Growing up to be independent (獨(dú)立)
    Growing up is not always easy. When facing difficulties, courage arid a spirit of independence can be more
useful than crying for help. That's what Hong Zhanhui's story of growing from boy to man with family
hardships tell us.
    Hong was born in 1982 in a poor family in Yihua County, Henan province. When he was only 11, his father
became mentally (精神上) ill and one day came back with an abandoned (被拋棄的) baby girl. A year later,
Hong's mother and younger brother both left home because of being poor and pressure from his ill father. Their
burdens (負(fù)擔(dān)) fell onto the l2-year-old's shoulders: to treat his father's illness, bring up the adopted (領(lǐng)養(yǎng)的)
sister Chenchen, and to go on to study，Hong didn't give up. Since a young age, he has worked in part-time jobs
to feed his family. At they same time, he has studied at college. To take care of Chenchen, he worked hard to
rent a room near his campus for her, and send her to school. After Hong's story went public, people were
moved to tears by his selflessness (無私), Hard as his life was, Hong didn't abandon his father and the adopted
sister because they needed his help. With his hard-won money, he even helped other students struggling against
misfortunes (厄運(yùn)).
    Today when many tend to Worry more about their own happiness, Hong's deeds remind us of what we
usually neglect (忽略): love and care for others. Without these, none of us could survive Hong turned down
donations from others. He said he felt encouraged by kind offers but he could depend on his own work.
    Short of money to buy food, the boy climbed tall trees to get birds' eggs for his baby sister. He walked two
hours at weekends to buy different things to sell around his school to make money. Through his hard life, the
boy developed an ability to rise above misfortune that made him a hero in people's eyes.
    Hong's story shows that with love and willpower (意志力), no hardship can defeat a person but himself. So
when facing difficulties don't complain about bad luck. Consider what more you could do for your family and
society and you'll find the world smiling back.

1. When facing difficulty, ________ counts least from Hong Zhanhui.

A. courage
B. a spirit of independence
C. crying for help and complaining
D. will power and love for others

2. Hong Zhanhui himself was poor, he struggles (奮斗) his life by _______.

A. adopting a baby girl
B. climbing up tall trees
C. asking for donations from others and the society
D. taking part-time jobs and selling things to make money

3. After the story went public, ________.

A. people learnt a lot from this young man and people were moved by his behavior
B. he still depended on himself and refused others kinds offer
C. people regarded him as a hero in their eyes
D. All above

4. "Short of money" means ________.

A. have not enough money
B. the money note is not big enough
C. a sort of money
D. having plenty of money .

5. This article must be from a ________.

A. a story book
B. a science book
C. a newspaper report
D. an autobiography (自傳)

     Reading is an activity people enjoy a lot in their free time.
     Some like reading newspapers and (1) o________ enjoy novels or comic (喜劇的) books. My
(2) f__________books are those about the lives of great people. Reading them always gives me a
lot of ideas on how to make my (3) o________ life better.
     Great people are remembered not because they were handsome or beautiful, but because they
did not give up (4)w________ their lives were difficult. They tried to use (5) e________ chance
to change their lives and make the world better.
     One good example is Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two brothers (6) w_______ invented the
airplane. The plane has (7) m________ the world into a small village. Hard work, not good luck,
is the (8) r________ why the Wright Brothers could invent this convenient (方便的) machine and
become great people. Today we will remember them when we see planes (9) i________ the sky.
     Whenever I read (10) s________ about great people, I always learn a lot from them and they
encourage me to march on.
     This is why I enjoy reading about great people's lives.

     We are in a world full of competition. Our parents compete with others in their offices, our brothers and
sisters compete with others in their colleges, (1)and we compete ______ our ______ in school. Most of us give
up in the face of competition and will never be successful. (2)為什么我們不可能比別人做得更好呢? One
important reason is that we have no self-confidence.
     In fact, everyone was born equal. You can do what others do. Although your classmates may be better than
you in some ways, you may be better than them in other subjects. (3)So everyone has his or her advantages.
Don't look at things from a single point of view. Try to discover your own advantages, and believe that you can
do better than others in those ways.
     Competition is not so terrible. Don't be afraid of it. And don't be afraid of those classmates who are better
than you. Remember that self-confidence is the first step to success. Believe in yourselves, and you will be
successful one day.
1. 在(1)句的空白處分別填入一個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)脑~使句意完整，上下文通順：
2. 將(2)句譯成英文。________________________
3. 將(3)句譯成中文。____________________________
4. 在文中找出與下面句子意思相近的句子，并寫出該句。
    You should not be afraid of competition. _________________________
5. 在文中寫出最能表達(dá)該短文主題的句子。___________________________

     Think of life as a game in which you are playing with five balls in the air. You name them work, family,
health, friends and spirit (精神) and you keep all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a
rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce (彈跳) back.
     But the other four balls, family, health, friends and spirit, are made of glasses. If you drop one of these, they
will be broken. They will never be the same. You must understand that and try to have balance in your life.
How?
     Don't look down on your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different and each
of us is special.
     Don't let other people set goals for you. Only you know what is best for yourself.
     Don't give up when you still have something to give. (3) Nothing is really over until the moment you stop
trying.
     Don't be afraid to fight difficulties. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
     Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible. (4) The quickest way to receive love is to give it;
the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly (緊緊地); the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
     Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless (失重的). It's a treasure (珍寶) you can always carry easily.
     Don't use time or words carelessly. You can't get them back.
     Life is not a competition, but a trip, step by step.
     Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery (秘密), and today is a gift: that's why we call it "the present".
A．根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)要回答問題。
1. What are the five balls of life?
    ______________________________________________________
2. Please say something about knowledge according to the passage.
    ______________________________________________________
B．將短文中畫線的兩個(gè)句子譯成漢語。
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
C．請(qǐng)給短文擬一個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)念}目。
5. ______________________________________________________

     When a terrible earthquake hit, many people were killed and many houses fell down. After the earthquake, all
the newspapers reported many stories about some of the families who were in trouble.
     One Sunday, when I was reading a newspaper, a special picture touched me. It gave the clothing sizes of
each family member. I thought that this would be a good chance to teach my children to help those who were
less lucky than themselves. I said to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and three-year-old Meghan. "We
have so much, and these poor people 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 encouraged 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 games
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 harder to give what we cherish (珍愛), isn't it?

1. The mother thought it was ______ to teach her children to help others.

A. good
B. lucky
C. hard
D. polite

2. The underlined word "donate" probably means _______.

A. give something to others
B. lose something on the way
C. put something on show
D. put something together

3. Lucy is the name of _______ in the above passage.

A. a girl
B. a game
C. a doll
D. an earthquake

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. A terrible earthquake happened in the writer's city on Sunday.
B. The mother didn't let Meghan give her much-loved doll in the end.
C. The mother decided to buy some clothes for those people in trouble.
D. The writer thinks it is more difficult to give what we love a lot.

5. What's the best title of this passage?

A. A Family Story
B. The Spirit of Giving
C. Ways of Helping Others
D. A Sad Experience

    Each of us would like to be trusted by parents, because we all want to get freedom. Parents are more likely
to give us our freedom if they trust us. If you want your parents to trust you more, you have to show them
through your actions. 
    Let your parents know what's going on at school and with your friends. If you truly can be trusted, then
you have nothing to hide, right? Keep your bedroom door open when you are back. Do not be crazy when they
see what you are looking at on the Internet. Invite your friends to your house to meet your parents.
    When you do something wrong, it can break trust. Broken trust takes a long time to rebuild.
    It's not easy dealing with your parents when you've broken their trust. But, it can be done. It's not talking
about groveling (低聲下氣) and sweet-talking them into trust. I'm talking about getting them to respect you
again.
    I find it easy to make the mistake of no telling my parents things I've done wrong, hoping they won't find
out. There are lots of reasons:
    I don't want to get into trouble;
    I don't want them to be disappointed or get mad at me;
    I don't want to lose their trust;
    I don't think they will ever find out.
    And the list goes on and on. But they find out somehow, and then you're in hot water. Of course, even if
Mom and Dad never find out, you still know about.
     Most parents will respect you more for coming to them and telling them yourself. Doing so shows honesty,
responsibility and maturity (成熟). If you can't tell them face to face, you can try writing a note.
    Trust can't be built in a day or even a week, but you can gradually do things to help your parents build trust
in you.

1. What would children like to get from their parents according to the passage?

A. Money.
B. Freedom.
C. Love.
D. Clothes.

2. What should you do if your parents don't trust you according to the passage?

A. Talk to them in a sweet voice.
B. Tell them not to be disappointed.
C. Introduce your friends to them.
D. Get their respect and trust by actions.

3. What's the meaning of the phrase "in hot water"?

A. 在熱水里
B. 遇到麻煩
C. 想喝熱水
D. 洗熱水澡

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. It's easy for children to tell their parents the things they have done wrong.
B. The parents will respect and trust you more if you tell them yourself.
C. Trust can be built soon if children make mistakes.
D. Parents never believe their children if trust is broken.

5. The best title of the passage is _____.

A. Parents Should Respect Children
B. Children Want More Freedom
C. How Can Children Be Trusted Again
D. How Can Children Get out of Trouble

    Is there someone you hate? Well, maybe you don't really hate them. But you get really
angry every time you think of them. If you don't let this anger go, it can turn into
bitterness (痛苦).
    Bitterness appears when we can't forgive (原諒) someone who has hurt us or made us
angry. Someone might say or do something that hurts us. But instead of controlling the
anger, we keep it beep inside. Before long, a bitter feeling begins to grow. We may think
we're hurting that person by criticizing (指責(zé)) him or her often, but we're really only
hurting ourselves.
     Bitterness can not only lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, but
also hurt our relationships with friends and family members. No one enjoys being around
an angry person for very long.
    If you see bitterness in your life, here are some ways to deal with it. 
   ·Accept it
    Instead of trying to deny your anger, make it clear to yourself and accept it. See
your anger
   ·Stop making excuses for it
    You may feel you have a right to be angry.
    You may think you're right and the other person is wrong. You may even secretly enjoy
making the other person look bad. But in the end, bitterness hurts you much more than the
other person. The bitterness will hold you back, and the other person will go on with his
or her life.
   ·Forgive and forget it
    You probably can't completely put the anger out of your mind. But you can decide to
forgive the other person. Forget it and move on. You'll enjoy better heath and peace of
mind.

1. According to the passage, we might get angry when someone _____.

A. holds us back
B. forgets us
C. doesn't like us
D. does hurt us

2. Bitterness comes from _____.

A. our health problems like heart disease
B. the anger that lives deep inside our mind
C. the person who says something that hurts us
D. our relationships with friends and family members

3. The underlined word "deny" in the passage means "_____".

A. 誤解
B. 否認(rèn)
C. 疏遠(yuǎn)
D. 減輕

4. The best way to deal with the bitterness is to _____.

A. make the person who hurts us look bad
B. hate the person who hurts us very often
C. accept that you are hurting the other person
D. forgive the person who hurts us and forget it

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A. We should enjoy someone who hurts us.
B. We should pay more attention to our friends.
C. The peace of mind is more important than the hurt itself.
D. It's better to let bitterness go along with the other person.