Everyone needs recognition(賞識) for his achievements,but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father,“Let’s play darts(飛鏢).I’ll throw and you should say ‘Wonderful!’”
Fran Tarkenton,former Minnesota Vikings quarterback,once called a play that required him to block onrushing tacklers.
FEL quarterbacks almost never block.They’re usually vastly outweighed by defenders,so blocking exposes them to the risk of severe injury.
But the team was behind,and a surprising play was needed.Tarkenton went into block,and the runner scored a touchdown.The Vikings won the game.
Watching the game films with the team the next day,Tarkenton expected a big pat on the back for what he’d done.    It never came.
After the meeting,Tarkenton approached coach Bud Grant and asked,“You saw my block,didn’t you,Coach?How come you didn’t say anything about it?”
Grant replied,“Sure,I saw the block.It was great,but you’re always working hard out there,Fran.I figured I didn’t have to tell you.”
“Well,”Tarkenton replied,“if you ever want me to block again,you do!”
【小題1】What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?

A．Praise can have people take risky actions.

B．Encouragement can make people achieve greater progress.

C．No recognition,no progress.

D．People will be discouraged without praise.

【小題2】The author gave the little boy as an example in order to            .

A．show the importance of encouragement

B．show father’s deep love to the son

C．show the boy was complete understanding of his father

D．prove the boy was cleverer than the coach

【小題3】Which of the following can describe the Fran Tarkenton’s action of blocking onrushing tacklers?

A．Quick,brave,exciting.	B．Brave,risky,successful.
C．Brave,successful,kind.	D．Fast,clever,strong.

【小題4】What did Fran Tarkenton expect while watching the game films?

A．Recognition.

B．Pride.

C．Cheers.

D．Reward.

【小題5】It can be inferred from the passage that    .

A．Fran Tarkenton was angry with the coach

B．the coach learned a lesson from Fran Tarkenton

C．Fran Tarkenton might not take a risk in blocking again

D．the coach will highly praise Fran Tarkenton next time he blocks

Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways—emotionally, physically and mentally.
But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌劇）star Carol Vaness.
At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.
“When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater,” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”
According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears—like waves on a beach, ”Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth—it vibrates in your chest，the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”
Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice-the highest singing voice for women.
Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions（情感）expressed by words and music come to life.
Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.
“Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”
【小題1】According to the passage,  the Metropolitan Opera in New York City     .

A．is a five-story building	B．can seat 4,000 people
C．has no microphone in it	D．can project the singer’s voice

【小題2】What is the best title for this passage?

A．Opera Singing and Pop Singing	B．The Way an Opera Star Sings
C．An Opera Star	D．Singing without a Microphone

【小題3】Which statement is true?

A．A pop singer’s lungs are usually stronger than those of an opera singer’s

B．Opera singing is more like speaking.

C．A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing.

D．An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing.

【小題4】From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that     .

A．Carol once learned to play the piano

B．Carol worked as a music teacher

C．Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so

D．Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans

“Grandma, Grandma, tell us a story ! ”Four darling children sat by my feet, looking up at me expectantly．                                                                    Suddenly, we were interrupted clapping．“Terrific, ” the director said, stepping up the stage from the aisle（過道）．“Except, could you kids face the audience a bit more? ”

The kids shifted to face the empty seats, which would be filled in a few days for the church play．“Perfect,” the director said． “Now, Grandma, read to your grandchildren．” A pang of sadness hit me． If' only I could read to my real grandchild!

I had a granddaughter, but I'd never met her． Sixteen years earlier my son was involved in a relationship that ended badly． But out of' it came a blessing: a baby girl named Lena． I hoped to be a grandmother to her-but shortly after the birth, the mother moved without any address left． Over  the years, I asked around town to try and find my son’s ex-wife （前妻）,but it seemed that she didn’t want to be found．

I'd just joined this new church a week earlier and was at once offered the part of Grandma in the play． At least now I could pretend to be a grandma． The rehearsals went well, and finally the day of' the show arrived． The performance was great． “You all looked so natural up there, ”one of' my friends said．

Afterward, we went to the church basement for refreshments （茶點(diǎn)）．I walked over to one of the girls in the play． Rehearsals had been such a whirlwind （一片忙亂） that we never really got to talk． “How's my granddaughter? ” I joked．

“Fine !” she answered． Just then, someone else walked up and asked the girl her name．

I wasn't sure I heard the girl's answer correctly． But it made me ask her another question．“What's your mother's name? ”

She told me, I was still in shock．“And what's your father's name? ”I asked． She told me．It was my son．

She'd only started going to that church a week before I did． Since that day of 'the play, we've stayed close． Not long ago, she even made me a great grandma．

1.What was the author doing at the beginning of' the story?

    A．Telling a story．          B．Playing a game．

    C．Preparing for a play．     D．Acting in a movie．

2.Why did the author feel “a pang of' sadness” at the words of' the director'?

    A．The director's words reminded her of 'her lost granddaughter．

    B．The director's words hurt her so badly．

    C．She wished that she had a real grandchild．

    D．The director wasn’t content with her performance．

3.What happened in the church basement after the play'?

    A．The author played a joke on Lena．

    B．Lena treated the author as a friend．

    C．The author got to know who Lena was．

    D．Lena mistook the author for her grandmother．

4.This passage is mainly organized in the pattern of           ．

    A．time and events

    B．contrast and conclusion

    C．cause and effect

    D．questions and answers

5.We can infer that when writing the story, the author felt           .

    A．light-hearted       B．Heartbroken     C．confused      D．a(chǎn)nxious

 

“Grandma, Grandma, tell us a story ! ”Four darling children sat by my feet, looking up at me expectantly．                                                                    Suddenly, we were interrupted clapping．“Terrific, ” the director said, stepping up the stage from the aisle（過道）．“Except, could you kids face the audience a bit more? ”
The kids shifted to face the empty seats, which would be filled in a few days for the church play．“Perfect,” the director said． “Now, Grandma, read to your grandchildren．” A pang of sadness hit me． If' only I could read to my real grandchild!
I had a granddaughter, but I'd never met her． Sixteen years earlier my son was involved in a relationship that ended badly． But out of' it came a blessing: a baby girl named Lena． I hoped to be a grandmother to her-but shortly after the birth, the mother moved without any address left． Over  the years, I asked around town to try and find my son’s ex-wife （前妻）,but it seemed that she didn’t want to be found．
I'd just joined this new church a week earlier and was at once offered the part of Grandma in the play． At least now I could pretend to be a grandma． The rehearsals went well, and finally the day of' the show arrived． The performance was great． “You all looked so natural up there, ”one of' my friends said．
Afterward, we went to the church basement for refreshments （茶點(diǎn)）．I walked over to one of the girls in the play． Rehearsals had been such a whirlwind （一片忙亂） that we never really got to talk． “How's my granddaughter? ” I joked．
“Fine !” she answered． Just then, someone else walked up and asked the girl her name．
I wasn't sure I heard the girl's answer correctly． But it made me ask her another question．“What's your mother's name? ”
She told me, I was still in shock．“And what's your father's name? ”I asked． She told me．It was my son．
She'd only started going to that church a week before I did． Since that day of 'the play, we've stayed close． Not long ago, she even made me a great grandma．
【小題1】What was the author doing at the beginning of' the story?

A．Telling a story．	B．Playing a game．
C．Preparing for a play．	D．Acting in a movie．

【小題2】Why did the author feel “a pang of' sadness” at the words of' the director'?

A．The director's words reminded her of 'her lost granddaughter．

B．The director's words hurt her so badly．

C．She wished that she had a real grandchild．

D．The director wasn’t content with her performance．

【小題3】What happened in the church basement after the play'?

A．The author played a joke on Lena．

B．Lena treated the author as a friend．

C．The author got to know who Lena was．

D．Lena mistook the author for her grandmother．

【小題4】This passage is mainly organized in the pattern of           ．

A．time and events

B．contrast and conclusion

C．cause and effect

D．questions and answers

【小題5】We can infer that when writing the story, the author felt          .

A．light-hearted

B．Heartbroken

C．confused

D．a(chǎn)nxious

Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found.

         Research revealed one in five parents has ditched old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favour of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and execution. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.

         The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9 p.m. on Watch, and sees six episodes(片段) based on traditional fairytales. The poll found a quarter of parents polled wouldn’t consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five, as they prompt too many awkward questions from their offspring(后代子孫).

         Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: “Bedtime stories are supposed to soothe children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children.”

         “As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five year old with an over active imagination could take things too seriously. Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good will triumph over evil and there is always a moral to the story.”

         The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares.

         However, half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids’ books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.

1.Why don’t some parents want to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids?

A. Rumplestiltskin is too long.

B. Rumplestiltskin is too difficult.

C. Rumplestiltskin forgives stealing.

D. Rumplestiltskin may influence Children badly.

2.We can learn from paragraph 3 that Grimm is ___________.

A. a fairytales book

B. a movie for children

C. a play loved by children

D. a drama based on traditional fairytales

3.The underlined word “soothe “in paragraph4 can be replaced by___________.

A. put down                   B. calm down         C. take down                 D. come down

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards traditional fairytales?

A. Optimistic         B. Not mentioned

C. Casual             D. Disapproving