I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s this lady near my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry 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 (侏儒). 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 joked 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 they boy said the author was fatter than him.

D．Because the mother 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 grew up.

B．When she was 47 years old.

C．When she began to go to school.

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．doubted

B．increased

C．decreased

D．improved

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

A．Angry

B．Calm

C．Painful

D．Discouraged

Agnes Miller was one of the earliest leaders of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the United States. She was born on a farm in Missouri in 1892. Strangely enough she had a very happy life as a child. She was the only daughter and the youngest child of five. Her parents and her brothers always treated her as their favorite.
In 1896 the family moved to Chicago. Three years later they moved back to St. Louis where Agnes spent the rest of her childhood. She enjoyed her years in school and was an excellent student of mathematics. She also was quite skillful as a painter.
It was when Agnes went off to college that she first learned that women were not treated as equals. She didn’t like being treated unequally but she tried not to notice it. After graduating from college she tried to get a job in her major field—physics. She soon found it was almost impossible for a woman.
Agnes spent a full year looking for a job. Finally she gave up in anger. She began writing letters of anger to various newspapers. An editor in New York liked her ideas very much. He specially liked her style. He asked her to do a series of stories on the difficulties that women had in finding a job. And there she began her great fight for equal rights for women.
【小題1】
Where did Agnes spend her childhood?

A．Missouri.

B．Chicago.

C．New York.

D．St. Louis and Chicago.

【小題2】
At school, Agnes was good at      .

A．physics and painting	B．maths and painting
C．writing and maths	D．physics and writing

【小題3】
What happened in Agnes’s life when she was in college?

A．She learned to accept the fact that men and women were unequal.

B．She learned that it was impossible for a woman to be a scientist.

C．She came to know of the inequality between men and women.

D．She developed her personal way of writing.

On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson stood in front of crowds of fans．Before screaming fans, he pronounced with pumping arms: "This is it!"
A few months later, Jackson was dead．With the late pop star’s return to radio, television and the cultural events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June 25．This figure is based on his royalties（版稅） from album sales, radio play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music catalog （編目權(quán)）．
Jackson's music was his most easily-seen source in the last months．“Nothing increases the value of an artist than death ．．．a(chǎn)n untimely death,” says Barry Massarsky, a music industry economist．
The music's immediate value was clear．Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5．9 million albums in the U．S．a(chǎn)nd another 4．5 million overseas．In the first weeks after his death, there were 5．6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia．Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan．His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift's Fearless．
More than 500,000 Jackson ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold．In the week following his death, songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS．
Jackson's estate（遺產(chǎn)）will likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name．The estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG．
Ticket sales from an exhibit opening in London will also contribute a likely profit．Hundreds of Jackson's personal belongings－h(huán)is L．A．Rolls Royce etc－will remain on show for three months at the O2 Arena for fans willing to shell out $25 for a view．
The pop singer bought ATV Publishing, for $47．5 million in 1985．Ten years later, he sold the catalog to Sony for $95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about $1．7 to $2 billion．So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death．
Jackson's future earning potential is based on his stock in valuable music as well as the value of his image（肖像）．As many musicians, actors and artists before him, Jackson's fame could have a long tail on the market with allowable products, advertising and entertainment events．
【小題1】What do Barry Massarsky’s words in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．Jackson died at the time as expected．

B．Only at death can an artist become famous．

C．Jackson became more famous at death than when he was alive．

D．Jackson’s unexpected death raised his value as an artist immediately．

【小題2】All the following is true EXCEPT that _____．
A．“This is it” is the last concert that Jackson gave
B．Jackson has sold 10．4 million albums since June
C．Jackson’s L．A．Rolls Royce is now for show and will finally be sold
D．Jackson’s stock in music and his image will keep on earning money in the future
【小題3】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Jackson’s album Number Ones beat Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2003．

B．Taylor Swift’s Fearless is the second best seller of music albums of 2009．

C．AEG takes in more film profits from “This is it” than Jackson’s estate．

D．More Jackson’s music videos were sold than his ringtones right after his death．

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

A．Why Michael Jackson’s music is so popular all over the world．

B．How Michael Jackson has earned $90 million in the months since his death．

C．What Michael Jackson's future earning potential is based on．

D．How much Michael Jackson earned in the first few months after his death．

Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant (顧問) and life was going well—she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. “The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through,” she said. “After everything I’d done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn’t feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life.”
Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in northwest Wales. Zoë jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.
“The moment I arrived at Kathy’s farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay,”said Zoe.“Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless.”
Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. “It’s a hard life, physically very tiring,” she says.“In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy’s wonderful dinners.”
Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing—watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says,“It’s one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had. I could never go back to city life now.”
【小題1】 When she worked as a PR consultant in London, Zoë thought she lived a         life.

A．meaningless

B．tough

C．boring

D．satisfying

【小題2】 The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy’s farm is that         .

A．Kathy persuaded her to do so	B．Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant
C．Zoe got tired of the city life	D．Zoe loved Wales more than London

【小題3】 How does Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?

A．Physically tiring but rewarding.	B．Romantic and peaceful.
C．Mentally exhausting but healthy.	D．Tiresome and troublesome

【小題4】 Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	B．A misfortune may turn out a blessing.
C．Kill two birds with one stone.	D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

I made a pledge (發(fā)誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting (引用) a Biblical (圣經(jīng)的) passage about husbands being considerate towards their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”
“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me.” We walked on the beach when the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed, I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love. There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. Last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with sorrow, “do you know anything I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup (體檢) I had several weeks ago…our doctor…Did he tell you anything about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me... Am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
【小題1】
From the story we may infer that Tom went to the beach cottage ________.

A．with his family

B．with Evelyn

C．a(chǎn)lone

D．with his children

【小題2】
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________.

A．she looked lovely in her new clothes

B．he had made a lot of money in Wall Street

C．he was determined to be a good husband

D．she was seriously ill

【小題3】
The underlined words “one thing” in the passage refer to the fact that ________.

A．he praised her sweater, which puzzled her

B．she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated

C．he knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her

D．he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying

【小題4】
By saying “I’m just starting to live”, Tom means that ________.

A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of work

B．he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband

C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D．he is beginning to feel sorry for what he did to his wife

The first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman Laurent Clerc. He and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded America’s first school for the deaf.
When Laurent Clerc was one year old, he fell into a fire. As a result, he lost both his hearing and his sense of smell. At the age of 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.
Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister when he met a young deaf girl, Alice Cogswell. He was upset to learn that there were no schools for the deaf in America. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. However, he was unable to get help. He met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to Paris to learn at the Royal Institution for the Deaf.
Gallaudet went to the Royal Institution for the Deaf, where Clerc became his Sign Language teacher. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return to America, he asked Clerc to come with him.
The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Clerc and Gallaudet put the time to good use. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut.
【小題1】
America’s first school for the deaf was founded __________.

A．in 1816

B．in 1817

C．by a Fenchman

D．by an American

【小題2】
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet sailed to London because __________.

A．he wanted to study the system of deaf education

B．he needed to finish his studies to become a minister

C．he wanted to get help from Clerc

D．he wanted to find schools for the deaf

【小題3】
." After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher." From this
sentence we can infer that __________.

A．the school wanted to help Clerc to get a job

B．the school wanted Clerc to be prepared to teach Americans

C．the school was impressed with Clerc, and thought he would do a good job

D．the school wanted other deaf students to model after Clerc

【小題4】
The main idea of this passage could best be stated as __________.

A．Clerc was an intelligent man

B．Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was grateful to Clerc for all that he taught him

C．Clerc would teach the deaf in America rather than in Paris

D．Clerc, an educated Frenchman, made a difference to American Deaf Education

James Stallman Rockefeller, the oldest-known U. S. Olympic medal winner and the former head of the bank that became Citigroup, died Tuesday. He was 102. Records of the U. S. Olympic Committee show that Rockefeller was the oldest American medal winner. He was the captain of Yale University’s eight-man rowing team with coxswain that won gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics - beating the Canadian team by less than 16 seconds. The oars from the winning race and the gold medal were prominently displayed in Rockefeller’s house. “I think he was really proud of that - probably more than the bank career,” said his grandson.
Rockefeller suffered a stroke on Thursday, said his grandson, who lived with him at his Greenwich home for two years, attributed his long life to a regimented（嚴(yán)密組織的） lifestyle: breakfast at eight a. m. , lunch at 1 p. m. , cocktails at 6 p. m. and dinner promptly at 7 p. m. . He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate. Rockefeller was in good health until shortly before he died. He drove his car up until last year and would review documents from the various charities and businesses he helped lead.
Rockefeller, born on June 8, 1902, was a grandson of William Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil with his brother, John D. Rockefeller. He graduated from Yale in 1924 and served in the Airborne Command during World War II. He started at the bank, and then called the National City Bank, in 1930, following his uncle and grandfather, who were leaders of the bank. He became president in 1952, chairman in 1959 and retired in 1967. In 1955, under Rockefeller’s leadership, the bank merged with the First National Bank of New York to form Citigroup. Rockefeller also was a director of numerous companies, including Pan American Airways, Northern Pacific Railroad, NCR and Monsanto, and served on the boards of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the American Museum of Natural History.
Rockefeller and his wife. Nancy Carnegie Rockefeller, had four children. His wife died in 1994.
【小題1】
Rockefeller lost his wife when he was____   ___.

A．a(chǎn)t the age of 91

B．in his eighties

C．in his early nineties

D．in his 1994

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

A．the American rowing team beat the Canadian team in less than 16 seconds in 1924.

B．Rockefeller was the first American medal winner.

C．James Stallman Rockefeller founded the National City Bank and was the first president.

D．His grandson thought Rockefeller had long life because of a regimented lifestyle.

【小題3】
What we can infer from the passage is that ______.

A．James Stallman Rockefeller is a great Olympic medal winner.

B．James Stallman Rockefeller was in good health until he died.

C．James Stallman Rockefeller was very active in American society.

D．James Stallman Rockefeller was the only grandson of William Rockefeller.

A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior, "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor.”
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said, "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap interrupted, "I know his name. I call him Dad."
【小題1】
One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______  .

A．make a demand for more buses	B． thank the conductor for his good service
C．criticize the conductor for his rude behavior
D．invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor

【小題2】
What was the gentleman?

A．A teacher.	B．A newspaper reporter.
C．Not known from the story.	D．The conductor's friend from his company.

【小題3】
. The word "he" in the last paragraph refers to _______.

A．the gentleman	B．the conductor
C．the middle-aged man	D．the three-year-old child

【小題4】
It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.

A．has changed his attitude towards his work

B．has now been kind and polite to all passengers

C．has not changed his rude behavior to passengers

D．has now been kind and polite to women with children

Do you know this girl?
I was in the park with my elder sister, Cathy, on Friday. My sister left her jacket on a chair while we talked to some friends. When we went back to the chair, a girl in a red T-shirt was sitting there. She had some money in her hand. When she saw us, she got up and walked away.
I asked my sister, "Did you have any money in your jacket?"
She said, "Yes, Anna, I did."
I said, "Look in your jacket quickly."
Cathy looked in her jacket, but her money was not there.
"That girl stole it!" I said, and we both ran after her. We caught her quickly.
My sister was very angry and she said, "Give me the money." The girl gave the money to Cathy and ran away. We both ran after her, but we lost her.
Then we went home. But before we could tell our parents, my mother said to Cathy, "You left your money at home. It's on the table in the sitting room. You must be more careful with money."
So the girl in the red T-shirt was not a thief! She probably thought we were thieves! We felt terrible.
Please telephone us if you know this girl! We are very sorry for our mistake. We would like to say sorry to her and give the money back to her.
Our number is 512667. My name is Anna.
【小題1】
Cathy thought the money in the girl's hand was        .

A．from her jacket	B．the girl's own money
C．from their home	D．from the chair

【小題2】
The girl gave the money to Cathy because        .

A．she was afraid	B．Cathy asked her nicely
C．it was Cathy's money	D．she wanted to help them

【小題3】
Hearing their mother's words, they knew that        .

A．they did a good deed	B．the girl was a thief
C．the money was Anna's	D．they had the girl's money

【小題4】
The writer writes the passage to        .

A．telephone the girl	B．say thanks to the girl
C．say good-bye to the girl	D．return the money to the girl

Miss Gorgers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them, “Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”
Tom at once answered, “Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves.” “That’s very good.” Miss Gorgers answered, but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gorgers said, “Yes? Kate.”
“I disagree. Your brother would hear you earlier because when it’s 11 o’clock here and it’s only 8 o’clock in Los Angeles.” Kate said.
【小題1】
Miss Gorgers was teaching her class         .

A．how to telephone

B．a(chǎn)bout electricity

C．a(chǎn)bout time zone

D．a(chǎn)bout sound

【小題2】
Miss Gorgers raised this question because she wanted to know whether         .

A．it was easy to phone to Los Angeles

B．her student could hear her from 75 feet away

C．her students had understood her lesson

D．sound waves were slower than electricity

【小題3】
Kate thought Tom was wrong because         .

A．clocks in Los Angeles showed a different time from those in New York

B．electricity was slower than sound waves

C．Tom was not good at physics at all

D．Tom’s answer had nothing to do with sound waves

【小題4】
Whose answer do you think is correct according to the laws of physics?
A. Tom’s.   　 　 B. Kate’s.        C. Both A and B. 　 　D. Neither A nor B.