Some time ago, an old businessman had a large store in Boston. He wanted a boy to work for him, and he put an advertisement in the newspaper. The next morning, many boys came to the old man's office, asking for the job.

 There was a post(柱子)by his desk, and there was a nail(钉子）in it. He took a walking stick and said, "Everyone has three chances. If anyone can hit the nail on the head with this stick more than once, I will give him the job."The boys thought it was easy. They all tried, but nobody could make it. So the old man said, "I'm sorry I can't take any of you."And they left.

  He kept the advertisement in the paper, and the next morning many more boys came, and among them he saw a thin boy who had been there the day before. The boy hit the nail successfully for three times. The old man felt surprised and asked how he did that. "Yes," said the boy, "I failed yesterday, but I thought that if I kept on trying a while, I could do it. So I went home and practiced hitting a nail with a stick till I could do it, and I got up very early this morning, and tried again."

 The old man said, "You are the boy for me." And he gave him the job. Whatever the boy had to do, he tried to do his best. It was not very long before he became the best clerk in the store.

Answer the questions according to the passage.

    Beijing Opera used to sound strange to Dou Yi. The 14-year-old Beijinger said whenever she came across Beijing Opera on TV. she changed the channel(频道).{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    But since Dou entered the Xuanwu branch school of Beijing No.15 Middle School, she has been studying Beijing Opera in music class every week.

    Dou and her classmates listen to Beijing Opera and learn the basics(基础知识) from professional actors.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    “We laugh sometimes because the tunes(声调) are really hard to learn. ” said Dou.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    “After all. I am no longer a layman(外行). ”she said.

    Since 2008, schools around the country have been teaching students Beijing Opera.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Clearly. Dou's school has been taking the job seriously.

    Yang Ning, 14, is Dou's classmate. She has been studying Beijing Opera since she was 8.She is a member of the school's Beijing Opera club.

    Yang said she had learned a lot from Beijing Opera.

    “I learn a lot of history from the operas. ”she said.“ I've also found out about many ancient poems. since there are so many of them in the operas.”

    Yang doesn't think everyone can learn to sing Beijing Opera well. But she does say that it's helpful for all people to learn about it.

    “The more you learn about it, the more you understand it.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} It would be a great pity if it did！” she said.

    The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it. Man has been polluting the earth. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to an-other place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world. Air pollution is still the most serious. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO, is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution. The earth is our home. We must take care of it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.

    'USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?' We often hear such discussions. As China opens its door, it is a dream for many Chinese students to study abroad. They want to learn about the outside world.

    It's true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Their foreign language skills will be improved and it may be easier to find jobs.

    But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language.    

    Students must also learn to live without parents' care and deal with all kinds of things they haven't had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad running into an ocean of difficulties and giving up finally. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well.

    Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden (负担) to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?

    We know that there are many famous people who have achieved success through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there, but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, think again.

    Now it was Jerry's turn. And Jerry would ride Wild Lady！I watched Jerry in the chute.

    Jerry dropped down on the horse's back. He was ready to go. "Outside!" He called.

    The gate of the chute opened. And then nothing. Wild Lady didn't move. What was the matter?

    Suddenly Wild Lady jumped out like a tiger. She jumped-with all four feet off the ground. She was quick, still I could see Jerry's spurs(马刺). He had them in the right place.

    Again Wild Lady jumped, kicking and turning. Then she began a quick turn. Now I knew why all the riders were afraid of her. Around and around she went. Again and again she dug her front legs into the ground and kicked up behind. Jerry's neck moved back each time the horse jumped.

    Now Wild Lady was turning fast-so fast that Jerry looked like part of her. Once I saw Jerry bounce(单起)up high, off to one side, "That's it!" I thought. But no! She was still riding.

    I was trying to count off the seconds with my fingers. But I was lost in the watching. I dug my nails(指甲)into my hand until it hurt. Wild Lady jumped higher and higher.

    Again the horse threw Jerry into the air. The people around me stood up. I couldn't see what was happening. But I heard, "Come on!" That was Jerry landing on the horse's back. Everybody was shouting. And they were still shouting when the bell rang. It was all over. Jerry had stayed on that horse for eight long seconds.

    Now I had seen Jerry ride. I don't know how he felt while he was on that horse. But I know how I felt watching him. That eight seconds was a long time for Jerry. It was a long time for me too!

    Tom is a cool boy. He is from America. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} His birthday is on November 21st. Every year he has a birthday party at home. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They sing the song Happy Birthday to him. They often have a good time. Tom likes blue T-shirts and black trousers, {#blank#}3{#/blank#} His favorite subject at school is Chinese because it's interesting and useful. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So he makes some pen pals(笔友)in China and often talks with them in Chinese. He likes tomatoes and milk. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He is a healthy and nice boy.

A. Many friends come to his party.

B. But it is difficult for him

C. He is thirteen years old now.

D. For breakfast, he has them every day.

E. He thinks he looks cool in them