Yesterday was my stepmom’s birthday. I hadn’t been home for a long time so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.
I have been struggling financially so I was afraid of the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.
I stopped at the shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she
would love it. But when I got to the cashier my card was declined! I did not have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!
So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would like as much. So, I got on my smart-phone and transferred some money from my savings account so I was able to pay for the gift. It took a big chunk of my savings but I wanted her to have something special.
She loved the gift and I felt that even though I had spent almost all my money my stepmom deserved the best and I was glad I gave her the best that I could.
Before leaving my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret hand-shake, he gave me some money. I had not said anything to him about my finances but I guess my dad had just known it. When I got to the car, I saw the amount he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift!
It goes to show that doing the right thing always comes with great rewards.
【小題1】Why was the writer unwilling to have a long trip？

A．Because gas was hardly available.	B．Because the writer was short of money.
C．Because the writer didn’t like driving.	D．Because the road was difficult to drive on.

【小題2】The underlined word “pondered” in Para. 4 means ________.

A．thought about	B．tried on
C．depended on	D．got through

【小題3】From the passage, we can infer that ________.

A．the writer loves his/her stepmom very much

B．the gift the writer bought was loved by his/her father very much

C．the writer spent all his/her savings buying the gift for his/her stepmom

D．the gift the writer bought was the most expensive one in the shop

【小題4】Why did the writer’s father shake hands with the writer in secret?

A．Because he wanted to ask the writer for something special.

B．Because he wanted to give the writer some money.

C．Because he knew the writer had been struggling financially.

D．Because he didn’t want others to copy their handshake.

“Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.”
This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 52 wrote it.
We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these developments really improve the quality of our lives?
Picture this: You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all night to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?
Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.
One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10, and Tomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.
The grandmother, Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.” She believed life was less materialistic. “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” She said. The boys said they fought less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy（時髦的）, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things.”
Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!
Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your e-mail every day.
Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about _______.

A．problem with technology

B．improvements of our life with technology

C．the important roles technology plays in our everyday life

D．major changes which will be likely to happen to technology

【小題2】The writer quoted (引用) what a citizen in ancient Rome said at the beginning of the story in order to ______________.

A．share a truth about life

B．tell us what life was like long time ago

C．make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen

D．point out that you experience some big problems and they may be the same

【小題3】Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940’s house? Because ______________.

A．they liked to live simple lives

B．they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions

C．they were troubled by modern inventions

D．living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them

【小題4】What do you think the underlined word “available” in the first suggestion offered by the writer mean?

A．Busy on line

B．Free

C．Be able to

D．Be found by others.

How to improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, "This is my destiny(命運).I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don’t have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on any other external(外部的)factor.
I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn’t realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone(unless it contributes to your success),and get your mind and body to work! Don’t expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a temporary setback; instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It’s not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone’s life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don’t just stand(or sit)there, do something to improve your life.
【小題1】According to the woman mentioned in Para. 3, her life_________________.

A．doesn’t need improving	B．couldn’t be improved
C．will be better some day	D．will be worse in the future

【小題2】 What does the author think of the woman’s life?

A．Positive

B．Passive

C．Colorful

D．Disturbing

【小題3】Which of the following statements is the author’s opinion?

A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging.

B．Your luck can be changed by your own efforts.

C．You can only achieve success when God wills it.

D．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends.

【小題4】In Para. 5, the author emphasized the importance of _______________.

A．positive thinking	B．positive action
C．hope for the best	D．intention to succeed

【小題5】 The text is mainly written to advise you to _________________.

A．understand yourself	B．improve your life
C．believe in yourself	D．change your normal way

I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as Mother sat doing letters(學問). Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk”, she said again, “is for Elizabeth.” I never saw her anger, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was too emotional. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive（原諒）me. I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came. My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace-it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written in, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside－a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded and refolded many times. Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you chose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
【小題1】The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.

A．a(chǎn)fter Mother died.	B．before she became a writer.
C．when she was a child.	D．when Mother gave it to her.

【小題2】The passage shows that _____.

A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter.

B．Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done.

C．Mother cared much about her daughter in words.

D．Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words.

【小題3】The word gulf in the paragraph 2 means ______.

A．deep understanding between the old and the young.

B．different ideas between the mother and the daughter.

C．free talks between mother and daughter.

D．part of the sea going far in land.

【小題4】What did mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness?

A．She had never received the letter.

B．For years, she often talked about the letter.

C．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life.

D．She read the letter again and again till she died.

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

A．My Letter to Mother.	B．Mother and Children.
C．My Mother’s Desk.	D．Talks between Mother and Me.

Here in the hills were buffaloes (野牛). I had even, in my very young days — when I could not live till I had killed one of each kind of African animal — shot a bull out there. Later on, when I was not so interested to shoot as to watch the wild animals, I had been out to see them again. But twice I had to go back without success.
But one afternoon as I was having tea with some friends outside the house, Denys came flying from Nairobi and went over our heads westwards; a little while after he turned and came back and landed on the farm. I drove down to the plane to bring him back, but he would not get out of his plane.
“The buffaloes are out feeding in the hills,” he said, “come out and have a look at them.”
“I cannot come,” I said. “I have got a tea-party up at the house.”
“But we will go and see them and be back in a quarter of an hour,” he said.
This sounded to me like the suggestions which people make to you in a dream. So I went up with him. It did not take us long to see the buffaloes from the air; we counted them as they peacefully mixed and separated on the open ground closed in by bushes. There was one very old big black bull, and a number of young ones; if a stranger had come near to them they would have heard or smelt him at once, but they were not prepared for something from the air. They heard the noise of our machine and stopped feeding, but they did not seem to be able to look up. In the end they realized that something very strange was about; the old bull first walked out in front of the others. Suddenly he began to go down the valley side and after a moment he broke into a run. The whole group now followed him, rushing hurriedly down into the buses. In a small wood of low trees they stopped and kept close together. Here they believed themselves to be out of sight. We flew up and away. It was like having been taken there by a secret unknown route.
When I came back to my tea-party the teapot on the stone was still so hot that I burned my fingers on it.
【小題1】The writer drove to the plane ________.

A．to pick Denys up and take him back to the tea-party

B．to have a talk with Denys

C．to do some repairs for Denys

D．because they wanted to go up in the plane

【小題2】 Denys said it would only take a quarter of an hour to go and see the buffaloes ________.

A．but it took much longer than that	B．a(chǎn)nd he was right
C．if they went by a secret route	D．but it wasn’t a serious suggestion

【小題3】When the buffaloes heard the noise of the plane, they ________.

A．looked up at it	B．ran away immediately
C．continued feeding	D．were uncertain what to do

An old woman went suddenly blind. She promised a doctor a lot of money if he could make her see again. “If you fail”, she said, “ you will get nothing,” The doctor agreed with her.The doctor soon discovered what was wrong with her, but he decided not to cure her right away. Instead, each time he visited, he secretly took some of her things. When he had taken everything that he wanted, he cured her blindness and sent her a large bill. Now when the old woman could see again she noticed that all her things had gone and she refused to pay the bill. So the doctor took her before a judge.
“What the doctor says is true.” she said to the judge. “But I say I’m not cured, because I still
can’t see any of the things in my house.”
The old woman won her case and the doctor went away unhappily without getting his pay.
【小題1】The doctor didn’t cure the old woman right away because __________.
A. He didn’t know how to cure her        B. He wanted to get a lot of money
C. He wanted to take the woman’s things          D The woman refused to pay him
【小題2】 The woman was _______ .

A．clever

B．greedy

C．cruel

D．dishonest

【小題3】The doctor was ________.

A．honest

B．a(chǎn) cheat

C．a(chǎn) kind man

D．ready to help others

【小題4】The word “case” in the last paragraph means ______.

A．a(chǎn) single example	B．a(chǎn) particular situation
C．a(chǎn) question to be decided in a court of law	D．box

【小題5】Which sentence is right according to the passage?

A．The judge didn’t believe the old woman

B．The doctor cured the woman’s blindness in a short time.

C．The woman got back all her things taken by the doctor.

D．The doctor failed to get his pay .

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 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 went into 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?” He looked it over carefully and said, “ Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “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 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'm sorry, I'll give you twenty -seven pounds for it. ”“ Your 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.
【小題1】We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.

A．was rather impolite	B．was warmly received
C．a(chǎn)sked the shopkeeper to repair his chair	D．a(chǎn)sked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

【小題2】The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

A．changed his mind	B．a(chǎn)ccepted the offer
C．decided to help the writer	D．saw the writer’s purpose

【小題3】How much did the writer pay?

A．￡ 5.

B．￡ 7.

C．￡ 20.

D．￡ 27.

【小題4】From the text, we can learn that the writer was ________

A．honest

B．careful

C．funny

D．smart

閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
A
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines; others were walking about. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit.
He walked into the station café. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom’s friends, came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked John.
“Oh, there is plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Oh, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said John.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.
“Good heavens! It’s going back-ward!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.”
“You are looking at the clock in the mirror,” said John.
Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then.
【小題1】Tom went into the station café because _______.

A．John asked him to have a cup of tea

B．he wanted a drink there

C．he would meet a friend of his

D．it was early yet and he could find a place to sit

【小題2】When we look at a clock in the mirror we’ll see _______.

A．the right time	B．it is going slower
C．it is going backward	D．it is going fast

【小題3】 Which of the following is true?

A．Tom missed his bus.

B．He liked mirror even before.

C．The next bus would leave soon.

D．Tom arrived London on time.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel（紀錄片） as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
“Jack, did you hear me?”
“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.
Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回憶) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.
“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.
“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.
“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important… Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.
Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before they had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture… Jack stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.
“The box is gone,” he said.
“What box?” Mom asked.
“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
“Now, I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.
Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.
“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.
Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.
“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.
Inside he found these words carved: “Jack, Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”
“Oh, My God! This is the thing he valued most…”
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.
“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.
【小題1】Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A．Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

B．Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C．College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Bleser.

D．His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

【小題2】Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that ______.

A．Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B．Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C．Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D．Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

【小題3】Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A．He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B．He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C．He had missed his son and his family for days.

D．He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

【小題4】Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A．The Good Old Times	B．What He Valued Most
C．My lost friend	D．The Lost Childhood Days

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 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 (接待). 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?" He looked it over carefully and said, "Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?" "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 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 five pounds?" He was a very nice man and was greatly amused (感到有趣) by the whole thing.
【小題1】We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.

A．was rather impolite	B．was warmly received
C．a(chǎn)sked the shopkeeper to buy his chair	D．a(chǎn)sked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

【小題2】The underlined word "approach" in the second paragraph means ________.

A．plan for dealing with things	B．decision to sell things
C．idea of repairing things	D．way of doing things

【小題3】The expression "the penny dropped" in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

A．changed his mind	B．a(chǎn)ccepted the offer
C．saw the writer’s purpose	D．decided to help the writer

【小題4】 How much did the writer pay?

A．￡5.

B．￡7.

C．￡20.

D．￡27.

【小題5】From the text, we can learn that the writer was _________.

A．honest

B．careful

C．smart

D．funny