Dear Mom and Dad ,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you . I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me . She is going to write to you . You must come and take me away from here . She does not want me in the school any longer . The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed . As I was smoking , I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking , so I threw the cigarette away . Unfortunately , the cigarette fell into the waste--paper basket . It caught fire .
There was a curtain near the waste --paper basket . It caught fire ,too . Soon the whole room was burning . The master phoned the fire brigade（消防隊）. The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived , the whole school was on fire . The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage . She will send you a bill for about a million dollars .
I'm very sorry for this .
Much love
Sarah
【小題1】Why did Sarah write to his parents ?

A．He missed them very much for they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

B．He told his parents what he had done in school.

C．He was tired of studying, and wanted to leave school.

D．He thought he was old enough to help them do something.

【小題2】Where did Sarah smoke?

A．in the classroom	B．in the dinning hall
C．in the street	D．in the dormitory

【小題3】Why was the school master angry with him?

A．because he was too naughty

B．because he was too lazy

C．because he caused a big fire

D．because he stole something from the school

【小題4】According to the passage, what should the students not do?

A．they should not smoke, because smoking is dangerous to them

B．they should not dance, because dancing would waste a lot of money

C．they should not make friends, because making friends would take them absent

D．they should not wear expensive clothes because they would waste a lot of money

Real-life Friends
Most people know the saying: A man's best friend is his dog; and that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. However, dogs can’t offer advice or make you a cup of tea when you need one; and precious stones are cold comfort when you need a hug, and a shoulder to cry on.
What are Friends?
There are many ways to describe a friend. Friends are the family you can choose for yourself. Friends are a much better medication（醫(yī)療）than medication is, and people who spend time with friends are happier with their lives as they are less lonely.
A good friend will put you to bed when you’re lost consciousness. Ensure you’re not laid on your back, and remember to remove your shoes. You should be able to tell a true friend anything without being judged by them.
How do Friendships Begin?
This is an easy question. Find someone else who has similar interests with you. You now have another person to talk to about your shared interest but remember they like to talk too, so be prepared to shut up and listen once in a while. Hopefully they will have other friends and will introduce you to them, thereby expanding your circle.
Friendships which begin due to location, for example, next-door neighbors or school classmates, rarely survive transitions such as moving to other neighborhoods, schools, colleges, jobs, immigration, and so forth. Attend a school reunion and you’ll wonder what on earth you ever had in common with these people other than your age, although it is possible to have a friendship with someone you met at school. Mutually maintain it, and eventually become godparent or “uncle” to each others’ children.
How Friendships are Maintained
To have a friend you must also be a friend and be prepared to be there for them should they need you. Failure in this respect would label you a fair-weather friend and you would most probably be abandoned.
Boundaries
Like every other relationship you have in your life, there are boundaries you shouldn’t cross with your friends. One of those is money: Don’t lend to your friend and don’t ask for a loan yourself.
Friends are unpaid counselors（顧問）,but phoning them at 2 am because you’re awake and would like a chat is not a good idea. Neither is phoning them at 10 am if you know they’re a shift-worker. Friends are people who need some space and quiet time. Generally, it all boils down to mutual respect and understanding.
It’s not a good plan to interrupt your friend while they’re on a date/on holiday/attending an orchestral recital/at a funeral.
Trust
Trust is the most vital element in any relationship. If you’re not trustworthy then you probably don’t deserve friends, so try to remember that you promised to see that dull film with them or applaud them at their first attempt at a karaoke or an Open Mic night. If you have promised to look after their clothes while they go for a bet, then make sure you do. You might like to carry enough cash to help them out too, as you never know when that situation might be reversed.
Don’t lie to your friend: if they know you well they’ll know you’re lying or will at least be suspicious. If you find out something that you know will hurt your friend, be tactful（圓滑）. Do they need to know? Would they appreciate knowing? Can you tell their mum so she can break the news? Cowardly, yes, but mums usually have a much better way with words. Remember, if you do decide to tell them and it’s painful, they will probably need some time alone, after lashing out at（抨擊）the closest thing—you. In that case, play the waiting game. Then don’t beat them up about it afterwards.
A Friend for Life
Strong friendships can last a lifetime with care and consideration. The benefits are multi-folds; you’ve got someone to share birthday cake with, and especially for single people, a pub meal or a trip to the cinema is no fun alone, is it? Plus it’s always nice to know there’s someone there for you, as you’re there for them, through the bad times as well as the good. Altogether now: Oh I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends.
【小題1】According to the passage we can learn that good friends should be ___________.

A．paid counselors	B．money lenders
C．good listeners	D．next-door neighbors

【小題2】The author brings in the topic by ___________.

A．giving negative examples	B．raising a relative question
C．describing a natural fact	D．explaining what friends are

【小題3】The underlined phrase “a fair-weather friend” in Para 6 probably refers to a friend who _____.

A．likes only fine weather

B．will always stand by you

C．likes to make friends in fine weather

D．will run away from you when you need help badly

【小題4】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The more friends you have, the happier you will be.

B．Medication is also a better way to maintain strong friendships.

C．You may lose a friend if you are always telling lies to him or her.

D．We should only make friends with those having similar interests.

【小題5】 From the last paragraph we can learn that the author ____________.

A．doubt whether there are true friends and friendship

B．has lost a lot of good friends without any reasons

C．has already benefited a great deal from his friends

D．has been tired of making friends with single people

【小題6】 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．How to make friends.	B．Friends and friendship.
C．Ways to maintain friendship.	D．Boundaries of friends.

“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.
The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people, but here’s the true answer:
The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8,1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.
While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木雞). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.
As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.
When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.
For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.
My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”
For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.
It’s the most important thing I have ever done. The experience taught me two lessons.
First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.
Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.
From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend.
【小題1】 When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author _______.

A．felt it was not an interesting question

B．thought for a while and spoke his mind

C．gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view

D．didn’t give the real answer

【小題2】When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _______.

A．he had to stay with his family

B．his friend did not need his help.

C．he would not be of much help

D．the baby would be in the doctor’s care

【小題3】What can we infer from the author’s description of the scene at the hospital?

A．He found out that he was in the way.

B．He would have felt guilty if he had not been there.

C．He regretted that he went too late.

D．His friend would have felt better if he had not been there.

【小題4】Which of the following is conveyed in this story?

A．Family and relatives can not take the place of friends.

B．More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble.

C．It is best to be here when someone needs you.

D．You can certainly help a friend if you want to.

【小題5】The author learned from his own experience that_______.

A．what is taught in school is usually of no use.

B．a(chǎn) lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms

C．a(chǎn) lawyer should know people’s feeling first

D．he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically

【小題6】 The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that the author_______.

A．is fond of writing poems

B．is going to coach the kid’s team

C．is determined to make friends with everybody

D．is fully aware of the importance of being helpful to those in need

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to play the character of Ronald McDonald for the McDonald's Corporation.
One day each month，we visited hospitals bringing a little happiness to the children there. But there were two rules placed on me during a visit. First, I could not go anywhere in the hospital  without permission. And second, I could not physically touch anyone within the hospital. They did not want me to carry germs(細(xì)菌)from one patient to another. Breaking either of these rules, I was told, I could lose my job. One day, as I was heading down a hallway and on my way home, I heard a little voice coming through a half­opened door，“Ronald，Ronald.”
I stepped in and saw a boy，about five years old, lying in his dad's arms, Mom with a nurse on the other side. I knew by the feeling in the room that the situation was grave. I asked his name. He told me it was Billy and that I did a few simple magic tricks for him. As I stepped back to say good­bye, he asked me “Ronald, would you hold me？”
At such a simple request, my heart was screaming, “Yes！”But my mind was screaming louder. “No！You are going to lose your job！”
“Hold me” was such a simple request, and yet I searched for any reasonable excuses that allowed me to leave, but none. It took me a moment to realize that in this situation, losing my job may not be the disaster I feared. Then, I picked up this little boy. He was so weak and so scared. We laughed and cried for 45 minutes. With tears in my eyes, I left them. Less than 48 hours later, I received a phone call from Billy's mom that Billy had passed away. She and her husband simply wanted to thank me for making a difference in their little boy's life.
Billy's mom told me shortly after I left the room. Billy looked at her and said, “Momma, I don't care any more if I see Santa this year because I was held by Ronald McDonald.”
For the record, McDonald's Corporation did find it out, but, given the situation，permitted me to go on with my job. I continued as Ronald for another year before leaving the corporation to share the story of Billy and how important it is to take risks.
【小題1】The underlined word “grave” in Paragraph 3 means “________”.

A．weak

B．serious

C．interesting

D．exciting

【小題2】When Billy asked the author to hold him, at first the author ________.

A．was unwilling to do so	B．was glad to do so
C．hesitated to do so	D．hurried to do so

【小題3】What lesson did the author draw from his experience?

A．To amuse others is enjoyable.	B．To take risks is important.
C．To break rules is necessary.	D．To be fired is not fearful.

【小題4】We learn from the story that ________.

A．the author left the corporation because he broke the rules

B．the author left the corporation because he didn't like the rules

C．the boy was quite happy with the experience with the author

D．the boy was quite happy with Santa at Christmas

Dear Editor,
I’m a Senior I study in a middle school. This term, my favorite teacher, Miss Mao, no longer teaches us. I want to see her, but I’m afraid that she no longer likes me and I don’t want to trouble her. I really miss her. What should I do?
Tian Yan
Dear Tian Yan,
It’s bad luck that you have lost your favorite teacher, But if she is still in your school , nothing can stop you going to see her. When she isn’t busy, ask her if she minds having a quick chat. You can then tell her she was your favorite teacher------ everyone is happy to know that they are liked!
If she has left the school, it will be more difficult to meet her. It will be hard, but remember people always come and go in their lives. We can’t rely on them to be with us all the time.
You may be sad to say goodbye to her, but we can remember and learn from her. Think of her best qualities.
You could also try looking for similar qualities in your other teachers. Study hard and give your new teacher a chance. In time, you might start to see that he or she has different qualities to learn from.
Finally, you can not completely rely on other people to get you through your studies , or even your life.
Editor
【小題1】 The letters are from________.

A．book

B．newspaper

C．poster

D．a(chǎn)dvertisement

【小題2】Which of the following does the editor advise Tuan Yan NOT to do?

A．Find a time to see Miss Mao	B．Have a short chat with Miss Mao
C．Tell Miss Mao she likes her	D．Keep quiet about the thing

【小題3】. According to the passage, students can make progress in their studies _______.

A．completely by their favorite teachers

B．completely by their favorite classmates

C．mainly by their parents

D．mainly by themselves

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition . Some value it highly , believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity . Others say that competition is bad ; that it sets one person against another ; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people .
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依賴)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills . For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit ( 追求)of success , the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten .
However ，while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed , others take an opposite attitude .In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players , they strongly blame competition . Among the most vocal  are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society . Teaching these young people . I often observe in them a desire to fail . They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success . By not trying , they always have an excuse : “I may have lost . but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try . “What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot . Such a loss would be a measure of their worth . Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves . Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others . Both are afraid of not being valued . Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (緩解) can we discover a new meaning in competition .
【小題1】What does this passage mainly talk about ?

A．Competition helps to set up self-respect .

B．Opinions about competition are different among people

C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development .

D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition

【小題2】Why do some people favor competition according to the passage ?

A．It pushes society forward .	B．It builds up a sense of duty .
C．It improves personal abilities .	D．It encourages individual efforts

【小題3】The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means        .

A．those who try their best to win

B．those who value competition most highly

C．those who are against competition most strongly

D．those who rely on others most for success

【小題4】Which point of view may the author agree to ?

A．Every effort should be paid back .

B．Competition should be encouraged .

C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter .

D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition

Several years ago，a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker， another owned one of the largest companies in the world， and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important？” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said， “I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that？” she asked.
The man shook his head， “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d be important only if while you were visiting the President， there was a telephone call from the president of another country， and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so？”
“No， I don‘t，” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important？” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh， I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang， and the President picked up the receiver， listened and then said， ‘It’s for you.‘ ”
【小題1】This story happened in _______.

A．America

B．England

C．Japan

D．Australia

【小題2】There are _______ in this passage.

A．two men and two women

B．three men and one woman

C．three women and one man

D．four women

【小題3】The banker thought _______.

A．he was really important because he was a rich banker

B．the reporter was really important

C．the visitor who met the President of the United States

D．the visitor to the White House was really important

【小題4】The owner of many buildings thought _______.

A．he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York

B．the owner of the very large company was really important

C．the visitor was really important if the President received a telephone call for the visitor

D．the person who worked in the White House was really important

Last year, I met a little boy to whom my heart went out. He would talk to me every single day, and always seemed to have a smile on his face. His problem was that he stuttered (口吃) extremely badly when he tried to talk. It was really hard to understand what he was saying, although he loved to tell big tales!
One morning, I was talking to the teachers who ran the school store. The boy stopped by and said hello to all of us. Afterwards they told me that the boy would stop every day to ask if they would be there the next day. But of course, he never had money to buy anything.
I decided that I would get him a little something just as a surprise. So I picked out a pencil, a rubber, and a small notebook for just $1.00. I cannot describe the look on his face when I gave him the three little things. Then, without a stutter, he loudly said, "Thank you so much!" and just kept repeating, "Thank you! Thank you!" He gave me a big hug before going off to class.
I was touched to see someone appreciate something that much. As he walked off, he was showing his new stuff to other kids walking to class. I have to say that I have never spent a dollar that would mean so much to me.
【小題1】Why did the boy never buy anything from the store?

A．Because he couldn’t make himself understood.

B．Because the teachers were unwilling to sell him anything.

C．Because he couldn’t afford anything.

D．Because he could never decide what to buy.

【小題2】What do we learn from the third paragraph?

A．Actually the boy had no stutter at all.

B．The boy was too excited to stutter at the moment.

C．What the author had bought helped the boy speak normally.

D．The author wanted to find out whether the boy really had a stutter.

【小題3】Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Stuttering Boy

B．Kindness Can Do Wonders

C．One Dollar Can Buy Anything

D．The Best Dollar I Have Spent

【小題4】What is the boy’s attitude to his life?

A．a(chǎn)ctive

B．passive

C．disappointed

D．fearful

Thid is a true story of a mother’s sacrifice(犧牲) in an earthquake.
When the rescuer reached the ruins of a young man’s house, they saw her dead body through the cracks. Her pose was somehow strange—she knelt(跪) on the ground like a person who was worshiping(禱告);her body was leaning forward, and her two hands were supported by an object. However, the cold and stiff body told them that she had passed away for sure.
The rescuers left this house and were going to search the next collapsed building. For some reason, the team leader was driven by a strong force to go back to the ruined house. Again, he knelt down to search the little space under the dead body. Suddenly, he screamed with excitement, “A child! There is a child1”
The whole team worked together; carefully they removed the piles of ruined objects around the dead woman. There was a 3-month-old little boy wrapped in a blanket under his mother’s dead body. Obviously, the woman had made great sacrifice in order to save her son. When her house was falling, she used her body to make a cover to protect her son. The little boy was still sleeping peacefully when the team leader picked him up.
A doctor came quickly to examine the little boy. After he opened the blanket, he saw a cellphone inside the blanket.There was a text massage on the screen. It said, “If you can survive, you must remember that I love you.” Everybody that read the massage cried
【小題1】Why did the young woman kneel on the ground?

A．To protect herself from the earthquake

B．To show respect for God

C．To ask God for help

D．To protect her baby

【小題2】After reading the text massage, everyone felt quite ______.

A．shocked

B．excited

C．moved

D．a(chǎn)fraid

【小題3】What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To prove that a cat has nine lives.

B．To show the power of a mother’s love.

C．To express his thanks to the rescuers.

D．To give advice on how to rescue others.

Of all the things our wisdom tells us will make life entirely happy, the greatest is the possession of friendship. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
On the first Sunday in August, it’s time to recognize your friends and their contribution to your life. The first Sunday in August was fixed as National Friendship Day by the U.S. Congress in 1935, and remains a tradition observed in many countries and cultures. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s Ambassador of Friendship.
Apparently, there are several friendship holidays, all of which fall on fixed dates.
National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August
Women’s Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in September
International Friendship Month is February
Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May
People show their appreciation for friendship in various ways. Some expressions may be practical ones, such as flowers, particularly the pink friendship roses, cookies, chocolates, souvenirs from their vacations, a tape of favorite songs, farewell dinners, and welcome balloons.
Recipe for Friendship  2 cups of patience, 1 heart full of love, 2 handfuls of generosity, 2 cups of loyalty, 1 cup of understanding, A dash of laughter. Mix them all well. Spray generously over a lifetime and serve everyone you meet.
Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe, another great reason to celebrate! Although our friends certainly deserve thanks on more than just one day of the year, what better day to honor them than Friendship Day!!
【小題1】Which of the following proverbs supports the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Friendship cannot stand always on one side.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．A friend without faults will never be found.

D．A life without a friend is a life without a sun.

【小題2】Which of the holidays happens first in a year?

A．National Friendship Day.	B．Women’s Friendship Day.
C．International Friendship Month.	D．Old Friends, New Friends Week.

【小題3】What is most needed to make friendship grow, develop and last?

A．Inviting your friends over for a party.

B．Looking on your friends as relatives.

C．Honoring your friends on Friendship Day.

D．Being loyal and generous to your friends.

【小題4】“Recipe for Friendship” here actually means       .

A．a(chǎn) prescription for curing friends	B．a(chǎn) method of keeping a friendship
C．the pleasure of having friends	D．the importance of friendship