The painter Georgia O’keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887 and grew up on her family’s farm. At seventeen she decided she wanted to be an artist and left the farm for schools in Chicago and New York, but she never lost her bond with the land. Like most painters, O’Keeffe painted the things that were most important to her, and nearly all her works are simplified portrayals of nature.
O’Keeffe became famous when her paintings were discovered and exhibited in New York by the photographer Levered Stieglitz, whom she married in 1924. During a visit to New York in 1929, O’Keeffe was so moved by the bleak（荒涼的） landscape and broad skies of the Western desert that she began to paint its images. Cows’ skulls and other bleached（變白的） bones found in the desert figured prominently（突出的） in her paintings. When her husband died in 1946, she moved to New Mexico permanently and used the horizon lines of the desert, colorful flowers, rocks, barren(貧瘠的) hills, and the sky as subjects for her paintings. Although O’Keeffe painted her best known works in the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s, she continued to produce tributes（貢品、頌詞） to the Western desert until her death in 1986.
O’Keeffe is widely considered to have been a pioneering American modernist painter. While most early modern American artists were strongly influenced by European art, O’Keeffe’s position was more independent. She established her own vision and preferred to view her painting as a private endeavor. Almost from the beginning, her work was more indentifiably American than that of her contemporaries in its simplified and idealized treatment of color, light, space, and natural forms.
【小題1】 Which of the following best tells what this passage is about ?

A．O’Keeffe was a distinctive modern American painter.

B．O’Keeffe was the best painter of her generation.

C．O’Keeffe liked to paint only what was familiar to her.

D．O’Keeffe used colors and shapes that are too reduced and simple.

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an influence on O’Keeffe’s paintings ?

A．Her rural upbringing	B．Her life in the West
C．The works of European artists	D．The appearance of the natural landscape

【小題3】Which of the following is most similar to O’Keeffe’s relationship with nature?

A．A photoghrapher’s relationship with a model.

B．A writer’s relationship with a publisher.

C．A student’s relationship with a teacher

D．A carpenter’s relationship with a hammer.

【小題4】Why is O’Keeffe considered an artistic pioneer ?

A．Her work became influential in Europe.

B．She painted the American Southwest.

C．Her paintings had a definite American style.

D．She painted things that were familiar to her.

Brazil is the greatest football nation in the world. There are 170 million Brazilians. How many of them are football fans? 100 million! All of them think they know all about football. This makes life very difficult for the Brazilian team managers. When things go bad for the Brazilian team, the newspapers would demand that the team manager should leave his job. “If we win, they me in heaven,” a manager once said. “If we lose, they put me in hell(地獄).”
You can’t escape football in Brazil. There are football matches on every street and beach. On television, the results of football matches come before the main news programs. There are six television channels(頻道) in Rio de Janeiro. On Sundays each channel shows a different football match.
Brazil is not the richest country in the world, but the government spends lots of money on football. It cost more than one billion pounds to prepare for the 1978 World Cup. That’s 10 pounds for every Brazilian man, woman, and child. And many Brazilians don’t earn as much as 10 pounds a week. Is it worth it?
“Brazil must have a great football team,” says one journalist. “If it costs one billion pounds, that’s all right. If the government doesn’t give us a good team, then it will become unpopular. Football is more than a game in Brazil.”
Football is more than a game in Brazil. This is certainly true in its largest city, Sao Paulo. The most popular team is Corinthians. Corinthians’ fans are the most loyal and emotional in Brazil. When Corinthians win, production(產(chǎn)量) in the Sao Paulo car factories increases by fifteen per cent. When they loses, it drops. At one time Corinthians won the national championship for the first time, for four days fans danced and sang in the streets,
Why are people so loyal to one football team? What makes a football fan? One man says, “Without Corinthians my life would be sad. Corinthians bring some joy and excitement into my life. We all need that, don’t we?”
【小題1】In Paragraph 1, what the manager said means_______.
A, he is respected by newspapers        B,. he will probably be killed by fans
C. he is judged on his team’s results     D. it’s difficult for him to get good scores
【小題2】All the following statements about the Brazilians and football are true EXCEPT _______.

A．a(chǎn)ll the Brazilians know all about football

B．football has an influence on politics in Brazil

C．the Brazilians spend a lot of money on football

D．Corinthians’ fans are always supporting their team

【小題3】Some people danced and sang in the streets for four days in Sap Paulo because_______.

A．production in the Sao Paulo car factories increased
B．Corinthians won a national football championship
C．Corinthians won the World Cup	D．the newspapers put a team manager in heaven

【小題4】 People are loyal to their football team mainly because _______.

A．it brings joy and excitement to their life	B．they could always count on it
C．it can increase the car production	D．they could see hope in it

A young woman was driving through the lonely countryside. It was dark and raining. Suddenly she saw an old woman by the side of the road, holding her hand out as if she wanted a lift.
“I can’t leave her out in this weather,” the woman said to herself, so she stopped the car and opened the door.
“Do you want a lift?” she asked. The old woman nodded and climbed into the car. After a while, she said to the old woman, “Have you been waiting for a long time?” The old woman shook her head. “Strange,” thought the young woman. She tried again. “Bad weather for the time of year,” she said. The old woman nodded. No matter what the young woman said, the hitchhiker(搭車者) gave no answer except for a nod of the head or a shrug(聳肩).
Then the young woman noticed the hitchhiker’s hands, which were large and hairy. Suddenly she realized that the hitchhiker was actually a man! She stopped the car. “ I can’t see out of the rear screen,” she said, “Would you mind clearing it for me?”
The hitchhiker nodded and opened the door. As soon as the hitchhiker was out of the car, the terrified young woman raced off.
When she got to the next village she pulled up. She noticed that the hitchhiker had left his handbag behind. She picked it up and opened it. She gave a gasp. Inside the bag was a gun.
【小題1】The woman stopped the car because _______.

A．the old woman asked her to	B．she recognized the old woman
C．she knew what the woman wanted	D．she wanted to helped the old woman

【小題2】What made the woman feel strange about the old woman?

A．That she kept nodding her head	B．That she was unable to speak
C．That she gave no answer to her questions	D．That she had large and hairy hands

【小題3】The young woman asked the hitchhiker to clear the rear screen because _______.

A．this is the way she thought of to get rid of him	B．the hitchhiker frightened her
C．the hitchhiker was very helpful	D．she couldn’t see out of the rear screen

【小題4】The hitchhiker left the bag with a gun in it behind because_______.

A．he wanted to give her a warning

B．he had not expected the woman would leave him behind in the rain

C．it was his present for her

D．he wanted to kill her with the gun

It was not yet eleven o’clock when a boat crossed the river with a single passenger who had obtained his transportation at that unusual hour by promising an extra fare.
While the youth stood on the landing-place searching in his pockets for money, the ferryman lifted a lantern, by the aid of which, together with the newly risen moon, he took a very accurate survey of the stranger’s figure. He was a young man of barely eighteen years, evidently country bred（長大的）, and now, as it seemed, on his first visit to town. He was wearing a rough gray coat, which was in good shape, but which had seen many winters before this one. The garments under his coat were well constructed of leather, and fitted tightly to a pair of muscular legs; his stockings of blue yarn must have been the work of a mother or sister, and on his head was a three-cornered hat, which in its better days had sheltered the grayer head of the lad’s father. In his left hand was a walking stick, and his equipment was completed by a leather bag not so abundantly stocked as to inconvenience the strong shoulders on which it hung. Brown, curly hair, well-shaped-features, bright, cheerful eyes were nature’s gifts, and worth all that art could have done for his adornment(裝飾).
The youth, whose name was Robin, paid the boatman, and then walked forward into the town with a light step, as if he had not already traveled more than thirty miles that day. As he walked, he surveyed his surroundings as eagerly as if he were entering London or Madrid, instead of the little metropolis（都市）of a New England colony.
【小題1】What time of the year was it in this story?

A．Winter.

B．Fall.

C．Summer.

D．Spring.

【小題2】The boatman was willing to take Robin across the river because ________.

A．he was going to row across the river anyway

B．he saw that Robin was young and rich

C．he would give extra money

D．he felt sorry for him because Robin looked poor

【小題3】The stockings that Robin wore were obviously _________.

A．well worn

B．very expensive

C．handmade

D．much too big

【小題4】From the text we can learn that Robin had traveled __________.

A．from London	B．from Madrid
C．from a nearby city	D．over thirty miles

【小題5】At what time of day did Robin cross the river?

A．Night.

B．Late afternoon

C．Midday.

D．Morning.

One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的)to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat untidy. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“May I get you something ?”
“A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr. Gal breath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Gal breath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.
【小題1】The author bought coffee for the old man because     

A．he thought the old man was poor	B．he wanted to start a conversation
C．he intended to show his politeness	D．he would like to thank the old man

【小題2】How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?

A．Proud.

B．Pitiful.

C．Surprised.

D．Regretful

【小題3】What is the message mainly expressed in the story?

A．We should learn to be generous.

B．It is honorable to help those in need.

C．People in high positions are not like what we expect.

D．We should avoid judging people by their appearances.

Sydney – A shark savaged a schoolboy’s leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23．it was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia’s largest city in a month．
The 15 – year – old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney’s northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked．The city’s beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months．
“The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing （扭動） about in the water,” police said．“Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father．”
Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller: “It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged him out of water．” He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to shore．“There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine”．The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries．
Police said the bites “cut through to the bone”, but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures （骨折）．He was in a stable condition now．
Several beaches were closed after the attack．Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks．But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy．“I don’t even know if he saw it,” Miller said．
Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney’s beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare．However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city’s world – famous Bondi beach．
Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise．There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks．Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to shore as they chase fish．Many shark species, including the Great White – the man – eater made famous in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws – are protected in Australian waters．
【小題1】The report mainly tells us         ．

A．shark attacks on humans are on the rise

B．sharks attacked humans three times in one month

C．a(chǎn) boy was attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach

D．shark numbers are increasing in the waters off Sydney’s beaches

【小題2】The underlined word “savaged” in the first paragraph probably means “        ”．

A．a(chǎn)ttracted

B．dragged

C．bit

D．packed

【小題3】What do we know about the city of Sydney from the passage?

A．It is one of the largest cities in Australia．

B．Sydney harbor is not far from the famous Opera House．

C．There are many locals and tourists on its coast all year round．

D．There are few shark species in the waters off Sydney’s beaches．

【小題4】About the injury of the boy we know that        ．

A．he was losing much blood when he was dragged out

B．he was very nervous when he was sent to hospital

C．he may be in danger of losing his leg

D．he was injured in the right leg

   Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do; once or twice she had looked into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of the book,” thought Alice, “without pictures and conversations?”
So she was considering in her own mind whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain(雛菊花環(huán)) would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; but when the rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit- hole under the bush.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? “I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen by this time?” she said aloud. “I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think. I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it’ll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think—but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. ‘Please, Ma’am, is this New Zealand or Australia?’ And what an ignorant little girl she’ll think me for asking! No, it’ll never do to ask.”
Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, when suddenly, thump! thump! Down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.
【小題1】What kind of books do you think will interest Alice most?

A．Books that her sister was reading.

B．Books without pictures or conversations.

C．Books about white rabbits.

D．Books with pictures and conversations.

【小題2】Which of the following is true?

A．Alice suddenly saw a white rabbit with a strange umbrella.

B．Alice managed to fall right through the earth.

C．Alice ran after the white rabbit across the field out of curiosity.

D．The people on the opposite side of the earth walk with their heads downward.

【小題3】Which is the right order of the story?
a. Alice jumped into a large hole.
b. A white rabbit ran close by her.
c. Alice sat by her sister, doing nothing.
d. She fell upon some sticks and dry leaves.

A．c-b-a-d

B．d-a-c-b

C．a(chǎn)-b -c-d

D．d-c-a -b

【小題4】 From the passage, we can see Alice is a(n)________girl.

A．helpful and friendly	B．curious and imaginative
C．brave and curious	D．ignorant and pretty

【小題5】 The following paragraph “In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.” can be put between_________.

A．Paragraphs 1 and 2	B．Paragraphs 2 and 3
C．Paragraphs 3 and 4	D．Paragraph 4 and 5

Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’ money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris. By 1931, the money had been used up. Dior’s friends in the art gallery asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing. His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft（手藝）.
In February, 1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection. He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions. Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design.
The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust（胸圍）, usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt. To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New Look was a great success, for people were tired of the extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions.
It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged into（投入）the production of his new style. Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion - rounded, gentle, feminine - a delight in elegance. A New kook House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London. Considered as King of Couture （Women’s clothing） for years, the Dior Empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and so on. Over 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then.
His sudden death in 1957 when he was 52 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior. Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world. His first great New Look, with its long skirts, was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s.
【小題1】Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?

【小題2】According to the passage, in Dior’s life, he did not _________.

A．make creative fashion designs

B．work in a diplomatic service

C．learn craft as his first job

D．open a New Look House

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．Dior and his supporter had different interests in business

B．Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then

C．Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion

D．Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first

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

A．The History of the New Look

B．The Growth of the Dior Empire

C．An Expression of Freedom - Dior

D．The Founder of the New Look – Dior

A few years ago, when I was still in high school, I met a wonderful and warm teacher. At that time in my life, there were many changes to adjust to, apart from the usual teenage troubles. My parents had divorced, so my elder brother and I had chosen to stay with my dad. Due to the fact that he was keeping the house, we didn’t have to move.
During this time, my teacher took a special interest in me. Being my English teacher, she encouraged my mind to travel to creativity I had long given up. She brought me out of the shell I built.
She became my mother, my older sister, my friend and my teacher. The one thing she couldn’t do though was to make me more girly as growing up with only my dad and brother made me a real tomboy.
Sometimes, I would be really immature（不成熟的）, especially if she was scoring me less than others on purpose. She knew I could do better than what I was handing in and so pushed me to extend further than limits.
When I finished school and then after college I was about to leave my hometowns she gifted me a watch that every second, with my pulse, should remind me of the one person who will forever wait and love me without reservation.
Time has passed and our friendship is distant, but in my heart, soul and mind, she is the closest I ever got.
【小題1】The writer and her elder brother chose to live with their father simply because _________.

A．their mother was expecting to have another baby

B．they didn’t have to move out of their house

C．they hated their mother remarried

D．they had a closer relationship with their father

【小題2】How did the writer get along with her studies before she met her English teacher?

A．She was hopeless and had given up her studies.

B．She was getting along well with her studies.

C．She had some trouble with her studies.

D．She lacked interest in creativity.

【小題3】The writer behaved herself like a boy because ________.

A．she needed the love of mother

B．she wanted to learn from her father and brother

C．she lived with only men all the time

D．her English teacher didn’t care about her

【小題4】 What was the writer’s attitude to the watch given by the teacher?

A．She considered it to be very useful.

B．She valued it very much.

C．She kept it very well.

D．She wanted to do something later in return for it.

When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter（煉銅廠），and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest．One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area．Paul knocked him down．From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office．He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back．The answer from that big industry was “No”.
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants．Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren’t any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds．It would be a waste of his life to try to do it．Everyone knew that, he was told．Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted．
Paul later got married and had some kids．But his dream would not die．And then one night he did what he could with what he had．As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote．Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass．For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense．Slowly rabbits appeared．Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.
Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has．It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.
【小題1】When Paul was a boy，______________.

A．he had decided never to leave his hometown

B．the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter

C．no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution

D．he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area

【小題2】Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants？

A．Because he wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.

B．Because he was interested in planting trees since he was young.

C．Because he wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.

D．Because he thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.

【小題3】What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

A．That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

B．That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

C．That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

D．That he had to keep everything he did secret.

【小題4】The company hired Paul to plant trees and grass because___________.

A．they realized the importance of environmental protection

B．What Paul was doing moved them

C．Paul persuaded them to help him

D．they had legal pressure

【小題5】The message of the passage is that _____________.

A．a(chǎn)ction speaks louder than words

B．perseverance（持之以恒）will work wonders

C．God helps those who help themselves

D．many hands make light work