Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think
there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique
(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me.
I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man
wouldn't even look at my chair.
    The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and
the fourth-so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
    I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and
said to the shopkeeper, "Would you like to buy a chair?" "Twenty pounds," I said. "OK,"
he said. "I'll give you twenty pounds." "It's got a slightly broken leg," I said. "Yes,
I saw that. It's nothing."
    Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. "What will you
do with it?" I asked. "Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done." "I'll buy
it," I said. "What do you mean? You've just sold it to me," he said. "Yes, I know but I've
changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it." "You must be
crazy," he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. "I know what you want. You want
me to repair your chair." "You're right," I said. "And what would you have done if I had
walked in and said, 'Would you mend this chair for me?'" "I wouldn't have agreed to do
it," he said. "We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'll
mend this for you. Shall we say for a fiver?" He was a very nice man and was greatly
amused by the whole thing.

1. We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer _____.

A. was rather impolite
B. was warmly received
C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair
D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

2. The expression "the penny dropped" in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper _____.

A. changed his mind
B. accepted the offer
C. saw the writer's purpose
D. decided to help the writer

3. How much did the writer pay?

A. ￡ 5.
B. ￡ 7.
C. ￡ 20.
D. ￡ 27.

4. From the text, we can learn that the writer was _____.

A. honest
B. careful
C. smart
D. funny

    Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger
at 2:30 a.m.. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single
light in a ground floor window.
    I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice.
    After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me.
By her side was a small suitcase.
    I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm
and we walked slowly toward the car.
    She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat
my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."
    "Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an
address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
    "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
    "Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice (臨終醫(yī)院). I don't have
any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long."
    I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (計價器).
    For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where
she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had
once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
    Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit
staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
    At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
    We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
    "How much do I owe you?" she asked.
    "Nothing." I said.
    "You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I
answered.
    Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our
hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy."

1. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to _____.

A. show she was familiar with the city
B. see some places for the last time
C. let the driver earn more money
D. reach the destination on time

2. The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he _____.

A. wanted to do her a favor
B. shut off the meter by mistake
C. had received her payment in advance
D. was in a hurry to take other passengers

3. What can we learn from the story?

A. Giving is always a pleasure.
B. People should respect each other.
C. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.
D. People should learn to appreciate others' concern.

    I had been to several doctors as a child, but I have a special place in my heart for
Dr. Vincent. He was a Pediatric Cardiologist at UCLA back in 1971 who saved my
life. I was eight years old at the time with a severe heart problem and I needed heart
surgery. My Mom did not have the money, and without the surgery there was a real
good chance I would not live to be thirteen years old. After contacting several
organizations, Dr. Vincent was able to get financial help for me through United Way,
a Crippled Children's Organization.
    Dr. Vincent was a handsome man; he was also very gentle and caring. I remember
being in the hospital for an Angiogram test, and during the procedure I was crying
terribly, so the medical staff called in Dr. Vincent to calm me down, and he was able
to comfort me when no one else could. Then the time came for me to have heart
surgery; there was a fifty-percent chance that I would not make it through the surgery
because it was experimental. At the time I was only the second or third person to have
this procedure done. I was absolutely terrified, and again Dr. Vincent reassured me he
would see to it that everything would be all right.
    I had a lot of confidence and trust in Dr. Vincent; He came to see me after the surgery,
which was extremely painful but very successful, and brought me a stuffed animal. I was
so surprised to get this gift from Dr. Vincent; I gave him a hug. I guess Dr. Vincent must
have known I was feeling very lonely and scared. You see, I had no family or friends to
visit me while I was in the hospital except for my Mom, and I am not sure why. I do know
one thing; I had a wonderful doctor who took the time to help a scared little girl who felt
all alone.
    This was twenty eight years ago, so wherever you are Dr. Vincent, I want to thank you
for not only saving my life, but you helped me live a normal productive life, and for showing
me that you truly cared, for that I will be eternally grateful to you.

1. Why did Dr. Vincent have a special place in her heart? Because _____.

A. Dr.Vincent was handsome
B. Dr.Vincent was caring and kind
C. Dr.Vincent carried out the operation.
D. Dr.Vincent offered the money the operation needed.

2. Dr.Vincent was called in during my test to _____.

A. feed her
B. comfort her
C. scare her
D. have the surgery.

3. Which of the following is true except _____.

A. the operation was experimental
B. she didn't trust in Dr. Vincent
C. the operation would be extremely painful
D. she felt scared and all alone

4. How did Dr. Vincent get the money for the operation?

A. He collected it in the hospital.
B. He saved the money day by day.
C. He got help from an organization.
D. He borrowed the money from his friends.

    I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I
lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and
made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss.
    Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in
more than half the subjects. I didn't care, at least not till my dad found out about it.
You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected
to finance their own education, my dad financed me.
    Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper
but he just told me, "Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on". It hit me
like a roundhouse kick (回旋踢) from Bruce Lee. I was jolted (震搖) out of my bones!
I couldn't comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed
everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living
a life filled with credit.
    When I went back to college, I knew that if I don't change the way I live my life I
won't be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes.
I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging
out in libraries and reading my engineering books.
    One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude (優(yōu)等成績). Life
was never the same again. This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take
action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me
when I feel that I'm about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it!

1. The author wrote this text with the purpose of _____.

A. introducing his university life to the teenage readers
B. encouraging those lazy students to study hard at school
C. showing you can overcome any difficulty if you take action
D. calling on the readers not to develop bad habits in college

2. The author didn't care about his study until _____.

A. he entered the engineering school
B. he was in heavy debt he couldn't bear
C. he decided to give up smoking
D. his allowance was cut in half

3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that the author _____.

A. paid off his debt and life wasn't hard for him any more
B. removed his bad habits and didn't lead a casual life
C. never hung out with his friends but studied all day
D. began to live a happy life due to his good grades

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Students tended to earn money for college expenses in America.
B. The author did well in making good friends in the school.
C. The author made great progress with the help of his friends.
D. Students were encouraged to do part-time jobs in Indian schools.