It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. The told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a batter future. But the dream didn’t last long.    

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.

A. were poor but somewhat content      B. dreamed of having a better life 

C. worked very hard for centuries        D. lived a different life from their forefathers 

2.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A. They needs money to buy medicine      B. The frogs were easy money .

C. They wanted to please the visitors    D. The frogs made too much noise

3.What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

A. there were too many insects           B. the crops didn’t do well

C. the visits brought in disease         D. the pesticides were overused

4.What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country                  

B. Health is more important than money

C. Good old day will never be forgotten                    

D. The harmony between man and nature is important.

If you were to walk up to Arthur Bonner and say, “Hey, Butterfly Man,” his face would break into a smile. The title suits him. And he loves it.

Arthur Bonner works with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, once thought to have died out. Today the butterfly is coming back — thanks to him. But years ago if you’d told him this was what he’d be doing someday, he would have laughed, “You’re crazy.” As a boy, he used to be “a little tough guy on the streets”. At age thirteen, he was caught by police stealing. At eighteen, he landed in prison for shooting a man.

“I knew it had hurt my mom,” Bonner said after he got out of prison. “So I told myself I would not put my mom through that pain again.”

One day he met Professor Mattoni, who was working to rebuild the habitat for an endangered butterfly called El Segundo blue.

“I saw the sign ‘Butterfly Habitat’ and asked, ‘How can you have a habitat when the butterflies can just fly away?’” Bonner recalls. “Dr. Mattoni laughed and handed me a magnifying glass (放大镜), ‘Look at the leaves.’ I could see all these caterpillars(蝴蝶的幼虫) on the plant. Dr Mattoni explained, ‘Without the plant, there are no butterflies.’”

Weeks later, Bonner received a call from Dr. Mattoni, who told him there was a butterfly which needed help. That was how he met the Palos Verdes blue. Since then he’s been working for four years to help bring the butterfly back. He grows astragals, the only plant the butterfly eats. He collects butterflies and brings them into a lab to lay eggs. Then he puts new butterflies into the habitat.

The butterfly’s population, once almost zero, is now up to 900. For their work, Bonner and Dr. Mattoni received lots of awards. But for Bonner, he earned something more: he turned his life around.

For six years now Bonner has kept his promise to stay out of prison. While he’s bringing back the Palos Verdes blue, the butterfly has helped bring him back, too.

1.When he was young, Arthur Bonner _______.

A. broke the law and ended up in prison

B. was fond of shooting and hurt his mom

   C. often laughed at people on the streets

   D. often caught butterflies and took them home

2.Bonner came to know the Palos Verdes blue after he _______.

A. found the butterfly had died out       

B. won many prizes from his professor

C. met Dr. Mattoni, a professor of biology 

D. collected butterflies and put them into a lab

3. From the last sentence of the text, we learn that raising butterflies has ________.

A. made Bonner famous              B. changed Bonner’s life

C. brought Bonner wealth             D. enriched Bonner’s knowledge

4.What does the underlined phrase “put through” mean in the 3rd paragraph?

A. hurt                         B. recall                  C. remember                    D. experience

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. A Promise to Mom                B. A Man Saved by Butterflies

C. A Story of Butterflies              D. A Job Offered by Dr. Mattoni

One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的)to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.

We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,

“My I get you something ?”

“A coffee would be nice.”

Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more , and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,

“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”

“Who?”

“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”

I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!

My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.

1.What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?

A. Unfriendly.    B. Untidy.   C. Gentle.     D. Kind.

2. The author bought coffee for the old man because     

A. he thought the old man was poor     B. he wanted to start a conversation

C. he intended to show his politeness    D. he would like to thank the old man

3.How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?

A. Proud.     B. Pitiful.     C. Surprised.      D. Regretful

4.What is the message mainly expressed in the story?

A. We should learn to be generous.      B. It is honorable to help those in need.

C. People in high positions are not like what we expect.

D. We should avoid judging people by their appearances.

Handshaking, though a European practice, is now often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed (无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. The practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.

Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman,

shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean

anything to him or her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding(误解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.

1. In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other.

A. to make a deal              B. to greet each other

C. to show friendliness    D. to reach an agreement

2.The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.

A. where handshaking was first practised

B. how handshaking came about

C. about the relationship between handshaking and trade

D. about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China

3.According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

A. Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese.

B. Westerners are unwilling to shake hands.

C. We should make a judgement before shaking hands.

D. We shouldn’t shake hands with European women.

4.The main purpose of the text is______.

A. to tell us some differences between the East and the West

B. to offer us some important facts about handshaking

C. to introduce us to some different customs in the West

D. to give us some advice before we travel abroad