An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again and the elephant waved it away once more.

This happened several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can’t you just stay in one place?”

The fly answered, “I am interested in whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses, and everything that happens around me, pull me here and there and I cannot resist ( 抵抗 ) them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still? ”

The elephant stopped eating and said, “My five senses do not rule me. I am in control of myself — my senses do not tell me what to do. This helps me stay focused on whatever I do, and so, keep my mind calm and still. Now that I am eating, I am completely enjoying eating. In this way, I can just focus on enjoying my food.”

After hearing these words, the fly’s eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at the elephant and said, “I understand! I will always be restless if I let my senses control me. On the other hand, if I try to use some self-control, my mind will become calm and I’ll be able to stay still.”

It is said that the mind is restless and pays attention to whatever is in front of it. But if you can control what you pay attention to, you can control your mind.

1 ． The fly thought he moved around a lot because ________.

A ． he had nowhere to land

B ． he couldn’t see things clearly

C ． he was interested in everything around him

D ． his five senses couldn’t work with each other

2 ． According to the elephant, what is the key to staying calm?

A ． Being in control of one’s senses. B ． Enjoying eating.

C ． Being able to find peace. D ． Focusing on many things at the same time.

3 ． Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?

A ． The fly can resist everything that happens around him.

B ． The five senses always rule the elephant.

C ． The fly will be calm if the senses control him.

D ． The elephant can focus on what he is doing.

4 ． Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?

A ． Stay Still and Calm B ． Focus on More Than One Thing

C ． Pay Attention to Your Feelings D ． Take Control of Your Mind

If you help me, I ________ (finish) the work soon.

 Tim and Joy are ______. They’re from the United Kingdom.

   A. the English      B. Englishman

   C. English         D. England

    Reading is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons.

    First, reading is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if like reading. You will never feel bored or tired.

    Next, you can read a book anywhere--- in a car, on a plane, or even in the bathroom. All you need is a book!

    Another good reason for reading is that it is useful. If you read as a hobby, you will get better and better at it. And you will read faster and find it easier to understand what you read. As your reading skills improve, you will probably find your schoolwork becomes much better.

    Some people say that reading is out of date (过时的). This is not true. You can read on computers, and the better you read, the better your computer skills will be.

    Good readers may become writers, too. They always have more things to write about.

    Reading is a wonderful hobby. Why not start reading right now?

(   ) 1. Reading can always keep yourself ______________.

         A. bored                 B. happy              C. tired

(   ) 2. You can read a book ______________.

         A. anywhere             B. only on a plane        C. when you are driving a car

(   ) 3. You can read faster _____________.

         A. after you read a book    B. if you are a student    C. if you read as a hobby

(   ) 4. It is _____________ that reading is out of date.

         A. true                  B. not true              C. sure

(   ) 5. What does the passage mainly tell us?

        A. Reading is a good hobby.

        B. You can read on computers.

        C. Good readers must be good writers.