On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about
the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, "You're nervous and that's okay.
Everyone is afraid of high school." I denied it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know
about my fear, even my closest friends.
    On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle
that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to
this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could
knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably
right.
    Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out.  With the exception of
falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to
be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.
    Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only
three people ran for the four positions.
    It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is
something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some outofclass activities
because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's.
    Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a "fool", an athlete, or a lower grader.
Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school.

 1. The main reason for the author's fear on his first day is that ________.

A. he was unable to work out the puzzle
B. his schoolmates were unfriendly to him
C. he was not familiar with the new surroundings
D. his schoolbag was too heavy for him to carry

2. From the author's first day experience we can infer that ________.

A. his home was far from the school
B. he got to school after classes began
C. he didn't get any school schedule
D. he didn't know the right way to class

3. After his first week at school, the author ________.

A. was still not accustomed to the schedule
B. gradually adjusted himself to the new school
C. found high school not so challenging as he had imagined
D. ran for monitor of his class against three other students

4. According to the passage, the secret of the author's success lies mainly in ________.

A. making more friends
B. getting more A's at school
C. being who he really is
D. joining in outofclass activities

     A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking
care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.
    The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad.
Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected
to comfort him and keep up his spirits.
     Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories.  When he was
having an intravenous drip (靜脈滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the
patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical
treatment and he seldom shouted at others.
     But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the
old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to
offend the old man.  A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering
coma (昏迷) a few times.
     When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, "I have deep
sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies?"
     But the doctor knew that her family was welloff and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. 
 Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father's car.
     When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad
news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed  $ 500 to the doctor, saying, "The
old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that
I could continue my schooling." Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the
old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need.

1. If you're a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?

A. The patients in need of help.
B. The people suffering from cancer.
C. The patients without many days left.
D. The people suffering from diseases.

2. What can we infer about the old man?  

A. He had a lot of savings.
B. He was suffering from cancer.
C. He often lost his temper before meeting the girl.
D. He asked the doctor to help the girl finish her study.

3. What can we know from the passage? 

A. The doctor told the old man the truth.
B. The old man's children were wealthy.
C. The girl's father encouraged her to accept the money.
D. The girl didn't accompany the old man when he died.

4. What is the real reason resulting in the old man's mental improvement?

A. The girl's comfort and care.
B. The pleasure of being helpful to people in need.
C. People's understanding.
D. His children's progress.

     Much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm (節(jié)奏). But he dutifully
reviewed his lessons. Over the months he tried and tried, and often repeated to me "My mom's
going to hear me play some day."
    But he seemed hopeless, with no born ability. A real bad advertisement for my teaching! I was
so happy when one day he stopped coming.
    Several weeks later my students were to have a recital (演奏會). To my surprise, Robby came,
asking to play in the recital.
     "But, it is for current pupils; you dropped."
     "My mom was sick. But I have been practicing. I've just got to play!"
    I didn't know what led me to agree, maybe...
    The recital came. I__put__Robby__up__last__to__play__before__my__"curtain__closer", by
which, I could save the recital if...
    The recital went on well.  Robby came up on stage, clothes wrinkled and his hair looked like
he'd run an eggbeater through it. "How could his mom...?"
     Robby pulled out the piano bench and began. It was Mozart's work! I was not prepared for
what I heard next. Like in a dream, I was then woken up by the wild applause-everybody was on
their feet!
     "I've never heard you play like that, Robby! How'd you do it?"
    Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well, Miss Hondorf, remember I told you my mom
was sick? Actually she had cancer and died this morning. She was born deaf, and tonight was the
first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special."
     My eyes were wet. He was not a student of mine, but a teacher!

1. We can infer from the underlined sentence that the writer ________.

A. was fully confident that Robby would perform well in the recital
B. thought that Robby would make the recital special
C. thought that Robby wouldn't play in the recital
D. had no confidence in Robby at all in the recital

2. What made the boy succeed in the recital?

A. Love for his mother.    
B. Musical talent.
C. The writer's help.      
D. Regular practice.

3. What made the writer think that Robby was her teacher, not a student?

A. That he played better than her in the recital.
B. That he loved his mother more than she did.
C. That he never gave up.
D. That the audience gave him more applause than her.

4. What is the highlight of the recital?

A  The writer's performance.
B. Robby's performance.
C. Robby and his mom's story.
D. The audience's applause.

     Long ago, near the village of Hedley, there lived a strange and playful trickster (騙子), known as the
Hedley Kow. Sometimes it looked like an ordinary object. Sometimes it looked like a donkey or a goat.
    One evening, as an old woman went along the path, she saw an old iron pot lying in the ditch. "Fancy
that," she said. "Nobody seems to want this old pot. I will take it home and plant pretty flowers in it."
     When she tried to lift it, she saw that it was full of gold pieces. "Well, now, if that doesn't beat all," she
said. "I'm rich! I can buy a fine house and fancy clothes."
     The pot was heavy, so she tied her shawl around it and began to drag it home. After a while, she
stopped to rest. When she looked in the pot, she was amazed to see that it was full of silver pieces!
     "Oh, my God!" she said. "Aren't I the lucky one! If it were gold, thieves would have been after me. My friends might have been jealous. But I can hide these silver pieces, take out a few at a time, and live like a queen."
     On she went, pulling the pot after her. She was nearing home now. At her gate, she looked into the pot. What a surprise! The silver had changed into a lump (塊) of iron. "Iron," she said. "Well, now! No one will be jealous or want to steal this from me. I can use this iron to prop my door open and let in fresh air and
sunlight. Lucky me!"
     As soon as she said that, the pot began to grow and later it became a goat. Then it jumped up and ran off down the road laughing.
     "Fancy that!" said the old woman. "I believe I have seen the Hedley Kow! Not many folks can say that, and that's a fact. I'll just sit up by my fire tonight thinking about how lucky I was to see it for myself. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world!"

1. Which of the following sayings can best describe this story?

A. All good things come to an end.
B. The early bird catches the worm.
C. Content is better than riches.
D. All bad luck goes away.

2. What does "the Hedley Kow" stand for in the eyes of the old woman?

A. Glory.      
B. Honor.    
C. Misfortune.  
D. Luck.

3. From this passage we can know the old woman is ______.

A. optimistic                
B. pessimistic
C. strange                  
D. mindless

     Early one morning the subinspector at a station at the other end of the town rang me. An elephant
 was damaging the town. Would I please come and do something about it?
     I did not know what I could do, but I got onto a horse and started out.  I took my gun, maybe too
small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might scare him. Various local people stopped me on
the way and told me about the elephant's doings.
     It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one. It had been chained up but last night it had
broken its chain and escaped. Its owner had set out to run after it, but had taken the wrong direction.
He was now twelve hours' journey away, and in the morning the elephant had suddenly appeared in
the town. It had already destroyed somebody's bamboo hut (棚屋), killed a cow and turned over
fruitstalls.
     I came round the hut and saw a man's dead body sprawling in the mud.  He was an Indian, and he
could not have been dead many minutes. The people said that the elephant caught him with its trunk,
put its foot on his back and grounded him into the earth. This was the rainy season and he was lying on
his stomach in the soft mud, the__peacebreaker standing beside, looking innocent.
     As I lifted my gun, I hesitated a few seconds. Then I fired. That was a shot that did for him.
     You could see the pain of it knock the last strength from his legs. But in falling he seemed for a
moment to rise, his trunk reaching skyward like a tree. He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And
then down he came, with a crash that shook the ground.