In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada. The sound of children shouting made her turn around. To her horror, Lydia saw a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son. Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away. She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could. A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear. But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children’s lives. A local policeman described it this way: “… I guess when your back is up against the wall, … we come up with super-human strength.”
Where does this “super-human strength”, courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action. These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it.
When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects. Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful. In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel.
Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline(腎上腺素) which in turn increases our energy and excitement. The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more. This is why some people say they work better under a deadline.
Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them. We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit. Stress can also make us more confident. Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future. Who knows? Today’s stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!
【小題1】In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to______.

A．introduce the topic to be followed

B．remind us of the unexpected danger of life

C．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery

D．show the importance of super-human strength

【小題2】What does the policeman probably mean by saying “your back is up against the wall”?

A．You are helped.	B．You are inspired.
C． You are confident.	D．You are cornered.

【小題3】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Brave Mother	B．The Cause of Stress
C．The Benefit of Stress	D．Super-human Strength

My family and I lived across the street from Southway Park since I was four years old. Then just last year the city put a chain link fence around the park and started bulldozing(用推土機推平)the trees and grass to make way for a new apartment complex. When I saw the fence and bulldozers, I asked myself，“Why don’t they just leave it alone？”
Looking back, I think what sentenced the park to oblivion(被遺忘)was the drought(旱災)we had about four years ago. Up until then, Southway Park was a nice green park with plenty of trees and a public swimming pool. My friends and I rollerskated on the sidewalks, climbed the trees, and swam in the pool all the years I was growing up. The park was almost like my own yard. Then the summer I was fifteen the drought came and things changed.
There had been almost no rain at all that year. The city stopped watering the park grass. Within a few weeks I found myself living across the street from a huge brown desert. Leaves fell off the park trees, and pretty soon the trees started dying, too. Next, the park swimming pool was closed. The city cut down on the work force that kept the park, and pretty soon it just got too ugly and dirty to enjoy anymore.
As the drought lasted into the fall, the park got worse every month. The rubbish piled up or blew across the brown grass. Soon the only people in the park were beggars and other people down on their luck. People said drugs were being sold or traded there now. The park had gotten scary, and my mother told us kids not to go there anymore.
The drought finally ended and things seemed to get back to normal, that is, everything but the park. It had gotten into such bad shape that the city just let it stay that way. Then about six months ago I heard that the city was going to“redevelop”certain worn­out areas of the city. It turned out that the city had planned to get rid of the park, sell the land and let someone build rows of apartment buildings on it.
The chain­link fencing and the bulldozers did their work. Now we live across the street from six rows of apartment buildings. Each of them is three units high and stretches a block in each direction. The neighborhood has changed without the park. The streets I used to play in are jammed with cars now. Things will never be the same again. Sometimes_I_wonder,_though,_what_changes_another_drought_would_make_in_the_way_things_are_today.
【小題1】How did the writer feel when he saw the fence and bulldozers?

A．Scared.	B．Confused.
C．upset.	D．Curious.

【小題2】Why was the writer told not to go to the park by his mother?

A．It was being rebuilt.

B．It was dangerous.

C．It became crowded.

D．It had turned into a desert.

【小題3】According to the writer, what eventually brought about the disappearance of the park?

A．The drought.

B．The crime.

C．The beggars and the rubbish.

D．The decisions of the city.

【小題4】The last sentence of the passage implies that if another drought came，________.

A．the situation would be much worse

B．people would have to desert their homes

C．the city would be fully prepared in advance

D．the city would have to redevelop the neighborhood

When I was three years old, my parents discovered I was totally deaf. But instead of sending me to a school for the deaf, they decided to “mainstream” me. All of my peers and teachers world have normal hearing.
I was the only deaf child at Blue Creel Elementary School. From almost the first day there, the other kids made fun of me mainly because of my hearing aid and the way I talked. And I also had difficulty with most of my school work.
When the other kids made fun of me, I was sure that I was a bad person. I saw myself as a boy who wasn’t smart enough to keep up with the class.
Mrs. Jordan, my 5th grade teacher, changed all of that with a simple three-word phrase.
One morning, she asked the class a question. I read her lips from my front-row seat and immediately raised my hand because I was sure I had the right answer. But when she called on me, I was afraid. Here was an opportunity to impress the powerful teacher and show her I was worthy of her love. Maybe even impress my classmates a little. I didn’t want to blow it. despite my fears, I took a deep breath and answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.
I will never forget what happened next. Mrs. Jordan enthusiastically slammed （跺動）her right foot on the floor and turned her tight hand around in full circle until it pointed directly at me. With sparking eyes and a wide smile she cried, “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
For the first time in my young life, I was a star. I sat a little taller in my chair.
From that day forward, my grades and speech improved greatly. My popularity among my peers increased. It was all because Mrs. Jordan believed in me and wasn’t afraid to express it. “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!”
【小題1】What does the underlined word “mainstream”(in Para 1) mean?

A．Encourage a disabled child to live a normal life.

B．Include a disabled child in an ordinary class.

C．Treat a disabled child with respect.

D．Teach a disabled child at home.

【小題2】It can be inferred that when entering Blue Creek Elementary School, the writer     .

A．was not clever	B．could not focus on his study
C．lacked confidence	D．got along well with other kids

【小題3】When the writer answered Mrs. Jordan’s question, he        .

A．trembled with fear	B．stayed calm
C．was nervous	D．was excited

【小題4】From his experience, the writer may conclude that       .

A．the right words could change someone’s life

B．each of us has the courage to be great

C．all great heroes made mistakes

D．each day is a lucky day

One night last February, a seventeen-year-old Duffy drove home along a winding road, he saw a strange light thrown against the tree. “I knew it wasn’t the moon”, he said. “I drive this road all the time and I notice little things out of place.”
Duffy stopped his car and got out to examine. Below him far down in the deep valley lay a broken car with its headlights on. Thirty minutes earlier, a man had driven off the edge of the road, which has no guardrail. His car fell and rolled end over end, landing on its top more than two hundred feet below.
Duffy rushed to call for help, then returned and got down to reach the injured driver. Snow covered the valley and the temperature was below freezing. After struggling back up the cliff, Duffy took off his jacket and shirt and wrapped the injured man in time, along with the blankets from his car.
Life-saving deeds are starting to become usual action for Duffy, the oldest of seven children. When he was 12, he saved his ten-year-old brother from drowning. Two years ago, his three-year-old sister ate rat poison, and Duffy cleaned out her mouth, make her drink milk to protect her stomach and called doctors.
“We have tried to teach the children good values, and it looks like we have got some reward for it.” His father says.
【小題1】 The strange light came from ________.

A．The bright moon.	B．Duffy’s car.
C．The broken car in the valley	D．an unknown place

【小題2】 The phrase” landing on its top” means the car lay_________.

A．on the top of the cliff	B．with its wheels upward
C．with its head upward	D．on the road as usual

【小題3】From the above article, we can see Duffy has saved ________ at least.  

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

【小題4】 “We have tried to teach the children good values” may probably mean Duffy’s parents often tell their children_________.

A．to help people in danger	B．how to save people’s lives
C．to remember the value of the car	D．how to do business

This is a true story from Guyana. One day, a boy took a piece of paper from a box. He made a paper ball and pushed it into his nose. He couldn’t get it out. He ran crying to his mother. His mother couldn’t get the paper out, either. A week later, the paper was still in the boy’s nose. His nose began to have a bad smell.
So his mother took the boy to a hospital. The doctor looked up at the child’s nose, but she couldn’t get the paper out. She said she had to cut the boy’s nose to get the paper out.
The boy’s mother came home looking sad. She didn’t want her child to have his nose cut. The next day she took the boy to her friend Sidney who lived in a house with an old lady called May. May wanted to see the child, so the child let her look up his nose.
“Yes, I can see it,” May said. “It will be out soon.”
As she spoke, she shook some black pepper on the child’s nose. The child gave a mighty sneeze and the paper flew out. His mother was surprised. May told his mother to take the boy to the seaside for a swim, for the salt water would go up his nose and stop the bad smell.
So the lucky boy didn’t have to go to the hospital to have his nose cut.
【小題1】 After the boy pushed a paper ball into his nose, ____.

A．he took it out	B．his mother took it out
C．he did nothing but cry	D．he tried to take it out but failed

【小題2】The paper ball stayed in the boy’s nose for ____.

A．at most seven days	B．less than seven days
C．more than seven days	D．exactly seven days、

【小題3】 Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The doctor helped to take the paper ball out of the boy’s nose.

B．May succeeded in taking the paper out.

C．The boy’s mother found some black pepper to solve the problem.

D．The boy had to have his nose cut at last.

【小題4】The boy should be taken to the seaside for a swim because ____.

A．he needed to learn to swim

B．the sea water would stop the bad smell of his nose.

C．the sea water would wash out the paper ball.

D．he needed a rest

Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
　　One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes(蚊子) in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (搖動) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
【小題1】Many people liked Mark Twain because________.

A．he was famous

B．he liked to talk

C．he was humourous

D．he was a writer

【小題2】That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.

A．to see one of his friends

B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing

C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there

D．to see one of his relatives

【小題3】The waiters felt sorry because _____.

A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain

B．their hotel was too small

C．the room was not very clean

D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room

【小題4】All the people present laughed heartily because _____.

A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room

B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

D．Mark Twain made a joke

【小題5】From the story we know _____.

A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night

B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night

C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night

D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer

Thirty-two people watched kitty Genovese being killed right beneath their windows. She was their neighbor. Yet none of the 32 helped her. Not one even called the police. Was this in gunman cruelty? Was it lack of feeling about one’s fellow man?
Not so, say scientists John Barley and Bib Fatane. These men went beyond the headlines to probe（探查） the reasons why people didn’t act. They found that a person has to go through two steps before he can help. First he has to notice that is an emergency(緊急情況).
　　Suppose you see a middle-aged man fall to the side-walk. Is he having a heart attack? Is he in a coma （昏迷） from diabetes（糖尿�。�? Or is he about to sleep off a drunk?
Is the smoke coming into the room from a leak in the air conditioning? Is it steam pipes? Or is it really smoke from a fire? It’s not always easy to tell if you are faced with a real emergency.
　　Second, and more important, the person faced with an emergency must feel personally responsible. He must feel that he must help, or the person won’t get the help he needs.
The researchers found that a lot depends on how many people are around. They had college students in to be tested. Some came alone. Some came with one or two others. And some came in large groups. The receptionist started them off on the tests. Then she went into the next room. A curtain divided the testing room and the room into which she went. Soon the students heard a scream, the noise of file cabinets falling and a cry for help. All of this had been pre-recorded on a tape-recorder.
Eight out of ten of the students taking the test alone acted to help. Of the students in pairs, only two out of ten helped. Of the students in groups, none helped.
In other words, in a group, Americans often fail to act. They feel that others will act. They, themselves, needn’t. They do not feel any direct responsibility.
Are people bothered by situations where people are in trouble? Yes. Scientists found that the people were emotional, they sweated, they had trembling hands. They felt the other person’s trouble. But they did not act. They were in a group. Their actions were shaped by the actions of those they were with.
【小題1】The purpose of this passage is_________.

A．to explain why people fail to act in emergencies

B．to explain when people will act in emergencies

C．to explain what people will do in emergencies

D．to explain how people feel in emergencies

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．When a person tries to help others, he must be clear that there is a real emergency.

B．When a person tries to help others, he should know whether hey are worth his help.

C．A person must take the full responsibility for the safety of those in emergencies if he wants to help.

D．A person with a heart attack needs the most.

【小題3】 The researchers have conducted an experiment to prove that people will act in emergencies when__________.

A．they are in pairs	B．they are in groups
C．they are alone	D．they are with their friends

【小題4】The main reason why people fail to act when they stay together is that _________.

A．they are afraid of emergencies

B．they are reluctant to get themselves involved

C．others will act if they themselves hesitate

D．they do not have any direct responsibility for those who need help

Jodie Foster was born on Nobember 19,1962,in Los Angeles, Carlif., US. She is an American film actress who began her career as a mature(成熟的) child actress.
Jodie began her performing career as a very young child in television, appearing first in commercials(商業(yè)廣告). She starred in her own short-lived series, Paper Moon (1974), based on the 1973 film of the same name. She appeared in a number of Disney films, beginning with Napoleon and Samantha (1972).
Director Martin Scorsese cast Jodie in a bit part in Alice Doesn’t live Here Anymore (1974) before giving her the role of Iris in Taxi Driver (1976). Her mature performance in Taxi Driver earned her an Academy Award nomination(提名) as best supporting actress. Her later films as child actress were less impressive, but her performances were always admired. Jodie graduated from Yale University in 1985.
Perhaps because of her screen image of early maturity, Foster was abler to make a relatively smooth transition to adult roles. In The Accused (1988), she gave a perfect performance as Sarah Tobias. In The Silence of the Lames (1991), she tracks a killer as FBI agent Clarice Starling. Both performances won her Academy Awards as best actress.
In 1990s, Jodie went into other areas of filmmaking. She directed her best film, Little Man Tate, in 1991,in which she also co-starred. In 1994, she co-produced Nell, for which she also received an Oscar nomination for best actress. In 1997, Foster starred in Contact. Her later films included Panic Room (2002), Inside Man (2006), and The Brave One (2007).  
【小題1】Which of the following film won Jodie Foster Academy Awards as best actress?
a.Taxi Driver           b.The Accused     c.Nell                    d.The Silence of the Lambs 

A．bcd

B．ac

C．bd

D．abcd

【小題2】We can learn from the passage that________.

A．it was in a TV series that Jodie made her first TV appearance.

B．some of Jodie’s performances as a child actress were thought to be very bad.

C．Jodie became famous at a young age because of her mature performance.

D．Jodie played a very important role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

【小題3】In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?

A．People

B．Business

C．Fashion

D．Career

In the fall of 1985．I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere．Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell．
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65．She was the first in our family to reach that goal．But one year after I started college, she developed cancer．I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her．It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait．
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children．In 1999, we adopted our first son．To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional．A year later came our second adopted boy．Then followed son No．3．In 2003, I gave birth to another boy．
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo．Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time．But I never gave up on the dream either．I had only one choice: to find a way．That meant talking as few as one class each semester．
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys．They often wanted me to stay home with them．There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives．
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina．It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded．It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal．Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day．It’s a process．Remember: little steps add up to big dreams．
【小題1】When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be         .

A．a writer

B．a teacher

C．a judge

D．a doctor

【小題2】Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

A．She wanted to study by herself．	B．She fell in love and got married．
C．She suffered from a serious illness．	D．She decided to look after her grandma．

【小題3】What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Failure is the mother of success．	B．Little by little ,one goes far．
C．Every coin has two sides．	D．Well begun ,half done．

【小題4】Which of the following can best describe the author ?

A．Caring and determined．	B．Honest and responsible．
C．Ambitious and sensitive.	D．Innocent and single-minded．

Jesse Owens is recognized as a hero not just because he is fast. Some people might say that they know him for just that reason. However, there are lots of fast people who are not known. Jesse Owens is known because Chancellor Adolf Hitler did not shake the hand of Jesse Owens or even recognize his feat of winning four gold medals, because Owens was an African American.
Jesse Owens owed much of his success to his coach Charles Riley, who probably was the most important one making him have the career that he did. Owens came from a background that required him to work after school in a shoe shop. He couldn’t attend the regularly scheduled track practices organized by his school. However, Charles Riley saw the boy had both a passion(熱情) and a talent for running, and so arranged for him to be able to practice before school instead.
Jesse Owens achieved this success despite(盡管) his racial background, which at the time was a huge limitation to him. He could only eat in certain restaurants and sleep in certain hotels, as could all African Americans of the time. He was also never offered a scholarship for school despite setting records for NCAA(美國全國大學生體育協(xié)會) championships.
The Berlin Olympics in 1936 is where his star rose as high as it would ever be able to. These Olympics were during the height of Hitler’s rule. It took courage to race in front of Hitler and many other racist(種族主義者). It took time, determination, and perseverance(堅持不懈) to race like him. He won four gold medals at those Olympics. It would take almost fifty years for someone else to walk away from the Olympics with four gold medals. He passed away at the age of 66 from lung cancer.
【小題1】The underlined word “feat” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “            .”

A．chance

B．happiness

C．success

D．hope

【小題2】 We know from paragraph 2 that Jesse Owens             .

A．did not need to work after school

B．took part in the regular track practices

C．did not get along well with his coach

D．was arranged to practice before school

【小題3】Jesse Owens was well-known around the world mainly because he             .

A．sets records for NCAA championships

B．was brave enough to race in front of Adolf Hitler

C．didn’t want to shake hands with Hitler

D．is recognized as a hero of the white Americans

【小題4】According to the passage, which of the following about Jesse Owens is true?

A．Hitler recognized his feat of winning four gold medals.

B．He was offered a scholarship for setting records for NCAA championships.

C．He could only eat in certain restaurants like many other African Americans.

D．It took him almost fifty years to walk away from the Olympics with four gold medals.

【小題5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Sport hero ---- Jesse Owens	B．The Berlin Olympics in 1936
C．Charles Riley ---- Jesse Owens’ s coach	D．Jesse Owens’s childhood