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. From the first paragraph we know Mr. Kim was a quite ___    person.

A. famous
B. hardworking
C. wealthy
D. outgoing

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

A. enemies
B. colleagues  
C. competitors
D. friends

3. What does the underlined word "them" refer to in the 4th paragraph?

A. the most important discoveries
B. the notebook and the dish
C. the cupboard and the bacteria
D. the dish and the bacteria

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

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

5. What happened to Mr. Kim in the end?

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

     In the kitchen of my mother's houses there has always been a wooden stand (木架) with a small
notepad (記事本)and a hole for a pencil.
     I'm looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother.
Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current
paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can't be the same pencil? The pad is more
modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
     "I'm just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years." I
say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. "You still use a pencil.
Can't you afford a pen?"
      My mother replies a little sharply. "It works perfectly well. I've always kept the stand in the kitchen.
I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in those days."
     Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one
hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, "One day I was
cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the
children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the
back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on."
     This story-which happened before I was born-reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is,
as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to
wor k. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards.
Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics.
Those symbols have travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden
breadboard, invisible (看不到的) exhibits at every meal.

1. Why has the author's mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A. To leave messages.
B. To list her everyday tasks.
C. To note down maths problems.
D. To write down a flash of inspiration.

2. What is the author's original opinion about the wooden stand?

A. It has great value for the family.
B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.
C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.
D. It should be passed on to the next generation.

3. The author feels embarrassed for             .

A. blaming her mother wrongly
B. giving her mother a lot of trouble
C. not making good use of time as her mother did
D. not making any breakthrough in her field

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The mother is successful in her career.
B. The family members like travelling.
C. The author had little time to play when young.
D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

5. In the author's mind, her mother is             .

A. strange in behaviour
B. keen on her research
C. fond of collecting old things
D. careless about her appearance(B)

     A famous teacher was speaking to the students at our school. He began his lesson by holding up a ￥
100 bill. Then he said to the three hundred students, "Who would like this ￥100 bill?" The students
began to put up their hands at once.
     Then he said, "I am going to give this ￥100 to one of you, but first, let me do this." He then made the
bill into a ball. Then he said, "Who wants it now?" The hands went back into the air.
     " Well," he said, "What if I do this?" and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He picked up
the dirty, crumpled bill and said, "Who still wants it?" Hands went back into the air.
     "My friends," he said, "you have learned a valuable lesson today. No matter what I did to the money,
you still wanted it because it did not go down in value. It was still worth ￥ l00!"
     Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the
things that happen to us. We feel as if we are worth nothing. But remember, no matter what has happened to you, you will never lose your value: you are always valuable to those people who love you. Your value
doesn't come from what you do or whom you know, but WHO YOU ARE.
     You are special and valuable. Don't ever forget it!

1. Even though it was dirty, the money _______.

A. still went up in value  
B. was worth nothing  
C. didn't go down in value  
D. was still ours

2. We are always valuable to the people _______.

A. who pay us
B. who call us
C. who hate us
D. who love us

3. Your value doesn't come from what you do but _______.

A. who you know
B. who made you    
C. who you remember
D. who you are

4. The sentence "Hands went back into the air" means "_______".

A. the students put up their hands again    
B. the students put down their hands
C. the students put their hands behind their backs again
D. the students put their hands in front of them

5. Why did the famous teacher use a ￥100 bill at his lesson?

A. Because he wanted to make the bill into a ball.
B. Because he used to drop a bill on the floor and stepped on it.
C. Because he was going to give the bill to one of his students.
D. Because he wanted to make the students know what value was.

     Since 1984, Philadelphia has been cleaning up its act. One by one, graffiti(涂鴉)-covered walls are
being changed into outdoor art. So far, more than 1,800 murals (壁畫) have been painted. Philadelphia
now has more murals than any other American city.
     The walls that were once ugly with graffiti are now covered with beautiful pictures of historical heroes
and modern art, thanks to the Mural Arts Program (MAP). Its work makes schools and public places
attractive, and its citizens are very proud. The program began as part of Philadelphia's Anti-Graffiti
Network. Jane Golden is the MAP's artistic director. "When people ask me what our program is about,"
she says, "I answer them with one word: hope." Each year, the MAP offers youth art programs and
workshops. Some one-time graffiti writers even help paint MAP murals.
     The MAP's work, says Golden, is all about developing a sense of community (社區(qū)). When a
neighborhood requests a mural, the MAP works with the people there to develop a message. Some
messages have been "Safe Streets," "Love and Care," and "Peace Walk."
     The MAP receives up to 50 requests for murals each week. Last year, the workers painted 140
murals.
     "The making of a mural enters people's collective memory as an extraordinary, pleasant moment in
neighborhood history" says Golden, who began as a muralist in Los Angeles.

1. What is the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia aimed at?

A. Helping the young find jobs.
B. Protecting the neighborhood.
C. Fighting against graffiti.
D. Attracting more visitors.

2. How does the MAP decide on the message for a mural?

A. By having discussions with people in the community.
B. By seeking advice from the city government.
C. By learning from the young graffiti writers.
D. By studying the history of the city.

 3. Which of the following words best describes the work of the MAP?

A. Difficult.        
B. Dangerous.        
C. Experimental        
D. Successful.