house英语短篇阅读

❶ 哪个网站有一些短篇的英文阅读

01 The Language of Music
A painter hangs his or her finished pictures on a wall, and everyone can see it. A composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed. Professional singers and players have great responsibilities, for the composer is utterly dependent on them. A student of music needs as long and as arous a training to become a performer as a medical student needs to become a doctor. Most training is concerned with technique, for musicians have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a ballet dancer. Singers practice breathing every day, as their vocal chords would be inadequate without controlled muscular support. String players practice moving the fingers of the left hand up and down, while drawing the bow to and fro with the right arm-two entirely different movements.
Singers and instruments have to be able to get every note perfectly in tune. Pianists are spared this particular anxiety, for the notes are already there, waiting for them, and it is the piano tuner’ responsibility to tune the instrument for them. But they have their own difficulties; the hammers that hit the string have to be coaxed not to sound like percussion, and each overlapping tone has to sound clear.
This problem of getting clear texture is one that confronts student conctors: they have to learn to know every note of the music and how it should sound, and they have to aim at controlling these sounds with fanatical but selfless authority.
Technique is of no use unless it is combined with musical knowledge and understanding. Great artists are those who are so thoroughly at home in the language of music that they can enjoy performing works written in any century.
02 Schooling and Ecation
It is commonly believed in United States that school is where people go to get an ecation. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their ecation to go to school. The distinction between schooling and ecation implied by this remark is important.
Ecation is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Ecation knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or in the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of ecation can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, ecation quite often proces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in ecation from infancy on. Ecation, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one’s entire life.
Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an alt, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the working of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that there not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.
03 The Definition of “Price”
Prices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which procts and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the procts bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional, transportation, and public-utility services. The interrelationships of all these prices make up the “system” of prices. The price of any particular proct or service is linked to a broad, complicated system of prices in which everything seems to depend more or less upon everything else.
If one were to ask a group of randomly selected indivials to define “price”, many would reply that price is an amount of money paid by the buyer to the seller of a proct or service or, in other words that price is the money values of a proct or service as agreed upon in a market transaction. This definition is, of course, valid as far as it goes. For a complete understanding of a price in any particular transaction, much more than the amount of money involved must be known. Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the proct or service to be exchanged, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that apply to the transaction, guarantees on the proct or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors. In other words, both buyer and seller should be fully aware of all the factors that comprise the total “package” being exchanged for the asked-for amount of money in order that they may evaluate a given price.
04 Electricity
The modern age is an age of electricity. People are so used to electric lights, radio, televisions, and telephones that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. When there is a power failure, people grope about in flickering candlelight, cars hesitate in the streets because there are no traffic lights to guide them, and food spoils in silent refrigerators.
Yet, people began to understand how electricity works only a little more than two centuries ago. Nature has apparently been experimenting in this field for million of years. Scientists are discovering more and more that the living world may hold many interesting secrets of electricity that could benefit humanity.
All living cell send out tiny pulses of electricity. As the heart beats, it sends out pulses of record; they form an electrocardiogram, which a doctor can study to determine how well the heart is working. The brain, too, sends out brain waves of electricity, which can be recorded in an electroencephalogram. The electric currents generated by most living cells are extremely small - often so small that sensitive instruments are needed to record them. But in some animals, certain muscle cells have become so specialized as electrical generators that they do not work as muscle cells at all. When large numbers of these cell are linked together, the effects can be astonishing.
The electric eel is an amazing storage battery. It can seed a jolt of as much as eight hundred volts of electricity through the water in which it live. (An electric house current is only one hundred twenty volts.) As many as four-fifths of all the cells in the electric eel’s body are specialized for generating electricity, and the strength of the shock it can deliver corresponds roughly to length of its body.
05 The Beginning of Drama
There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The on most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world-even the seasonal changes-as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.
Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used, furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium." In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and mimed the desired effect-success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival of the Sun-as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.
Another theory traces the theater’s origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this vies tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are graally elaborated, at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.
06 Televisions
Television-----the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked by rapid change and growth-is moving into a new era, an era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts, made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.
The word "television", derived from its Greek (tele: distant) and Latin (visio: sight) roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through a sophisticated system of electronics, television provides the capability of converting an image (focused on a special photoconctive plate within a camera) into electronic impulses, which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically reconstituted into that same image.
Television is more than just an electronic system, however. It is a means of expression, as well as a vehicle for communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings.
The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission. First, there is broadcast television, which reaches the masses through broad-based airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is nonbroadcast television, which provides for the needs of indivials or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.
Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a form similar to what exists today. During those years, it has been controlled, for the most part, by the broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, who have been the major purveyors of news, information, and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.
07 Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel instry in the United States, and, in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted in part from his ability to sell the proct and in part from his policy of expanding ring periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were recing their investments.
Carnegie believed that indivials should progress through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide ecational opportunities that would allow others to help themselves. "He who dies rich, dies disgraced," he often said.
Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also founded a school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthropic gifts are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the
Carnegie Institute of Washington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.
Few Americans have been left untouched by Andrew Carnegie’s generosity. His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.
08 American Revolution
The American Revolution was not a sudden and violent overturning of the political and social framework, such as later occurred in France and Russia, when both were already independent nations. Significant changes were ushered in, but they were not breathtaking. What happened was accelerated evolution rather than outright revolution. During the conflict itself people went on working and praying, marrying and playing. Most of them were not seriously disturbed by the actual fighting, and many of the more isolated communities scarcely knew that a war was on.
America’s War of Independence heralded the birth of three modern nations. One was Canada, which received its first large influx of English-speaking population from the thousands of loyalists who fled there from the United States. Another was Australia, which became a penal colony now that America was no longer available for prisoners and debtors. The third newcomer-the United States-based itself squarely on republican principles.
Yet even the political overturn was not so revolutionary as one might suppose. In some states, notably Connecticut and Rhode Island, the war largely ratified a colonial self-rule already existing. British officials, everywhere ousted, were replaced by a home-grown governing class, which promptly sought a local substitute for king and Parliament.
09 Suburbanization
If by "suburb" is meant an urban margin that grows more rapidly than its already developed interior, the process of suburbanization began ring the emergence of the instrial city in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Before that period the city was a small highly compact cluster in which people moved about on foot and goods were conveyed by horse and cart. But the early factories built in the 1840’s were located along waterways and near railheads at the edges of cities, and housing was needed for the thousands of people drawn by the prospect of employment. In time, the factories were surrounded by proliferating mill towns of apartments and row houses that abutted the older, main cities. As a defense against this encroachment and to enlarge their tax bases, the cities appropriated their instrial neighbors. In 1854, for example, the city of Philadelphia annexed most of Philadelphia County. Similar municipal maneuvers took place in Chicago and in New York. Indeed, most great cities of the United States achieved such status only by incorporating the communities along their borders.
With the acceleration of instrial growth came acute urban crowding and accompanying social stress-conditions that began to approach disastrous proportions when, in 1888, the first commercially successful electric traction line was developed. Within a few years the horse-drawn trolleys were retired and electric streetcar networks crisscrossed and connected every major urban area, fostering a wave of suburbanization that transformed the compact instrial city into a dispersed metropolis. This first phase of mass-scale suburbanization was reinforced by the simultaneous emergence of the urban Middle Class, whose desires for homeownership in neighborhoods far from the aging inner city were satisfied by the developers of single-family housing tracts.
10 Types of Speech
Standard usage includes those words and expressions understood, used, and accepted by a majority of the speakers of a language in any situation regardless of the level of formality. As such, these words and expressions are well defined and listed in standard dictionaries. Colloquialisms, on the other hand, are familiar words and idioms that are understood by almost all speakers of a language and used in informal speech or writing, but not considered appropriate for more formal situations. Almost all idiomatic expressions are colloquial language. Slang, however, refers to words and expressions understood by a large number of speakers but not accepted as good, formal usage by the majority. Colloquial expressions and even slang may be found in standard dictionaries but will be so identified. Both colloquial usage and slang are more common in speech than in writing.
Colloquial speech often passes into standard speech. Some slang also passes into standard speech, but other slang expressions enjoy momentary popularity followed by obscurity. In some cases, the majority never accepts certain slang phrases but nevertheless retains them in their collective memories. Every generation seems to require its own set of words to describe familiar objects and events. It has been pointed out by a number of linguists that three cultural conditions are necessary for the creation of a large body of slang expressions. First, the introction and acceptance of new objects and situations in the society; second, a diverse population with a large number of subgroups; third, association among the subgroups and the majority population.
Finally, it is worth noting that the terms "standard" "colloquial" and "slang" exist only as abstract labels for scholars who study language. Only a tiny number of the speakers of any language will be aware that they are using colloquial or slang expressions. Most speakers of English will, ring appropriate situations, select and use all three types of expressions.

❷ 急求10篇短小的英语阅读

给你找了一些，自己挑吧。
阅读理解1
Jack is a twenty-year-old young man. Two years ago, when he finished middle school, he found work in a shop. Usually he works until ten o'clock in the evening. He is very tired when he gets home. After a quick supper he goes to bed and soon falls asleep. His grandma who lives downstairs is satisfied with (满意) him.
One day, on his way home, he met Mary. They were both happy. He asked the girl to his house, she agreed happily. He bought some fruit and drinks for her. And they talked about their school, teachers, classmates and their future (未来). They talked for a long time.
“Have a look at your watch, please,” said the girl. “What time is it now?”
“Sorry, something is wrong with my watch,” said Jack. “Where's yours?”
“I left it at home.”
Jack thought for a moment and found a way. He began to stamp his foot on the floor, “Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The sound woke his grandma up. The old woman shouted downstairs, “It's twelve o'clock in the night, Jack. Why are you still jumping upstairs?”
1. Jack was ________ when he finished middle school.
A. sixteen B. eighteen C. twenty D. fifteen
2. The old woman is satisfied with Jack because ________.
A. he's her grandson B. he's clever
C. he can keep quiet D. he gets home on time
3. From the story, we can know that Mary is Jack's ________.
A. classmate B. colleague (同事)
C. aunt D. wife
4. The word “stamp” in the story means ______ in Chinese.
A. 盖印 B. 跺 C. 贴邮票 D. 承认
5. Jack stamped his foot on the floor in order (为了) ________.
A. to wake his grandma up
B. to make his grandma angry
C. that his grandma was going to tell him the time
D. that his grandma was going to buy him a watch
参考答案 ： 1．B 2．C 3．A 4．B 5．C
讲解：
1．第一句介绍杰克今年20岁，2年前中学毕业，故选B。
2．结合前后文意，前面讲他吃完饭就去睡觉，并且很快就睡着了，文章最后介绍他用脚跺楼，发出声音，奶奶阻止他，说明他奶奶怕吵，综合判断选C。
3．由第二段倒数第二句判断。
4．根据文意，他奶奶住他楼下，倒数第二句又讲他用脚在地板上发出“Bang...”的声音，故应是用脚跺楼。
5．因他表坏了，Mary 又没带，他们想知道时间。
阅读理解2
We are all busy talking about and using the Internet (互联网), but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks (网络) didn't work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working all the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government, but, in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made 'surfing' (浏览) the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line (上网) and it is said that millions of people use the Internet everyday. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.
The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people's life.
判断下列句子是否符合短文内容，符合的用“T”表示，不符合的用 “F”表示。
l. The Internet has a history of less than thirty years.
T F
2. In the 1960s computer networks went wrong easily.
T F
3. Computers become cheaper so that many hospitals and banks were allowed to use them.
T F
4. People didn't have enough software to get on-line conveniently until the early 1990s.
T F
参考答案： 1．F 2．T 3．F 4．T
讲解：
1．第二段开头讲互联网是在60年代建立的，故至今历史已超过30年。
2．文中第二段阐明计算机网络工作状况不好(didn't work well)。
3．第三段中说明大学、医院等都被允许使用电脑，然而，计算机仍然很贵，并且网络很难使用。
4．由第三段最后几句介绍可知，到90年代，计算机便宜且好用。科学家也发展了软件使网上浏览更方便。而本题干用了not…until句型，译为“直到90年代早期人们才有足够的软件上网”。
阅读理解3
Mr. and Mrs. Turner live outside a small town. They have a big farm and they are always busy working on it. Their son, Peter, studied at a middle school. The young man studied hard and did well in his lessons. It made them happy.
Last month Peter finished middle school and passed the entrance examination (升学考试). Mrs. Turner was very happy and told the farmers about it.
Yesterday morning the woman went to the town to buy something for her son. On the bus she told one of her friends how clever and able her son was. She spoke very loudly. All the people in the bus began to listen to her.
“Which university (大学) will your son study in?” a woman next to her asked.
“In the most famous university in our country!” Mrs. Turner said happily.
“The most famous university?”
“Oxford University (牛津).”
Most of the passengers (乘客) looked at her carefully. Some of them said to her, “Congratulations!”
A woman said, “I'm sure he'll know Fred Smith.”
“Who's Fred Smith?”
“He's my son.”
“Does he study in the university, too?”
“No, ”said the woman. “He is one of the professors.”
l. The story happened in ________.
A. America B. France C. Germany D. England
2. Mr. and Mrs. Turner were happy because ________.
A. their son did well in his lessons
B. they have a big farm
C. they have a good harvest
D. their son studied at a middle school
3. Mrs. Turner wanted everyone to know ________.
A. her son finished middle school
B. her son was handsome
C. her son was going to study in a university
D. her son was very friendly to others
4. Mrs. Turner spoke so loudly in the bus that __________.
A. her friend could hear her
B. all the people could hear her
C. she hoped to make all the people happy
D. she hoped they would say congratulations to her
5. Which of the following is true? __________.
A. The woman wasn't interested in Mrs. Turner's words
B. Mrs. Turner knew nothing about the famous university
C. The woman wanted to stop Mrs. Turner from showing off (炫耀)
D. The woman next to Mrs. Turner wanted to show off her son, too
参考答案 ： 1．D 2．A 3．C 4．B 5．C
讲解：
1．因为牛津大学是英国的著名大学。
2．第一段最后一句讲“这使他们高兴”。“It”指代前一句讲的情况，即他们的儿子功课很好。
3．根据第三段文意判断。
4．第三段最后一句讲“所有人都开始听她讲。”故A不对；她这样做只是想炫耀一下而已。C、D描述的意思都不确切。
5．文章前面做了铺垫，讲Mrs．Turner 如何炫耀她儿子考上大学，结尾讲那个妇女说自己的儿子是教授不论真假，她是在阻止Mrs. Turner的炫耀。
阅读理解4
“Cool” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings.
“Cool” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say “It's cool.”You may think, “He's so cool,” when you see your favourite footballer.
We all maximize (扩大) the meaning of “cool”. You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”. Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall (瀑布) they had visited. On one student's paper was just the one sentence, “It's so cool”. Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt.
But the story also shows a scarcity (缺乏) of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. So it is quite important to keep some credibility (可信性). Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”? I can. And I think they are also very cool.
1. We know that the word “cool” has ________.
A. only one meaning B. no meanings
C. many different meanings D. the same meaning
2. In the passage, the word “express” means“________”.
A. see B. show C. know D. feel
3. If you are ________ something, you may say, “It's cool.”
A. interested in B. angry about
C. afraid of D. unhappy with
4. The writer takes an example to show he is _________ the way the word is used.
A. pleased with B. strange to
C. worried about D. careful with
5. In the passage, the writer suggests (暗示) that the word “cool”_________.
A. can be used instead of many words
B. usually means something interesting
C. can make your life colourful
D. may not be as cool as it seems
参考答案 ： 1．C 2．B 3．A 4．C 5．D
讲解：
1．见首句。
2．由“express”前后词义关系可推断出是“表达”的意思，与“show”同义。
3．由第二段首句可知。
4．由例子中的学生用cool 一词概括出他的所有感受，知cool词义的扩大会导致语言中词汇的缺乏，是令人担忧的。
5．结合第4题的答案可做出选择。
参考答案 ： 1. A 2. D 3. A 4. D 5. C
讲解：
1. 由短文最后一句“They had travelled 1,797 kilometres from London”可知，最接近“for nearly 1,800 kilometres”，因此选A。
2. 由短文第2段倒数第3句“So they were able to change its weight”可知答案为D。
3. 从第3段可以看出，越往上温度越低，因此应选A。
4. 由短文最后一段倒数第2句“They came down in Poland...”可知答案为D。
5. 纵观全文可以看出答案C不正确。
阅读理解6
If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.
When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, and few of us know that it is just his own fault.
Have you ever found that some people can' t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised.
So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people: practise remembering.
1. The main reason for one's poor memory is that his parents have poor memories.
T F
2. If you don't use your arms or legs for some time, they will become strong.
T F
3. A good memory comes from more practice.
T F
4. Some people can't read or write, but they have better memories, because they have saved trouble.
T F
5. The best title of this passage is “How to Have a Good Memory”.
参考答案： 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T
讲解：
1. 文中没有此说法。 2. 从第一段可判断。
3. 第二段开头已说明。 4. 第四段开头已说明。
5. 最后一段点题。
阅读理解7
A meteorite (陨石) almost hit an 80-year-old man named Arthur Pettifer in Britain when he was working in his garden. The meteorite was the biggest in the past 26 years in Britain.
The meteorite weighed (重量) one kilo, and might be over four thousand million (百万) years old.
“I hear the big noise in the air. I looked up and saw the tops of the trees coming and going,” he said. “I didn't know what it was.”
Meteorites are small things from the small planets in space. About 3,500 meteorites may fall on earth every year, but only very few are found. Mr. Pettifer's meteorite is the fifth to fall in Britain since the Second World War.
Mr. Pettifer is glad. “When you think about it coming from so far away, it really is something strange.”
1. The meteorite was ______ Mr Pettifer when it fell down.
A. close to B. far from C. hitting D. coming to
2. The meteorite was already ______ years old.
A. 40,000,000,000 B. 40,000,000
C. 400,000,000 D. 4,000,000,000
3. Mr. Pettifer found the tops of the trees coming and going because ______.
A. the trees were afraid
B. the fast falling meteorite kept the tree tops moving
C. it was going to rain
D. the moving was made by wind
4. ______ people see a meteorite fall although they visit the earth often each year.
A. Quite a few B. some C. Few D. Many
5. Mr. Pettifer was ______ to see the falling of the meteorite.
A. happy B. afraid C. sorry D. angry
参考答案
1. 从短文第1句看出陨石落下时几乎砸着Mr Pettifer，故答案应选A。
2. 由短文第2段中“…，and might be over four thousand million”4000百万即40亿，故答案应是D。
3. Mr Pettifer发现树梢来回摇摆是因为下落的陨石使它来回动，故答案选B。
4. 由短文第4段“About 3,500 meteorites may fall on earth every year, but only very few are found.”一句可推断，答案选C。
5. 由短文最后一段第1句“Mr Pettifer is glad ”可以看出，且happy与glad意思相近，故答案应选A。
阅读理解8
One of the things I always believe is that no matter how bad something is, you can take something positive out of it. The one time I wasn’t sure of that was on September 11.
I usually wake up a 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning. That day, I happened to wake up earlier. I turned on the TV and I saw that a plane had crashed (撞击) into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. My first reaction (反应) was that it was a terrible accident. Then I saw another plane fly into the South Tower and I realized that I was witnessing (目击) an act of terrorism.
My wife and I spent the day watching the terrible pictures over again. When I watched family members looking for their loved ones, the pain in their eyes was something I would never forget. I couldn’t understand how something this terrible could have happened.
It wasn’t until a few weeks after September 11 that I began to see that perhaps some good did come from this tragedy (悲剧). People seem different now, more understanding, more tolerant(宽容的). Little things that seemed to be such a trouble before are no longer big things. Personally, I am more tolerant than I was. I realize life is too short, and too precious(珍贵的), to let myself get worried over small things. I’ve learned also that you can’t take things for granted. Things change in the blink of an eye. People go to work and don’t come back. One moment they’re living and the next minute they’re not. And, it doesn’t matter who you are, there is nothing you can do about it. We never know when our time here will be over, so we all need to make the most of every minute we have.
You try to learn from what happened. You can’t be used up by it. You can’t live by it. All you can do is just live.
1. The word “positive” in the passage probably means ______.
A. terrible B. bad C. good D. real
2. What did the writer see after he turned on the TV that morning?
A. A fire starting B. A plane flying
C. A terrible accident D. An act of terrorism.
3. From September 11, the writer had realized that___________.
A. people should make the most of every minute they have
B. he has become less tolerant towards others
C. he should get worried about little things
D. life is too short to care about others.
4. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. A Report about September 11
B. The Tragedy of September 11
C. September 11 and My Family
D. September 11 and My Turn.
参考答案
讲解：
1. C 见第一行，不管（no matter）事情多糟，总能发现有益的东西。
2. D 见第六行。
3. A 见倒数第三行。So we all need to make the most of every minute we have.
4. D
阅读理解9
阅读下列短文，并根据短文内容选出能完成短文题目的最佳答案。
Mrs. Weeks was reading a newspaper story to her class. The story said：Were you ever in a hospital when you were small? How did you feel? The doctors in Children’s Hospital are asking for money for children’s toys(玩具). Some children in the hospital must stay in bed for many weeks. Toys are needed to keep these sick(生病的)children happy and quiet. Money for them can be sent to the hospital.
After Mrs. Weeks read the story，she said，“This story gave me an idea.”
“You want us to bring some money for the toys.” “We could bring some of our own toys for the children in the hospital.” said the boys and girls one after another.
“Well，your ideas would be nice，” Mrs Weeks said，“but mine is different.”
“We could make some toys.” shouted one of them.
Mrs. Weeks smiled. “Do you think you could make toys?” she asked.
“Yes, yes.” the whole class answered.
“Great! Let’s begin to make toys tomorrow.” said Mrs. Weeks.
On Saturday afternoon，Mrs. Weeks took children to the hospital with the toys made by her students. The children in the class felt happy，too.
A few days later，Mrs. Weeks read another newspaper story to the class:
Some school pupils brought toys to Children’s Hospital last week. The toys were made by the pupils of Grade Three in Green Street School. The doctor said，“We have never had so many wonderful toys. Our children are very happy with them. They say，‘THANK YOU，GRADE THREE.’”
1. What was the first newspaper story mainly(主要)about?
A. Sick children in Children’s Hospital
B. Doctors in Children’s Hospital.
C. Mrs. Weeks and her students.
D. Toys made by the boys and girls.
2. What “idea” did Mrs. Weeks have in mind?
A. Ask the class to give some money to the children in the hospital.
B. Ask the class to send some of their own toys to the children in the hospital.
C. Let the class make some toys themselves and give them to the children in the hospital.
D. Tell the class to go to see the children in the hospital.
3. Doctors in Children’s Hospital didn’t have ____ to keep the children happy and quiet.
A. enough time B. enough boys and girls
C. get money to buy toys for D. enough doctors
4. At first，the doctors in Children’s Hospital wanted to ____ the sick children.
A. give some money to B. make some toys for
C. get money to buy toys for D. borrow some toys for
5. What Mrs Weeks really wanted to do is to ____.
A. let everyone know her class
B. save some money for toys
C. make herself famous
D. teach the pupils to do things themselves and be helpful to others
参考答案： 1. A 2. C 3. C 4. C 5. D
讲解：
1. 根据第1段newspaper story的内容得知，文章主要讲的是在儿童医院生病住院的孩子，故答案为A。
2. 从文中孩子们建议用钱买玩具或带自己的玩具去医院，而“Mrs Weeks said，‘but mine is different.’”到有人提议“make some toys”时她微笑，可判断答案为C。
3. 纵观整个新闻内容可知没有足够的玩具供生病的孩子们玩，故答案为C。
4. 由文中说医生“ask for money for children’s toys”得知玩具不够，因此本题答案选C。
5. 从文章中可以看出Mrs Weeks的本意就是教学生学会关心爱护别人，故答案D是正确的。
阅读理解10
Once there lived an old man in a town. He always forgot a lot of things. So his wife always had to say to him，“Don't forget this.”
One day he went on a long way alone. Before he left home，his wife said，“Now you have all these things. You need them on your way. Take care of your things on the way.”He went to the station. He bought a ticket and got on the train with it.
About an hour later，the conctor b.

❸ 适合初中生阅读的英语故事小短文

Bertrand Russell

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love ,the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy -- ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it , next, because it relieves loneliness-- that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world , into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what -- at last -- I have found.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much I have achieved.
Love and knowlidge , so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of lonelines, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.
This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.

我为什么活着

罗素

三股简单而非凡强烈的激情一直控制着我的一生：对爱的渴望，对知识的追求和对人类苦难不堪忍受的怜悯。这三股激情，象阵阵巨风，把我在痛苦的海洋的路途中吹得任意东西，变动无常，直吹到了绝望的边缘。
我寻求爱，首先是因为它带来了欣喜若狂之情——欣喜若狂使人如此心醉神迷，我常常愿意牺牲我的全部余生来换取几小时这样的欢乐。我寻求爱，其次是因为它能解除寂寞——那种可怕的寂寞，如同一个人毛发悚然地从这世界的边缘探望令人战栗的死气沉沉的无底深渊。我寻求爱，最后是因为在爱的结合中我看到了圣徒们和诗人们所想象的预言中的天堂景象的神秘雏型。这就是我所寻求的东西，虽然它也许似乎是人生所难以得到的美好事物，但这就是——最后——我终于找到的东西。
我怀着同样的激情寻求知识。我希望理解人们的心。我希望知道星星为什么发光。我力图领悟毕达哥拉斯的才能，他的才能使数字支配着不断变动的事物。在这方面，我只达到了一小部分，并不很多。
爱和知识，尽其可能，远远地把人引向九天之上。倡怜悯总是把我带回到地面上来。痛苦的呼号的回声在我心里回荡。受饥挨饿的儿童，在压迫者折磨下受苦受难的人们，无依无靠而成为自己子女嫌恶的负担的老人，以及整个孤苦寂寞的世界，穷困与痛苦都在嘲弄着人生，使人们不能过应有的美好生活。我渴望减轻灾难祸害，但是我力不从心，我自己也在受苦。
这就是我的一生。我觉得我的一生过得很值得。如果我还有机会的话，我将乐意再度过这样的一生。

这篇文章 是标准的英语专业四级作文范文，英语专业必备，所有的精美英文收集书中都有这一篇。

英语专业八级 ，希望能够帮到你。

❹ 英语短文故事

My Mother
My Mother isa kind and gentle woman. She is always very gentle. She takes good care of her children and keeps them all at school. I have one brother and two sistets. So she gets four children in all. She gives us every comfort. We all love her and she loves us also.
My mother has too much to do in bringing us up. As our family is too poor to keep a servant, my mother has always to do very much work. She gets up very early and sleeps very late every day. She works hard, yet without complaining.
She is also a thrifty, and instrious woman. She saves every cent that she can and keeps everything in order. As she has been busy eversince she was young, she looks older than she really is. Her face is wrinkled, her hair becomes silver white, but she works as hard as ever.
Often she says to us, "work while you work, play while you play. If you do not work, you will become lazy and of no use to society." What piece of good advice this is! We must worth it well and always keep it in our mind.
我的母亲
我的母亲是一位心地善良、性情温和的女性。她总是彬彬有礼。她细心地照顾孩子并使他们都上学读书。我有一个哥哥，两个妹妹，所以她总共有四个孩子。她使我们做每件事时都感到舒适。我们都爱她，她也爱我们。
为了抚养我们，母亲有太多的事要做。因为我们家很穷，雇不起佣人，母亲总是必须做很多工作。她每天起早贪黑，辛苦地工作，从无怨言。
她又是一位节俭勤勉的妇女。她尽可能地节省每一分钱，并且使每一件事情都井井有条。由于年轻时就一直忙碌，所以从外表看上去更见苍老。她的脸布满皱纹，头发也变成了灰白，但她仍像从前一样辛勤地操劳。
她常对我们说：“工作时工作，玩乐时玩乐，如果不工作，你将变得懒惰，从而无益于社会。”这是一番多么好的忠告啊!我们必须珍视它，并将它牢记心中。

Fox and cock
One morning a fox sees a cock.He
think,"This is my breakfast.''
He comes up to the cock and says,"I know
you can sing very well.Can you sing for me?''The
cock is glad.He closes his eyes and begins
to sing.The fox sees that and caches him in his mouth and carries him away.
The people in the field see the fox.They cry,"Look,look!The fox is carrying the cock away.''The cock says to the fox,"Mr Fox,do you understand?The people say you are carrying their cock away.Tell them it is yours.Not theirs.''
The fox opens his mouth ang says,"The cock is mine,not yours.''Just then the cock runs away from the fox and flies into the tree.
狐狸和公鸡
一天早上，一只狐狸看到了一只公鸡。他想：这是我的早餐。
他朝公鸡走来，对他说：“我知道，你能唱得非常好听，你能唱给我听么？”公鸡很高兴。他闭上眼睛开始唱歌。狐狸看到这些抓住它放到自己的嘴里走了。
在田地里的人们看到了狐狸。大喊大叫：“看，看！狐狸抓住公鸡逃走了。”公鸡对狐狸说：“狐狸先生，你能理解么？人们认为你叼走了公鸡。告诉他们这是你的，不是他们的。”
狐狸张开她的嘴说：“公鸡是我的，不是你们的。”就在那时，公鸡逃离了狐狸的嘴巴，跑到了树底下。
The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city."
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, " Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid.
After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy, than to be rich and afraid."
【译文】
城里老鼠和乡下老鼠
从前，有两只老鼠，它们是好朋友。一只老鼠居住在乡村，另一只住在城里。很多年以后，乡下老鼠碰到城里老鼠，它说：“你一定要来我乡下的家看看。”于是，城里老鼠就去了。乡下老鼠领着它到了一块田地上它自己的家里。它把所有最精美食物都找出来给城里老鼠。城里老鼠说：“这东西不好吃，你的家也不好，你为什么住在田野的地洞里呢？你应该搬到城里去住，你能住上用石头造的漂亮房子，还会吃上美味佳肴，你应该到我城里的家看看。”
乡下老鼠就到城里老鼠的家去。房子十分漂亮，好吃的东西也为他们摆好了。可是正当他们要开始吃的时候，听见很大的一阵响声，城里的老鼠叫喊起来：“快跑！快跑！猫来了！”他们飞快地跑开躲藏起来。
过了一会儿，他们出来了。当他们出来时，乡下老鼠说：“我不喜欢住在城里，我喜欢住在田野我的洞里。因为这样虽然贫穷但是快乐自在，比起虽然富有却要过着提心吊胆的生活来说，要好些

❺ 英语短文阅读带翻译（90字以内，10篇）

Lesson 1 A private conversation Last week I went to the theatre. I had a very good seat.? The play was very interesting. I did not enjoy it.? A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me. They were talking loudly. I got very angry. I could not hear the actors. I turned round. I looked at the man and the woman angrily. They did not pay any attention. In the end, I could not bear it. I turned round again. 'I can't hear a word!' I said angrily.? ‘It’s none of your business,' the young man said rudely. 'This is a private conversation!'.

Lesson 2 Breakfast or lunch? ?It was Sunday. I never get up early on Sundays. I sometimes stay in bed until lunch time. Last Sunday I got up very late. I looked out of the window. It was dark outside. 'What a day!' I thought. 'It's raining again.' Just then, the telephone rang. It was my aunt Lucy.' I've just arrived by train,' she said. 'I'm coming to see you.' 'But I'm still having breakfast,' I said. 'What are you doing?' she asked. ‘I’m having breakfast,' I repeated. 'Dear me,' she said. 'Do you always get up so late? It's one o'clock!''
Lesson 3 Please send me a card Postcards always spoil my holidays. Last summer, I went to Italy. I visited museums and sat in public gardens. A friendly waiter taught me a few words of?Italian. 'Then he lent me a book. I read a few lines, but I did not understand a word. Every day I thought about postcards. My holidays passed quickly, but I did not send any cards to my friends. On the last day I made a big decision. I got up early and bought thirty-seven cards. I spent the whole day in my room, but I did not write a single card!
Lesson 4 An exciting trip I have just received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia. He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for a big firm and he has already visited a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will soon visit Darwin. From there, he will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.
Lesson 5 No wrong numbers Mr. James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst. Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury, but Mr. Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage, so he has just bought twelve pigeons. Yesterday, a pigeon carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury. The bird covered the distance in three minutes. Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts and other urgent messages from one garage to the other. In this way, he has begun his own private telephone service.
Lesson 6 Percy Buttons I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street. Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door. He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer. In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs. I gave him a meal. He ate the food and drank the beer. Then he put a piece of cheese in his pocket and went away. Later a neighbor told me about him. Everybody knows him. His name is Percy Buttons. He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.
Lesson 7 Too late The plane was late and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning. They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamond from South Africa. A few hours earlier, someone had told the police that thieves would try to steal the diamonds. When the plane arrived, some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield. Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the Customs House. While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened? the parcel. To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand!
Lesson 8 The best and the worst Joe Sanders has the most beautiful garden in our town. Nearly everybody enters for 'The Nicest Garden Competition' each year, but Joe wins every time. Bill Frith's garden is larger than Joe's. Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables, but Joe's garden is more interesting. He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bridge over a pool. I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work. Every year I enter for the garden competition too, and I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town!
Lesson 9 A cold welcome On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. It was the last day of the year and a large crowd of people had gathered under the Town Hall clock. It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time. Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. The big minute hand did not move. We waited and waited, but nothing happened. Suddenly someone shouted, 'It's two minutes past twelve! The clock has stopped!' I looked at my watch. It was true. The big clock refused to welcome the New Year. At that moment everybody began to laugh and sing.
Lesson 10 Not for jazz We have an old musical instrument. It is called a clavichord(翼琴). It was made in Germany in 1681. Our clavichord is kept in the living-room. It has belonged to our family for a long time. The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago. Recently it was damaged by a visitor. She tried to play jazz on it! She struck the keys too hard and two of the strings were broken. My father was shocked. Now we are not allowed to touch it. It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.
1私人谈话上 星期我去看戏。我有一个很好的座位。这出戏是非常有趣。我不喜欢它。？一位年轻的男子和一名年轻女子坐在我的身后。他们大声地说着话。我非常生气。我听不见演员。我转过身。我看着愤怒的男人和女人。他们没有支付任何注意。在最后，我实在忍不住了。我再次转身。“我不能听到一个字！” 我气愤地说。“这是你的事，”年轻人毫不客气地说。“这是私人间的谈话！”
第2课早餐或午餐吗？它是星期天。我从来没有早起星期日。有时，我留在床上，直到午餐时间。上个星期天，我起得很晚。我看着窗外。外面一片漆黑。“一天！” 我想。“下雨了。” 就在这时，电话铃响了。这是我姑母露西打来的。“ 我刚下火车，“她说。“我来看看你。” “但我还在吃早饭，”我说。“你在做什么？” 她问。“我正在吃早饭，”我重复了一遍。“亲爱的我，”她说。“你总是起得这么晚？这是1点钟了！“
第3课，请给我卡明信片总搅得我假日。去年夏天，我去了意大利。我参观了博物馆和坐公共花园。一位好客的服务员教了我几句话吗？意大利。“然后，他借给我一本书。我读了几行，但我不明白一个字。我每天都想着明信片。我的假期很快就过去了，但我没有给我的朋友们寄过一张明信片。在最后一天，我作出了一项重大决定。我早早起了床，买了35张明信片。在我的房间里，我花了整整一天，但我没有写在一张卡！
第4课我刚收到信从我的兄弟，添一个令人兴奋的旅行。他是在澳大利亚。他已经有六个月。蒂姆是个工程师。他正在为一家大公司，他已经访问了澳大利亚大量不同的地方。他刚买了一辆澳大利亚小汽车，已经到爱丽丝泉，澳大利亚中部的一个小镇。他不久将访问达尔文。从那里，他将飞往珀斯。我弟弟以前从未出过国之前，因此，他觉得这次旅行非常激动人心。
第5课没有错号詹姆斯·斯科特先生在修理部，修理部，现在他刚买在Pinhurst另一个车库。pinhurst从修理部只有五英里，但斯科特先生不能得到一个电话，为他的新车库，所以他买了只鸽子。昨天，一只鸽子进行的第一条消息从Pinhurst锡尔伯里。鸟用了3分钟的距离。到现在为止，斯科特先生从一个车库，备件的信件和其他紧急派出了大量索取。在这种方式中，他已经开始自己的私人电话服务。
第6课珀西我刚刚搬进了大桥街的房子。昨天一个乞丐来敲我的门。他问我吃一顿饭和一杯啤酒。作为回报，那乞丐站在他的头，唱着歌。我给了他一顿饭。他吃的食物和喝啤酒。然后，他把一块奶酪在他的口袋里，就走了。后来，一位邻居告诉了我他。大家都知道他。他的名字叫珀西。他呼吁在每月一次在街上的每一个房子，总是问一顿饭和一杯啤酒。
第7课，为时已晚，飞机误点了，侦探们在机场等候了整整一上午。他们正期待从南非钻石的贵重包裹。几个小时前，有人曾告诉警方说，盗贼会尝试窃取钻石。当飞机到达时，一些侦探等候在主楼内，而其他人则守候在停机坪上。两名男子在飞机起飞包裹进海关大楼。虽然两个侦探把住门口的警卫，两个人开的呢？包裹。令他们吃惊的是，那珍贵的包裹里面装的全是石头和沙子！
第8课的最佳和最差的乔·桑德斯拥有我们镇上最漂亮的花园。几乎每个人都参加每年的“最佳花园竞赛”，但每次都是乔获胜。弗里斯的花园比乔的是较大的。条例草案的工作难度比乔和生长的花卉和蔬菜也更多，但乔的花园更富有情趣。他整洁的小路，并已建立了超过一池的木桥。我也喜欢花园，但我不喜欢努力工作。每年的花园竞赛我进入过，我总是赢在全镇最差花园的小奖！
第9课一个星期三的晚上寒冷的欢迎，我们去了市政厅。这是一年的最后一天，和一大群人聚集在市政厅的大钟。它会在20分钟的时间，取得十二。15分钟过去了，然后在11点55分时，大钟停了。大分针不动了。我们等待着，等待着，但什么也没有发生。突然有人喊道：“这是十二时二！时钟已经停止！“ 我看着我的手表。这是真的。大钟不愿意迎接新年。在那一刻，大家开始笑和唱歌。
第10课，爵士乐，我们有一个旧的乐器。它被称作古钢琴（翼琴）。它是由德国于1681年。我们的这架古钢琴存放在起居室。它属于我们的家庭很长一段时间。很多年前，该仪器是由我的祖父买。它最近被一个客人弄坏了。她试图发挥它的爵士乐！她在击琴键时用力过猛，两个字符串被打破。我父亲大为吃惊。现在，我们不允许触摸它。它正在修复了我父亲的朋友。

❻ 短篇英语作文 ma house

My house
Look!This is my house.It's very beautiful!Look!There is a sofa in the livingroom.The sofa is red and white.I like red.And it's my favourite colour.And there is a big TV.On the TV,there is a photo.It's our family photo.Look!This boy/girl is me.In house,there is a kitchen,two bedrooms,a WC and lots of things.
Do you like my house?
我的房子
看!这是我的房子.它很漂亮!看!有一个沙发在起居室内.这沙发是红色和白色容的.我喜欢红色.而且它是我最喜欢的颜色.和有一个大电视.打开电视,有一张照片.这是我们的全家福照片.看!这个男孩/女孩是我.在房子里,有一个厨房,两间卧室,一个WC和许多其他事情.

❼ 以myhouse写一段小短文英文.

My house
Look!This is my house.It's very beautiful!Look!There is a sofa in the livingroom.The sofa is red and white.I like red.And it's my favourite colour.And there is a big TV.On the TV,there is a photo.It's our family photo.Look!This boy/girl is me.In house,there is a kitchen,two bedrooms,a WC and lots of things.
Do you like my house?
我的房子
看!这是我的房子.它很漂亮!看!有一专个沙发在起居室.这沙发是红色和属白色的.我喜欢红色.而且它是我最喜欢的颜色.和有一个大电视.打开电视,有一张照片.这是我们的全家福照片.看!这个男孩/女孩是我.在房子里,有一个厨房,两间卧室,一个WC和许多其他事情.

❽ 阅读理解，英语短文

保证准确率！

1. B
   

2. B

3. D

4. A
   

❾ 一篇短小的英语阅读

1、The driver wants to go to the Moon Hotel.
2、They drive about ten miles, and come to a small house.
3、Because the old man wants to take driver‘s car and go home first .
4、Nineteen miles.