You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the drama starts. The person on the other end has a depressing (令人沮喪的 )tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. You are still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!
Communicating with negative (消極的 ) people can wash your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. No wonder they can hardly win other’s pity or respect.
When you communicate with positive people, your spirits stay happy and therefore more positive things are attracted. When the dagger (匕首)of a negative person is put in you, you feel the heavy feeling that all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or relative. In this case, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to negative person, but all this is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that.
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized. The negative words of another at the start of the day can cling to (附著)you throughout the rest of your day, which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel negative. Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible.
【小題1】The purpose of the first paragraph is to _______.

A．make a comparison	B．introduce a topic
C．offer an evidence	D．describe a daily scene

【小題2】How can negative people have effect on us?

A．By telling us the nature of life.	B．By changing our way of thinking.
C．By comparing their attitude to life with ours.	D．By influencing our emotion.

【小題3】Some negative people base their happiness on _______.

A．other people’s pity for them	B．making other people unhappy
C．building up a positive attitude	D．other people’s respect for them

【小題4】According to the passage, to reduce negative people’s influence on us, we are advised________.

A．to communicate with negative people as little as possible

B．to change negative people’s attitude to life

C．to show our dissatisfaction to negative people

D．to make negative people feel ashamed of themselves

【小題5】What can we learn about negativity?

A．Its effect can last.

B．Its effect can be completely avoided.

C．It hardly happens among family members.

D．Its effect is smaller than the effect created by a positive person.

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. He seemed to expect too much of me. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to feel very nervous.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. After my visit to Tucson , My father seemed to be so friendly and gentle. What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in doing so, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
【小題1】Why did the writer feel uncomfortable about her father as a young adult?

A．He was silent most of the time.	B．He was too proud of himself.
C．He did not love his children.	D．He expected too much of her.

【小題2】When the writer went out with her father on weekends, she would feel very_______.

A．nervous

B．sorry

C．tired

D．safe

【小題3】What does the writer think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A．More critical.	B．More talkative
C．friendly and gentle	D．Strict and hard-working.

【小題4】The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to_____ .

A．the writer’s son	B．the writer’s father
C．the friend of the writer’s father	D．the café owner

Charlie was spending his summer holidays by the sea. One day he climbed over some rocks. He was looking for some crabs (螃蟹) for supper. He took off  his shorts and put them on a rock.
The afternoon went quickly. Time was flying by. Look! The sea was coming in fast. It was over some of the rocks now.
Charlie looked up. "It's getting late. Oh dear! Look at the sea. Where are my shorts now?" he thought. He saw them on a rock.
Oh dear! The rock was an island! Now he must swim and got them.
Charlie jumped into the sea and started swimming. He reached the rock and put his shorts on his head. Then he started swimming back. Oh no! The sea was too strong for Charlie. It was pulling him away from the beach.
"Help!" he called. "I can't get back. "
Luckily, a boat was coming by. The people in the boat saw Charlie and heard his call for help.
"Are you all right?" asked the woman in the boat.
"No! I can't swim back. The sea is too strong. "
The woman stopped the boat and she and a girl pulled Charlie into the boat. He threw his shorts into the boat too. Then they turned the boat Bound and took Charlie back to the beach.
"That was lucky," said the woman.
"Thank you very much," said Charlie.
"Be careful next time," said the woman. "The sea is usually very strong near these rocks. "
"Next time, I'm going to keep my shorts in my bag," said Charlie. "Better safe than sorry!"
【小題1】Where did the story take place?

A．In the hills

B．By the sea

C．On the river

D．In the town

【小題2】Before looking for crabs, Charlie put _______________.

A．his shirts in a bag	B．his shoes on a rock
C．his shorts in a bag	D．his shorts on a rock

【小題3】Charlie cried for help because______________.

A．the sea was carrying him away from the beach

B．the sea was pulling Charlie onto the rocks

C．the sea was getting lower

D．the sea was going out

【小題4】Who saved Charlie? _____.

A．A man and a girl

B．Two men

C．A woman and a girl

D．A man and a boy

Air travel is such an everyday experience these days that we are not surprised when we read about a politician having talks with the Japanese Prime Minister one day, attending a meeting in Australia the following morning and having to be off at midday to sign a trade agreement in Hong Kong. But frequent long-distance flying can be so tiring that the traveler begins to feel his brain is in one country, his digestion in another and his powers of concentration nowhere---in short, he hardly knows where he is.
Air travel is so quick nowadays that we can leave London after breakfast and be in New York in eight hours, yet what really disturbs us most is that when we arrive it is lunch time while we have already had lunch on the plane and are expecting dinner.
Doctors say that air travelers are in no condition to work after crossing a number of time zones. Airline pilots, however, often live by their own watches.
【小題1】After a long air travel, a traveler _______.

A．finds himself in a different world

B．finds his brain apart from his body

C．finds himself in Hong Kong the following morning

D．has little sense about where he is

【小題2】 After a traveler arrives in New York from London, he______.

A．feels tired and needs a good rest

B．feels hungry and needs another lunch

C．doesn’t want to have supper

D．has not had lunch yet

【小題3】Which statement is right? _______.

A．A traveler from London to New York needs lunch during his travel

B．A traveler from London to New York doesn’t need any lunch on the plane

C．The lunch hour in New York is eight hours later than that in London

D．In fact, the distance from London to New York is only four hours’ trip by air

【小題4】The sentence “Airline pilots often live by their own watches.” means______.

A．they don’t trust others’ watches

B．they don’t change their watches

C．they make a living by their own watches

D．they do as they used to do

【小題5】Doctors suggest the travelers_______?

A．should rest when they arrive in New York from London.

B．should work in good condition since they just finish a long journey.

C．rest in a place with good condition.

D．give up long journey since it makes them tired.

“There are no real friends or enemies in the business world”. This saying may have been on the minds of bosses at China’s main online video providers, Youku.com Inc and Tudou Holdings Ltd, when the one-time rivals（對手）agreed to merge (合并) on March 12. The deal will create the country’s largest company in the online video industry, Youku Tudou Inc.
Three months ago, the two companies were involved in a copyright dispute. On December 12, Tudou charged Youku.com with illegally airing the entertainment series, Kangxi is coming. Tudou was the only company which had rights to the series. In response, Youku filed a lawsuit（訴訟） against Tudou, claiming the company was broadcasting more than 50 Youku-owned TV series.
According to analysts, the deal came out of the market battle between the two companies. Each spent so much money buying licensed content that they ended up in the red last year. “Funding pressures are the main reason for the deal,” said Shi Jialong, a Hong Kong-based analyst with CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. “After the merger, there might be a fall in copyright purchase prices, which is good for the industry in the short term.”
The new company will face competition from Web portals(門戶網(wǎng)站) providing similar services. Youku owned 21.8 percent of Chin’s online video market in the last quarter of last year and Tudou 13.7 percent, but Sohu.com followed close on the heels with 13.3 percent, according to domestic research company Analysys International.
Some analysts do not feel the deal will secure the market for Youku Tudou. Shi Yu, CEO of media company KU6, said the merger was unlikely to have a “one plus one more than two” effect. In his opinion, video-hosting sites need to find new ways of generation profit to succeed in the market.
【小題1】The main reason for Youku.com Inc and Tudou Holdings Ltd to merge is that           .

A．the two companies were in great demand of money

B．they were charge with illegally airing the entertainment series

C．the two companies created the country’s largest company

D．they intended to cut down the prices of copyrights

【小題2】The underlined words “in the red” in the third paragraph mean “         ”.

A．in a big fight

B．in a great trouble

C．a(chǎn)t a loss

D．a(chǎn)t a distance

【小題3】What do the last two paragraphs imply?

A．Shi Yu doesn’t think it a good idea for the two companies to merge.

B．The merger is really a win-win deal for the companies involved.

C．The merger may not promise a bright future for Youku Tudou.

D．The new company will be more competitive after the merger.

【小題4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The merge will benefit the online video industry to some degree.

B．The two companies spent lots of money building video-hosting sites.

C．Youku Tudou Inc currently controls half of the online video market in China.

D．The new company has taken charged of all the entertainment series.

It was just a windy January day here in the North East of Scotland. When I left home for the office where I worked in the next town, the weather forecasters said, “Windy and cold, but no rain.” However, by the time I was about to leave work in the early evening, it was pouring!
My office was close to the bus stop so that there was no problem; I just shot out the door and onto the bus. Unfortunately, once I got home to Montrose, I had about a mile to walk from the bus stop to my home.
As I stepped off the bus that night to walk home, I struggled to get my tiny umbrella to go up in the strong wind. It was obviously designed for a very light shower. Then, suddenly and to my amazement, I heard my mum’s voice.
“Quickly! Come under here, before you get soaked! ”
I nipped（跑） under my bigger umbrella and stared at mum in surprise. “What on earth are you doing here in this weather?” I asked her. My mum was eighty-three that year, and although fit and healthy, she did not usually like going out in strong wind and heavy rain. “You said to come round for tea tonight, but I came early before the rain got too heavy. Eric told me that your car was in for a service and I saw your big umbrella lying on the chair. Eric was on the phone, so I just picked it up and came out so that I could meet you and you would not get soaked!’’
My mum passed away the following year. This simple act remains in my mind, and reminds me how completely my mum loved me. She would not have gone out in the wind and rain for herself, but, at eighty-three, she never gave a second thought about the bad weather so I would not get wet.
【小題1】We can learn from the text that   

A．the author’s office was not far from her home.

B．the author’s mum enjoyed good health at 83.

C．the author was completely wet that night.

D．the author opened the umbrella easily then.

【小題2】On hearing her mum’s voice the author was much surprised because   .

A．her mum seldom enjoyed going out in such bad weather.

B．her mum did not tell her she would bring her an umbrella.

C．she had planned to go to her house for tea that day.

D．she did not actually realize how much her mum loved her.

【小題3】Eric failed to pick up the author in the car for the reason that    

A．he was busy with his work.

B．the car was being repaired.

C．he was fixing the new phone.

D．he did not expect it to rain.

【小題4】The best title for the passage can be   

A．I Love Mum.

B．Nice to Meet Mum in the Rain.

C．To Keep Me from the Rain.

D．Mum’s Voice in the Rain.

After a serious earthquake happened, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to his son's school, only to find that the building where his son studied had collapsed and looked like a pancake.
He was shocked. He didn't know what he should do for a while, then he remembered the words he had said to his son, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you! "And tears began to fill his eyes. He started digging through the ruins (廢墟).
　　As he was digging, other helpless parents and the firemen arrived and tried to pull him off the ruins, saying, "It's too late! They're all dead! There's nothing you can do! " To them he replied with one line, "Are you going to help me now? " And then he kept on digging.
　　No one helped, however. He went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead? " He dug for eight hours. . . 12 hours. . . 24 hours. . . 36 hours. . . then, in the 39th hour, he pulled back a rock and heard his son's words. He shouted his son's name, "ARMAND! " He heard back, "Dad!?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, 'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you!' You did it, Dad! "
"What's going on in there? How is it? " the father asked.
"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're frightened, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When t he building fell down, it made a triangle (三角) , and it saved us. "
"Come out, boy! "
"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me! "
【小題1】The underlined word "collapsed" probably means " ".

A．break down

B．shake away

C．stand by

D．fall into

【小題2】Who came to help the father when he was digging?

A．His wife.

B．Other parents.

C．The firemen.

D．No one.

【小題3】Other parents and the firemen wanted to pull him off the ruins because they thought .

A．he was mad

B．a(chǎn)ll the children had died in the earthquake

C．he was too dangerous to others

D．it was not his job to dig

【小題4】How many students were already dead when the father found them in the ruins?

A．Fourteen.

B．Thirty-three.

C．Forty-seven.

D．Nineteen.

【小題5】We can learn from the passage that .

A．it took the father one day to find his son and other students

B．his wife died in the earthquake

C．his son was the last one to come out of the ruins

D．the son didn't believe his father would come to save him

Steve Fossett did not really look like an adventurer, but he reached some of the most difficult goals in sailing and flying.
Fossett was most proud of being the first person to fly around the world alone in a hot-air balloon. To make a trip around the world alone, it was necessary to have an improved autopilot (自動駕駛儀) device. Fossett had one of his team members develop a more advanced balloon autopilot that would allow him to sleep and do other tasks while flying safely.
Steve Fossett attempted the hot-air balloon trip around the world six times. This was not easy to do. He flew in the balloon’s capsule (密封艙) that was too small to stand upright. During his fourth attempt in 1998, he was almost killed during a storm off the coast of Australia. He fell 9,000 meters into the Coral Sea with his balloon’s capsule on fire. He was later rescued at sea.
Fossett successfully made the trip in 2002. The trip started and ended in Australia. He traveled more than 33,000 kilometers for more than 14 days. On this flight, Fossett set other records including a speed record of 322 kilometers per hour. One main problem with earlier balloon flights was the threat of dangerous storms. A team of weather experts e-mailed and talked to Fossett by a satellite telephone to help him avoid such weather.   
Steve Fossett’s hot-air balloon is now at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.  It is there as an example for other people to try and succeed in doing something important to them.
【小題1】What did Steve Fossett specially prepare for the trip around the world?

A．He made the balloon’s capsule bigger.

B．He had an autopilot impvoved.

C．He formed a team to fly with him.

D．He improved the balloon’s engine.

【小題2】Steve Fossett solved the problem of bad weather on his trip by ______.

A．communicating with experts

B．using his rich experience

C．inventing a satellite phone

D．consulting other adventurers

【小題3】We can learn from the text that Steve Fossett was ______.

A．patient and careful	B．modest and easy-going
C．brave and determined	D．energetic and kind-hearted

【小題4】What can we learn about Steve’s flight in 2002?

A．He was rescued during the trip.

B．He lost his way over the sea.

C．It lasted over three weeks.

D．He set a speed record of balloon flight.

Three years ago when I was still in the university, I also worked at a restaurant.   
An old man named Mr. Candido Filio was one of our regular customers at the restaurant. He was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known.
Every Sunday the Philippine Star Newspaper had a special page for word puzzles and among his peers (同齡人), Mr. Filio held the record for solving all the puzzles in less than five minutes. He encouraged me to solve them too and for months and months, I did my best to beat him but failed.
Then one Sunday, I did it! I was able to complete them before anyone else. Everyone cheered for me. He came up to me with a smile and said, “No one has ever beaten me before. You’re the first. I’ll have a prize for you tomorrow.”
The next day, he gave me a special Scrabble (拼字游戲) set. I would have never been able to afford one like that by myself. Then he said to me, “Kate, what do you think is man’s final goal in life? Happiness, isn’t it? You are happy and that should be considered as a success. Many people spend a lifetime searching for that. Be thankful that you have found it.” I looked at him and knew that my life had changed, probably forever. He must have known that I always felt sad about not having much money.
He encouraged me to learn the game and love words. And true to his words, I was never able to beat him again.
【小題1】We can learn from the text that Mr. Filio ______.

A．was generous to young people

B．was good at word puzzles

C．lived quite near the restaurant

D．won a prize from the Philippine Star Newspaper

【小題2】 The author got a gift because ______.

A．Mr. Filio was thankful for her help

B．Mr. Filio was satisfied with her service

C．she was the first person to beat Mr. Filio

D．she was the new record keeper in the restaurant

【小題3】After she heard what Mr. Filio said, the author probably felt ______.

A．a(chǎn)mazed

B．excited

C．touched

D．inspired

【小題4】What would be the best title of the text?

A．Happiness is also a success

B．Interest is the best teacher

C．Scrabble makes a difference

D．His words change my life

I learned about life from an ant farm．When I was seven years old, my family created one．First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we waited for the live ants to arrive．Shortly after the chilly ants were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels．I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do．After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had assigned jobs．With my mom ' s help, I kept a diary of what happened each day and named the ants．
One day a tragedy struck the ant farm．The pages of the diary, still wrinkled where tear drops fell, indicate the depth of the tragedy．'I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally tipped it over, caving in all the tunnels．Although the ants survived their earthquake, one by one they began to die．I was terrified as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a comer of the farm．My mother reported that the ants were dying of "frustration．" They simply could not stand the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed．
Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm．Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, but it taught me much more．Over the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of teamwork．Working together, they were able to create an amazing world for themselves．I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work．Day in and day out, each labored at their task．The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key ingredients to success．But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently: Adversity （不幸、災(zāi)禍） is a natural part of life,and must be accepted．Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face disappointment．Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel caves in, we just have to build another．Giving up, I say, is not a choice．
【小題1】The family created an ant farm in a glass box because it was easy _____.

A．for the ants to live in	B．to get sun light in
C．to keep the sand clean	D．for the boy to observe

【小題2】What made the pages of the diary wrinkled?

A．The tears．

B．The earthquake

C．The ants．

D．The tragedy．

【小題3】What did the writer finally realize?

A．Perseverance is the only way to success．

B．Humans cannot give up when facing adversity．

C．People should admire anyone for their hard work．

D．His mother taught him much more．

【小題4】When did the writer draw a more important lesson from his experience?

A．Before he was seven years old．

B．When he was seven years old．

C．Immediately after the tragedy．

D．Many years after the tragedy