When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl.” She looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many dines when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.
【小題1】What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?

A．Look at them sadly.	B．Keep them company.
C．Play games with them.	D．Touch them gently.

【小題2】We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ______.

A．would eat anything when hungry	B．felt scary for her mistake
C．loved playing hide-and-seek	D．disliked the author's dad

【小題3】 Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?

A．She was treated as a member of the family.

B．She played games with anyone she liked.

C．She was loved by everybody she met.

D．She went everywhere with the family.

【小題4】Some people got frightened by Brownie when she______.

A．smiled

B．barked

C．rushed to them

D．tried to be funny

A dog has a horse. The horse was beautiful and also it had many good qualities.   61    It especially wanted to become the most beautiful horse in the world.
One day the horse said to the god, “You have given me beauty. You have given me other good qualities.62    But how I wish you could make me more beautiful! I would be extremely, extremely grateful if you could make me more beautiful.”
The god said, “I’m more than ready to make you more beautiful.  63  ” Then the horse said, “My neck is too short .If you can make neck a little longer, my upper body will be more beautiful. And if you can make my legs much longer and thinner, then I will look more beautiful in my lower body.”
Then immediately the god made a camel appear in place of the horse. The horse was so sad that it started to cry, “Oh, no, I do not want to become a camel.   64 As a horse, everybody appreciated my good qualities. Nobody will appreciate me as a c I’m more than ready to amel.”
The god said, “This is exactly  what you asked for. You have become a camel.
65   if you cry for a longer neck and legs, this is what will happen. Each thing in my creation has its own good qualities. The camel is not as beautiful as you are, but it carries heavy loads and has a great sense of duty.”

A．I’m so grateful to you.

B．Why not remain a horse?

C．I wish you to change me into a horse again.

D．Tell me in what way you want to be changed.

E.     But it wanted to be more perfect in every way.
F.      Never try to receive more than I have given you
G.    I am glad to know that you feel good with yourself now

What kind of pets do people have in your country? Dogs? Cats? How about a duck, hippo(河馬) or lion? Here are two cases of animal owners with unusual pets.
Barrie Hayman has a pet duck called Star. Barrie adopted(領(lǐng)養(yǎng)) him after his brothers and sisters stayed away from him at birth. Barrie, a duck breeder, realized the little duck needed special attention. So he began taking Star with him everywhere he went. “I would put him in my pocket while I did my shopping,” said Barrie. Now, at five months, Star is too big for Barrie’s pocket, but the two are still inseparable. They watch sports, together and even share a drink together. Barrie said, “He is a fantastic duck. I’ve never known any like him.” Star even has his own Facebook page, with more than 2,000 Face book friends.
Then there is the case of Tonie and Shirley Joubert in South Africa. They live with their hippo, Jessica. Tonie saved Jessica from floodwaters when she was only a day old. Jessica lives outside their riverside house, but she knows how to open the kitchen door, and often goes there for a snack. Tonie recently said, “I don’t know whether Jessica sees me as a hippo or whether she sees herself as a human.” Shirley is more certain, “Jessica sees herself as our child and I see Jessica as my daughter. I can’t imagine my life without Jessica.” Jessica is free to leave, and often visits wild hippos that live nearby. But she always returns home at night. Jessica’s website notes that she has three hippo boyfriends, but one in particular,Fred, is her favorite. They often go grazing(吃青草) together and Fred has recently moved onto the Joubert’s house as well.
【小題1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Some websites are set up to protect pets.

B．Some unusual pets are adopted by people

C．People should take good care of their pets

D．Pets sometimes can be very interesting

【小題2】What does the underlined word “inseparable” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Always together	B．Always separated
C．Always friendly	D．Always healthy

【小題3】Barrie took Star everywhere he went because______.

A．he had never seen a duck like Star

B．he set up a Facebook page for Star

C．he wanted care more about Star

D．he needed Star to drink with him

【小題4】We can learn from the passage that Jessica ______

A．came to Joubert’s home when she was 5 months old

B．loves eating in the Joubert’s kitchen

C．doesn’t see herself as a human being

D．has more than three boyfriends

A lawyer and a young lady were sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer asked if she would like to play a fun game. The lady just wanted to take a nap, so she politely refused.
The lawyer explained that the game was actually very easy. He explained “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me, and vice versa（反之亦然）.” Again, the lady politely refused and tried to get some sleep.
The lawyer added eagerly, “Okay, if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $50!” Considering that there would be no end to this suffering unless she played, the lady agreed.
The lawyer asked the first question, “What is the distance from the earth to the moon?” The young lady didn't say a word, pulled out five dollars from her purse and handed it to the lawyer.
Now, it was the lady’s turn. She asked the lawyer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The lawyer was greatly puzzled. He took out his computer and searched all of his references. He searched the Net and sent e-mails to all of his friends, but it was all to no avail. After over an hour, he woke up the lady and handed her $50. The lady politely took the money and turned away to get back to sleep.
The lawyer, very puzzled now, woke the lady up again and asked, “Well, what on earth is the answer?” Without a word, the lady reached into her purse, handed the lawyer another $5 and went back to sleep.
【小題1】The lawyer tried to persuade the lady to play the game because he       .

A．knew he could win

B．wanted to have fun with the lady

C．wanted to lose money to her

D．liked to chat with young ladies

【小題2】Which of the following best describes the meaning of the underlined words?

A．No messages arrived	B．No one could help him
C．The Net failed to work	D．Nobody answered his e-mails

【小題3】We may infer from the story that       .

A．the lawyer and the lady used to be lovers.

B．there was no answer to the lady’s question.

C．the lady didn't like playing games with strangers.

D．the lawyer was too stupid to answer the question.

【小題4】The author’s purpose for writing the story is to       .

A．tell us how clever the lady is

B．describe the rules of playing games

C．show that it is interesting to play games

D．make fun of the lawyer

White was the owner of a private school in a town. Last year, he married one of his classmates.The beautiful woman spent much time in learning nothing during middle school.   But she wasn't worried about anything in the future, because her parents were very rich and could provide her with everything.So he could make poor Mr White listen to her. Mr White was busy in dealing with school affairs and his wife had to stay at home alone.But she hated the lonely and boring life.Her father introduced her to some businessmen who wanted to employ her .But she wanted to stay with children.So her husband was asked to allow her to work in his school.At first her husband didn't agree with her. She didn't supply money to him any more, so the poor man had to give in.Otherwise , his school would shut down for lack of her money. The woman could not teach students, because she knew neither maths nor physics.She thought she often played in the zoo,so she decided to teach biology.But she didn't know how to teach the subject at all.She thought hard, and finally she decided to bring the students to the zoo.
Pointing to a crocodile, she shouted ,”Look at it carefully! It’s a whale!”
“Excuse me ,madam,” said a student.   “It’s a crocodile!”
“Shut up!” Mr White said angrily.   “It’s a whale!”
【小題1】Why did Mr White have to employ Mrs White as a teacher ?

A．Because his school would shut down without her money.

B．Because Mrs White learned many things during school time.

C．Because no businessman wanted to employ Mrs White.

D．Because Mrs White knew something about biology.

【小題2】Which of the following is not true about Mrs White?

A．She was the daughter of a rich man.

B．She often went to the zoo to study animals.

C．She knew nothing about the subject of biology.

D．She was one of Mrs White’s classmates.

【小題3】What happened when Mrs White brought her students to the zoo?

A．The students didn't know whales and crocodiles.

B．Mrs White taught the right animals to her students.

C．A whale came up to the bank to have a breath.

D．Mrs White mistook a crocodile for a whale.

【小題4】Why didn't Mr White agree to accept his wife as a teacher?

A．Because he wanted to change his fate of listening to his wife.

B．Because he knew his wife could not be a good teacher.

C．Because his wife liked being at home.

D．Because his wife only knew something about maths and physics.

WHAT happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow. It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers.
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society. Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting （騙過(guò)） his high school's monitoring system．This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life.
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge. Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security （DHS） secret prison．There he is treated as a possible terrorist. He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears.
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists. While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen.
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself. He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously （匿名地）.
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story. As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society．
【小題1】What kind of article does this passage belong to?

A．A fascinating story	B．A book review
C．News report	D．A TV programme

【小題2】The underlined word destruction in the passage means           .

A．damage

B．reward

C．ruin

D．protection

【小題3】Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because         .

A．he killed his friend

B．he bombed a military vehicle

C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do

D．his injured friend disappeared

【小題4】From the second paragraph we can infer that         .

A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society

B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life

C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life

D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world

【小題5】At the end of the book, Marcus Yallow           .

A．is supposed to be more irresponsible

B．becomes aware of very serious issues about his society

C．presents a young man who is irresponsible

D．plays a popular online game in real life

As a boy, Charles Robert Darwin collected anything that caught his interest: insects, coins and interesting stones. He was not very clever, but Darwin was good at doing the things that interested him.
His father was a doctor, so Darwin was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, and was planned to follow a medical career. But Charles found the lectures boring. Then his father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest. While at Cambridge, Darwin’s interest in zoology and geography grew. Later he got a letter from Robert FitzRoy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship, the Beagle. He wanted a naturalist to join the ship, and Darwin was recommended(推薦). That voyage was the start of Darwin’s great life.
As the Beagle sailed around the world, Darwin began to wonder how life had developed on earth. He began to observe everything. After he was home, he set to work, getting his collection in order. His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received, but he was slow to make public his ideas on the origin of life.
Later Darwin and Wallace, another naturalist who had the same opinions as Darwin, produced a paper together. Darwin’s great book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (《物種起源》) appeared. It attracted a storm. People thought that Darwin was saying they were descended from monkeys. What a shameful idea! Although most scientists agreed that Darwin was right, the Church was still so strong that Darwin never received any honors for his work.
Afterwards, he published another great work, The Descent of Man. His health grew worse, but he still worked. “When I have to give up observation, I shall die,” he said. He was still working on 17, April, 1882. He was dead two days later.
【小題1】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Charles Darwin’s ideas

B．Charles Darwin’s works

C．Father of modern biology: Charles Darwin

D．The greatest scientist: Charles Darwin

【小題2】Darwin’s father sent him to Edinburgh to _____.

A．make him like natural history

B．make him become a doctor

C．let him change his hobbies

D．have him give up his collection

【小題3】According to the passage, Charles Darwin’s whole life was changed by _____.

A．his study at Cambridge University

B．his collection of coins

C．the naturalists at Cambridge

D．the voyage of the Beagle

【小題4】The underlined part “they were descended from monkeys” probably means “_____”.

A．they gave monkeys life

B．they were different from monkeys

C．they were developed from monkeys

D．they had to live with monkeys

Work is a part of living —my grandparents understood that. They lived and worked on a farm that has been in my family for 150 years. They raised chickens for eggs , pigs and cattle for meat . Cows were kept for milk and the cream, from which Grandma made butter and cheese. What little yard they had became a garden.
The Depression, therefore, didn’t make much change in their lives. But it did bring an unending flow of men out of work, drifting from job to job, to the farm. The first to show up at the door of the kitchen was a man in rags. He took off his hat and quietly explained that he hadn’t eaten for a while. Grandpa stood watching him a bit , then said , “There’s a stack of firewood against the fence behind the barn (谷倉(cāng)). I’ve been needing to get it moved to the other side of the fence . You have just about enough time to finish the job before lunch .”
Grandma said a surprising thing happened. The man got a shine in his eyes and he hurried to the barn at once. She set another place at the table and made an apple pie. During lunch, the stranger didn’t say much, but when he left, his shoulders had straightened. “Nothing ruins a man like losing his self-respect,” Grandpa later told me.
Soon after, another man showed up asking for a meal. This one was dressed in a suit and carried a small old suitcase. Grandpa came out when he heard voices. He looked at the man and then offered a handshake.” There is a stack of firewood along the fence down behind the barn I’ve been meaning to get it moved. It’d sure be a help to me . And we’d be pleased to have you stay for lunch.” The fellow set his suitcase aside and neatly laid his coat on top. Then he set off to work.
Grandma says she doesn’t remember how many strangers they shared a meal with during those Depression days-or how many times that stack of wood got moved.
【小題1】When he was asked to move a stack of firewood, the first man who asked for a meal got a shine in his eyes for he was glad that         .

A．he had found a good job

B．he would have something to eat

C．he would no longer suffer from the Depression

D．he would get what he wanted without losing his self-respect

【小題2】The writer’s grandfather asked those jobless men to move the stack of firewood because    ____ .

A．he didn’t want them to have a meal free of charge

B．he had been needing to get it moved

C．he wanted to help them in his own way

D．he wanted to show them his kindness and respect

【小題3】The writer’s grandfather was all of the following but        .

A．kind

B．thoughtful

C．wealthy

D．sympathetic

【小題4】The best title for the story would be        .

A．The Depression

B．The Pleasure of Helping Others

C．No Pains , No Gains

D．Work-A Part of Living

Thomas Edison was one of ten said to be the greatest genius of his age.There are only a few men in all of the history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light.But Edison could never be happy only because someone said he was a genius.“ There is no such thing as genius,”Edison said.He said that what people called genius was mostly hard work.
But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker..From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature.Nature, he often said,is full of secrets.He tried to understand them;then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “ Work,” he answered. “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Edison invented the electric light.

B．Many other people have changed Edison’s life.

C．Edison has changed the life of many other people.

D．Few men in history can change other people’s life.

【小題2】Edison thought __________.

A．he could be happy if he was a genius

B．genius plays the most important part in one’s success

C．hard work could do better than genius

D．genius could do better than hard work

【小題3】Edison was __________.

A．very much interested in nature

B．interested in discovering the secrets of nature

C．interested in changing people’s ideas

D．uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature

【小題4】In Edison’s opinion, _________.

A．thinking can supply people with enjoyment and pleasure as well as help

B．people’s successs lies mostly in genius

C．hard work is the second important thing in making people successful

D．there are few secrets for him to discover later

【小題5】The last sentence in the passage most probably implies _________.

A．life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings

B．Edison made 100 inventions in his life

C．Edison was able to live and work for 100 years

D．People of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 years’ work

When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return. loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them .We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, ”Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us .People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she’d let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she lovely everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.
【小題1】What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?

A．Look at them sadly.	B．Touch them gently.
C．Play games with them.	D．Keep them company.

【小題2】We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie__________.

A．world eat anything when hungry

B．felt sorry for her mistake

C．loved playing hide-and-seek

D．disliked the author’s dad