St James’s Palace has announced that while Miss Middleton will wear a wedding ring．Prince William has chosen not to．
Rings are typically exchanged by couples during their wedding to represent commitment （承諾）to each other．Does it matter if husbands don’t wear a wedding ring?
Prince William’s father wears one, his grandfather doesn’t and their decisions weren’t seen as strange．But reactions to Prince William’s decision show that wedding rings for husbands are now the norm．One young man, who spoke to the BBC, thinks William is setting a bad example, saying: "I think it’s disgraceful （不光彩的）．It’s a tradition．You have to wear a ring really．And for someone of the royal family to do that, it’s not right．"
Broadly speaking, modem husbands tend to wear their wedding rings as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness．So not wearing one can seem unusual or even dishonest to some, although men haven’t always worn them．
The wearing of wedding rings has been the done thing for centuries among wives but only became common practice among husbands during World War II．Men fighting overseas usually wore them as a reminder of wives and families back home．
Wearing rings is a safety issue（問(wèn)題） for men in certain manual jobs．But how does William explain his decision? A royal officer has said he "isn’t one for jewelry"．
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．There is going to be a royal exhibition of jewelry．

B．Wearing rings among husbands and wives is tradition at all times．

C．All the male members of British royalty don’t wear wedding rings．

D．Wearing rings is a safety guarantee for some manual jobs．

【小題2】What is the author’s attitude towards Prince William’s decision?

A．Subjective．

B．Objective．

C．Approving．

D．Disappointed．

【小題3】By saying "he isn’t one for jewelry", the royal officers meant that _____．

A．Prince William is a person who doesn’t like wearing jewelry．

B．Prince William isn’t a person who is crazy about collecting jewelry．

C．Prince William considers jewelry penniless．

D．Prince William doesn’t wear a wedding ring for safety．

【小題4】What would be the best title for this passage?

A．To Wear Wedding Rings or Not

B．Complaint about British Royal Disgraceful Behavior]

C．The History of Wearing Wedding Rings

D．No Ring for Wills

Most people trade money for entertainment. Movies, concerts, and shows are enjoyable but expensive. If you think that you can’t have a good time without spending a lot of money, read on. A little resourcefulness and a few minutes of newspaper-scanning(瀏覽) should give you some pleasant surprises.
People may be the most interesting show in a large city. Walk through busy streets and see what everybody else is doing. You will probably see people from all over the world. you will certainly see people of every age, size and shape, and you will get a free fashion show, too. window-shopping is also a safe sport—if the stores are closed.
Check the listing in your neighborhood paper. Local colleges or schools often welcome the public to hear an interesting speaker or a good debate. The film or concert series at the local public library probably won’t cost you a penny. Be sure to check commercial(商業(yè)的) advertisements, too. A flea(跳蚤) market can provide hours of pleasant browsing. Perhaps you can find a free cooking crafts demonstration in a department store.
Plan ahead for some activities. It is always more pleasant not to have people in front of you in a museum or at a zoo. You may save some money, too, since these places often set aside one or two free admission days at slow times during the week. Pretend that you are a tourist from time to time, and get to know our city all over again including the indispensable sights that people travel miles to see. If you feel like taking an interesting walk, find a free walking tour, or plan one yourself. You will see your city in a new perspective once you know more about its history or its architectural(建筑的) treasures. With imagination and spirit of adventure you can quite easily find good entertainment at no cost at all.
【小題1】 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．There are many kinds of amusements you can enjoy without spending much money.

B．You should be a tourist if you want to know more about the city you live in.

C．The film shown at the local public library is often free of charge.

D．Local colleges often hold meetings to debate the issues people are interested in.

【小題2】“You will certainly see people of every age, size and shape.” “Shape” here refers to people
being ____.

A．old and young

B．beautiful and ugly

C．tall and short

D．fat or thin

【小題3】If you are wandering through the busy street, which attract you most?

A．Various buildings.

B．Car driving.

C．Free walking.

D．Window-shopping.

【小題4】 The best title for the passage is ____.

A．Amusement at No Cost	B．Movies, Concerts and Shows
C．The Cheapest Window-shopping	D．The Most Enjoyable Street Musicians

It was a Sunday morning and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in and said, “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck?”
“No ! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it.    “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital.”
When I reached the hospital，my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911，thank God! If he had moved Daddy，there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib（肋骨）might have pieced（穿透）a lung…” My mother might have said more, but I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: leave me alone.
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him. “Daddy…I am so sorry…” “It’s okay, sweetheart.” “No,”I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day.”
My father never tells lies but he looked at me and said, “I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” I regretted for my thoughtless words.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words.
【小題1】Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?

A．Because he was rude to his father that morning.

B．Because he didn’t go along with his father.

C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident.

D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital

【小題2】The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that________.       .

A．he had a poor memory	B．he just wanted to comfort his son
C．he didn’t wanted to comfort his son	D．he lost his memory after the accident

【小題3】We know from the passage that when the accident happened,_______________.

A．the author’s father called the hospital immediately.

B．the author’s father was on his way to the mall.

C．the author was watching a film with two of his friends.

D．the author’s father told the driver not to move him.

【小題4】 What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?

A．Don’t treat your parents badly.	B．Don’t hurt others with rude words
C．Don’t move the injured in an accident.	D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things.

Laura was married for 6 months. Her husband was using drugs. She didn’t want her son or her unborn baby to live that way, but she was afraid to ask her husband to leave. She left him a note instead. After reading the note, Laura’s husband waited for her to come home and then beat her and
her son.
He smashed（使……碎）dishes, pictures and toys and left the house in a terrible mess（混雜）. He said it was all her fault. After Laura cleaned up the mess she went to the hospital. She was badly hurt all over her body, but the baby was fine.
Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job. She was ashamed to ask for help from the police, courts or women’s shelters. Laura wanted her marriage and family to work. Sometimes her husband was very nice to her. She decided to try harder se her children could have a home and a father. Laura joined a church and told a priest（牧師）about her problem.
But her husband kept using drugs and hurting the family. Finally, she told her husband she loved him, but they should live apart for a while. He beat her again. The priest had called and could tell Laura was in trouble. He came over to talk to her, He asked the husband to go out for a while. Laura packed up her kids and left. Her husband went to jail. Laura got a lot of help from groups that help women who have been beaten. Now she is in college, has her own apartment and works on special projects at a women’s shelter. “We got out , and it changed the life for me and my children. You can do it. You can break the cycle.” Laura said.
【小題1】 Laura’s husband treated her ________.

A．carefully

B．badly

C．coldly

D．carelessly

【小題2】. Why did Laura not leave her husband in the beginning?

A．Because she loved him very much.

B．Because he could make her live a rich life.

C．Because he was her son’s father.

D．Because she hoped to keep the family.

【小題3】. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Now Laura works on a special project at a women’s shelter.
B. Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job.
C. After Laura cleaned up the mess, she went to the church.
D. Laura was ashamed to ask for help from organizations.
【小題4】. Which do you think is this passage about?

A．Educational and social problems.	B．Working and housing.
C．Family violence（暴力）.	D．Relationship between husband and wife.

Sheep Smarter than Thought
London—Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the most clever animals. British scientists said last Wednesday humans may have underestimated the woolly creature. They could be much smarter than we think.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern England, have shown that the animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces—which they think is a sure sign of intelligence.
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish 25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes (電極) to measure their brain activity , which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years .
“If they can do that with faces, they have to have reasonable intelligence; otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering faces and not remembering anything else?” Kendrick said in an interview.
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all.
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb (unable to speak, unintelligent) animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much individuality and are frightened of just about everything.
“All animals, including humans, once they are frightened, don’t tend to show signs of intelligent action,” he explained.
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain which allows them to distinguish between many different faces which look extremely similar.
“The most important finding (of the study) is that they are able , both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized , to remember a large number of individuals for a very long time,” said Kendrick. “It is a very strange system. They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans.”
【小題1】From the first paragraph we can find that______.         .

A．people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals

B．people used to raise sheep in a wrong way

C．people don’t consider sheep as clever animals

D．people have done a lot of research on sheep

【小題2】From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that_____.         .

A．scientists have learned everything about sheep’s intelligence

B．scientists have learned a little about sheep’s intelligence

C．scientists can’t do anything more about sheep’s memory

D．scientists do not have to research animals’ memory

【小題3】As is known in the passage,__________.

A．sheep are among the week animals

B．it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups

C．when sheep eat grass in the field their minds may be active

D．if people feel frightened, they may become braver

Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for Paris bus. The bus for Paris would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in line(排隊(duì)), others were walking around. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in line. Tom looked around but there was no place for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe(咖啡館). he looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down before a large mirror(鏡子) on the wall. Just then, Mike, one of Tom’s workmates came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked Mike.
“There’s plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Well, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said Mike.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. “Oh! It’s going backward(倒行)!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.”
“You’re looking at the clock in the mirror.” said Mike. Tom was so sad(難過(guò)). The next bus was not to leave for another hour. Since then Tom has never liked mirrors.
【小題1】、Tom went into the station cafe because           .

A．Mike asked him to have a cup of tea

B．it was quite early and he could find a seat there

C．he didn’t like to stay with the schoolgirls

D．he wanted to have a drink with his workmate there

【小題2】、What time was it in fact when Tom looked at the clock in the mirror?

A．Half past twelve	B．Twenty to twelve
C．Half past eleven	D．Half past one

【小題3】、From the story we know that when we look at a clock in a mirror, we will find    
   .

A．the time is right	B．it’s going slower
C．it’s going backward	D．it’s going faster

【小題4】、Which of the following is true?

A．Tom arrived in Paris on time

B．The next bus would leave in half an hour

C．After that Tom didn’t like clocks any longer

D．Tom looked at the clock in the mirror only once

【小題5】、Which of the following is the title(題目) of the story?

A．The Mirror of the Station

B．Not A Careful Man

C．Missing A Bus

D．The Clock In The Mirror

One Saturday afternoon in February, 1943, a farmer in Mexico stopped working for a moment and looked across his fields of corn. Suddenly he saw a thin line of white smoke curling up out of his field, about 200 feet from where he stood. As he went toward the smoke to see what it was, he heard a strange noise. The line of smoke became bigger. It looked as if some great force were pushing it up into the sky.
The farmer rushed home to get his wife. While he was urging his wife to hurry from the house, the earth shook violently. When he stood up after the earth stopped shaking, he looked across the field and saw that great flames were rising from his cornfield. A volcano was being born!
They hurried across the shaking earth to the village of Particutin, which was toward their farm. They found the village was seriously destroyed and the road from the village was filled with frightened people hurrying to safety.
Particutin did not become dark that night. The volcano lighted up the sky for miles around. Flames rushed out of the ground. The volcano threw hot stones a thousand feet through the air. Great explosion shook the earth and heavy black ashes fell from the sky, covering the roofs in Mexico city, 180 miles away.
But that was not all. On the third evening a float of lava（火山巖）began to boil up from the centre of the volcano. It came over the edge in a heavy flow, 2,000 feet wide, and travelled slowly across the valley, bringing certain death to everything that could not move from its path.
【小題1】.
. From the passage we can conclude EXCEPT that         .

A．the volcano threw out a lot of ashes and hot stones

B．the volcano lasted several days

C．many people had to escape from the village

D．it caused many deaths and great loss

【小題2】.
. You can find the passage in a         .

A．newspaper	B．government report
C．leaflet for travellers	D．handbook

【小題3】.
. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．At the beginning the farmer heard a strange cry.

B．The farmer was working in the field when the disaster happened.

C．The farmer’s wife was working in the field at that moment.

D．The village was badly damaged.

【小題4】.
What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The damage of a volcano.	B．A terrible volcano.
C．An unforgettable memory.	D．A farmer’s experience.

He has lived through various dangers but time may be running out for the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
On September 11, Israel announced its decision to remove him, following several Palestinian suicide bomb attacks on Israel. “He should be punished for the killings,” an Israeli official said, “He has done nothing to stop the terrorist groups.”
But the decision has angered many other countries. China said that Arafat is the true leader, elected by the Palestinian people, and removing him would harm the peace in the Middle East. Other governments share this idea.
Arafat himself said: “They can kill me, but never get me out of my country.” He has spent most of his life in danger as the most important aim of Israel. But, just like a cat with nine lives, Arafat escaped every time.
For years he has made a practice of sleeping in a different bed each night, thinking a moving person is harder to hit. In 1985, Israel sent fighter planes to kill Arafat. The wild bombing destroyed his office in Tunis but Arafat himself was unhurt. In 1992, the aircraft in which he was flying over North Africa broke in two during a crash landing. The pilot was killed but he managed to remain alive.
What is so unbelievable is that he always remains calm in great danger. Israeli tanks and planes attacked his office building in Ram Allah in December 2001. When they saw the attackers coming, Arafat’s bodyguards took no notice of his orders to stay still and carried him to safety underground. Seconds later, several bombs were dropped nearby. Though safe, his bodyguards were so frightened that they were wet in sweat.
But, Arafat, with Israeli tanks only 200 meters away, showed no fear at all. He stayed in the damaged office, talking by phone with foreign leaders in hope of preventing further attacks from Israel.
All these experiences have made him a beloved leader to his people and an enemy to some others.
But has he used up the last of his nine lives? Only time will tell.
【小題1】.   According to the passage, which statement is true?

A．In 1992, Arafat’s plane crashed in South Africa.

B．Israeli officers thought Arafat himself sent the terrorist groups to Israel.

C．China is the only country against Israel’s decision of removing Arafat.

D．Being Palestinian leader, Arafat would rather die in his own country than be driven away

from his people.
【小題2】.  . What did the author mean by saying “just like a cat has nine lives” when he talked about Arafat?

A．Arafat is as clever as a cat.

B．Arafat can live as long as a cat.

C．Arafat can stay alive after accidents or disasters as if he has nine lives.

D．Arafat should have died for at least 8 times.

【小題3】.   The underlined phrase “took no notice of” can be replaced by __________.

A．obeyed

B．ignored

C．disagreed

D．dissatisfied

【小題4】.  . What’s the writer’s attitude towards Arafat’s future, judging from the last sentence of the passage?

A．Hopeful.

B．Interesting.

C．Satisfactory.

D．Doubtful.

  One night last February, a seventeen-year-old Duffy drove home along a winding road, he saw a strange light thrown against the tree. “I knew it wasn’t the moon”, he said. “I drive this road all the time and I notice little things out of place.”
Duffy stopped his car and got out to examine. Below him far down in the deep valley lay a broken car with its headlights on. Thirty minutes earlier, a man had driven off the edge of the road, which has no guardrail. His car fell and rolled end over end, landing on its top more than two hundred feet below.
Duffy rushed to call for help, then returned and got down to reach the injured driver. Snow covered the valley and the temperature was below freezing. After struggling back up the cliff, Duffy took off his jacket and shirt and wrapped the injured man in time, along with the blankets from his car.
Life-saving deeds are starting to become usual action for Duffy, the oldest of seven children. When he was 12, he saved his ten-year-old brother from drowning. Two years ago, his three-year-old sister ate rat poison, and Duffy cleaned out her mouth, make her drink milk to protect her stomach and called doctors.
“We have tried to teach the children good values, and it looks like we have got some reward for it.” His father says.
【小題1】.The strange light came from ________.

A．The bright moon.	B．Duffy’s car.
C．The broken car in the valley	D．a(chǎn)n unknown place

【小題2】.The phrase” landing on its top” means the car lay_________.

A．on the top of the cliff	B．with its wheels upward
C．with its head upward	D．on the road as usual

【小題3】. Duffy wrapped the man because_________.

A．he was badly injured	B．he had lost too much blood
C．he had nothing on	D．it was too cold that day

【小題4】. From the above article, we can see Duffy has saved ________ at least.  

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

When Mr. David retired（退休）,he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it.
But to his great surprise, many tourists（游客）came to see his house in summer holidays, for it was the most interesting building in the village. From morning to night there were tourists outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into Mr. David’s garden. This was too much for Mr. David. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice on the window. The notice said: “If you want to satisfy your curiosity（好奇心）, came in and look round. Price（價(jià)格）: twenty dollars.” Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. “I came here to retire, not to work as a guide（導(dǎo)游）.” he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away.
【小題1】.
、Mr. David’s house was            that many tourists came to see it.

A．so small

B．so quiet

C．so interesting

D．such interesting

【小題2】.
、Mr. David put a notice on the window in order            .

A．to drive the visitors away

B．to satisfy the visitor’s curiosity

C．to let visitors come in and look round

D．to get some money out of the visitors

【小題3】.
、The notice made the visitors         .

A．more interested in his house

B．lost interest in his house

C．a(chǎn)ngry at the unfair price

D．feel happy about the price

【小題4】.
、After Mr. David put up the notice                .

A．the visitors didn’t come any longer

B．fewer and fewer visitors came to see his house

C．more and more tourists came for a visit

D．no tourist would pay the money for a visit

【小題5】.
、At last he had to sell his house and move away because               .

A．he did not like it at all

B．he could not work as a guide

C．he made enough money and wanted to buy a new expensive house

D．he could not live a quiet life in it