【題目】CANYOUIMAGINEHOWHARDITWOULDBETOREADSENTENCESLIKETHIS? Every one of us gets so used to punctuation marks that not many of us give them a second thought. Actually, the ancient Greeks wrote this way. The lack of punctuation marks probably didn’t bother good readers, though. As they read, they just put pauses where they fit best. Also at this time, sentences switched directions. A sentence read from left to right. The next one read right to left, and then left to right again, etc. The ancient Romans sometimes punctuated like this: They put something that can separate words in a sentence. The word punctuation actually comes from this idea and the Latin word punctum, which means a dot.

When the 5th century arrived, there were just two punctuation marks: spaces and points. The spaces separated words while the points showed pauses in reading. Then in the 13th century, a printer named Aldus Manutius tried to standardize punctuation. He always used a period for a complete stop at the end of a sentence. He used a slash (/) to indicate a short pause. Over time, that slash was shortened and curled, and it became the modern comma (逗號).

Since that time, other marks have enlarged the punctuation family. The exclamation mark (感嘆號) comes from the Latin word io. It means “exclamation of joy.” The question mark originally started out as the Latin word questio, meaning question. Eventually, scholars put it at the end of a sentence to show a question.

Punctuation even keeps chaning nowadays. New marks are coming into existence, and old punctuation marks are used in new ways. Take for example the “interrobang”. This 1962 invention combines the question mark and exclamation mark for times when writers want both. For example, “She did what?” or “How much did you pay for that dress?” Obviously, the interrobang is not widely used or recognized yet, but its invention shows that English is not yet finished with its punctuation.

【1】From the first paragraph, we can know that _______.

A. good readers had trouble reading without punctuation marks

B. a sentence always read from left to right in ancient Greece

C. ancient Greeks switched the direction of punctuation marks

D. the use of punctuation marks can date back to ancient times

【2】 The passage is developed _______.

A. by time B. by space

C. by comparison D. by importance

【3】 We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. ancient Romans didn’t use any punctuation marks

B. exclamation and question marks came from Latin

C. spaces and slashes were already used before the 5th century

D. Aldus Manutius first started to use commas

【4】 What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A. The combination of two marks will not work.

B. It takes time for people to accept new punctuation marks.

C. Old punctuation marks need to be standardized.

D. Punctuation marks are still changing today.

【題目】To most people, noise pollution is a jet flying over their head. For one Spanish woman, it is a neighbor playing the piano. The woman has taken her neighbor to court. Now she wants to send her neighbor to prison for over seven years on the charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.

In a country known for its noisiness, the case has raised eyebrows. Neighbors often complain about street noise in Spain, but people seeking prison time for someone practicing the piano is unheard of. At the trial, Sonia Bosom says she has been suffering noise pollution up to now due to the practice sessions of Laia Martin, who lives below her. Martin, 27, didn’t admit that she played at home that often, saying she took regular classes in other towns and mostly practiced at home on the weekends.

On the first day of the trial, the newspaper reported that Bosom told the court she now hated pianos so much that she couldn’t even stand seeing them in a film.

Bosom says years of hearing constant playing has caused her “psychological injury”. Medical reports show she has suffered from a variety of problems, including insomnia (失眠), anxiety, and panic attacks.

She says tests by local authorities have found that the sound levels made by the piano are up to 10 decibels (分貝) higher than the limit. City authorities have asked the family several times to either stop the piano playing or soundproof (隔音) the room. The family told the court they carried out soundproofing work twice but the complaints continued.

The court hasn’t made a final decision. A spokeswoman says the trial will end before May.

【1】Bosom wants to send Martin to prison because _______.

A. Martin’s playing the piano damaged her health

B. Bosom suffered from heart attack

C. Martin refused to take regular classes in other towns

D. Martin flew a jet over her head

【2】How did Laia Martin respond to the complaints?

A. She stopped playing the piano.

B. She soundproofed the room.

C. She didn’t admit she played at home.

D. She took her neighbor to court.

【3】Which of the following may probably be the best title for the passage?

A. A 7-year Sentence Caused by the Piano

B. Pianist Charged with Noise Pollution

C. Health Problems of a Spanish Woman

D. Actions Against Noise by Local Authority

【題目】The stories we share with one another are important. They show wisdom and provide inspiration. They are important to our development. But sometimes people choose not to tell.

Consider the negative effects of not sharing a story in the news: People are wondering if public health officials are holding back too much information about the recent outbreak of Ebola.

There is a danger in holding back stories that ought to be told. Bobette Buster said it like this, “The fact is, history has shown us that stories not told can become like a dangerous genie (妖怪) left in a bottle. When they are finally uncorked, their power to destroy is set free.”

There are a number of reasons why we hide parts of our story: they often show our weaknesses or expose our disadvantages; they require courage and strength to share; and of course, there are some stories that should be kept secret—especially those that embarrass someone else.

Most of us have two selves: the one we display on the outside and the one we actually are on the inside. And the better we get at hiding the stories that show our true selves, the more damage we may be causing to ourselves and to others.

Honesty and openness is important: It proves we are trustworthy. It displays we are human. We are not perfect or better. It highlights the importance of hard work and personal development. Hard work may not allow us to overcome our disadvantages completely. But with hard work, we do not have to be restricted to our mistakes.

Does this mean we admit every weakness, every disadvantage, and every secret regret to everybody we meet? No, of course not. There is a time and a place and a certain level of relationship necessary for some stories to be told in an appropriate manner.

【1】What’s the function of the example in Paragraph 2?

A. It reflects that people are concerning about the spread of Ebola.

B. It shows the bad effect caused by sharing a story.

C. It proves not sharing a story can cause trouble.

D. It concludes that one should share a story at a proper time.

【2】One of the reasons why people are unwilling to share experiences is that _______.

A. story-sharing highlights the importance of hard work

B. people are used to exposing their weaknesses

C. people sometimes have no courage to share their stories

D. some stories make themselves feel uneasy

【3】Which is close in meaning to the underlined word “uncorked” in Paragraph 3?

A. freed B. broken

C. unfolded D. untouched

【4】The writer aims to convince us to _______.

A. be open to people close to you by sharing some secrets

B. share stories appropriately for the good of others and ourselves

C. remove the dangers that can be caused by untold stories

D. realize the importance of being honest when making friends

【題目】We had never __________ this kind of holiday before and had no idea what to expect.

A. went B. tried out

C. experienced D. heard

【題目】Did it __________ to you that he was jealous?

A. happen B. occur

C. strike D. take place

【題目】 短文改錯（共10小題；每小題1分，滿分10分）

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句最多有兩處。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除和修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（∧），并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉。

修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1．每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2．只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

The Magic Tree House series are among the most popular book series ever writing for children. It tells a story of two kids, Jack and his sister Annie, seem to be very excited about finding a tree house in the woods. A tree house is magic and can transport him to various places and various times in history. It turned out that King Arthur from Camelot needs help. However, Jack’s head librarians, Morgan le Fay, sends him and Annie to help. They end up go to many different places and time periods through history on their adventures, which attract to readers a lot.

The series so far has had over 40 books and is likely to grow.

【題目】The novelist knew little about the precious document(文件). _____, he had hardly heard of it before.

A. Instead B. Therefore

C. Actually D. However

【題目】Jane, an __________ teacher with __________ in teaching, had wonderful __________ in foreign countries last summer.

A. experiencing; much experience; experiences

B. experienced; many experiences; experience

C. experienced; much experience; experiences

D. experiencing; many experiences; experiences

【題目】—Instead of lending a hand, Jim just stood by, laughing at us in trouble.

—Oh, it’s _____ of him to be so cold-hearted.

A. conventional B. typical

C. ridiculous D. aggressive

【題目】Once you _____ working with the professor, you will find he is not as tough as expected.

A. become accustomed to B. object to

C. get addicted to D. admit to