Catalin Baciu from Romania wanted to make money in Germany. So, he and his wife, Oltita went to Bucharest, the capital city of Romania to get legal papers to move to Germany. However, when they arrived, they were surprised by what they saw. “Hundreds of street children were living in a busy and dirty city of two and a half million people. Many of them were using drugs. They all seemed lost. Most of them were under ten years old. Oltita had tears in her eyes,” Catalin said.

Many of these streets children were orphans (孤儿). They had grown up in the government orphanages, but had run away. They thought any place would be better than the orphanages. But the streets were cold and hard. The winters were freezing. The children had to sleep in warm sewers (下水道) under the ground. Many of the children even became involved with crime and violence (暴力).

The Baciu’s did not like the sight of so many pitiful children in Bucharest. They wanted to leave immediately and go to Germany. However, that night, Catalin and Oltita stayed with a friend in Buchares. “The friend we were staying with was working with street children. I was deeply touched by what he and his fellows were trying to do…they were sacrificing (牺牲) their jobs and lives to save street children,” Catalin said.

After that visit, the Baciu’s completely changed their life plan. Instead of moving to Germany, they began working with street children in Bucharest. They started by opening a home called House of Hope, which provided a warm and loving place for children who needed to get away from the streets. Many hospitals and business workers called House of Hope when they found troubled kids. Everyone knew the House of Hope would help.

【小题1】Oltita had tears in her eyes because ________.

A．she felt pity for the street children

B．she almost lost her Way in Bucharest

C．she didn’t get legal papers

D．she would leave Romania

【小题2】We can infer that the orphans in the orphanages ________.

A．liked to run around

B．lived a very busy life

C．didn’t receive good care

D．were under ten years old

【小题3】Which of the following can best describe the couple’s friend?

A．Kind-hearted.	B．Short-sighted.
C．Hard-working.	D．Self-confident.

【小题4】The Baciu’s opened House of Hope ________.

A．at the risk of losing their home

B．under the influence of their friend

C．in support of the local hospital

D．with the help of the Germany government

短文改错

When I was in high school, most of my friends had bicycle. I hoped I could also have it. One day I saw a second-hand bicycle, that was only one hundred yuan. I asked my father the money, and he said he could only give me half of the money. I should earn the other half by myself. So I went to sell newspapers after the school. My father was pleasing when I showed him the money a month late. He gave me the other fifty. You can imagine how happily I felt when I ride to school on my own bicycle.

   A couple of years ago I graduated from art school. After graduation I was unsure of what to do with my degree. I had majored in Illustration（插画专业）and loved it，but didn't really feel interested in doing illustrations for any companies. This left me with few options other than freelance（自由职业的）jobs and nannying.

I spent two years working as a nanny doing freelance illustrations on the side. It just wasn't quite enough to pay rent, but I loved it, so I worked well over 50 hours a week, trying to keep up with both.

Just under a year ago I went to a friend's wedding. I couldn't think of a gift for them and really didn't have a lot of money to spare so I used my talents to create a portrait for them. It wasn't much, but I hoped it would be a good gift. When I handed the portrait to them and they unwrapped it, the looks on their faces were something I did not expect. There were joyful tears in their eyes as they cried, "That's us! This is so beautiful!"

It's funny because when I was in art school portraits were always my least favourite assignment. I hated drawing people and was always so much more interested in drawing little furry creatures. Once I saw the looks on my friends' faces after giving them their portrait, it was all over. I suddenly loved portraits and wanted to do more.

I now take portraits to every wedding I go to and have given them as gifts to the families I nannied for. Every time the reaction makes all of the hard work and time I put into them so worth it.

I' ve just started offering couple, family and pet portraits as an item on my Etsy shop.

【小题1】After graduation, the author chose to ________.

A．do illustrations for a company

B．draw portraits

C．work as a nanny and a freelancer

D．draw furry creatures

【小题2】Why did the author decide to draw a portrait for her friends as a wedding present?

A．Her friends requested her to do so.

B．She thought it was meaningful.

C．She didn't have enough money to buy a gift.

D．She was fond of drawing people.

【小题3】How did the friends feel when they received their portrait?

A．Delighted.	B．Disappointed.
C．Embarrassed.	D．Shocked.

【小题4】What may be the best title of the passage？

A．Your major is your future career

B．A gift turned into my career

C．I sacrificed a lot for my job

D．You are to do what you desire to do

   Trekking (徒步旅行) 500 miles across Spain is no easy task for anyone, but for the wheelchair user Justin Skeesuck, achieving the dream seemed nearly impossible. However, Skeesuck’s lifelong best friend, Patrick Gray, simply didn’t accept that idea. He said, “We’ve done everything together so far. Why don’t we have one more adventure?”

That’s exactly what he did — pushing Skeesuck across northern Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Though Skeesuck has a muscle disease similar to ALS (肌萎缩侧索硬化) and high blood pressure, he first got the idea to go on the journey after he watched a travel show about the trail. He said, “I knew immediately since my heart was just telling me, ‘You need to do this.’”

With Gray on board and the blessings of their family, the two best friends from Idaho set off to make Skeesuck’s dream of going for the journey a reality. However, neither Gray nor Skeesuck realized how physically and emotionally arduous the trip would be. Not only did they have a strict time limit — about six weeks to get from start to finish, but they also faced extremely difficult obstacles (障碍). With Gray pushing Skeesuck in a three-wheel wheelchair, the pair crossed mountains, rivers and a desert. “I’ve never been that physically exhausted in my entire life,” Gray said. The pair came across countless kind people during their trip who were eager to help them finish their journey, but they refused their help with gentle words. 34 days later, the two best friends finished their journey, realizing a dream that helped them learn about themselves and others. “The adventure has taught me for sure that when you do something with faith, and never give up, amazing things can really happen,” Skeesuck said.

Gray recorded their incredible trip in a book — “I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends and One Wheelchair”, which would be published soon. Skeesuck and Gray are also working on a children’s book that will tell the story of their adventure. They hope that the book will give kids strength when they deal with difficulties.

【小题1】What can we learn about Patrick Gray from Paragraph 1?

A．He is a wheelchair user.

B．He has been to Spain several times before.

C．He wanted to challenge what was thought impossible.

D．He didn’t think trekking 500 miles was an adventure.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “arduous” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Relaxing.	B．Disappointing.
C．Challenging.	D．Satisfying.

【小题3】What can we infer about the pair’s journey from Paragraph 3?

A．They set off on foot.	B．They finished it ahead of time.
C．They received a lot of help.	D．They met with no difficulties.

【小题4】Why did the two friends write a children’s book on that journey?

A．To encourage kids to face difficulties bravely.

B．To earn some money by selling books.

C．To persuade kids to take a trip to Spain.

D．To show kids the beautiful natural scenery.

   My family lived in a motel（汽车旅馆）for two years. Like most families living there, we stayed in a two-bedroom suite. We were living from paycheck to paycheck, so when Christmas approached, we didn't know if we would be able to buy gifts for our children.

A few days before Christmas someone dropped off presents for all the kids that lived at the motel. It brought so much joy to all the children, most of whom knew that they wouldn't be receiving anything.

Five years ago, we moved out of the motel. After that, my husband and I were working hard at Joe's Crab Shack to support our family. A few days before Christmas, I was busy working. The man at my table could see the large tables were taking most of my time, but I was very patient and friendly. Between drinks and food I was able to chat with him about his family and mine. He left me $10, then walked out. About 10 minutes later, I turned around and there he was again. He gave me a hug , and put something inside my apron, telling me“Have a Merry Christmas”. I reached into my apron and pulled out $800.

I was so overwhelmed（不知所措的）by his generosity that I burst into tears. He had given me more than enough money to help my family catch up on our bills. After discussing what we should do with the money we had left over, we decided to buy presents for the families living at the motel, so we could pass on the blessing that we had received. Since then, it has been a tradition for us to give Christmas gifts to the families in need.

Last year we were able to give presents to each of the 80 children at a school in our community, and throw a Christmas party for them. This year our goal is to add at least 20 children.

【小题1】What does the underlined part suggest?

A．They paid for checks nonstop.

B．They might struggle in finance.

C．They were in heavy debt.

D．They had to save money for children.

【小题2】What did the author do according to the passage?

A．She was a cleaner.

B．She was a housewife.

C．She was a waitress.

D．She was a shop manager.

【小题3】What did the author do with the remaining money given by the stranger?.

A．She used all the money to improve their life.

B．She threw a Christmas party for schoolkids.

C．She bought some presents for poor families.

D．She donated all the money to her community.

【小题4】The author wrote the passage to _____________.

A．share her own experience

B．stress the importance of love.

C．call on readers to do good deeds

D．express her thanks to a stranger