Although there are a lot of differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share a number of characteristics (特点) which give us courage and make us want to learn from them. A hero does something worth talking about. A hero has a special story to tell and people think highly of it. But a hero is not just the person with great fame .
A hero has powers larger than himself. Some people want to live like a hero, and they have to experience life with new and further meaning. A sure test for would-be heroes is what or whom they serve. What do they want to live and die for? If the answer suggests they serve only their own fame, they may be famous persons but not heroes.
A hero has a vision from the mountaintop. He has the power to move people. He creates new possibilities. Without Gandhi, India might still be part of Britain. Without Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans might take different buses, eat in different restaurants, go for walks in different parks, and shop in different stores because of the different colours of their skin.
There might be changes in society without a hero, but the speed of change would be rather slow. Thanks to heroes in history, they make the society develop so rapidly.
(1).According to this passage, a hero is a person who always ________.
A.gives us courage
B.thinks highly of others
C.shares great fame
D.stands on the mountaintop
(2).If you want to live like a hero, you should ________.
A.experience a new and meaningful life
B.listen to something worth talking about
C.serve your own fame and try to be famous
D.know where and how you want to live and die
(3).The underlined word “vision” in the passage means “________”.
A.风景
B.想象
C.远见
D.形象
(4).Black people in America used to ________ before Martin Luther King, Jr..
A.shop at the white’s stores
B.drive buses with the white
C.take walks in the white’s parks
D.eat in restaurants without the white
(5).What can we learn from the passage?
A.We don’t need heroes anymore at some point now.
B.Heroes are all the same though different in cultures.
C.People get power from heroes to move to a new place.
D.Our society has developed faster because of heroes in history.
40.When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy holiday presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.
I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a hand basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his presents. Finally he came to the checkout counter (交款处) and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money. Mark stood there holding his basket, tears falling down his face.
Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. "You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you," said the woman. "It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I would like you to find someone you can help. When you help others, 1 know you will feel as good about it as I do now."
Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.
I would like to say '"thank you" to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later, Mark went house to house collecting blankets and clothes for the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.
(1).When did the story probably happen?
A.On Christmas Day.
B.Before Christmas Day,
C.On New Year's Day.
D.After New Year's Day.
(2).When they got to the supermarket, Mark went in_____ .
A.with the writer
B.by himself
C.with the woman
D.with his friends
(3).What happened to Mark in the supermarket?
A.His gifts were stolen
B.He broke his basket.
C.He lost his money.
D.He lost his way.
(4).Why did the writer want to say '’thank you" to the woman?
A.Because she bought Mark a nice present.
B.Because she always paid money for others.
C.Because she collected clothes for the homeless.
D.Because she taught Mark to help people in need.
(5).What's the best title for this passage?
A.A big supermarke
B.A kind woman
C.A happy family
D.A wonderful gift
