The first ting we do is to put an APB and this goes to all the police stations in the country.
Next we telephone the hospitals. Often the person we are looking for has been in an accident.
Then we might try parents, friends or relatives they might be with. We try to follow their movements and to find the last person they saw in local or national papers—especially papers they might read. There are other things we can do: put posters in places where they might be, go on television.
Here in America there is a magazine in which there are photographs of missing children. This is often the last hope. Of course, with nearly two million missing children every year, we can’t do all these things for everyone. We haven’t got the time, or the money , or the people who work for it. 
【小題1】 Who do they look for?

A．Criminals.

B．The drivers who have caused accidents.

C．News reports.

D．Missing children.

【小題2】 How many ways to find the missing children are mentioned in the passage?

A．Five.

B．Six.

C．Two.

D．Seven.

【小題3】When a person is reported to be missing, they

A．might not know the exact reason	B．might find out the reason first
C．set out to look for him at once	D．first turn to the police for help

【小題4】They put photos in newspapers or put posters because they think

A．people will tell them what will happen to the missing persons

B．the missing persons might come back after reading them

C．everyone will know the missing persons

D．a(chǎn)ll the people will read them

【小題5】 According to the passage, when they are looking for a missing child, they

A．can always find him

B．couldn’t always try every way mentioned above

C．just try one way or another

D．won’t give up until they find him

The first time Luca heard the Island of Inventions, he was very young, but the wonders he heard about sounded so unbelievable to him that they were forever kept in his memory. Since then, he never stopped searching clues which might lead him to that place of wonder. He read widely to collect information.
Taking a little from here and there, he got quite a clear idea of what the Island was really like. It was a secret place, where all the great men learn and invent together. To be able to join that select club, you had to have created great inventions. Only then could you receive the invitation.
To get a chance, Luca spend the years studying and inventing. Every new idea he got, he made it into an invention, and if there were anything he didn’t understand, he would seek help. Soon he met other brilliant inventors too, and he told them of the secrets of the Island. These young inventors would likewise dream of being sent “the letter”.
As time passed, the disappointment of not being sent the letter gave rise to even greater cooperation and help between them. Their inventions soon became known throughout the world.
But no invention came.
They didn’t lose heart. They continued learning and inventing, trying to come up with better ideas. Fresh talent was added to their group. One day, Luca, already very old, was speaking with a brilliant young man who had written to join their group. Luca told the young man the secrets of the Island, and of how he was sure that they would receive an invitation. Surprised, the young inventor said: “What? You mean this isn’t really the Island of Inventions?”
It inspired Luca and he realized that his dream had become true.
【小題1】Luca read widely to ________.

A．get information about the great inventions

B．get clear ideas about the island for vacations

C．seek massages about the secret club of inventions

D．get more knowledge for the benefit of his inventions

【小題2】Luca and other brilliant inventors around him shared a dream of _______.

A．being great inventors of worldwide fame

B．being accepted as members of the Island of Inventions

C．being inventors envied by members of the Island of Inventions

D．being remembered for the contribution to scientific development

【小題3】What is the effect of their not being given “the letter”?

A．They were disappointed, while it encouraged them to work harder.

B．They became desperate and decided to have another way of living.

C．They changed their strategy and promote their inventions publicly.

D．They gave up their dream while continued their inventions together.

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday(but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale(士氣). Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
【小題1】David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because      .

A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

【小題2】David Smith wears casual clothes now, because    .

A．they make him feel at ease when working

B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes

C．he looks handsome in casual clothes

D．he no longer works for any company

【小題3】According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D．All the employers in the US are for casual office wear.

【小題4】In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT      .

A．saving employees’ money

B．making employees more attractive

C．improving employees’ motivation

D．making employees happier

Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed(刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo. His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today.
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand-name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images show tattoos—people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colorful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality(個性). A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person’s life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group’s uniform, a sign of fashion, or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.
【小題1】Jack has got tattoos in order to ________.

A．show his great bravery	B．gain a special experience
C．make himself more healthy	D．be different from others

【小題2】According to the passage, media images are linked to ________.

A．traditional lifestyle	B．social position
C．cultural background	D．public interest

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

A．some people get tattoos out of pressure

B．tattoo is related to religious belief

C．getting tattoos costs a lot of money

D．most people with tattoos are artists

“Hey, Jenna, do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two?” I asked my friend. It was clear that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question. Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister. We hung out together. We gave each other advice.
“Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two.” Jenna announced loudly.
The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie. The three of us soon became close friends. We played together almost every day. I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.
The three of us started fighting a lot. Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy. I felt helpless and lonely. I thought Christmas would be horrible!
I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me. I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me.
“Wow, ” I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door. “Thanks.”
“Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly.
“Okay. See you later then…” and I closed the door.
“Who was that at the door?” my mum asked.
The card started off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends. I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting. A fight won’t stop us from being friends. Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight-two.”
I stopped reading and started laughing. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her back yard. I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship.
【小題1】How would the author and Jenna get along with each other after Christmas?

A．They would be close friends again.

B．They would not speak to each other.

C．They would lose touch with each other.

D．They would go on fighting with each other.

【小題2】The underlined sentence “I was bossy” in the fourth paragraph means “_________”.

A．I looked like a boss	B．I acted as a boss
C．I was fond of giving orders	D．I was fond of fighting

【小題3】Which of the following is the right time order according to the passage?
a. Jamie became our friend.
b. I felt lonely and unhappy.
c. Jenna, Jamie and I fought a lot.
d. Jenna brought me a Christmas card.
e. I was sorry for what I did to her.
f. Jenna and I promised to be lifelong friends.

A．f a b c e d

B．a(chǎn) c f b d e

C．a(chǎn) b c f e d

D．f a c b d e

【小題4】The author was delighted when she read the card from Jenna because _________.

A．what Jenna wrote was funny

B．Jenna would be her friend again

C．she was happy about the coming Christmas

D．she was happy to receive a Christmas card

Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.
Then, after returning to the United States from a busy and tiring trip to the Union of Soviet So­cialist Republics( USSR)，Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.
In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was pain­ful. He was not able to sleep at night.
The doctore told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins ’ problem and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.
Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead，he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.       .'
He began to experiment on himself while still in hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain -free sleep at night.
Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days，Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television，reading funny books，and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks，he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto . Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.
After a few months，Mr. Cousins returned to work. He has laughed himself back to health.
【小題1】Why did Norman Cousins get sick?

A．He did not rest enough.	B．He traveled too much.
C．His body chemistry changed.	D．All of the above.

【小題2】What part of his body was affected by the illness?

A．The bones in his feet.

B．His mind when he slept.

C．The material between his bones.

D．His stomach.

【小題3】What did Mr. Cousins think caused his illness?

A．Bad food.	B．Too much laughter.
C．Unhappy thoughts.	D．The doctors.

【小題4】Where did Mr. Cousins go in order to cure himself?

A．To a hotel room.

B．To the beach.

C．To the hospital.

D．To the USSR.

【小題5】How long did it take before Mr. Cousins went back, to work?

A．A few weeks.

B．A few months.

C．A few hours.

D．A few years.

One day while walking along the bank of a river, a rabbit couple(夫婦) saw a wounded(受傷的) ant lying unconsciously(沒有直覺地) on the grass. The rabbit couple gently put the ant on the leaf(葉子) of a nearby plant. She soon recovered and saw the rabbit couple sitting beside her.
The ant remembered that she had found herself under the foot of a cat by chance and fainted(暈倒). She asked how she reached the leaf top. The rabbit couple told her what had happened. The ant thanked them and said she would help them when they needed help.
The rabbit couple went further up the river to enjoy the bright sun. They had been there many times and would spend many hours playing and relaxing in the sun.
One fine day, the couple were again on their way to the river while the ant was playing on the leaf of a tree. She saw the rabbit couple walking towards the river. A few hours later she saw the rabbit couple sleeping peacefully on the soft grass by the river. Suddenly she saw a lion moving towards the grass where the rabbit couple were sleeping. The loin saw the rabbit sleeping, and started walking quietly to attack them.
Realizing the hazard getting close to the rabbits, the ant jumped from the leaf to the lion’s shoulder and bit(咬) the lion’s back. The lion cried out in pain, waking the rabbit couple. The rabbits ran away quickly and the ant jumped off the lion’s back into the grass.
A white pigeon(鴿子) who watched this event cheered at the courage(勇氣) of the ant and told the whole story to the rabbits. The rabbit couple were moved and thanked the ant. They became best friends.
【小題1】From the first three paragraphs, we can learn that _____.

A．the rabbit couple put the ant on the leaf of a plant to hide her

B．the ant was wounded after fighting with a cat

C．the rabbit couple and the ant knew each other very well before

D．the rabbit couple often went to the river

【小題2】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The ant was hurt by the lion.

B．The ant was small but clever.

C．The white pigeon was as brave as the ant.

D．The lion wanted to play a joke on the rabbit couple.

【小題3】According to the passage, which is the correct order of the following events?
a.      The ant jumped into the grass to hide.
b.      The ant bit the lion’s back.
c.      The lion moved towards the rabbit couple.
d.      The rabbit couple saved the ant.
e.      The ant saw the rabbit couple sleeping on the grass.

A．d,c,e,a,b

B．d,e,c,b,a

C．e,c,b,a,d

D．c,d,e,b,a

【小題4】The underlined word “hazard” in the fifth paragraph probably means “_____”.

A．reality

B．warning

C．experience

D．danger

I woke up late and had breakfast in a hurry. I had never been late and didn’t want my boss to be unsatisfied.
However, it seemed that day wasn’t a lucky one for me from the very second I left my flat. The moment I wanted to rush downstairs one of my stiletto heels(細高跟) broke. I had to return to change my red shoes. I also had to change my purse and other little things that I had tried to match the red shoes. I was sure I would be late for work.
On my way to work I had to wait for over half an hour because of an accident. I had no choice but to wait. I phoned my boss and he told me that it was no problem, but he needed me for the meeting with the Japanese clients(客戶) that morning.
Finally, I arrived at the office one hour later. I had to keep calm and be fresh for the meeting to make the clients sure that our plan was the best for their future commercial(商業(yè)的) project. However, when I was going to present(介紹) it to the clients, I found that I left the plan I had made the night before at home. I was about to get angry when I realized that I had a draft(草稿) of it in my office.
At last, the presentation came to an end and it proved to be a success. But I had to say that I had a terrible day, full of incidents.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT the reason for the writer’s being late for her work?

1. She got up late in the morning.
2. She changed her purse and other little things.
3. One of her shoe heels broke.
4. She had to wait for her friend for half an hour..

【小題2】According to the passage, what could we learn about the writer?

1. Her boss was very angry with her.
2. She often arrived at her office on time.
3. She left her plan on the bus.
4. She was nervous at the meeting.

【小題3】What did the clients think of the writer’s presentation?

A．Dull.

B．Just so-so.

C．Excellent.

D．Terrible.

Have you heard of the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proves it wrong in 1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when people, who do not know how to swim, fall in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam (堵塞) if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops of children to learn how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy(黏糊糊的)  and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.
【小題1】From the first paragraph, we know that _________.

A．several people have run a mile in four minutes.

B．Roger Banister set a record

C．nobody has run a mile in three minutes.

D．Roger Banister tied a world record

【小題2】 By comparing a drowning animal and a person, the writer tried to show _________.

A．the power of confidence

B．the responses of humans and animals to dangers

C．the difference between humans and animals

D．the power of belief

【小題3】Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?

A．Our beliefs are impossible to change

B．How we act mainly depends on our beliefs.

C．Our beliefs create or destroy our nervous system

D．Our beliefs always go against the truth

【小題4】The children visiting the writer’s workshops might_________.

A．learn how to keep off snakes

B．become brave and realistic

C．become clever and strong

D．learn to review their beliefs

Taylor sings with heart

The music industry is never short of teen pop stars with wonderful looks, but it doesn’t often find one like US singer Taylor Swift. “Beneath Taylor Swift’s not-a-girl, not-yet-a-woman sweetness hides a very skillful songwriting technique (技巧),” writes Leah Greenblatt with Entertainment Weekly.
Songwriting, the country singer explains, is “how I deal with problems. I am used to writing about things that really influences me most.” So in her songs, there is always something true and honest. They seem like stories from a diary. And that certainly helps Swift attract her audience.
She’s sold more than 13 million copies worldwide of her first two albums, 2006’s self-titled debut (首張專輯) and 2008’s Fearless. She’s the youngest artist ever to be named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. Not surprisingly, there were great expectations for her third album, Speak Now, which came out late last month, where she again returned to her own life for material. The 14 songs “are all about the last two years... when life was a little bit bigger and crazier,” says Swift. “So I’ve written about the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18, 19 and 20.”
【小題1】What led to Taylor’s fame?

A．Her wonderful looks.	B．Her songwriting skills together with her looks.
C．Her beautiful voice.	D．Her special life experience in her teenage years.

【小題2】Which of the following is true?

A．Taylor is now in her twenties.

B．Taylor’s the youngest Artist of the Year at the Academy Awards

C．Taylor has produced three albums up till now.

D．Taylor has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.

【小題3】What may be written in the album, Speak Now?

A．Her unhappy experience with her boyfriend.

B．Her concern for her popularity.

C．Her happy childhood.

D．Her worries for environmental pollution.