A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.  
     Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of
coffee and a variety of cups-porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some
exquisite and expensive-telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
     When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice
looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for
you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that
the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases
even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously
went for the best cups.  And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
     Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are
just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality
of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has
provided us. "
     God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
     "The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "
     Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

1. Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?

A. To give his students many more choices.
B. To teach his students how to enjoy coffee.
C. To show the students his collection of cups.    
D. To tell his students the right attitude to life

2. According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.

A. get the best type of coffee cups      
B. make the best of what they have
C. have a wide range of coffee cups    
D. care about social status and wealth

3. The best title for the passage would be _____.

A. God's Coffee                    
B. The Pressure of Life
C. The Happiest People              
D. Professor's Coffee Cups

     "Hey, Jenna, do you think we'll still be friends when we're eighty-two?" I asked my friend. It was clear
that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question. Losing Jenna would be like losing a
very close sister. We hung out together. We gave each other advice.
     "Of course, we'll still be friends when we're eighty-two." Jenna announced loudly.
     The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie. The three of us soon became close friends. We
played together almost every day. I thought even time couldn't pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.
     The three of us started fighting a lot. Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and
Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy. I felt helpless and lonely. I thought Christmas would
be horrible!
     I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had
made for me. I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me.
     "Wow, " I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door. "Thanks."
     "Okay…well…I have to go," she said softly.
     " Okay. See you later then…"and I closed the door.
     "Who was that at the door?" my mum asked.
     The card started off with "Merry Christmas", but then it said, "I am so glad we're friends. I am sorry
about what I said when we were fighting. A fight won't stop us from being friends. Besides, we said we
were going to be friends even when we're eight-two."
      I stopped reading and started laughing. I couldn't believe I had forgotten what she said that day in
her back yard. I couldn't believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel
sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship.

1. How would the author and Jenna get along with each other after Christmas?

A. They would be close friends again.
B. They would not speak to each other.
C. They would lose touch with each other.
D. They would go on fighting with each other.

2.The underlined sentence "I was bossy" in the fourth paragraph means "_________".

A. I looked like a boss
B. I acted as a boss
C. I was fond of giving orders
D. I was fond of fighting

3.Which of the following is the right time order according to the passage?
a. Jamie became our friend.
b. I felt lonely and unhappy.
c. Jenna, Jamie and I fought a lot.
d. Jenna brought me a Christmas card.
e. I was sorry for what I did to her.
f. Jenna and I promised to be lifelong friends.

A. f a b c e d      
B. a c f b d e        
C. a b c f e d        
D. f a c b d e

4.The author was delighted when she read the card from Jenna because _________.

A. what Jenna wrote was funny
B. Jenna would be her friend again
C. she was happy about the coming Christmas
D. she was happy to receive a Christmas card

       Henry works in a factory. He comes from a poor family and was in school for only four years. He
has to do the hard work, but he is paid less. He likes to watch football matches very much and spends
much time on them.
       One afternoon there was a big football match on the playground. He borrowed some money from
his friend and hurried there. There were a lot of people there. And all the tickets were sold out. He was
sorry for it. He saw a pole outside the playground and climbed it quickly. A policeman came and said,
"It is dangerous to stay on it! Come down!"
       " Wait a minute, please!" Henry said and just at that moment the policeman heard cheers on the
playground and asked in a hurry, " which team has kicked a goal?" " ours!" " wonderful! You can stay
there. But take care!"  The policeman said happily and left. When the match would be soon over, he
came back again and asked, " who has won?" " Theirs, 3:2 " " Come down," the policeman said angrily. " Such a match is not worth watching!"
       Henry had to come down. But soon they heard cheers again. The policeman said in a hurry, " Climb
up quickly and see who has kicked a goal."

1. From the passage we know that _________.

A. Henry doesn't like his work              
B. Henry comes from a rich family.
C. Henry doesn't like the policeman          
D. Henry is paid less.

2. Henry failed to get a ticket for the match that day because ___________.

A. he had no money to buy a ticket            
B. he didn't want to buy a ticket
C. he had no time to buy a ticket              
D. all the tickets were sold out

3. The policeman asked Henry to come down the pole at first because ____________.

A. it was dangerous                        
B. Henry had no ticket
C. their team kicked a goal                  
D. the other team kicked a goal

4. From the third paragraph, we can guess that _____________.

A. the policeman wanted to teach Henry a lesson.
B. the policeman tried to please Henry
C. the policeman didn't like Henry.
D. the policeman was also a football fan.

5. The policeman asked Henry to climb up the pole ____________

A. to cheer for their team                    
B. to see the result of the match
C. to cheer for the other team                 
D. to say goodbye to their team

     My son was a second-grader. He went to school by bus every day. He was the first student on in the
morning , as we were farthest from school, and the last student off in the evening. I was a teacher myself
and it was a comfort to realize the school staff were all working as hard as I was to provide a safe learning environment.
      One day I came home from work and waited for my son to get home for a long time. Then I called
the school. " perhaps he's just a bit late," said the secretary. " I will call the driver to see if those children
are home." A few minutes later, I answered the phone to hear that the other students were home. Then I
called his friends' parents, to see if perhaps he had gotten off at their stop to play. The answers were all " No"
      By that time, it was dark and I was scared. My home was in the mountain areas. My husband wasn't
at home, so I forced myself to calm down and decided to go out to look for him. I was about to go out
when the telephone rang; it was from the driver. "He's okay." I heard. " He was asleep on the seats in the
dark, under a couple of jackets. Since it's dark, can he spend the night with my family?"
      I was relieved and agreed. Since my son had a great adventure, the school started giving a copy of
the list to the driver, so he could check off the children's names when they got off the bus. I think highly of
the school for taking the cautionary(警戒的) step ahead; it is a sign of their concern for students, parents, and staff.

1. From Paragraph 1 we learn that ___________

A. the author's son went home by bus every afternoon
B. the author's son came to school earlier than other students
C. the author's home was farther than that of any other student
D. the author was a teacher in her son's primary school

2. At first the secretary thought ___________.

A. the author's son was still at school
B. the author's son was at his friend's home
C. the school bus would arrive in a while
D. there might be something wrong with the school bus.

3. The author's son probably spent the night ___________.

A. in the bus                    
B. at his own home
C. at the driver's home            
D. in the secretary's office

4. The author wrote the text to ___________

A. praise the school for its quick action.
B. thank the bus driver for his kindness
C. complain about the secretary of the school
D. show her concern for kids safely

     For years I wanted a flower garden. I spent hours and days thinking of different things I could plant
that would look nice together.
     But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
     Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want
something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't
grow on trees, you know."
     Finally, all five children got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started
thinking again about having a garden.
     I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on
a pretty poor, no-frills budget (預(yù)算).
     Then, one spring morning, on Mother's day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that
cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out of the window and there was a new tree,
planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on
all its branches. Then I put my glasses on-and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in
my yard!
     I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, tied all over the
tree.   Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note
attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin."
     Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children
bought me tools, a trellis (繃架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books. 
     That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like what I wanted. When I go out to
weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they are
right there with me.
      I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short.    But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out of my window and think of the flowers I'll see next
spring  in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes---every
time.
     I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does.

1. By saying "Do you see a money tree outside?", the mother actually means _____. 

A. Observation is the best teacher
B. Seeing is believing 
C. The outsider sees the most of the game
D. It is not easy to gain money

2. The underlined word "no-frills" in the fifth paragraph is similar in meaning to _____. 

A. wasteful
B. tight
C. deserted
D. helpful

3. From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the mother is _____. 

A. divorced when she was young
B. not caring for her kids any longer
C. alone but not at all lonely
D. prouder with her garden than with her kids

4. The best title for the passage would probably be _____. 

A. My flower garden
B. Marvin helps to realize my dream 
C. Love in Michigan
D. Money grows on trees