VI．阅读理解  阅读下列短文，从每题A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一个能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。（15分）

   An old man lived with his little grandson. Every day the old man got up early to read books.

   One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I always forget what I read. What are the advantages of reading?”

   The grandfather didn’t answer him, but said, “Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked（漏）out before he got back home. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to walk faster next time.”

   The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he returned home. The boy said, “See, Grandpa, it’s no use!”

   “Is it no use?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”

   The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different. It was cleaner, inside and out.

   “That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”

71. What did the old man do every day?

     A. He carried water.                                   B. He read books.

     C. He wrote something.                              D. He did some chores.

72. After the grandson read books, he ________.

     A. was too busy to do it                        B. got up late

     C. always forgot what he read                     D. he slept late

73. What did the grandson use to get some water?

     A. A basket.               B. A bowl.             C. A glass.              D. A cup.

74. How many times did the grandson go to the river to get some water?

     A. Once.                                               B. Twice.  

     C. Three times.                                          D. Four times.

75. According to the grandpa’s words, what happens when we read books?

     A. We will have courage.                     B. We can know everything.

     C. We will be changed.                             D. We can be very clever.

One morning Fan Xing discovered that her classroom had changed. The 13-year-old saw that the desks were no longer in rows, but pushed together to make six bigger desks.

   The new arrangement(排列) was part of a reform(改革) at Fan’s school, Changsha Daotian Middle School in Hunan. About five weeks ago, more than 2,000 junior students at the school began studying in this way, with six to eight students sitting in groups.

   “This reform is designed to provide students with easier ways to study and more chances for discussion,” said Liu Xu, a school head teacher. “Our school hopes it can improve students’ abilities for self-study as well as teamwork.”

   The new arrangement took some time for students to get used to. “I was too curious(好奇) about it for the first two days,” said Fan. But soon she and her classmates got used to it. “Now our class is quieter because we can stop loud students with some simple gestures(手势),” said Fan. “What’s more, we can express our own ideas and learn others’ through discussion. It’s a better way to study.”

   Feng Yu likes this new classroom arrangement very much and has made some progress studying. The 14-year-old said, “Group members first discuss, and then explain the solutions or answers to difficult questions in front of the whole class.”

   “The discussion gives us more confidence(自信) to make speeches,” said Feng. “We can also improve our friendships.”

   The reform has asked for more from teachers. They have no more than 15 minutes to teach in class. “It is a big challenge to teach in such short time the lessons which should be taught in 45 minutes,” English teacher Wang Jing said. “We have to improve methods to teach better. We must prepare some interesting topics and exercises before class so that students can discuss them.”

   Wang said that some students always talk. The teachers have to move continuously in the classroom to keep them quiet and get them to concentrate on(专心于) class. “It demands more, but I believe it will pay off,” Wang added.

76. From the first paragraph of the passage, we know ___________.

     A. Fan Xing was a 13-year-old student

     B. Fan Xing’s classroom was changed in rows

     C. Fan Xing’s desk was no longer in her classroom

     D. six big desks were moved into Fan Xing’s classroom

77. The purpose of the new classroom arrangement is to ___________.

     A. make the students feel fresh and interested

     B. divide big classes into small classes

     C. make more room for new students

     D. offer students more chances for teamwork

78. According to the passage the reform helped the students’ study by          ?

     A. stopping loud students from using simple gestures.

B. giving students more chances to work in groups.

     C. making students explain difficult questions after school.

D. giving students more confidence to improve friendships.

79. What is the big challenge for the teachers in the reform?

     A. They have to improve their studying methods.

     B. They must prepare more interesting topics for exercises.

     C. They have only15 minutes to teach in one period (节) of class.

     D. They have to move about in class to keep the students quiet.

80. What is Wang Jing’s attitude(态度) to the reform according to the passage?      

A. Worried.      B. Negative(消极的).       C. Positive(积极的).      D. Uncertain.

“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at Work and other books about careers(职业). Gordon believes that about 30% of employees(雇员) in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied(满意) with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, “There are no happy jobs, only happy workers.” She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics(特点).

   First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding——films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, “My youngest son’s pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’” Tony agrees that his job doesn’t look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.

Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, “I work with the coolest people in the world.” She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, “There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they’re studying.” Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.

   Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron’s work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee(难民) camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that she is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.

   Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, “Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.” Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work.

81. Who is the book, Be Happy at Work, written for?

     A. Joanne Gordon herself and her friends.

     B. Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron.

     C. People who do not feel satisfied with their jobs.

     D. The workers who agree with the author’s ideas.

82. Joanne Gordon believes that __________.

     A. all difficult jobs in life are very terrible to do

     B. there are no happy jobs, only happy workers

     C. rich people have more happiness than workers

     D. 30% of the employees in North America like their jobs

83. Tony Hawk’s son says, “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”, because           .

     A. Tony Hawk’s job doesn’t look like work

     B. the best part about his job is to spend each day skating

     C. Tony helps people forget their troubles while skating

     D. Tony Hawk always finds something else he enjoys doing

84. Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron are examples of how to __________.

     A. be a successful businessman                   B. help people in difficulties

     C. get along with the coolest people              D. become a happy worker

85. What is the main idea of the passage?

     A. How to find a job that can make you happy. 

B. The introduction to the book Be Happy at Work.

     C. The main characteristics happy workers have.

     D. The way of getting happiness while working.