1990 was a significant year in world enents. In Febbruary, Nelson Mandela was set free after 27 years in prison. In October, East and West Germany became one country again. Then at the end of 1990, the World Wide Web was born. For this final event we have one man to thank, Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the Web.
Berners-Lee was born on June 8, 1955 in London, England. His parents, both computer designers, encouraged him to think and work creativelhy as he grew up. He was an excellent student and naturally took an interest in computers and science.
After graduating from Oxford University, Tim went to work at a science research centre in Sfwitzerland. There be developed some of the different systems that would later become the Web. The first was HTML, the computer language used to make web pages. The second was an address system that let  computers anhywhere find each other and send and receive information. In 1990, while still at the science centre in Switzerland, he put them together to make the first Internet browser. It could run on any computer and allowed people to create  share their information with the rest of the world.
Tim knew that the more people used the Web, the more useful it would be. He wasn’t interested in money but knowledge, so he gave out his invention for free to anyone who was interested. Many were interested and the growth of the Internet began.
Today Tim works as a professor at the MIT in America, researching new and interesting ways to use the Web. He has received many awards from governments and organizations for his efforts. He is still not very interested in money. That is why he is so admired by his students and workmates. It may also be one of the reasons that few people outside the world of technology know his name.
【小題1】 The underlined word “significant” (in Paragraph 1) most probably means “       ” .

I heard the bees long before I saw them.
It was a very hot afternoon, and we decided to cool off in the river near my home. As we climbed down a small rocky hill toward the water, my boyfriend John suddenly started to shout then jumped into the water below. Peter and Mary quickly followed but I was too far away to jump. I was trapped.
I heard a low hum(嗡嗡聲)，which was growing louder. From a distance, the group of bees looked almost like a cloud of smoke. As it got closer, I realized it was actually thousands of bees flying towards me.
All I could do was cover my face with hands. Crazily, I thought that if I sat very still, the bees would think I was just another rock.
After a few minutes, I knew my plan hadn’t worked. The bees were attacking me. I could hear my friends shouting at me to get down to the pool fast.
But it wasn’t so easy. I was in great pain and the only way I could get away was to use my hands to climb down the rocks. However, I was afraid to do that at first because my face would be unprotected. The noise the bees made was so loud and frightening, but I had no choice.
I rushed down the rocks and jumped into the pool, but I don’t remember doing it. I was just so happy to be free from the pain. I was safe, and the water felt wonderful.
But we still weren’t out of danger. Every time we tried to climb out of the pool, the bees flew back over our heads. We spent the next three hours in the water, putting our heads under the water from time to time to avoid the bees until they finally lost interest.
【小題1】 How many people went swimming that day?

A group of swans flew down to a beach where a crow (烏鴉) was jumping around. The crow watched them with disdain (筆試).
“You have no flying skills at all!” he said to the swans. “All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air? No, that’s beyond you. Let’s have a flying competition. I’ll show you what real flying is!”
One of the swans, a strong young male, took up the challenge (挑戰(zhàn)). The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan.
Now it was the swan’s turn. He flew up, and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him, making all kinds of comments (評價) about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn’t see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was now so exhausted that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle to keep himself from falling into the water.
The swan pretended (假裝) not to notice, and said, “Why do you keep touching the water, brother? Is that another trick? “
“No,” said the crow. He knew he had lost the competition. “I’m in trouble because of my pride (自大) ! If you don’t help me, I’ll lose my life...”
The swan took pity on him, and took him on his shoulders and flew back to the beach.
【小題1】What’s the correct order of the following events?
a. The crow followed the swan and got into trouble.
b. The swan felt pity for the crow and saved it.
c. The crow had to ask the swan for help.
d. The swan accepted a challenge of performing flying tricks.

Hi,my name is Erik. I live in a small town in the southeast of England. In my house there are three rooms downstairs ad three rooms upstairs. Now I’ll show you some of the rooms.

Kitchen		The    fridge—This   is   the   place where mum keeps things cool. Dad’s computer—Not everyone in England   has   a   computer   in   his kitchen but my dad has. Washing Machine—Mum     washes our clothes here and  hangs them out in our garden to dry.
Bathroom	A toilet. A bath—We fill the bath up with water  and  then  climb  into  it  to wash ourselves. A sink with two taps (one for hot water and one for cold). I clean my teeth at the sink and also wash my hands and face. Laundry basket—This is where I put my dirty clothes for washing.
Bedroom	My own computer and my own television. Wardrobe—to hang my clothes in.Bookcase—for my books. My bed—My bed is high up as I have my  desk  and  my  computer under it.

It was the last day of the final examination in a university. A group of students entered the classroom happily. This was their last exam. They knew it would
be easy. The professor had said that they could bring any book or note they wanted. The only requirement(要求) was that they couldn’t talk with each other.
The professor handed out the papers. They were glad to find there were only five questions. Three hours passed. The professor asked, "How many of you have finished all the five questions?" None of the students answered.
"How many of 3’ou have finished four?" No answers again.
"Thee? Two?" The students moved restlessly (不安地) in their seats.
"One, then? Certainly somebody has finished  one." But the class remained silent.
"That is exactly what I expected," the professor said. "I just want to teach you a lesson--although you have completed four years of study, there are still many
things you don’t know about." Then be added, "You will all pass the exam, But remember: even though you are graduating from college, your education has just begun."
【小題1】During the exam, the students could __
A. not take their notes
B. ask others for help
C. not talk with each other
D ask the professor for help
【小題2】How many students passed the exam at last?

In 1993 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the filmmaker Walt Disney. He had an unusual voice and he wanted to work in Disney’s cartoon(動畫片) film for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said”Stop! That’s our duck!”
The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the firm The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat(水上住家) and wore his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight – minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audience liked him because he was lazy and greedy(貪婪的), and because he lost his temper (發(fā)脾氣) very quickly. And they loved his voice when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews(侄子). Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t a goody-goody like Mickey.
In the 1930S, ‘ 40s and ‘ 50s Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto made hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared – there were no more new cartoons.
Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s children can still see the old cartoons on television and hear that famous voice.
【小題1】Who made Donald Duck film? ______

I won’t forget her advice
I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago. Her husband died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights（見解）with us.
The class was nearly over. She said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you an important thought.”
“Each of us is put here on Earth to learn, share, love, enjoy and give all by ourselves. We must make the best of every single day.”
Her eyes were beginning to water and she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see — it could be a nice smell — perhaps of freshly baked bread, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly blowing the leaves in the trees.”
“Please look for these things, and love them. For, although it may seem common, these things are the stuff（素材）of life. They are the little things we are put here on Earth to enjoy. They are the things we often take for granted. We must make it a point to notice them, for at any time it can all be taken away.”
The class was completely quiet. We picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole term.
I usually think of that teacher and try to enjoy all of those things that we sometimes overlook (忽略).
Take notice of something special you see during your lunch hour today. Walk barefoot along the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we regret（后悔）, but the things we didn’t do.
【小題1】What happened to the teacher’s husband?

A man came home from work late, tired, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
“Daddy,how much money do you make an hour?”
“If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”
“Oh,”the little boy replied,with his head down. He thought for a moment, looked up and said,“Daddy,could you lend me $10?”
The father was furious,“If you asked for the money to buy a toy or some other rubbish,then go straight to your room and think about why you are being so selfish（自私的）!”
The little boy quietly went to his roomand shut the door. After about an hour, the father calmed down, and started to think,“Maybe he really needs to buy something and he didn’t really ask for money very often.”So he went to the little boy’s room.
“Sorry! Maybe I was too hard on you just now.” said the man,“Here’s $10.”
“Oh, thank you, Daddy!”he said happily. Then,the boy took out some coins. When the father found that the boy alread had money,he got angry again.
“Why do you want more money since you already have some?”the father shouted angrily.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do.”The little boy replied,“Daddy,I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”
【小題1】How much does the boy’s father make an hour?  ______
A.$10             B.$20              C.$30
【小題2】In this passage,the underlined word “furious”means_____
A.very angry          B.quite happy          C.too excited
【小題3】At firs,the father refused to lend the boy any money because____.
A.he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself
B.he thought the boy would buy somethingof no use
C.the boy always borrowed money from him
【小題4】The boy wanted to buy______with twenty dollars.
A.a new book for himself        B.a nice present for his father
C.an hour of his father’s time
【小題5】From the passage, we can infer（推斷）that the boy’s father____.
A.often played with his son     B.spent little time with his son
C.often came back home early

One midnight, a little girl woke up to pass water. She by herself got up and down her bed, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked outside and walked back, for it was so dark in the hall that she feared.
Her mother said, “Don’t be afraid, honey. Take courage!”
“What’s courage?” she asked, running to her mother’s bed.
“Courage is the brave breath,” her mother answered.
“Mum, do you have courage?”
“Certainly.”
The girl held out her little hands, saying, “Mum, blow some of your breath of courage to me.”
After her mother blew out two mouthfuls of breath into her little cold hands, the little girl clenched her fists(握拳) nervously, afraid that the “breath of courage” would run away. Then with her fists clenched, she walked out of the bedroom towards the bathroom with nothing to fear.
Her mother said to herself, “It will be nice if someone can blow some kind of ‘breath’ to me. Then I can hold it in my hands too when I feel terrified or lost.”
In fact, mostly, what we are terrified of is nothing but the fear in our mind. Who we should defeat(戰(zhàn)勝) is nobody but ourselves.
  
【小題1】The girl walked back because __________.

These days, a lot of photos about how a three-year-old girl looked after her disabled father are  1    spread over the Internet. Many people were   2   by her. And people gave her a  3 nickname (綽號) “l(fā)ittle strong girl”.
The little girl is Dong Xinyi. She was born in a small   4   in Dezhou, Shangdong Province. When she was several months   5 , her father Dong Jianshe had an accident   6  riding his motorcycle and lost his  7 . Two years later her mother left her father   8  the poor life. As an old saying goes, “ The children of   9   people manage household affairs early.” Little Xinyi had to do lots of housework. She   10  her father in her power. She cooked noodles, carried water, cleaned rooms and washed clothes. The little girl brings happiness and 11   to her poor family. And   12   , the local government has   13   medical treatment to her father and promised to cover all medical expenses(費(fèi)用).   14 the same time, the government is also planning to raise money for the girl’s   15  . Now Dong Xinyi has got a chance to go to nursery school(幼兒園) like other children,