In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity(一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine(程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks’ sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特許經(jīng)營(yíng)) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate(復(fù)制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches(拱門).
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over $ l billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.
小題1: This passage mainly talks about _______.

A．the development of fast food services

B．how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business

C．the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald

D．Ray Kroc’s business talent

小題2:Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except _______.

A．a(chǎn) drive-in	B．a(chǎn) theater
C．a(chǎn) cinema	D．a(chǎn) barbecue restaurant

小題3: We may infer from this passage that _______.

A．Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc.

B．the place the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in

C．forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants

D．Ray Kroc was a good businessman

小題4:The passage suggests that _______.

A．creativity is an important element of business success

B．Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers

C．Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc

D．California is the best place to go into business

The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
It was the publicity(宣傳) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chins. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.
小題1: According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______.

A．his special tricks and supernatural powers

B．his unusual ability and a skeleton key

C．his magic tricks and unhuman powers

D．his wisdom and magic tricks

小題2:In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.

A．his first prison escape	B．the year 1898
C．the publicity	D．Harry Houdini’s success

小題3:It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.

A．in 1894	B．before he married
C．a(chǎn)t the age of 17	D．when he was about 24

小題4:Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．A Skeleton Key	B．A Man of Many Secrets
C．World-wild Fame	D．Great Escape

Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. Mr. Johnson took the only escape route—through the boot(行李箱).
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(溝渠) at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦傷), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.
小題1:What is the best title for this newspaper article?

A．The Story of Mr. Johnson, A Sweet Salesman

B．Car Boot Can Serve As The Best Escape Route

C．Driver Escapes Through Car Boot

D．The Driver Survived A Terrible Car Accident

小題2:Which of the following objects is the most important to Mr. Johnson?

A．The hammer.	B．The coin.
C．The screw.	D．The horn.

小題3:Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down.

B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam.

C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road.

D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat.

小題4:“Finally it gave” (Paragraph 5) means that _______. 

A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end

B．At last the wrench went broken

C．The lock came open after all his efforts

D．The chance was lost at the last minute

小題5:It may be inferred from the passage that _______. 

A．the ditch was along a quiet country road

B．the accident happened on a clear warm day

C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch

D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended

Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her. 
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips(竅門). She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glassed of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes(基因) from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86. 
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:
Sorry, I’m still alive!
小題1: How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?

A．She is miserable and unhappy.

B．She is cheerful and humorous.

C．She would like to live much longer.

D．She feels she is going to die very soon.

小題2:Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to _______.

A．smoking only a little every day

B．her giving up smoking and drinking

C．drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day

D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises

小題3: Which of the following could best replace the word “move” in the fourth paragraph?

A．deal

B．trick

C．march

D．sport

小題4:Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the local lawyer every year on her birthday?

A．Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage.

B．Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed.

C．Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house.

D．Because the house she sold to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid.

Christmas is over. And I got my wanted radio-controlled truck. But you would not believe the ___1___ and work that went into getting this holy toy.
For over a month I stared at ___2___ magazines I received from my friend until I had made up my ___3___: I wanted a Pumpkin truck. I ___4___ to work immediately, dropping hints to my father about it.
My first job was to tell him about how the steering(操縱桿) on my old car didn’t ___5___, but he just blamed the problems on my bad ___6___.
My next plan would have to be more ___7___. “Look at this, Dad, the truck with controller and battery pack—all for only US$250!” You can’t ___8___ to miss out on this bargain!”
His ___9___ was that he certainly could afford to miss this ___10___ and for US$250 you could buy ___11___ educational like a telescope. “A telescope? To look at the moon? I’ll look at it when I’m 97 years old and living in a ___12___ home! This is my youth! I am supposed to run about.”
I went to my room, ___13___ at how mean(吝嗇的) my father was. It was obvious that he didn’t ___14___ that I would die if I did not get the Pumpkin radio-controlled truck.
When I ___15___ on Christmas morning I wasn’t excited. I had been ___16___. I opened all my presents until there was just one big package ___17___. “The telescope,” I thought. I ___18___ the packaging and looked at the top of the box—it was a Pumpkin truck. I had ___19___! I loved my parents! I felt like I could do anything! I could ___20___ get an A+ in English class.
1. A. pain       B. attempt      C. joy     D. shyness
2. A. housing  B. fishing       C. car      D. fashion
3. A. mind      B. idea    C. opinion      D. head
4. A. get  B. set      C. searched     D. went
5. A. operate   B. run     C. start    D. work
6. A. riding     B. driving       C. thinking     D. keeping
7. A. strong    B. practical     C. ideal   D. obvious
8. A. afford    B. pay     C. allow  D. stand
9. A. talk B. expression  C. face    D. response
10. A. truck    B. telescope    C. chance       D. bargain
11. A. one       B. something  C. everything  D. nothing
12. A. heating B. loving C. nursing      D. finding
13. A. pleased B. good   C. expert D. angry
14. A. say       B. believe       C. care    D. learn
15. A. went off      B. woke up     C. rang up      D. found out
16. A. worried       B. instructed   C. warned       D. defeated
17. A. opened B. wrapped     C. left     D. faded
18. A. recovered     B. refused       C. reopened    D. removed
19. A. won     B. done   C. beaten D. failed
20. A. ever     B. already       C. still     D. even

Jonathan James looks like just another kid about to graduate from high school. But this 19-year-old Swede is anything but ordinary, from the computer in his parents’ home he helps the US Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) find out the world’s most wanted cyber criminals(網(wǎng)絡(luò)犯罪分子).
Jonathan first made headlines when he and another Swede, Fredrik Bjoerck, found out the maker of the “Melissa” virus(病毒) in March 1999. He came to the aid of the FBI again on May 7, finding out the suspected(嫌疑的) sender of the dangerous “I LOVE YOU” virus. The suspect was caught in Manila on May 8.
Jonathan’s special skills are in hot demand as officials around the world express alarm at the “virtual” crimewave. In between studying for final exams, hanging out with friends and refereeing his younger brother’s football matches, the quiet, gentle teenager also gives lessons on e-security(電子安全) to large companies. He reads a lot and exchanges information with other computer experts to know much about the latest tricks of the hacker (黑客) trade.
Many companies have already tried to employ him, but he is not interested at the moment. Instead, he plans to begin law school in the autumn at Sweden’s Uppsala University and start up his own e-security company.
Although he works with the FBI now, his family insists he’s just “a regular kid”. “Jonathan is a great kid, he has his friends and he does a lot more than just play with the computer,” his little sister Tessa said, adding that he helps the FBI because “he likes to help”, not because he’s looking for fame and recognition.
When the world was hit by the “Love Bug” virus, Jonathan was too busy preparing a speech on e-security to look into the problem. “Finally on May 7, I had some free time, so I began looking.” Within a few hours, he had found the suspect and e-mailed his method and results to the FBI. He said his work on the “Melissa” virus, which took three weeks to solve, was a big help in finding the suspect so quickly.
“This time I knew exactly where to start, I knew what to disregard and what to look at.”
小題1: The passage mainly wants to tell us that______.

A．Swedish kid helps FBI find out the most wanted cyber criminals

B．Jonathan is really a quiet, gentle and ordinary boy

C．many companies want the young computer expert to join in

D．a(chǎn)ny cyber criminals will surely be found out wherever they are

小題2:The public started to know something about Jonathan just from____.

A．his helping the US FBI to find out the sender of the dangerous “I LOVE YOU” virus

B．his work together with Fredrik Bjoerck to find out the maker of the “Melissa” virus

C．his little sister’s talk about his good qualities as a regular kid and a good programmer

D．his speech on e-security to many computer companies after his fight against hackers

小題3:From Jonathan’s success in finding out the sender of the dangerous ‘Love Bug” virus we can infer that ___.

A．where there’s a will, there’s a way	B．experience is knowledge
C．hard work leads to success	D．failure is the mother of success

小題4:What do we know about Jonathan?

A．He is a good fame hunter with various abilities.

B．He is such a brave fighter that any criminal will feel afraid.

C．He is an expert on security, not interested in running a company.

D．He is a regular kid but does something unusual.

After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletics have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletics and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics will not be taking part.
She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spine hifida (脊椎裂) which left her paralysed from the waist down. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. at first, she was not keen on sport, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back.
Indeed, Tanni’s athletic career took off. In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games.
In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelona. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved she first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories.
Tanni’s enduring success had been part motivation(動(dòng)機(jī)), part preparation, “The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑運(yùn)動(dòng)員) enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to race…. I am still competing at a very high lever, but as I get older things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart.”
Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In spite of ups and downs, she never take her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics- a top lever athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records.
What advice does she have for young athletes? “Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again.”
小題1:Which of the following sports did Tanni like before thirteen?

A．Basketball

B．Swimming.

C．Tennis.

D．Horse-riding.

小題2: When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal?

A．In 1984.

B．In 1988.

C．In 1992.

D．In 2007.

小題3: The underlined word “that” in the 5th paragraph refers to _______.

A．fifty weeks’ training	B．being a good sprinter
C．training almost every day	D．part motivation and part preparation

小題4:What’s the right order of the events related to Tanni?
a. She works as a coach.      b. She took up athletics.
c. She won four gold medals in Barcelona.   d. She competed in her first Paralympic Games.
e. She achieved a victory in her first London Wheelchair Marathon.

A．b, d, c, e a

B．a(chǎn), d, b, c ,e

C．A,d,c,e,b

D．b.d.a.e.c

小題5: What can we learn from Tanni’s success?

A．Union is strength.	B．Never too late to learn.
C．Well begun is half done.	D．No pains, no gains.

I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (責(zé)任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.
小題1:Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

A．Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

B．Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C．Because he often sang while cooking.

D．Because he liked singing better than cooking.

小題2:Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

A．Wamer Brothers.	B．His manager.
C．His father.	D．A businesswoman.

小題3:What made the writer proud of himself?

A．His ability to live independently.

B．His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

C．His courage in the face of rejections.

D．His hard work in his early days.

Boxing was long viewed sickly. Generally forbidden by law in earlier days, the fighting was usually done with bare fists, and matches often lasted forty or fifty rounds.
In 1882 John L. Sullivan, a fighter of great power, won the world heavyweight championship from Paddy Ryan in a bare fisted battle marked by hitting, scratching, and biting without any rule. Five years later, while fighting Patsy Cardiff at Minneapolis, Sullivan broke his right arm in the third round, but he continued fighting to the sixth round and won. In 1889, Sullivan defeated Jade Kilrain with his bare fists in another championship fight, winning twenty thousand dollars and a diamond prize medal. His admirers talked then of running him for the next governor, but he traveled to Australia for a boxing tour instead, coming back only to lose his title in a twenty-one-round match with a young Californian named James J. Corbett.
“Gentleman James” victory in this match marked a turning point, for it showed scientific boxing was over strength. But Corbett’s title ended in 1897, when another boxer, Bob Fitzsimmons, in less than three seconds, achieved his feats and then Fitzsimmons knocked out an Irishman, won the heavyweight championship of the world, and invented the terrible “solar plexus punch.”
小題1: Boxing matches in the early days were ________.

A．short and bloody	B．usually spare-time competitions
C．governed by strict rules	D．cruel

小題2:Sullivan held the world’s heavyweight title for ________.

A．a(chǎn)t least seven years	B．only a year
C．five years	D．twenty-one years

小題3:Sullivan’s fight with Kilrain was ________.

A．the first boxing championship match

B．a(chǎn) bare-fisted championship fight

C．the last boxing match to be fought bare-fisted

D．a(chǎn) six-round match

小題4:Sullivan was so popular that his admirers ________.

A．encouraged him to be a governor

B．raised twenty thousand dollars for him

C．a(chǎn)dvised him to take boxing tour of Australia

D．refused to believe he could be defeated

閱讀短文，選出最佳答案。
I Don’t Think I Wrote Wrong
Lao Yang was born in a small town. He liked reading when he studied at school. He thought the writers were respected(尊敬) and could get a lot of money. He wrote a lot of stories and posted them to the editorial departments (編輯部) but didn’t receive any answers.
Now he works in a factory. He’s busy at work. When he’s free, he always reads something. He always remembers he hoped to be a writer when he was young. One day, Xiao Ping, his ten-year-old daughter, came back. She looked worried and didn’t eat anything. She said Miss GAO, her Chinese teacher, told them to write a solicit article(征文) “My Father” that evening. But she did not know what to write.
“That’s easy,” said Lao Yang. “Let me help you.”
Then he sat down to write the solicit article at once. He easily finished it on time. He was sure Miss GAO would like it. But one afternoon he asked his daughter if the article had been chosen to post to the editorial department.
“My teacher said your article digressed from the subject(離題),” said the girl.
“I don’t think so,” Lao Yang shouted angrily. “I described(描寫) just my father!”
1. Lao Yang wrote a lot of stories because _______.
A. he likes reading           B. he learned much at school
C. he wanted to be a writer    D. he wanted to help others
2. Lao Yang posted the stories to the editorial departments, _______.
A. and he got a lot of money         B. and he became a famous man
C. and he was respected          D. but he failed
3. As _______, Lao Yang decided to help his daughter.
A. he was a writer                B. he was free  
C. he wanted to realize his ideal     D. he wanted to make his daughter happy
4. Lao Yang hoped _______.
A. his article could surprise the teacher     B. his article could be chosen
C. the children could like his article        D. everyone could soon know him
60. Lao Yang’s solicit article digressed from the subject _______.
A. because he couldn’t write it at all       B. because he didn’t know his father well
C. because it was too bad to be chosen      D. just because he described his father