High school was wonderful, but I had always felt uncomfortable as one of the taller members of my class,
standing a head above the other girls and stooping (彎腰) at the back of the line to avoid sticking out.
     I especially hated being around large groups of people like during the social hour after the church services.
     My grandfather would watch me grow increasingly uncomfortable, but he didn't laugh at me or try to
comfort me. Instead, he would warn me. "Stand straight and tall," he'd say, as I tried to shrink (退縮).
     And each time, I would obey him. Even at age 15, I understood that his advice was about more than just
feet and inches.
     My grandfather grew up in war-torn Europe. When German soldiers took his hometown, the beautiful and
exciting city of Tarnow, Poland, he joined the Soviet army for his country's freedom. "Stand straight, stand
tall," meant something else back then. I trusted my grandfather more than anyone else in my childhood. And
whenever I was afraid of something, he would tell me stories of his life.
     After the war, he took a boat for America on January 27,1947. All alone in a new country, he was
frightened about his future.
     Still, he marched head-on in the streets of New York. Soon he met other European immigrants, each of
them trying to find his or her own way.
     If they could do it, why couldn't he? "Stand straight, stand tall," he would told himself. 
     At first my grandfather retused to enter an American church. He was angry with God for the loss of his
whole family back in Europe. But soon he felt his self-confidence returning. When he walked into the church
that first time, he walked in proudly.

1. Which can best serve as the title for the text?

A. Stand straight, stand tall
B. My grandfather's stories
C. Height brought me trouble
D. My unforgettable high school

2. The writer didn't like attending social activities because _____.

A. her grandfather didn't allow her to attend
B. other people didn't like making friends with her
C. her height made her feel uncomfortable
D. she thought she was too young to join in

3. The part "his advice was about more than just feet and inches." underlined in Paragragh 4 means that her
    grandfather advised her _____.

A. to grow up quickly
B. not to worry about height
C. to pay attention to her body shape
D. to be brave and proud

     It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell
rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling (擠) together on the top step.
     "Any old papers, lady?" asked one of them.
     I was busy. I wanted to say "no" until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals (涼鞋),
wet with heavy snow. "
     Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa."
     They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them
cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.
     The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at
it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich?"
     "Am I rich? Pity, no!"
     I looked at my worn-out slipcovers (椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer (茶碟) carefully and said,
"Your cups match your saucers." They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded
me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
     Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
     I tasted the potatoes and stirred (攪動(dòng)) the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads,
my man with a regular job? These matched, too.
     I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were
still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Lady, are you rich?
B. A story of Thanksgiving Day.
C. Don't forget how much you are rich.
D. Does cups and saucers match well?

2. The writer let the two children come in and served them well because _____.

A. she wanted to sell old papers to them
B. she wanted to invite them to her Thanksgiving party
C. she showed great pity and care on them
D. she had the same experience as them in the past

3. The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to _____.

A. show that she was a kind-hearted lady
B. remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was
C. leave room for readers to think about what being rich is
D. prove that she had understood what being rich meant

4. It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on _____.

A. how much money you have made
B. what attitude you have had towards life
C. the way you help others
D. your social relationship

     The dog, called Prince, was a clever animal and a slave to Williams. From morning till night, when Williams
was at home, Prince never left his sight. The dog had a number of duties, for which Williams had patiently
trained him and, like the good pupil he was, Prince lived for the chance to show his abilities.
     When Williams wanted to put on his boots, he would say "Boots" very quietly and within seconds the dog
would drop them at his feet. At nine every morning, Prince ran off to the store, returning shortly not only with
Williams' daily paper but with a packet of cigarettes. A gun dog by breed (品種), Prince had a large soft mouth
for the safe carrying of hunted creatures, so the paper and the cigarettes came to no harm, never even showing
a tooth mark.
     Williams was a railway man, an engine driver, and he wore a uniform which smelled of oil fuel. He had to
work at odd times-"days", "late days" or "nights". Over the years Prince got to know these periods of work and
rest, knew when his master would leave the house and return, and the dog did not waste this knowledge. If
Williams overslept, as he often did, Prince barked at the bedroom door until he woke, much to the anger of the
family. On his return, Williams' slippers were brought to him.
     A curious thing happened to Williams during the snow and ice of last winter. One evening he slipped and
fell on the icy road somewhere between the village and his home. He was so badly injured that he stayed in bed
for three days; and not until he got up and dressed again did he discover that he had lost his wallet containing
over fifty pounds. The house was turned upside down in the search, but the wallet was not found. However,
two days later-that was five days after the fall, Prince dropped the wallet into Williams' hand. Very muddy and
wet through, the little case still contained fifty-three pounds, Williams' driving license and a few other papers.
Where the dog had found it no one could tell, but he had found it and recognized it probably by the slight oil
smell on the worn leather.

1. What does the passage tell us about gun dogs?

A. Their teeth are well-developed when they are very young.
B. They can carry back hunted birds without hurting them.
C. They are fed well, producing many young dogs.
D. They are the most intelligent of all dogs.

2. How did Prince perform his duties?

A. He did his best but was not often successful.
B. He did them unwillingly but got them over.
C. He had few opportunities to do them.
D. He was delighted to show them off.

3. Williams did not realize his loss until several days later because _____.

A. he trusted the dog to find the wallet
B. he had left the wallet on the train
C. he had no chance to feel in his pockets
D. he was busy with his work all the time

4. What might help Prince to find Williams' wallet?

A. The remaining smell of fuel on the case.
B. The photo on Williams' driving license.
C. The footprints of Williams' in the snow.
D. The strong smell of the worn leather.

5. What does the writer think of Prince?

A. Skillful and gentle.
B. Clever and amusing.
C. Proud and fierce.
D. Devoted and smart.

     Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents'
home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station (加油站) about 50 miles from Oklahoma City,
where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register (收款臺(tái)),
I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
     I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped
and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas
station. They said they would take me to my friend's. We chatted on the way to the city, and when I got
out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
     I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present
from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
     Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In the late afternoon I returned to my
car and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery (電池) was dead. Then I noticed that the
Friendly Ford dealership-a shop selling cars-was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in
the showroom.
     "Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck
to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say
thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and
say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.
     "Thank you"-two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.