Most teens can't wait to learn to drive. Not so with me. Driving made me nervous. I didn't get a license until I turned 24 years old. As a result, when I first married, we only had one car and car pooled to work. My husband's hours were different from mine by one hour. I worked earlier. So he dropped me off and went to the diner to drink coffee until work time.
Then, in the afternoons, I leisurely walked the three miles to his work place where I waited in his car, reading a book.
One day while waiting for him, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot. It was powder blue and sleek looking. The kind of car you dream about. I was busily admiring the car, when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the prettiest woman I had ever seen off the movie screen.
She pulled into the spot beside our car and it was all I could do not to stare. There was a striking resemblance to Liz Taylor. Jet black hair and alabaster skin. Our eyes made contact and she smiled at me. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. She was wearing a light blue shirt that just matched her car. Peeking through her long, softly curled hair I could see gold hoop earrings. They had to be gold to shine like that. A couple of minutes later, a nice looking man came out of the building, entered her car, leaned over and kissed her and she drove away.
Sitting there in my jeans, shirt and hair in a pony tail, I wanted to cry. How could some people have it all?
Maybe I would have forgotten about her, but the following week, I saw her again. Then it became almost routine to see her about once a week. She seemed friendly and always waved, flashing a big smile. My envy lingered long after she drove away.
Many nights when sleep evaded me, I would think about the beautiful lady. I wondered if she and her husband ate out, and where they dined, and what she was wearing. I wanted her to get out of the car and let me see her full length. Did she wear really high heeled shoes and pants, or a skirt.
I would get my answers in a couple of weeks.
Sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding my book, watching her over the top of it. She was waiting and when her husband came to the car, she called to him. They spoke a few words and he opened the car door for her to step out. He took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She was wearing a skirt.
She haltingly walked around to the passenger side very slowly, leaning on a walking cane. Sitting sideways in the car, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other one. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis on the left leg and a brace on the right leg. I couldn't watch them drive away as the tears were blinding me. For weeks I had envied this woman and her way of life, while I had been able to walk three miles to our car!
When my husband arrived and found me crying, he immediately asked what was wrong. Through my tears, I told him about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and also knew the story. The beautiful lady and her parents were in a car that either stalled or got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home.
I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. The lady I thought had everything I didn't. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have traded places with the beautiful lady for anything
When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don't be fooled.
【小題1】In the afternoons the woman walked three miles to her husband’s work place to___.

A．take exercise on the way	B．meet the beautiful lady.
C．enjoy the scenery and reading	D．wait for her husband

【小題2】After seeing the beautiful lady, the woman concluded_______.

A．the beautiful lady led a rich and happy life.

B．the beautiful lady liked to show off herself.

C．she and her husband must make more money.

D．she shouldn’t have married her husband.

【小題3】 The woman prayed for forgiveness all the way home because_______.

A．She should have known the whole story earlier.

B．She shouldn’t have compared herself with the woman.

C．She shouldn’t have told her husband what she had seen.

D．She shouldn’t have seen the woman getting out of the car.

【小題4】 Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The woman learned that health and family are more important.

B．The woman was poor and couldn’t afford another car and fancy clothes.

C．The woman envied the beautiful lady of her capable husband.

D．The woman regretted marrying her husband.

【小題5】The underlined word “haltingly” probably means________.

A．proudly	B．excitedly
C．difficultly	D．steadily

【小題6】Which of the following do you think can be the best title of the passage?

A．Seeing is believing	B．Trust her heart instead of her look
C．Looks can be deceiving	D．Fooled by her look

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son.
Suddenly a crow perched on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is this?”
The son replied, “It is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2^nd time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I have just now told you ‘It’s a crow’.”
After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3^rd time, “What is this?”
At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the son’s tone when he said to his father. “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.”
A little after, the father again asked his son the 4^th time, “What is this?”
This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?”
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated, I rather felt affection for my innocent child.”
【小題1】 The underlined word “irritation” in the passage means ___________.

A．puzzlement	B．a(chǎn)nnoyance
C．patience	D．excitement

【小題2】 Why did the old father keep asking his son the same question?

A．Because he developed a kind of disease.

B．Because he was so boring that he wanted to play a joke with his son.

C．Because he wanted to know whether his son was as patient as he used to be.

D．Because his son used to love playing this game with him.

【小題3】 How old was the father when he wrote down this page in the diary?

A．35 years old	B．38 years old
C．45 years old	D．80 years old

【小題4】The reason why the father did not feel irritated when his son asked him the same question for 23 times is that _______________.

A．he knew his son was still so innocent

B．the father was more patient than the son

C．the father had already got used to this kind of situation

D．the father loved his son so much that he never got tired of doing this again and again

【小題5】What would the son probably say after reading the words in the diary?

A．“Sorry, dad. It’s all my fault to forget that.”

B．Nothing but felt rather ashamed.

C．“Sorry, dad. I shouldn’t have done that to you when I was such a young child.”

D．“Thank you, dad. I will do the same to my son.”

Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes  in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (搖動(dòng)) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
【小題1】That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.

A．to see one of his friends

B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing

C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there

D．to see one of his relatives

【小題2】The waiters felt sorry because _____.

A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain

B．their hotel was too small

C．the room was not very clean

D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room

【小題3】All the people present laughed heartily because _____.

A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room

B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

D．Mark Twain made a joke

【小題4】From the story we know _____.

A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night

B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night

C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night

D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long­handled brush. He stopped by the fence in front of the house where he lived with his aunt Polly. He looked at it, and all joy left him. The fence was long and high. He put the brush into the whitewash and moved it along the top of the fence. He repeated the operation. He felt he could not continue and sat down.
He knew that his friends would arrive soon with all kinds of interesting plans for the day. They would walk past him and laugh. They would make jokes about his having to work on a beautiful summer Saturday. The thought burned him like fire.
He put his hand into his pockets and took out all that he owned. Perhaps he could find some way to pay someone to do the whitewashing for him. But there was nothing of value in his pockets—nothing that could buy even half an hour of freedom. So he put the bits of toys back into his pockets and gave up the idea.
At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea came to him. It filled his mind with a great, bright light. Calmly he picked up the brush and started again to whitewash.
While Tom was working, Ben Rogers appeared. Ben was eating an apple as he walked along the street. As he walked along it, he was making noises like the sound of a riverboat. First he shouted loudly, like a boat captain. Then he said “Ding---Dong---Dong”， “Ding---Dong---Dong” again and again, like the bell of a riverboat. And he made other strange noises. When he came close to Tom, he stopped.
Tom went on whitewashing. He did not look at Ben. Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hello! I'm going swimming, but you can't go, can you？”
No answer. Tom moved his brush carefully along the fence and looked at the result with the eye of an artist. Ben came nearer. Tom's mouth watered for the apple, but he kept on working.
Ben said, “Hello, old fellow, you've got to work, hey？”
Tom turned suddenly and said, “Why, it's you, Ben! I wasn't noticing.”
“Say --- I'm going swimming. Don't you wish you could? But of course you'd rather work --- wouldn't you? Of course you would.”
Tom looked at the boy a bit, and said “What do you call work？”
“Why, isn't that work？”
Tom went back to his whitewashing, and answered carelessly.
“Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. All I know is, it suits Tom Sawyer.”
“Oh come, now, you don't mean to say that you like it？”
The brush continued to move.
“Like it? Well, I don't see why I shouldn't like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day？”
Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush back and forth, stepped back to look at the result, added a touch here and there, and stepped back again. Ben watched every move and got more and more interested. Soon he said，“Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”
Tom thought for a moment, and was about to agree, but he changed his mind.
“No---no---it won't do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. It has got to be done very carefully. I don't think there is one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it well enough.”
“No---is that so? Oh come, now —let me just try. Only just a little.”
“Ben, I'd like to, but if it isn't done right, I'm afraid Aunt Polly … ”
“Oh, I'll be careful. Now let me try. Say —I'll give you the core of my apple.”
“Well, here --- No, Ben, now don't. I'm afraid …”
“I'll give you all of it.”
Tom gave up the brush with unwillingness on his face, but joy in his heart. And while Ben worked at the fence in the hot sun, Tom sat under a tree, eating the apple, and planning how to get more help. There were enough boys. Each one came to laugh, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was tired, Tom sold the next chance to Billy for a kite; and when Billy was tired, Johnny bought it for a dead rat —and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, Tom had won many treasures.
And he had not worked. He had had a nice idle time all the time, with plenty of company, and the fence had been whitewashed three times. If he hadn't run out of whitewash, Tom would have owned everything belonging to his friends.
He had discovered a great law of human action, namely, that in order to make a man or a boy want a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to get.
【小題1】How many characters are mentioned in this story?

A．4.	B．5.
C．6.	D．7

【小題2】Why did Tom take all his bits of toys out of his pockets?

A．Because he was tired and wanted to play with his toys.

B．Because he wanted to throw his toys away.

C．Because he wanted to give his toys to his friends.

D．Because he wanted to know if he could buy help with his toys.

【小題3】Tom was about to agree to let Ben whitewash when he changed his mind because ________.

A．Tom wanted to do the whitewashing by himself

B．Tom planned to make Ben give up his apple first

C．Tom was unwilling to let Ben do the whitewashing

D．Tom was afraid Ben would do the whitewashing better

【小題4】We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．Tom was interested in whitewashing the fence

B．Tom had a lot of friends who are ready to help others

C．Tom was unwilling to whitewash the fence, but he managed to let other boys do it for him

D．Tom was good at whitewashing the fence, so he looked at the result of his work with the eye of an artist

【小題5】What made Ben Rogers eagerly give up his apple and offer to brush the fence for Tom?

A．His warm heart and kindness to friends.

B．Tom's threat.

C．His curiosity about Tom's brushing job.

D．Aunt Polly's idea.

【小題6】Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Happy Whitewasher

B．Tom And His Fellows

C．Whitewashing A Fence

D．Make The Things Difficult To Get

When I told my father that I was moving to Des Moines, Iowa, he told me about the only time he had been there. It was in the 1930s, when he was an editor if the literary magazine of Southern Methodist University（SMU）in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a professor at SMU, and there was a girl student in his class who suffered from a serious back disease. She couldn;t afford the operation because her family was poor.
Her mother ran a boardinghouse in Galveston, a seaside town near Houston, Texas. She was cleaning out the attic（閣樓）one day when she came across an old dusty manuscript（手稿）. On its top page were the words, “By O. Henry”. It was a nice story, and she sent it to her daughter at SMU, who showed it to my father. My father had never read the story before, but it sounded like O. Henry, and he knew that O. Henry had once lived in Houston. So it was possible that the famous author had gone to the beach and stayed in the Gainestown boardinghouse, and had written the story there and left the manuscript behind by accident. My father visited an O. Henry expert at Columbia University in New York, who authenticated the story as O. Henry’s.
My father then set out to sell it. Eventfully, he foud himself in Des Moines, meeting with Gardner Cowles, a top editor at the Des Moines Register. Cowles loves the story and bought it on the spot. My father took the money to the girl. It was just enough for her to have the operation she so desperately needed.
My father never told me what the O. Henry story was about. But i doubt that it could have been better than his own story.
【小題1】Who found the O. Henry’s manuscript?

A．The girl’s mother.	B．The author’s father.
C．The girl.	D．The author.

【小題2】Which of the following might explain the fact that the manuscript was found in the attic?

A．O. Henry once worked in Houston.

B．O. Henry once stayed in Galveston.

C．O. Henry once moved to Des Moines.

D．O. Henry once taught at SMU.

【小題3】The underlined word “authenticated” in Paragraph 2 probably means __________.

A．named

B．treated

C．proved

D．described

【小題4】According to the text, why did the author’s father go to Des Moines?

A．To sell the O. Henry story.	B．To meet the author himself.
C．To talk with the O. Henry expert.	D．To give money to the girl.

A well-dressed man came to a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.
A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, because she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl? ” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl.”
The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.
Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I got it from my mother, and my mother from hers. But I really need the money. ”
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found.
【小題1】He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.

A．he loved his wife deeply

B．his business had been successful

C．he was anxious to get it

D．he wanted to make the jeweler believe him

【小題2】He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.

A．exactly the same size as the black one

B．exactly as big and nice as the black one

C．exactly as expensive as the black one

D．exactly the same quality as the black one

【小題3】Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.

A．to see the perfect pearl

B．to sell their own pearl at a high price

C．to get in touch with the rich man

D．to help the rich man’s wife

【小題4】The little old lady was probably________.

A．the man’s partner

B．short of money

C．unwilling to sell the pearl

D．the man’s wife

【小題5】The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.

A．his wife had found another perfect pearl already

B．he happened to be out at that time

C．he got $ 20,000 by cheating and had run away with the money

D．he was angry with the jeweler for waiting too long

Luo Jingyu, 19, has four years of experience of running business. He is also a freshman in the arts department of Hubei University.
Luo Jingyu is from an ordinary family. He said, “My parents told me if I wanted something I should make an effort to get it, so I earned pocket money by doing housework when I was little.” The dream of running his own business grew in his heart. He said, “I want to be a successful person, like Alibaba’s Ma Yun.”
When Luo was a junior student, he had the idea of selling lanterns(燈籠)when he saw many people flying Chinese lanterns in a square. Luo bought some lanterns from a store, but the sales were not as good as he had expected. Then he found another way to do business. He bought lanterns on the Internet at a very low price. Finally he easily made 5,000 yuan in two days.
With a happy beginning, Luo planned to open a dress shop. “My parents didn’t support me opening a dress shop, so I had to borrow 120,000 yuan for it.” Although he did market research before starting, the business wasn’t very good because his taste in fashion wasn’t accepted by customers. The shop eventually closed down after half a year.
After experiencing a big loss, he decided to do something he was familiar with --- selling painting tools. As a fine arts student, he knew the market. He convinced his friends to invest one million yuan in his shop. With a good business mind and a lot of effort, the sales of the shop reached six million yuan in a year.
Even though Luo is rich, he uses a cheap cell phone and does not wear luxury(奢華的) clothes. He has a simple lifestyle. “It isn’t easy to make money, so money should be used on something worthwhile,” he said.
【小題1】We can learn from the second paragraph that Luo’s parents _______.

A．a(chǎn)sked him for money to pay the rent

B．gave him some money to do business

C．a(chǎn)dvise him to pay more attention to his studies

D．suggested that he work hard to get something

【小題2】What is the right time order for the following events?
a. Luo bought some lanterns from the store. 
b. Luo bought some Lanterns on the Internet.
c. Luo began selling painting tools.         
d. Luo opened a dress store.

A．a(chǎn)bcd

B．a(chǎn)bdc

C．bacd

D．cbad

【小題3】 Why wasn’t the dress shop successful?

A．He had to prepare for his exam.

B．The dresses he bought weren’t of high quality.

C．Customers didn’t accept his taste in fashion.

D．He didn’t have enough money to buy beautiful dresses.

【小題4】 Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Luo learnt to make lanterns from his father.

B．Luo’s friends advised him to sell painting tools.

C．The loss at the dress shop taught Luo a lesson.

D．Luo borrowed money from the bank to open shops.

【小題5】Which of the following words can describe Luo best?

A．Talented but lazy.

B．Rich but mean.

C．Optimistic and generous.

D．Hard-working and plain-living.

When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票經(jīng)紀(jì)人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs. Tan."
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, "Why he don’t send me cheek, already two week late."
And then, in perfect English I said, "I’m getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived."
Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss." And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the cheek immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week."
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
【小題1】Why was the author’s mother poorly served?

A．She was unable to speak good English.

B．She was often misunderstood.

C．She was not clearly heard.

D．She was not very polite.

【小題2】From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was        .

A．good at pretending

B．rude to the stockbroker

C．ready to help her mother

D．unwilling to phone for her mother

【小題3】After the author made the phone call,        .

A．they forgave the stockbroker

B．they failed to get the check

C．they went to New York immediately

D．they spoke to their boss at once

【小題4】What does the author think of her mother’s English now?

A．It confuses her.

B．It embarrasses her.

C．It helps her understand the world.

D．It helps her tolerate rude people.

【小題5】We can infer from the passage that Chinese English        .

A．is clear and natural to non-native speakers

B．is vivid and direct to non-native speakers

C．has a very bad reputation in America

D．may bring inconvenience in America

First Day at School
It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to school I wondered, what questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers: "I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven't lived here since I was two. I was living in Farley. It's about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago." I also wondered if it was the rule for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide not to risk it.
No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say "hello", but no one spoke to me.
My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn't stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens, so he asked several boys if they knew Dickens' birthplace, but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: "Timbuktu” and Mr. Jones went red in the face. Then he asked me. I said: "Portsmouth” and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said I was right. This didn't make me very popular, of course. “He thinks he's clever," I heard Brian say.
After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian's team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.
"He's big enough and useless enough;" Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.
As the boy kicked the ball hard along the ground to my right, I threw myself down quickly and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My bare knees were grazed and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.
"Do you want to join my gang (team)?" he said.
At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger.
【小題1】 The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT "__________".

A．How old are you?

B．Where are you from?

C．Do you want to join my gang?

D．When did you come back to London?

【小題2】 We can learn from the passage that ___________________.

A．boys were usually unfriendly to new students

B．the writer was not greeted as he expected

C．Brian praised the writer for his cleverness

D．the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper

【小題3】The underlined part "I didn't stand out" in paragraph 3 means that the writer was not ______.

A．noticeable	B．nervous
C．important	D．outstanding

【小題4】The writer was offered a handkerchief because _________________.

A．he was in Brian’s team

B．he was no longer a new comer

C．he was beginning to be accepted

D．he pushed a player on the other team

Any introduction to Peking Opera would not be complete without telling of Mei Lanfang. During his stage life, he combined the traditions of the past with his own creations, shaping a style of his own and giving birth to “The Mei Lanfang School”. He was also the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to an overseas audience, making it popular to the world.
Mei Lanfang began his stage life at the age of 8. His teacher said he showed little hope because of his boring eyes. To improve this, he exercised them day after day. Thanks to his efforts, he managed to change his dull eyes into a pair of bright and expressive eyes and win national fame before the age of 20.
In over 50 years on the stage, Mei Lanfang played no less than 100 different characters in the performance. He also wrote many new plays, designing the dances himself. The many dances he created form part of the great treasure that he left to Peking Opera.
In 1930, Mei Lanfang started on a successful US tour. There his brilliant performances impressed the audience, making them realize that Peking Opera was a theatrical form of great value.
【小題1】Mei Lanfang was the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to ________.

A．China	B．a(chǎn)udience
C．the world	D．schools

【小題2】How long did it take Mei Lanfang to exercise his eyes into bright and expressive?

A．About 8 years.	B．About 10 years.
C．About 12 years.	D．About 14 years.

【小題3】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The history of Peking Opera.

B．Mei Lanfang’s early stage life.

C．The performance of Peking Opera by Mei Lanfang.

D．Mei Lanfang’s great contributions to Peking Opera.