When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station. When other teens
were studying or going out, she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible
setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry to Harvard University. And her amazing story
has inspired a movie, "Homeless to Harvard:The Liz Murray Story", shown in late April.
     Liz Murray, a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination.
Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in
the house. Liz was the only member of the family who had a job. Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was
just 15 years old. The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in
which she had grown up with how her mother had died, she decided to do something about it.
     Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was
homeless. At night, she lived on the streets. "What drove me to live on had something to do with understanding, My understanding was that there was a whole other way of being. I had only experienced a small part of
society," she wrote in her book Breaking Night.
     She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on. She used the benefits that come easily to others, such
as a safe living environment, to encourage herself that "next to nothing could hold me down". She finished high
school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University. But Liz decided to leave her
top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed
AIDS. "I love my parents so much. They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they love me all the time." 　　
     Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is "as simple as making a decision".

1. The word "setback" in the first paragraph most probably means _____? 　　

A. danger　　
B. difficulty　　
C. unhappiness　　
D. disaster

2. What's the best title of the passage?

A. Liz's Harvard Dream
B. Bitter Childhood of Liz
C. Liz's Love for Her Parents
D. Liz's Struggle for Her Life

3. What actually made Liz throw herself into her studies? 　　

A. Her parents' addiction to drugs　　
B. Her mother' s disease 　　
C. Lack of food and clothes　　
D. Her mother' s death

4. According to the passage, which is NOT true about Liz? 　　

A. strong-willed
B. envious
C. determined
D. respectful

     A newly-wed couple on a four-month honeymoon were hit by six natural disasters, including the Australian
floods, Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami.
     Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm, Sweden, on December 6 and were immediately stranded in
Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms. Stefan Svanstrom and Erika Svanstrom.
     Travelling with their baby daughter, they flew on to Cairns in Australia which was then struck by one of
the most tremendous cyclones (龍卷風(fēng)) in the nation's history. From there, the couple, in their 20s, were
forced to shelter for 24 hours on the cement floor of a shopping centre with 2,500 others. "Trees were being
knocked
over and big branches were scattered across the streets," Mr Svanstrom told Sweden's Express newspaper.
"We escaped by the skin of our teeth," said Svanstrom.
     They then headed south to Brisbane but the city was experiencing massive flooding, so they crossed the
country to Perth where they narrowly escaped raging bush fires. The couple then flew to Christchurch, New
Zealand, arriving just after a massive magnitude 6.3 earthquake destroyed the city on February 22.
     Mrs. Svanstrom said, "When we got there the whole town was a war zone." "We could not visit the city
since it was completely blocked off, so instead we travelled around before going to Japan."
     But days after the Svanstroms arrived, Tokyo was rocked by Japan's largest earthquake since records
began. "The trembling was horrible and we saw roof tiles fly off the buildings," Mr. Svantrom said. "It was like
the buildings were swaying back and forth." The family returned to Stockholm on March 29 after a much
calmer visit to their last destination China.
     But Mr. Svanstrom, who also survived the destructive Boxing Day tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004,
said the marriage was still going strong. He added, "I know marriages have to endure some trials, but I think
we have been through most of them."
     "We've certainly experienced more than our fair share of catastrophes, but the most important thing is that
we're together and happy."

1. How many countries did the couple visit during their honeymoon?

A. 6.
B. 5.
C. 4.
D. 3.

2. What's the right order of the following things according to the passage?
a. The couple headed south to Brisbane.
b. The couple flew to Cairns.
c. The couple flew to Christchurch.
d. The couple were stranded in Munich.

A. a-b-c-d
B. a-c-b-d
C. d-b-c-a
D. d-b-a-c

3. By saying "We escaped by the skin of our teeth.", Mr. Svanstrom meant that _____.

A. The cyclones was tremendous
B. They escaped from the cyclones easily.
C. They had a narrow escape from the cyclones
D. There was something wrong with their teeth

4. According to the last two paragraphs, which word can best describe Mr. Svanstrom?

A. ambitious.
B. enthusiastic
C. considerate
D. optimistic

     In a national spelling contest in America, an 11-year-old girl was asked to spell a certain word. But with her
soft voice the judges were not sure if she spelled the word with the letter A or E.    1   By now, the girl knew
she had misspelled the word. But instead of lying and telling the judges she had said the correct letter, she told
the truth that she had said the wrong letter.    2    
     As the girl walked off the stage, the entire audience stood on their feet clapping to applaud her honesty.
Later, dozens of newspaper reporters wrote about this 11-year-old girl's courage and honesty, even when it
cost her the contest.    3    
     Probably the biggest test of our character and honesty is what we would do if we knew we would never
get caught.
     This young girl could easily have lied, and nobody would have known it but her. But that's just it: She would know she did wrong.    4    
     This young girl was strong and smart enough to prize her own conscience and character more than the
prize from a spelling contest. Her respect for herself was more important than any respect others might give
her for winning a contest. She knew she would have to live with herself and the choice she made at the
moment. 
        5    .

A. So she won the contest.
B. As a result, she lost the contest.
C. The judges wanted to give her another chance.
D. It's been said, "If you cheat, you make yourself cheap."
E. It's so true that the choices you make today make what you are tomorrow.
F. They talked it over and finally decided to simply ask her what she had said.
G. But the fact is that she won the biggest contest that day: the contest of her character.

     I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The announcement in the paper
said that you could buy tickets at the theater box office in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since
I work from 9 o'clock to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theater was during my 45-minute lunch break.
Unfortunately, the theater is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland
Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at
the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not
enough time left to make the trip-so I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesda
y, and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, my luck changed, I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre
in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard
one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line,
I caught the next bus and headed back across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip
by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth hearing the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes,
but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line.
The reason, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.

1. The writer is probably _____.

A. worker
B. a college teacher
C. manager of a company
D. a clerk

2. He learned _____ that there would be a concert last Friday.

A. from his friends
B. from one of his colleagues
C. over the radio
D. from the newspaper

3. He could go and buy the ticket _____.

A. any day before work hours
B. both before and after work hours
C. only during lunch time
D. on Saturday and Sunday

4. The word "relieved" in the last two sentences may best be replaced by "_____".

A. surprised
B. pleased
C. puzzled
D. sorry

5. The story is about _____.

A. a good concert
B. someone enjoying a good concert
C. someone trying to buy concert tickets for his friends
D. someone's disappointment at not being able to go to the concert

     The teacher who did the most to encourage me was, as it happened, my aunt. She was Myrtle C.
Manigault, the wife of my mother's brother Bill. She taught in second grade at all-black Summer School
in Camden, New Jersey.
     During my childhood and youth, Aunt Myrtle encouraged me to develop every aspect of my potential,
without regard for what was considered practical or possible for black females. I liked to sing; she listened
to my voice and pronounced it good. I couldn't dance; she taught me the basic dancing steps. She took me
to the theatre not just children's theatre but adult comedies and dramas-and her faith that I could appreciate
adult plays was not disappointed.
     My aunt also took down books from her extensive library and shared them with me. I had books at home,
but they were all serious classics. Even as a child I had a strong liking for humor, and I'll never forget the
joy of discovering Don Marquis's Archy & Mehitabel through her.
     Most important, perhaps, Aunt Myrtle provided my first opportunity to write for publication. A writer
herself for one of the black newspapers, she suggested my name to the editor as a "youth columnist". My
column, begun when I was fourteen, was supposed to cover teenage social activities-and it did-but it also
gave me the freedom to write on many other subjects as well as the habit of gathering material, the discipline
of meeting deadlines, and, after graduation from college six years later, a solid collection of published material
that carried my name and was my passport to a series of writing jobs.
     Today Aunt Myrtle is still an enthusiastic supporter of her "favourite niece". Like a diamond, she has
reflected a bright, multifaceted (多面的) image of possibilities to every pupil who has crossed her path.

1. Which of the following did Aunt Myrtle do to the author during her childhood and youth?

A. She lent her some serious classics.
B. She cultivated her taste for music.
C. She discovered her talent for dancing.
D. She introduced her to adult plays.

2. What does Archy and Mehitabel in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?

A. A book of great fun.
B. A writer of high fame.
C. A serious masterpiece.
D. A heartbreaking play.

3. Aunt Myrtle recommended the author to a newspaper editor mainly to _____.

A. develop her capabilities for writing
B. give her a chance to collect material
C. involve her in teenage social activities
D. offer her a series of writing jobs

4. We can conclude from the passage that Aunt Myrtle was a teacher who _____.

A. trained pupils to be diligent and well-disciplined
B. gave pupils confidence in exploiting their potential
C. emphasized what was practical or possible for pupils
D. helped pupils overcome difficulties in learning