His first fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted (收養(yǎng)) by the chief of his tribe (部族) and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination ( 種族歧視). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law (種族隔離法), colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition (反對) to the system Mandela was arrested (被捕) and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and become the president of the country after the first elections were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer (拳擊手) and fought in the ring when he was young.
“ Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat (撤退),” he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skilful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.
【小題1】Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _____.

A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa

B．uniting South Africa

C．organizing a government in South Africa

D．controlling the spread of AIDS

【小題2】If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he _____.

A．could easily have been the president of South Africa

B．could still have lived a happy life

C．could have been in a difficult situation

D．would have been an excellent boxer

【小題3】It can be inferred that Nelson Mandela _____.

A．continues to help the black people with the political struggle

B．is taking a position in a music group

C．is taking on the world’s greatest fight against AIDS

D．is preparing for the next election of president

【小題4】Which statement can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?

A．Struggle is his life.	B．Sports make his fame.
C．Fight for equal rights.	D．Great fighter against government.

My husband had just bought a new washing machine for me . I decided to use it the very day and I washed a lot of things .
Everything worked well , but I found one of my husband’s socks(短襪)  missing . I looked everywhere for it , but I couldn’t find it anywhere .
The next morning , I got ready for school as usual . When the bell rang , the students came in . I greeted them and told them what we were going to do that day .
When I turned around to write on the blackboard , the class bursted out a roar (大笑聲)! They laughed and laughed . They laughed so much , in fact ,that I was afraid the headmaster would be in to see all this .
I asked the class to stop , but the more I talked , the more they laughed . I decided to pay no attention to them and I continued to write on the blackboard . when I did this , they roared even more .
Finally , the teacher who had the room next to mine came in to see what all the laughter was about .
“Good heavens ,” I said , “Will someone please tell me what is so funny?”
“Oh , God,” said the teacher , “You have a brown sock to the back of your skirt !”
So that’s how I found my husband’s missing sock .
“Oh , well ,” I said to the class , “Let’s just say you have had an unforgettable lesson on static electricity(靜電)�！�
【小題1】What was the writer ?

A．A washer

B．A student

C． A headmaster

D． A teacher

【小題2】What happened when the writer turned around to write on the blackboard ?

A．The class roared with anger .

B．The class began to laugh loudly .

C．Another teacher came in

D．There was a loud noise outside the room

【小題3】Why couldn’t she find one of her husband’s socks?
A. Because some students had hidden it .
D. Because her husband had taken it away .
C. Because she had left it in the classroom .
D. Because she never expected that it would stick to her skirt .
【小題4】What did the writer do when she got to know why her students laughed?

A．She did nothing but laugh.

B．She got angry with the class .

C．She did nothing

D．She explained the matter in a clever way .

Balzac was good at buying things at its lowest price. One day he wanted to buy a vase in a shop window that was much more expensive than he could offer. Not being able to make the shopkeeper cut down its price very much, he left without further talking. Collecting a half dozen of his friends, he explained his wish to them and they worked a plan. The first would enter the shop and make an offer, lower than the marked price. Not getting the vase at his price, he would walk out. Shortly after another would enter and ask for a price lower than the first. In this way, each of the others would offer a price lower than the one before, and the last of his friends made a great effort to attempt to get it at the lowest price. Before long Balzac himself would return, offer more than the last two or three persons made and trust to luck. The plan worked--- Balzac got the vase at his price!
【小題1】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．A vase in the window was placed much higher than Balzac could reach.

B．At first the price of the vase was much higher than Balzac could offer.

C．Balzac always wanted to buy a vase that was much more expensive than he could pay

D．Balzac was very poor. He couldn’t buy the vase at a high price.

【小題2】How many friends did Balzac gather?

A．Six

B．Twelve

C．Ten

D．Five

【小題3】Who asked for the lowest price?

A．The first one.	B．The second one.
C．The last of his friends.	D．Balzac.

【小題4】What kind of person does the writer try to tell us about Balzac and his friends?

A．Unkind

B．Dishonest

C．Selfish

D．Clever

The hardworking businessman Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see him every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the man worked.
“ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (釘) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said Jones. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”
【小題1】The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ___________.

A．his father told him to	B．he wanted to learn a skill
C．Jones encouraged him to	D．he just wanted to pass his time

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?

A．Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks.

B．Jones had said the young man must be in need of the skill.

C．The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get.

D．The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young.

【小題3】What can we learn from the story ?

A．Practice makes perfect.

B．Skill makes life easy.

C．A good beginning makes good ending.

D．Every man has his gift.

Henry Loomis served as director of the Voice of America for seven years starting in 1958.Mr Loomis played an important role in creating the Special English service .
Henry Loomis was born in 1919 Tuxedo Park , New York. His father was Alfred Lee Loomis , a rich New York City businessman .In 1940, Henry Loomis dropped out of Harvard University to join the United States Navy .He was able to put to good use his knowledge of radar technology that he had learned about because of his father’s work .After graduating at the top in his naval(海軍的) training class, Henry Loomis became a teacher at the Navy's radar training school in Hawaii. By the end of World War Two, Henry Loomis had received many honors for his service, including a Bronze Star and an Air Medal. He left the Navy in 1946 to begin graduate（研究生）studies.
Henry Loomis later moved to Washington, D.C. to begin another part of his career in public service. He held positions in the Department of Defense and other agencies: In 1958, he became director of the Voice of America.
During his travels around the world, Mr. Loomis saw that English was becoming an
important international language. He believed that it was important to make English easier to
understand by listeners of VOA broadcasts whose native language was not English. So Mr. Loomis asked VOA program manager Barry Zorthian to develop a way to broadcast to listeners
with a limited knowledge of English:
The result of this effort was Special English: The first Voice of America broadcast in Special English took place on October 19th, 1959. Those against his ideas at the time said the Special English method of broadcasting at a slower rate with a limited vocabulary would never work, it was not practical. American embassies（大使館） demanded that the program be called off. But Mr. Loomis supported the program.
Soon, VOA began to receive hundreds of letters from listeners praising the program. Special English programs became some of the most popular on VOA. We are pleased to say that our programs still are.
【小題1】We can know from the passage that Henry Loomis______．

A．was born in a poor family

B．did well in his naval training class

C．stayed in the Navy for nearly 8 years

D．joined the army immediately after graduating from university

【小題2】What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Henry Loomis's childhood.

B．Henry Loomis's whole business.

C．Henry Loomis's background.

D．Henry Loomis's army life.

【小題3】What led to Henry Loomis's idea of Special English programs?
A. His experience in the Navy.
B. His experience in the Department of Defense.(國防部)
C. His early dream of promoting the influence of VOA.
D. His finding VOA programs are too difficult for non-native listeners.
【小題4】Those who were against his ideas of Special English programs said______

A．Special English programs were not practical

B．it would cost too much to make Special English programs

C．it was unnecessary to broadcast Special English programs

D．Special English programs wouldn't help listeners in improving their English

One warm September night, Mira had come down to the beach to enjoy the night air. She closed her eyes and listened to the waves. Suddenly, she could hear another sound, so she opened her eyes and looked down at the sand. It was moving! All of a sudden she could see a tiny head coming out. Then a turtle(龜) appeared! One by one they struggled out of their underground nests. Mira looked in surprise at the baby turtles.
Mira knew the turtles should head towards the waves and swim away, so she was puzzled when they began to pull themselves towards the dunes(沙丘). Suddenly, she remembered something her grandmother had told her.
“Sea turtles bury their eggs on the beach every year in April and in September. Those baby turtles hatch(孵出) and head back down to the sea. But some of them never make it. Sometimes they die going across the dunes, trying to find those bright lights on the houses. Every day there are more houses being built on the dunes. That means more and more lights to confuse the sea turtles.”
Mira looked out across the dunes at her house. Mira saw her mother and father, sitting on the porch(門廊). She could see them because her house had two bright lights that lit up the porch.
Mira began to run to her house and shouted, “The turtles are hatching! We have to help the turtles!” With these words, Mira ran into the house and turned off the bright porch lights.
In a rush she was off running down the dunes with her whole family following her. They reached the beach just in time to see the tiny turtles slipping silently into the waves. Mira watched as the last turtle entered the water. As the turtle swam away, it looked back at Mira. In the moonlight, Mira thought she saw it smile.
【小題1】Where did the story happen?

A．On a beach at night	B．In a house near the dunes.
C．On a front porch in the evening.	D．In the shallow water of the ocean.

【小題2】How did Mira feel when she saw the baby turtles appear?

A．Proud.

B．Sad.

C．Confused.

D．Surprised.

【小題3】How did Mira know the lights confused the turtles?

A．She read it in a book.	B．Her grandmother told her.
C．She learned about the turtles at school.	D．Her parents taught her about the turtles.

【小題4】Why did Mira run to her house?

A．To get a flashlight	B．To turn off the porch light.
C．To communicate with her parents.	D．To ask her grandmother about the lights.

【小題5】This story is mainly about a girl ________.

A．enjoying the ocean	B．turning lights off at night
C．saving the baby turtles	D．learning from her grandparents

Jean—Francois Millet (October 4,1814----January 20, 1875) was a French painter and one of the founder of the Barbizon School in rural France. Born of a peasant family, Millet was encouraged by his father to study art in Cherbourg, France. He can be categorized as part of the movement called “naturalism”(自然主義). His understanding of the peasant’ hard life was perfectly expressed in his choice of subject and natural preference for powerful but simple drawing and coloring.
One of the most well—known of Millet’s paintings, The Gleaners(《拾穗者》)，first came in a vertical composition(垂直式構圖) painted in 1854,and then there came the horizontal version in 1856, which is now preserved in the Musee d’Orsay. It depicts women bending over in the fields to collect the leftover’s from the harvest, and it is a monumental composition devoted to the working class.
Previously, servants were depicted in paintings as obedient to a noble or a king, and picking up what was left of the harvest was regarded as one of the lowest jobs in Millet;s times. However, Millet offered these women as the heroic focus of the picture. Besides, in the painting, light lights up the women’s shoulders as they carry out their work. Behind them, the field that stretches into the distance is bathed in golden light, under a wide , magnificent sky. The forms of the three figures, standing against the lighter field, show balance and harmony.
【小題1】According to the passage , we can know that Millet________.

A．was born in rural France

B．belongs to neither naturalism nor realism

C．became famous for his love of the countryside

D．received his high school education in Barbizon

【小題2】As for the painting The Gleaners, ________.

A．it is originally a horizontal composition

B．it is based on the effort of Musee d’Orsay

C．it presents women in the field as the chief focus

D．it shows how women are stopped from working in the field

【小題3】In the painting, the viewer can appreciate Millet’s_________..

A．crazy interest in blue color

B．strong focus on the city life

C．a(chǎn)bsolute respect for the king

D．particular choice of main characters

【小題4】In which of the following books can we probably find this passage?

A．Kings and Nobles in France

B．A Guide to French Painting

C．French Agricultural History

D．The Founder of Musee d’Orsay

All the Lortons’ farm animals – the cows and the goats, the ducks and the chickens, got along well with Roger—a llama(美洲駝). But since llamas are used to thinking of animals like coyotes(土狼) and dogs as threats, it took Roger a few weeks to accept the family dog.
Roger protects the sheep and lambs in two ways. First, he keeps the sheep together. A hungry coyote will try to scatter(分散) the flock and then pick off a weak or small animal that has become separated from the rest. But when a coyote threatens the Lorton’s sheep, they all run to Roger, depending on him to defend them.
And he does, with his second defense: confronting(對抗) the coyote. Llamas are very curious and will run at top speed to investigate anything that looks interesting. When a coyote sees a three-hundred-pound llama rushing toward it, the coyote will not usually wait around to see what the llama wants.
And once a llama realizes that a coyote is threatening the flock, the llama will stand between the coyote and the sheep to defend them. Often, the llama will charge toward the coyote with its head down. As it runs, it will sometimes call out an alarm to the flock in a high-pitched voice. Since Roger’s arrival, coyotes haven’t gotten any sheep from the Lortons.
【小題1】The purpose of the passage is to tell us that ________________.

1. a llama helps guard sheep
2. coyotes are sheep’s main enemy
3. llamas are much smarter than coyotes
4. some types of dogs can’t protect sheep

【小題2】The following words can be used to describe Roger Except_____________.

A．protective

B．curious

C．brave

D．patient

【小題3】It can be inferred that the Lortons are __________________.

1. scientists studying llamas’ behavior
2. farmers using a llama to guard sheep
3. citizens keeping a llama as a pet
4. businessmen selling llamas to farmers

In seventh grade, Brittany Blythe dreamed of being a cheerleader. Her school’s coaches were less than enthusiastic. “They said, ‘I don’t know how you’ll be able to do it,’ she recalls. “‘You won’t be able to do it. ’”
But Brittany, now a junior at Strath Haven High School near Philadelphia, persisted(堅持). And when the junior team cheerleaders won a tournament last year, she was right there, dancing and cheering with the rest of the team.
Not bad for someone whose legs were cut off below the knee when she was two years old.
Brittany, 18, was born without shinbones(脛骨)--“just blood and muscle tissue”, as she puts it. When she tried to walk, her legs twisted.
After the operation, she adapted quickly. “From day one, I basically jumped up and wanted to do everything,” she says. Prosthetic legs(假腿) allowed her to move around upright, but too slowly to keep up with her friends. Brittany’s solution: take the legs off and walk on her knees---sometimes she still does when safety and comfort permit.
She’s rarely daunted. Other children laughed at her through the years, especially in junior high school, but she says the challenge only made her stronger. Now she’s trying to convince her coaches to let her remove the prostheses and be a flyer, the cheerleader who’s thrown in the air and caught by her teammates.
Brittany doesn’t think her problems are more difficult than the next person’s. “My disability was the first thing I had to get through, and that’s going to prepare me for the future,” she says. “It’s all just a test: If someone throws you a curve ball(給你出難題), what are you going to do?”
【小題1】What was the school’s coaches’ attitude towards Brittany’s idea of being a cheerleader?

A．Supportive

B．Doubtful

C．Opposed

D．Curious

【小題2】What did Brittany do to keep up with her friends?

A．She used a pair of walking sticks.

B．She practiced hard every day.

C．She walked on her knees.

D．She asked her friends for help

【小題3】The underlined word “daunted” in Paragraph 6 probably means _____________.

A．discouraged

B．a(chǎn)ngry

C．confident

D．fortunate

【小題4】We can learn from the last paragraph that Brittany __________.

A．is not well prepared for the future

B．takes a positive attitude towards life

C．likes the challenge of learning new things

D．thinks that her problems are more difficult than other’s.

After their 15-year-old dog Bailey died in 2007, Ron and his wife, Ann, looked for months to find the right new pet. “I love dogs,” says Ron, a worker at a health club in Waukesha, Wisconsin. “I can’t imagine not having one.”
Finally, the couple spotted a young dog at the Humane Society in Milwaukee. His name was Oscar. “He was very attractive,” says Ron, 65. Oscar quickly made himself at home, sleeping on his new owners’ bed at night.
A diabetic(糖尿病人) for 25 years, Ron faithfully took his medicine four times a day and generally had no problems. But on March 17, at about 3 a.m., he got out of bed to use the bathroom. Suddenly, he fell down to the floor. “I must have taken the wrong amount of medicine before I went to sleep, because my blood sugar was dangerously low,” he says.
“Normally, Oscar is very quiet and well-behaved,” says Ron. “But when I hit the floor, he let out sounds like a wild animal.”
“Honestly, it sounded like the dog from hell,” says Ann, who was awakened by the sound.” I didn’t know what the sound was. Then I saw my husband lying on the bathroom floor. He was cold.” She ran for the phone and called an ambulance.
Ron spent several hours in the hospital. By 6:30a.m., he was well enough to go home. “You would never suspect Oscar of any heroism.” says his grateful owner. “He’s a wonderful little guy. We are lucky enough to own him.”
Even before Oscar’s heroic action, the couple had given their pet a new nickname(昵稱). “We felt the name Oscar wasn’t good enough,” says Ron, “so sometimes we call him Eduardo”—more suitable, they think, for their dog.
【小題1】What was Ann doing when Ron went to the bathroom?

A．She was sleeping.

B．She was watching TV.

C．She was taking care of Oscar.

D．She was talking with someone on the phone.

【小題2】Why did Ron fell onto the floor in the bathroom?

1. He forgot to take his medicine.
2. The floor in the bathroom was too wet.
3. He took the wrong amount of medicine.
4. He is a diabetic and accidentally ate some sugar.

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE?

1. Oscar was 15 years old when he was found.
2. The sound of Oscar was usually like a wild animal.
3. Ron got diabetes when he was 40 years old.
4. Ron had to take his medicine three times a day.

【小題4】From the passage we can learn that Oscar_______________.

1. is a little noisy at home
2. sleeps with his owners at night
3. got his new nickname after the story
4. was found at a health club in Waukesha