Charlie works in a post office. His father lost his job five years ago and his mother is often ill. And he has two brothers and a sister. He works hard and tries his best to buy enough food for his family.
　　Last month his family had to move to an old house outside the city. It's farther from the post office and he has to get up early in the morning in order to catch the 6:30 train. The head of his office is strict and everybody has to get there on time. He knows what it'll mean if he's late. A friend of his had pity on(同情) him and lent his old car to him. The young man was happy and from then on he could go to work by car.
　　Last Saturday Charlie went to buy some medicine for his mother. Bad luck! When he came out of the shop, he couldn't find the car. He was quite worried and began to look for it in front of the shop but he didn't find it. Suddenly he saw a woman parked a car there and hurried into the shop. Charlie saw the car wasn't locked. He got on it and drove it at once. He was afraid the loser would run after him and drove fast. A truck hit it at a crossing and he lost consciousness.(知覺)
　　This morning the young man came back to life and saw there were a few policemen standing by his bed. He asked, "Where am I?"
　　"In Room 103."
　　"In hospital or in prison ?"
【小題1】There’re ________ people in Charlie's family.

A．four

B．five

C．six

D．seven

【小題2】Charlie’s family moved to the old house outside the city because _______.

A．it's very quiet there	B．they hoped to save some money
C．he could get to his office by train	D．his father had found a job there

【小題3】Charlie has to get to his office on time because ___________.

A．the head is strict with them	B．he wishes to be praised
C．he's usually on duty	D．he's afraid to be fired

【小題4】For         did Charlie buy any medicine last Saturday?

A．himself	B．his father
C．his sister.	D．his mother

【小題5】Charlie was afraid ________, so he drove fast.

A．to be late	B．to meet the red lights
C．to be caught by the loser	D．to miss the 6:30 train

Alan took an early interest in gardening---first on his grandfather’s Yorkshire allotment in Ilkley, and then in his parents’ back garden. Small polythene（聚乙烯）greenhouses appeared in the back garden, and cacti（仙人掌）were bought from church markets.
Alan left school at fifteen with one `O’ level in Art and took a job as an apprentice（學(xué)徒）gardener in Ilkley Parks Department nursery, studying for his City and Guilds in Horticulture（園藝）in the evening.
He went on to horticultural college at Oaklands in Hertfordshire where he studied for one year full-time, being awarded the National Certificate in Horticultural. This was followed by three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, resulting in the award of the Kew Diploma.
After two years as supervisor of staff training at Kew, Alan entered journalism where he became first a gardening books editor, and then Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. He appeared regularly on BBC Radio and Television in programs such as Nationwide , Breakfast Time, Open Air, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh’s Travels, and the Chelsea Flower Show. He presented the 100th edition of The Word for Channel 4, and hosted the quiz show Ask the Family.
Gardeners’ World and the hugely popular Ground Force, second only to Easterners in the BBC1 ratings, are broadcast as far as Australia, New Zealand and North America. After leaving both programs, Alan worked on two other series for the BBC to be transmitted in 2003 and 2004, one of them a landmark series on the natural history of Britain. Alan writes for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Radio Times and BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, and has more than thirty gardening books to his credit. His four novels, as well as a book about his own life, have been best sellers.
Alan, 53, gardens organically, and lives with his wife, two daughters and a medley of animals.
【小題1】We know that Alan ______in his school days.

A．was good at writing novels	B．loved Horticulture very much even
C．didn’t do so well in his studies	D．decided to be an apprentice

【小題2】According to this passage, we can learn that______.

A．Alanaccepted little education	B．Alan wrote many books about food
C．Alan had never been married	D．Alan was first a gardening books editor

【小題3】Though the author doesn’t tell us directly, we can conclude that______.

A．Alan’s school teachers were not good at teaching the subject: Botany

B．when Alan was successful he was working as a journalist of the time

C．Alan had had four years of training in Horticulture before being a journalist

D．born as a man of many talents, Alan didn’t realize the fact until years later

【小題4】Which of the following four programs is more popular than Ground Force in the BBC1 ratings?

A．Breakfast Time.

B．Radio Time.

C．Gardeners’ World.

D．Easterners.

【小題5】 What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A Man of Many Talents.	B．Botany Makes Him What He Is Today.
C．No Pains, No Gains.	D．Can’t a Poorly-graded Student Be Successful?

On November18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the world famous violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Lincoln Centre in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is not easy for him. He got polio（小兒麻痹癥）as a child, and has to walk with the aid of two crutches（拐杖）now.
That night Perlman walked slowly to his chair. Then he sat down and began to play. But, suddenly, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it break---it broke with a loud noise.
People thought to themselves, “He would have to get up to either find another violin or find another string for this one.”
But he didn’t. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra（管弦樂隊）began, and he played from where he had stopped. He played with such passion and such power.
Of course, everyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. But that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him changing and recomposing（重新作曲）the piece in his head.
When he finished, there was a silence in the room. Then people rose and cheered. We were all on our feet, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done.
He smiled and then he said in a quiet tone, “You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can make with what you have left.”
His words have stayed in my mind ever since I heard them. That is also the way of life. Perhaps our task in this quickly changing world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.
【小題1】Holding a concert is challenging for Perlman because ______.

A．he is just a world famous violinist

B．he has never performed on stage before

C．he is physically disabled as a result of a disease

D．he has difficulty in moving his body

【小題2】When Perlman had just begun playing, ______.

A．there was something wrong with the violin

B．he fell ill suddenly

C．a(chǎn)n accident happened and caused a disturbance

D．a(chǎn) very loud noise arose from the audience

【小題3】 If one of the strings suddenly broke, what would an ordinary player do?

A．He would cancel the concert.	B．He would play another violin.
C．Another performer would play instead.	D．The concert would be put off.

【小題4】The audience rose and cheered ______.

A．to show they are satisfied with Perlman’s performance

B．to thank the orchestra for their passionate performance

C．to ask Perlman for another performance

D．to express their appreciation of Perlman’s creative mind

【小題5】 The lesson we draw from the story is that ______.

A．we should make the best of what we have

B．what we have is more important than what is lost

C．we should not care about what is lost

D．the way of life is to always live with music

In the suburban district of a city lived an old woman quite alone. Her husband died thirty years ago and two years later, her only son went away with lung cancer. So she had no family still living and her only friend was a little white dog who went everywhere with her - with one exception. The dog loved the fireplace in winter, and after the old woman went to bed he would sometimes go and lie in front of the warm coals. Usually though, the dog lay on a rug right next to the bed.
Deeply as the old woman loved her dog, she wouldn't allow the dog on the bed with her. However, if she became frightened or had a nightmare, she would put her hand down to her little white dog and he would lick it to calm her down.
One night she was reading the newspaper just before going to sleep. She trembled and pulled the duvet（羽絨被褥）up around her as she read that a mental patient had wandered out from a nearby hospital. No one knew if the patient was dangerous or not, but he was a suspect in the murders of several women who lived alone.
The woman turned off the lights and tried to sleep, but she was frightened, and turned over continually. Finally, she reached down to where her little white dog slept. Sure enough, a warm, wet tongue began to lick her hand. The woman felt reassured and safe, and left her hand hanging off the side of the bed. As she turned to settle in comfortably she opened her eyes for a moment and looked through the open door into the living room.
There in front of the fireplace, sat her little white dog, gazing at the coals and wagging his tail. And down beside her bed, something was still licking her hand.
【小題1】From the first paragraph we can know that _________.

A．her husband died following her son

B．the old woman was through with her relatives

C．the dog wasn’t always keeping her company .

D．the dog sometimes was tired of her

【小題2】Why didn’t she allow the dog on the bed with her?

A．Because the dog was too dirty.

B．Because she was fearful of dogs.

C．Because the author dislikes keeping dogs.

D．The author didn’t mention the reason for it.

【小題3】The reason the old woman shivered was that _____________.

A．she was too old to stand the cold weather

B．the room temperature came down with a run

C．she was reading a frightening story

D．a(chǎn) news story was carried in the paper

【小題4】Seeing the dog still sitting by the fireplace, __________.

A．the old woman would call him to her

B．the old woman would be frightened to half death

C．would be luck to have another dog

D．would feel puzzled what was under her bed

One fine day, an old couple around the age of 70, walks into a lawyer's office. Apparently, they are there to file a divorce. Lawyer was very puzzled, after having a chat with them, he got their story.
This couple had been quarreling all their 40 years of marriage nothing ever seems to go right.
They hang on because of their children, afraid that it might affect their up-bringing. Now, all their children have already grown up, have their own family, there's nothing else the old couple have to worry about, all they wanted is to lead their own life free from all these years of unhappiness from their marriage, so both agree on a divorce.
While they were signing the papers, the wife told the husband. “I really love you, but I really can't carry on anymore, I'm sorry.”
"It's OK, I understand." said the husband.
Little did she know that, over the years, the husband has been trying all ways to please her, little did she know that drumsticks were the husband's favorite.
Little did he know that she never thought he understands her at all, little did he know that she hates drumsticks even though all he wants is the best for her.
That night, both of them couldn't sleep, toss and turn, toss and turn. After hours, the old man couldn't take it anymore, he knows that he still loves her, and he can't carry on life without her, he wants her back, he wants to tell her, he is sorry, he wants to tell her, "I love you."
He picked up the phone, started dialing her number. Ringing never stops. He never stops dialing.
On the other side, she was sad, she couldn't understand how come after all these years, he still doesn't understand her at all, she loves him a lot, but she just can't take it any more. Phone's ringing, she refuses to answer knowing that it's him. "I want to keep it this way, if not I will lose face. "She thought. Phone is still ringing. She has decided to pull out the cord.
Little did she remember, he had heart problems.
The next day, she received news that he had passed away. She rushed down to his apartment, saw his body, lying on the couch still holding on to the phone. He had a heart attack when he was still trying to get through (接通) her phone line.
【小題1】The old couple wanted to file a divorce because __________.

A．they had no child.	B．their children didn’t like them.
C．they didn’t understand each other actually.	D．the old man didn’t love the old woman.

【小題2】Why didn’t they file a divorce before they were at the age of 70?

A．Because they were loving each other then.

B．Because they had no time to lawyer’s office.

C．Because they wanted to make their divorce open.

D．Because they didn’t wish to affect their children’s up-bringing.

【小題3】According to the passage we can know that ______.

A．the old man still loved his wife really.	B．the wife didn’t love her husband at all.
C．their children still lived with old couple.	D．they were in harmony over 40 years.

【小題4】After the last paragraph the old woman would be _______.

A．wild with joy

B．wild with grief(悲傷)

C．unconcern about it

D．a(chǎn)ngry at that

Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder． The little headline said: BOXER RECEIVES LIFF SENTENCE．
Frank Cleary, aged 26, professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Gumming, aged 32, laborer, last July．The jury （陪審團(tuán)） reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most severe punishment to the court．It was, said the Judge, a simple case．Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Gumming．When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking．
Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour．Asked if he had anything to say, Cleary answered, "Just don't tell my mother．"
" It happened over three years ago," Paddy said helplessly．No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do．"Just don't tell my mother," said Fee numbly （麻木地）．"And no one did! Oh,God' My poor, poor Frank!"
Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said．"Fee, pack your things．We'll go to see him．"
She half-rose before sinking back．her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead．"I can't go," she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there．"It would kill him to see me．I know him so well—his pride, his ambition．Let him bear the shame alone, it's what he wants．We've got to help him keep his secret．What good will it do him to see us?"
Paddy was still weeping, not for Frank, but for the life which had gone from Fee's face, for the dying in her eyes．Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune, always stood between Fee and himself．He was the cause of her withdrawal from his heart and the hearts of his children．Every time it looked as if there might be happiness for Fee, Frank look it away．But Paddy's love for her was as deep and impossible to wipe out as hers was for Frank．
So he said, "Well, Fee, we won't go．But we must make sure he is taken care of．How about if I write to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?"
There was no excitement in the eyes, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks．" Yes, Paddy, do that．Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out．Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don't know．"
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Frank was found guilty of murder because he was a professional boxer．

B．The family didn't find out what happened to Frank until three years later．

C．The jury and the judge disagreed on whether Frank had committed murder．

D．Frank didn't want his family to find out what happened because Paddy disliked him．

【小題2】Paddy cried because he thought ______．

A．Frank did kill someone and deserved the punishment

B．Frank should have told Fee what had happened

C．what had happened to Frank was killing Fee

D．Frank had always been a man of bad moral character

【小題3】The underlined sentence "She half-rose before sinking back…" （ Paragraph 6） shows that      .

A．Fee was so heart-broken that she could hardly stand up

B．Fee didn't want to upset Paddy by visiting Frank

C．Fee couldn't leave her family to go to see Frank

D．Fee struggled between wanting to see Frank and respecting his wish

【小題4】Which of the following suggests that Fee was deeply shocked by what happened to Frank?

A．"Her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead．"

B．"Let him bear the shame alone, it's what he wants．"

C．"Every time it looked as if there might be happiness for Fee, Frank took it away．"

D．"There was no excitement in the eyes, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks．"

【小題5】What is Frank and Paddy's probable relationship with Fee?

A．Son and brother．	B．Son and husband．
C．Brother and lover．	D．Lover and husband．

There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee(擔(dān)任考試委員會主席), the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.
The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
　　Then the professor asked about the cure (藥劑) for illness, and the student, too, answered just as right.
“Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon”, answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get.”, said the professor. At the same time, the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “ A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for a patient. He can take only five drops.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” said the professor coldly, “But it’s too late. Your patient has died.”
【小題1】The students were afraid of the professor because_________.

A．they often angered and disappointed him

B．their answers often astonished him

C．their answers seldom satisfied him

D．he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks

【小題2】 The student’s description of the illness was           .

A．not correct

B．not satisfied

C．completely discouraging

D．a(chǎn)ccepted.

【小題3】Before he left the room the student was almost sure that          .

A．he had passed the exam, and the only thing was to wait for the mark

B．his last answer was satisfying

C．he had made a mistake

D．he had not done well in the exam.

【小題4】Which of the following is Not true?

A．The patient will be in danger if he’s taken as much as a full spoon.

B．The doctor will be in trouble if he’s given the patient a full spoon.

C．Since one spoon is less than five drops, the patient will be all right soon if he takes only one full spoon at a time.

D．If the patient wants to remain safe, he should take no more than five drops at a time.

There was once an 11-year-old boy who went fishing every time he went to an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before bass (巴斯魚) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure (魚餌) and put it into the lake. Suddenly the boy felt something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm — two hours before the season opened．He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said．
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats could be seen in the moon-
light. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed．He threw the huge bass into the black water.
The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish. That
was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
【小題1】．How did the father feel when he saw his son skillfully pulling a big fish out of the water?

A．Delighted．

B．Nervous.

C．Embarrassed．

D．Shocked．

【小題2】What happened when it became clear that the big fish was a bass?

A．The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish.

B．The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly.

C．The father made a decision that the fish must be set free.

D．They worried other fishermen might know what they had done.

【小題3】The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because            .

A．they might catch a big fish there	B．he remembered the moral lesson from his father
C．he wanted to remember his father	D．their children enjoyed fishing there

【小題4】What does the author want to show in the story?

A．It is easy to say something, but difficult to do.

B．An ethical decision is not difficult to make.

C．It is hard to tell right from wrong sometimes.

D．Fishing helps you to make right ethical decisions.

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

A．She had seven brothers.	B．She felt herself a nobody.
C．She was too shy to go to school.	D．She did not have any good teachers.

【小題2】The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.

A．work for a school magazine	B．run away from her family
C．make a lot of friends	D．develop her writing style

【小題3】According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?

A．Her early years in college.	B．Her training in the Workshop.
C．Her feeling of being different.	D．Her childhood experience.

【小題4】What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?

A．It is quite popular among students.

B．It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.

C．It wasn’t success as it was written in Spanish.

D．It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.

Mrs. Keller had a big family .Her husband had a factory in the town .One of her sons was a lawyer and the other two were drivers .And her two daughters worked in the post office .The old woman stayed at home and could do all housework and wouldn’t employ anybody .
One evening ,the telephone rang while the old woman was preparing supper .She went to answer it .She was told that one of her sons died in a traffic accident .She heard this and fell in a faint .When she came back to life ,she was in hospital .And she needed to be helped after that .
Several months later she was told on the telephone her daughter died while she was being operated on .The old woman was so sad that she had to be in hospital again .From then on she was afraid to answer any telephones and sometimes she was afraid to hear the bell .Of course it brought them some trouble and some important business was held up .So her husband advised her to see a psychiatrist .The man examined her carefully and then asked her some questions.
“You will soon be all right if you follow my advice ,Mrs. Keller” said the psychiatrist.
The old woman took the medicine the doctor gave on time and tried to forget her dead son and daughter .And two months later she went to see the psychiatrist again .
“You have saved me, Doctor ,”the old woman said ,as soon as she saw him .
“Are you afraid to answer the telephone now?”
“No,” answered Keller .
“I dare answer it whether it rings or not ”
【小題1】Mrs Keller could do all housework because ______.

A．she had no money to employ a helper.	B．she was strong enough to do all at home
C．she didn’t believe anybody	D．only she was free at home

【小題2】The old woman fell in a faint because _____

A．she went to answer the telephone.	B．she was very ill that evening
C．she walked in the room carelessly	D．she heard the news about her son’s death.

【小題3】After she came out of hospital , Mrs  Keller  wasn’t ___as before .

A．strong

B．a(chǎn)ble

C．clever

D．sad