On the evening of June 21, 1992, a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes entered the beautiful hall
of the Bell Tower Hotel in Xi’an with his bicycle. The hotel workers received him and telephoned the
manager, for they had never seen a bicycle in the hotel ball before though they lived in “the kingdom of
bicycles.”    
        Robert Friedlander, an American, arrived in Xi’an on his bicycle trip across Asia which started last
December in New Delhi, India.    
        When he was 11, he read the book Marco Polo and made up his mind to visit the Silk Road. Now,
after 44 years , he was on the Silk Road in Xi’an and his early dreams were coming true.     
        Robert Friedlander’s next destinations (目的地) were Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Urumqi, etc. He will
complete his trip in Pakistan.

1. The best headline(標題) for this newspaper article would be ______     .  

A. The Kingdom of Bicycles        
B. A Beautiful Hotel in Xi’an   
C. Marco Polo and the Silk Road  
D. An American Achieving His Aims

2. Friedlander is visiting the three countries in the following order, _______   .  

A. China, India, and Pakistan    
B. India, China, and Pakistan   
C. Pakistan, China, and India    
D. China, Pakistan, and India

3. What made Friedlander want to come to China?  

A. The stories about Marco Polo .
B. The famous sights in Xi’an .  
C. His interest in Chinese silk.  
D. His childhood dreams about bicycles .

4. Friedlander can be said to be _______      .  

A. clever    
B. friendly    
. hardworking
D. strong-mindedC

     My first reaction was annoyance. It was Friday afternoon, and I was within an hour of finishing my
work for the week. As I was leaving, a nurse brought me one more patient message. The statement read:"Mm.
Jones called to say that she has had blurred vision (視覺模糊) ever since her medical test this morning." I
smiled. Suddenly our tests were causing eye problems. 
     This week my patients had questioned everything. My patient with high blood pressure had stopped coming
to her treatment on the advice of an Internet chat room. A woman who had a mental problem was substituting ( 用......代替) St. John's word for her medication. Now Mrs. Jones was imagining problems. I rolled my eyes. 
     My second reaction was worry. As I looked through her record, I tried to figure out why she would have
blurred vision, but nothing in her record explained the new problem. She' s probably just anxious, I thought.
Still, she wouldn't have called if she had been all right. I picked up the phone. 
     What I next felt can only be described as delight. Before I made the call, the nurse ran in: Mrs. Jones called.
Her vision is fine. Turns out she picked up the wrong glasses when she left the office. The X-ray technician
has been having the same problem. I let out a laugh. Mrs. Jones had been right. Her vision had been blurred.
Now we know why. 
     Finally I felt shame. I came to realize what Mrs. Jones had taught me. I had first known she was wrong,
that her anxiety had clouded her judgment. Instead, my medical training had clouded mine. Now I feel thankful
that Mrs. Jones figured it out before I made a mistake about our relationship. Patients come to me for my help.
They pay me to listen, diagnose (診斷), treat and talk. That suggests trust; I must remember that, and trust
them too.

1. The writer smiled while reading the patient message because he knew _____.

A. Mrs. Jones would ask for more tests
B. the patient was being unreasonable
C. the nurse was joking with him
D. Mrs. Jones would call him

2. What has caused Mrs. Jones' eye problem?

A. Wrong glasses.
B. Medical checkup.
C. Her own imagination.
D. Chatting on the Internet.

3. The underlined words "clouded her judgment" in the last paragraph probably mean _____. 

A. made her less trustful toward the doctor
B. put her in control of her own feelings
C. made her less able to think clearly
D. put her in a dangerous situation

                                                        Crossing the Rubicon
     The march to Italy was began.The soldiers were even more enthusiastic than Caesar (愷撒) himself.
They climbed mountains,  waded rivers,  endured tiredness,  and faced all kinds of danger for the sake
of their great leader.
     At last they came to a little river called the Rubicon (盧比孔河). It was the boundary line of Caesar's
Province of Gaul;  on the other side of it was Italy.Caesar paused a moment on the bank.He knew that
to cross it would be to declare war against Pompey and the Roman Senate;  it would involve all Rome in
a fearful battle,  the end of which no man could foresee.
     But he did not hesitate long.He gave the word,  and rode boldly across the shallow stream.
     "We have crossed the Rubicon,  " he cried as he reached the farther shore."There is now no turning
back." Soon the news was carried to Rome "Caesar has crossed the Rubicon" and there was great fear
among those who had planned to destroy him.Pompey's soldiers deserted him and hurried to join
themselves to Caesar's army.The Rome senators and their friends made ready to escape from the city.
     "Caesar has crossed the Rubicon!" was shouted along the roads and byways leading to Rome;  and
the country people turned out to meet and hail with joy the conquering hero.
     The word was carried a second time to the city "Caesar has crossed the Rubicon" and the wild fight
began.Senators and public officers left everything behind and hurried away to seek safety with Pompey.
On foot,  on horseback,  in litters,  in carriages,  they fled for their lives-all because Caesar had crossed
the Rubicon.Pompey was unable to protect them.He hurried to the seacoast,  and,  with all who were
able to accompany him,  sailed away to Greece.
     Caesar was the master of Rome.
1. Which of the following can NOT be used to describe Caesar's army?

A. Enthusiastic in the march.
B. Not afraid of tiredness.
C. Brave in the march.
D. Eager to be great leaders.

2.  According to the passage,  crossing the Rubicon meant all of the following EXCEPT that______.

A. Caesar declared war against Pompey and the Roman Senate
B. Caesar would involve all Rome in the battle
C. Caesar would be defeated in the war
D. Caesar was determined to carry out the battle

3. What happened when the news was first carried to Rome that Caesar had crossed the Rubicon?

A. The people who had been against Caesar felt very frightened.
B. The people who had turned traitor to Caesar were wild with joy.
C. The public officers and soldiers fought bravely against Caesar.
D. The Rome senators and their friends had already escaped.

4. What did Pompey do after Caesar crossed the Rubicon?

A. He rode to the bank of the Rubicon hurriedly.
B. He fled to Greece by sea with all his companions.
C. He had all his relatives and soldiers stay with him.
D. He kept calm and stayed in Rome,  defeating his enemies.

     Not many years ago, a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the
south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was 75, he gave
￡12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children's playground.
     As a result of his kindness, many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During
their talk, Johnson remarked that he was 75 and expected to live to be 100, and the newspaperman asked
him how he managed to be healthy at 75. Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some
each day. "I have an injection (注射) in my neck each evening", he told the newspaperman, thinking of his
evening glass of whisky.
     The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson
was 75 and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all
over Britain, asking him for the secret of his daily injection.

1. Johnson became a rich man through _____.

A. doing business
B. making whisky
C. cheating
D. buying and selling land

2. The gift of money to the school suggests that Johnson _____.

A. had no children
B. was a strange man
C. was very warm-hearted and fond of children
D. wanted people to know how rich he was

3. Many people wrote to Johnson probably to find out _____.

A. what kind of whisky he drank
B. how to live alone
C. how to become wealthy
D. in which part of the neck he had an injection each day

4. When Johnson said he had an injection in his neck each evening, he really meant that _____.

A. he liked drinking a glass of whisky in the evening
B. he needed an injection in the neck
C. a daily injecting in the evening would make him sleep well
D. there was something wrong with his neck

5. From the passage we can infer that Johnson would be very _____ after he read those people's letters.

A. miserable
B. glad
C. surprised
D. said

     As women in the rich Asian country have become better educated, with five times as many now
getting advanced degrees as in 1995, they have also become choosier and are less likely to settle for
the role of gentle wife traditionally expected of Korean women.
     "I heard if you are a female with master's degree, it is much harder to arrange a meeting than if you
have a bachelor's degree because of an unfavorable concept 'too smart women' here," said King, a
college senior in Seoul.
     The age at which Korean women are getting hitched has risen by an average 4. 1 years over the
past 20 years to 28. 9 years, according to Statistics Korea, and that has created worried mothers
getting things rolling for their daughters.
     "My daughter is in her early 30's, an age considered late for marriage here", said a woman who
took her daughter to a match-making agency in Seoul.
     "If she does not find her match this year, it will be much more difficult to marry in the coming years.
So I went to the firm with her and made her join. "
     At DUO, a matchmaking firm, its 26, 000 members can choose between five different membership
programs with fees from 1. 08 million won( 韓元)($971) to 8. 8 million won.
     To attract more customers, the site displays the average annual income of its male and female
customers, as well as their professional standing.
     "In a privately set-up blind date, you cannot be entirely sure of how much of personal information
given to you is accurate," said DUO spokesman Yon Jun.
     Critics say the industry focuses more on income and status. Some of them have coined the phrase
"employage" to sum up employment and marriage.
     "If your father works in the financial industry or is a high-ranking administrator, maybe you will find
your match with similar backgrounds through a matchmaking firm, starting a perfect marriage on the
back of parental support," said comedian Quan.

1. The underlined word "hitched" in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.

A. employed    
B. married      
C. educated      
D. worried

2. What leads to the embarrassing state for Korean women in matchmaking is that           .

A. they don't want to be gentle any more
B. most of them are not in good shape
C. they have a much higher education
D. matchmaking agencies pushed them too hard

3. From the passage, we can conclude that           .

A. all the perfect marriages result from good backgrounds
B. blind date can help you get more accurate personal information
C. mothers are more worried about themselves than their daughters
D. twenty years ago, girls averaged less than 25 when they were married

4. Why do some people invent the word "employage"? Because           .

A. they like the special way that matchmaking is arranged
B. the matchmaking firm pays more attention to money and status
C. mothers are more worried about their daughters in marriage
D. young women prefer personal information to profession

        Kathy started at my nursery school at the age of three. She settled into the group easily, and would
be first on the slide and highest up the climbing frame. She could put on her coat withouthelp and not only
fasten her own buttons but other children's too.    
       She was a lovely child but unfortunately a scratcher. If anyone upset her or stood in her way,her right hand would flash out fast and scratch down the face of her playmates. Children twice her age would fly in
fear from her.    
      This must have been very rewarding for Kathy but obviously it had to be stopped. All the usual ways
failed and then I remembered an account by G Atkinson of Highfield School,of how fights in the playgroud had been stopped. No punishment had been given, but the attacker had been ignored and the victims
rewarded. So I decided to try this out on Kathy.    
      With a pocketful of Smarties I followed Kathy around. She was so quick that it was impossible to
prevent her scratching, but I was determined to stay within arm's length all afternoon. All was peaceful but
then I saw Kathy's hand moved and heard the scream. Gently I gathered up the little hurt one in my arms
and said" Nice , nice  sweetie" and  I  put a  Smartie  into  her mouth. Kathy opened her mouth, expecting a Smartie and then looked puzzled when she got nothing.     Soon came another scream , this  time from
John. While  holding him in my arms , I  said , " Look , Kathy , a nice  Smartie for John" and put it into
John's mouth.    
      A smile of understanding flashed across Kathy's face. Minutes later,she came to me and said loudly,
" Give me a Smartie!  I have hurt my finger ! "     " No , " I  replied , " you'll  get it  if someone  hurts you." 
     On purpose, she turned and scratched a nearby boy, Tom, and waited quietly while I mothered and
rewarded him , then she walked away.She has never scratched a child since.    
Parents who find older children bullying younger brothers and sisters might do well to replace shouting and punishment by rewarding and giving more attention to the injured ones. It's certainly much easier and more effective.

1. From the passage , we know that Kathy is _____________.    

A. sensitive but slow   
B. smart but a bit rude    
C. independent but selfish    
D. quick but sort of passive

2. Kathy scratched Tom because___________.   

A. she was angry at Tom,who was in her way    
B. she wanted to get a Smartie from the teacher    
C. she was in the habit of scratching other children    
D. she wanted to know if the teacher meant what she had said

3. According  to  the  passage, the  underlined  word " bullying" is closest in meaning to"_________ ".    

A. helping                      
B. punishing    
C. hurting                        
D. protecting

4. The writer of this passage aims to recommend an approach to__________.    

A. rewarding children's good behavior    
B. correcting children's bad behavior    
C. punishing badly-behaved children   
D. praising well-behaved children

     I was blind, but I was ashamed of it if it was known. I refused to use a white stick and hated asking for help. After all, I was a teenager girl, and I couldn't bear people to look at me and think I was not like them. I must have been a terrible
danger on the roads, coming across me wandering through the traffic; motorists probably would have to
step rapidly on their brakes. Apart from that, there were all sorts of disasters that used to occur on the way to and from work.
    One evening, I got off the bus about halfway home where I had to change buses, and as usual I ran into something. "I'm awfully sorry," I said and stepped forward only to run into it again. When it happened a
third time, I realized I had been apologizing to a lamppost. This was just one of the stupid things that
constantly happened to me. So I carried on and found the bus stop, which was a request stop, where the
bus wouldn't stop unless passengers wanted to get on or off. No one else was there and I had to try to
guess if the bus had arrived.
    Generally in this situation, because I hated showing I was blind by asking for help, I tried to guess at the sound. Sometimes I would stop a big lorry and stand there feeling stupid as it drew away. In the end, I
usually managed to swallow my pride and ask someone at the stop for help.
    But on this particular evening no one joined me at the stop; it seemed that everyone had suddenly
decided not to travel by bus. Of course I heard plenty of buses pass, or I thought I did. But because I had given up stopping them for fear of making a fool of myself, I let them all go by. I stood there alone for half an hour without stopping one. Then I gave up. I decided to walk on to the next stop.

1. The girl refused to ask for help because she thought_________.

A. she might be recognized          
B. asking for help looked silly
C. she was normal and independent    
D. being found blind was embarrassing

2. After the girl got off the bus that evening, she_________.

A. began to run                
B. hit a person as usual
C. hit a lamppost by accident     
D. was caught by something

3. At the request stop that evening, the girl___________.

A. stopped a big lorry                
B. stopped the wrong bus
C. made no attempt to stop the bus      
D. was not noticed by other people

4. What was the problem with guessing at the sound to stop a bus?

A. Other vehicles also stopped there.
B. It was unreliable for making judgments.
C. More lorries than buses responded to the girl.
D. It took too much time for the girl to catch the bus

5. Finally the girl decided to walk to the next stop, hoping__________.

A. to find people there            
B. to find more buses there
C. to find the bus by herself there    
D. to find people more helpful there

     I live in a very over populated beach area in the Los Angeles, and I love the beautiful scenery!
But because of many people, lots of things are easy to be out of order, and sometimes it’s also
easy to lose your cool. Today was a day I wish I did not get out of bed. I mean that if I did not
have to wake up and deal with all the things that I deal with on a daily basis, it would have been
wonderful.
     I had a cup of coffee this morning and that was my meal for breakfast, not healthy I know.
Anyway, my stomach was sounding like a truck. So, I jumped in my car and decided to buy
some food.
     I was in line at Taco Bell (一家墨西哥速食店) and the line was like a long snake! Finally I
got to place my order, but a young girl in nice clothes pulled in and was stuck in such a way that
unless I moved for her, she wouldn’t be able to get out. So I backed up and waved her into my
place in the front of the line.
     To my surprise, this young girl did not say thanks. I was cool with it because I thought that I
had done something nice for a change. After the girl received her food and pulled away, I pulled
into the ordering spot, not mad, but hungry, and the employee said, “Hi, that girl just paid for your
food.”
     That food was the most satisfying nourishment (營養(yǎng)品) my body had ever taken! If just by
chance you are that person who bought my food, I should say “Thank you!”

1. The underlined part in the first paragraph probably means “_____”.

A. be friendly to others
B. become angry  
C. get warmer  
D. remain calm

2. What happened to the author according to the passage?

A. He remained lying in bed all the morning.
B. He didn’t feel well after drinking a cup of coffee.
C. He made room for a girl who jumped the queue.
D. He had a quarrel with a girl who didn’t stand in line.

3. How did the young girl show her thanks to the author?

A. She got out of her car and said thanks.
B. She drove away with her own food.
C. She received her food and waved goodbye.
D. She paid for the author’s food without him knowing.

4. The best title for the passage might be _____.

A. Kindness is spreading            
B. Being patient wins respect
C. Being calm is important in accidents  
D. Being polite can change the world

     Louise was 72 years old and she lived by herself. The first thing she noticed when she came
downstairs that Sunday morning was that her    1   window was open. In fact, it was so wide open that
she had    2   closing it. Then she realized that things were not in their proper    3   . Finally, when she
found her empty    4  on the kitchen table, she realized the awful    5   . At first, she didn't know what to
do. Then she decided to   6   her son, Derek.
     Derek's wife Sybil answered the phone, "It's your mother," she    7   him, coldly. Louise told Derek
about the open window, about things being in the wrong places and about the    8   missing from her
purse.
     "All right," said Derek, "Don't    9   anything. I'll be    10   in half an hour."
     Louise    11   and made herself a pot of tea and some toast. Then she went from room to room
wondering    12  anything else was missing.
     When Derek arrived, he was content to   13   her looking so calm. "Have you rung the     14  ?" he
asked. "No? Then I'll do that straight away." So he rang the police.
     As it was Sunday,   15  the only detectives were out. However, the police were polite, but vague
（含糊的）. "We'll send    16   round as soon as possible," they said.
     Derek telephoned his wife. "I'm not sure when I'll be home, love," he told her. "I've got to    17  for
the police." While Derek and his mother waited, Derek    18  the catches（掛鉤）on the windows and
locks on the doors. All of them were old and some of the catches hardly    19   at all. Derek felt    20   .
His mother was an old woman, after all. "I'll have to change all these," he told her.