“Daily Star, sir,” called Jason, carrying some news-papers under his arm. The little boy had been running up and down the street, but there were still twenty ____ left. His voice was almost gone and his heart was ____. The shops would soon close, and all the people would go home. He would have to go home too, carrying the papers ____ money. He had hoped to sell more papers tonight to make more money to buy a ____ for his mother and some seeds for his bird. That was why he had bought the papers with all his money. He ____ as he thought of his failure to sell all his papers.

“You don’t know the ____ of selling papers. You must shout, ‘Hot news! Bomb bursting!’” another newsboy Chad told Jason. “____ it’s not in the paper at all,” replied Jason. “Just run away quickly ____ they have time to see, and you’ll ____ out and get your money,” Chad said.

It was a new ____ to Jason. He thought of his bird with no ____ and the cake he wanted to buy for his mother, but was ____ that he would not tell a lie. Though he was ____ a poor newsboy, he had been ____ some good things.

The next afternoon Jason went to the office for his papers ____. Several boys were crowding around Chad, who declared with a ____ smile that he sold six dozen the day before. He added that Jason ____ money because he would not tell a lie. The boys ____ at Jason. “You wouldn’t tell a lie yesterday, my boy?” A gentleman at the office came up and patted Jason’s shoulder ____, “You’re just the boy I am looking for.” A week later Jason started his new ____. He lost the sale of twenty papers because he would not tell a lie, but got a well-paid job because he told the truth.

【小题1】A. shops B. coins C. people    D. papers
【小题2】A. open B. heavy     C. pure D. weak
【小题3】A. instead of B. in return for     C. regardless of D. in exchange for
【小题4】A. cup B. card C. comb D. cake
【小题5】A. gave in   B. broke down C. got away D. showed up
【小题6】A. difficulty B. process   C. goal D. secret
【小题7】A. And B. But C. For D. So
【小题8】A. before B. since C. though    D. unless
【小题9】A. call B. drop C. sell D. reach
【小题10】A. edition  B. idea C. policy     D. task
【小题11】A. bread    B. insects    C. seeds D. water
【小题12】A. concerned B. amazed   C. excited D. determined
【小题13】A. still B. already   C. just D. also
【小题14】A. taught   B. handed    C. awarded D. allowed
【小题15】A. at once  B. by chance C. as usual D. on purpose
【小题16】A. proud    B. gentle     C. warm     D. polite
【小题17】A. borrowed B. lost C. made    D. saved
【小题18】A. laughed B. shouted   C. nodded   D. stared
【小题19】A. bravely B. gratefully C. fondly    D. modestly
【小题20】A. duty B. business C. job D. method

   Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”

The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.

“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”

【小题1】What puzzled the grandson most was _________.

A．why he forgot what he read soon	B．whether it was useful to read books
C．what kind of book he could understand	D．how he could read books like his grandpa

【小题2】Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water?

A．To get him to realize the use of reading books.	B．To punish him for not reading carefully.
C．To clean the dirty basket in the river.	D．To train him to run faster.

【小题3】What lesson can we learn from the story?

A．The old are always wiser than the young.	B．It is foolish to carry water with a basket.
C．You can’t expect to remember all you read.	D．Reading books can change a person gradually.

【小题4】What can be the best title for the text?

A．Grandpa and Grandson	B．Carrying Water in a Basket
C．Baskets and Books	D．Reading for Total Changing

短文改错

My new friend Tom is good at English writing. One day, I asked him how he did so well in written English. He told me that he has a habit of keep a diary every day. "You can try them, too. I'm sure you will improve your written English quickly in this way, "he said. I thought Tom was right, but I decided to follow his advices. I started to write down something interested every day. Sometimes when I didn't know why to spell a word, I would look it up in a dictionary. When I didn't know how to write a sentence correct, I would ask my teacher for the help. My written English has really improved a lot because that.

   Of course, she wasn’t really my aunt and, out of fear, I never called her that to her face. I only referred to her as “My Aunt Fannie” because the name always made my father laugh quietly and gave my mother cause to look strictly at both of us — at me for being disrespectful to my elder and at my father for encouraging my bad behavior. I enjoyed both reactions so I looked for every opportunity to work the name into as many conversations as possible.

As a young woman, my mother had worked in the kitchen of a large Victorian farmhouse. During those years my mother helped Aunt Fannie make the best blueberry jam ever tasted by anyone in Glenfield. She was well-known for her jam and for never sharing the recipe (食谱) with others. Even though my mother knew the recipe by heart, as long as Aunt Fannie was alive, she never made the jam without Aunt Fannie in our kitchen to direct the process and kept the secret.

Each August, my mother would prepare me for Aunt Fannie’s visit. One year, after I had helped with the jam process Aunt Fannie gave me a coin and then made me promise that I would never spend it. “Hold onto this coin,” she said, “and someday you will be rich. I still have my very first coin, given to me by my grandmother.” So I kept the coin in a small box and waited to become rich.

I now have the blueberry jam recipe and the coin from Aunt Fannie. In people’s eyes Aunt Fannie’s success resulted from that secret recipe. But to me, it was just a common recipe. Neither has made me become a rich person, but 1 keep them as reminders (提醒人的事物) to hold onto the valuable things in life. Money can make you feel rich for a while, but it is the relationships and the memories of time spent with friends and family that truly leave you wealthy. And that is a fortune that anyone can build.

【小题1】Why did the author always use the name “My Aunt Fannie” in conversations?

A．She was frightened of Aunt Fannie.	B．She enjoyed her parents’ reactions.
C．She liked Aunt Fannie’s recipe.	D．She greatly respected Aunt Fannie.

【小题2】What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．The author’s mother managed the kitchen of the farmhouse.

B．Anyone could have a taste of the jam made by Aunt Fannie free.

C．The author’s mother can’t make the jam only by herself.

D．Aunt Fannie kept people from knowing about the jam recipe.

【小题3】In the last paragraph, the author encourages readers to __________.

A．hold onto the first coin in life	B．make as many friends as possible
C．spend more time with family and friends	D．earn money with their own hands

【小题4】What could be the best title for this passage?

A．The Key to Success	B．A Fortune Built from a Coin
C．Blueberry Jam Recipe	D．A Relationship of Trust

   Summertime has always been my absolute favorite time of the year. When I was in school，I just lived for the long summer holidays when I could play with my friends and my sister all day at our ease. Everyone has different associations with summer. For some，they think of the smell of freshly cut grass，for some it's lying on a beach reading a book and for others it might be the taste of lemonade or ice cream. I am so happy to be spending this summer with my family and childhood friends here in the Highlands of Scotland after a year away in France.

One of my favorite things to do in summer is go to see the Highlands. These events happen all across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland over the summer and are a great chance for friends and families to get together and support the local community. A Highland Games event is a big gathering with food stalls（货摊），fair games for children and sports competitions. Many of the sports are very specific to Scottish tradition such as "caber toss". This is a competition in which the competitors attempt to lift a full-length tree log and throw it into the air. The oldest Highland Games of Scotland are now an iconic（象征性的）part of the Scottish summer.

Summer just would not be complete for me without my favorite fruit-strawberries. Here in the Highlands，strawberries are grown as one of the best-sellers over the summer months and one thing I love to do on a warm summer afternoon is to pick some strawberries to eat with cream at the end of the day. If you come here，I think you will fall in love with them.

【小题1】Why did the author treasure summertime as a child?

A．It was a long hot holiday for him.

B．He could see his brother every day.

C．He was able to feel quite relaxed.

D．It was the best time to live a life.

【小题2】What can we learn according to the first paragraph?

A．The author was born and raised in France.

B．The author spent one year out of his country.

C．The author moved to Scotland with his family.

D．The author devoted much time to reading books.

【小题3】What will you see at a Highland Games event?

A．People giving a hand to those in need.

B．Kinds of delicious food and happy children.

C．A cultural display of Scottish tradition.

D．Some extreme sports competitions.

【小题4】Why does the author refer to strawberries?

A．To show he only takes interest in this fruit.

B．To prove the Highlands is best for summer.

C．To attract readers to buy strawberries.

D．To suggest strawberries are the best fruit.