I have never taken cooking classes. I learned cooking from my mother because she was really interested in teaching me how to cook. The main reason for this was because when my mother got married, she didn't know how to cook anything, not even an egg. My grandmother never allowed her to stay in the kitchen when she was cooking.

My mother did not start to cook until she was 25 years old. In the beginning, it was very hard for her. So, she had to take cooking classes to prepare(準(zhǔn)備) our meals. After having that experience, she decided to teach me how to cook because she didn't want me to have the same experience.

I remember when I was seven years old, and my mother was cooking, I was with her in the kitchen enjoying cooking. I always helped her. Sometimes we prepared meals that my mother already knew how to make, and sometimes we prepared them from recipes. Nowadays, I am really thankful for that experience because I don't need help to cook a meal. I can cook for me alone or for a group of people; it doesn't matter.

I will do the same with my children because I don't want them to have the same experience as my mother. If one day I am not with them, I want to be sure that they can carry on their lives without me.  

1. The writer’s mother learned cooking _______.

A. from the writer’s grandmother

B. all by herself

C. by taking cooking class

2.The underlined word recipes in this passage most probably means _______.

A. instructions on how to cook food

B. experiences of cooking food

C. some well-known cooks

3.We can learn from the passage that the writer’s children will _______.

A. hate cooking

B. learn cooking

C. teach cooking

4. The writer must think cooking is _______ to learn in life.

   A. interesting           B. difficult            C. necessary

5.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. the writer’s mother didn't know how to cook anything but an egg.

B. the writer’s mother started to cook after 25 years old.

C. the writer’s mother taught the writer how to cook because she disliked cooking.

One Sunday morning, I decided to buy a computer to use for school. I went to the biggest store in town, which sold all kinds of computers. There were so many computers there that I didn’t know how to choose a right one.

“Hi! What can I do for you?” A young man greeted me with a sweet smile. He looked like not a salesman but a student like me. I sensed a strange feeling—as if I had met him before. He began patiently showing  me each model. With his help, I decided to buy one computer with enough functions at a very low price. I enjoyed this shopping experience because of his smile. A few months later, something was wrong with my computer. I went back to the store to have it fixed. When I arrived there, what I saw first was still his smile. As soon as I told him my problem, he comforted me immediately and tried his best to solve the problem for me. I was quite grateful to him for his sweet smile and good service.

When I went back to school, his smile often appeared in my mind. I don’t know whether we’ll meet each other again, but his sweet smile will stay there in my memory and deep in my heart. Smiling is the most peaceful language in the daily life.

1. After reading the story, we can know that the writer is a _________.

   A. student     B. salesman     C. doctor     D. reporter

2. According to the passage, why was the writer grateful to this salesman?

   A. Because the salesman recommended the cheapest computer.

   B. Because the salesman gave the writer his sweet smile and good service.

   C. Because the salesman recommended the computer with enough functions.

   D. Because the salesman showed the writer how to use the computer correctly.

3. What does the writer mainly want to tell us in the story?

   A. The way to choose a right computer.       

B. The way to use a computer correctly.

   C. The importance of smiling in the daily life. 

D. The importance of computers in the daily life.

1 

One day, my English teacher asked me to help her save back-up（備份） copies of her work in the computer. I then realized I was able to know the grades of all of her students. I   1   her how to copy files（文件） from one disk to another and she thanked me.

  A few days later, she asked me to help her again, because she   2   how to do it. When I showed it to her, some students in my class   3   and began to talk among themselves   4   .Later that day, at lunch time, several of them came up to me.

  “Hey, could you help us change our grades? We’ll   5   for it.”

  I could not believe what I heard. I could get paid for something very   6  . “All right. I’ll do it.” The next day, my English teacher   7   me to help him out again. When he was not paying   8   , I changed their grades from Fs to As.

  I soon became very   9   among my friends. They began to treat me like God who could do   10  . Word spread quickly and I became very rich.

  Everything was going fine   11   I was called into the headmaster’s office. When I got there, both of my teacher and the headmaster were very angry. “ I don’t want to   12   what your teacher said, but I have to. She has too much evidence(證據(jù)),’’ the headmaster said. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  “No,” I said finally. I didn’t realize how   13   my behavior had been. I had disappointed my teacher and the headmaster. And there was no way   14  . I had to leave my school. That was a good   15   for me.

1.A. said B. urged           C. knew          D. showed

2.A. lost B. remembered      C. reminded       D. forgot

3.A. listened B. noticed          C. played         D. checked

4.A. quietly B. luckily           C. sincerely       D. angrily

5.A. pay B. praise            C. follow        D. explain

6.A. familiar B. easy             C. interesting     D. pleasant

7.A. challenged B. allowed          C. taught        D. asked

8.A. money B. work            C. attention       D. interest

9.A. common B. popular           C. modest        D. dishonest

10.A. something B. anything          C. nothing        D. some things

11.A. until B. since             C. because        D. after

12.A. believe B. reply             C. hate           D. influence

13.A. hard B. interesting         C. serious        D. important

14.A. up B. in               C. back           D. down

15.A. skill B. lesson            C. story          D. example

Learn a second language

There was once a young mouse that lived in a hole in a wall. One day, the young mouse woke up from his sleep and looked out of the hole. As he looked out, a fantastic smell came to his nose. “Cheese!” the mouse said happily to himself. “I’ll go and get it now and have it for breakfast.”

But then he remembered his parents’ words. His parents were very clever mice and often said to their son, “Always wait before you go for a piece of cheese.”

So the young mouse waited quietly. Then he heard a quiet “Miaow” and he knew the cat was there. He stayed in the hole and said to himself, “I’m glad I listened to my parents and learned to wait.”

The next day, he looked out again. He put his nose out of the hole, and the beautiful smell of cheese came to his nose again. He could see the cheese. It was only a few centimetres away. But he sat still and waited quietly. This time he did not hear any cat noises. Instead he heard a very quiet “Woof, woof.”

“It’s a dog!” he thought. “If the dog is there, the cat won’t be there. I expect the dog has chased the cat away, so I’m safe.” The mouse ran out of the hole and started eating the cheese. He did not see the cat, which caught him and ate him.

When the cat finished her meal, she said to herself, “I’m glad I listened to my parents and learned a second language.”

1.Who told the mouse to wait before going for a piece of cheese?

A. The cat.                                 B. The dog.    

C. The cat’s parents.                       D. The mouse’s parents.

2.How did the young mouse know the cat was there?

A. He heard the cat.                        B. He saw the cat.

C. He smelt the cat.                        D. He knew the cat.

3.What was the cat’s meal?

A. The mouse’s parents.                     B. The cheese.

C. The young mouse.                         D. The fish.

4. Which language did the cat learn as a second language?

A. English.               B. Chinese.      C. Dog language.    D. Mouse language.

5.Which of the following sentences is Not True according to the passage?

A. The young mouse lived in a hole in a wall.

B. The next day the mouse didn’t hear any cat noises.

C. The cat pretended to be a dog by making the noise “woof”.

D. The mouse’s parents told their daughter to wait before going for a piece of cheese. 

　Mr. Scott worked in a middle school. He read a lot. He taught well and could answer all the questions his students asked. And they liked him very much. One Sunday morning, when he was dressing his son, Jimmy, the boy suddenly asked, “May I ask you a question, Dad?” “Of course you can,” answered Mr. Scott. “Are you sure that you can answer it?” “Certainly.” “Well,” said Jimmy, “Are there any holes in your socks?” “Holes?” Mr. Scott said in surprise. “It’s impossible.” “Look at them carefully, or you’ll be wrong!” Mr. Scott took off his socks and looked at them carefully but didn’t find anything wrong.

　　“No, there’s no hole in them,” said Mr. Scott. “I bought them only last week.” “How can you put your feet into them, then?” Little Jimmy said with a smile. At first Mr. Scott didn’t know what to say. After a while he began to laugh with a red face.

　　根據(jù)短文意思，將下列句子補(bǔ)充完整。每空一詞。

1.Mr. Scott was a ______________ in a middle school.

2.His son was too ______________ to dress himself.

3.Mr. Scott tried to find if there were _________________ in his socks.

4. In the end Mr. Scott realized that his son had played a _____________ on him.

5. From Jimmy’s joke we can say that he was a ___________________ boy.