John, a famous musician, took his priceless violin and played it in the crowded subway station. The music from the violin was streaming throughout the whole station. However, during the one-hour play, only six or seven people were truly appreciating the music. A three-year-old kid was so fascinated by the music that he forgot everything around. John only got 52 dollars for his work that day.

However, in normal days, when John is about to hold a concert, one ticket can be sold at more than 100 dollars and it is really hard to buy a ticket even at such a high price. Therefore, later, many passers-by in the station that day felt deeply regretful for not recognizing the famous musician and missing such a valuable but cheap music feast(盛宴).

I have a very busy friend called Charles. He had totally changed after knowing that his wife came down with incurable illness. He cooked by himself for the family and took a walk with his wife every day. But even so, his wife still did notconquerthe illness and passed away. After that, he often sighed. Due to his past busy life, he had missed a lot of beautiful time with his wife. But now, it is impossible to make up for it.

   But It is no use crying over spilt milk. We have missed a lot of precious things without knowing to treasure them. The reason is less than simple :we had thought that we could still own them tomorrow.

There was a famous Buddhist monk saying that in many people’s lives, they have only done two things: waiting and regretting. The result is that they were always too late to treasure what they had before they lost it. We should often expect to do something when we grow up, or when we have money or when we become old, ect. However, when we reach the condition we have expected, we could no longer realize our wish, because we have lost it by then.

Have you ever noticed that you’re treated (对待) differently in stores based on your sex (性别), age, race (种族) and even the way you dress? I certainly have, so I wanted to see exactly what happens inside these stores that are meant to be run with “customer (顾客) service”.

A young man in ripped (撕破的) jeans and an old jacket went into a car shop and asked for a price on the top of the line vehicle (汽车). The salesman looked him up and down and said, “I don’t think you can afford a car like this. Have a look at theinferiorcars over here.” 

As you can imagine, the young man was angry and left the showroom. Two days later, the young man walked back in, and he walked up to the salesman who had served him two days before and asked, “Hi, do you remember me? You said I should look at the inferior cars the other day.” The salesman nodded and said yes.

The young man then asked him to just quickly come outside and have a look at something. They walked out and the young man pointed to the brand-new (全新的) top of the line Ford and said, “I paid with cash (现金), do you like my new car?” And then the salesman quickly left.

Maybe many businesses don’t understand a fact if they don’t treat their customers equally, they will lose business. Not every one of the above people will ever go back to those companies and they won’t recommend them to anyone. You will not only lose repeat business but also lose up to 10 customers, for every person you treat badly will not recommend your companies and will tell people not to go to these places.

My friends and I finished lunch at a hotel when it started to rain heavily. When it became lighter, I decided to get my car at my office three streets away.

My friends said that I shouldn’t go, mainly because I would give birth to a new baby and was seven months pregnant then. I told them that I’d be very careful. One of them wanted to come with me but I asked her to stay with another friend who needed help with her baby.

I walked out of the hotel and started making my way to the car. At the crossing, a black car stopped and a man came out with an umbrella. Before I knew what was happening, he walked right towards me. To my surprise he stopped in front of me and said he’d go with me together. I said there was no need for him to do so, but he still offered to help. During our walk, he kept telling me to walk slower, as the ground was wet. When we got to my car, I thanked him and he went away. I did not get his name. Even I can’t remember what he looks like. Did he stop for me? I’ll never know.

So how did I pay it as a return? I was at home when I noticed two Indian workers walking in the heavy rain. Maybe they were on their way to the working place near my home.            . They were surprised by my action. They were very thankful to me, wondering why a stranger was offering such kindness. I was so relaxed and happy that day.

When I was eleven, my mother worked all day. As a sister, I had to look after my younger sister on weekends. At that time, my little sister was about three years old and she missed Mum all the time.

   One day, she started crying for Mum after lunch. She was so young and really needed Mum. To make her stop crying, I dressed her up, helped her to put on the shoes, carried her on my back and walked out to the park. Soon she fell asleep (入睡) on my back.

   Before we got to the park, I found one of her shoes lost. I took her off my back and put her down.

   I knew we needed to find that shoe, for our mother didn't have enough money to buy her new shoes. I had to go back to find it, so I told my sister to wait right there.

   A man happened to hear my words and stopped me just before I walked off. He asked me, "Are you leaving your sister here to find the shoe? What will you do if she is not here when you return?" I didn't know how to answer that question. "It's OK if you can't find the shoe, but it is not OK to lose your sister," he added. Then he sent us to Mum's workplace by taxi and left without another word.

   People always say, "Do not believe in strangers (陌生人)." But during my whole life, the kindness of the man is always in my mind. I feel regretful that I can't find him and say "Thank you". I do not even remember what he looked like, but he taught me a lesson－people are more important than things.

根据材料内容选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

 Lots of kids hate school, a new study found. Usually this kind of feeling doesn't last long. But what happens if you feel this way too much? School is a fact of life and getting a good education can help you build the kind of future life you want. So let's talk about school and what to do when you don't like it.

   If you don't like school, the first step is to find out why. You might not like school because you don't have enough friends, or maybe you don't get along with your teacher. Sometime it's a big problem with your classes and school-work. You may be getting farther and farther behind, and it may seem like you'll never catch up.

   When you know why you don't like school, you can start taking steps to make things better. It's a good idea to talk to someone about your problems with school. Your mum, dad, teacher or school counselor(顾问)will be able to help you. Another good idea is to write down your feelings about school in a notebook. It's a great way to let out emotions(情绪).Remember, you don't have to share what you've written with others.

Years ago I worked at a factory in a small county. Every day I got up very early and often did much extra work at night.  I was so tired and exhausted. My whole life was hopeless. Then one day I read the following article from a magazine:

   “A woman went to live with her husband in camp on the Mojave Desert during the war. She simply hated the place: the heat was almost unbearable, 125 degrees in the shade, the wind blew incessantly, and there was sand--sand everywhere. Finally, in desperation(不顾一切地)she wrote her parents in Ohio that she couldnˈt stand it another minute and was coming home.

 Quickly came the reply by airmail from her father--just two lines:

  ‘Two men looked out  from prison bars. One saw the mud, the other saw stars.’

  The daughter did some real thinking, not only with the intellect (思维)but also with her heart. She decided to stick to her post. She made friends with the natives,  learned to love the country, and eventually wrote a book about it. The desert hadnˈt changed, but her attitude had. Because she listened with her heart to the words her  father sent, a whole new world opened up to her.”

   A change of attitude could change everything.

   After reading the article, I was deep in thought（陷入沉思）…

Friendship is something that everyone needs. Success is nothing without friends. You share life, happiness and sadness. A friend is someone you can depend on in a time of need and that can trust you with every secret he or she has.

   So what happens when a friendship of eight years is broken over something out of their control? Does that mean it was never a true friendship to begin with?

   My friend and I met in high school and have known each other for nearly eight years. What happened recently broke our lifelong friendship.

   This makes me think about what friendship really means. I always thought my friend and I could get through any argument, fight, or the sadness of life. We promised each other we'd always be friends, through thick and thin. We even joked about how we would sit in a circle and laugh at some jokes when we had grandchildren. We always laughed at every little thing.

   But then her grandfather passed away and suddenly our friendship was nothing. It happened so suddenly that I never found out about it until I discovered a note she had written on the interact. I was sad and hurt that she would post what I told her for other people to see. I understand that she was sad and wanted to vent (发泄) her sadness, but I wish she'd kept everything between us.

   I don't understand why she broke our friendship, and I don't think I ever will. I think friendship means we'll always forgive each other for our mistakes. I hope that finally I'll find that a true friend who will always be there for me, I there for her.

The teacher stood before his class of 30 students and hand out the final exam papers. “I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test.” he said, “And because I know you are all able to understand this material, I am ready to offer a “B” to anyone who would prefer not to take the test.”

   A number of students jumped up to thank the teacher and left the classroom. The teacher looked at the remaining students and said, “Does anyone else want to get a “B”? This is your last chance.” Two more students decided to go.

   Seven students stayed. The teacher then handed out the papers. There were only three sentences which were written on the paper：Congratulations! You have received an “A”. Keep believing in yourself.

   I never had a teacher who gave a test like that, but I think that it is a test that any teacher could and should give. Students who do not have confidence in what they have learned are “B” students at most.

   The same is true for students in real life. The “A” students are those who believe in what they are doing because they have learned from both success and failures. They have learned life’s lessons, whether from formal education or from events in their lives, and have become better people. Scientists say that by the age of eight, 80% of what we believe about ourselves has already been formed. You are a big kid now, and you realize that you have some limits. However, there is nothing you can’t do. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma said, “We do not conquer the mountain, but ourselves.”

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

 A reader wrote in to say that she was feeling lonely at break because her best friend wasn't around. Here's our advice to her—and to all kids whofeel left outsometimes.

   It'd hard when a best friend isn't around—maybe because she moved to a different school or a different class. You may feel lonely at break or lunch time. You want to have new friends. but how do you make them? Maybe is seems like everybody else already has their friends. But remember, there's always room for more friends.

   Start by looking around your classroom—think about which kids you'd like to play with at break. Look for chances to say hi to them, smile, and be friendly. Offer to share something or express your appreciation(欣赏) to them. Invite someone to play with you or say "Do you want to sit here?" in the lunch room. When you're at break, walk over to kids you want to play with, act friendly, and say "Hi, can I play, too?" or just join in.

   If you have trouble doing this or if you're feeling shy, ask your teacher to help you make new friends. Teachers are usually pretty good at matching up friends. The best way to make friends is to be a friend. Be kind, be friendly, share, say nice things, offer to help—and pretty soon, you'll have one, or two, or even more new friends.

   You might still miss that special best friend. But when you see each other, you can share something you didn't have before she left: You can introduce her to your new friends!

根据材料内容选择最佳答案,并将其标号填入提前括号内。

Dear Teens,

  ①Do you wonder why some kids can stay calm while others get nervous so easily? Why do some kids do everything very quickly while others are verysluggish? Why are some kids always happy while some feel upset all times?

  ②One of the answers to these questions is personality(个性). People were born with different personalities. A baby gets its blood type, genes(基因) and other physical things when it is still inside its mother. These factors(因素) make part of your personality. Besides, family life, school learning and life experiences can also decide what kind of person you are. You may not like your personality. Don’t worry. You can always try to change it and make yourself better.

   ③If you are a selfish person who always thinks of yourself, you can start this way. Try to give others a hand and ask for nothing in return. The happiness you get from giving instead of receiving will help you change your personality.

   ④If you are very shy and don’t know how to make friends, just tell yourself to smile at others and start talking to others with warm greetings. You are sure to have more friends than you used to do.

   ⑤If you are a sluggish person who always does things slowly, you’d better make a plan every day. When you finish something, draw a happy face. If not, draw a crying one. No one would like to see a crying face and you will have the desire to change it into a smiling one.

   ⑥All in all, don’t get too worried about your shortcomings(缺点). No one is perfect. That’s why many people are trying to change. Don’t give yourself a hard time about it all. It’s not easy to change the habits overnight. Remember “ Rome is not built in a day”. Keep working at it. One day you’ll see that you can turn over a new leaf and be a new person.

                                                                          Dr. Olson