One of the most famous nursery rhymes(搖籃曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.
Mary Sawyer (1806－1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.
One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.
That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.
Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue.
【小題1】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Mary Had a Little Lamb	B．The Life of Mary Sawyer
C．The Origin of a Poem	D．An Animal Friend

【小題2】The underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means         .

A．fortunately

B．gradually

C．finally

D．kindly

【小題3】Why did the poem become a classic?

A．It had another twelve lines added.

B．It was written by a young man.

C．It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb.

D．A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.

【小題4】Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”became popular.
b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.
c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.
d. Mary found a little lamb.
e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.

A． d. b. e. c. a	B． d. b. e. a. c
C． d. e. b. c. a	D． d. e. b. a. c

【小題5】 Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A．Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb.

B．Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship.

C．Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem.

D．All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America.

Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap，strong and fast．He was able to se11 millions of cars because he could produce them in large numbers at a time；that is，he made many cars of the same kind．Ford’s father hoped that his son would become a farmer，but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（機(jī)械師）．By the age of 29，in 1892，he had built his first car．However，the car made in this way，the famous “ Model T ” did not appear until 1908. Five years ago, Ford started his great motor car factory．This kind of car showed to be well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty year．Since Ford’s time，this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would be very expensive．
【小題1】Henry Ford was the man to built _____ cars．

A．cheap and strong	B．cheap and long
C．fast and expensive	D．strong and slow

【小題2】Ford was able to sell millions of cars，because_____．

A．he made many cars	B．his cars are many
C．he made lots of cars of the same kind	D．both A and B

【小題3】The young man became a mechanic，_______．

A．which was his father’s will	B．which was against his own will
C．which was against his father’s will	D．which was his teacher’s will

【小題4】The “ Model T ” was very famous_____．

A．before 1908	B．between 1982 and 1908
C．before 1892	D．a(chǎn)fter 1908

【小題5】Ford built his own car factory_____．

A．in 1903

B．in 1908

C．in 1913

D．in 1897

Jack Brown，an office worker，lives in Washington．He inherited(繼承)  a million dollars when he was 23，but he wasn’t happy at all．When his college friends were looking for their jobs，he didn’t have to．Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else．He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity(慈善機(jī)構(gòu))to help poor children live a better life．Today he is 36．He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only，but he is Very happy．
Up to now Jack has helped some children from poor countries all over the world，by sending them each$200 a month．The money was used for the children’s study, food, medicine and clothing．Jack receives a report each year on the children’s progress(進(jìn)步)．They can write to each other．but usually the children do not speak English．
When Jack first heard about these children，he wanted to help them．“It was nothing special,” he said．“Until  I  went to these countries and met the children I was helping，I didn’t know anything about their life．” Once Jack went to meet a little girl in Africa．He said that the meeting was Very exciting．“When I met her．I felt very ,very happy．"he said．“ I saw that the money was used for a good cause．It brought me happiness．I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children.”
【小題1】Jack didn’t need to look for a job ___________.

A．before he went to college	B．a(chǎn)fter he went to Africa
C．because he got one million dollars	D．before he received a report

【小題2】Jack has sent them each $200 a month to help some poor children _______．

A．only in Washington	B．only in England
C．only in Africa	D．a(chǎn)round the world

【小題3】Jack learned about the children’s progress by ________.

A．visiting them each year	B．getting a report every year
C．staying with them	D．talking to them in English

【小題4】The underlined(劃線的)words “for a good cause ”means“­­­­­­­­________” in Chinese．

A．施舍

B．行善

C．優(yōu)惠

D．賞賜

【小題5】What’s the main idea of the story?

A．Help others，and you will feel happy．

B．It’s necessary to write letters to poor children．

C．Live a simple life，and you can give others help．

D．Enjoy life.

It was the old lady’s eightieth birthday. She was sure Myra wouldn’t forget her mother’s birthday, even if she was busy. After all, eighty was a special birthday. Perhaps Myra might come. Even if Myra did not come, she would send a present. The old lady was sure of that. Two spots of colour brightened her cheeks. She was excited like a child.
Mrs. Morrison had brought a card and a bunch of flowers when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake. Johnnie, the little boy next door, was now up with her with a packet of sweets.
“I guess you’ll get lots and lots of presents, ” he said. “I did last week when I was six.”
What would she like? A pair of slippers, perhaps. A blue new cardigan(羊毛衫). Or a table lamp. Or a little clock, with clear black numbers. So many lovely things.
She stood by the window, watching. The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle. Her heart beat fast. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.
“Granny, granny, ” Johnnie returned. “I’ve got your post!”
He gave her four envelopes. Three were from old friends. The fourth was in Myra’s writing.
“No parcel(包裹), Johnnie?”
“No, granny.”
Almost reluctantly, she tore the fourth envelope open. Folded in the card was a check. Written on the card was a message: Happy Birthday—Buy yourself something nice with the check, Myra and Harold.
The six-figure check fell to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady bent to pick it up. Her present, her lovely present. With trembling fingers she tore it into little bits.
【小題1】As can be inferred from the passage, _______.

A．the old lady lived alone in a flat away from her daughter

B．the friends sent the old lady many lovely presents by post

C．Myra was stopped by her husband from seeing her mother

D．the neighbours cared little about the old lady in daily life

【小題2】The old lady expected her daughter most __________.

A．to send her a present.	B．to send her a check.
C．to come back home to celebrate her birthday.	D．not to return home.

【小題3】The old lady felt _______ when she saw no parcel came with her daughter’s card.

A．excited

B．happy

C．disappointed

D．impatient

【小題4】Which of the following might serve as the best title for the passage?

A．The Present

B．The Check

C．The Birthday

D．The Daughter

【小題5】The reason why the old lady tore the check into small pieces was that _______.

A．she was sure her daughter would come, not the check

B．she didn’t notice there were six figures on the check

C．she didn’t think the check was large enough for a present

D．she would prefer a present with love from her daughter

Riding was the favourite activity of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. He usually rode good horses.
One day, he was riding outside Washington, when a jockey (賽馬師) came near. He did not know the President, but his professional eye was attracted by Mr. Jefferson’s horse. He stopped and said that he wanted to buy the horse, but Mr. Jefferson politely refused his offer.
The jockey offered more money for the horse, because the closer he looked at the horse, the more he liked it. All of his offers were refused, which made him angry. He then became rude, but his rudeness left as little an impression as his money, for Jefferson had a very good temper. At last, he hit Mr. Jefferson’s horse with his whip, getting it to run suddenly. This would have thrown a less skillful rider to the ground, but Jefferson stayed on his seat, and controlled his horse well.
The jockey then gave up. He rode with Mr. Jefferson side by side and began to talk with him about politics. Jefferson joined in the conversation. When they got into the city and came close to the gate of the presidential mansion (總統(tǒng)府), Mr. Jefferson stopped, and politely invited the man to enter.
The jockey was surprised and asked, “Why? Do you live here?”
“Yes” was the simple reply.
“Why, stranger, what’s your name?”
“My name is Thomas Jefferson.”
Embarrassed, the man quickly left, while the President looked at him with a smile and then rode through the gate.
【小題1】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Jefferson and the Jockey	B．Jefferson’s Interest
C．Be Polite to Everyone	D．No Pain, No Gain

【小題2】 Which word can best describe the jockey?

A．Professional.

B．Skillful.

C．Impatient.

D．Impolite.

【小題3】The underlined word “embarrassed” can be replaced by “__________”.

A．worried

B．pleased

C．hurried

D．a(chǎn)shamed

【小題4】We can infer from the passage that __________.

A．the jockey had once bought a horse from another stranger

B．Mr. Jefferson was very good at riding a horse

C．Mr. Jefferson would invite the jockey to his own house later

D．the jockey would not talk about this experience to others

【小題5】According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?

A．The President of the US is fond of riding.

B．The jockey managed to buy the horse from Mr. Jefferson.

C．Mr. Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was a man of good manners.

D．All the presidents of the US have expensive horses.

John H. Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas City in 1918. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching the high school age, but his hometown offered no high school for blacks.
Luckily he had a strong-willed caring mother. John remembered that his mother told him many times, “Son，you can be anything you want really to be if you just believe.” She told him not to depend on others，including his mother. “You have to earn success,” she said. “All the people who work hard don’t succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard.”
These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and hard work don’t mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son, who was then 15，to Chicago.
Chicago in 1933 was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for. John’s mother and stepfather could not find work. But here John could go to school, and here he learned the power of words — as an editor of the newspaper and yearbook at Du Sable High School. His wish was to publish a magazine for blacks.
While others discouraged (使氣餒) him, John’s mother offered him more words to live by: “Nothing beats a failure but a try.” She also let him pawn（典當(dāng)）her furniture to get the ＄500 he needed to start the Negro magazine.
It is natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful. He always keeps his mother’s words in mind: “Son, failure is not in your vocabulary!”
Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America — worth $150 million.
【小題1】 John’s father died in ________.

A．1922

B．1933

C．1924

D．1923

【小題2】John’s mother decided to move to Chicago because _______.

A．his father died when John was very young

B．life was too hard for them to stay on in their hometown

C．there were no schools for black people in their hometown

D．John needed more education badly

【小題3】 John’s mother ________．

A．didn’t believe in or depend on others

B．thought no one could succeed without working hard

C．believed one would succeed without working hard

D．thought one could be whatever one wanted to be

【小題4】The story mainly tells us ________ .

A．a(chǎn)bout the spiritual support John’s mother gave him

B．how John H. Johnson became successful

C．a(chǎn)bout the importance of a good education

D．a(chǎn)bout the key to success for blacks

A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus was travelling by the seashore and I was enjoying the soft wind while watching the sea waves (海浪). After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them in surprise and realized that all the window seats were taken up. They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my inner mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I took another seat and we parted our ways. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.
Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.
“Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.
Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”
She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”
Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”
She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my
friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?”
“Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.
The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.
【小題1】Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?

A．Because they couldn’t sit together.

B．Because they wanted to enjoy the sea weaves.

C．Because there were no empty seats.

D．Because they preferred to stand.

【小題2】The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means that the author had a feeling that ______.

A．the sea wave made him upset

B．he wanted to do something special

C．a(chǎn) wave from the sea passed by him

D．he wanted to make a sea wave in his heart

【小題3】The author’s act of kindness helped the young boy and the girl ______.

A．begin to talk to each other again after a time of silence

B．sit together and become friends very soon

C．know each other and get married

D．clear up a misunderstanding between them

【小題4】 From the story, we can know that ______.

A．small things can create great happenings in life

B．giving is more important than receiving

C．offering one’s seat to others will lead to a marriage

D．we sometimes forget what happened in the past

A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other’s language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist(拳頭) and pointed at the Italian’s watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman. 
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian’s. 
【小題1】The Frenchman went to a small Italian town _______. 

A．a(chǎn)lone

B．with his wife

C．with his friend

D．with an Italian

【小題2】One night he went out for _______ alone. 

A．a(chǎn) ride

B．a(chǎn) walk

C．a(chǎn) drink

D．rest

【小題3】Suddenly he found his_______ was gone. 

A．watch

B．money

C．book

D．ring

【小題4】The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.

A．he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman.

B．he understood what the Frenchman wanted

C．he had picked up the watch on his w ay from work

D．he was afraid of the Frenchman

Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath.
“I suppose I had better go to the doctor.” she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
“I’m not at all surprised.” he said, “I know what your problem is.”
He examined her and then gave her some advice.
“If you don’t do what I say, Mrs Parker,” he said, “You will have a heart attack (心臟病發(fā)作). It could kill you.”
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor’s. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher shop (肉鋪).
“I’d like ten pounds of steak (牛排), please.” she said.
“Certainly, madam.” the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale (稱).
“That’s just ten pounds.” he said.
“That’s big enough.” Mrs Parker said.
The butcher worked out the price.
“At S｜4.99 a pound that will be S｜49.90, please. Would you like me to cut it up into smaller pieces for you?”
“Oh, I don’t want to buy the meat.” Mrs Parker said.
“If you don’t want to buy it,” the butcher replied angrily, “Why did you ask me to get it for you?”
“My doctor told me that I am too heavy and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.”
【小題1】Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor?

A．She had a heart attack.	B．She had a problem with her health.
C．She was unhappy about her weight.	D．She could not sleep well.

【小題2】Why did Ellen Parker ask for ten pounds of steak?

A．She wanted to buy some for dinner.

B．She wanted to lose weight.

C．Her doctor had told her to eat steak.

D．She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.

【小題3】What was Ellen Parker’s real problem?

A．She ate too much steak.	B．She weighed too much.
C．She was often out of breath.	D．She could not walk very quickly.

It was the first month of winter -- an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up until now, l had been able to dress myself for recess(課間休息), but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher at Princess Elizabeth School near Hamilton, Ontario, had been through first snow days , many times in her long career, but I think struggled still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow pants. But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots. In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on own boots. “ I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do the work. After much wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced，“They’re on the wrong feet．”With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again．Then I said，“These aren’t my boots．you know．”As she pulled the offending boots from my feet，she still managed to look both helpful and interested．Once they were off．I said，“They are my brother’s boots．My mother makes me wear them，and I hate them!” Somehow，from long years of practice，she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl．She pushed and shoved less gently this time，and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet．With a great sigh of relief，seeing the end of her struggle with me，she asked，“Now，where are your gloves?’’
I looked into her eyes and said．“I didn’t want to lose them．so I put them into the toes of my boots．”
【小題1】According to the passage，the little girl got     from her brother．

A．the wool snow pants and the jacket	B．the jacket and the boots
C．the jacket and the hat	D．the boots and the gloves

【小題2】What made it so hard for the teacher to help the little girl put her boots on?

A．The gloves in the toes of the boots．	B．The slowness of the teacher．
C．The wrong size of the boots．	D．The unwillingness of the girl．

【小題3】It can be inferred that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter，the teacher had to help her put on her boots      ．

A．once

B．twice

C．three times

D．four times

【小題4】Which of the following sentences from the text BEST indicates that the teacher is very considerate?

A．In her calm，motherly voice she said，“By the end of winter，”(Paragraph 2)

B．With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to(Paragraph 4)

C．She still managed to look both helpful and interested．(Paragraph 4)

D．She managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl.(Paragraph 4)