materials___38___for Greg Kloehn.

Greg Kloehn has___39___at least 20 tiny houses. Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help those in___40___....

21. A. caves    B. shelters    C. tents    D. castles

22. A. active    B. peaceful    C. frightening    D. comfortable

23. A. transport    B. damage    C. rescue    D. guidance

24. A. wheels    B. floor    C. entrance    D. blankets

25. A. reality    B. fun    C. mercy    D. harm

26. A. decision    B. joke    C. choice    D. difference

27. A. identity    B. rights    C. belongings    D. collections

28. A. gratefully    B. frequently    C. suddenly    D. gradually

29. A. reward    B. suffering    C. relief    D. hope

30. A. cleaner    B. better    C. healthier    D. richer

31. A. thankful    B. helpful    C. useful    D. painful

32. A. faces    B. cares    C. stands    D. looks

33. A. settles    B. gathers    C. begs    D. devotes

34. A. creates    B. plays    C. judges    D. packs

35. A. invites    B. changes    C. fixes    D. designs

36. A. shaped    B. calculated    C. changed    D. powered

37. A. notes    B. items    C. ruins    D. tips

38. A. directly    B. personally    C. actively    D. secretly

39. A. donated    B. collected    C. raised    D. organized

40. A. danger    B. trouble    C. work    D. life