A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was frightened to discover that it was a rat trap. 

Going back to the farmyard, the rat gave a warning: “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” The chicken raised her head and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a big concern to you, but it is of no business to me. I cannot be bothered with it. ”

The rat turned to the pig and told him: “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” “I am so very sorry, Mr. Rat,” sympathized (同情) the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. I will make sure that you are in my prayers. ”

The rat turned to the cow. She said, “Wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I am in great danger. Huh?”

So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey (獵物). The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a poisonous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet (短柄斧) to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient (原料).

His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer killed the pig.

The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral (葬禮) that the farmer had the cow killed to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.

61. The underlined word “dejected” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to___________.

A. disappointed           B. surprised               C. excited                   D. wonderful

62. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A. The chicken showed great concern for the rat.

B. The pig helped the rat get out of the trap.

C. The cow didn’t care about what the rat said.

D. The snake was killed after being caught in the trap.

63. We can learn from the article that___________.

A. the farmer’s wife got good treatment in the hospital

B. the farmer regretted setting up the rat trap

C. the rat was very wise in avoiding the trap

D. none of the animals except the rat felt frightened at the rat trap

64. What message does the story intend to show?

A. We should mind our own business.

B. Everything is connected with something else.

C. Helping others is always a virtue (美德).

D. We should treat animals in a friendly way.

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands.__16__people were reluctant (不情愿的) to work on farms along the Atlantic. They feared the violent storms __17__ the ocean. As the farmer interviewed__18__for the job, he received a steady stream of __19__ .

Finally, a short, thin man, __20__ past middle age, approached（接近） the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep__21__ the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although __22__ by this answer, the farmer, in great need of help, __23__ him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt __24__ with the man's work.

Then one night the wind blew __25__ in from offshore. __26__ out of bed, the farmer rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and shouted, "__27__ ! A storm is coming! __28__ things down before they blow away!"

The little man __29__ in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Angered by the response, the farmer meant to fire him on the spot. __30__ , he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his __31__ , he discovered that all of the haystacks(草垛) had been covered with tarpaulins(帆布). The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. Everything was tied down. __32__ could blow away.

The farmer then understood __33__ his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. When you're __34__ , spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to__35__. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

1.                A．No            B．Few            C．Most D．All

 

2.                A．Above         B．Across          C．below    D．through

 

3.                A．Applicants      B．peasants        C．workers  D．engineers

 

4.                A．a(chǎn)rrivals         B．refusals         C．a(chǎn)pprovals D．finals

 

5.                A．well           B．Too            C．very D．pretty

 

6.                A．when          B．before         C．a(chǎn)fter D．because

 

7.                A．Pleased         B．puzzled         C．surprised D．frightened

 

8.                A．fired           B．scolded         C．hired D．ordered

 

9.                A．Disappointed    B．satisfied        C．excited   D．tired

 

10.               A．loudly          B．Slightly         C．hardly D．silently

 

11.               A．Jumping        B．Rising          C．Getting    D．Falling

 

12.               A．Stand up        B．Get up         C．Sit down   D．Lie down

 

13.               A．Let            B．Put            C．Lay   D．Tie

 

14.               A．rolled over      B．jumped over     C．rolled up  D．jumped up

 

15.               A．Therefore      B．Otherwise      C．likewise   D．Instead

 

16.               A．expectation     B．imagination      C．a(chǎn)mazement D．sorrow

 

17.               A．Something      B．Everything      C．Anything  D．Nothing

 

18.               A．how           B．which          C．that  D．what

 

19.               A．prepared       B．finished        C．determined    D．En

 

20.               A．beat           B．win            C．desire D．fear

 

 

Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.

Life is like a game and maybe you can award points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.

What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.

It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact, you should be always realistic(現(xiàn)實(shí)的). Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “give up” be a part of your vocabulary.

1.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that____________.

A．human beings should try to avoid making mistakes

B．no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes

C．mistakes and failures make up our life

D．human beings make mistakes easily

2.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．Try to reach 50 points.                   B．Try to get as many points as you can.

C．Award yourself for your success            D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points.

3.The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through____________.

A．examples         B．numbers          C．experiments       D．stories

4.The underlined word “despondent” in the last paragraph means____________.

A．frightened         B．disappointed       C．surprised          D．excited

 

Terry was a middle-aged leather trader whose repeated failure in career made him a depressed man, often   1   that he had been cheated by others． One day he told his wife he was so   2   with the city that he had to leave．

So his family moved to another city． It was the evening of a weekend． When Terry and his wife were busily   3   up their new home, the light suddenly   4  ． Terry was regretful to have forgotten bringing along   5   and had to wait   6   in a low mood． Just then he heard light, hesitant   7   on his door that were clearly audible (聽(tīng)到) in the   8   night．

“Who’s it?” he wondered, since Terry was a   9   to this city． And this was the moment he especially hated to be   10  , so he went to the door and opened it   11  ． At the door was a little girl, shyly asking, “Sir, do you have candles? I’m your neighbor．” “No,” answered Terry in anger and shut the door   12  ． “What a nuisance（討厭）!” he complained over it with his wife． “No sooner had we settled down than the neighbor came to   13   things．”

After a while, the door was knocked again． He opened it and found the same girl outside．   14   this time she was   15   two candles, saying, “My grandma told me the new neighbor downstairs might need candles． She   16   me here to give you these．” Terry was very   17   by what he saw．

At that moment he suddenly realized what caused his   18   in life． It was his   19   and harshness (刻薄) with other people． The person who had cheated him in life was   20   nobody else but himself, for his eyes had been blurred (蒙蔽) by his unsympathetic mind．

1．A． complaining         B． reflecting            C． praying               D． pretending

2．A．inspired                 B． disappointed        C． thrilled                D． encouraged

3．A． looking                B． turning                C． coming               D． tidying

4．A． went on              B． went down          C． went out             D． went through

5．A． candles               B． matches              C． lights                  D． flashlights

6．A． happily                B． patiently              C． hopefully             D． helplessly

7．A． steps                   B． words                C． knocks               D． screams

8．A． dark                    B． quiet                   C． noisy                  D． crowded

9．A． newcomer           B． stranger              C． guest                  D． settler

10．A． called                B． disturbed             C． watched              D． offered

11．A． surprisedly         B． delightedly           C． impatiently          D． willingly

12．A． gently                B． kindly                 C． politely                D． violently

13．A． lend                  B． sell                     C． purchase             D． borrow

14．A． And                  B． But                     C． So                      D． For

15．A． holding              B． hiding                 C． fetching              D． seeking

16．A． suggested          B． forbade               C． sent                    D． forced

17．A． frightened          B． pleased                C． excited                D． surprised

18．A． failure               B． success               C． complaint            D． determination

19．A． warmth             B． coldness              C． kindness             D． sympathy

20．A． doubtfully          B． hardly                 C． really                  D． probably

Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.

　 Life is like a game and maybe you can award(獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)) points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “ Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.

　 What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.

　 It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact you should always have realistic expectations. Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “ give up ” be a part of your vocabulary.

1.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that________.

　 A. human beings should try to avoid(避免) making mistakes

　 B. no one is perfect(完美的) and everyone makes mistakes

　 C. mistakes and failures make up our lif

　 D. human beings make mistakes easily

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

　 A. Try to reach 50 points.

　 B. Never stop trying in your life.

　 C. Award yourself for your success

　 D. Don’t be afraid of missing your points.

3. The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through_________.

　 A. exampes　 B. numbers　　 C. experiments　　 D. stories

4. The underlined word “ despondent ” in the last paragraph means________.

　 A. frightened　 B. disappointed　 C. surprised　 D. excited