We often hear a lot of people drink wine (酒). Do you hear of the ox (牛) can drink wine? The farmer
is offering (提供) the ox some wine. Is it very strange? It is said that it can not do farm work without
drinking wine. 
     We saw the big yellow ox on a farm at last. The villagers told us that the ox was about 500 jin weight.
"We can't find out another ox like it in our hometown," and old farmer said. The partner of the ox is Mr. Liu
who comes from Guizhou. Mr. Liu comes here to make money. He told us he had worked with the ox on
this farm for five years. The farm is very big, and the boss (老板) bought this ox from Taiwan. All the farm
work was done by the ox, but now it can do some of them. "We must give the ox some wine to drink or he
can't work." Mr. Liu said and took out a bottle of wine. When the ox saw the wine, he became very excited.
A few minutes later, he drank up all the wine in the bottle. But the ox looked at the empty bottle and it seemed
that it was not enough.
     "I like drinking the wine," Mr. Liu told us, "and I can drink two bottles." We found the wine for the ox
was better than that for Mr. Liu. "Why do you drink such bad wine?" we asked. Mr. Liu laughed, "I must
pay for it myself if I want to drink. But the ox drinks wine from the boss. One day, one bottle. The boss
must buy some boxes of wine for the ox to work for him."

1. The ox can not work without ______ according to this passage.

A. drinking water
B. eating grasses
C. having rest
D. drinking wine

2. The ox's partner ______ from Guizhou and worked on a farm with the ox.

A. came
B. learned
C. heard
D. got

3. Mr. Liu came to the big farm to ______.

A. take care of the ox
B. help the owner
C. make money
D. do the housework

4. When the ox saw the wine in Mr. Liu's hand, it became very ______.

A. angry
B. excited
C. sad
D. worried

5. Mr. Liu's wine is ______ than that of the ox.

A. better
B. worse
C. less
D. more

     A Story About Confucius (孔子) One day Confucius, with his disciples (門徒), went to the Jin State to
give lectures. When passing by a city, they were stopped by a seven-year-old boy. "Better make a detour
(繞道走) by passing round the city," said the boy.
     "Young boy, let us pass," Confucius got off his carriage and said. "I'm going to the Jin State to give
lectures. Let us pass by, please!" begged Confucius. "You're going to give lectures? A teacher should be
rich in knowledge. What do you know?" "I know a little about astronomy (天文) and geography," answered
Confucius, with one hand stroking his beard (捋胡子).
     "Really?" the boy laughed." Do you know the number of hair that makes up your beard?" "I can't see my
own beard. How can I count it?"
     "Then the stars in the sky can be seen. Do you know how many stars there are in the sky?" added the
boy. "There are innumerable (無數(shù)的) stars in the sky that I can't count them," said Confucius in
embarrassment (窘迫地). "But there is only one sun in the sky. Do you know how far it is from us?"
Confucius could say nothing.
     "My wisdom and learning are so little. I really don't know the things you asked. I'm willing to take you
as my teacher." With these words, Confucius bowed to the boy. 
     From then on, Confucius often told his disciples, "Among any three people, there must be one who can
be my teacher."

1. Confucius was a well-known _______.

A. educationist (教育家) of the Spring and Autumn Period
B. scientist of the Spring and Autumn Period
C. educationist of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝)
D. educationist of the Zhou Dynasty

2. Confucius went to the Jin State to _______ with his disciples.

3. Confucius took _______ as his teacher.

A. three people
B. a seven-year-old boy
C. his disciples
D. the King of Jin State

4. From the story we can see _______.

A. Confucius was very impolite
B. Confucius' learning was little
C. Confucius was very proud
D. Confucius was very modest (謙虛的)

A. 三個人都是我?guī)?
B. 三個人中只有一個是我?guī)?
C. 三人行必有我?guī)?
D. 三個人都不是我?guī)?

    One day, a farmer took a bag of wheat to town. He didn't know what to do when the bag fell off his
horse. The bag was too heavy for him to lift. He hoped that someone would come and help him.
     Before long a man came over. But the farmer's heart sank when he saw the man, because he was the
famous judge in town. The farmer was afraid to ask him for help.
     As soon as he came up to the farmer, the judge got off his horse and said, "You need my help, don't
you? Let me help you." Then he took one end of the bag, The farmer took the other. They lifted the bag
of wheat onto the horse.
     "Sir," asked the farmer, "how can I pay you?" 
      "Well," the judge replied, "if you see anyone in need of help, do the same for him."

1. The farmer did not know what to do because            .

A. his horse fell down
B. his bag was very heavy
C. he could not lift the bag himself
D. his horse ran away

2. The farmer dared not ask             for help.

A. someone
B. the famous judge
C. one of his friends
D. the other farmer

3. When he saw what had happened, the judge            .

A. asked the farmer to get on the horse
B. helped the farmer lift the bag onto the horse
C. refused to help the farmer
D. got off his horse

4. "If you see anyone in need of help, do the same for him." means "If anyone           ."

A. helps you, do the same for him
B. needs help, help him
C. is in need of help, tell him the same
D. helps you, help him

5. The best title of this story is            .

A. Bag of Wheat
B. Heavy Bag
C. Do the Same for Him
D. The Farmer

    Before Christmas Mr Smith broke his right leg and had to stay in hospital. When he was there, he always
asked his doctor when he could go home. He didn't like to spend Christmas in hospital. Though the doctor
did his best, Mr Smith didn't get better. So on Christmas Day he was still in hospital. He spent a bad day in
bed thinking that he missed a lot of fun on such a happy day.
   The next day the doctor told him that he might be well enough to leave hospital in time for the New Year.
Mr Smith was very happy to think that he would spend New Year's Day outside hospital. Soon Mr Smith left
hospital and on New Year's Eve he went to a party. He enjoyed himself there. But he drank too much. On his
way home that night, he had a fall and broke his left leg. What an unlucky man he was!

1. Mr Smith spent Christmas Day in hospital because ______.

A. he like to
B. his wife told him to
C. he broke his left leg
D. he had to

2. Mr. Smith felt ______ on Christmas Day.

A. happy
B. sad
C. better
D. well

3. He had a good time on ______.

A. Christmas' Eve
B. Christmas Day
C. New Year's Eve
D. New Year's Day

4. Because ______, he drank so much on New Year's Eve.

A. he was too happy
B. both of his two legs got well
C. he had a fall
D. he was in hospital

5. Mr Smith would have to spend New Year's Day ______.

A. at home
B. at a party
C. in hospital
D. outside hospital

    Mr Read works in a hospital. He's a good doctor, but he often forgets things. People know him and
don't mind it.
    One morning he did an operation on an old woman. It took him three hours to finish it. He looked at
his watch and found it was twelve thirty. He felt hungry and wanted to have lunch.
    When he got to the lift, he remembered he didn't wash his hands. He went back to his office and put
his coat on the chair. Then he washed his hands and left. However in the restaurant, he found he forgot
to wear his coat. All his money was in one of the pockets. He got up and went back to the hospital. He
ran to the lift but it was going to close. He put his head into it, and the doors opened. A man in the lift
said, "Oh, dear, sir! Why didn't you hold the doors open with your hands? It's too dangerous to do so
with your head!"
    "I think my hands are more important than my head. I have to do operations not with my head, but
with my hands!"

1. People know Mr Read ______, but they don't mind it.

A. is a doctor
B. often forgets things
C. works in the hospital
D. often does operations

2. The operation began at ______ that morning.

A. eight thirty
B. nine
C. nine thirty
D. ten

3. Mr Read returned to his office because ______.

A. he forgot to wash his hands
B. it was cold and he had to wear his coat
C. he was too tired to go to the restaurant
D. he had to borrow some money

4. Mr Read left the restaurant because ______.

A. he ate much there
B. he couldn't find his friend
C. he had no money with him
D. it was closed

5. Mr Read put his head into the lift because ______.

A. he wanted to know who was in it
B. he wanted to get out of it
C. his head was much harder than his hands
D. he was afraid it could hurt his hands

    Mary is twenty-three years old. She is a nurse at a big hospital. She is very kind, and all of her patients
like her very much.
    One day she was out shopping when she saw an old woman waiting to cross a busy street. Mary wanted
to cross the street, too, so she went over to help the woman cross. When Mary was near her, she shouted
happily, "Mrs Herman! You were my patient last year." "Oh, thank you very much, Mary," Mrs Herman said,
and stepped forward. "No, no, Mrs Herman," Mary said quickly, "the light's still red." "Oh," Mrs Herman
answered as she stepped back. "I can easily cross the street alone when the light's green."

1. Mary is a young           .

A. doctor
B. nurse
C. teacher
D. farmer

2. Why do Mary's patients like her a lot?

A. Because she is very had
B. Because she is serious
C. Because she is very kind
D. Because she is their aunt

3. Mary ______ before she met her in the street.

A. knew Mrs Herman
B. didn't know Mrs Herman
C. lived with Mrs Herman
D. didn't see Mrs Herman

4. Mary told Mrs Herman           .

A. to cross the street until the light was red
B. not to cross the street until the light was red
C. to cross the street until the light was green
D. not to cross the street until the light was green

5. How many people in all are there in the passage?

A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.

    One day a farmer went out for a walk with his daughter. The farmer put on a pair of wrong shoes-one
with a thick sole (鞋底) and the other with a thin one. So as he began to walk, he felt very uncomfortable.
When he was just out of the house, he turned to his daughter and said, "Why should one of my legs be
longer than the other today?"
    The daughter looked at his father's legs carefully as he was walking, and then laughed, "Oh, no, Daddy,
your legs are all right. You have put on the wrong shoes." The farmer was very happy to hear that and said
to himself, "What a clever daughter I have got!" Then he asked his daughter to go back and get the other
pair of shoes for him.
    The farmer had only two pairs of shoes.
    When the daughter ran back to the house, she found that the other pair was also a pair of wrong shoes.
    She had to return to his father with nothing in her hands and said out of breath, "It's no use changing
them, Daddy! The shoes at home were not a pair, either!"

1. When the farmer went out for a walk with his daughter, he put on a pair of ______ shoes.

A. wrong　　　
B. comfortable　　 　
C. old　　 　
D. new

2. A pair of wrong shoes means ______.

A. the shoes are not the farmer's
B. the shoes are too small
C. one of the shoes has a thick sole, the other has a thin one, they are not a pair
D. the shoes are too big

3. When the farmer began to walk, he felt very uncomfortable because ______.

A. one of his legs was longer than the other one
B. he was ill that day
C. he wore a pair of wrong shoes
D. the shoes were too small

4. The farmer thought his daughter was a clever girl because ______.

A. she could make shoes
B. she could find out that her father wore a pair of wrong shoes
C. she could find out a pair of right shoes
D. she found that her father's legs were sick

5. The father asked his daughter to go and get the other pair of shoes for him and the daughter ______.

A. brought back a pair of wrong shoes
B. brought back of a pair of right shoes
C. didn't bring any shoes; she knew the other pair at home was not a pair, either
D. couldn't find anything at home