It was a cold winter’s night when I stopped for gas on my way home from work. I was tired and had a slight   16  .
I worked in a   17  doctor’s office and this was one of those days when the unexpected happened, making the schedule run   18  than usual. It seemed I was going to be late  19 home and my husband, being the   20  person, would be ready to pronounce me late once again. Maybe if I hurried, I could still _21 __it home.
I was heading inside to   22  for my gas when I noticed an older couple at the counter. I heard them asking for   23  to the local hospital. It was the same hospital that I had just _24_ a few minutes ago.
The young man at the counter was trying to be   25 in explaining how to get there, with two other people making   26 . One of them was   27  trying to give them a whole different route back. It was then that I walked over to the couple and said, “Would you like to follow me to the   28 ?”
A look of   29  crossed the woman’s face.
“I’m going right by there,” I said, which wasn’t a (an)   30  since I had just made up my mind to do   31  that.
I got in my car and began the journey back. I was trying to watch to be sure they were right   32  me. It took only fifteen minutes to get there as rush hour traffic was beginning to   33 . I felt better than I had all day and my headache was nearly gone.
Later, as I arrived home, my husband   34 me, “So you aren’t ever late any more.”
I said, “Sometimes it’s   35  to be late.”

小題1:	A．break B．cold C．fever D．headache

小題2:	A．foreign B．common C．noisy D．busy

小題3:	A．later B．earlier C．easier D．simpler

小題4:	A．getting B．cooking C．calling D．working

小題5:	A．tough B．generous C．punctual D．rough

小題6:	A．get B．take C．a(chǎn)rrive D．make

小題7:	A．pay B．charge C．wait D．search

小題8:	A．opinions B．trouble C．directions D．instructions

小題9:	A．reached B．visited C．called D．left

小題10:

A．skilled B．helpful C．experienced D．a(chǎn)ctive

小題11:

A．comments B．promises C．jokes D．offers

小題12:

A．only B．still C．even D．ever

小題13:

A．station B．office C．hospital D．hotel

小題14:

A．happiness B．relief C．sadness D．peace

小題15:

A．lie B．fact C．reason D．duty

小題16:

A．partly B．voluntarily C．exactly D．perfectly

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)cross B．before C．beside D．behind

小題18:

A．go up B．die down C．take up D．get through

小題19:

A．teased B．yelled C．joked D．laughed

小題20:

A．possible B．special C．good D．safe

To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times . Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century B C.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe.
Umbrellas have hot changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.
小題1:According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.

A．China

B．Egypt

C．Greece

D．Rome

小題2:Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?

A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was

B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.

C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century

D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.

小題3:A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.

A．protection against rain	B．a(chǎn) shade against the sun
C．a(chǎn) symbol of honor and power	D．women’s decoration (裝飾)

小題4:In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.

A．during the Middle Ages

B．by the 18th

C．in Rome

D．in Greece

小題5:This passage talks mainly about_______________.

A．when and how the umbrella was invented

B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe

C．the development of the umbrella

D．The history and use of the umbrella

Father Maurice Chase used a special way to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Catholic priest（神父） took $ 15,000 in cash to Los Angeles’ Skid Row (貧民區(qū)) and gave it away. Twenty wheelchair – bound people received $100 bills, while the rest received $1to $ 3 each．
“I come out here to tell them that God loves them and I love them and that some one is concerned about them,” Chase said．
Chase has given away cash and blessings every Sunday at the same corner for 24 years．Several hundred people wait for him every week．
He makes a point of coming on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, but this is the first year he spent his birthday in the downtown neighborhood where people live mainly in shelters and on dirty sidewalks．
“ It’s the place that makes me the happiest．I just love it,” said Chase. “I look forward to coming here.”
The money comes from donations he receives from rich and famous people he met during his work as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．
The crowd broke into choruses of “Happy Birthday” several times. Some people presented him birthday cards, to his delight．
Travis Kemp, a 51 – year – old disabled man with long black hair, was one of the lucky 20 to receive $ 100. He said he had no special plans for spending the money. “He has a lot of respect from me,” Kemp said. “I know I couldn’t do it.”
小題1:On his 90 th birthday, Chase      ．

A．handed out cash to the needy

B．collected money for poor people

C．visited poor people’s homes with gifts

D．held a party at Los Angeles’ Skid Row

小題2:Which of the following makes Chase feel the happiest?

A．Celebrating his birthday with his neighbours．

B．Working in Loyola Marymount University．

C．Celebrating Christmas with the people he has helped．

D．Going to Los Angeles’ Skid Row to help people there．

小題3:What’s the source of the money Chase used to help people?

A．All his savings．

B．His earnings as a Catholic priest．

C．Donations from the wealthy and celebrities(名人)．

D．Donations from Loyola Marymount University．

小題4:Travis Kemp is mentioned in the text to show ．

A．he was the luckiest person on that day

B．the disabled need to be taken care of

C．Chase is greatly appreciated by the needy

D．even old people came to celebrate Chase’s birthday

小題5:Which statement is CORRECT according to the passage?

A．Every recipient could get $100 in cash from Father Maurice Chase．

B．Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away not only on his birthday but also on other occasions．

C．Although Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away on his birthday, he didn’t receive anything in return．

D．Father Maurice Chase earned a lot of money as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．

The story begins with fishing.
Once a boy and his father went fishing before bass (a kind of special fish) season opened. They were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure (魚(yú)餌) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass(the special fish).
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm – two hours before the bass season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy, “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish … again and again … every time he has an ethical decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics (倫理道德)are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
小題1: What happened when the big fish turned out to be a bass?

A．The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.

B．The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.

C．The father lit a match in order to check the time.

D．They worried other fishermen may discover what they had done.

小題2:From the text we know that the father _____.

A．disliked the huge fish	B．was firm and stubborn
C．didn’t love his son	D．a(chǎn)lways disagreed with his son

小題3:The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because _____.

A．they might catch a big fish there

B．he was taught a moral lesson there

C．it was a most popular fishing spot

D．their children enjoyed fishing there

小題4:What does the story imply?

A．An ethical decision is always easy to make.

B．It is easy to say something, but difficult to do.

C．It’s hard to tell right from wrong sometimes

D．Fishing can help one to make right decisions

小題5:What kind of the person the father is?

A．kind

B．honest

C．optimistic

D．satisfied

“Hi! John．” Mary ran towards me with a rare bright smile on her face, saying, “I’m going to have a   16 performance tonight．I hope you’ll come．Here is the  17 ．” She left in a hurry, disappearing in the crowds of people  18  ．
"Is that true?" I asked myself．She was a quite  19  girl．I had never seen her making up or wearing attractive clothes, for she did not know how to   20  indeed．
I arrived at the   21  with the ticket, and found my seat．Her performance was the seventh one．I knew I would   22  from a hard time before her turn, for I had no   23  of art, but her performance was   24  watching, no matter how long I would wait．Time went slowly．I  25    with myself not to fall asleep．
"Let’ s welcome the next exciting dance - Latin !"   26  filled the hall at once．
I opened my eyes as large as possible,  27 to lose anything．Wearing a golden and shining skirt, Mary appeared on the stage．Dancing with a charming smile, she was fully  28  in the Latin music．At this moment, she looked like a pretty butterfly   29 on the splendid stage．   
After all the performance   30  , I waited for her at the gate．
"Hi!" She stood in front of me with a bag and her crystal high-heeled shoes in her hands, and  31 as she used to be, but the making-up still could be seen．
"How do you feel?" There was not a little bit tired  32  on her face．
"  33 !" I answered．
"Thank you! I knew it would be．" She could not  34  her excitement, laughing like a child．Looking at the shining crystal high-heeled shoes in the wonderful starry night, I   35 that every girl has a pair of special shoes which are like the crystal shoes of Cinderella．

小題1:	A．instrument B．dance C．music D．opera

小題2:	A．a(chǎn)ddress B．number C．ticket D．invitation

小題3:	A．quickly B．completely C．quietly D．excitedly

小題4:	A．lovely B．popular C．confident D．ordinary

小題5:	A．cover up B．turn off C．dress up D．take in

小題6:	A．hall B．party C．theatre D．school

小題7:	A．relieve B．escape C．relax D．suffer

小題8:	A．interest B．a(chǎn)bility C．sense D．touch

小題9:	A．proper B．worth C．good D．happy

小題10:

A．struggled B．knocked C．supported D．controlled

小題11:

A．Appreciation B．Attention C．Expectation D．Applause

小題12:

A．failing B．fearing C．forgetting D．regretting

小題13:

A．a(chǎn)bsorbed B．swallowed C．interested D．surrounded

小題14:

A．singing B．flying C．skipping D．staying

小題15:

A．stopped B．paused C．ended D．succeeded

小題16:

A．talked B．dressed C．laughed D．looked

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)ppearance B．excitement C．expression D．exhibition

小題18:

A．Sorry B．Congratulations C．Far from D．Fantastic

小題19:

A．hide B．prevent C．remove D．a(chǎn)bandon

小題20:

A．doubted B．realized C．wondered D．suggested

Elizabeth and I are 18 now, and about to graduate．I think about our elementary-school friendship, but some memories have blurred （模糊）．What happened that day in the fifth grade when Beth suddenly stopped speaking to me? Does she know that I've been thinking about her for seven years? If only we could go back, and discover what ended our relationship．
I have to speak with Beth．I see her sometimes, and find out school is "fine"．It's not the same．It never will be．Someone says that she's Liz now．What happened to Beth?
I can't call her．Should I write? What if she doesn't answer me? How will I know what she's thinking?
Yes, I'll write her a letter．These things are easier to express in writing．" Be-," no, " Li-," no, " Elizabeth," I begin．The words flow freely, as seven year old memories are reborn．I ask her all the questions that have been left unanswered in my mind, and pray she will answer．I seal my thoughts in the perfect white envelope, and imagine Beth looking into her mailbox．Will she know why I'm writing? Maybe she once thought of writing the same letter．
As the mailman takes my envelope from me forever, I wonder if I've made the right decision．Do I have the right to force myself into Beth's life again? Am I simply part of the past? I have taken the first step．Beth has control of the situation now．
One day has passed．Are my words lying on the bottom of the post office floor?
Two days are gone．I'm lost in thought and don't even hear the phone ting．
"Hello? It's Elizabeth．"
小題1:What can we learn about Beth?

A．She had a quarrel with the author in the fifth grade．

B．She moved to another school in the fifth grade．

C．She is now called Liz instead of Beth．

D．She hasn't seen the author for seven years．

小題2:Why does the author decide to write a letter instead of calling?

A．She is sure that Beth will not answer．

B．She's afraid that they'll quarrel on the phone．

C．She doesn't know Beth's telephone number．

D．It is easier to express her feelings in writing．

小題3:Which of the following the author might NOT mention in her letter?

A．Their elementary-school friendship．

B．Her future plan after graduation．

C．Her expectations for Beth's reply．

D．The questions about the endings of their friendship．

小題4:What might happen at the end of the story?

A．Beth answers her letter two days later．

B．The letter doesn't reach Beth at all．

C．They make up their friendship．

D．Beth refuses to make peace with her．

The story goes that some time ago, a man had a very lovely little daughter．One day the man   1      his 3-year-old daughter for   2_   _  a roll of gold wrapping paper．Money was tight and he became  3       when the child tried to decorate a  4      to put under the Christmas tree．However , the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy．"
The man was   5        by his earlier  6       , but his anger flared again when he found out the box was   __7        ．He yelled at her, stating, "Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is   8          to be something inside?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all．I blew kisses into the box．They are all for you, Daddy．"
The father was crushed. He  9       his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her   10       ．Only a short time later, an  11      took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out a(an)  12      kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there．In a very real sense, each one of us, as human beings, has been given a gold container  13      unconditional love and kisses．．．from our children, family members, friends and God. There is simply no other  __14      , anyone could hold, more  15       than this．

小題1:	A．a(chǎn)sked B．praised C．begged D．punished

小題2:	A．wasting B．stealing C．selling D．holding

小題3:	A．glad B．a(chǎn)ngry C．sad D．upset

小題4:	A．room B．hall C．box D．ball

小題5:	A．puzzled B．surprised C．scared D．embarrassed

小題6:	A．overwork B．overreaction C．overcoat D．overtime

小題7:	A．empty B．heavy C．full D．wet

小題8:	A．happened B．seemed C．supposed D．used

小題9:	A．put B．turned C．handed D．gave

小題10:

A．kindness B．forgiveness C．sadness D．carelessness

小題11:

A．overcoat B．incident C．a(chǎn)ccident D．a(chǎn)ction

小題12:

A．imaginary B．kind C．gentle D．warm

小題13:

A．filled with B．pleased with C．crowded with D．equipped with

小題14:

A．world B．feeling C．possession D．love

小題15:

A．expensive B．precious C．comfortable D．interesting

A few weeks ago, I followed a friend into an art supply store．I found him picking out tubes of water-color paint, which __36__ me because he’s not an artist.
"I   37  up for a water-color class, and it starts next week," he said．"I really don’t have  38_ for it, but it was on my list of 50 things to do before I die, so I _39__ it．Every few months I look at the list and decide what to focus on next． 40  I had the list, I complained a lot about what I was  41 _ in my life．Now I just bury myself in doing these things．Write your own list．a(chǎn)nd you’ll   42  what I mean．"
So that night．I did just that, and he was right．The list revealed （顯露出） a whole lot about what was __43__ to me．It also revealed how _44___ behind I am at getting to the things I really want．
I filled up the first twenty __45__ quickly, but then began to think carefully．
Eventually I __46_ items I’ve thought about for years, and __47__ I’ve carried with me since I was young．When I  48  the list later, some entries surprised me．
First, I want to _ 49_ much more, particularly now that my children are   50_ and can go with me to see the world．I would like to take them to bike through Denmark and camp in the Canadian Rockies．
I’m also surprised to _51_ some things on the list that need to be done soon．If I’m going to learn to roller-blade （輪滑）, __52_, I’d better start before I turn 50．
Like my friend, I now have an alternative to __53__．When I’m bored with life, I take out my list．
My friend told me the _54_ was preparing the ground so that life could work in mysterious ways．"If you want your ship to come in, you must build a dock （碼頭）," he said．
Thanks to my _55__, I’m working on some big docks．

小題1:	A．surprised B．moved C．pleased D．excited

小題2:	A．made B．took C．signed D．gave

小題3:	A．interest B．concern C．time D．emotion

小題4:	A．went for B．called for C．a(chǎn)ccounted for D．cared for

小題5:	A．Because B．After C．Before D．Although

小題6:	A．doing B．missing C．pushed D．engaged

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)dmire B．a(chǎn)bolish C．spot D．see

小題8:	A．important B．strange C．beneficial D．special

小題9:	A．slightly B．slowly C．possibly D．hopelessly

小題10:

A．thoughts B．lists C．ideas D．blanks

小題11:

A．studied B．a(chǎn)dded C．dropped D．obtained

小題12:

A．burdens B．challenges C．dreams D．responsibilities

小題13:

A．reviewed B．discovered C．wrote D．a(chǎn)ppreciated

小題14:

A．play B．relax C．travel D．hike．

小題15:

A．wealthier B．cleverer C．healthier D．older

小題16:

A．write B．put C．find D．leave

小題17:

A．such as B．for instance C．in fact D．in particular

小題18:

A．complaining B．relaxing C．objecting D．a(chǎn)djusting

小題19:

A．problem B．key C．a(chǎn)nswer D．question

小題20:

A．hobbies B．optimism C．list D．wishes

A nine-year-old kid was sitting at his desk when suddenly there was a puddle （/JC^C）between his feet and the front of his trousers was wet．He thought his heart was going to stop because he couldn't possibly imagine how this had happened．It had never happened before, and he knew that when the boys found out he would never hear the end of jt. When the girls found out, they would never speak to him again as long as he lived．
He prayed this prayer, "Dear God, I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat!" He looked up from his prayer and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered．As the teacher was walking toward him, a classmate named Susie was carrying a goldfish bowl full of water．Susie tripped （絆倒） in front of the teacher and dumped （倒） the bowl of water in the boy's lap．The boy pretended to be angry, but all the while was saying to himself, "Thank you．Lord!"
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy was the object of sympathy．The teacher rushed him downstairs and gave him gym shorts to put on while his trousers dried out．All the other children were on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk．The sympathy was wonderful．But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been transferred （轉(zhuǎn)移） to someone else—Susie．She tried to help, but they told her to get out．
When school was over, the boy walked over to Susie and whispered, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispered back, "I wet my trousers once, too!"
小題1:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means ____        .

A．the boys would never play with him

B．the boys would treat him as usual

C．he would hardly hear any praise from the boys

D．he would be laughed at by the boys endlessly

小題2:After Susie dumped water in his lap, the boy was in a state of ___     

A．excitement

B．relief

C．a(chǎn)nxiety

D．a(chǎn)nger

小題3:What did the other kids do after the incident?

A．They offered him dry clothes．

B．They laughed at the boy rudely,

C．They helped the boy do the cleaning．

D．They urged the boy to get out angrily,

小題4:Why did Susie dump water in the boy's lap?

A．The boy asked her to do so．

B．She just did it by accident．

C．The teacher tripped her on purpose．

D．She knew the boy's embarrassment．

My family came to America in 1985.  _21_ of us spoke a word of English. Each morning
I disliked going to school for fear of not __22__what people were saying.
Very soon my mother noticed something was__23__me. The pain and care I saw in her
moon­shaped eyes made me burst into tears.  I explained to her the __24__I had of going to school. “Learning English is not __25__，” my mother said. She cheerfully __26__the two of us work together to learn the language at home. The__27__and determination my mother had were admirable because English was as __28__ to her as it was to me.
That afternoon，I saw my mother in a different light as she __29__me by the school
fence. She was the shortest of all the mothers there，  30   , her face with her welcoming smile and big，black eyes was the most __31__. The afternoon sun shone__32__on her long，black hair creating an atmosphere that made her different from others.
My mother and I immediately began reading together and __33__five new words a
day. My mother，with her encouraging attitude，made the routine (慣例) fun and interesting. The fact that she was sacrificing (犧牲) her__34__ time before going to work so that I could learn English made me see the __35__she owned. Very soon I began to understand what everyone was saying.

小題1:	A．All B．One C．Some D．None

小題2:	A．hearing B．mastering C．understanding D．noticing

小題3:	A．changing B．disappointing C．hurting D．troubling

小題4:	A．fear B．emotion C．sense D．difficulty

小題5:	A．dull B．necessary C．impossible D．good

小題6:	A．decided B．suggested C．promised D．a(chǎn)llowed

小題7:	A．wish B．consideration C．confidence D．progress

小題8:	A．new B．strange C．familiar D．good

小題9:	A．sent for B．picked up C．waited for D．looked for

小題10:

A．so B．but C．because D．however

小題11:

A．hopeful B．relaxing C．confusing D．exciting

小題12:

A．directly B．brightly C．slightly D．clearly

小題13:

A．discussing B．reviewing C．remembering D．writing

小題14:

A．working B．shopping C．learning D．resting

小題15:

A．determination B．sadness C．joke D．modesty