Mini Book Excerpts (節(jié)選)
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it… The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J. D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski (Random House, $27)
Mystery (疑案小說)
"You're a smart boy. Benny's death was no accident, and you're the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it?" The boy was staring stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika, "Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn't you?"
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers, "Maybe," he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund (Atria Books, $25.99)
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class. Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don't want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won't. Some mothers love so their daughters won't.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna (Riverhead Books, $15)
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times!'s "amusement cycling" is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half of that within a day's drive of most cities?
Happy: And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle (Ecco, $14.99)
小題1:If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger, they should buy the book published by ________.

A．Ecco

B．Atria Books

C．Riverhead Books

D．Random House

小題2:The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for ________.

A．young children	B．Disney World workers
C．middle school teachers	D．parents with young children

小題3: Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts
B. J. D. Salinger: A Life
C. You Are Free
D. Red Wolf
小題4: After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that ________.

A．the boy helped arrest the murderer

B．Benny died of an accident

C．the murderer got away with the crime

D．Annika carried out the crime

For those who are tired of doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app (application).
Strange though it may seem — "my wife already does that" was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week — Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them "smart".
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it's Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owner is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it's not just something new — the app connection actually has some practical uses.
"If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go." said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate (電價(jià)) varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do — enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
小題1: What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?

A．The machine will be a big success.

B．their wives like doing the laundry.

C．The machine is unrelated to their life.

D．This kind of technology is familiar to them.

小題2:We can conclude from Samsung's statements that ________.

A．the app connection makes life easier

B．it is better to dry clothes in the morning

C．smartphone can shorten the drying time

D．we should refresh clothes back at home

小題3:What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The laundry should be frequently checked

B．Lazy people like using such machines

C．Good technologies also cause problems

D．Television may help do the laundry

Do you enjoy watching beautiful sunsets and seeing wildlife in some of the best parts of Wisconsin? Do you like being around people who share the same respect and love for natural resources? If you say“yes”, then a fisheries biologist is a great career choice for you.
As you can probably guess, education is very important. A Bachelor of Science degree in fisheries or biology is strongly recommended(推薦). Many biologists have a Master’s degree. But it’s not only good education that prepares you for a career as a fisheries biologist—field experience is also important. Volunteer work, internships(實(shí)習(xí)) and short-term fish technician positions are good ways to gain valuable training that can give you an edge in the competitive job market.
In addition to good education and field experience, a fisheries biologist needs other skills. You’ll spend a lot of time working with the public, so it’s important to feel comfortable talking to a variety of people. Good communication, listening, and presentation(陳述) skills are a must.
A common misconception among many people is that fisheries biologists get to fish all the time. Most biologists wish that were true. But as a fisheries biologist, you are especially busy during the fishing season, which leaves little time for you to actually go fishing. It’s sad, but true.
Each day brings something different in the life of a fisheries biologist. In the spring and fall, you spend a lot of time on the water shocking fish in order to sample the population, studying fish, and talking with people. The winter is spent analyzing(分析) fish data and communication with the public.
So if you find fish interesting and fun to learn about, and like working both outside and inside, consider a career as a fisheries biologist. You’ll never be bored!
小題1:We can infer this passage was written to       .

A．a(chǎn)dvise us to respect and protect wildlife

B．encourage us to spend more time working outside

C．explain why education is important for our career

D．introduce a good career to those who are interested in wildlife

小題2:What are Paragraphs 2 and 3 mainly about?

A．Education needed to find a good job.

B．Requirements for becoming a fisheries biologist.

C．The benefits of being a fisheries biologist.

D．Some good ways to gain valuable training.

小題3:The underlined word“misconception”in Paragraph 4 probably means“       ”。

A．question

B．misunderstanding

C．dream

D．explanation

小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that       .

A．fisheries biologists like working in winter most

B．fisheries biologists can easily get bored of their work

C．fisheries biologists get to fish all the time all year round

D．fisheries biologists spend a lot of time working outside in spring and fall

Several years ago, a student working on a research project in my laboratory approached me with concern.“I’m doing something wrong,”she exclaimed. I had seen her research results and knew she was making good progress, so I was surprised to hear that she was having a problem. Over the next several days we went through her experiment; yet I could not find a problem. Finally, I asked her,“Why do you think you’re doing something wrong?” “Because I’m not getting what you said I should get,”she replied with some confusion.
Her response shocked me. I had not told her what she“should get”, but we had discussed some published hypotheses(假說) several weeks earlier. On seeing the research data that did not fit these predictions, I recognized that she had a new finding and came to change my hypotheses. But she was interpreting her results as a mistake. With almost four years of a college science major behind her, this student still had the common misunderstanding that science is a boring exercise in proving something we already know to be true.
But how can this happen? Throughout school, science is often described in textbooks as a series of“known”facts and figures; for example, DNA is a double helix; earthquakes occur at plate boundaries, etc. Unfortunately, the process by which these discoveries were made and how they fit into scientific progress are often ignored in the classroom. These details help show the nature of scientific discoveries and the tails help show the nature of scientific discoveries and the skepticism(質(zhì)疑) that goes with new discoveries before they are accepted.
Understanding science is more than memorizing that DNA is a double helix. It is to have the ability to take in new information on diet, exercise, or disease and apply it to our own lives. Understanding the process of science and scientific problem-solving can help us make better decisions every day.
小題1:The student thought her research project had gone wrong because       .

A．she was not making progress

B．her teacher told her so

C．she couldn’t get enough data

D．she had some unexpected findings

小題2:How did the writer feel when he found out the reason for the student’s confusion?

A．Confused.

B．Surprised.

C．Excited.

D．Pleased.

小題3:What is to blame for the student’s misunderstanding about science?

A．Her own carelessness.

B．Her teacher’s lack of experience.

C．The method of science education.

D．The publication of some wrong hypotheses.

小題4:What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The meaning of understanding science.

B．How to use known facts.

C．The best way to make scientific discoveries.

D．How to use scientific knowledge in daily life.

My partner and I were staying in Beruwela on the Southwest coast of Sri Lanka when the tsunami(海嘯) hit. We   1  from the first floor of our hotel. At that time, a wall of water swept in and tore the ground floor apart underneath us.   2  to be moved out to Colombo was very frightening because everyone was afraid that another and possibly bigger   3  would come. At one stage we heard that another wave was coming and there was   4 . Surprisingly, a fleet of small vehicles driven by local people arrived outside the hotel and we just  5  a minibus.
We were taken up a hill to a place of   6  where we were welcomed by a family who told us that we could stay as   7  as we needed to. Among all this death and   8 , these people were trying to help us! We were shown to the local Mosque where hundreds of locals were cooking, collecting and distributing food and supplies for those less   9 . In the three days we were waiting to leave, we saw many examples of ordinary Sri Lankans, many of whom had lost friends,   10  and livelihoods（生計(jì)，謀生方式）, trying to help others who were worse off. It was a very moving experience.
We have since been   11  the family who took us in and they are saying that what their country needs most urgently is practical help, doctors, nurses and medicines, helping to   12   roads and rebuilding electricity and water supplies. These people would have done anything to help us, it is time for the British Government to do more to help them. 

小題1:	A．heard B．watched C．learnt D．moved

小題2:	A．Telling B．Forcing C．Waiting D．Ordering

小題3:	A．wave B．flood C．hurricane D．water

小題4:	A．panic B．peace C．silence D．violence

小題5:	A．looked into B．turned to C．jumped into D．broke into

小題6:	A．safety B．warmth C．goodness D．dreams

小題7:	A．well B．far C．soon D．long

小題8:	A．kindness B．happiness C．love D．destruction

小題9:	A．careful B．fortunate C．dependent D．energetic

小題10:

A．children B．experts C．family D．relatives

小題11:

A．in honor of B．by way of C．in contact with D．on behalf of

小題12:

A．make B．clear C．clean D．build

If English is not your first language, it is a good idea to take English language classes to improve your written and spoken communication skills. There are many ways to learn English. You can learn from a book, a DVD, on the Internet or by attending classes. One of the most successful ways to improve your English is to join a course in a country where English is widely spoken. The more you practice, the more you will learn. But why learn the English language? English is an important language for anyone who is planning to travel or become involved in business.
Many people love travelling, but if their English is poor, it can be difficult to understand signs, read directions and make themselves understood. Before travelling, it is important to understand the culture and customs of the places you visit. Learning basic English before you travel will help you to understand these customs and avoid mistakes that could be embarrassing. When you are travelling, you will also enjoy meeting new people. If you can speak English, you will have a better chance of being able to communicate with the people you meet. Many of your new friends will speak English and others will have English as a second language. Without English, your friendships will be limited as you travel around the world.
If you are involved in business, it is important to be able to communicate in English. The Internet, world travel and modern communication systems have made the world seem like a much smaller place. These days business people interact with customers and other business people from all over the world. That makes your English language skills more important than ever. There are many English language courses that major in business communications. Improving your English skills is one of the best things you could ever do to increase your chances of business success.
小題1:What kind of people is English important to according to the passage?

A．Travelers.

B．Teachers.

C．Students.

D．Language experts.

小題2:Which of the following is the best way to learn English well?

A．Travelling around the world with English-speakers.

B．Taking a course in an English-speaking country.

C．Learning from all kinds of books or DVDs.

D．Learning on the Internet by yourselves.

小題3:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the aim of learning basic English?

A．To research the causes of cultural differences.

B．To understand the customs of your destination.

C．To avoid embarrassing mistakes on your journey.

D．To have more opportunities to communicate with others.

小題4: What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．The more you practice, the more you will learn.

B．Doing business helps to improve your communication skills.

C．English is important for anyone who is involved in business.

D．The Internet has made the world become smaller and smaller.

小題5:We can infer from the passage that _____.

A．learning English well will make you achieve goals more easily

B．learning English only aims at achieving business success

C．without learning English, your friendships will be limited wherever you are

D．you needn’t learn English if you don’t want to travel

Motorists over the age of 75 face compulsory tests of their eyesight and ability to drive under proposals being considered by ministers.
The biggest overhaul of motoring law in a generation could also lead to all drivers having to give assurances（保證）of their fitness to get behind the wheel every 10 years.
Other changes under consideration include issuing（發(fā)放）daylight driving licenses for motorists with night blindness, together with stricter checks on all drivers whose medical condition brought a threat to other road users.
It is understood that the proposals will be part of a review of the law governing the medical fitness of drivers that will be announced publicly by the summer.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is dealing with a rising number of motorists who are concerned that they have conditions---from failing eyesight to epilepsy---that could affect their driving.
In 2006, the DVLA dealt with 600,000 motorists whose physical ability to drive needed to be recertified（重新認(rèn)證）, a 20 per cent rise on the previous year. With an ageing population, the biggest challenge is dealing with the rising number of elderly motorists. By 2021, there will be an estimated three million drivers over the age of 70 on Britain’s roads.
Drivers must renew their licenses at the age of 70 and every three years thereafter. The applicant is legally required to tell the DVLA of any conditions that could weaken their ability behind the wheel.
Ministers have ruled out a compulsory maximum age for driving but will instead rely on tightening up the checks on motorists over the age of 75. The most likely option would be tests to ensure motorists were fit to drive. They would include an eyesight test and a cognitive（認(rèn)知） test that would prove a driver's ability to react to road signs, driving conditions, pedestrians and vehicles.
However, checks are likely to be tightened at all ages. The strictest controls are expected to be imposed（強(qiáng)制） on motorists of any age who have had a heart attack or stroke. They could have to produce a doctor's approval to resume（重新得到）driving. Anyone making a false declaration would be guilty of a criminal offence.
小題1:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The new motoring law will come into effect by the summer．

B．Drivers over the age of 75 must renew their licenses every three years．

C．Doctors will decide whether one can get their driving licenses．

D．Drivers at all ages will be expected to provide their medical condition．

小題2:What is the biggest challenge to the traffic safety in Britain according to the writer?

A．Ageing population．	B．Increasing number of cars．
C．Increasing number of elderly motorists．	D．Driving conditions．

小題3:The underlined word “overhaul” in Paragraph 2 means _______．

A．change

B．consideration

C．concern

D．challenge

小題4:What can be learned from the passage?

A．There will be more and more aged drivers in Britain．

B．Anyone can get a driving license as long as he/she is in good health．

C．Health tends to decline as one gets old

D．It will be guilty to make a false declaration．

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.  Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping---watching TV and buying things by phone. Now teleshopping is starting in Europe. In some __46__ countries, people can turn on their __47__ and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys and __48__ things.
Teleshopping is becoming popular in Sweden. __49__, the biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in fifteen European countries, and in one year, it makes $10 million. In France, there are two teleshopping channels, and the French __50__ about $ 20 million a year in buying things through those channels.
In Germany, __51__ last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for one hour every day. Then the government allowed more teleshopping. Other channels can __52__ for telebusiness, including the largest American teleshopping company and a 24-hour teleshopping company. German __53__ are hoping these will help them sell more things.
Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without __54__. With all the traffic problems in cities, going shopping is not an easy thing. But at the same time, other Europeans __55__ like this new way of buying things. They call __56__ “junk on the air.” Many Europeans usually worry about the quality of the things __57__ on TV. They think high quality is the most important thing, and they don’t believe they can be sure about the quality of the things __58__.
The need of high quality means that European teleshopping companies will have to be __59__ the American companies. They will have to be more careful about __60__ of the things they sell. They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see by themselves.

小題1:	A．European B．Asian C．American D．African

小題2:	A．lights B．switches C．radios D．TVs

小題3:	A．some else B．a(chǎn)nother many C．the other D．many other

小題4:	A．Such as B．For example C．For teleshopping D．It is like

小題5:	A．takes B．cost C．spends D．spend

小題6:	A．to B．until C．unless D．by

小題7:	A．begin B．leave C．open D．turn on

小題8:	A．people B．women C．businessmen D．officials

小題9:	A．to go out B．going out C．to buy things D．buying things

小題10:

A．still B．don’t C．even D．won’t

小題11:

A．teleshopping B．TV C．radio D．telephone

小題12:

A．a(chǎn)ppearing B．coming out C．for sale D．to buy

小題13:

A．in the shop B．on TV C．they bought D．by this way

小題14:

A．different from B．the same with C．a(chǎn)s big as D．larger than

小題15:

A．the number B．the quality C．the places D．the buyers

My son Jack, a fourth grader, was having a hard time in getting interested in story books recently, so I offered to read the first few chapters to him. In the early pages of ‘Incident at Halk Hill’, a quiet little boy has a special meeting with a female badger (獾).Soon after, another badger is caught in a steel leg trap(陷阱), and the author describes in detail the pain and scare of an animal struggling to its death. We meet the cruel hunter and his ill treatment of a dog; we see the badger being skinned by the boy's father；and we experience the child's confusion when beaten by his father in anger. Pretty heavy going for ten-year-olds, I thought.
Last night , I returned from a weekend away to find that Jack had finished the whole book on his own. “It was really, really good and sad, and violent，” he reported. “There was a lot of killing.”
“Were there any happy parts?" I asked,
"The boy's life was saved by the badger, and that was good. But then that badger got caught in a trap again and at the end it's dying, too. ” Jack said, "It was so sad that I almost cried. ”
I told him that many books have made me cry, beginning with Heidi, when I was just his age, right on up to the novel I finished last week.
“Well，” he admitted then, “I actually did cry. Reading that book just reminded me of all the sadness in the world, and it made me feel sad ,too. ”
So, I think, now he has been through the sad tone of the passage , the discovery that words on a printed page can give rise to such strong emotion ，that a book can move you right out of your own comfortable little self and into someone else's pain. Thus we come to realize that if we are to remain fully engaged in life, open to its mysteries and feel sorry towards its suffering, we indeed need stories to grab（抓住） us by the neck and remind us of the sadness in the world that is not our own.
小題1:‘Incident at Halk Hill’ is a _______story.

A．sad

B．happy

C．funny

D．boring

小題2:The underlined sentence “Pretty heavy going for ten-year-olds" means____

A．the book is too long for a ten year old child

B．the book is too difficult for a ten year old child

C．the book is too violent(暴力) for a ten year old child

D．the book is too pretty for a ten year old child

小題3:According to the passage , stories can be something to help you_____

A．enjoy your spare time	B．develop your care for animals
C．realize the truth of life	D．think about your own life

小題4:By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to____.

A．tell a story that interested his son

B．show the importance of reading stories

C．share an experience between himself and his son

D．show how to make children interested in books

I had made up my mind a long time ago that I would not give a homeless person money, because I could never be sure what that money would be used for. Instead, I decided, I would buy them a sandwich, a cold drink on a hot day, a cup of coffee, whatever I could manage.
I was out recently and saw a homeless man outside of a Starbucks. I decided I would buy this man lunch. I bought a sandwich and soda.
Just as I was leaving the store, two policemen were approaching the man. Obviously the shop owners had complained of his wandering and the police were there to draw him away from the storefronts. Just as they were about to wake him, I asked one of the officers if it was all right if I just gave the man something before he went. I was not sure why I asked the permission but the policeman said sure and I just left the bag in the man’s cart, got in my car and drove off.
As I was driving off I remember thinking “I hope people saw that”. Then I had to seriously ask myself why I hoped people had seen me give the man a sandwich from Starbucks. Was it because I wanted people to think, “She’s such a nice person!”? Why did I hope others had seen me do it? I continued to wonder this all evening.
The next morning, it came to me that I wanted people to have witnessed that small act of kindness not so that I would receive credit and praise but so that they might be inspired to do the same and in so doing that others still would witness their acts of kindness. Thus the whole spirit of pity and giving would be lasting.
小題1:The underlined word “Starbucks” in the second paragraph is the name of a _________.

A．shop

B．bookstore

C．bank

D．man

小題2:When the author saw the homeless man, he was __________.

A．begging outside	B．buying goods
C．staying awake	D．falling asleep

小題3:What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To show the author is great.

B．To encourage people to help others.

C．To introduce an experience that changed the author.

D．To call on people not to give money to a homeless man.

小題4:The author can be best described as __________.

A．bad-tempered	B．hard-working
C．kind-hearted	D．self-confident