I ____________ have been here, but I __________ not find the time.

A．could; could     B．might; could     C．should; could   D．should; would

Dear Kind-Trustee-Who-Sends-Orphans-to-College,

Here I am! I traveled yesterday for four hours in a train．It’s a funny feeling, isn’t it? I never rode in one before．

College is the biggest, most puzzling place—I get lost whenever I leave my room. I will write you a description later when I'm feeling less confused; also I will tell you about my lessons. Classes don't begin until Monday morning, and this is Saturday night. But I wanted to write a letter first just to get acquainted.

It seems strange to be writing letters to somebody you don't know. It seems strange for me to be writing letters at all—I've never written more than three or four in my life, so please overlook it if these are not a model kind.

Before leaving yesterday morning, Mrs. Lippett and I had a very serious talk. She told me how to behave all the rest of my life, and especially how to behave towards the kind gentleman who is doing so much for me. I must take care to be very respectful.

But how can one be very respectful to a person who wishes to be called John Smith? Why couldn't you have picked out a name with a little personality? I might as well write letters to Dear Flagpole or Dear Clothes-line.

I have been thinking about you a great deal this summer; having somebody take an interest in me after all these years makes me feel as though I had found a sort of family. It seems as though I belonged to somebody now, and it's a very comfortable feeling. I must say, however, that when I think about you, my imagination has very little to work upon. There are just three things that I know: I, You are tall. Ⅱ. You are rich. Ⅲ. You hate girls.

I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that's rather rude to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that's rude to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external quality. Maybe you won't stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get broke in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I've decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs. I hope you won't mind. It's just a private pet name we won't tell Mrs. Lippett.

The ten o'clock bell is going to ring in two minutes. Our day is divided into sections by bells. We eat and sleep and study by bells. It's very lifeful. There it goes! Lights out. Good night.

Observe how precisely I obey rules--due to my training in the John Grier Home.

Yours most respectfully,

Jerusha Abbott

to Mr. Daddy-Long-Legs Smith

1.Jerusha felt “confused” because ______.

A．she had never written to the trustee before

B．she was not familiar with the college yet

C．she could never find the way to her home

D．she had never traveled on a train berore

2.Jerusha thought that she couldn’t be very respectful to “John Smith” because _______．

A．he was a total stranger to her

B．she was sure it was a false identity

C．the name was too common

D．nobody would like to be called that name

3.The fact that her day is “divided into sections by bells” makes Jerusha feel______.

A．busy             B．restricted by rules   C．pressed for time    D．full of energy

4.Jerusha decided to call the trustee Dear Daddy-Long-legs______.

A．in order to show her respect for him

B．because it was one of his inner quality

C．in older to make them feel closer to each other

D．because she had always wanted a father

 

In spite of the instructions he had been given，Tommy did not hurry straight round to Mrs. Blakey’s house with the note．Reaching the toy shop window with its decorated Christmas tree．he could not tear himself away from it until he had spent ten minutes staring at the gift he most wanted．Where the road began to run downhill to Mrs. Blakey’s house，he met some of his friends who were throwing snowballs．He joined in the fight，and by the time it finished．a(chǎn)nother twenty minutes had gone by．Ten more minutes were lost looking for the note for Mrs. Blakey，which had somehow dropped from his pocket during the fight．When he finally found it, it was not only very wet，but he found that part of it was torn away and missing That meant a further search，but without results So Tommy reached Mrs. Blakey’s house nearly an hour late．carrying a dirty piece of paper that contained only the words：

    —for tea this afternoon—important to talk

    about—u．If it is convenient，— tell Tommy：

    otherwise．—Hr house at；four o’clock—

Yours sincerely．

Al ice Hendry

    Mrs. Blakey puzzled over the note for a while，then，imagining she knew what the missing words were，told Tommy to tell his mother it would be all right

    Tommy arrived home not long before four o’clock，only to find his mother very angry and already putting her hat on．“You naughty boy, where have you been?”she cried, and without waiting for all answer,“What did Mrs. Blakey say?”

    Tommy told her．

    “All right, you’d better come with me，”Mrs. Hendry said．And so once again Tommy found himself oil the downhill road to Mrs. Blakey’s．

    At about the same moment that Mrs. Hendry and her son Tommy reached Mrs. Blakey’s door, Mrs. Blakey herself, having taken a different road，was waiting outside the Hendry’s home．wondering why there was no answer to her knock．Who could blame her for thinking that the torn note was all invitation to tea at the Hendry’s，instead of which Mrs. Hendry had in fact been asking herself out to tea with Mrs. Blakey’s．

1．Tommy’s mother told him __________．

    A．not to drop the note on his way to Mrs. Blakey’s house

    B．to look at the toy-shop window．

    C．to hurry straight round to Mrs. Blakey’s house with the note，

    D．to look for the note

2．Which of the following notes did Mrs. Hendry send to Mrs. Blakey?

    A．Dear Mrs. Blakey，

       Will it be all right if l visit you for tea this afternoon? I have something important to talk about with you If it is inconvenient，tell Tommy；otherwise，I shall come to see you at your house at four o’clock．

Yours sincerely,

Alice Hendry

    B．Dear Mrs. Blakey，

       I should be very glad if you would come here for tea this afternoon I have something important to talk about with you，If it is inconvenient，tell Tommy；otherwise I shall expect to see you at our house at four o’clock．

Yours sincerely，

Alice Hendry

    C．Dear Mrs. Blakey，

      Tommy would be glad if you could come here for tea this afternoon．There is a gun that he thinks is important to talk about with you If it is inconvenient，tell Tommy；otherwise we shall expect to see you at our house at four o’clock

Yours sincerely，

Alice Hendry

    D．Dear Mrs. Blakey，

    I should be grateful if Tommy could stay with you for tea this afternoon．I want to go out as I have something to talk about with Mrs. Morris．If it is inconvenient，tell Tommy；otherwise，I will send him to your house at four o’clock．

Yours sincerely,

Alice Hendry

3．When Tommy returned home，his mother was very angry because ________．

    A．she was worried that it was too late for them to reach Mrs. Blakey’s house

    B．the naughty boy was an hour late for supper．

    C．He lost the note on his way to Mrs. Blakey’s house

    D．He came home without a reply from Mrs. Blakey

4．Which of the following is Not true according to the story．

    A．After giving the note to Mrs. Blakey, Tommy hurried straight home．

    B．Tommy looked for the missing part of the note but failed in finding it．

    C．Mrs. Blakey inferred correctly what the incomplete note meant

    D．Mrs. Blakey expected to find Mrs. Hendry at home at four o’clock

 

    根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從下框的A---F選項中選出能概括每一段主題的最佳選項。 選項中有一項為多余選項。

A．Focus on your relationaships．     B．Think about what to do next step．     C．Take good care of your body．     D．Try to avoid overthinking． E．Set up a proper goal for yourself． F．Practice acts of kindness．

    Five Happiness Secrets For Tough Times

    Sonja Lyubomirsky, an author, has researched the science of happiness for years．

    Here are her tips to help you cope with a bad economy, and increase your bursts of happiness throughout the day．

1.________

    “You could spend a lot of time thinking deeply,” says Lyubomirsky．“But that just makes you feel even more pessimistic, more out of control, and affects your self esteem．Your relationships will suffer and your job performance will suffer．”

    Get rid of pessimism．One of the most effective ways to cope when things are difficult is to adopt a positive thinking strategy．“What can I learn from this? Times are tough, I’ve been furloughed at work, but I can spend more time with the kids, adopt a new hobby, or learn a new set of skills．”

2.________

    Now more than ever we need each other to survive．Lyubomirsky found that doing good things for friends, family, or strangers can make you happier．Think of practical, everyday gestures that can make someone’s life a little bit easier．For example, Lyubomirsky says, “Maybe now many of us can’t afford to take a cab to the airport, so offer to give a friend a ride．”

3.________

    You don’t need an expert to tell you that relationships are critical to happiness．

    Not being the bread-winner anymore or not being able to fulfill your kid’s needs can weigh down hard on your family life．But the trick is to stop feeling guilty and focus on caring for your loved ones．

    “I was at a psychology conference where an expert was talking about the effects of this economy on families and how parents can’t afford to buy their kids luxuries like toys anymore,” says Lyubomirsky．“But what they don’t realize is that kids don’t care about toys — what they care about is parents being grumpy and taking it out on them．”

4.________

    “If you find a happy person you will find a project,” says Lyubomirsky．“Happy people all have goals they care about．”

    Commit yourself to a project – whether it is a business you want to start or a dance you want to learn．But it’s also important to remember to be flexible in these times．

    Don’t get frustrated if circumstances are stopping you from meeting your goals．Adopt and change!

    “If your spouse has lost their job you might have to change your goal,” says Lyubomirsky．“Or you might have to learn a whole new skill for a new job．”

5.________

    When times are tough, it’s easy to get skip your regular workouts in favor of moping in front of the TV and eating a bag of chips．Your thinking is “I have more important things to worry about right now than looking good．”

    But carve out a small part of your day to give your body some TLC．It will go a long way in boosting your happiness．“Even if you can’t afford to go to the gym,”

    Lyubomirsky says, “take time out to exercise at home．”

 

第二節(jié)（共5小題；每小題2分，滿分10分）

       根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從下框的A---F選項中選出能概括每一段主題的最佳選項。 選項中有一項為多余選項。

       A．Focus on your relationaships．

       B．Think about what to do next step．

       C．Take good care of your body．

       D．Try to avoid overthinking．

    E．Set up a proper goal for yourself．

F．Practice acts of kindness．

       Five Happiness Secrets For Tough Times

       Sonja Lyubomirsky, an author, has researched the science of happiness for years．

       Here are her tips to help you cope with a bad economy, and increase your bursts of happiness throughout the day．

       61．________

       “You could spend a lot of time thinking deeply,” says Lyubomirsky．“But that just makes you feel even more pessimistic, more out of control, and affects your self esteem．Your relationships will suffer and your job performance will suffer．”

       Get rid of pessimism．One of the most effective ways to cope when things are difficult is to adopt a positive thinking strategy．“What can I learn from this? Times are tough, I’ve been furloughed at work, but I can spend more time with the kids, adopt a new hobby, or learn a new set of skills．”

       62．________

       Now more than ever we need each other to survive．Lyubomirsky found that doing good things for friends, family, or strangers can make you happier．Think of practical, everyday gestures that can make someone’s life a little bit easier．For example, Lyubomirsky says, “Maybe now many of us can’t afford to take a cab to the airport, so offer to give a friend a ride．”

       63．________

       You don’t need an expert to tell you that relationships are critical to happiness．

       Not being the bread-winner anymore or not being able to fulfill your kid’s needs can weigh down hard on your family life．But the trick is to stop feeling guilty and focus on caring for your loved ones．

       “I was at a psychology conference where an expert was talking about the effects of this economy on families and how parents can’t afford to buy their kids luxuries like toys anymore,” says Lyubomirsky．“But what they don’t realize is that kids don’t care about toys — what they care about is parents being grumpy and taking it out on them．”

       64．________

       “If you find a happy person you will find a project,” says Lyubomirsky．“Happy people all have goals they care about．”

       Commit yourself to a project – whether it is a business you want to start or a dance you want to learn．But it’s also important to remember to be flexible in these times．

       Don’t get frustrated if circumstances are stopping you from meeting your goals．Adopt and change!

       “If your spouse has lost their job you might have to change your goal,” says Lyubomirsky．“Or you might have to learn a whole new skill for a new job．”

       65．________

       When times are tough, it’s easy to get skip your regular workouts in favor of moping in front of the TV and eating a bag of chips．Your thinking is “I have more important things to worry about right now than looking good．”

       But carve out a small part of your day to give your body some TLC．It will go a long way in boosting your happiness．“Even if you can’t afford to go to the gym,”

       Lyubomirsky says, “take time out to exercise at home．”

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled 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, 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, 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 in 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．7

B．6

C．5

D．4

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

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

B．Because he wanted to throw his toys away.

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

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

【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 was afraid Ben would do the whitewashing better.

C．Tom was unwilling to let Ben do the whitewashing

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

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

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

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

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

D．Tom was interested in whitewashing the fence.

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

A．His curiosity about Tom’s brushing job.

B．His warm heart and kindness to friends.

C．Tom’s threat.

D．Aunt Polly’s idea.

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

A．Tom And His Fellows

B．The Happy Whitewasher

C．Whitewashing A Fence

D．How To Make The Things Difficult To Get

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從下框的A-F選項中選出能概括每一段主題的最佳選項。選項中有一項為多余項。

A．Focus on your relationships． B．Think about what to do next step． C．Take good care of your body． D．Try to avoid over thinking． E．Set up a proper goal for yourself． F．Practice acts of kindness．

Five Happiness Secrets For Tough Times

Sonja Lyubomirsky, an author, has researched the science of happiness for years．

Here are her tips to help you cope with a bad economy, and increase your bursts of happiness throughout the day．

1.________

“You could spend a lot of time thinking deeply,” says Lyubomirsky．“But that just makes you feel even more pessimistic, more out of control, and affects your self esteem．Your relationships will suffer and your job performance will suffer．”

Get rid of pessimism．One of the most effective ways to cope when things are difficult is to adopt a positive thinking strategy．“What can I learn from this? Times are tough, I’ve been furloughed at work, but I can spend more time with the kids, adopt a new hobby, or learn a new set of skills．”

2.________

Now more than ever we need each other to survive．Lyubomirsky found that doing good things for friends, family, or strangers can make you happier．Think of practical, everyday gestures that can make someone’s life a little bit easier．For example, Lyubomirsky says, “Maybe now many of us can’t afford to take a cab to the airport, so offer to give a friend a ride．”

3.________

You don’t need an expert to tell you that relationships are critical to happiness．

Not being the bread-winner anymore or not being able to fulfill your kid’s needs can weigh down hard on your family life．But the trick is to stop feeling guilty and focus on caring for your loved ones．

“I was at a psychology conference where an expert was talking about the effects of this economy on families and how parents can’t afford to buy their kids luxuries like toys anymore,” says Lyubomirsky．“But what they don’t realize is that kids don’t care about toys — what they care about is parents being grumpy and taking it out on them．”

4.________

“If you find a happy person you will find a project,” says Lyubomirsky．“Happy people all have goals they care about．”

Commit yourself to a project – whether it is a business you want to start or a dance you want to learn．But it’s also important to remember to be flexible in these times．

Don’t get frustrated if circumstances are stopping you from meeting your goals．Adopt and change!

“If your spouse has lost their job you might have to change your goal,” says Lyubomirsky．“Or you might have to learn a whole new skill for a new job．”

5.________

When times are tough, it’s easy to get skip your regular workouts in favor of moping in front of the TV and eating a bag of chips．Your thinking is “I have more important things to worry about right now than looking good．”

But carve out a small part of your day to give your body some TLC．It will go a long way in boosting your happiness．“Even if you can’t afford to go to the gym,”

Lyubomirsky says, “take time out to exercise at home．”

 

Some people seem easy to understand：their character appears obvious on first meeting. Appearances, however, can be deceptive. For thirty years now I have been studying my fellowmen. I don’t know very much about them. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. I think they must have small insight or great vanity. For my own part I find that the longer I know people, the more they puzzle me.

I read in this morning's paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died. He was a merchant and he had been in business in Japan for many years.Once he gave me a great surprise. Unless I had heard the story from his own lips, I’d never have velieved that he was capable of such an action. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and position. He didn’t talk much, but what he said was sensible. Tou couldn’;t imagine he’d possible raise his voice in anger. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He’d tell with point a good and spicy story, and in his youth he’d been something of an athete. He was a rich man and he’d made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so weak; he arounsed your instinets（本能）of protection. TYou felt he couldn’t bear to hurt a fly.

       One afternoon Burton told me a “funny” story in a quiet, dry humour:

        “There was a namesake（同名人）of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. He  seemed to  have a fantastic instinct about the cards. I used to play with him a lot.”

“He was handsome in a way with curly hair and pink-and- white cleeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, he was only wild. Pf course he drank too much. He won a good deal of my money by card-playing.”

“One day he came to me when he went broke. He came to see me in my office and asked me for a job. I asked him how old he was.

“’Thirty-five’, he said.”

       "'And what have you been doing hitherto?' I asked him.

       "'Well, nothing very much,' he said.

       "'I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet,' I said. 'Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do.'

"He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't been willing to stick to bridge, he'd been playing poker, and he'd got trimmed. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.

"I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.

"I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I've known too many men who were little tin gods at their university.

 “Suddenly I had an idea.” Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me. “When I was young I swam over three miles round the beacon（燈塔）and landed at the river of Tarumi. It’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young fellow about it and I said that if he’d do it I’d give him a job.

“I could see he was rather taken aback. He was not in good condition for sports. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.”

“I told him I’d drive round to the river at half past twelve and meet him.

       "Done,"he said.

“I wished him good luck and he left me.I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve.But I needn't have hurried;he never turned up

       “Did he funk it at the last moment?” I asked.

“No,he didn't funk it. He started all right. But of course he'd ruined his constitution by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn't get the body for about three days

I didn't say anything for a moment or two.I was a trifle shocked.Then I asked.

       “When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he'd be drowned?'

       He looked at me with his kind blue eyes, smiling. "Well,I hadn't got a vacancy in my office at the moment.'

55．The author believes         .

       A．some people are too easy to understand

       B．a(chǎn)ppearance is just opposite to the quality

       C．first impressions can be misleading

       D．his fellowmen are not understandable

56．For some time, Edward Burton impressed the author most with his        .

      A．a(chǎn)ge and position                                   B．wealth and ability

       C．sensibility and humor                           D．kindness and weakness

57．The underlined words “he was all to picces” may mean         .

       A．he was mad and wild                           B．he was completely down

       C．he was sick and dirty                           D．he was totally drunk

58．We can infer from Burton’s story that his namesakes         .

       A．never saw through his trick                  B．a(chǎn)nnoyed him by playing cards

       C．could not do any job well                      D．intended to cheat him with a lie

59．We learned from the story that Edward Burton       .

      A．knew the young man would kill himself

       B．a(chǎn)rranged the end of his namesake’s life

       C．did much for the poor fellowman

       D．killed his card-friend by mistake

60．Edward Burton could be described as a(n)     person.

       A．innocent              B．smart                  C．careless               D．evil

D

It was Sunday morning. All the summer world was bright and fresh, and full of life. There was cheer on every face and a spring in every step.

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled 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, 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 casually,

"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, 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（核心）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 in 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.

68．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 was unwilling to let Ben do the whitewashing

C. Tom was afraid Ben would do the whitewashing better

D. Tom didn’t want to let Ben do the whitewashing before he made him give up his apple first

69．The underlined word “casually” is most similar to “______” in meaning.

A. carelessly                 B. delightedly               C. seriously                  D. angrily

70．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.