Do you ever wonder how some things came about? For instance, who figured out that there was something worth eating inside a banana peel? Or how astonishing do you have to be to discover that an artichoke has edible parts? Well, we may not know how either of those foods was discovered, but we do know how potato chips were invented.
Potato chips originated in New England as one man’s variation on the French-fried potatoes, and their production was the result not of a sudden inspiration of cooking invention but of a fit of annoyance.
It was the summer of 1853 and Commodore Vanderbilt, a wealthy railroad magnate, was vacationing at a hotel named Moon Lake Lodge in New York. On the restaurant menu were French-fried potatoes, prepared in the thick-cut French style that was popularized in France in the 1700s and enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson as ambassador to that country.
At dinner one night, Vanderbilt complained that his French-fried potatoes were cut too thick and sent them back to the kitchen. Offended by his snobbyguest, chef George Crum decided he would give Mr. Vanderbilt exactly what he asked for! He decided to annoy the guest by producing French fries too thin and crisp. The chef angrily gathered up some potatoes and sliced them paper-thin. He threw the slices into hot oil to fry, drained and salted them and then personally served the new dish to Mr. Vanderbilt.
Surprised to see the chef in the dining room, the other diners fell into silence and everyone held their breath, waiting for Vanderbilt’s reaction.
Vanderbilt immediately popped a crisp potato slice into his mouth and the loud “Crunch” broke the silence. He continued to crunch away, delighted with his new dish. The plan backfired. Vanderbilt was interested in the browned, paper-thin potatoes. Clapping a surprised Chef Crum on the back, Vanderbilt praised him on the impressive potatoes. And other diners requested Crum’s potato chips, which began to appear on the menu as “Saratoga Chips”, a house specialty. Soon they were packaged and sold, first locally, then throughout the New England area. Crum eventually opened his own restaurant, featuring chips. At that time, potatoes were peeled and sliced by hand. It was the invention of the mechanical potato peeler in the 1920s that paved the way for potato chips to rise quickly from a small specialty item to a top-selling snack food.
【小題1】.
The author wrote the first paragraph to         .

A．tell us how potato chips were invented

B．introduce the topic dealt with in the passage

C．give examples of how some things came about

D．explain why we do know how those foods were discovered

【小題2】.
. According to the passage, chef George Crum         .

A．invented potato chips by accident

B．opened his own restaurant, featuring potatoes

C．served the new dish to Mr. Vanderbilt in private

D．helped promote potato chips to a top-selling snack

【小題3】.
. The production of potato chips was the result of         .

A．Mr. Vanderbilt’s praise for the new dish

B．Thomas Jefferson’s appreciation of the French Fries

C．George Crum’s anger at Mr. Vanderbilt

D．the invention of the mechanical potato peeler

【小題4】.
The underlined word “backfired” in the 6^th paragraph probably means           .

A．developed in a successful way	B．made a big difference
C．happened in a particular way	D．had an opposite result

I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice.
“Mom, come here! There’s this lady here my size!”
The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize.
I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then I talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darryl Kramer. How are you?”
He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?”
“Yes, I have a son,” I answered.
“Why are you so little?” he asked.
“It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand, and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf. Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids picked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have — a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.
【小題1】.. Why did the mother apologize to the author?

A．Because the boy ran into the author.

B．Because the boy laughed at the author.

C．Because the boy said the author was fatter than him.

D．Because she thought the boy’s words had hurt the author.

【小題2】. When did the author realize that she was too short?

A．When she began to go to school.	B．When she was 47 years old.
C．When she grew up.	D．When she met the boy in the supermarket.

【小題3】. Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?

A．dismissed

B．increased

C．decreased

D．discriminated

【小題4】. How does the author feel about people’s stares?

A．Angry.

B．Calm.

C．Painful.

D．Discouraged.

Donna Simpson weighs more than 600 pounds and aims to reach 1，000 pounds．The New Jersey woman is carrying a series of activities to become the world’s fattest living woman，admitting that she is as hungry for attention as she is for calorie-rich food．
Donna，who wears XXXXXXXL dresses, eats pounds of junk food and tries to move as little as possible．The 42-year-old woman is a model on a website，where admirers and the curious can pay to watch videos of her eating food or walking to the car．She appeared in TV interviews and
said she welcomed media coverage．
Simpson has submitted a claim to the Guinness World Records for the title of the world’s heaviest woman to give birth．Among the heaviest women ever recorded was one who reportedly weighed 1，800 pounds and another who reportedly weighed 1,200 pounds at the time of their
deaths．   
You might expect her husband to advise her to lose weight，but it is the other way round．To achieve her goal，Donna says she will need to eat up to 12，000 calories a day，compared to 2000 calories that a normal woman needs．
When she came across the website which made very fat women widely known，she came to know there were many women faced with the same problems．And after she admitted her real size，e-mails from people poured in．They sent her gifts through the post，expressing their care
for her．Donna was not feeling sorry for her goal，though she might risk her own life in the process．However, some have a different voice in Donna’s behavior．They hold that it is more important to do something useful than to become popular．After all，there are so many children faced with the shortage of food throughout the world．
【小題1】. . One reason why Donna Simpson wants to be the heaviest woman is that         .

A．she is fond of challenging herself

B．she wants to advertise for food

C．she is crazy about public attention

D．she hopes to make fat women confident

【小題2】. . We can learn from the passage that          ．

A．Simpson is much fatter than any other woman

B．Simpson’s videos can be watched on the Internet

C．Simpson has broken the Guinness World Record

D．Simpson’s husband is strongly against her plan

【小題3】. . What can we infer from the passage?

A．Simpson will go on a diet to keep fit

B．There’s no way for one to reach 1000 pounds

C．Most people take pity on Simpson

D．Simpson will take measures to achieve her goal

【小題4】. . The author’s attitude towards Donna Simpson would be            ． 

A．negative

B．uncertain

C．encouraging

D．a(chǎn)nnoying

【小題5】. . What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Meet with the fattest person in the world

B．What’s the matter with Donna Simpson?

C．A US woman decided to be the world’s heaviest

D．The super-sized model planned to lose weight

If you go to Juliano’s restaurant in San Francisco, you can’t get a cup of coffee or a hot cheese sandwich. All the food in the restaurant is raw, including the pizza and the rice.
Juliano thinks that cooked food makes us sick. “Food is alive, like you and me. When you cook food, you take away some of the vitamins,” he says. Juliano never eats food that is over 50 degrees. His restaurant doesn’t have a stove（火爐）or a microwave（微波爐）. But he has lots of clever ideas for making raw food taste great. Instead of heat, Juliano uses water to prepare food. He puts foods in water to make them soft. For example, he places beans in water for a few days and rice in water for two to four weeks.
Everything at the restaurant is cold, and the pizza and the rice taste good. So do the fruit and vegetable juices made from carrots, apples, oranges and so on. Juliano’s restaurant doesn’t serve meat, but some people who eat raw food also eat raw meat. Juliano has three friends who ate raw meat. They all got very sick. One of them is still sick.
Juliano eats mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, rice and beans. He says he feels very healthy. “Raw food gives you lots of energy,” he says. Juliano says he needs only six hours of sleep a night, and he never gets sick.
【小題1】.
How is the food in Juliano’s restaurant prepared?

A．Foods are heated on a stove to a certain degree.

B．Foods are cooled in a fridge.

C．Foods are put into water to make them soft.

D．Foods are boiled and then cooled.

【小題2】.
. What is NOT served in Juliano’s restaurant?

A．Carrot juice.

B．Cold pizza.

C．Hot meat.

D．Raw rice.

【小題3】.
. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A．Eating raw meat may make people sick.

B．People will like eating raw food in the future.

C．Juliano has not enough money to buy cooking equipment.

D．Restaurants like Juliano’s are very popular in America.

【小題4】.
. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．A special restaurant in San Francisco.

B．A man who eats only raw food.

C．Raw food is better than cooked food.

D．How to make raw food taste good.

After her husband had gone to work, Mrs. Richards sent her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning, for in the evening she would be going to a fancy-dress party with her husband. She intended to dress up as a ghost（幽靈） and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was very effective. After putting it on, Mrs. Richards went downstairs. She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.
Just as Mrs. Richards was entering the dining room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew that it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and leave the bread on the kitchen table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, Mrs. Richards quickly hid in the small storeroom under the stairs. She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the storeroom was opened and a man entered. Mrs. Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situation, saying “ It’s only me”, but it was too late. The man let out a cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs. Richards walked towards him, he fled（逃走）, slamming（砰然關(guān)上） the door behind him.
【小題1】.
Mrs. Richards went upstairs because     .

A．she did not need to do any housework

B．she still had to finish the costume she was going to wear

C．she wanted to change her clothes before doing the housework

D．she wanted to change into her fancy-dress costume

【小題2】.
. What do you think of Mrs. Richards’ costume?

A．She had the costume made tonight.

B．It was comfortable to wear.

C．It didn’t work because it was made of only a sheet.

D．It was effective for the fancy dress.

【小題3】.
. By saying “ It’s only me”, Mrs. Richards hoped        .

A．the man would realize she was alone

B．to persuade the man he was seeing a ghost

C．the man would recognize her

D．the man would not close the door of the storeroom

【小題4】.
Suppose you are the man from the Electricity Board, how do you feel in that situation?

A．Satisfied

B．Frightened

C．Worried

D．Disappointed.

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow(烏鴉) landed on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is that?”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is that?”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now. It is a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?”
This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already. ‘IT IS A CROW.’ Are you not able to understand this?”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page:
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I did not at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son.
If you parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the BEST way no matter how they behave.”
【小題1】.
The writer mainly intends to ______.

A．tell us the function of a diary	B．call on us to love our parents
C．teach us what a crow is	D．introduce a pair of son and father

【小題2】.
According to the passage, the son felt _____ when his father kept asking the same question.

A．puzzled

B．a(chǎn)ngry

C．grateful

D．surprised

【小題3】.
We can know that the father wrote this diary at the age of ______.

A．eighty

B．forty-give

C．thirty-eight

D．thirty-five

【小題4】.
The old man brought out the diary, which he had kept since his son was born, because ___.

A．he forgot what had happened	B．he would like his son to read it
C．it could remind himself of the past	D．he wanted to find what a crow was in his diary

Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen.
Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind (her goal) which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?
Winners in life set foals and follow through on them. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set---and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals really are. You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.
Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way, you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goals.
【小題1】.
The article is written to throw light on ______.

A．the importance of setting goals	B．the way of setting goals
C．the winners of competitions	D．the goals in life

【小題2】.
The example of two drivers is adopted in order to ______.

A．compare the difference of goals	B．explain the traffic rules
C．help readers understand the importance of goals	D．tell the function of a map

【小題3】.
The main idea of the fourth paragraph is that ______.

A．it’s better to write a goal down	B．written goals can’t be forgotten easily
C．try to make yourself aware of your goals	D．written goals can be reviewed regularly

When I looked at the grade on my math paper my jaw almost dropped to the ground: a big “65” in bright red ink. I had never received such a terrible grade before.
I was so ashamed that when I got home that afternoon I lied to my dad. I told him I got 85 and that the report wouldn’t come until the end of the month. Dad smiled. His daughter would never lie about her grade, so he didn’t doubt the unusual delay of my report.
A month later, Dad casually asked me again about the report at the dinner table. He looked right into my eyes and asked for an answer. Having no choice, I told him that I had in fact got just 65 in my math final. I had lied because I didn’t want to let him down.
For a moment, he just looked at me. I would have preferred a telling off than that silence. Finally, Dad said, in a hurt voice, “You have already let me down, with your lie. I am not disappointed at your math score. That is no big deal – no one can be perfect all the time. But I am very disappointed in you. If you can’t be honest with your dad, who can you be honest with? It’s much easier to achieve a better grade than rebuild someone else’s trust in you.”
Dad’s words touched my heart. I couldn’t forgive myself for having hurt his feelings. I took out the report that I had been hiding for weeks, handed to him and apologized, sincerely. I realized that my honesty is not only important to me personally, but to those around me that truly care about my well-being.
In one of Shakespeare’s plays a character says: “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” After the crisis between Dad and me, I began to understand those words.
【小題1】.The first paragraph may suggest that the author ______.

A．was punished by her father for a bad grade

B．never expected teachers to give her bad grades

C．usually got a higher grade

D．was bad at math

【小題2】. The author lied to her father because ______.

A．she thought her father would believe her story

B．she didn’t want to let her father down

C．her father wouldn’t get her grade report

D．her father got angry whenever she got a poor grade

【小題3】. Why did her father stay silent after his daughter told him that she had lied?

A．He didn’t understand what his daughter had said.

B．He was angry that his daughter lied to him again.

C．He was unhappy with his daughter’s bad score.

D．He was hurt that his daughter had lied to him.

【小題4】. The purpose of the article is to tell us that ______.

A．dishonesty may work sometimes, but there is a price to pay

B．sometimes a lie can make things easier

C．we should study hard to make our parents happy

D．we should accept the fact that we are not perfect

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own．My mom was one of those people．
My father died when I was nine months old，making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen．While I was growing up，we lived a very hard life．We had little money，but my mom gave me a lot of love．Each night，she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life，“Kemmons，you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it．”
At fourteen，I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day，my mother spoke to me in her gentle，loving voice，telling me that no matter what those doctors said. I could walk again if I wanted it badly enough．She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her．A year later，I returned to school--walking on my own．
When the Great Depression(大蕭條)hit，my mom lost her job．Then I left school to support the both of us．At that moment，I was determined never to be poor again．
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business Success．But the real turning point occurred on a vocation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951．I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra$2 for each child．That was too expensive for the average American family．I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽車旅館)for families that would never charge extra for children．There were plenty of doubters at that time．
Not surprisingly，mom was one of my strongest supporters．She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style．As in any business，we experienced a lot of challenges．But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul，I never doubted we could succeed．Fifteen years later，we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979，my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year．
You may not have started out life in the best situations．But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself，nothing can stop you．
【小題1】What Kemmons' mom often told him during his childhood was         ．

A．caring

B．moving

C．encouraging

D．interesting

【小題2】What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?

A．His terrible experience in the hotel．

B．His previous business success of various levels．

C．His mom’s support．

D．His wife’s suggestion．

【小題3】．Which of the following best describes Kemmoms’ mother?   、

A．Modest，helpful，and hard-working．

B．Loving，supportive，and strong-willed．

C．Careful，helpful，and beautiful．

D．Strict，sensitive and supportive．

【小題4】Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?

A．Self-confidence，hard work，clear goals and a poor family．

B．Mom's encouragement，clear goals，self-confidence，and hard work．

C．Clear goals，mom’s encouragement，a poor family，and higher education．

D．Mom's encouragement，a poor family，higher education and opportunities．

Mr. Reese was born in a big city. His father had several companies and got a lot of money. He could give his son all the young man wanted. He was busy with his business and never asked him how he got along with his studies. So the boy spent most time in the restaurants or cinemas. Of course he was weak at his lessons and learned nothing at school. He made many friends but none of them was good and when they knew he came from a rich family, they began to teach him to gamble(賭博). Of course he lost much money.
　　Now Mr. Reese was twenty and finished middle school. He could not do anything. But his father didn't mind it until one day he found the young man had sold one of his companies. He became so angry that he made him leave his house. The young man couldn't gamble any longer. His friends made him pay his debt. He had to ask his mother to help him and the woman often gave him some money. But one evening his father happened to find it. The old man stopped his wife from doing so. They began to fight in the room. The young man brought out a knife and killed his father. His mother helped him to run away, but soon after that he was caught and sentenced(判刑)to death.
　　It was a cold and wet day. Suddenly it began to rain hard when Mr. Reese was being sent to the execution ground(刑場). Soon both he and the soldiers were wet through. He said angrily,“Bad luck! I shall be shot in such bad weather!”
　　“Don't complain(抱怨), brothers” said one of the soldiers. “You're luckier than us all. We'll have to go back to the city after that!”
【小題1】Old Reese never wanted to know about his son's studies because _________.

A．he was sure his son was good at his lessons

B．he spent all his energies on his business

C．he knew nothing about the education

D．his wife looked after their children

【小題2】The bad young men taught Young Reese to gamble in order _________.

A．to play with him

B．to spend spare time

C．that the could get much money from him

D．that they could find jobs in his father's companies

【小題3】Old Reese became angry because _________.

A．him son had learned nothing at school

B．his son was weak at all his lessons

C．his son couldn't do anything in the companies

D．his son had lost one of his companies

【小題4】Mr. Reese complained _________.

A．he was sentenced to death

B．he would be shot

C．he went to the execution ground on foot

D．he would be shot in bad weather