Paul was dealing with a crisis. The new girl Linda in class really liked him a lot. Paul was not happy about it.
Paul's good friend, Sam, tried to comfort him.  "What's the big deal? I think Linda is kind of cute and nice enough."
Paul glared at Sam. "Then why don't you ask her to be your girlfriend? There she is, sitting all by herself at the other end of the cafeteria. Go there and ask her to be your honey!"
"She's crazy about you, not me," Sam replied.
"Well, I don't want any girlfriend, especially not a girl like her! "Paul growled.
Sam wouldn't give up.  "The only thing pesky about her is that she keeps writing you those notes ."
"I don't like notes at all!" Paul interrupted. He took another sip of milk.
"Did you notice those strange brown eyes? Why aren't they normal red or pink?"
Sam took another look at Linda. "I think her face is a lovely shade of green. And her dark green curly hair is quite pretty. Besides, she's very gentle and that's what really matters."
Paul stuck out his tongue. "I think I'm going to be sick!  I'd better save my dessert for later." He crammed a small bag of Maggot Munchies into his even smaller shirt pocket.  "The fact is, I have a problem. That girl is getting on my nerves!  "
Sam followed Paul’s example and decided to save his dessert for later. However, he carefully placed the bag into his lunch box.  "Do you have any ideas about how to solve your problem?" Tremor asked.
"I'm going to be mean and rude to her," Paul announced.  "I'll call her names and make ugly faces at her."
"That's how you treat everyone," Sam reminded his friend.
Paul nodded. "It's time that Linda got to know the real Paul !"
【小題1】 What does the underlined part "a crisis" in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．how to get away from Linda	B．how to win Linda over
C．how to get Sam's help	D．how to save money

【小題2】How did Linda feel about Paul ?

A．She didn't like him because he was rude.	B．She was annoyed by his strange appearance.
C．She didn't have any strong feelings about him.	D．She fell in love with him.

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

A．Paul pretended to be rude in order to make Linda stop liking him.

B．Sam thought that looks were more important than personality.

C．Sam thought that Linda was cute.

D．Paul offered his dessert to Linda to make her sick.

【小題4】 Sam appreciate Linda in the following aspects EXCEPT         

A．her eyes

B．her hair

C．her face

D．her character

【小題5】What is implied from this passage?

A．Linda will be Sam's girlfriend.	B．Paul has fallen in love with another girl.
C．Paul and Linda are classmates.	D．Paul and Linda are colleges students.

To help the environment, many Americans have made the change from paper and plastic bags to reusable grocery bags. But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable grocery bags sold by some supermarkets contain high levels of lead(鉛). Lead is a metal that can be harmful to humans, especially young children, Now, Senator Charles Schumer is asking the US government to investigate(調(diào)查) the use of lead in reusable shopping bags.
“When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about is poisonous bags.” Schumer said, “A quick investigation will allow everyone to make informed, timely decisions.”  Schumer added.
Lead in the bags is not likely to rub off (因摩擦而粘在……上面)on food. But over time, paint on the bags can chip and the bags can wear out. When this happens, lead can be released(釋放).
The Tampa Tribune newspaper said certain bags sold at Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets had lead levels that were a concern to health officials. The affected bags were found in Florida. But Publix has more than 1,000 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Sough Carolina and Tennessee. Publix says that all of its bags are under current laws about lead content, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce the lead levels in the product.
The bags with the highest levels of lead had fancy designs and many pictures. Plain reusable bags without decoration were found to contain little lead. Consumers worried about lead levels in reusable bags can change to cloth or string bags. Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be recycled(回收).
Since 2007, Publix supermarkets have sold more than 13 million reusable bags. The store says because shoppers have made the change to reusable bags, it has saved more than 1 billion paper and plastics bags.
【小題1】 The shopping bags containing high levels of lead ______.

A．have been reported by a newspaper

B．have been stopped by the government

C．have stopped people from using reusable bags

D．have caused serious health damage to customers

【小題2】From Schumer’s words we can learn that ______.

A．reusable bags do little harm to kids’ health

B．people have shown much concern for the reusable bags

C．people will be informed of the facts about the reusable bags

D．people should refuse to buy things from supermarkets

【小題3】It can be inferred from the text that Publix might believe that the bags they sold are ______.

A．dependable

B．convenient

C．harmful

D．popular

【小題4】Customers are advised to choose bags ______.

A．with colorful designs	B．with fancy pictures
C．made of plastic	D．made of paper

【小題5】From the last paragraph we know that the use of reusable bags has ______.

A．caused Publix a lot of trouble	B．saved Publix much money
C．cost Publix plenty of money	D．been proved a wrong decision

Crazy is our new normal. With two teenage boys and three little boys, our family is restless—to the baseball field, track field(田徑場)and piano lessons. Even though we’ve limited each boy’s activities and try our best to defend our family time, it seems that we’re in a constant state of flight.
“Embrace it. Roll with it,” my husband, Lonny, says, “It’s going to be like this for a while.”
He is right. It’s likely that life will continue to go forward before it slows down. But I remembered the still, quiet days that our family used to enjoy. I missed long walks through the park when we held the boys’ little hands. I longed for(渴望) lazy Saturday afternoons under the tree in our backyard. I wanted to slip back a few years, when busyness was the exception and not the rule.
One night, after a particularly full day and evening games, our family gathered on the porch(門廊)for ice cream. Two parents, two teens, and three small boys piled on one old swing and a couple of rocking chairs. We were together, in one place, for a small slice of time.
The moon was full. The Mississippi River, flowing past our home, was smooth as glass. I wrapped my own arms around the son who sat on my lap and breathed deeply to inhale his little-boy scent(氣味)—dirt and sweat. My heart was still and content(滿足的).
I realized that while crazy is our new normal happiness is as usual. They may look different from before, but they are still there—even if they’re in the form of a single moment on the porch. Maybe I just need the eyes to see.
【小題1】What does the author mainly talk about?

A．Her anger at her busy life.

B．Her family’s struggle for a better life.

C．Her new feelings about the present life.

D．The pleasure of staying with her children.

【小題2】How did the author feel about life before the night sitting on the porch with the family?

A．Confused.

B．Satisfied.

C．Bored.

D．Terrified.

【小題3】The underlined word “inhale” in the fifth paragraph probably means ______.

A．describe

B．breathe out

C．remove

D．breathe in

【小題4】Which of the following could describe the author’s present life?

A．Busy and boring.	B．Busy but happy.
C．Crazy and unbearable.	D．Normal but exciting.

【小題5】Which of the following statements might the author agree to?

A．Life is nothing but bitterness, busyness and horror.

B．Happiness is everywhere, but we have to discover it.

C．Parents should earn much money for their kids’ better life.

D．Life in the countryside is charming, wonderful, and sweet.

The CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs’ story about death
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
Remembering that I’ ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ ve ever encountered（遇到）to help me make the big choice in life.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors’code for preparing yourself to die.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. I was completely in despair. Later that evening, I had another biopsy（活組織檢查）and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’ m fine now.
This was the closest I’ ve been to facing death. To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Your time is so limited that you shouldn’ t waste it repeating someone else’ s life. Don’ t be trapped by dogma（教條）—which is living with the results of other people’ s thinking. Don’ t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart. It somehow already knows what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
【小題1】The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because_________.

A．he had to rest at home

B．his disease was not serious at all

C．his disease couldn’ t be cured

D．he had to wait for the result of the test

【小題2】How did the author feel after the diagnosis?

A．Angry

B．Excited

C．Optimistic

D．Hopeless

【小題3】What does the author think of death?

A．He thinks it is nothing to be scared of.

B．He thinks it is not the end of life.

C．He thinks it is impossible to avoid.

D．He thinks it is the beginning of a new life

【小題4】In the author’ s opinion, we should ____________.

A．follow others’ advice

B．take no notice of diseases

C．take exercise and keep healthy

D．have the courage to follow our heart

It was midnight in Paris and we were rolling toward Avenue Bosguet. As we came to the Pont Alexandra Ⅲ, the taxi slowed down, for the traffic light was red against us, and then, without stopping, we sailed through the red in a sudden burst of speed. The same performance was repeated at the Alma Bridge. As I paid the driver, I asked him why he had driven through two red lights.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself, breaking the law and endangering your life that way.” I protested.
He looked at me, astonished, “Ashamed of myself? I am a law abiding(守法的) citizen and have no desire to get killed either.” He cut me off before I could protest.
“No, just listen to me before you complain. What did I do? Went through a red light. Well, did you ever stop to consider what a red light is? What it means?”
“Certainly,”I replied. “It’s a stop signal and means the traffic is rolling in the opposite direction.”
“Half-right,”said the driver, “But incomplete. It’s only an automatic(自動(dòng)的) stop signal. And it does not mean that there is cross traffic. Did you see any cross traffic during our trip? Of course not. I slowed down at the light, looked carefully to the right and to the left. Not another car on the street at this hour. Well, then! What would you have me do? Should I stop like a stupid animal because an automatic, brainless machine turns red every forty seconds? No, sir,”he shouted, “I am a man, not a machine. I have eyes and a brain and judgment, given me by God. Ashamed of myself, you say? I would only be ashamed of myself if I let those blinking lamps do my thinking for me. Good night,sir.”
【小題1】At the Alma Bridge,__________.

A．the writer stopped the taxi and aid the driver

B．the taxi went through a red light again

C．there was a performance the writer had already watched

D．the writer began to criticize the driver

【小題2】To the taxi driver, a red light__________.

A．was not a stop signal

B．should not work at midnight

C．sometimes made mistakes in judgment

D．didn’t always mean that there was cross traffic

【小題3】The main reason the driver dared to drive through the red light was that________________.

A．he found there was no cross traffic there at that time

B．he thought it a shame to be controlled by a machine

C．he knew no other driver would see him at this hour

D．he didn’t trust any brainless machine

【小題4】According to the passage, the driver thought of what he had done was____________.

A．law abiding	B．law breaking
C．something to be proud of	D．something to be ashamed of

When Omega was born in Uganda, she did two things: Smile and then sing. When Omega was 4 years old, her talent(天賦) for music was recognized, so she became one of the youngest members of the first African Children’s Choir(合唱團(tuán)). She traveled the world with the choir, and it was from this experience that she grew into a singer today.
Although having a beautiful voice, she had to find other ways besides music to earn a living at first. When she was 16, her parents sent her to the USA to study. Like her mother, Omega wanted to become a doctor and do something meaningful in her country of Uganda.  
However, like many artists, music was so much a part of her that she had to choose. With encouragement from her family and friends, she opened her own production company(制作公司) after graduation. Since then, she has been working as an artist. Her songs make people feel good about life. Apart from that, she is also interested in health care and education. Omega is one of those Ugandan females who are showing the world their valuable talents.
【小題1】Her experiences in the Choir helped Omega to ____.

A．burst into song	B．recognize her music talent
C．travel the world	D．become a singer

【小題2】 What is the meaning of the underlined sentence in paragraph three?

A．music was very important to her

B．music took her a lot of time

C．music cost her so much money

D．music was the last thing she would choose

【小題3】 We can learn from the passage that Omega is ____.

A．a(chǎn) good teacher	B．a(chǎn) famous African artist
C．a(chǎn) kind politician	D．a(chǎn) warm-hearted doctor

One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O.Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破壞) and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.
William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.
Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has a special proof of Porter’s love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.
Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (審判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.
William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry.
Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.
【小題1】O.Henry’s house in Austin has been well kept up till now so that ____.
A. Americans can explore their history
B more visitors will be attracted to Austin
C. visitors can learn about O.Henry’s life
D. it can show the way of life in the 1860s
【小題2】What do we know about the piano in the house?

A．It was hated by Porter’s daughter.

B．It has a long history of about 150 years.

C．Porter’s wife gave music lessons on it.

D．Porter usually created music on it.

【小題3】How does the museum prove (證明) Porter was fond of language?

A．With a dictionary he used.	B．With the records they keep.
C．Using the books they wrote.	D．Using the photograph they keep.

【小題4】Why did Porter escape from Austin?

A．He didn’t want to lose his job.	B．He didn’t want to make trouble.
C．He meant to save his wife’s life.	D．He was charged with a crime.

【小題5】From the last two paragraphs we know that _______.

A．Porter became famous suddenly

B．Porter spent his time in prison writing

C．Porter suffered a lot from his time in prison

D．life in prison provided what he could write for Porter

Scientist Florence Wambugu works with farmers in Kenya, a country in East Africa. She helps them grow bigger and better crops. Wambugu is especially interested in finding simple ways to produce more food.
In the past ten years, Wambugu has spent much of her time studying sweet potatoes, which are an important food in her part of Kenya. A virus (病毒) kept attacking the plants. It stopped the sweet potatoes from growing well. Because of the virus, some farmers lost three quarters of their crops.
Wambugu went to war against the virus. Her research for a way to save the sweet potatoes led to a lab in St. Louis, Missouri.
The lab mainly works on genes (基因), the chemical “computer programs” found in the cells of living things. Genes tell a plant to produce pink flowers or an animal to grow black hair. Now scientists have found ways to move genes from one living thing to another. That process is called genetic engineering.
Wambugu spent three years in the lab. As a result, she created a sweet potato plant that could fight off the virus. Wambugu tested her research in Kenya, and her plants produced wonderful sweet potatoes.
That’s just the beginning, Wambugu believes. Genetically modified (轉(zhuǎn)基因的) foods, she thinks, could help farmers in poor countries grow badly needed crops, thus, fewer people will go hungry.
【小題1】The text is written mainly to _______.

A．tell us sweet potatoes are in danger of being attacked by a virus

B．introduce Wambugu’s contribution to genetic engineering

C．introduce a new way of killing plant viruses

D．tell how hard Wambugu worked in her lab for three years

【小題2】What caused Wambugu to set up a lab in St. Louis, Missouri?

A．Her wish to save sweet potatoes in Kenya.

B．Her great interest in genetic engineering.

C．Her love for sweet potatoes.

D．Her interest in plant life.

【小題3】The fourth paragraph mainly explains what ________ is.

A．a(chǎn) crop virus	B．chemical technology
C．a(chǎn) computer program	D．genetic engineering

【小題4】 What is Wambugu’s attitude toward “genetic engineering”?

A．It will help more hungry people.

B．It should be carefully used.

C．It has more disadvantages than disadvantages.

D．It is a too expensive technology at present.

It was Monday. Mrs Smith’s dog suffered from hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.
　　Considering that there was no better way．Mrs．Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it: “Give my dog half a pound of meat．” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently: “Take this to the butcher, and he's going to give you your lunch today．”
　　Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher's．It gave the paper to the butcher．The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady's handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to．The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once．
　　At noon, the dog came to the shop again．It gave the butcher a piece of paper again．After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more．
　　The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon．And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth．This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers．
　　But, the dog came again at four o'clock．And the same thing happened once again．To the butcher's more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper．The butcher felt a bit puzzled．He said to himself, “This is a small dog．Why does Mrs．Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
　　Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!
【小題1】It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper Mrs．Smith gave it_______．
　 

A．might do it much harm

B．could do it much good

C．would help the butcher

D．was worth many pounds

【小題2】From its experience, the dog found that ________．
　 

A．only the paper with Mrs Smith's words in it could bring it meat

B．the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it

C．Mrs Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher

D．a(chǎn) piece of paper could bring it half a pound of meat

【小題3】The butcher did not give any meat to the dog __________．
　 

A．before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs．Smith

B．when he found that the words on the paper were not clear

C．because he had sold out all the meat in his shop

D．until he was paid enough by Mrs Smith

【小題4】At the end of the story, you'll find that _______．
　 

A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper

B．the dog dared not go to the butcher's any more

C．the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog

D．the butcher found himself cheated by the clever animal

After a year of preparing herself, Laura Dekker has been given permission to sail around the world. “I was so happy that I almost jumped into the river,” Laura said, after learning of the court’s verdict(判決).
The 14-year-old was born on a ship in the South Pacific, and currently lives with her father on a boat. When child protection agencies heard about her plan to sail alone, they took the case to court and prevented her from making such a dangerous voyage.
Since the decision, though, Laura had been preparing with her father to convince the court that she was ready. Later on, she received the books and other materials she would need for school while she was at sea. She added safety equipment to a new, big ship. And she took her first aid course to learn several survival skills, like how to put out fires on the boat, take care of her own injuries and deal with lack of sleep. She also planned a safer course --- adding alternate routes(備用路徑) to avoid pirate attacks, and planning a course that would have her on dry land as she moved from port to port across the globe.
Even with all of the added preparations, the trip still has its risks. In early June, 16-year-old Abby Sunderland, an American, had to abandon(放棄) her attempt to become the youngest sailor to travel around the world. Her ship’s mast(桅桿) broke due to rough waters in the Indian Ocean, and she was rescued by a French fishing ship.
Laura plans to take longer than Abby for her voyage, and is using a larger and more stable boat. If she finished successfully in less than two years, she will take the title from current record-holder Jessica Watson, of Australia, who was 16 when she completed the journey.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE of Laura?

A．She prepared the voyage at the age of 12.

B．She lost her mother after she was born.

C．She was allowed to sail around the world finally.

D．She wanted to donate money made from the voyage.

【小題2】At first, child protection agencies were against Laura’s plan because ____.

A．it was considered to be a dangerous trip

B．Laura had to finish her schooling first

C．it would cost Laura too much time and money

D．Laura wasn’t prepared for the sailing alone

【小題3】What is Mr. Dekker’s attitude towards Laura’s trip?

A．Doubtful

B．Supportive

C．Uncertain

D．Neutral(中立的)

【小題4】Paragraph 3 mainly talks about ____.

A．how Laura convinced the court

B．why Laura needed to study at sea

C．how Laura prepared for the voyage

D．where Laura could avoid pirate attacks

【小題5】 The person who keeps the record comes from ____.

A．Holland

B．America

C．India

D．Australia