Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict (沖突). It was
the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end, they
fell apart.
     One morning, a man with a carpenter's toolbox came for some work.  The elder brother said,
"I just have a job for you. Look at the farm across the creek (河溝). My younger brother lives
there. It was he who used his bulldozer (推土機) to dig the creek last week to spite (刁難) me.
So I want you to build me a fence, an 8foothigh fence, in order not to see his place any more."
The carpenter smiled and said, "I see. I'll try to do a job that satisfies you." Then the elder brother
went downtown.
     At sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes
opened wide! To his surprise, there was no fence there at all! Instead, there was a bridge stretching
from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming
to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they
met in the middle, taking each other's hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on
his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other work for you," said the elder brother.
"I'd love to stay on,"  the carpenter said, "but I have so many more bridges to build."

1. What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

A. They lived a poor life.
B. They lived in peace.
C. They never spoke to each other.
D. They lived on the same farm.

2. It can be learned that the carpenter was ________.

A. unwilling to obey the farmer
B. fond of building bridges
C. unable to build a fence
D. willing to help others

3. The best title for this passage is ________.

A. A Fine Piece of Work
B. A Carpenter
C. A Conflict Between Two Brothers
D. Two Brothers

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

A. The elder brother used his bulldozer to dig a creek.
B. The elder brother helped the carpenter build the bridge.
C. The brothers were both satisfied with the carpenter's work.
D. The carpenter planned to build an 8foothigh fence as asked to.

     Several years ago, the mayor of Chicago, Illinois, visited Germany, a leader in green roof design.
Later he decided to have vegetation planted on Chicago City Hall. Today, the tops of many other
buildings also look like parks. In Canada, the Coast Plaza Hotel in Vancouver has a forest on its roof.
New York City has an unusual example farm for hydroponics. The farm is on a boat called the Science
Barge. Rainwater and river water are used to grow lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. The
farm shows the possibilities for designing rooftop systems.
     Green roofs are designed to save energy and capture rainwater. Rooftops covered with plants help
keep buildings cool. They can extend the life of a roof. And they can reduce water running off into
streets and storming water systems.
     Experts say green roofs usually do not get much above 27?. So temperatures might not be a problem
for growing. But rooftop gardeners have to be careful not to put too much weight on the roof. This is
true whether plants are grown in soil or water.
     Earlier in 2008, researchers in Texas reported that green roofs can reduce a building's air conditioning
costs by about onefifth compared to blacktop roofs.  But they also reported that not all green roofs
perform equally well. They found that designs differ in their ability to keep buildings cool and to capture
rainwater. The researchers put experimental roofs on top of metal insulated (隔熱的) boxes, to recreate
green roof conditions. The study compared products from six companies to help businesses understand
how to improve their designs. Each rooftop had sixteen different kinds of plants native to Texas. The
researchers say the presence of native plants likely helped all the green roofs capture water better
compared to sedums. Sedums are plants that need little water and often are used on green roofs. The
native plants could take in more water and release more of it to the atmosphere.

1. The author gave Paragraph 1 to ________.

A. tell us what is green roof design
B. tell us Germany is the country that leads or guides the  green roof design
C. introduce some famous hotels in the world
D. lead to the topic of the passage

2. The advantages of green roofs are mentioned in the passage  EXCEPT ________.

A. changing the local weather
B. prolonging the roof's life
C. keeping the house cool
D. reducing the house's air conditioning costs

3. According to the passage, which conclusion is WRONG?

A. Sometimes green roofs may break down the house.
B. Not all the green roofs can reduce the building's air  conditioning costs equally.
C. Different designs of green roofs have different effects on     buildings.
D. Sedums are a kind of plants native to Texas.

4. The experiment is mentioned in the last paragraph ________.

A. to find out how many different plants in Texas
B. to show us how to design green roofs
C. to introduce a kind of roof made of metal
D. to provide proofs to improve the design of green roofs

     If this 13year old American boy succeeds in climbing Mount Everest, he has modest ambitions-pick a small piece of rock from the top as a memento (紀念品) and wear it in a necklace.
     "It is something for myself to say 'this is a rock from the top', "Jordan Romero from California,
told reporters in Kathmandu.He left for the mountain on Sunday.
     If he succeeds, Romero will become the youngest climber to climb the 8,850 meters Everest
Summit.Currently a 16yearold Nepali boy, Temba Tsheri Sherpa, holds the record of being the
world's youngest climber of Mount Everest.
    But Romero, sitting over lunch with his climbing father and stepmother in Kathmandu's tourist
district of   Thamel, said he was not after setting climbing records.
    Romero said Mount Qomolangma, that runs across NepalChina border, was part of his goal
to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents.
      "It is just a goal, " he said confidently."If I don't succeed I am okay.I will try again."
      Romero has already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount McKinley in Alaska among
others.
     Romero's father Paul said the boy was ready to take on the climb and understood the risk of
climbing the giant mountain.
    "I know it requires a lot of patience.I will remain patient.I want to stay safe and make right choice,
" Romero said of his climb using the northeast ridge (山脊) route on the Chinese side of the mountain.
    Over 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Mount Qomolangma since it was first climbed by
New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953.Romero said he
wanted to climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the US next."It does not need to be after
Qomolangma and could be in between."

1. According to the passage, at present________keeps the record of being the world's youngest
    climber of Mount Everest.

A. Jordan Romero  
B. Temba Tsheri Sherpa
C. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa  
D. Sir Edmund Hillary

2. From the passage we can learn that Romero's goal is________.

A. to break the record of the youngest climber to climb Everest Summit
B. to pick a small piece of rock from the top of Everest Summit
C. to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents
D. to climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the US

3. We can infer from the passage that________.

A. Romero has made a promise that he must climb up the top of Mount Qomolangma
B. the highest mountain in America is Mount Kilimanjaro
C. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa come from different countries
D. there is no risk climbing Mount Qomolangma

4. The following statements are true EXCEPT________.

A. Romero is to use the northwest ridge route on the Chinese side of the mountain
B. Romero has his patience and understands the risk of climbing the giant mountain
C. Romero has made a safe climbing plan
D. Romero is fond of climbing

     I remember that when I was in my teens, I used to go against many of the Dos and Don'ts my
parents taught me.For example, when I kept playing jazz records on the player, my father would
think of such music as making noise and replace  them with disks of classical music that I always
considered extremely dull.
     My mom and dad were also very particular about the friends I went out with, always saying that
"One rotten (腐爛) apple could ruin a whole barrel of apples". When I insisted on sleeping with my
pet dog, they immediately said NO because they thought that I would be bitten by fleas (跳蚤).
     These are just a few examples of many of the things that I thought my parents were unreasonable
about.Today, however, I am a father of a boy of sixteen, and I find that I, too, am pressuring my son
with a lot of rules that he seems to find hard to accept.The other day, I noticed that my son's hair was
too long, so I told him to go to the barber's and get it cut short.Usually, he is fairly obedient, but this
time he put_his_foot_down."What's wrong with my long hair?I don't think you have the right to order
me to cut it short, even if you're my father!"
     When I was a boy, if I had spoken in such a way to my father, he would have taught me a good
lesson.But now we are living in a world with more freedom.My son's insistence on wearing his long
hair was only an example of the generation gap that existed between us.So I tried to be more
understanding and now he still wears his long hair.

1. The writer's parents thought it proper for him to________.

A. sleep with his pet dog
B. listen to jazz
C. be careful about making friends
D. wear long hair

2. Which of the following is true?

A. The writer gave more freedom to his son.
B. The writer's son often went against him.
C. The writer always obeyed his parents as a child.
D. The writer liked wearing long hair.

3. The underlined phrase "put his foot down" in the third paragraph means ________.

A. obeyed  
B. insisted  
C. accepted  
D. left

4. The writer thinks that________.

A. parents should be more strict with their children
B. no generation gap exists between parents and children
C. parents have the right to order their children
D. parents should show more respect to their children

     For years Tom Anderson's life was withered up (枯萎) by the memory of his part in a fraternity
(友愛, 互助會) adventure that resulted in the death of one of his classmates.He and his wife separated
after six years of marriage.Then the news about Tom changed.His wife Betty came back; he earned a
fine position.One day he told me what had changed his life."I used to think, 'Nothing can undo what I
have done.' The thought of my guilt would stop me in the middle of a smile or a handshake.It put a
wall between my wife and me."
     "Then I had an unexpected visit from the person I was most afraid to see-the mother of the  college
classmate who died.'Years ago', she said, 'I found it in my heart, through prayer, to  forgive you. Betty
forgave you.So did your friends and employers.'She paused, and then said seriously, 'You are the one
person who hasn't forgiven Tom Anderson.Who do you think you are to stand out against the people
of this town and the Lord Almighty?'I looked into her eyes and found there a_kind_of_permission_to
_be_the_person_I_might_have_been_if_her_boy_had_lived.For the first time in my adult life I felt
worthy to love and be loved."
It is only through forgiveness of our mistakes that we gain the freedom to learn from experience.But
forgiving our shortcomings doesn't mean denying that they exist.On the contrary, it means facing them
honestly, realistically.
     Can a person be allforgiving and still be human?A scientist I know spent four years as a slave
laborer in Germany.His parents were killed by Nazi street bullies; his younger sister and older brother
were sent to the gas chambers.This is a man who has every reason to hate.Yet he is filled with a love
of life that he conveys to everyone who knows him.He explained it to me the other day: "In the
beginning I was filled with hatred.Then I realized that in hating I had become my own enemy.Unless
you forgive, you cannot love.And without love, life has no meaning."Forgiveness is truly the saving
grace.

1. Tom Anderson and his wife separated after six years of marriage probably because________.

A. he had killed one of his classmates
B. he had cared more for his adventure than for his wife
C. his wife looked down upon his poor position
D. his life had been made in a great mess by his deep guilt

2. The key reason for which Tom's life changed back to normal may be that________.

A. his wife Betty came back to him
B. the mother of his college classmate asked Betty to forgive him for his guilt
C. he eventually learned to face his guilt honestly, realistically and forgave himself
D. he earned a fine position and finally made a lot of money

3. The underlined part in the second paragraph means that________.

A. the mother of my college classmate permitted me to be a real person
B. even my college classmate would permit me to be what I used to be
C. I wouldn't be a person unless my college classmate permitted me to
D. I might have been a successful person if my college classmate had lived

4. The best title for this passage could be________.

A. Forgiveness: the saving grace
B. Hatred: unrealistic way of living
C. Love: a meaningful worthy life
D. Guilt: unforgivable mistake

     I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese. For Christmas I
prayed for the boy, Robert. When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for
Christmas Eve dinner, I cried in panic. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners?
     On Christmas Eve, my mother created abundant Chinese food. And then they arrived-the minister's
family and all my relatives. Robert greeted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.
     Dinner threw me deeper into disappointment. My relatives licked (舔) the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table. Robert and his family waited patiently for a large plate to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert made a
face. Then my father reached his chopsticks just below the fish eye and picked out the soft meat. "Amy,
your favorite," he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear.
      At the end of the meal, my father leaned back and burped (打嗝) loudly, thanking my mother for her
fine cooking. "It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied," explained my father to our astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddish face. The minister managed to bring up a quiet burp. I was shocked into silence for the rest of the night.
      After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, "You want to be the same as American girls on the
outside." She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt. "But inside you must always be Chinese. You
must be proud that you are different. Your only shame is to have shame."
      It was not until years later that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the purpose behind her
particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen excellent Chinese food.

1. When the writer found out the minister's family would come for Christmas Eve dinner, she cried mainly
because ________.

A. she worried about their shabby Chinese Christmas
B. she worried about their Chinese relatives lacking American manners
C. she worried about meeting the minister's family
D. she worried about being laughed at

2. What does "he was not worthy of existence" probably mean? It means ________.

A. the writer was not interested in his existence
B. he was worthless
C. he should not exist
D. the writer expected his coming

3. The dinner threw the writer deeper into disappointment mainly because ________.   

A. her relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks
B. her father reached his chopsticks to pick fish for her
C. her father leaned back and burped loudly
D. she childishly expected all of them to act in the same way as Americans did at table

4. We can infer from the passage that ________. 

A. the writer appreciated her mother's lesson years later
B. the writer must be proud that she is different
C. the mother prepared to show Chinese different food culture
D. the minister's family really enjoyed the food