In the Tang Dynasty, there lived a man called Meng Jiao. He was born into a poor family. Meng loved poems. He spent time studying them. He gave all of his life to the art. And luckily, his hard work showed up. It helped him become an excellent poet.
Meng made a living by writing poems, but it was not really a paying job at that time. Meng was poor most of his life. When he got older, he wanted to change this. He needed to make more money, so he decided to take Keju exams.
The Keju was China's official test system at that time. Anyone could take the exams. The Keju gave everyone a chance and it was highly possible for them to become officers after passing the exams.
Meng practised very hard for the tests. He took them a few times. Each time, he failed. But he never gave up. He studied harder and harder. At the age of 46, Meng finally made it.
Meng put on his new clothes and rode on a horse through Chang'an City. During his ride, Meng wrote a poem. "On the crest of success(成功的顶峰), with my horse trotting(疾走) in the breeze(和风), I viewed all the flowers in Chang'an in one day." Meng described his exciting feelings. On that day, he was able to let go of the
disappointed feeling of the past.
(
C
)8. Why did Meng Jiao decide to take the Keju exams?
A. To become a poet.
B. To become famous.
C. To make more money.
D. To travel more.
(
A
)9. What can we learn about Keju exams from the passage?
A. They needed a lot of practice and study.
B. They were only for the rich.
C. They can make people be officers for sure.
D. They were easy to pass.
(
B
)10. What might the underlined word "disappointed" mean?
A. Cheerful.
B. Sad.
C. Excited.
D. Nervous.
(
C
)11. What is the best title for the passage?
A. A poet's dream: to make more money
B. Poets and poems: a Tang Dynasty story
C. Meng Jiao: the poet's journey to success
D. Keju exams: the most difficult exam in history
