One of my most unforgettable experiences is the day I finished my tough rowing and keep myself free of loneliness.
As the youngest female ever to row alone across the Atlantic Ocean, I was often asked the same question: How did you, a only 20-year old youngster row a 18-foot boat for 70 days through those strong winds and violent waves and survive?
Frankly speaking, for me, the physical challenge was not the greatest one. Before I made my mind to row across the Atlantic, I had already cycled 3,300 miles, run all by myself across the Mojave Desert, and swum the 325-mile length of the Allegheny River. No, the hardest part would be mental: How would I cope with the terrible loneliness and the boredom on the vast sea for such a long time?
I set out on January 1 and my first object was to swim past the quarter-way mark, which would take about 20 days. I made it on January 20, a gray and cloudy day. I had thought to do something to celebrate my first goal such as treating myself to a chocolate bar or something else. But I didn’t. I was suffering from unbearable boredom and loneliness of the long sea journey. I hadn’t seen any landing at least more than two weeks. It seemed to feel the same every day. Eating, rowing, sleeping, staring at the sky, watching the ocean.
Then that day came! It was around dusk, I noticed something move on the horizon. Yes, some dolphins! They approached me and circled my boat. Suddenly I felt so blessed. They had arrived to accompany me and helped to celebrate, just when I needed them so badly! For the next 15 minutes, I did row at full speed with all my strength with those lovely dolphins around. By the time they were to leave me and we went our separate ways, I was no longer lonely.
After 70 days and five hours at sea, I finally reached my final destination. I was proud that I made it, all 2,817 miles, which helped to raise $70,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, an organization for funding drinking water. I’ve been told some athletes struggled to get through just by imagining the end during the whole process. But for me, what makes miracle is to focus your mind on the moment, where you experience the personal growth—those moments of awareness of being connected to the sun, the weather, and the waves. And, on the best day of my life, I had to admit those dolphins really freed myself from terrible loneliness.
【小題1】Which of the following belongs to part of preparation for the row?

A．Answering the same question raised by people

B．Swimming the 325-mile length of the river

C．Running 3,300 miles cross-country

D．Biking across the Mojave Desert

【小題2】The underlined part means ___________.

A．I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate my first goal

B．I didn’t have any chocolate bar for energy

C．It’s a pity not to celebrate my passing the quarter

D．It’s a pity not to treat myself to a chocolate bar

【小題3】What can be implied from the last two paragraphs?

A．The Blue Planet Run Foundation helped me a lot.

B．The dolphins accompanied me to reach my destination

C．The unexpected dolphins swept away my loneliness

D．Imagination was a useful way to help me get through

【小題4】Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．The only challenge for a 20-year old

B．Tips on handling loneliness at sea.

C．How to row alone across the Atlantic

D．The day I stopped being lonely

Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn’t forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (啟發(fā)) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin’s footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands.
The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be.
The most well-known animals of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龜), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群島). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself.
Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air.
Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time.
【小題1】What do we know about Darwin’s visit to the islands?

A．He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands.

B．He completed his famous book on the islands.

C．He was touched by the geography of the islands.

D．He studied different creatures on the islands.

【小題2】Which of the following plays a role in making the islands “a paradise for wildlife”?

A．People cannot visit the islands as they wish.

B．Local government forbids killing wildlife.

C．Animals on the islands feed on grass.

D．Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals.

【小題3】Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of        .

A．a(chǎn) closer view of animals	B．Darwin’s inspiring trip
C．The beautiful sea views	D．various daring activities

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures

B．A Unique Attraction for wildlife Lovers

C．Charles Darwin as a symbol of Galapagos

D．A successful Example of wildlife protection

One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“My I get you something?”
“A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee, we talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and no matter another human being with kindness and sincerity.
【小題1】What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?

A．Unfriendly.

B．Kind.

C．Elegant.

D．Untidy.

【小題2】The author bought coffee for the old man because      .

A．he wanted to start a conversation

B．he thought the old man was poor

C．he intended to show his politeness

D．he would like to thank the old man

【小題3】How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?

A．Surprised.

B．Pitiful.

C．Proud.

D．Regretful.

【小題4】What is the message mainly expressed in the story?

A．We should learn to be generous.

B．It is honorable to help those in need.

C．We should avoid judging people by their appearances.

D．People in high positions are not like what we expect.

Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you can find in any neighborhood, these two loved each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their houses.
One evening, Brownie’s family noticed that Brownie hadn’t returned home. They went looking for him with no success. Brownie didn’t show up the next day, and, although they made their efforts to find him, by the next week he was still missing, Curiously, Spotty showed up at Brownie’s house alone, barking and jumping. Busy with their own lives, they paid no attention to the nervous little neighbor dog.
Finally, one morning Spotty refused to take “no” for an answer. Ted, Brownie’s owner, was continuously disturbed by the angry, determined little dog. Spotty followed Ted about, barking all the time, then rushing toward a nearby empty lot and back, as if to say, “Follow me! It’s urgent!”
Eventually, Ted followed Spotty across the empty lot as Spotty stopped to race back and barked encouragingly. The little dog led the man to a deserted spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie alive, one of his legs crushed in a steel trap (圈套). Frightened, Ted now wished he had taken Spotty’s earlier appeals seriously.
Then Ted noticed something. Spotty had done something else besides leading Brownie’s human owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the injured dog, Ted found some food remains of every meal. Brownie had been fed that week! Spotty had been visiting Brownie regularly, in the hope of keeping his friend alive. Spotty had actually stayed with Brownie to protect him from hunger and other dangers, and keep his spirits up.
Brownie’s leg was carefully treated and he soon got well again. For many years thereafter the two families watched the faithful friends chasing each other down that well-worn path between their houses.
【小題1】At the very beginning, Ted paid little attention to Spotty because __________.

A．he was not free at the moment

B．he was sure Brownie would be OK

C．he didn’t like Spotty at all

D．his missing dog made him sad

【小題2】After Ted was brought where Brownie was trapped, he ___________.

A．managed to free his dog at once

B．was very thankful to Spotty

C．regretted not following Spotty earlier

D．was angry with the trap-maker

【小題3】The BEST title for this passage might be____________?

A．Dogs in Love	B．A Friend in Need
C．Human and dogs	D．Dogs Are Communicative

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

A．humans and animals depend on each other for comfort

B．It’s not right to hunt for animals in any neighborhood

C．Ted has to take better care of his beloved dog later on

D．Brownie would have died without Spotty’s timely help

People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet-the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race, At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained—and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress.
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons. When World War II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult(成人)roles and won twice for Best Actress: Butterfield 8 (1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966)
Taylor’s fame(名聲)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part in Cleopatra—the highest pay received by any star up to that time.
Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (傳奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others—several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education.
【小題1】The producers didn’t let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because they thought she ____.

A．was small in size

B．was too young

C．did not play well enough

D．did not show much interest

【小題2】What Elizabeth Taylor and Velvet Brown had in common was that they were both _____.

A．popular all their lives	B．famous actresses
C．successful when very young	D．rich and kind-hearted

【小題3】Taylor became Best Actress at the age of          .

A．12

B．28

C．31

D．34

【小題4】In her later life, Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to             .

A．doing business and helping others

B．turning herself into a legend

C．collecting money for the poor

D．going about research and education work

I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(風格) of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑的) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地標) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
【小題1】When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.

A．describe the place carefully

B．show him a map of the place

C．tell him the names of the streets

D．refer to recognizable buildings and places

【小題2】What is the place where people measure distance in time?

A．New York.

B．Los Angeles.

C．Kansas.

D．Iowa.

【小題3】People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.

A．in order to save time	B．a(chǎn)s a test
C．so as to be polite	D．for fun

【小題4】What can we infer from the text?

A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

C．People have similar understandings of politeness.

D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

Goldie’s Secret
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. “We’re moving house.”; “No space for her any more with the baby coming.” “We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present.” People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous owner's. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That's why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. “We didn't know what had happened to her,” said the woman at the door. “I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared.” “She must have tried to come back to them and got lost,” added a boy from behind her.
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I’ve learnt a good lesson: not to judge people.
【小題1】How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?

A．Shocked.

B．Sympathetic.

C．Annoyed.

D．Upset.

【小題2】In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie        .

A．felt worried	B．was angry
C．a(chǎn)te a little	D．sat by the fire

【小題3】Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she       .

A．saw her puppies

B．heard familiar barking

C．wanted to leave the author

D．found her way to her old home

【小題4】The passage is organized in order of ­       .

A．time

B．effectiveness

C．importance

D．complexity

DU Lala is the hottest career coach in the country. The fictional character in the acclaimed novel Du La La’s Promotion shows others how to take the high road to success in a multinational company. But does her story describe a real or distorted picture of work life? The answer is as complicated as office life itself.
Over one million copies of the book have been sold since its release in 2007. Go Lala Go!, a movie adaptation of the novel set to hit cinemas next weekend, has stirred up even more interest in the story. The film stars Xu Jinglei and Stanley Huang, but fans seem to be more excited about seeing the story unfold on the big screen.
According to a recent sina.com survey, 45 percent of the 6,810 netizens polled said they have drawn career pointers from the novel. Other office novels, such as In and Out of the Loop, Win and Lose and Drowning and Floating, seem to have been received with similar interest.
“These books show me the life of white collars, and they teach me career rules and jargon that are not offered in class,” said Zhang Shanshan, a 22-year-old senior at Beijing Forestry University. Zhang says the competition, humor and office gossip in the book intrigued her. “I can’t wait to embark on my own career,” she said.
The popularity of office novels does not surprise Chen Ning, a senior career consultant at Zhaopin.com. “Novels about office fights and struggles satisfy the psychological demands of an ordinary office worker,” Chen said. “The leading characters face great pressure, fierce competition and an uncertain future. This is what really happens in many readers’ daily life.”
Li Ke, the author of Du Lala’s Promotion, has been stressing the significance of her fiction. “I want to provide real and useful common sense, knowledge and experience to office workers,” Li told the Qianjiang Evening News last year.
Recent graduates say they have found the basic work principles highlighted in the novel to be instructive. “If these books had been published five years earlier, I might have avoided some problems,” said Xu Jun, an HR manager at Guangqi Honda Automobile Company. “They often discuss basic office principles, which are relevant for staff working under the middle management level. They also help readers to see the importance of basic problem solving and organizational skills.”
But some veteran employees warn that the novels are not always realistic. They say this is especially true of the characters. “The protagonists appear to be unbeatable,” said Hou Zhendong, an HR manager at General Electric. “Du Lala’s team leader quit in an irresponsible way; her boss is inept; and the staff around her is either stupid or overly-sophisticated. Du stands out in emergencies and makes all the right decisions. The truth is, real-life colleagues are not that polarized（截然對立）,” Hou said. “You seldom get to negotiate your salary with a big boss. And, most of the time, you make wrong decisions far more than you make correct ones.”
The career principles in the books are also of limited use. “Most of the stories happen in Fortune 500 companies with a long history. Their cultures are well-established, and their rules are scientific,” Hou said. “But if you work for a small foreign company, or a local enterprise, some principles are useless.”
Liu Rui, a project manager at IBM, suggests fans of these books focus on the little bits of wisdom they provide. “The novels give rookies（新手） some inspiration,” he said. “They emphasize the importance of observation, practice and self-examination. These tips are precious and universally true.”
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Recent graduates can learn a lot of useful career principles from the novel.

B．The best novel shows readers how to be promoted in various companies.

C．The book Go Lala Go! Sells very well.

D．The movie adaptation of the novel will be a massive hit at the box-office in China.

【小題2】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Du Lala’s story reflects the true office life.

B．Go Lala Go! Enjoys more popularity than other office novels, such as In and Out of the Loop, Win and Lose and Drowning and Floating.

C．Some people argue that the story is a bit polarized.

D．Both rookies and veteran employees are fond of Go Lala Go!.

【小題3】Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．The Life of White Collars

B．The Hottest Career Coach

C．How to Promote in Company

D．Go Lala Go! — Office Life Not All Fairytale Drama

Last year, on the night before the first day of the Spring Festival, Hugo Pang was sitting in his huge flat on Hong Kong Island. It was late in the evening, and Hugo was sipping a glass of his favorite French brandy, and listening to music on his huge, expensive music center. Pang lived alone, apart from the six maid who cooked and cleaned for him, and the chauffeur（私家司機） who drove his Rolls-Royce。
Suddenly, the room seemed to begin spinning around him. Then there was a flash of light and a puff of smoke, and before him Pang saw an old man dressed in traditional Chinese clothes. Pang looked at his brandy glass, and looked again at the old man. He was so frightened he couldn’t speak.
“Come with me,” said the old man, “I’m going to show you something.” He took Pang’s hand, and immediately the room disappeared, and Pang was standing in a field outside a village in Guangdong Province. The houses were small and the village was poor, but in front of him Pang saw a little crowd of children were playing. It was Spring Festival, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard from inside the village, while smoke rose over the roofs of the houses. Then, among the children playing, Pang recognized himself. “We were poor then,” he said, “but we were happier. We had to work hard to get everything we had.”
【小題1】The first paragraph tells us that Hugo Pang was________

A．fat, rich and lazy	B．busy and tired
C．rich but lonely	D．very happy

【小題2】When the old man first appeared, Pang looked at his brandy glass because__________

A．he thought he had too much brandy

B．he wanted to offer the old man some brandy

C．the glass was empty

D．he wanted more brandy

【小題3】The village in the last paragraph was___________

A．not a real village

B．very peaceful and beautiful

C．the place where Pang lived

D．where Pang had lived as a child.

【小題4】The old wanted to show Pang that________

A．Spring Festival in Gang dong was fun

B．his money had not made him happier

C．life is better when you are a child

D．it is better to be rich and lazy that to be poor and hard working

When we see well, we do not think about our eyes very often. It is only when we cannot see perfectly that we realize how important our eyes are.
People who are near-sighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Everything else seems blurry. Many people who do a lot of work, such as writing, reading and sewing become near-sighted. People who are far-sighted suffer from just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty in reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length. If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses, too.
Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. They have what is called astigmatism (散光). This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts (白內(nèi)障). Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them.
Having two good eyes is important for judging distances. Each eye sees things from a slightly different angle. To prove this to yourself, look at an object out of one eye; then look at the same object out of your other eye. You will find the object’s relation to the background and other things around it has changed. The difference between these two different eye views helps us to judge how far away an object is. People who have only one eye cannot judge distances as people with two eyes.
【小題1】We should take good care of our eyes________.     .

A．only when we can see well

B．only when we cannot see perfectly

C．even if we can see wel

D．only when we realize how important our eyes are

【小題2】When things far away seem indistinct(模糊不清) , one is probably________.     .

A．near-sighted	B．far-sighted
C．a(chǎn)stigmatic	D．suffering from cataracts

【小題3】The underlined word blurry in the second paragraph probably means_______.

A．obvious

B．possible

C．clear

D．unclear

【小題4】Having two eyes instead of one is particularly useful for_______   

A．seeing at night	B．seeing objects far away
C．looking over a wide area	D．judging distances