This is a story  that happened 15 years ago but it has always stayed with me since then.On the way back from work every evening,more often than not there would be a homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway.He always waved at every car,he was always happy and smiling and sometimes almost dancing.Every day after work when I got there，I would quickly roll down my window and give him the coins.Occasionally the red light would be on for a minute and we would ask each other about our day.His answer would always be the same，“I’m blessed！”.
It amazed me that even in his situation of being homeless he was so positive，and his answer would remind me of how blessed I was.A single mother of four amazing kids,with a place to call home and with a job to provide for my kids.Then one day I was called into my boss’s office and was told that I was being laid off due to the economy.Needless to say that on my was home that day I was very sad and upset.I didn’t remember to look for my spare change and keep it ready like I usually did.I wasn’t feeling the joy as I got off the ramp where the homeless man would be.Yet there he was as alway，as l turned the ramp.He set his eyes on me，while still smiling and waving at others.
While I was waiting for the red light to turn，he strolled over to my car.He had a big smile he looked me straight in the eyes and said “today I will give you a dollar”.He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar bill.I was blown away.I burst into tears.I wanted to jump out of my car and hug him！
You see that day he gave me more than a dollar bill，he taught me a valuable lesson.No matter  what material things are taken  from you，no one can take away your choice to be joyful.
【小題1】What is the passage mainly concerned？

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!

Not all past predictions have been proved wrong. A few of them have been surprisingly accurate (正確無(wú)誤). Some great thinkers predicted the arrival of the credit card, the fax machine and even the internet years before they happened. But for each prediction that has come true, some others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.

Robot Helpers

Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other working environments.

Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.

So why hasn’t happened? Maybe because robots are still too expensive and clumsy(笨拙的). And probably the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too strange. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.

Telephones of tomorrow?

In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.

Why? The technology worked fine, but it overlooked (忽略) something obvious: people desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower?

Probably not — it could be uncomfortable! Just because technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy any more! But a flying car remains one of the most wonderful technology ideas to catch our imagination. Keep watching the news or perhaps the sky outside your window to see what the future will bring.

1. The passage mainly deals with______.

A. predictions that can catch our imagination

B. predictions that haven’t come true

C. new technology can benefit our life

D. predictions that have come true

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

B. Predictions don’t need to consider people’s practical use of the technology.

C. Not all the high-tech things people thought we’d be using by now are widely used.

D. High-tech things are not always convenient to people’s life.

3. Robot Helpers haven’t been used in most people’s homes because ______.

A. using the kind of robots at home is simply a waste of time and money

B. the kind of robots hasn’t been developed yet

C. people find it difficult to control the kind of robots

D. the kind of robots won’t bring people practical use

4. How does the writer find the flying car?

A. It is too difficult to imagine.        B. It is too crazy an idea to realize.

C. It is likely to appear in the future.    D. It has been the focus of the news.

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!

Not all past predictions have been proved wrong. A few of them have been surprisingly accurate (正確無(wú)誤). Some great thinkers predicted the arrival of the credit card, the fax machine and even the internet years before they happened. But for each prediction that has come true, some others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.

Robot Helpers

Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other working environments.

Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.

So why hasn’t happened? Maybe because robots are still too expensive and clumsy(笨拙的). And probably the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too strange. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.

Telephones of tomorrow?

In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.

Why? The technology worked fine, but it overlooked (忽略) something obvious: people desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower?

Probably not — it could be uncomfortable! Just because technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy any more! But a flying car remains one of the most wonderful technology ideas to catch our imagination. Keep watching the news or perhaps the sky outside your window to see what the future will bring.

1.The passage mainly deals with______.

A. predictions that can catch our imagination

B. predictions that haven’t come true

C. new technology can benefit our life

D. predictions that have come true

2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

B. Predictions don’t need to consider people’s practical use of the technology.

C. Not all the high-tech things people thought we’d be using by now are widely used.

D. High-tech things are not always convenient to people’s life.

3.Robot Helpers haven’t been used in most people’s homes because ______.

A. using the kind of robots at home is simply a waste of time and money

B. the kind of robots hasn’t been developed yet

C. people find it difficult to control the kind of robots

D. the kind of robots won’t bring people practical use

4.How does the writer find the flying car?

A. It is too difficult to imagine.        B. It is too crazy an idea to realize.

C. It is likely to appear in the future.    D. It has been the focus of the news.

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
Not all past predictions have been proved wrong. A few of them have been surprisingly accurate (正確無(wú)誤). Some great thinkers predicted the arrival of the credit card, the fax machine and even the internet years before they happened. But for each prediction that has come true, some others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other working environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.
So why hasn’t happened? Maybe because robots are still too expensive and clumsy(笨拙的). And probably the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too strange. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of tomorrow?
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it overlooked (忽略) something obvious: people desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower?
Probably not — it could be uncomfortable! Just because technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy any more! But a flying car remains one of the most wonderful technology ideas to catch our imagination. Keep watching the news or perhaps the sky outside your window to see what the future will bring.

1. 1.

   The passage mainly deals with______.

   1. A.
      predictions that can catch our imagination
   2. B.
      predictions that haven’t come true
   3. C.
      new technology can benefit our life
   4. D.
      predictions that have come true
2. 2.

   According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

   1. A.
      Technology doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
   2. B.
      Predictions don’t need to consider people’s practical use of the technology.
   3. C.
      Not all the high-tech things people thought we’d be using by now are widely used.
   4. D.
      High-tech things are not always convenient to people’s life.
3. 3.

   Robot Helpers haven’t been used in most people’s homes because ______.

   1. A.
      using the kind of robots at home is simply a waste of time and money
   2. B.
      the kind of robots hasn’t been developed yet
   3. C.
      people find it difficult to control the kind of robots
   4. D.
      the kind of robots won’t bring people practical use
4. 4.

   How does the writer find the flying car?

   1. A.
      It is too difficult to imagine.       
   2. B.
      It is too crazy an idea to realize.
   3. C.
      It is likely to appear in the future.   
   4. D.
      It has been the focus of the news.

　　Vallandigham was a lawyer. In his last appearance in the courtroom, he represented a client（委托人）on trial for murder. He insisted that the victim（受害人）had drawn his own gun in a way that caused it to fire, killing himself. To prove what he said was true, Vallandigham showed the victim's method of drawing a gun using the evidence gun filled with bullets. The gun went off, and he lost his life but proved his case.

Gone fishing

　　A fisherman in Kiev killed himself by electricity while fishing in the river. The 43-year-old man connected cables to the main power supply of his home and put the end into the river. The electric shock killed the fish, which floated to the top of the water. The man stepped into the river to collect his catch, forgetting to remove the live wire, and terribly suffered the same fate as the fish. The man was fishing for a mourning meal to remember the first anniversary（周年紀(jì)念）of his mother-in-law's death.

Wrong and wronger

　　A 40-year-old official of the local government took his dog out for a walk. He met with a Police Academy student who was guarding two women to their homes. The student pointed out that the official's dog was not allowed on a public street without a lead. Now, no one would be brave enough to tell a village official what to do, so the two men began to argue. Unable to resolve the matter by oral means, the official finally pulled out a military RGD-5 hand grenade（手榴彈）and threw it to the student's feet. His well-trained dog immediately ran for the object and fetched it for his master…and the man and dog met the same fate.

What's that sound?

　　Police said an Olathe man was struck and killed by a train after his vehicle broke down on Interstate 35. His attempts to repairing his car had failed, and he had stepped away from the busy freeway to call for help, when the train engineer spotted him standing on the tracks. The engineer said the man was holding a cell phone to one ear, and cupping his hand to the other ear to block the noise of the train.

(1) What the lawyer Vallandigham did showed that ________.

[　　]

A．he had to kill himself to prove the case

B．he had planned carefully to prove the case by killing himself

C．he hadn't thought he would lose life

D．he killed himself in order to save his client

(2) What caused the death of the fisherman?

[　　]

(3) Who is wronger?

[　　]

(4) How dare the driver stand on the tracks while a train was coming near?

[　　]

A．He thought the train would stop in front of him.

B．He thought the train wasn't near enough to kill him

C．He couldn't hear the train coming.

D．He failed to notice the danger of the coming train.

(5)The best title of the passage might be“________”

[　　]