Saja Pahad, a small village in Chhattisgarh, India, has been dealing with severe water shortages for as long as anyone can remember. With only two wells available, locals were barely able to secure enough water to feed their cattle, let alone irrigate their crops. Villagers didn’t know what to do and the government ignored their difficult situation, but one “crazy” teenager took matters into his own hands.

Shyam Lal was only 15 when he took it upon himself to solve his village’s water problem. He identified a spot in a nearby forest and decided to dig a pond to collect rainfall that could then be used by the entire village. Lal shared his idea with the rest of Saja Pahad, but instead of volunteering to help, they just laughed at his crazy plan and called him a lunatic (疯子). But the young man didn’t let the people’s reaction get him down. Instead, he grabbed a spade (铁锹) and started digging the pond himself. He kept on digging for the next 27 years.

Now 43, Shyam Lal is considered a hero by his community. That small hole he started digging nearly three decades ago is now a one-acre, 15-feet-deep pond filled with precious water that serves the entire village.

“No one helped me in my work, neither the government nor the villagers,” Lal told the Hindustan Times. “It was my dream to secure enough water for the whole village and their cattle.”

The story of Shyam Lal’s determination recently went viral in the whole of India, and prompted authorities in Mahendragarh district to finally acknowledge his achievement. A member of the government recently visited Saja Pahad and offered Lal a $ 156 prize for his contribution to the village.

【小题1】Where is the pond Shyam Lal chose to dig?

A．Near his home.	B．In his field.
C．Near a river.	D．In a forest.

【小题2】How does Shyam Lal feel about his work?

A．Joyful.	B．Envious.
C．Ambitious.	D．Helpless.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “viral” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Widely.	B．Seriously.
C．Secretly.	D．Occasionally.

【小题4】What made the government admit Shyam Lal’s achievement?

A．He had been living badly.

B．His influence was great.

C．The appeal of the villagers was high.

D．The government wished people to follow the example of him.

Grandpa Nybakken loved life — especially when he could play a trick on somebody. At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he pretended innocent surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, forevermore!” But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him, and grandpa wasn’t laughing.
Grandpa worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage abroad. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church. His search proved fruitless.
Suddenly, he realized what had happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!
The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.
“It’s not fair,” he told God as he drove home in frustration. “I’ve been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this.”
Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States．He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather’s small church in Chicago. Grandpa and his family sat in their usual seats among the small congregation (教堂会众).
“But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year.”
“Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses．Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my co-workers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your boxes arrived．When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on the top.” After a long pause, he continued, “Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that!”
The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses. But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.
But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized__________had used him in an extraordinary way.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT true about Grandpa Nybakken according to the passage?
A. He was an outgoing man and held an active attitude towards life.
B. He had a large family to support.
C. He was a carpenter working in the church.
D. He was a loyal Christian.
【小题2】The people in the church but Grandpa felt confused at what the director said because ________.
A. Grandpa didn’t tell the director that he was the owner of the glasses
B. the director wanted to return the glasses even though he liked it
C. the director could not get such glasses in their own country
D. the glasses were not included in the donation list
【小题3】Who does “the Master Carpenter” in the last paragraph probably refer to?
A. Grandpa’s master.     B. One of Grandpa’s friends.
C. God.     D. Grandpa’s co-worker.
【小题4】Which can be the best title of the passage?
A. Grandfather’s life.    B. The Helpful Donation.
C. The Perfect Mistake. D. An Impressive Speech.

   I am a volunteer in the Friendly Visiting program. I visit a(n) _______ who does not seem _______ because her son and grandchildren live upstairs with her. _______, she has a special disease and _______ this condition she cannot _______ the house alone. For whatever reasons, her family is too nervous and it's _______ to take her out of the house with her oxygen tank. I admit at first I was _______ too! But she is a fiercely independent lady and can _______ it with ease.
Since her loneliness comes from staying _______ so long, we meet about every other week. We go to IHOP and I get to ________ her amazing stories such as when she first moved to Boston from Ireland, how she first ________ her husband and things about her large family. She often ________ at the end of our meetings, saying I had no ________ to cut in. I am a chatty person but with her all I want to do is ________. Often, her family members have heard these ________ and may take them for granted, but for me they are ________ and interesting. We often stay at IHOP for two hours ________ the free coffee.
It is nice to know that when I stay with her she is not lonely ________. But I also see the real ________ our meetings make. There have been times when, because of her ________ issues, we have not seen one another for a month or two and we miss each other terribly. I feel very lucky to have a friend like her.

【小题1】

A．teacher B．doctor C．child D．elder

【小题2】

A．upset B．disappointed C．lonely D．terrified

【小题3】

A．Therefore B．However C．Otherwise D．Moreover

【小题4】

A．due to B．instead of C．beyond D．without

【小题5】

A．occupy B．repair C．leave D．decorate

【小题6】

A．eager B．heartbroken C．shocked D．inconvenient

【小题7】

A．painful B．nervous C．desperate D．voluntary

【小题8】

A．finish B．handle C．throw D．cure

【小题9】

A．indoors B．silent C．upstairs D．healthy

【小题10】

A．tell B．write C．hear D．record

【小题11】

A．identified B．recognized C．understood D．met

【小题12】

A．apologizes B．complains C．cries D．responds

【小题13】

A．right B．desire C．chance D．doubt

【小题14】

A．laugh B．listen C．refuse D．argue

【小题15】

A．stories B．songs C．suggestions D．poems

【小题16】

A．embarrassing B．new C．similar D．necessary

【小题17】

A．giving away B．looking forward to C．focusing on D．taking advantage of

【小题18】

A．completely B．possibly C．regularly D．truly

【小题19】

A．trouble B．progress C．difference D．adjustment

【小题20】

A．marriage B．family C．address D．health

   At home, ordering food from a menu is a normal routine, I don’t even give it a second thought. In China, it’s a whole other story! Here, ordering is a fun game of test and error, and the adventure begins before the food is even served!

Many restaurants in central Beijing advertise “English language menus”, but the translations can just add to the confusion. Although accompanying pictures can be a helpful relief, the translations often make the whole experience even more amusing. During my first few weeks in China I tried some delicious dishes with strange names. As an experiment, my friends and I would order things like “students addicted to chicken gristle（软骨）” and “red burned lion head”. Eventually we learned that “lion head” was actually pork, and “students” were “addicted” to diced（切成丁的）chicken with green pepper. Recently, I came across a busy restaurant down a narrow side street in a Beijing hutong. It was lunchtime and the small room was packed with people sitting on small stools eating noodles. I was hungry and cold, and the steaming bowls looked irresistible! I sat myself down and called out for a “caidan!” In response, the waitress pointed to a wall at the back of the restaurant. The wall was full of Chinese characters describing numerous dishes. There was only one sentence in English: “crossing over the bridge noodles”.

I had never heard of the dish and had no idea what it would taste like. I took a gamble and ordered one bowl of “crossing over the bridge noodles”. A few minutes later the waitress carried a heavy bowl full of broth（肉汤）and I quickly dug in. It was the best bowl of noodles I had ever tasted! I have been back again and again and each time I point at the one English sentence—“crossing over the bridge noodles”. I always enter a restaurant in China feeling excited and a little nervous. Who knows what the next ordering adventure will show?

【小题1】How does the writer find the English language menus in many of Beijing’s restaurants?
A. Confusing but amusing.
B. Easy to understand.
C. Boring and annoying.
D. Accurate and helpful.
【小题2】The underlined word “gamble” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.
A. taste B. look
C. step D. risk
【小题3】What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The writer’s favorite Chinese dishes.
B. The fun the author had ordering food in China’s restaurants.
C. A comparison between Western food and Chinese food.
D. The correct way to translate the names of Chinese dishes into English.
【小题4】The passage is developed mainly in the form of ______.
A. examples and statements
B. comparisons and conclusions
C. causes and effects
D. time and description

短文改错

The Students' Union organizes an activity for give away books to children in poor mountainous areas in our library on the afternoon of July 1.Its purpose was to call on more students to caring for the children's life and studies there.

Students were glad to give away some of their books and wrote down encouraged words on the first pages of them. In addition to，they left their telephone number and address，hoping to be contacting by the children. In end，more than one thousand books was collected.

The activity doesn't only allow students in their school to show their love for others but also helps them make new friend.