“Everybody loves a bargain.” Is a well-known saying. One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away.  They put them outside their house.  They put on a "For Sale" sign.  And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement in a local newspaper.  It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn.
Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight -- like tired guests at a party -- waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables, and chairs. Then there are objects called "white elephants."  A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or paintings of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special.  They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.  They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object.  Later, they may hold their own yard sale to sell all the things they have bought.
小題1:What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
A．Cheap and ugly things．B．Things people no longer use．
C．Things out of season．D．Things of great value．
小題2:A white elephant refers to ______ ．
A．something that can cause n feeling of pain
B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others
C．something sold at the lowest price
D．a toy shaped like a fish
小題3:Most people go to yard sales to ______ ．
A．find Valuable paintingsB．look for something special
C．find a bargainD．kill their time
小題4:Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?
A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold．
B．It can last for a whole day．
C．It is usually held with a party．
D．It is held outdoors．
小題5:We can infer from the last paragraph that ______ ．
A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale
B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income
C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot
D．most people who go to yard sales want to make money

小題1:B
小題1:B
小題1:C
小題1:C
小題1:A

小題1:根據(jù)第一段描述,可知舊貨銷售主要賣的是人們不再用的東西,故選B
小題1:根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy. 描述,可知選B
小題1:根據(jù)Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special.  They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.描述,可知大多數(shù)人去舊貨市場是為了買便宜貨.故選C
小題1:根據(jù)短文第一段They put them outside their house.  They put on a "For Sale" sign.  And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale. 及下文描述,可知舊貨拍賣無需和團體一起舉行,故選C
小題1:根據(jù)最后兩段To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy. Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect.描述,可知人們也可能從舊貨拍賣上買到價值巨大的東西,故選A
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways.
But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet.
For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some ’ this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult.
The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in sofeguaiding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed.
While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.
In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委員會)is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down lo four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real “down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning.
We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. However, this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care.
小題1: The passage is probably written by   .
A．an experienced teacherB．a working parent
C．an inspired studentD．a city council member
小題2:The underlined word "they" in the second paragraph refers to "  ’.
A．environmentsB．holidaysC．wagesD．benefits
小題3:It is suggested in the passage that the summer break be reduced to.
A．2 weeksB．4.5 weeksC．5 weeksD．6 weeks
小題4:The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students_____ .
A．obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs
B．get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school
C．benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment
D．have more school days to receive free school meals
小題5:It can be inferred from the passage that   _______.
A．working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children
B．the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out
C．the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real "down time"
D．some school staff will say “ No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend. And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy－games, CDs and clothing－are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards. Most have to use a parent’s card. They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (網(wǎng)絡的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK. According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street. They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.
小題1: What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A．Sellers.B．Buyers.C．Teenagers.D．Parents.
小題2:According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access.
B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.
C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.
D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.
小題3:New way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.
A．a new machineB．special coins and notes
C．prepaid cardsD．pay-as-you-go mobile phones
小題4:What is the passage mainly about?
A．Online shopping traps.B．Internet users in the US and the UK.
C．New credit cards for parents.D．The arrival of cyber pocket money.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

“I never expected that I would be so busy. Why can’t there be 25 hours in a day?” complained Liu Ran in Hong Kong as mid-term exams were going on.
The 18-year-old was Shandong Province’s top scorer in this year’s college entrance examination. After graduating from Tai’an No.1 High School, she chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong(香港中文大學) ， although both Peking University and  Tsinghua University promised her a place.
“I want to experience a more international school and social life in Hong Kong. I’m majoring in journalism, so Hong Kong will surely help widen my horizons,” Liu said.
It is two months since Liu first set foot on Hong Kong. She missed home a lot at the beginning, because of the food and language problems.
“The canteen offers mostly Western or Guangdong food, but it’s convenient to cook for ourselves in our dorm if we like. People speak Cantonese and almost all classes are in English,” Liu explained.
Her English and Cantonese are now both improving, but she still needs more time to adapt to the new environment.
“I’m happy that I made the right decision to study here. With a mix of the Eastern and Western cultures, there is so much to discover and learn,” she said.
Liu has 18 credit hours(學分) of classes every week and 23 non-credit hours every other week. She has signed up for four associations including the Chinese Language Debating Team and the drama club. Essays, book reports and presentations also take plenty of time to prepare. And , of course, there are various parties to attend.
“I wasn’t a party animal before, but that may be interesting part of college. I sense myself changing,” Liu said.
小題1:Liu Ran chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong, because___________.
A．she couldn’t be admitted to Peking University
B．Hong Kong is a good place
C．she wants to be far from her homeland
D．the Chinese University of Hong Kong can widen her horizons
小題2: According to the last paragraph, we can infer______________________________.
A．now Liu Ran is an animal
B．Liu Ran hates the busy life in the Chinese University of Hong Kong
C．Liu Ran likes the food there
D．the busy and full life makes Liu Ran feel good
小題3:Liu Ran had to overcome the difficulties in many aspects EXCEPT_______________.
A．foodB．languageC．missing homeD．no friends

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A little-known fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020 there will be 1 billion, with over 700 million living in developing countries.
　It is a surprising fact that the population aging is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example, it took France 115 years for the rate of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
　What are the implications of these increased numbers of older folk? One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live, the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible, including during old age, to lessen the financial burden on the state.
　Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries, certainly in Asia, older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily, which does not make sure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
　Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination in employment. Life-long learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country’s development.
　Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
小題1:The rate of older people________.
A. is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries
B. B. is one-seventh of the population in developing countries
C. C. will increase much faster in China than in France
D. D. will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020
2.According to passage, which of the following are governments most worried 
About______.
A. The diseases and disability of older people. 
B. The longer life and good health of people. 
C. The loss of taxes on older people. 
D. The increasing respect for older people.
小題2: It is stated directly in the passage that older people should ________.
A．be treated differently in different cultures
B．enjoy a similar lifestyle
C．be ignored as society changes
D．be valued by the younger generations
小題3:Which of the following measure is NOT mentioned to solve the population aging problem?
A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment.
B．Supplying life-long learning programs to older people.
C．Making sure adequate income protection for older people.
D．Providing free health care for sick older people.
小題4:The author concludes in the last paragraph that ________.
A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the aging problem
B．population aging is a hard problem, but it needs to be solved urgently
C．people are too busy to solve the population aging problem
D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the aging problem

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（優(yōu)先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道義的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱點). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美國憲法）.
小題1:According to the passage, persuasion means ________.
A．changing others’ point of view
B．exercising power over other people
C．getting other people to consider your point of view
D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want
小題2:The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.
A．winB．failC．speakD．listen
小題3:The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
A．a danger to societyB．difficult to do well
C．unwelcome behaviorD．never successful
小題4:The passage mainly discusses ________.
A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion
B．the reasons why people persuade
C．that persuasion is both good and bad
D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虛幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （堅毅） it takes to stay the course (堅持到底)in the shadow land．
小題1:Why did Alex give up his job?
A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．
B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．
C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．
D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．
小題2:What did Alex express when he answered the call?
A．He refused the job offer．
B．He was willing to give them a hand．
C．He expected them to pay him more money．
D．He would write in his spare time．
小題3:What kind of person is Alex?
A．Determined．B．Modest．C．Shy．D．Brave．
小題4:Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?
A．Look before you leap．B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression as young adults .
The researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent（青少年的）health to investigate （調查）the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
   Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio, etc. But the study did find that every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression. Young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.
The study didn't explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression.
Last December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active, to read, to attend religious services and to vote.
小題1:The best title for this passage should be____________.
A．Teens, Television and Depression
B．Men Develop Depression Easier than Women
C．Media Use is Harmful to Adolescents
D．Take Great Care of Teenager's Depression
小題2:The result of the research seems to prove______________.
A．teenagers are more likely to develop depression than adults
B．other media uses do no harm to adolescents
C．TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depression
D．those who watch no TV will not develop depression
小題3:We can learn from the survey that of all the media use
A．computer games are teenagers' favourite
B．most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio
C．teenagers enjoy watching TV very much
D．newspaper is not included in the survey
小題4:We can conclude that a teenager should _____
A．play more video games instead of watching TV
B．be active in taking part in outdoor activities
C．be more active in watching educational TV programmes
D．attend religious services and care for politics

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

I have had just about enough of being treated like a second-class citizen, simply because I happen to be that unfairly treated member of society --- a customer. The more I go into shops and hotels, banks and post offices, railway stations, airports and the like, the more I am convinced the things are being run solely to suit the firm, the system, or the union. There seems to be a deceptive (欺騙的) new motto for so-called “service” organizations --- Staff Before Service.
　　 How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office or the supermarket because there were not enough staff on duty to man all the service grilles or checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible to hire cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claim that uncovering all their cash registers at any one time would increase operating costs. And the Post Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied “at times when demand is low”.
　　  It is the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them, dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is cut short. As for us guests, we just have to put up with it. There is also the nonsense of so many friendly hotel night porters having been thrown out of their jobs in the interests of “efficiency” and replaced by coin-eating machines which offer everything from lager to laxatives (從貯藏啤酒到通便劑). Not to mention the tea-making kit in your room: a kettle with a mixed collection of tea bags, plastic milk boxes and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? I do not, especially when I am paying for “service”.
　　Can it be stopped, this worsening of service, this growing attitude that the customer is always a bore? I angrily hope so because it is happening, sadly, in all walks of life.
　　Our only hope is to hammer home our anger whenever and wherever we can and, if all else fails, bring back into practice that other, older slogan --- Take Our Deal Elsewhere.
小題1:The writer feels that nowadays customers __________.
A．deserve the lowest status in society
B．are unworthy of proper consideration
C．have received high quality service
D．have become victims of modern organizations
小題2:The writer argues that the quality of service is changing because __________.
A．customers’ demands have greatly changed
B．the staff receive more consideration than customers
C．customers’ needs have become more complex
D．staff members are less considerate than their employers
小題3: According to the writer, long queues at counters are caused by __________.
A．not having enough male staff on duty
B．difficulties in hiring more efficient staff
C．lack of cooperation between staff members
D．not providing enough staff on purpose to reduce budget
小題4:The writer suggests that a customer __________.
A．be patient when queuing before checkout counters
B．put up with the rude manners of the staff
C．try to control his temper when ill-treated
D．go to other places where good service is available

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