I have recently completed my college degree. The last project was called “Smile”. The class was asked to go out to smile at three people and document their reactions（反應(yīng)）. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake.
My husband, the youngest son and I went out to McDonald. We were standing in line when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away. As I turned around I smelled a horrible body odour（氣味） and saw two poor homeless men standing behind me. As I looked at the short blue-eyed gentleman closest to me, he was “smiling”. The second man fumbled（摸索）with his hands as he stood behind his friend.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all, Miss,” because that was all they could afford.
Then I really felt it — I embraced（擁抱）the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed   all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked two more breakfast meals on and gave them to the men.
The blue-eyed gentleman looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.”
I turned in my project. My teacher said, “Can I share this?” I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings share this need to heal people and to be healed.
In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s and every soul that heard the story in the classroom. But, I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn.
【小題1】 The underlined part “a piece of cake” in Paragraph 1 means _______.

A．easy

B．embarrassing

C．moving

D．comfortable

【小題2】Why did people around the author in the McDonald step back?

A．Because they were very polite to the two men.

B．Because they were moved by the two men.

C．Because the two men smelt terrible.

D．Because the two men seemed unfriendly.

【小題3】 Why did the two men only buy coffee?

A．Because they didn’t have enough money.

B．Because they didn’t feel hungry.

C．Because they knew others would help them.

D．Because they were looked down upon.

【小題4】How did the teacher think of the author’s project?

A．Hard to believe.	B．Interesting to read.
C．Very puzzling.	D．Very satisfying.

【小題5】 What did the author think she learn from the story?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed

B．Helping others can bring pleasure to many people.

C．Nothing is difficult to a willing heart.

D．Don’t judge people according to their appearance.

Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path．I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud．As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack．It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected．I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times．I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me．Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing．And I was laughing．After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped, laughing, I took a step forward．My attacker rushed me again．He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain．For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused．I wasn't sure what to do．After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly．I stepped back to look the situation over．My attacker moved back to land on the ground．That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier．He had a mate and she was dying．
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her．I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate．He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate's sake （緣故）, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large．He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her．His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety seemed admirable．I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool．He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed．    
Since then, I've always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge barriers facing me.
【小題1】.
Why did the writer change his direction while walking down a path?

A．To get close to a butterfly.	B．To look over the bad situation.
C．To escape a sudden attack.	D．To avoid getting his shoes dirty.

【小題2】.
What made the man feel funny?

A．Making the attacker pause.	B．Being attacked by a butterfly.
C．Being stepped on by his mate.	D．Discovering the energetic butterfly.

【小題3】.
From this experience the man learned       .

A．what he should do when faced with trouble

B．people should show sympathy to the weak

C．how he should deal with attacks

D．people should protect butterflies

【小題4】.
Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?

A．Careless．

B．Amusing．

C．Courageous．

D．Aggressive.

My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork.
My reply is often a brief “You have as much time as the president.” I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done.
Once in graduate school, I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard. His answer to me was, “That’s irrelevant (無(wú)關(guān)的). What’s important is the quality of your work.” Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker” dodge (訣竅), and I have come to some conclusions — all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.
If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem: There is, of course, the matter of “time”, which we can think of as fixed. Then there is the problem of “work” during that time. But, as my professor suggested, it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product that’s important.
That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work. That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office: “Don’t work harder. Work smarter.” There is a lot of sense in that idea.
If you can’t get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work. That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits” should be read as “study habits”.
Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies.
【小題1】.
From the passage, we know that the author is probably ______ .

A．a(chǎn) poet

B．a(chǎn)n educator

C．a(chǎn) novelist

D．a(chǎn)n engineer

【小題2】.
We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that we students still _____ .

A．have enough time	B．can meet the president
C．get everything done well	D．should accept the explanation

【小題3】.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author’s students make good use of their time to do all their homework.

B．The author tried to tell the professor that he/she (author) had done a good job.

C．You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time.

D．You’ll try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you’re a clever student.

【小題4】.
What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Students don’t have enough time.	B．Don’t work harder; work smarter.
C．No one can get more time.	D．Read better and write better.

A Full-Time School Called Life
You are enrolled in a full-time school called “l(fā)ife”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors overlooked, however, is there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual.
Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else’s. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is a key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.
As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don’t have to face, while others spend years struggling with challenges that you don’t need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you specifically need to learn; whether we choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge here, therefore , is to align（與…保持一致）yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others. But, remember, don’t compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth.
Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity—the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out the comparing phrase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feeling of bitterness and anger.
【小題1】.According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?

A．Having the same opinions as others.

B．Taking the distinct path from others.

C．Learning the lessons presented to you.

D．Doing the different things from others.

【小題2】. From the passage we can conclude ______.

A．everyone has his own track to follow

B．the same thing usually happen to the peers

C．a(chǎn) painful divorce must lie in financial problems

D．a(chǎn) wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage

【小題3】. In your lifetimes, the lessons you are faced with ______.

A．a(chǎn)re beyond your power	B．keep you from growth
C．limit your development	D．help you with your success

【小題4】. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．All things are equal and justice will always prevail.

B．You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.

C．One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.

D．The teachers have designed the lessons as part of your curriculum in the life school..

【小題5】. Life is called a full-time school, because ______.

A．it is full of all lessons to learn

B．you have plenty of time to learn lessons

C．you meet with specific lessons every day

D．there are so many subjects for you to choose

Do you want to have a lot of close friends? In order to make it happen, you must do a lot of things right. You will learn tips on how to build a solid friendship.
You should be extra respectful when you are at others’ homes. For example, you must not make unpleasant comments about them. Once when I was at the house of a friend as a high school senior, I told him he had feet that looked funny while he had his socks off in his bedroom. He rebutted(反駁),“If you’re going to make fun of my feet, you can leave.’’
You must be a person of your word. For example, if you say you will do something for or with your friend, you must follow up on it.
You must respect people other than your friends.This includes respecting your friends’ family members and being polite to others in general.
It is helpful to be supportive. You should try to provide help when your friends need it.
You should understand them. Even if you do not agree with some of the things they do, you should show an understanding of why they do them and offer advice while avoiding telling them they are at fault for their problems.
You must be caring. You must put care into the things you do for them and show concern for their troubles.
Having a good attitude is a must. You must avoid being combative(好斗的)as well as being sad or mad too often.
Take these tips to build solid friendships!
【小題1】The purpose of the passage is to________.

A．explain why people need close friends

B．teach us how to build a solid friendship

C．show us how important close friendship is

D．let people know more about friendships

【小題2】What did the author mainly want to show by mentioning his friend in high shool?

A．Friends should respect one another.

B．There is no perfect person in the world.

C．Making fun of friends is unpleasant.

D．It’s impossible to take off one’s socks before others.

【小題3】The underlined part “be a person of your word’’ in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by“ ________’’.

A．make your promise

B．keep your promise

C．be a responsible person

D．be an honest person

【小題4】From the 6th paragraph, we can learn that we should________.

A．a(chǎn)gree with things our friends do

B．disagree with things our friends do

C．tell our friends they are wrong directly

D．express our understanding to our friends

Most people who experience bad service while traveling, shopping, or dining out do no complain. They accept bad services or products without making a sound. Why? Many feel complaining won’t do any good. In fact, they’re wrong, because companies don’t want their customers unhappy. Not sure you can do it? Here are some ways to use when things go wrong.
1.If you have a complaint, do something about it right away. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get your complaint solved.
2.First, complain to the servers. If they are not going to solve your problem, then ask politely to speak to a manager. And if that doesn’t work, you can always request to speak to the manager’s manager!
3.Demand a discount(折扣). Let’s say you were promised a hotel room with an ocean view, but got a view of a brick wall instead; if you were promised a seat in the front of a plane, but got a seat in the back. You should do something about both of these situations. Ask a special discount.
4.Don’t be passive. Offer ways you think the company can satisfy you.
5.Insist on the price you were told. If you are refused, get a manager’s name and telephone number, and promise to follow up with a letter and a telephone call.
6.If all else fails, wait until you get home and take action. Call the company’s head office, and speak to the most powerful person possible. Then follow up your call with a letter of complaint. If necessary, call the customer protection office in your city and complain.
【小題1】
According to the text, people don’t complain because________.

A．they think complaining doesn’t work

B．they consider it wrong to complain

C．they don’t want to waste their time

D．they don’t want to become unpopular

【小題2】
To complain about something, you should________.

A．wait until you come back home

B．prepare for a long time

C．talk to the manager directly

D．try to solve the problem actively

【小題3】
What might be the best title for the text?

A．Get what you should get

B．Complain as you please

C．Take action to deal with problems

D．Avoid trouble and don’t complain

How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time ? Far too many.
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal (排演) and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments.
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do. Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life.
In  America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day” they speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars. I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day.
How often do we say to ourselves, "I'll take up horse-riding (or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position," only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position.
When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper. At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal (反常的) mental state. How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know.
Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it. In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure. He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains.
【小題1】
The first paragraph of the passage tells us that          .

A．we always try to find some time to write a book

B．we always make plans but seldom fulfill them

C．we always enjoy many of life's best moments

D．we always do what we really want to do

【小題2】
The underlined phrase "turn his back on" (paragraph 6) most probably means         .

A．leave for

B．return to

C．give up

D．rely on

【小題3】
The man ( paragraph 6) left his first job partly because he was           .

A．in an abnormal mental state	B．under too much pressure
C．not well paid	D．not respected

【小題4】
What is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Provide Homes For Our Family	B．Take Up Horse-riding
C．Value This Very Day	D．Stay Alive

As I began to feel completely sick of the cold North American winter, spring break finally arrived! What made me even more excited was that we were going to Florida to enjoy the warm weather!
Just imagine wearing T-shirts or a swimsuit under the hot Florida sun!
Before the vacation started, we had a little episode(插曲) at the airport. The alarm sounded when my host mom and me were walking through the security check. We were taken away to have further checks, but when they finally told us that we could go, we felt relieved and amused. It was just because of the decorations(裝飾品) on my pants and the tinfoil(錫紙) around my host mom’s chewing gum! —Just as a reminder, no overly fashionable pants or tinfoil on a plane!
Of course, I had a lot of first experiences during this special vacation. Since eight of us were living in a house, we had to share bedrooms, I, fortunately or unfortunately, had to share a room with my 4-year-old host sister. She is tiny compared to me, but she took up about two thirds of the bed. Moreover, because I was not used to sleeping in the same room with others, I was afraid of waking her up and hardly slept at all.
Luckily, except for that, everything went really well. My host family were really warm hearted, and they wanted me to try everything new. With their “persuasion”, I was “forced” to go kayaking(劃皮艇), which turned out to be really fun. We went through some canals and I saw manatees(海牛) and dolphins with my own eyes for the very first time!
When we finally landed in Wisconsin again, everyone looked tanned and full of energy!
【小題1】 What happened to the author and her host mom at the airport?

A．They lost their passports.

B．Their luggage was overweight.

C．They quarreled with the other passengers.

D．The decorations and tinfoil brought them trouble.

【小題2】 What does the underlined word “they” in Para 3 most probably refer to?

A．The author and her host family people.

B．People in charge of security at the airport.

C．People sharing the same house with the author.

D．The author’s host mom and the host sister.

【小題3】 We can learn from the first paragraph that the author   .

A．hated going to Florida	B．had no sense of weather
C．disliked the cold winter	D．didn’t like living in North America

【小題4】From the passage, we can infer that   .

A．the author thought little of her host family

B．the author didn’t like her 4-year-old host sister

C．the security check at the airport was very strict

D．the author didn’t get along well with her host family

It was the beginning of the school year a few years ago and I had a little boy in my class who came from a non-English speaking home. He was very quiet and shy. I wasn’t sure how much he understood during the school day and I was especially concerned that he just stood by himself at break time and did not play. If I tried to talk to him, he would turn away and tightly shut his eyes to hide from me.
After a day or two of this, I decided to seek the help of one of my outgoing and friendly little girls. I called her over and she ran to me, ready to help.
I immediately began a long speech about what I needed from her. I asked her if she would try to get him to play, and I started talking quickly about all these suggestions on how she could start communicating with him. I explained she could do this, she could do that, she could try this idea, she could try that idea. She touched my arm to stop my talking and looked up at me in that wise and special way that only a six-year-old can, and said, “Don’t worry. I speak kid.” And she ran off.
I stood there all alone, silently watching her. It took less than a minute for the two new friends to run off, hand in hand, happily joining a game of tag(捉人游戲) taking place all over the gym.
I often think of that small moment, about what I learned and how important it is for all teachers to speak kid—big kid, little kid and middle kid. I knew my focus must be on teaching students how to think, how to approach problems, and how to figure out solutions and never take the opportunity away. We must be ready to learn from our students because those “teachable moments” during the school days are for us, the teachers, as well as our kids.
【小題1】.
Why did the author worry about the boy?

A．He didn’t dare to look the author in the eye.

B．He couldn’t speak English as well as other students.

C．He failed to understand what the author taught.

D．He was unwilling to communicate with others.

【小題2】.
After the girl agreed to help, the author    .

A．taught her what to do in detail	B．thanked her for her willingness to help
C．sent her to make friends with the boy at once
D．reminded her of what she should be careful about

【小題3】.
By saying “I speak kid”, the girl meant that she could    .

A．speak the language that kids understand	B．speak the boy’s native language
C．understand what kids are thinking	D．speak well like a little kid

【小題4】.
The underlined words “the opportunity” refer to the chance to      .

A．play at break time	B．learn from students
C．solve problems	D．speak kid

Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it’s the easiest thing to do. What’s actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.
A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ (國(guó)家質(zhì)檢總局) identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty (保修) period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has “sincerely” apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall — as HP has done in the past — will prove that the apology is sincere.
Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued an apology. Two days later, he wrote, “I’m not the referee…but if I hurt someone I’m sorry.” Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!
Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it’s just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse（痛悔;自責(zé)）demands hard work and commitment to put error right. 
【小題1】What does the author intend to tell us in the case of HP?

A．A true apology needs sincere actions.

B．HP should recall all the faulty computers.

C．Good quality makes a good company.

D．A company should apologize and pay for their mistakes.

【小題2】 According to the author, when we do anything wrong we firstly _________.

A．make an apology face to face honestly

B．a(chǎn)dmit we were wrong and try to make the wrong right

C．take the responsibility for apologizing to others

D．choose the easiest thing to do

【小題3】We can infer from the case of Thierry Henry that _________ .

A．it’s never too late to say “I’m sorry.”

B．writing an apology is not a good idea

C．Henry didn’t identify his fault.

D．the football fans were mad with Henry.

【小題4】Which of the following can best explain the word “commitment” in the last paragraph?

A．Decision.

B．Promise.

C．Agreement.

D．Responsibility.

【小題5】 What’s the best title of this passage?

A．What really puts things right

B．Don’t apologize easily

C．Making an apology — no one is out of exception

D．How to judge an apology — sincere enough?