Long long ago, there was a small village． This village had a  1  tradition． At the beginning of every year, any boy who had reached the age of majority （the state of legally being an adult） was given land and money to build a home． The boy had to   2 his home before winter． If his home failed to endure the cold weather in winter, the villagers could not  3  him in any way．
One  4 , Paul and Marc reached their majority． They  5  their land and money and decided to search nearby villages for ideas on building their homes． In each village, they found the nicest  6  and talked to the owners． Each owner gladly offered  7 ．
After Marc saw several homes, he  8 the best ideas and went back to his own land． Paul, 9  , continued collecting more ideas． Soon he had so many great ideas that he began to  10 some of them． But he always believed he could find even better ideas in the next village．
Marc began building his home． He had several false starts,  11  his home gradually rose from his land． By fall, Marc had finished his home． It wasn't perfect, but it was strong and he could  12 it later． Paul enjoyed all the beautiful homes and   13  with home owners． The first snow came and Paul, realizing he was running out of time,  14  back to his land． He built the best home he could in the time he had, but it was   15 ． The first winter storm destroyed his home and he froze to  16 ． The villagers mourned for him．
Marc  17 the winter． Each year, Marc searched for other good ideas he could use to make his own home look better． He became a leader in the village,  18 a family, and lived a happy, content life．
We all build and improve our own mental homes． It’s   19  and fun for us to search for ideas from other mental home owners, but we only improve our own mental home if we actually  20   the best ideas．

小題1:	A．strange B．hopeful C．literary D．cultural

小題2:	A．find B．make C．complete D．buy

小題3:	A．help B．encourage C．scold D．persuade

小題4:	A．winter B．summer C．a(chǎn)utumn D．spring

小題5:	A．exchanged B．received C．recognized D．a(chǎn)dvice

小題6:	A．girls B．jobs C．houses D．presents

小題7:	A．rooms B．drinks C．a(chǎn)ttention D．a(chǎn)dvice

小題8:	A．expected B．gathered C．created D．understood

小題9:	A．similarly B．finally C．however D．furthermore

小題10:

A．forget B．believe C．replace D．doubt

小題11:

A．because B．a(chǎn)lthough C．but D．so

小題12:

A．repair B．rebuild C．sell D．improve

小題13:

A．conversations B．a(chǎn)chievements C．struggles D．a(chǎn)rguments

小題14:

A．drove B．rushed C．flew D．moved

小題15:

A．weak B．funny C．small D．a(chǎn)mazing

小題16:

A．blindness B．death C．sadness D．illness

小題17:

A．experienced B．loved C．survived D．spent

小題18:

A．brought B．earned C．contacted D．raised

小題19:

A．slow B．easy C．dangerous D．special

小題20:

A．realize B．bring C．collect D．a(chǎn)pply

“Get out of the plane!” Justin shouted. Teddy and he dropped to the ground,….
When Kathy and Victor reached the edge of the grassland, flames(火焰)were shooting more than five meters into the air.
Kathy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. One glance told her they needed medical attention immediately. She questioned Justin, “ Is there anyone in the plane?”
“No,” he said.
“Where are you able to radio for help?”
“There was no time.”
“ I’m a distance runner.” Kathy said, “I’ll go for help.” Looking at the seriously injured men, she said, “It may take me several hours to get out.” She started out.
When she was 23, Kathy set a women’s-course record in a Marathon. She had run 42 kilometers. But now she was running the race of her life. She had nearly 30 kilometers of hard wilderness to cover to get help.
Kathy had been running for two hours. This was far back into the wilderness. The trail(小徑) grew unclear. She stopped to take a quick compass(指南針) reading. She had run for more than 20 kilometers. Her heart fell, her muscle(肌肉) aching. Finally she saw her car in the distance.
She jumped into the car and sped away. She reached a holiday house and called the police.
During the wait she walked around, relaxing her legs and drinking water. It took almost two hours for a helicopter to reach her. They needed her for one more task.
小題1:“Now, she was running the race of her life” means that ________________.

A．she would set up a new record

B．she was running for the lives of others

C．she would run a race without others

D．she couldn’t rely on Victor this time

小題2:Why did Kathy stopped to have a look at her compass? Because ______________.

A． she didn’t trust her memory	B．she had lost her way
C． The trail grew vague	D．Of the wilderness

小題3:Why did she walk around, relax her legs and drink water? Because ______________.

A．She was too tired

B．she felt thirsty

C．she wanted to regain lost energy

D．nothing else could be done then

小題4:What do you think of her final task was?

A．Giving the injured food and drinks.

B．Taking them to the nearest hospital.

C．To show the police where the injured was.

D．To go back to put out the big fire.

Are you a media addict who would go mad after two hours without TV, friend requests, exciting online games and your mobile – or would you easily survive?
Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban by unplugging all forms of media devices for 24 hours.
Unplugged is being run by Dr Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University. The experiment is now over but he doesn’t yet know the full findings. However, during the experiment, Dr Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers. He said: “They’re reporting withdrawal symptoms(癥狀), overeating, feeling nervous, isolated and disconnected.” During their 24-hour painful experience, three of the experiment’s guinea pigs had to endure one intrusion(侵?jǐn)_) from the media: a BBC reporter plus cameraman who followed them around for the day. They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day offline, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops. Elliot Day wrote: “Today, my whole morning routine was thrown up into the air. Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers.” From Caroline Scott, we read: “I didn’t expect it, but being prevented from the media for 24 hours resulted in my day-to-day activities becoming so much harder to carry out than usual… I didn’t break out in a cold sweat like our lecturer expected us all to, but it’s not something I would like to do again!” And Charlotte Gay wrote: “I have to say the most difficult item for me to be without has been my mobile; not only is it a social tool, it’s my main access point of communication.”
Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once. And a recent study by Nielson found that on average, US teenagers send and receive over 3,000 texts per month ---that’s about six texts per waking hour. So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future?
小題1:What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To ask for information.	B．To entertain the readers.
C．To lead to the topic.	D．To present an idea.

小題2:About Dr. Roman Gerodimos’ experiment, we know that ________.

A．volunteers felt uncomfortable in it.

B．volunteers didn’t want to eat anything.

C．the experiment was still going on.

D．volunteers were allowed to take their laptops.

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

A．Three pigs were included in the experiment.

B．A BBC reporter discussed the experiment.

C．During the 24 hours’ experiment the volunteers wrote out their experiences.

D．The lecturer had expected sweat would suddenly appear on the volunteers through fear.

小題4:What does the sentence “…was thrown up into the air” most probably means?

A．went on normally.	B．was completely disturbed.
C．turned out perfect.	D．was badly designed.

小題5:Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A．Surviving without the Media.	B．Unplugging Your Life.
C．Valuing Social Communication.	D．Setting Aside Time for Sleep.

A friend of mine met with an accident driving in darkness. His legs were so hurt that he couldn’t move. What was the   1  was he found himself unable to ask for help-his mobile phone went out of   2  as a result of exhausted battery. Nothing could be done but to
  3  in cold wilderness. It was 8 hours later that day broke, and then the   4  of the rescue.
It is almost   5  that he could stand the horror in the darkness for so long. Even more surprising was his  6 : “First of all I checked up my   7  conditions and found myself not in fatal danger. As there was no    8  to call for help, I leaned back in my seat trying my best to keep the wound from  9 .  In this way I dozed (打盹) off.”
His story put an end to my regret for the   10  of an exploration adventure that happened last year. A group of young men   11  to explore a mountain cave and got lost.
  12  to find a way out in the dark cave they were frightened and ran anxiously without a sense of   13 . Finally they fell dead in fear and exhaustion. According to the   14  
people that found them, the place where they got lost was only about 10 meters away from the
  15  of the cave. If they stayed on the spot when they lost their way and tried to   16 
themselves, they would probably sense a faint light glimmering (閃爍) not far away.
Don’t you think that you can compare it with   17  itself? When you meet with obstacles in life and work, you are lost in darkness.   18  you it’s unclear yet and you needn’t put up struggle   19 . It seems to be a negative attitude,  20  a person who can afford to do so must have foresight as well as a great courage in the first place.

小題1:	A．hopeless B．worst C．more D．best

小題2:	A．service B．way C．order D．work

小題3:	A．cry B．lie C．wait D．sleep

小題4:	A．delay B．success C．team D．a(chǎn)rrival

小題5:	A．untrue B．unimaginable C．true D．useless

小題6:	A．plan B．decision C．explanation D．excuse

小題7:	A．physical B．mental C．working D．medical

小題8:	A．method B．way C．a(chǎn)lternative D．strength

小題9:	A．rotting B．spreading C．hurting D．bleeding

小題10:

A．loss B．failure C．disappointment D．sadness

小題11:

A．had B．managed C．tried D．planned

小題12:

A．Willing B．Unable C．Determined D．Deciding

小題13:

A．hearing B．sight C．feeling D．direction

小題14:

A．rescue B．village C．local D．brave

小題15:

A．end B．top C．opening D．side

小題16:

A．save B．help C．stop D．calm

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)dventure B．work C．life D．mankind

小題18:

A．Mind B．Watch C．Imagine D．Warn

小題19:

A．really B．immediately C．carefully D．hopefully

小題20:

A．a(chǎn)nd B．so C．but D．while

“Time is a problem for children,” states a news report for a new Swiss watch. Children in some countries “l(fā)earn time slowly” because “they don’t wear watches” and “parents don’t really know how to teach them time.” The children grow up with this handicap and become adults-and then can’t get to work on time. Is there an answer to this problem? Of course-it’s the Flick Flak, made by a famous Swiss watch company.
The Flick Flak is being marketed as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10. The watch itself does not teach children how to tell time, of course; it merely “takes their imagination” by presenting the “hour” hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the “minute” hand as a tall blue boy named Flick. Flick points to related “blue” minutes on the dial, while Flak points to “red” hour numbers. The characters and colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time.
The watch comes equipped with a standard battery and a nylon band (尼龍表帶). Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flick Flak, calls it “childproof: if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing machine.” The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a suggested price of $25. Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing to tell time; it’s quite another for them to be on time.
小題1:From the news report we know that ______.

A．parents are patient when teaching children time

B．parents have little idea of how to teach children time

C．children are likely to learn time quickly

D．children enjoy wearing the Flick Flak watch

小題2:The author doesn’t seem to believe ______.

A．children will be on time if they have not learnt how to tell time

B．a(chǎn) Flick Flak can help parents teach their children how to tell time

C．the Flick Flak can take children’s imagination

D．children usually have trouble telling time if they don’t wear watches

小題3:The underlined word handicap (Para. 1) means ______.

A．displeasure

B．discouragement

C．disappointment

D．disadvantage

小題4:The United State sales manager calls the new watch “childproof” because ______.

A．it is designed to teach children to be on time

B．it proves to be effective in teaching children time

C．it is made so as not to be easily damaged by children

D．it is the children’s favorite watch

You want to have fun and adventure and so you decide to travel somewhere to do it. Sounds like a simple enough thing. And basically it is. But what is adventure? That is the key here and the answer can be different for different people.
For those who love sports, adventure travel can have a whole different meaning than for those who like history. The physical travel types that you can find include such adventure travel as white water rafting (白浪漂流), kayaking or climbing and hiking to some mountains somewhere. To the hiker, backpacking across Ireland might be their adventure. For this type of person, adventure travel almost always includes something physical. Often the goal is to push their body’s limits and test their individual endurance (耐力).
For those who less want to climb mountains, adventure travel might mean traveling to Nepal and taking in the local festivals. Wine tasting in Italy is also vacation adventure for the more relaxed traveler who enjoys peace and comfort. Anything that is opposite to the normal scope (范圍) of the traveler’s lifestyle defines (定義) adventure.
Adventure travel is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all type of vacation. Adventure depends on the person’s physical limits, how much money the person has and what the person enjoys doing. Going beyond the normal is adventurous for many. If your life is quite busy, then sitting on a beach in the moonlight with your family might be adventure for you. The point is not what you do but that you have a good time and that it is an adventure for YOU — not for the person next to you.
Do not sit home this year when vacation time rolls around. Go beyond your normal routine and try something new. If you usually spend your vacation sun-bathing on a beach, try hiking, instead, through the mountains. Look around you, think beyond your comfort zone and head out on an adventure vacation.
小題1:For a quiet traveler, he is most likely to choose _________.

A．backpacking across a country

B．wine tasting in a bar

C．hiking to some mountains

D．white water rafting

小題2:To have an adventure travel, the most important is _________.

A．whether you enjoy yourself

B．whether you try something dangerous

C．where you go for the traveling

D．what you do in the traveling

小題3:The underlined word “beyond” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_________”.

A．a(chǎn)ccording to

B．later than

C．more than

D．less than

小題4:From the passage, we can make a conclusion that _________.

A．a(chǎn)dventure travel always includes something dangerous

B．a(chǎn)dventure travel will cost you a large sum of money

C．a(chǎn)nything that goes beyond the normal is adventure travel

D．a(chǎn)dventure travelers like to do things to the limits of their body

小題5:The best title for the passage may be “_________”.

A．Tips on adventure travel

B．Who is interested in adventure travel

C．What is adventure travel

D．Popular places for adventure travel

My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values（價值觀念） that helped me grow into an adult.
Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who asked me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt’s basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to admit to her. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball.
I also learned from Steve that personal property（財產(chǎn)） is a sacred（神圣的） thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else in spite of the fact that it had little value. He reminded me of how much I’d hate to lose to someone else the small dog my father made with a piece of cheap wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. David, and still remembered the smell of her perfume (香水) as she patted me on the shoulder.
Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most unforgetful in my mind. When I was twelve I killed an old brown sparrow(麻雀)in the yard with a BB gun. Excited, I screamed at Steve to come and take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark?” I didn’t know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, “The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is when it hurts you first, and then you think a long, long time.” I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.
小題1:What is the passage mainly about?

A．The relationship between Mark and Steve.

B．The important lessons Mark learned in school.

C．Steve’s important role in Mark’s growth stage.

D．Mark and Steve’s respect for living things.

小題2:When Mark admitted his mistakes to Mrs. Holt, he ____.

A．was surprised	B．felt frightened
C．was light-hearted	D．cried before her

小題3:From the third paragraph, we can know that Mark _____.

A．had a shiny silver pen	B．respected his teacher
C．hated his father very much	D．once owned a small wooden dog

小題4:To Mark, which is the most important lesson Steve taught him?

A．Respecting life.	B．Being responsible for one’s behavior.
C．Being honest.	D．Respecting others’ property

Most people have no idea of the hard work and worry that go into the collecting of those interesting birds and animals that they pay to see in the zoo. One of the questions that is always asked of me is 36  I became an animal collector in the first 37  .The answer is that I have always been interested in animals and zoos. According to my parents, the first word I was able to say with any 38    was not the traditional “mamma” or “daddy”,39   the word “zoo”, which I would 40  over and over again with a exciting 41   until someone, in groups to 42  me up, would take me to the zoo. When I 43  a little older, we lived in Greece and I had a great 44 of pets, ranging from owls(鷹) to seahorses, and I spent all my spare time 45the countryside in search of fresh specimens to 46  to my collection of pets.
47 on I went for a year to the City Zoo, as a student 48  , to get experience of the large animals, such as lions, bears, bison and ostriches,49  were not easy to keep at home. When I left, I 50  had enough money of my own to be able to 51  my first trip and I have been going 52  ever since then. Though a collector's job is not an easy one and is full of  53  ,it is certainly a job which will appeal 54  all those who love animals and 55 . 

小題1:	A．how B．where C．when D．whether

小題2:	A．region B．field C．place D．a(chǎn)rea

小題3:	A．clearness B．emotion C．feeling D．a(chǎn)ffection

小題4:	A．except B．but C．except for D．but for

小題5:	A．recite B．recognize C．read D．repeat

小題6:	A．volume B．noise C．voice D．pitch

小題7:	A．close B．shut C．stop D．comfort

小題8:	A．grew B．was growing C．grow D．grown

小題9:	A．many B．a(chǎn)mount C．number D．much

小題10:

A．living B．seeing C．liking D．exploring

小題11:

A．increase B．include C．a(chǎn)dd D．enrich

小題12:

A．later B．further C．then D．farther

小題13:

A．servant B．keeper C．member D．a(chǎn)ssistant

小題14:

A．who B．they C．of which D．which

小題15:A successfully    B. gladly       C. nearly       D. luckily 

小題16:

A．pay B．finance C．a(chǎn)llow D．provide

小題17:

A．normally B．often C．usually D．regularly

小題18:

A．unhappiness B．sorrows C．excitement D．disappointments

小題19:

A．for B．with C．to D．from

小題20:

A．voyage B．travel C．journey D．Trip

I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves．One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community．Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say．Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence （吊唁） calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased （已故的） woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today．It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today．That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take．It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty．Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course — keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation — would have turned out better．After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty．The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens．That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen．It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault．The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it．He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks．He cries, and someone comes to attend to him．When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him．Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
小題1:The author had to hold the two women’s funerals probably because __________________.

A．he wanted to comfort the two families

B．he was an official from the community

C．he had great pity for the deceased

D．he was priest of the local church

小題2:People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _______________________.

A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow

B．they believe that they were responsible

C．they had neglected the natural course of events

D．they didn’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction

小題3:According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that ______.

A．everything in the world is predetermined

B．the world can be interpreted in different ways

C．there’s an explanation for everything in the world

D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world

小題4:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery.

B．Every story should have a happy ending.

C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.

D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away .

Have you ever been in a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away? You probably felt sorry and made up your mind to pay attention and never have daydreaming again. Most of us from earlier school days have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time.
“ On the contrary,” says L.Giambra, an expert in psychology（心理學(xué)）, “ daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn’t get done all the thinking it has to do during a normal day… .
You can’t possibly do all your thinking with a conscious（有意識的） mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one way that the unconscious states of minds have silent dialogues.”
Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the importance of daydreams or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illness. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinger says, “we know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures… Daydreams really are a window on the things we fear and the things we long for in life.”
Daydreams are usually very simple and direct, quite unlike sleep dreams which may be hard to understand. It’s easier to gain a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you recognize the difficult situations in your life and find out a possible way of handling them.
Daydreams cannot be predicted; they move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of useful ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.
So the next time you catch yourself daydreaming, don’t stop. Just pay attention to your dream. It may be more important than you think.
小題1:In what way are daydreams different from sleep dreams?

A．Daydreams help to develop an unconscious mind.

B．Daydreams are not so easy for us to control and direct.

C．Daydreams help us to handle more difficult situations

D．Daydreams are easier for us to understand.

小題2:Professor Eric Klinger believes that _______.

A．our fears and longings in life are shown in our daydreams

B．we may study our experiences just through our daydreams

C．daydreaming is one of the important ways that we recognize our lives

D．we should be able to tell our futures by having daydreams

小題3:The writer of the article thinks that ______.

A．daydreaming is more helpful than sleep dreams

B．many artists and scientists are famous because they have daydreams

C．professor Eric Klinger has a better idea than L. Giambra

D．daydreaming with an unconscious mind will do good to health

小題4:Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Daydreaming was once regarded as a cause of mental illness.

B．Experts began to have a better understanding of daydreams in the late 1980s.

C．Scientists believe that we can know daydreams before having them.

D． Many well-known artists gained energy of creation from daydream