A friend of mine was fond of drawing horse. He drew the horses very well, but he always began the tail. Now it is the Western rule to begin at the head of the horse, that is why I was surprised. It struck me that it could not really make any difference whether the artist begins at the head or the tail or the belly(肚子) or the foot of the horse, if he really knows his business. And most great artists who really know their business do not follow other people's rule. They make their own rules. Every one of them does his work in a way peculiar( 奇特的) to himself; and the peculiarity means only that he finds it more easy to work in that way.
Now the very same thing is true to literature. And the question, "How shall I begin?" only means that you want to begin at the head instead of beginning at the tail or somewhere else. That is, you are not yet experienced enough to trust to your own powers. When you become more experienced you will never ask the question, and I think that you will often begin at the tail -- that is to say, you will write the end of the story before you have even thought of the beginning.
【小題1】A friend of the writer's drew the horses ____.

A．very well

B．in the way of western rule

C．in the way of his own rule

D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

【小題2】The writer was surprised because ____.

A．the artist began to draw at the head of the horse

B．the artist began to draw at the tail of the horse

C．the artist made his own rule

D．the artist did not follow other people's rule

【小題3】You are not yet experienced because ____.

A．you don't know where to begin

B．you want to begin at the head instead of beginning at the tail

C．you always asked question

D．you do not trust to your own powers

【小題4】when you become more experienced you will ____.

A．never ask question

B．often begin at the tail

C．should write the end of the story

D．should think of the beginning

【小題5】The topic of the passage is

A．How to draw a horse

B．How to write a story

C．How to make your own rules

D．Trust to your own powers

“I've changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my daddy back." Lucien Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I' m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn't wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all Mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven' t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors (挑釁者)，and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It's a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword (劍), and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I'm sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.
【小題1】According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.

A．explains the importance of a telescope

B．shows the writer's pity on the kid

C．a(chǎn)cts as an introduction to the discussion

D．makes a clear statement of the writer's views

【小題2】In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.

A．how much he misses his parents now

B．why his parents often appear in his dream

C．when Lucien will get over all his sadness

D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life

【小題3】In the writer's opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.

A．to leave behind a precious memory to the people related

B．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society

C．to care what others will remember and treasure

D．to share happiness and sadness with his family

【小題4】What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?

A．Proud.

B．Happy.

C．Disappointed.

D．Worried

A number of times Rosemary edged closer to Gordon , meaning to take his arm, but he edged away from her. She thought that she had offended him deeply, and that he was disappointed because she had pushed him away. She would have apologized if he had given her half a chance. But as a matter of fact, he was scarcely thinking of this any longer. It was the money business that was troubling him now. And the fact was that he would soon have to confess it. What nonsense it made of all he had said! Presently she stopped him, and swung him round to face her. “Gordon, why won’t you speak to me?” she said. “Are you still angry with me for what happened just now?”
“No, I was never angry with you. You’re not to blame. Something else has been worrying me all the way along, I’ve only eight pence left. I had just enough money for today when we started out, but that dinner bill upset everything. Can you lend me some money?’
Rosemary was amazed. “What does it matter if you’ve only eight pence left? How can you let yourself be worried by a thing like that? As though I objected to lending you money, aren’t I always telling you that I want to pay for myself when we go out together?’
“Yes, and you know how I hate you paying.”
“Oh, how silly you are.” She said. “Do you think there’s anything to be ashamed of in having no money?”
Gordon’s face went bright pink. “Of course there is ! It’s the only thing in the world there is to be ashamed of. I can’t be a complete human being—I don’t feel a human being –unless I’ve got money in my pocket.”
【小題1】What gave Rosemary the idea that she had hurt Gordon’s feelings deeply?

A．He didn’t say he was sorry.

B．He pushed her away when she tried to take his arm.

C．He didn’t say he was sorry.

D．He wouldn’t let her touch him.

【小題2】Rosemary made him look at her because ______.

A．she wanted to ask him a question	B．she wanted to see his face
C．she was angry with him	D．he had been rude

【小題3】Gordon felt that if he asked rosemary to lend him some money _____.

A．he would lose some of his self-respect	B．she would refuse to
C．he would have to confess his loss	D．she would be angry

【小題4】It is clear that Gordon had not intended to _____.

A．tell her he had a little money left	B．a(chǎn)ccept any money from her
C．blame her for making him angry	D．have such an expensive dinner

Friedrich Dobl, a Yugoslav working in Germany, was fed up with traffic jams. At long weekends and holiday times when he wanted to get him quickly he always found himself behind hundreds of other cars moving slowly along the notorious foreign workers’ route through Germany and Austria.
How easy it all was for police and emergency services. A siren, a flashing light? And like magic everyone was out the way. Going home from work one night he passed a garage. And there in front of him was the answer to his problems. An old ambulance(救護車) was for sale. The red cross had been removed. But not the flashing light, and the siren. He tried the light. It flashed magnificently. He tried the siren. That too sounded impressive. He bought the ambulance and opened up for himself a dream world of motoring. It began early in the morning, all his luggage in the back of the ambulance and motorway in Germany looking reasonably clear. Soon, as always, a long line of traffic appeared ahead. He switched on the flashing light and set off the siren. Cars swiftly slowed and pulled off the fast lane. Other cars stopped and drivers waved him ahead to an open road all his own. In record time he crossed the border into Austria. The big bluff was working. Police even waved him through the confusion caused by an accident.
But then the Yugoslav made his big mistake. Until then he had only stopped for petrol. Now he was driving past a real accident, lights flashing , to late realize that it was not another traffic jam as he assumed. They stopped him, and after hearing the story of his ride across two countries fined him 12. 5 pounds.
【小題1】At long weekends and holidays Friedrich Dobl used to ____.

A．drive home in Germany

B．get caught in terrible traffic jams

C．meet other foreign workers

D．get to the place where he worked by a special quick route

【小題2】Why did he decide to buy the ambulance?

A．because he had always wanted one

B．because he wanted to resell it at a higher price

C．because he liked the siren and the flashing light

D．because he knew that other traffic would get clear of the way for an ambulance.

【小題3】The red cross had been removed ____.

A．but he soon put up a new one

B．because the vehicle did not look like an ambulance any more

C．so he asked the garage to paint another one on

D．but the siren and the flashing light still worked

【小題4】Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．How to Drive quickly	B．How to Avoid accidents
C．A quick Way Home? By An Ambulance	D．A Safe way Home? Non-Stop

It was Monday,Mrs Smith’s dog was hungry,but there was not any meat in the house.
Considering that there was no better way,Mrs Smith took a piece of paper,and wrote the following words on it:”Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently:”Take this paper to the butcher（賣肉者）,and he is going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth,the dog ran to the butcher’s shop.It gave the paper to the butcher.The butcher read it carefully ,he was sure that it was really the lady’s handwriting and presently did as he was asked to.The dog was very happy,and ate the meat up immediately.
At midnight the dog came to the shop again.It gave the butcher a piece of paper again.After reading it ,he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day the dog came again exactly at midday.And as usual it brought a piece of paper in the mouth.This time the butcher did not take a look at the paper,and gave the dog its meat,for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers.
But the dog came again at four o’clock.And the same thing happened once again.To the butcher’s more surprise ,it came for the third time at six o’clock,and brought with it a third piece of paper.The butcher felt a bit puzzled.He said to himself,”This is a small dog.Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper,he found that there were not any words on it!
【小題1】It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper its master gave it______.

A．might do it much harm

B．could do it much good

C．would give the butcher some meat

D．was worth many pounds

【小題2】The butcher did not give any meat to the dog______.

A．when he found the words on the paper were not very clear

B．because he happened to have sold out all the meat in his shop

C．until he was paid enough by Mrs Smith

D．before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs Smith

【小題3】From its experience,the dog found that______.

A．a(chǎn) piece of paper could bring him half a pound of meat

B．only the paper from Mrs Smith’s words on it could bring it meat

C．the butcher would give it meat whenever he saw it

D．Mrs Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher

【小題4】At the end of the story you’ll find that______.

A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper

B．the butcher found himself cheated by the smart animal

C．the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more

D．the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog

Keving Rogers used to be my boss.At that time he always told us to sell more.As soon as I could,I left his shop and got a new job in another place.The last time I saw Rogers was more than ten years ago.At least that’s what I thought.But now I am not so sure.
I was on my way to my office in the centre of town.There is a small park nearby,which I sometimes walk through after lunch.The park was almost empty except for a shabby-looking man on one of those benches（凳子）.The man looked about fifty years old and was wearing an old gray coat.It was cold and windy,and he was trembling(哆嗦).
“It’s a long time since I had a meal.Can you help me?”he said.There was something about his voice that sounded familiar.I gave him a few pennies.As he went past me I looked at his face closely.I wondered where I had seen him before.Then it suddenly came to me.Could it possibly be…? No!Impossible,I thought.I watched him walking away.He was the same height as Rogers but looked a lot thinner than I remembered.
Yesterday I ran into someone who had worked for Rogers at the same time as I did,and had stayed on longer.I started telling him about the man I had seen in the park.”For a moment I thought it was our old boss.But it couldn’t have been.Rogers must be the head of a company now.”I said.
My ex-workmate shook his head,”I thought you knew.” “Knew?Knew what?What are you talking about?”
“Rogers was sent to prison six years ago.He’s probably been out by now.For all I know he is sleeping on park benches and begging money from passers-by.”
【小題1】Where did the writer last meet Rogers?

A．In a restaurant.	B．In a small park.
C．In the centre of town.	D．In his office.

【小題2】Which of the following happened first?

A．Rogers was sent to prison.

B．The writer saw Rogers ten years ago.

C．The writer got a job in another place.

D．The ex-workmate left Rogers’ company.

【小題3】The sotry doesn’t mention anything about______.

A．what happened to Rogers six years ago

B．what Rogers looked like

C．why Rogers was sent to prison

D．how Rogers was living on

【小題4】The reason why the man was trembling was that______.

A．he was ill	B．he was very excited
C．he became very poor	D．he felt cold and hungry

EVERYONE NEEDS FRIENDS
Everyone needs friends.We all like to feel close to someone.It is nice to have a friend to talk,laugh and do things with.Surely,there are times when we need to be alone.We don’t always want people around.But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are just the same.Sometimes friends don’t get along well.That doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other.Most of the time they will make up and go on being friends.
Sometimes friends move away.Then we feel very sad.We miss them very much.But we call them and write to them.It could be that we would neven see them again.And we can make new friends.It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.
Families sometimes name their children after a close friend.Many people are named after men or women who have been friendly to people in a town.Some libraries are named this way.So are some schools.We think of these people when we go to these places.
There is more good news for people who have friends.They live longer than people who don’t.Why?It could be that they are happier.Being happy helps you stay well.Or it could be just knowing that someone cares.If someone cares about you,you take better care of yourself.
【小題1】The main idea of this passage is______.

A．that people are all friends	B．that people need friends
C．how to get to know friends	D．how to name a place

【小題2】The first paragraph tells us ______.

A．none needs friends

B．we always need friends around us

C．making friends is the need in people’s life

D．we need to be alone

【小題3】Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A．People are not happy when their friends leave them.

B．People can know their friends in different ways.

C．People will never see their friends after their friends move away.

D．People like their friends very much if they get to know them.

【小題4】Why do people who have friends live longer than those who don’t?

A．Because they feel happier and are healthy.

B．Because they get a lot of help from their friends.

C．Because they take better care of their friends.

D．Because they are being well taken care of by their friends.

l like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.
【小題1】The first paragraph tells us __________.

A．none needs friends	B．we always need friends around us
C．making friends is the need in people's life	D．we need to be alone

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．People are happy when their friends leave them.

B．People may never see their friends after their friends move away.

C．People can know their friends in different ways.

D．People like their friends very much if they get to know them.

【小題3】Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?

A．A house.

B．A room.

C．A library.

D．A village.

【小題4】If people have friends, they would live longer, because __________.

A．they feel happier and healthier	B．they get a lot of help from their friends
C．they take better care of themselves	D．both A and C

【小題5】This passage tells us __________.

A．that people are all friends	B．that people need friends
C．how to get to know friends	D．how to name a place

While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail spectacularly often flourish more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the 2002 Atlantis flight, a piece of insulation (絕緣體) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.
【小題1】Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?

A．Because it worked perfectly.

B．Because the right booster was still OK.

C．Because nothing serious happened then.

D．Because fewer people died in the flight.

【小題2】Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that _____.

A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky

B．they gained much from experience in failure

C．their planes were often checked by the experts

D．they were unpopular among passengers

【小題3】The passage is written mainly to _____.

A．show failure is a better teacher than success

B．explain why Challenger failed

C．introduce something about Prof Desai

D．tell managers how to achieve success

【小題4】Which writing strategy is NOT used in developing the passage?

A．Giving definitions.	B．Making comparisons.
C．Analyzing causes.	D．Providing different examples.

Have you ever wanted to feel like you were in a western film? Or maybe you wanted to feel like you were a pioneer traveling the west? It is possible to experience such things during a Wild West vacation! Here are four of the best Wild West vacation locations available:
Walk the Lewis and Clark Trail
Walk some or all of the 3,700 miles trail that was traversed by Mariwether Lewis and William Clark, two of the world’s greatest explorers. Though not all the trails are marked, there are various stops that have been preserved by various historic societies. There is also a coach (長途客車) that makes a 16-day trek following the trail. This begins in St. Louis, Missouri, and ends in Astoria, Oregon.
Venture Route 66
Take a tour or go to see it yourself — ride on the famous Route 66. The road is nearly 2,500 miles long. Harley Davidson offers motorcycle tours that last two weeks. Route 66 will provide an experience that may only be found on the open road. The historic road is still well taken care of.
Visit the Grand Canyon
Visit the greatest canyon in the world, located in Northern Arizona. Raft down the Colorado River, or hike the various trails that run throughout the canyon. If walking is not your thing, there are donkey and horse riding adventures available. In addition, there are motorized boats that float down through the canyon in a week’s time.
Visit Deadwood
Located in South Dakota, Deadwood is a historic landmark. It is the kind of town that comes to mind when one thinks of an old western film. Actors who act as gunslingers (殺手) will often be seen in the streets playing their roles. Winter activities are popular in this old town, and there is always something to do.
【小題1】The underlined word “trek” (Para 2) can be replaced by      .

A．beautiful scenery	B．traveling information
C．pleasant holiday	D．long and hard journey

【小題2】Which of following riding adventures can tourists take on Route 66?              

A．A horse riding adventure.	B．A coach riding adventure.
C．A motorcycle riding adventure.	D．A donkey riding adventure.

【小題3】If you want to hike various trails you are advised to      .

A．visit the Grand Canyon	B．visit Deadwood
C．venture Route 66	D．walk the Lewis and Clark Trail

【小題4】What do we know from the passage?

A．A number of historic stops aren’t protected well.

B．William Clark was a pioneer who explored the west.

C．Western films are the most popular among Americans.

D．None of the trails in the west are marked.