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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Scientists have proved that sleeping and learning go hand in hand. Even a short nap can boost our memory and sharpen our thinking. But the relationship goes deeper than that.
“The brain is not passive while you sleep,” scientist Anat Arzi said. “It’s quite active. You can do many things while you are asleep.”
Arzi and her coworkers didn’t try to teach the sleeping volunteers any complex information, like new words or facts. Instead, the scientists taught volunteers to make new connections between smells and sounds.
When we smell something good, like a flower, we take deep breaths. When we smell something bad, we take short breaths. Arzi and her co-workers based their experiment on these reactions.
Once the volunteers fell asleep in the lab, the scientists went to work. They gave them a whiff of something pleasant and meanwhile played a particular musical note. They didn’t wake up, but they heard—and sniffed(吸氣) deeply. Then the scientists gave the volunteers a whiff of something terrible and played a different musical note. Again, the volunteers heard and smelled—a short snort this
time—but didn’t wake up. The researchers repeated the experiment.
After just four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their paired smells. When the scientists played the musical tone that went with good smells, the sleepers breathed deeply. And when the scientists played the musical tone that went with bad smells, the sleepers breathed briefly—despite there being no bad smell.
The next day, the volunteers woke up with the sound-smell connection. They breathed deeply when hearing one tone and cut their breaths short when hearing the other, which must have been unusual for them. Imagine walking down the street and taking a deep breath upon hearing a particular sound!

  1. 1.

    In the study, the volunteers were taught _______

    1. A.
      to become active during sleep
    2. B.
      to tell the difference between smell
    3. C.
      to learn new words and scientific facts
    4. D.
      to make sound-smell connections
  2. 2.

    How did the volunteers react when smelling something nice and hearing musical notes?

    1. A.
      They took a deep breath
    2. B.
      They had a wonderful dream
    3. C.
      They woke up at once
    4. D.
      They took a short breath
  3. 3.

    When the volunteers woke up the next day, they_______

    1. A.
      learned how to play to musical tones
    2. B.
      forgot what happened during their sleep
    3. C.
      continued with the sound-smell connection
    4. D.
      changed their reaction when hearing
  4. 4.

    The passage mainly tell us______

    1. A.
      special smells and sounds can improve our memory
    2. B.
      our brain can actually learn something new during the sleep
    3. C.
      the volunteers will always hear similar sounds in the street
    4. D.
      our brain can tell the difference between smells during the sleep
  5. 5.

    Which of the following is NOT true?

    1. A.
      A short sleep can improve our memory and sharpen our thinking
    2. B.
      Arzi and her coworkers didn’t try to teach the sleeping volunteer some simple information
    3. C.
      When the volunteer smelt something terrible, they didn’t wake up
    4. D.
      After four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their pared smells

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Few people ever took notice of Mr. Jimmy Tan whenever he entered a room. He was a shy, quiet and simple man who preferred to keep to himself in public. On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Kim, a fellow scientist, was a man everyone would notice on the streets. He wore bright outfits with huge flower prints, spoke with a booming voice, and his laughter could be heard from all corners of a room. In addition to the differences in their characters, Mr. Kim and Mr. Tan were also great rivals at work in the Institute of Future Science.
On Christmas Eve, everyone left work early to celebrate the special occasion, except for Mr. Tan and Mr. Kim. They were in their laboratory analyzing the results of their latest experiments. Mr. Tan realized that something special was taking place in his experiment —the bacteria he had cultured were growing extremely quickly under high pressure and at a very low temperature. After noting down the findings in his notebook, he left the room to prepare for another round of tests. Shortly after, Mr. Kim entered.
“Hey Jimmy,” Mr. Kim called out, “do you have an extra copy of the laboratory booking form?”
There was no reply, so Mr. Kim looked through Mr. Tan’s things. He soon found Mr. Tan's notebook and was horrified to see that Mr. Tan had managed to make one of the most important discoveries in modern science. He then looked into the deep-freeze cupboard where a dish containing the bacteria was kept. He put them into his pocket and returned to his own laboratory.
Mr. Tan came back an hour later to find his notebook and the dish missing. He knew that Mr. Kim had taken them and went to Mr. Kim's laboratory to find out. When he opened the door, he found Mr. Kim lying on the floor motionless. His face was pale and his skin had turned black. The deadly bacteria had been handled improperly. He shook his head and left

  1. 1.

    From the first paragraph we know Mr. Kim was a quite______person

    1. A.
      famous
    2. B.
      hardworking
    3. C.
      wealthy
    4. D.
      outgoing
  2. 2.

    The underlined word "rivals" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

    1. A.
      enemies
    2. B.
      colleagues
    3. C.
      competitors
    4. D.
      friends
  3. 3.

    What does the underlined word “them” refer to in the 4th paragraph?

    1. A.
      the most important discoveries
    2. B.
      the notebook and the dish
    3. C.
      the cupboard and the bacteria
    4. D.
      the dish and the bacteria
  4. 4.

    Which of the following is true according to the passage?

    1. A.
      Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him
    2. B.
      Mr. Tan's bacteria grew very fast in a warm container
    3. C.
      Mr. Tan worked much harder than Mr. Kim
    4. D.
      Mr. Kim was so tired that he fell down into sleep
  5. 5.

    What happened to Mr. Kim in the end?

    1. A.
      He died on Christmas Eve
    2. B.
      He was arrested by the police
    3. C.
      He shared the success with Mr. Tan
    4. D.
      He succeeded ahead of Mr. Tan

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Fourteen is not an age at which you try to earn millions of dollars. But for Bangalore boy, Suhas Gopinath, it was.
One day in August, 1999, Suhas, studying at the Air Force School in Hebbal, was surfing the Net at a cyber cafe. He happened to hit an MSN source code （源碼）. That made him decide to learn more about HTML （超文本標記語言） and to design and set up his own website under the address of a US-based company, Network Solutions.
He kept updating his website, posting interesting things on it. This impressed Network Solutions and they invited him to attend a class on Web design and development. His mom and uncle criticised him for not taking his education seriously. But gradually, his dad started encouraging him and even bought him a computer and Net connection. In fact, that was his first investment in the company.
On May 14, 2000, along with friends Clifford Leslie and Binay M. N, he floated （籌資開辦） his own website — www.coolhindustani.com. He did not have the money to start, for his parents refused to give him a penny. So he wrote to Network Solutions Inc. in the US and they readily agreed.
In August, the same year, he set up Globals Inc., a Web solutions and networking company, with a team of four. Now, he has 400 employees, more than 200 customers across the globe and offices in 11 countries, and he is worth over $100 million.
After finishing his high school education, he studied at Stanford University for two years. But Suhas says: “Education alone will not make a good professional （專業(yè)人員）.”

  1. 1.

    When Suhas Gopinath was praised by Network Solutions, his mother______.

    1. A.
      felt proud of his success
    2. B.
      forbade him to enter a cyber cafe
    3. C.
      worried about his studies
    4. D.
      wanted to buy him a computer
  2. 2.

    Suhas Gopinath’s website “coolhindustani” was supported by______.

    1. A.
      his parents
    2. B.
      an American company
    3. C.
      his uncle
    4. D.
      Stanford University
  3. 3.

    In which order did the following events happen?
    a. Suhas was invited by Network Solutions to attend a class.
    b. Suhas set up his first website.
    c. Suhas set up Globals Inc.
    d. Suhas went abroad for further education

    1. A.
      a-c-b-d
    2. B.
      b-a-d-c
    3. C.
      a-b-c-d
    4. D.
      b-a-c-d
  4. 4.

    What is TRUE about Globals Inc.?

    1. A.
      It is a world-class company
    2. B.
      It is owned by Suhas and his two friends
    3. C.
      It is a branch of Network Solutions
    4. D.
      It earns about 100 million dollars each year

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

I had once helped a friend of mine run a watermelon stall. I noticed something interesting. Almost every buyer would lift the melon up to their ear，smartly tap it, apparently trying to listen to something. I wondered what they expected to hear.
Finally I could no longer hold back my curiosity and made bold to ask a customer—an elderly gentleman—about this. Hearing my question，he roared with laughter. Then he replied in a self­mocking(自嘲)tone.“Young lady，I have been doing this for more than fifty years. All I know is that everybody would stare at you as if you were a fool if you just pick up the melon and leave！”
Not long after that，my watermelon stall friend unexpectedly sent me an invitation for her wedding，which really surprised me. I asked her, “How come you are seized by a sudden desire to get married? I don't remember ever hearing you mention that yon've got a boyfriend.” She answered while counting money，“Everyone has to get married anyway，so it is better to get married sooner than later.”
I could think of no word to refute(反駁)her. It seems that everybody is living for everybody else and has forgotten the need of their own heart. It may be safe and save a lot of worries by following others' suit in doing things. The use of We or Us will give one a steady and sure sense of pride. But using the pronoun “I” would often give one a guilty conscience.
I find all these things somewhat funny. We have got used to taking cue from(模仿) others and follow their suit. In turn，we also take it for granted that we should judge the right and wrong of others by our own standard. As a matter of fact，this massive practice is still wrong though we all follow others' suit like this, but we feel at ease and, justified simply because this is the way of us, and so we can have an easy conscience because this has been practiced by so many people

  1. 1.

    The writer probably feels that it is ________

    1. A.
      necessary for the buyer to tap the watermelon
    2. B.
      foolish of the buyers to buy watermelon without tapping it
    3. C.
      funny that the buyers will tap the watermelons when buying them
    4. D.
      wise of the elderly gentleman to tap watermelons before buy them
  2. 2.

    The writer uses the example of her friend's decision of getting married to show that ________

    1. A.
      her friend took no account of others's feeling
    2. B.
      her friend decided to marry just to follow the crowd
    3. C.
      her friend was a person who has strong personality
    4. D.
      everybody in the world should marry for others
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

    1. A.
      It may be safe to follow others' suit in doing things
    2. B.
      I was surprised to receive my friend's invitation for her wedding
    3. C.
      My experience of helping my friend run a watermelon stall was interesting
    4. D.
      The use of We or I will give speakers themselves quite different senses
  4. 4.

    Which word can replace the underlined word“justified”in the last paragraph?

    1. A.
      Reasonable
    2. B.
      Embarrassed
    3. C.
      Ashamed
    4. D.
      Nervous
  5. 5.

    In which section of a magazine can you read the passage?

    1. A.
      Art and Life
    2. B.
      Sport and Health
    3. C.
      Culture and Society
    4. D.
      Science and Technology

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and it’s one of the top university in the world. There is no clear date when the university started, but teaching began at Oxford in some forms in 1096 and developed quickly from 1167.
There are 39 independent(獨立的) colleges at Oxford, attracting students and learned men from across the world. There are over 100 libraries for the students and learned men to use. At University of Oxford, they also provide a number of money for the best students. Of course, if you want to study here, first you have to reach a certain level of English language.
College life at Oxford is very exciting but busy. The groups of college provide a friendly and welcoming home for students while the college are strict with students about their studies. Many Chinese students are studying here. The number of Chinese students at the university has grown quickly over the past 10 years.
根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從A、B、C、D四個選項中選出能回答所提問題或完成所給句子的最佳答案。

  1. 1.

    What do you have to do first if you want to ask fir studying at Oxford? You have to________

    1. A.
      be independent
    2. B.
      pass a certain level test of English language
    3. C.
      study English hard
    4. D.
      be the best students
  2. 2.

    How’s the college life at Oxford? It’s full of ________ and has __________

    1. A.
      excitement; much school work to do
    2. B.
      excitement; no school work to do
    3. C.
      attraction; no school work to do
    4. D.
      attraction; a little school work to do
  3. 3.

    What’s the best title for the passage?

    1. A.
      The College Life
    2. B.
      The Famous Learners at Oxford
    3. C.
      The Chinese Students at Oxford
    4. D.
      The University of Oxford

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Several recent studies have found that being randomly (隨機地) assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood (可能性) of conflict.
Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and force students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships.
An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure.
In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye – the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that "if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove."
Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences.
According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out.
An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester.
Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. "This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race," she said.
At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing.
"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly," said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. "This is the definition of integration."
"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes(模式化形象) and strengthened stereotypes," said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts "provided more multicultural acceptance and melding (融合)," there were also "jarring cultural resistance."
The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race.
Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained

  1. 1.

    What can we learn from some recent studies?

    1. A.
      Conflicts between students of different races are unavoidable
    2. B.
      Interracial lodging may have diverse outcomes
    3. C.
      Students of different races are prejudiced against each other
    4. D.
      Interracial lodging does more harm than good
  2. 2.

    What does the Indiana University study show?

    1. A.
      Few white students like sharing a room with a black peer
    2. B.
      Roommates of different races just don't get along
    3. C.
      Interracial roommates are more likely to fall out
    4. D.
      Assigning students' lodging randomly is not a good policy
  3. 3.

    What does Alec Webley consider to be the "definition of integration"?

    1. A.
      The school randomly assigns roommates without regard to race
    2. B.
      Students of different races are required to share a room
    3. C.
      Interracial lodging is arranged by the school for freshmen
    4. D.
      Lodging is assigned to students of different races without exception
  4. 4.

    What can be inferred from Grace Kao’s saying about interracial lodging?

    1. A.
      Schools should be cautious when making decisions about student lodging
    2. B.
      Students' racial background should be considered before lodging is assigned
    3. C.
      Experienced resident advisors should be assigned to handle the problems
    4. D.
      It is unscientific to make generalizations about it without further study

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Dear Sirs，
Your shipment(裝運)of twelve thousand“Smart”watches was received by our company this morning．However，we wish to make a number of complaints concerning the serious delay in delivery and your failure to carry out our instructions．   
It was stressed from the beginning that the delivery date had to be less than six weeks. While we appreciate that delays in production are occasionally unavoidable．We must point out that the major reason why the order was placed with your company was that we were assured by you that your existing stocks ensure immediate shipment．Late delivery of the goods has caused us to disappoint several of our most valued customers．a(chǎn)nd is sure to have a negative effect on future orders．
The second complaint concerns the difference in colour．Only half the watches in the delivery received are of the colours we ordered．Our Hong Kong agent assures us that she stressed to you the importance of following our instructions．Since we consider there to be only a limited market in this country for watches of other colours．Any watches that are not of the specified colours will , of course, be returned to you．   
We are also somewhat concerned about the rather poor quality of the goods received．since it is obvious that the watches that finally arrived have been produced from inferior materials and have been made to a lower standard than those in the sample．We have also found that a number of the watches do not appear to be functioning．We should like to point out that we feel this matter to be entirely your responsibility．
As a result of the above problems，therefore，we feel that the most suitable course of action is to return to you unpaid any of the goods considered unsatisfactory，and to deduct(扣除)any costs from our final settlement．We shall also be forced to reconsider whether any further orders should be placed with your company.
We look forward to your immediate reply．
Yours sincerely，
John Smith

  1. 1.

    How many complaints does John Smith make with the“Smart”watch producer?

    1. A.
      Five．
    2. B.
      Four．
    3. C.
      Three．
    4. D.
      Two．
  2. 2.

    The producer of“Smart”watches were given the order because______.

    1. A.
      they produced the best watches of its kind in the world
    2. B.
      the watches would be easy to make and the designs were already prepared
    3. C.
      they promised they could produce enough stocks quite quickly
    4. D.
      they claimed the order would be easy since the watches were already in stock
  3. 3.

    Receiving watches in the wrong colours is a problem because______.

    1. A.
      the Hong Kong agent stressed the need to fulfill the order exactly
    2. B.
      these watches will be difficult to sell．
    3. C.
      these watches will not be able to get into the limited market
    4. D.
      people will not buy the watches at present

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

You’ve bought what you need. The grocery cashier asks, “Will that be paper or plastic? You reply “Plastic, please.”
This seems like a simple question and there are plenty of reasons we choose plastic: easier to carry, lighter than paper bags, possibly less damaging to the environment, less expensive to the shop owners, able to be used as trash bag, and so on. There are different opinions on plastic and paper. Now let’s follow the travels of 3 plastic bags. It begins at the grocery store with the customer’s choice.
Plastic Bag 1: As the waste engineer come by and pick up the trash, the first plastic bag falls out. It sits on a small street for a couple of hours until a car comes along and takes it down to the road. Then a gust of wind blows it across the road, then another car, then another gust of wind finally makes its way to the beach. Water fills the plastic bag and makes it look like a jellyfish. A seal(海豹) swims by, thinking it looks very interesting, and swallowed it. The plastic bag may stay in the seal’s stomach for months, maybe years. You see, our lovely animals have been living thousands of years in a world where everything can be eaten.
Plastic Bag 2: This bag does make its way to landfill(垃圾場). Before they have a chance to cover up the thousands of pounds of daily waste, a strong wind comes up and blows these plastic bags out of the landfill. Once the wind stops, workers will be sent to collect thousands of bags around. But they can’t possibly get them all. So our little bag continues his adventure getting caught in trees, eaten by birds or making its way to our lakes or rivers.
Plastic Bag 3: The last bag also blows away but is caught in a landfill where it sits for many years, as all the trash is wrapped in a big plastic bag, making natural degradation(降解) impossible. Although workers do much work to make sure water and air system won’t be polluted, some do. Guess what, plastic bags are made from petrol, a harmful waste material, which in one way or another makes its way to the environment.
Another problem with putting plastic bags in out trash is that our landfills for most cities may be filled in about 20 years. More importantly, since we are running out of land to build homes, you might have the pleasure of one day living on top of your plastic bags!
One of the best suggestions is not to use a bag at all or bring your own cloth bags. If you must, please choose paper bags, which, though not suggested, can be eaten by animals. And there are more opportunities recycle paper bags. It does take a little extra effort. But please have a thought about the little seal next time you say, “Plastic please.”

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, what is NOT the reason for a customer to choose plastic bags?

    1. A.
      He can use plastic bags to carry trash later
    2. B.
      He finds paper bags heavier than plastic bags
    3. C.
      He finds plastic bags more convenient to carry
    4. D.
      He can save money for plastic bags are cheaper
  2. 2.

    The author describes the travel of Plastic Bag 1 to show______.

    1. A.
      seals like eating plastic bags around them
    2. B.
      seals really have a good stomach
    3. C.
      seals are potential victims of plastic bags
    4. D.
      seals are not able to differ plastic from food
  3. 3.

    Wrapped in a big plastic bag, Plastic Bag3______.

    1. A.
      still does harm to the environment
    2. B.
      can hardly be harmful to the environment
    3. C.
      is much safer than Plastic Bag2
    4. D.
      will end up being eaten by seals or some fish
  4. 4.

    What will the following part of this passage talk about?

    1. A.
      Suggestions on reducing harm of plastic bags
    2. B.
      Disadvantages of using too many plastic bags
    3. C.
      Persuading people into using paper bags
    4. D.
      Other potential victims of plastic bags
  5. 5.

    What is the overall tone of this passage?

    1. A.
      Excited
    2. B.
      Serious
    3. C.
      Ironical
    4. D.
      Casual

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

We do some strange things when we don’t like the way our life is going．Too often we blame(責(zé)怪)someone else．‘‘I wish my parents were more understanding．”
“I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!”
“My friends are so boring and self-centered．They make my life worse and worse．’’
Blame! Blame! Blame!
It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song，but the truth is，if you don’t like your life，you should do something about it．No one else knows exactly how you feel or what you need．No one can read your mind correctly．You are the only one with the power to cheek your life，and if you want it to be different，you can change what you’re doing．
When you’re in trouble，don’t give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose how you want to think and act．Other people can’t make you unhappy or angry．They only act in their own way and then it’s up to you to decide how you will respond(回應(yīng))．For example，your friends go out to lunch without you and you feel very angry．How are you going to act? You may blame your friends，“They are not kind．Who needs them anyway?” Or you may tell your friends how you feel，listen to their explanation，and let them know you’d like to be invited next time．
When you decide everything in your own way，you’re getting hold of your own life and shaping(塑造)it according to your tastes and feelings．You can choose to be happy，to make friends and to build an interesting life．When you blame others for what is or isn’t happening in your life，you have stopped growing or learning．
One of the most important rules is that you can never change another person by your direct action．The only person you have the right to change is yourself．Once you change，the other person has something different to respond to and change is possible．If you want change in your life，begin with yourself．

  1. 1.

    What should we do if we don’t like our life?

    1. A.
      Change what we’re doing．
    2. B.
      Read our minds correctly．
    3. C.
      Sing that self-pitying song．
    4. D.
      Tell others what we want．
  2. 2.

    If the writer’s friends have dinner together without him，he may______.

    1. A.
      ask somebody else to talk to them
    2. B.
      do the same thing to them in return
    3. C.
      talk to them and try to find out why
    4. D.
      forget it and be still friendly with them
  3. 3.

    What’s the writer’s idea about how to change others?

    1. A.
      He thinks it’s impossible to change others．
    2. B.
      He believes our love can change everything．
    3. C.
      He chooses to talk with others directly．
    4. D.
      He prefers to change ourselves first instead．
  4. 4.

    At the beginning of the passage three examples are given______.

    1. A.
      to support the idea that people often blame others
    2. B.
      to suggest that there are various problems in people’s life
    3. C.
      to show that not all chemistry teachers are fit for their job
    4. D.
      to explain the reason why some people’s life is worse and worse
  5. 5.

    What’s the best title of the passage?

    1. A.
      Blame! Blame! Blame!
    2. B.
      Who Controls My Life?
    3. C.
      Change! Change! Change!
    4. D.
      What Makes Me Unhappy?

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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

David’s Haircut
When David steps out of the front door he is blinded for a moment by the white, strong sunlight and reaches for his dad’s hand automatically. It’s the first really warm day of the year, an unexpected heat that bridges the gap between spring and summer. Father and son are on their way to the barbershop, something they have always done together.
Always, the routine is the same. “It’s about time we got that mop of yours cut,” David’s dad will say, pointing at him with two fingers, a cigarette caught between them. “Perhaps I should do it. Where are those scissors, Janet?” Sometimes his dad runs after him round the living room, pretending to cut off his ears. When he was young, David used to get too excited and start crying, scared that maybe he really would lose his ears, but he has long since grown out of that.
Mr Samuels’ barbershop is in a long room above the chip shop, reached by a steep and worn flight of stairs. David follows his father. He loves the barbershop — it’s like nowhere else he goes. It smells of cigarettes and men and hair oil. Sometimes the smell of chips will climb the stairs along with a customer and when the door opens the waiting men lift their noses together. Black and white photographs of men with various out-of-fashion hairstyles hang above a picture rail at the end of the room, where two barber’s chairs are fixed to the floor. They are heavy, old-fashioned chairs with foot pumps that screams as Mr Samuels adjusts the height of the seat. In front of the chairs are deep sinks with a showerhead and long metal pipe attached to the taps, not that anyone seems to use them. Behind the sinks are mirrors and on either side of these, shelves overflowing with all types of plastic combs, shaving mugs, scissors, cut throat razors, hair brushes and, 10 bright red bottles of Brylcreem(男士發(fā)油), piled neatly in a pyramid. At the back of the room sit the customers, silent for most of the time, except when Mr Samuels breaks off from cutting and smoke his cigarette, sending a stream of grey-blue smoke like the tail of kite twisting into the air.
When it is David’s turn for a cut, Mr Samuels places a wooden board covered with a piece of red leather across the arms of the chair, so that the barber doesn’t have to bend to cut the boy’s hair. David scrambles up onto the bench.
“Hey, young man, you’re shooting up, you won’t need this soon, you’ll be able to sit in the chair,” the barber says.
“Wow,” says David, turning round to look at his dad, forgetting that he can see him through the mirror. “Dad, Mr Samuels said I could be sitting in the chair soon, not just on the board!”
“So I hear,” his father replies, not looking up from the paper. “I expect Mr Samuels will start charging me more for your hair then.”
“At least double the price,” said Mr Samuels, winking at David.
Finally David’s dad looks up from his newspaper and glances into the mirror, seeing his son looking back at him. He smiles.
“Wasn’t so long ago when I had to lift you onto that board because you couldn’t climb up there yourself,” he says.
“They don’t stay young for long do they, kids”, Mr Samuels declares. All the men in the shop nod in agreement. David nods too.
In the mirror he sees a little head sticking out of a long nylon cape. Occasionally he steals glances at the barber as he works. He smells a mixture of smelly sweat and aftershave as the barber moves around him, combing and cutting, combing and cutting.
David feels like he is in another world, noiseless except for the sound of the barber’s shoes rubbing on the plastic carpet and the click of his scissors. In the reflection from the window he could see through the window, a few small clouds moved slowly through the frame, moving to the sound of the scissors’ click.
Sleepily, his eyes dropping to the front of the cape where his hair falls softly as snow and he imagines sitting in the chair just like the men and older boys, the special bench left leaning against the wall in the corner. He thinks about the picture book of Bible stories his aunt gave him for Christmas, the one of Samson having his hair cut by Delilah. David wonders if his strength will go like Samson’s.
When Mr Samuels has finished, David hops down from the seat, rubbing the itchy hair from his face. Looking down he sees his own thick, blonde hair mixed among the browns, greys and blacks of the men who have sat in the chair before him. For a moment he wants to reach down and gather up the broken blonde hair, to separate them from the others, but he does not have time.
They reach the pavement outside the shop. “I tell you what, boy, let’s get some fish and chips to take home, save your mum from cooking tea,” says David’s dad and turns up the street.
The youngster is excited and catches his dad’s hand. The thick-skinned fingers close gently around his and David is surprised to find, warming in his father’s palm, a handful of his own hair

  1. 1.

    How old is David most probably age according to the context?

    1. A.
      2
    2. B.
      4
    3. C.
      10
    4. D.
      17
  2. 2.

    Why does the author describe the barbershop detailedly in David’s eyes in Paragraph 3?

    1. A.
      Because David is not familiar with this place and tries to remember it
    2. B.
      Because David develops great friendfish with the shop owner
    3. C.
      Because the barbershop is a place that attracts him greatly
    4. D.
      Because the barbershop is very traditional and David can see one nowhere else
  3. 3.

    Saying “I expect Mr Samuels will start charging me more for your hair then”, David’s dad is ________

    1. A.
      showing his proudness of his son’s growth
    2. B.
      complaining about the price of the haircut
    3. C.
      expressing his thanks to the shopowner’s kindness
    4. D.
      counting his expense on his son’s haircut
  4. 4.

    The underlined sentence sugests that David ________

    1. A.
      looks down upon those old, grey-haired men
    2. B.
      feels extremely excited about becoming a bigger boy
    3. C.
      thinks blond hair is much more precious than other color
    4. D.
      is quite curious about his broken blonde hair
  5. 5.

    Which detail from the story best shows the deep love that father gives son?

    1. A.
      Dad runs after his son round the living room
    2. B.
      Dad buys his son some fish and chips
    3. C.
      Dad sees his son through the mirror
    4. D.
      Dad holds some of his son’s hair in his palm
  6. 6.

    What is the author’s tone of writing this passage?

    1. A.
      serious
    2. B.
      light-hearted
    3. C.
      critical
    4. D.
      persuasive

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