My dream ended when I was born. Although I never knew it then, I just held on to something that would never come to pass. Dreams really do exist. But in the morning when you wake up, they are remembered just as a dream. That is what happened to me.
I always had the dream to dance like a beautiful ballerina（芭蕾舞女演員）turning around and around and hearing people applaud for me. When I was young, I would turn around and around in the fields of wildflowers that grew in my backyard. 
Reality woke me up when I heard someone saying, "I don't know why you bother trying to dance. Ballerinas are pretty and slender(苗條) girls. Besides, you don't have the talent to even be a ballerina." I remember how those words hurt every feeling in my body. I fell to the ground and wept for hours. 
I enjoyed hanging out by the water. I would sit there for hours and stare at my reflection(倒影). There I was, looking nothing like a pretty ballerina dancer. Reflections don't lie. Once the waves would come, my reflection was washed away just like my dream to dance.
As I grew older, I began to realize that the reason my dream was even born was because it was something that was inside of me. The dream I had was never nurtured(培育) and cared for, so it slowly died. It's not that I wanted it to die, but I allowed it to die the day I started listening to the words, "You can't do it." When I finally woke up from many years of dreaming, I realized that you can't only settle for dancing in the wildflowers, you have to move on to the platform.
小題1: Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage？

A．Care for your dream

B．Dream and reality

C．Nothing is impossible

D．Efforts to be a ballerina will pay

小題2:The author didn’t realize her dream of being a ballerina mainly because_______.

A．she was bored of dancing and performing

B．she had lack of self-respect

C．her health conditions allowed her dream to die

D．she was deeply affected by others easily

小題3:From the passage, it can be inferred that _________.

A．the author was once a pretty and slender girl with wonderful dream.

B．we should dare to give up our dream facing much pressure and difficulty

C．if you stick to your dream and never say die, you will enjoy a bright life

D．You should necer give up.

小題4:What is the main purpose of writing the passage?

A．to complain

B．to praise

C．to warn

D．to criticize

小題5:The underlined expression “settle for” in the last paragraph means_________.

A．turn down

B．take up

C．give up

D．settle down

It is common to consider learning as something that takes place in school, but much of human learning occurs outside the classroom, even from birth and people continue to learn throughout their lives.
Even before they enter school, young children learn to walk, to talk, and to use their hands to use toys, food, and other objects. They use all of their senses to learn about the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells in their environments. They learn how to communicate with their parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and other people important to their world. When they enter school, children learn basic academic subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics. They also continue to learn a great deal outside the classroom. They learn which behaviors are likely to be rewarded and which are likely to be punished. They learn social skills for communicating with other children. After they finish school, people must learn to deal with the many major changes that affect their lives, such as getting married, raising children, and finding and keeping a job.
Because learning continues throughout our lives and affects almost everything we do, the study of learning is important in many different fields. Teachers need to understand the best ways to educate children. Psychologists, social workers, criminologists, and other human-service workers need to understand how certain experiences change people’s behaviors. Employers, politicians, and advertisers make use of the principles of learning to affect the behavior of workers, voters, and consumers.
Learning is closely related to memory, which is the storage of information in the brain. Psychologists who study memory are interested in how the brain stores knowledge, where this storage takes place, and how the brain later outputs knowledge when we need it. In contrast, psychologists who study learning are more interested in behavior and how behavior changes as a result of a person’s experiences.
小題1:The author thinks “Learning”in the passage most refers to_________.

A．life-long learning	B．family learning
C．learning after graduation	D．behavior learning

小題2:The underlined siblings in the second paragraph probably means______.

A．teachers

B．classmates

C．doctors

D．brothers or sisters

小題3: Which period of children’ life does they begin to how to behave well according to the passage?

A．After they go int society

B．Before they enter school

C．When they are at school

D．Before they are born

小題4:Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?

A．As a matter of fact, learning begins with formal school education

B．Teachers need to understand the best ways to educate their students.

C．People need to understand how certain experiences change their behaviors.

D．Employers should study the principles of learning to manage their workers well.

小題5:The author tries to tell us ______in the last paragraph

A．learning is closely related to memory and experience

B．psychologists are interested in the wat the brain stores knowledge

C．psychologists are more interested in a person’s behavior

D．the relationship between learning, brain and behavior

American schools do not have separate classes for boys and girls. If boys want to cook or to sew, they can learn these things in classes that are no longer just for girls. If girls want to repair cars, they can now learn this in school. Most students like to have boys and girls on the same baseball team.
Many boys and girls dress alike in school. They were blue jeans and sport shirts. Some have long hair and some have short hair. Sometimes a boy has longer hair than a girl.
Even the language is different. Students learn to say fire fighter instead of fireman, police officer instead of policeman, and letter carrier instead of mailman. A person does not need to be a man to fight a fire or to deliver the mail.
Most people think that these changes are good. They give all people an equal chance to be happy and to do what they want to do with their lives. Fathers like to tell their sons that they can grow up to be president. Today, mothers can tell the same things to there daughters.
小題1:Students in American schools learn to say police officer instead of policeman because____.

A．boys don’t like to be a policeman

B．girls don’t like to be a policeman

C．police officer sounds better than policeman

D．a(chǎn) police officer can be a policeman or policwoman

小題2: We may infer from the text that in the past in American schools____.

A．there were many differences between boys and girls

B．boys could do everything but girls couldn’t

C．boys and girls were the same in everything

D．girls only learned how to sew and cook

小題3:The underlined word “ They” in the last paragraph refers to ____.

A．American schools

B．these changes

C．most people

D．American students

小題4:What does “mailman” mean?

A．Milkman

B．Postman

C．Writer

D．Reporter

小題5:What do most people think of the changes in American schools?

A．Surprising

B．Strange

C．Good

D．Bad

A
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical(挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
小題1:Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?

A．He was silent most of the time.	B．He was too proud of himself.
C．He did not love his children.	D．He expected too much of her.

小題2:When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ______.

A．nervous

B．sorry

C．tired

D．safe

小題3:What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A．More critical.

B．More talkative.

C．Gentle and friendly.

D．Strict and hard-working.

小題4:The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ______.
A. the author’s son                                      B. the author’s father
B. the friend of the author’s father                D. the café owner

C
Do’s and Don’ts in Whale(鯨) Watching
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait, where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer. It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只) operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales.
· Approach whales from the side, not from the front or the back.
· Approach no closer than 100 metres, then stop the boat but keep the engine on.
· Keep noise levels down — no horns, whistles or racing of engines.
· Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel.
· Leave the area slowly, gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales.
· Approach and leave slowly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction.
· Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales.
· Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if traveling side by side with whales.
· When whales are traveling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore.
· Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales.
· If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales.
· Work together by communicating with other vessels, and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines.
小題1:64. For whom is this text written?

A．Tour guides.	B．Whale watchers.
C．Vessel operators.	D．Government officials.

小題2:65. When leaving the observation areas, the vessel should ______.

A．move close to the beach	B．increase speed gradually
C．keep its engine running slowly	D．remain at the back of the whales

小題3:66. When going side by side with whales, the vessel should ______.

A．keep moving in the same direction	B．surround the whales with other boats
C．travel closer and closer to the shore	D．take a good viewing position

小題4:67. What is the shortest safe distance from the whales?

A．400 metres.

B．300 metres.

C．200 metres.

D．100 metres.

In 2003, the government banned Internet cafes from receiving customers under18. However, Shanghai plans to bring online games as well as cartoons and comics to its schools. “The influence of online games on young people cannot be ignored, ”said Weng Tiehui, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (SMEC). “We should choose the right game for them as online games are becoming part of their life.”
School teachers shared the same idea. "My students are like studying machines who are busy with homework all day," said Chen Hong, who is a teacher of Chinese in Shanghai Weiyu Middle School . "We should find ways to let them relax and online games may be a good way to do this."
"In role-playing games, you imagine yourself as a hero who fights against outlaws and saves their victims," said Shen Xia, a teacher from Shanghai Hongxing Middle School. "That is a good feeling for a kid. They gain success and confidence from the game. But the important thing is to make sure they don‘t become escapists, mixing up reality and the imaginary world. "
"Multi-media has proven to be an effective teaching tool. Students enjoy learning something while they are playing games,' said Yan, an expert on education from the Shanghai Educational Press Group , "Online games will be a new teaching method in which they can learn at the same time as entertaining themselves. "
"I have dreamed that one day students will have courses via online games, "Yan added.
"The idea is practical, "Li Lijun, director of the Public Relations Department of Shanda, China’s online game giant; told the Shanghai Star. “If it proves to be successful, it will start a revolution in educational theory and practice. "  
小題1:The above writing is most likely to appear in _________.

A．a(chǎn)n official paper

B．a(chǎn) government notice

C．a(chǎn) newspaper

D．a(chǎn) meeting memo (備忘錄)

小題2:According to Weng Tiehui, deputy director of the SMEC, __________.

A．it is not practical to forbid young people playing online games completely

B．online games have strong influence on young people so they should be banned

C．young people can't go without online games which are becoming part of their life

D．internet cafes should be allowed to receive customers under 18

小題3: According to the teachers and experts, online games have the following advantages EXCEPT that _____.

A．online games will let their students relax after busy work

B．online games will make their students become a hero

C．online games wilt bring good experiences to their students

D．online games will become an effective teaching tool

小題4:What is the purpose of the above writing?

A．To inform its readers of some information.

B．To argue about the advantages and disadvantages of online games.

C．To give some comments on online games.

D．To give a support to online games.

小題5: What can be inferred from the above writing?

A．Hopefully, young people in Shanghai will be playing online games at school.

B．Online games will bring success to young people in Shanghai.

C．Young people in Shanghai are having courses via online games.

D．School teachers have opposite opinions about online games.

The heart of Mexico is a high, oval valley surrounded by mountains. Once, forests covered the mountainsides, and broad, shining lakes covered nearly all the valley floor. Now, the mountains are bare and scarred with erosion（侵蝕）, and much of the valley floor is dry and dusty.
Cortez and his Spanish soldiers were the first Europeans to enter this valley. They saw the thriving Aztec city of Tenochtitlan rising from an island in one of the lakes. Surrounding it were green floating gardens. The Spaniards said it was as beautiful as a dream. Then the conquest  began. 
By 1521, when the Spaniards had conquered the fierce Aztecs, the island city was in ruins. Cortez decided to rebuild it after the pattern of European cities. Using the conquered Aztecs as slave laborers, Cortez built the new city, now Mexico City, in just four years.
“But a generation had scarcely passed after the conquest before a sad change came over these scenes so beautiful,” writes one historian. The broad, shining lakes began to dry up.
Modern historians believe that Cortez began the destruction of the valley’s lakes when be ordered the city rebuilt. A great deal of charcoal was needed to burn the limestone (石灰石) from which cement (水泥) and mortar were made. Wood was needed to finish the interiors of the buildings.
The mountainside forests were destroyed to provide the charcoal and wood. Once the sloped were bare, rainfall o longer seeped (滲漏) slowly into the earth to feed the springs that filled the valley’s lakes. Instead, rainfall poured off the mountainsides the city from floods, later rulers made a cut through the mountains so that the water drained away into another valley. Mexico City, once an island, had become a city of a dry plain.
小題1:The underlined word “thriving” in the second paragraph means _______.

A．developing successfully	B．increasing
C．failing	D．growing little

小題2:Which statement does this article lead you to believe?
Keeping nature’s balance is not important any more.
Men thought nature’s resources would last forever.
New forests always automatically replace old ones.
The Aztecs didn’t begin to flourish until Cortez came.
小題3:Why did later rulers cut through the mountains ?
They wanted to fill the city with rainwater.
They wanted the valleys to flood regularly.
They wanted to plant more trees.
They wanted to protect the city from floods.
小題4: One the whole, the article tells about ______.
Mexico as it looked when it was a European city
Modern historians who write about Mexico City
Mexico city before and after the Spaniards came
The beautiful scenery in Mexico
小題5: What is the author’s purpose of writing this article?

A．To tell the beauty and ugliness of Mexico City

B．To introduce the terrible change of Mexico City

C．To explain how Mexico City changed

D．To make people aware of the importance of nature balance

Most people think of racing when they see greyhounds (灰狗) and believe they need lots of exercise. They can actually be quite lazy! Greyhounds are good at fast races but not long-distance running. They do need regular exercise but they like to run for a short burst and then get back on the bed or a comfortable seat. Another misunderstanding is that greyhounds must be aggressive(好斗的) because they are big in size. In fact greyhounds love people and are gentle with children.
Greyhounds can live for 12 – 14 years but usually only race for two or three years, and after that they make great pets. They don’t need a lot of space, don’t make a lot of noise, and don’t eat a lot for their size.
Normally, greyhounds can be as tall as 90 cm. There is, however, a small-sized greyhound, which stands only 33cm. Greyhounds come in a variety of colors. Grey and yellowish-brown are the most common. Others include black, white, blue, red and brown or a mix of these.
Greyhounds have smooth body coats, low body fat and are very healthy. Because they’re slim (苗條的) they don’t have the leg problems like other dogs the same height. But they do feel the cold, especially since they would much rather be at home in bed than walking around outside.    
小題1:The text is written mainly______.

A．to tell people how to raise greyhounds

B．to let people know more about greyhounds

C．to explain why greyhounds are aggressive

D．to describe greyhounds of different colors

小題2:It can be inferred that greyhounds_______.

A．love big doghouses

B．like staying in bed all day

C．make the best guard dogs

D．need some exercise outdoors

小題3:Why does the author say that greyhounds make great pets?

A．They are big in size.

B．They live a very long life.

C．They can run races for some time.

D．They are quiet and easy to look after.

小題4:If you keep a pet greyhound, it is important________.

A．to keep it slim

B．to keep it warm

C．to take special care of its legs

D．to take it to animal doctors regularly

For £12 you can equip an entire classroom in Burkina Faso, for £31 you can equip a school football team in Sierra Leone and for £68 you can support the whole education of a Haitian schoolgirl.
The educational presents are the latest way on the trend of charitable（慈善的）giving for Christmas. Plan UK, an international children's charity, has made its gift list focusing on helping the world's poorest countries to improve their education conditions.
"Every year we rack our brains for the perfect present and too often end up with yet another pair of socks or a useless ornament," said Marie Staunton, Plan UK's chief executive.
"This year we are offering people in the UK the chance to give twice. Buying an alternative gift for a loved one could likely save the life of some of the world's poorest children."
Plan UK is working on projects in specific countries, such as Burkina Faso, which is one of the poorest countries in the world and has a primary school enrolment rate（入學(xué)率）of just 36%. A present of £12 will help equip a classroom in Burkina Faso with chairs, desks, books and pencils.
The educational presents are the latest addition to a list of other charitable presents, including vaccinations（接種）and clean water systems.
Football strips for schoolchildren in Sierra Leone are designed to help the children have fun while continuing with the psychological healing process following the country's civil war. The £31 gift will supply the team strip, a football and a whistle to a school in Sierra Leone.
Oxfam offers similar gifts. Its Back to School kits for five pupils is a bestseller in a catalogue（目錄）which includes the £24 Christmas goat, the £30 lavatory and £12 for school dinners for up to 200 children.
小題1: The first paragraph is written to tell us________.

A．the great differences between the rich and the poor.

B．the general conditions of education in poor countries.

C．the difficulty in getting good education in poor countries.

D．the great meaning of a little money to children in poor countries.

小題2:The underlined phrase “rack our brains” means _____in the third paragraph.

A．cause physical or mental hurt

B．think very hard

C．improve our intelligence

D．make full use of

小題3:Which of the following is Right according to the passage?

A．Plan UK is working on educational projects all over the world.

B．The sufferings brought by war still have side effects on the children in Sierra Leone.

C．The educational Christmas presents have been given to the children for many years.

D．Its Back to School kits for five pupils is a bestselling book.

小題4:The title for the passage would probably be ______.

A．A new way of Christmas shopping

B．Give a helping hand to poor children

C．Buy a child an education this Christmas

D．Plan UK, an international children's charity

Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平裝本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全書), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.
小題1:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge

B．cinemas are the best choice in getting information

C．reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun

D．newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself

小題2:What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

A．People only need reading, though.	B．Reading is still necessary today.
C．Reading is more fun than television.	D．Watching television doesn’t help reading.

小題3:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

D．More people like TV programs about famous men.

小題4:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

D．More people like TV programs about famous men.