Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed（臉紅）.
【小題1】 We can learn from the text that Vicki___________.

A．often received gifts from her father	B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll
C．was sad because of her father’s death	D．liked and respected Uncle Tom

【小題2】 Vicki’s mother became angry because ___________.

A．Uncle Tom helped them out after Vicki’s father died

B．Vicki opened the box before her birthday

C．there was nothing in the gift box

D．Vicki dropped the gift because of her carelessness

【小題3】 What kind of person is Uncle Tom?

A．Thoughtful

B．Humorous

C．Mysterious

D．Funny

【小題4】What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?

A．How to respect others	B．The meaning of gifts
C．How to deal with gifts	D．The value of a promise

WHAT happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow．It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers．
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society．Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting （騙過） his high school’s monitoring system．This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life．
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge．Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security （DHS） secret prison．There he is treated as a possible terrorist．He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears．
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists．While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen．
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself．He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously （匿名地）．
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story．As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society．
【小題1】What kind of article does this passage belong to?     

A．A fascinating story	B．A book review
C．A News report	D．A TV programme

【小題2】The underlined word “destruction” in the passage means        ．    

A．damage

B．reward

C．ruin

D．protection

【小題3】Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because         ．       

A．he killed his friend

B．he bombed a military vehicle

C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do

D．his injured friend disappeared

【小題4】From the second paragraph we can infer that        ．    

A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society

B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life

C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life

D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world

【小題5】At the end of the book, Marcus Yallow        ．     

A．is supposed to be more irresponsible

B．becomes aware of very serious issues about his society

C．presents a young man who is irresponsible

D．plays a popular online game in real life

Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰島素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren’t bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he’d better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children’s forums(論壇) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site’s volunteers. "They know what he’s going through, so he doesn’t feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas’s main focus is his charity（慈善機(jī)構(gòu)）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can’t afford a diabetic’s huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar’s original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."
【小題1】Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?

A．He needs to go to the doctor every day.

B．He studies the leading cause of diabetes

C．He has a positive attitude to this disease.

D．He encourages diabetics by writing articles.

【小題2】Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.

A．diabetics to communicate	B．volunteers to find jobs
C．children to amuse themselves	D．rock stars to share resources.

【小題3】According to the text, Kody ______.

A．feel lonely because of his illness

B．benefits from diabeticrockstar.com

C．helps create the online kid’s forums

D．writes children’s stories online

【小題4】What can we learn about Fight It?

A．It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties.

B．It organizes parties for volunteer once a year.

C．It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics.

D．It owns a well-known medical website.

【小題5】The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.

A．works full-time in a diabetes charity

B．employs 22 people for his website

C．helps diabetics in his own way

D．ties to find a cure for diabetes

It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.
Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.
【小題1】Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to ________.

A．support his family	B．pay for his college education
C．help his partner expand business	D．do some research

【小題2】Which of the following is true of Buck?

A．He put money into the sandwich business.

B．He was a professor of business administration.

C．He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.

D．He rented a storefront for Deluca.

【小題3】What can we learn about their first shop?

A．It stood at an unfavorable place.

B．It lowered the prices to poor management.

C．It made no profits due to poor management.

D．It lacked control over the quality of sandwich.

【小題4】They decided to open a second store because they _________.

A．had enough money to do it

B．had succeeded in their business

C．wished to meet the increasing demand of customers

D．wanted to make believe（假裝）that they were successful

【小題5】What contributes most to their success according to the author?

A．Learning by trial and error.	B．Making friends with supplies.
C．Finding a good partner.	D．Opening chain stores.

Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I’m going to fly to New York next week because I’ve got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don’t know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram (電報(bào))," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered.
He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.In the evening he didn’t have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o’clock and said, "Now I’m going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner."He found a taxi (出租車) and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn’t remember the name and address of his hotel.
"Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "Please send me my address at this post office."
【小題1】Dick flew to New York because ___.

A．he went there for a holiday	B．he had work there
C．he went there for sightseeing (觀光)	D．his home was there

【小題2】Why did his wife want a telegram from him?

A．Because she wanted to know where her husband stayed in New York

B．Because she wanted to go to New York, too

C．Because she might send him another telegram

D．Because she couldn’t leave her husband by himself in New York

【小題3】Where did Dick stay in New York?

A．In the center of the city.	B．In a hotel.
C．In a restaurant.	D．At his friend’s house.

【小題4】Who would send him the name and address of his hotel?

A．The manager (經(jīng)理) of his hotel.	B．The police office.
C．The taxi driver.	D．His wife.

【小題5】Which of the following is Not true?

A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city.

B．Dick didn’t work on the first night of his arrival.

C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram.

D．Dick wanted to go back to his hotel in a taxi.

A nine-year-old kid was sitting at his desk when suddenly there was a puddle （/JC^C）between his feet and the front of his trousers was wet．He thought his heart was going to stop because he couldn't possibly imagine how this had happened．It had never happened before, and he knew that when the boys found out he would never hear the end of jt. When the girls found out, they would never speak to him again as long as he lived．
He prayed this prayer, "Dear God, I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat!" He looked up from his prayer and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered．As the teacher was walking toward him, a classmate named Susie was carrying a goldfish bowl full of water．Susie tripped （絆倒） in front of the teacher and dumped （倒） the bowl of water in the boy's lap．The boy pretended to be angry, but all the while was saying to himself, "Thank you．Lord!"
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy was the object of sympathy．The teacher rushed him downstairs and gave him gym shorts to put on while his trousers dried out．All the other children were on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk．The sympathy was wonderful．But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been transferred （轉(zhuǎn)移） to someone else—Susie．She tried to help, but they told her to get out．
When school was over, the boy walked over to Susie and whispered, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispered back, "I wet my trousers once, too!"
【小題1】The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means ____        .

A．the boys would never play with him

B．the boys would treat him as usual

C．he would hardly hear any praise from the boys

D．he would be laughed at by the boys endlessly

【小題2】After Susie dumped water in his lap, the boy was in a state of ___     

A．excitement

B．relief

C．a(chǎn)nxiety

D．a(chǎn)nger

【小題3】What did the other kids do after the incident?

A．They offered him dry clothes．

B．They laughed at the boy rudely,

C．They helped the boy do the cleaning．

D．They urged the boy to get out angrily,

【小題4】Why did Susie dump water in the boy's lap?

A．The boy asked her to do so．

B．She just did it by accident．

C．The teacher tripped her on purpose．

D．She knew the boy's embarrassment．

A 33-year-old financial analyst in California recently quit his job to devote himself to an unpaid job teaching math on the Internet, and his lessons are reaching almost 100,000 people a month. Salman Khan’s voice is heard every day on the net --- by tens of thousands of students around the world who are hungry for help learning math. He has posted 1,200 lessons on YouTube ... lessons that appear on an electronic blackboard, which range from basic addition to advanced mathematics for science and finance. And they are free.
Khan lives in Silicon Valley, with his wife, a doctor, and their new baby. He got the idea for his “Khan Academy” four years ago, when he taught a young cousin how to convert kilograms to grams. With Khan’s help, the cousin got good at math, and Khan began a new career.
Now, Khan records his lessons himself, but he never goes on camera. “It feels like my voice in their head. You’re looking at it and it feels like someone’s over your shoulder talking in your ear, as opposed to someone at the blackboard, which is distant from you,” he said.
When Springfield High School in Palo Alto, California invited Khan to speak in person --- he immediately connected to the students there.
The idea of short lessons that can be played over and over again attracted high school senior Bridget Meaney. She says she had trouble with math in the seventh grade. “I think the teachers are good, but they can’t teach at a speed that’s perfect for everyone,” she said. “I like the idea of learning something in class but then going back and pressing pause or rewind and actually getting a deeper understanding of it.”
Originally, Khan kept his lessons short because of YouTube restrictions. Now, he thinks short is better. “Education researchers now tell me that 10 minutes is how long someone can have a high level of concentration. And anything beyond that and your brain switches off,” he said.
For Khan, teaching math, science, and finance is just the beginning. He says he’s ready to expand his YouTube site to include other subjects as well.
【小題1】What gave Khan the idea of teaching math online?

A．His success in helping his cousin learn math.

B．His discovery that many students found learning math difficult.

C．A suggestion made to him at a local high school.

D．His interest in Internet teaching.

【小題2】 Why does Khan never go on camera?

A．He’s too shy to show his face on camera.

B．It’s restricted by YouTube for education videos.

C．He wants to keep distance from the viewers.

D．He wants to create a more relaxed learning atmosphere.

【小題3】 From the passage, we know that ________.

A．Khan travels to many schools to promote his lessons

B．Khan plans to include more subjects in the future

C．Khan gives live math lessons every day for free

D．Khan set up the Khan Academy with his wife

【小題4】Why does Bridget Meaney like Khan’s lessons?

A．Khan teaches seventh grade math better than her teacher.

B．The lessons can be watched repeatedly until fully understood.

C．She can perfectly follow the pace of Khan’s teaching.

D．She cannot concentrate when learning in class.

【小題5】What does Khan mean by “short is better” in the 6^th paragraph?

A．Keeping the lessons short can ensure better concentration.

B．YouTube recommends short lessons for its site.

C．Short lessons encourage students to return to the website.

D．Students enjoy short mathematics lessons more.

Elizabeth and I are 18 now, and about to graduate．I think about our elementary-school friendship, but some memories have blurred （模糊）．What happened that day in the fifth grade when Beth suddenly stopped speaking to me? Does she know that I've been thinking about her for seven years? If only we could go back, and discover what ended our relationship．
I have to speak with Beth．I see her sometimes, and find out school is "fine"．It's not the same．It never will be．Someone says that she's Liz now．What happened to Beth?
I can't call her．Should I write? What if she doesn't answer me? How will I know what she's thinking?
Yes, I'll write her a letter．These things are easier to express in writing．" Be-," no, " Li-," no, " Elizabeth," I begin．The words flow freely, as seven year old memories are reborn．I ask her all the questions that have been left unanswered in my mind, and pray she will answer．I seal my thoughts in the perfect white envelope, and imagine Beth looking into her mailbox．Will she know why I'm writing? Maybe she once thought of writing the same letter．
As the mailman takes my envelope from me forever, I wonder if I've made the right decision．Do I have the right to force myself into Beth's life again? Am I simply part of the past? I have taken the first step．Beth has control of the situation now．
One day has passed．Are my words lying on the bottom of the post office floor?
Two days are gone．I'm lost in thought and don't even hear the phone ting．
"Hello? It's Elizabeth．"
【小題1】What can we learn about Beth?

A．She had a quarrel with the author in the fifth grade．

B．She moved to another school in the fifth grade．

C．She is now called Liz instead of Beth．

D．She hasn't seen the author for seven years．

【小題2】Why does the author decide to write a letter instead of calling?

A．She is sure that Beth will not answer．

B．She's afraid that they'll quarrel on the phone．

C．She doesn't know Beth's telephone number．

D．It is easier to express her feelings in writing．

【小題3】Which of the following the author might NOT mention in her letter?

A．Their elementary-school friendship．

B．Her future plan after graduation．

C．Her expectations for Beth's reply．

D．The questions about the endings of their friendship．

【小題4】What might happen at the end of the story?

A．Beth answers her letter two days later．

B．The letter doesn't reach Beth at all．

C．They make up their friendship．

D．Beth refuses to make peace with her．

The story begins with fishing.
Once a boy and his father went fishing before bass (a kind of special fish) season opened. They were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure (魚餌) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that 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 special fish).
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 bass 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 were in sight in the moonlight. 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 decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics (倫理道德)are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.
【小題1】 What happened when the big fish turned out to be a bass?

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

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

C．The father lit a match in order to check the time.

D．They worried other fishermen may discover what they had done.

【小題2】From the text we know that the father _____.

A．disliked the huge fish	B．was firm and stubborn
C．didn’t love his son	D．a(chǎn)lways disagreed with his son

【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 was taught a moral lesson there

C．it was a most popular fishing spot

D．their children enjoyed fishing there

【小題4】What does the story imply?

A．An ethical decision is always easy to make.

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

C．It’s hard to tell right from wrong sometimes

D．Fishing can help one to make right decisions

【小題5】What kind of the person the father is?

A．kind

B．honest

C．optimistic

D．satisfied

Father Maurice Chase used a special way to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Catholic priest（神父） took $ 15,000 in cash to Los Angeles’ Skid Row (貧民區(qū)) and gave it away. Twenty wheelchair – bound people received $100 bills, while the rest received $1to $ 3 each．
“I come out here to tell them that God loves them and I love them and that some one is concerned about them,” Chase said．
Chase has given away cash and blessings every Sunday at the same corner for 24 years．Several hundred people wait for him every week．
He makes a point of coming on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, but this is the first year he spent his birthday in the downtown neighborhood where people live mainly in shelters and on dirty sidewalks．
“ It’s the place that makes me the happiest．I just love it,” said Chase. “I look forward to coming here.”
The money comes from donations he receives from rich and famous people he met during his work as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．
The crowd broke into choruses of “Happy Birthday” several times. Some people presented him birthday cards, to his delight．
Travis Kemp, a 51 – year – old disabled man with long black hair, was one of the lucky 20 to receive $ 100. He said he had no special plans for spending the money. “He has a lot of respect from me,” Kemp said. “I know I couldn’t do it.”
【小題1】On his 90 th birthday, Chase      ．

A．handed out cash to the needy

B．collected money for poor people

C．visited poor people’s homes with gifts

D．held a party at Los Angeles’ Skid Row

【小題2】Which of the following makes Chase feel the happiest?

A．Celebrating his birthday with his neighbours．

B．Working in Loyola Marymount University．

C．Celebrating Christmas with the people he has helped．

D．Going to Los Angeles’ Skid Row to help people there．

【小題3】What’s the source of the money Chase used to help people?

A．All his savings．

B．His earnings as a Catholic priest．

C．Donations from the wealthy and celebrities(名人)．

D．Donations from Loyola Marymount University．

【小題4】Travis Kemp is mentioned in the text to show ．

A．he was the luckiest person on that day

B．the disabled need to be taken care of

C．Chase is greatly appreciated by the needy

D．even old people came to celebrate Chase’s birthday

【小題5】Which statement is CORRECT according to the passage?

A．Every recipient could get $100 in cash from Father Maurice Chase．

B．Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away not only on his birthday but also on other occasions．

C．Although Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away on his birthday, he didn’t receive anything in return．

D．Father Maurice Chase earned a lot of money as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．