It rained yesterday. And we stopped playing basketball __________ the rain.

1. A.
   because
2. B.
   because of
3. C.
   so
4. D.
   so of

Once there was a piano player in a bar(酒吧). People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

      "I don't sing," said the man.

     But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!

     The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'

     So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

     He had talent(天賦) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

     You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all ff you just sit on your talent.

1. The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____.

    A. she had paid him for this           B. she knew him very well

     C. she wanted to have a change       D. she enjoyed his singing

2. Nat King Cole succeeded because _____.

    A. the lady helped him a lot            B. he caught the chance

     C. he continued to play in the bar       D. he stopped playing the piano

3.The words "sit on" in the passage probably mean"

A. fail to realize          B. forget to use

C. try to develop          D. manage to show

4.From the story we know if you have some talent, you should _____.

     A. hide it and wait       B. ask others for help

    C. pay no attention to it     D. work hard to improve yourself

5. Which could be the best title (標(biāo)題) for the passage?

     A. Sing in the Bar              B. Achieve Success in Life

     C. Never Lose Heart            D. Find Your Hidden Talent

When I tidied up（整理）some old boxes under my bed, I found an old letter for me from my best friend. Her name was Minnie.
In the letter, Minnie wrote, “I am really sorry about before. Tell me if you will be my best friend again and tell me if you accept（接受）my apology . ”I wrote, “YES. I will be your best friend. ”
The twelve-year-old letter made me remember the time that Minnie and I spent together. We often wrote to each other during that time. One minute, Minnie and I would be playing happily together; the other moment we would get into arguments. But things would always be better again. She gave me a doll（洋娃娃）for my tenth birthday. I still keep it.
Finally things changed. We stopped writing letters to each other after she moved away, and I could no longer ride my bike to her house. Years later, she invited me to her sixteenth birthday party. I don’t see Minnie very often from then on. But I’ll always keep the letter and I’ll never forget the time we spent together.
【小題1】Minnie wrote the letter to       .