One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文)showing how it was used.
This was a huge task. So Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897， Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.
【小題1】According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary _________.

A．came out before minor died

B．was edited by an American volunteer

C．included the English words invented by Murray

D．was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary

【小題2】How did Dr. Minor contributed to the dictionary?

A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.

B．He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.

C．He provided a great number of words and quotations

D．he went to England to work with Murray.

【小題3】Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford?

A．He was shut in an asylum

B．He lived far from Oxford

C．He was busy writing a book

D．He disliked traveling

【小題4】Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because __________.

A．they both served in the Civil War.

B．They had a common interest in words

C．Minor recovered with the help of Murray

D．Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor

【小題5】Which of the following best describe Dr. Minor?

A．Brave and determined	B．Cautious and friendly
C．Considerate and optimistic	D．Unusual and scholarly

【小題6】What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The history of the English language.

B．The friendship between Murray and Minor

C．Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary

D．Broadmoor Asylum and is patients

It was the first day of school. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a little old lady smiling at me. She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and said, “Of course!” And she gave me a big hug. “Why are you in college at such an age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have kids and then retire and travel.”
“No seriously.”
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!”
We became friends at once. Over the course of the year, Rose easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she was happy with the attention given to her from the other students. At the end of the term we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet（宴會）. I’ll never forget what she taught us in her speech.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one useful thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity to do productive things. Have no regrets（遺憾；后悔）. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but we regret for things we did not do.”
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral to honor the wonderful woman!
【小題1】While meeting Rose at the college for the first time, the author was curious about _______.

A．her age

B．her life

C．her purpose

D．her dream

【小題2】By saying “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have kids and then retire and travel”, Rose was trying to be ___________.

A．humorous

B．a(chǎn)mazing

C．confident

D．smart

【小題3】What else did Rose most probably say at the football banquet?

A．“It seems that my young days are over.”

B．“Don’t do much in order to stay young.”

C．“The people who fear death are those with regrets.”

D．“When we are old, we can do nothing.”

【小題4】The story of Rose in the text shows that ___________.

A．it is good to make friends with old people

B．it is necessary to have a college education for old people

C．it is important to have a healthy body when people are getting old

D．it is never too late to be what you can possibly be

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.
After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.
Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投資) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.
At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.
【小題1】In his childhood, Mark Twain, ________.

A．learned a lot at school

B．he often went swimming with other boys

C．his mother often worried about his safety

D．he often played games with other boys

【小題2】Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?
a. He became a miner.           b. He worked as a printer.
c. He got into debts.           d. His father died.
e. He became a full-time writer.    F. He joined the army.

A．a(chǎn)—d—b—c—e—f	B．d—b—f—a—e—c
C．d—a—f—e—b—c	D．c—b—d—f—e—a

【小題3】In order to make a living, Mark Twain _______.

A．first worked as a printer	B．did many kinds of work
C．wrote stories in the beginning	D．joined the army after he worked in a mine

【小題4】From the passage we can see that Mark Twain _______.

A．had a happy childhood

B．was a good boy and always did what he was asked

C．was very naughty when he was young

D．lived a pleasant life

【小題5】Before his death, Mark Twain _______.

A．became a white man	B．was in low spirits
C．liked to buy all kinds of clothes	D．had nothing on

Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived with their mother and a cat named Edgar. James was particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert careful instructions about the pet’s care. At the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother, “How is Edgar?”
“Edgar is dead.” Herbert answered. There was a pause. Then James said, “Herbert, you’re insensitive (漠然的). You know how close I was to Edgar. You should have broken the news to me slowly. When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, ‘Edgar’s on the roof , but I have called the fire department to get him down.’ And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble getting Edgar down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their best, but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the veterinarian’s (獸醫(yī)站). Then when I called the last time, you could have said that although everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That’s the way a sensitive man would have told me about Edgar. And, oh, before I forget,” James added, “how is mother?”
“Oh,” Herbert said, pausing for a moment, “She’s on the roof.”
【小題1】James telephoned his brother at the end of his first day away because he wanted to know _____.

A．what he was doing

B．whether he was good

C．whether the cat was good

D．where his mother was

【小題2】Why did James say his brother was insensitive?

A．Because he told him the news directly.

B．Because he killed their pet.

C．Because his mother was on the roof.

D．Because he missed the truth about the cat.

【小題3】From the last paragraph of the passage, we can know that the mother was probably _____.

A．on the roof	B．ill or even dead
C．repairing the house	D．playing games

Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after years-long and highly public battle with cancer．Mourners （ 哀悼者 ） gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world．
Steve Jobs made technology fun．As tech leaders, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life．Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar．
Steve Jobs was a college dropout．He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant． They supported his early interest in electronics．He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer —now just called Apple —in 1976．They stayed at the company until 1985．That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a debate with the chief executive．
Mr．Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer．He rejoined Apple in 1997 after it bought NeXT．He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today．However, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health．He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement．Steve left behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple．
President Obama said in a statement: by building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, Steve Jobs exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity （獨(dú)創(chuàng)性的）．By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive （有直覺力的） and fun．
The fact that he was able to redesign American business top to bottom and across is really stunning．He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the greatest of all time．Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business．Steve Jobs was remembered as a "great visionary and leader" and a " marketing genius"．
【小題1】According to the second paragraph, the author wants to show that _____．

A．Steve Jobs owns many computer companies in America

B．Steve Jobs has a lot of inventions in the field of computers

C．tech leaders will be really happy when they have one hit in their life

D．Steve makes great contributions to mankind in the field of computers

【小題2】Which of the following statements about Steve Jobs is TRUE ?

A．He left Apple in 1985 because he and the CEO had different opinions．

B．He built a company called NeXT Computer with his friend Steve Woaniak．

C．He died a day after he stepped down as Apple's chief executive．

D．He was remembered as the founder of Apple and the Internet．

【小題3】The underlined word "stunning" in the last paragraph probably means ______．

A．effective

B．brilliant

C．practical

D．interesting

【小題4】This passage is mainly about _____．

A．the inventions of Steve Jobs

B．the childhood of Steve Jobs

C．a(chǎn) brief introduction of Steve Jobs

D．the death of Steve Jobs

Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity (輻射能). Irene Jolioc-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.
【小題1】Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?

A．Because she received a degree in mathematics.

B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded.

C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic.

D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother.

【小題2】Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?

A．At the Curie Institute.	B．At the University of Paris.
C．At a military hospital.	D．At the College of Sévigné.

【小題3】When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
A. In 1932.       B. In 1927.       C. In 1897.        C. In 1926.
【小題4】In which of the following aspects was Irene Curie different from her mother?

A．Irene worked with radioactivity.	B．Irene combined family and career.
C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once.	D．Irene died from leukemia.

Early in the 16^th century men were trying to reach Asia by travelling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South Africa. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan.
Magellan sailed from Seville in August 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the severe （凌冽的） winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel （海峽） which is now called Magellan Straits. In November 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they didn’t see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were in the Philippines., Magellan was killed in battle.
The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail around Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition （探險隊）.
【小題1】Magellan Straits were discovered by Magellan ______.

A．in August 1519	B．in October 1520
C．in November 1520	D．in December 1520

【小題2】The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ______.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?

A．Dangers from rocks and storms	B．Lack of fresh food and water
C．Severe winter in Patagonia	D．The death of Magellan

Visitors can find a small, old house called the O. Henry Museum in central Austin, Texas. William Sydney Porter(1862-1910)----better known as O. Henry, was one of America’s best loved writers of short stories. Beginning in 1893, he lived here. It was saved from destruction, moved, and turned into a museum in 1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of him.
William Porter rented this house and lived with his wife and daughter for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not, but are in the house to recreate the way it looked during their lifetime.
Porter worked at a pharmacy, farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has special proof of Porter’s love of language---his dictionary. It’s said that he read every word in it. Porter started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”. He wasn’t being published early on, so he published himself. His funny stories, poems, and drawings were published in the magazine. But it was too costly to continue for long, so he closed the project after about one year.
Other troubles would lead the Porters to leave Austin. Porter was accused of financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Fearing a trial, he fled the country. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced trial and was found guilty. He served three and a half years in a federal prison in Ohio.
Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time of his release, he had published 14 stories and was becoming well-known as O. Henry.
Porter would later move to New York City and find great success there. He published over 380 stories in the last eight years of his life.
【小題1】What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 3?

A．To attract more visitors to the O. Henry Museum.

B．To show the jobs O. Henry once did.

C．To show O. Henry’s early love of words and writing.

D．To introduce O. Henry’s publication called “The Rolling Stone”.

【小題2】Which of the following shows the right order of O. Henry?
a. He was committed to prison.
b. He settled down in central Austin.
c. His wife died.
d. He started a small publication called “The Rolling Stone”.
e. He moved to New York City.

A．bdcae

B．bcade

C．bdcea

D．bacde

【小題3】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Most of O. Henry’s short stories were finished in prison.

B．O. Henry didn’t start his career as a successful writer when living in central Austin.

C．O. Henry was born in a small, old house which is called the O. Henry Museum now.

D．O. Henry spent his last life in the small, old house in Texas.

【小題4】What does the author want to tell us in the passage?

A．O. Henry’s experience in prison.

B．The objects in the O. Henry’s Museum

C．O. Henry’s achievement in literature.

D．A brief account of O. Henry’s life

In Greek mythology（神話）, the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity（來世）. But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.
“The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”
In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put.
But if the chocolate bars offered at the  two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.
Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to  give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.
【小題1】The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.

A．make it easier to understand the passage

B．draw readers’ attention to Greek culture

C．show Greek people enjoyed being busy

D．bring about the subject of the passage

【小題2】According to Hsee, people are busy in modern society because they want to _________.

A．make others think they are not lazy

B．keep their energy at the basic level

C．earn more money to support their family

D．a(chǎn)void the state of having nothing to do

【小題3】The underlined phrase “stayed put” in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.

A．remained there

B．kept occupied

C．got around

D．stayed awake

【小題4】How does Hsee’s assistant probably feel while performing a task?

A．Blue.

B．Empty.

C．Contented.

D．Trapped.

Steve Jobs made technology fun．The co-founder of Apple died last Wednesday at the age of fifty-six He had fought for years against cancer．Mourners gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world．
Tim Bajarin, president of a high-tech research and consulting company, said "If you actually look at a tech leader, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life．Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar．"
Steve Jobs was a college dropout．He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant．They supported his early interest in electronics．
He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer—now just called Apple—in nineteen seventy-six．They stayed at the company until nineteen eighty-five．That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a dispute（分歧）with the chief executive．
Mr．Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer．He rejoined Apple in nineteen ninety-seven after it bought NeXT．He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today．
Steve Wozniak, speaking on CNN, remembered his longtime friend as a "great visionary and leader'' and a "marketing genius（天才）"．
President Obama said in a statement: "By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity．By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun．"
David Carroll is a professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City．He says Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business．
"The fact that he was able to redesign American commerce top to bottom and across is really stunning （令人驚奇的）．He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the great[s] of all time．" David Carroll said．
Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health．He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement．Apple's new chief, Tim Cook, will also have to deal with the new Kindle Fire tablet computer from Amazon．com．It costs less than half as much as an iPad but also does less．
【小題1】Why did people all over the world mourn Steve Jobs?

A．He was very courageous in the face of cancer．

B．He became very rich though dropping out college．

C．He released a new iPhone version before death．

D．He revolutionized technology and made it enjoyable．

【小題2】Which of the following can easily prove that Jobs is a "marketing genius"?

A．After Apple, he founded NeXT Computer．

B．He made Apple very valuable once again in the world．

C．He developed a series of Apple products．

D．He was considered the greatest industrial figure of all time．

【小題3】What does the underlined part in Paragraph 7 mean?

A．Jobs was a typical example of American spirit of creation．

B．Jobs enriched the American spirit of science and freedom．

C．Jobs eventually realized his American dream．

D．American people are good at inventing things．

【小題4】Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．Jobs's parents discouraged him from working on electronics

B．Jobs stayed in Apple as chief executive for about 24 years．

C．Jobs started his career in his family garage．

D．Run unsuccessfully, Apple was sold to NeXT Computer．