Marjorie Gestring
Marjorie Gestring was a springboard（跳板） diver from the United States who won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany at the age of 13 years．With the cancellation（取消） of the Olympics in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II, Gestring did not get a chance to defend her title, and her comeback attempt for the 1948 Summer Olympics failed．
Bob Mathias
17-year-old American Bob Mathias won the decathlon（十項(xiàng)全能運(yùn)動(dòng)） only four months after taking up the sport．He is the youngest athlete in Olympic history to win a men's track and field event．By the time Mathias retired from decathlon competition in 1952, he had nine victories in nine competitions．He had won two gold medals separately in 1948 and 1952．In 1954 a film about his early life called The Bob Mathias Story was made, in which he and his wife played themselves．
Fu Mingxia
Fu Mingxia was born on August 16, 1978 in Wuhan, Hubei Province．At an early age, her father taught her to swim at a nearby river．She started exercising gymnastics at age 5, soon turning to diving．Fu Mingxia left home at age 9 to train in Beijing．In the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Fu Mingxia became China's youngest Olympic champion ever when she won the 10-meter platform gold at the age of 13．
Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe was born on 13 October, 1982．He is a former Australian freestyle swimmer．At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia．Ian Thorpe, 17 years old, won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle by breaking his own world record in Sydney 2000．He has won five Olympic gold medals．
【小題1】How many times has Marjorie Gestring taken part in the Olympic Games?

A．Two．

B．Three．

C．Four．

D．Five．

【小題2】Which two athletes took part in the Olympics in the same year ?

A．Marjorie Gestring and Fu Mingxia

B．Bob Mathias and Fu Mingxia

C．Marjorie Gestring and Bob Mathias．

D．Bob Mathias and Ian Thorpe．

【小題3】How long had Fu Mingxia practised diving in Beijing before she won the 10-meter platform gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics?

A．About ten years．

B．About nine years．

C．About five years．

D．About three years．

【小題4】What is the passage mainly about ?

A．Some young Olympic champions．

B．The history of the Olympic Games．

C．How to train young Olympic athletes．

D．How to prepare for the Olympic Games．

Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes． Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher． Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself． “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task． This was the first real talk I received in my new school． It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington． Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before． As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America． I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant． I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip （擲） a coin． Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy． Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver．
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost． Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong． As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution．” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful． Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around． I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade． I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance． Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year． Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation． I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade． Justice is sweet!
【小題1】What did the author’s classmates think about his report?

A．Controversial．

B．Ridiculous．

C．Boring．

D．Puzzling．

【小題2】Why was the author confused about the task?

A．He was unfamiliar with American history．

B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin．

C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction．

D．He was new at the school．

【小題3】The underlined word “burning” in Para． 3 probably means _______．

A．a(chǎn)nnoyed

B．a(chǎn)shamed

C．ready

D．eager

【小題4】In the end, the author turned things around _______．

A．by redoing his task

B．through his own efforts

C．with the help of his grandfather

D．under the guidance of his headmaster

I woke up late and had breakfast in a hurry. I had never been late and didn’t want my boss to be unsatisfied.
However, it seemed that day wasn’t a lucky one for me from the very second I left my flat. The moment I wanted to rush downstairs one of my stiletto heels (細(xì)高跟) broke. I had to return to change my red shoes. I also had to change my purse and other little things that I had tried to match with the shoes. I was sure I would be late for work.
On my way to work I had to wait for over half an hour because of an accident. I had no choice but to wait. I phoned my boss and he told me that it was no problem, but he needed me for the meeting with the Japanese clients (客戶) that morning.
Finally, I arrived at the office one hour later. I had to keep calm and be fresh for the meeting to make the clients sure that our plan was the best for their future commercial (商業(yè)的) project. However, I left the plan I had made the night before at home and was going to present (介紹) it to the clients. I was about to get angry when I realized that I had a draft (草稿) of it in my office.
At last, the presentation came to an end and it turned out to be a success. But I have to say that I had a terrible day, full of incidents (事件).
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT the reason of the writer being late for her work?

A．She got up late in the morning.

B．She changed her purse and other little things.

C．One of her shoe heels broke.

D．She had a traffic accident on the way to work.

【小題2】 According to the passage, what could we learn about the writer?

A．Her boss was very angry with her.

B．She often arrived at her office on time.

C．She left her plan on the bus.

D．She was nervous at the meeting.

【小題3】What did the clients think of the writer’s presentation (介紹)?

A．Dull.

B．Just so-so.

C．Excellent.

D．Terrible.

【小題4】According to the passage, which is the correct order of the following events?
a. She presented the plan to the clients.
b. One of her stiletto heels broke.
c. She arrived at the office.
d. She phoned her boss.
e. She tried to match her purse with her red shoes.

A．beacd

B．ebdca

C．dceab

D．Edcba

【小題5】 Which old saying could be used to describe the writer’s incidents?

A．Failure is the mother of success.

B．A good beginning makes a good ending.

C．Where there is a will, there is a way.

D．One trouble never comes alone.

Once in a village, the villagers built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it. They admired its beauty! They said it was the most beautiful building in the world. Up on the roof, a little nail（釘子）heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure – except the nail! No one even knew he was there, and he became very angry and sad.
“If I am not important, nobody will miss me if I quit!” So the nail then released (松開) its hold, got down from the roof, and fell into the mud.
That night it rained and rained. Soon, the board that had no nail was blown away, and the roof began to leak (漏水). The water flowed down along the walls and over the beautiful pictures on the walls. The plaster (石膏) began to fall, the floor was ruined, and the Bible was also ruined by water. All this was because a little nail decided to quit!
But what of the nail? While holding the board, it was not known by others but it was useful. Buried in the mud now, it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!
What the story wants to say is that every member is important to a whole group!
You may, like the nail, feel not important at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. A big building might fall to pieces. You are important to a group even if you are small.
【小題1】Why did the nail decide to quit?

A．Because he was not able to hold on any longer.

B．Because he was angry and sad without people’s praising him.

C．Because he knew a big nail would replace him.

D．Because he had finished his task successfully.

【小題2】What’s the result of the nail’s giving up?

A．People began to realize the importance of the nail.

B．The nail was put in a more important position.

C．Many things in the building were ruined and the nail was eaten up by rust.

D．The nail regretted his original decision at last.

【小題3】The passage wants to tell us that ______.

A．no matter how small you seem, you are important to a group

B．it is a pity that small people are never looked up to

C．quit when it is necessary, and don’t care about what others say

D．being valued is important to a man

“Grandma, Grandma, tell us a story ! ”Four darling children sat by my feet, looking up at me expectantly．                                                                    Suddenly, we were interrupted clapping．“Terrific, ” the director said, stepping up the stage from the aisle（過道）．“Except, could you kids face the audience a bit more? ”
The kids shifted to face the empty seats, which would be filled in a few days for the church play．“Perfect,” the director said． “Now, Grandma, read to your grandchildren．” A pang of sadness hit me． If' only I could read to my real grandchild!
I had a granddaughter, but I'd never met her． Sixteen years earlier my son was involved in a relationship that ended badly． But out of' it came a blessing: a baby girl named Lena． I hoped to be a grandmother to her-but shortly after the birth, the mother moved without any address left． Over  the years, I asked around town to try and find my son’s ex-wife （前妻）,but it seemed that she didn’t want to be found．
I'd just joined this new church a week earlier and was at once offered the part of Grandma in the play． At least now I could pretend to be a grandma． The rehearsals went well, and finally the day of' the show arrived． The performance was great． “You all looked so natural up there, ”one of' my friends said．
Afterward, we went to the church basement for refreshments （茶點(diǎn)）．I walked over to one of the girls in the play． Rehearsals had been such a whirlwind （一片忙亂） that we never really got to talk． “How's my granddaughter? ” I joked．
“Fine !” she answered． Just then, someone else walked up and asked the girl her name．
I wasn't sure I heard the girl's answer correctly． But it made me ask her another question．“What's your mother's name? ”
She told me, I was still in shock．“And what's your father's name? ”I asked． She told me．It was my son．
She'd only started going to that church a week before I did． Since that day of 'the play, we've stayed close． Not long ago, she even made me a great grandma．
【小題1】What was the author doing at the beginning of' the story?

A．Telling a story．	B．Playing a game．
C．Preparing for a play．	D．Acting in a movie．

【小題2】Why did the author feel “a pang of' sadness” at the words of' the director'?

A．The director's words reminded her of 'her lost granddaughter．

B．The director's words hurt her so badly．

C．She wished that she had a real grandchild．

D．The director wasn’t content with her performance．

【小題3】What happened in the church basement after the play'?

A．The author played a joke on Lena．

B．Lena treated the author as a friend．

C．The author got to know who Lena was．

D．Lena mistook the author for her grandmother．

【小題4】This passage is mainly organized in the pattern of           ．

A．time and events

B．contrast and conclusion

C．cause and effect

D．questions and answers

【小題5】We can infer that when writing the story, the author felt          .

A．light-hearted

B．Heartbroken

C．confused

D．a(chǎn)nxious

Once a circle lost a piece of its own. The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece. But because it was incomplete（不完整的）, it could only roll very slowly. It enjoyed the flowers and the sunshine along the way. It talked with worms. It found lots of different pieces, but none of them fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on looking for the missing piece.
Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It put the missing piece into itself. It could be whole, with nothing missing. It was so happy and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to see flowers or talk to worms. It realized how different the world was when it rolled so quickly. It felt so sad that it stopped, left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled away slowly.
Sometimes we are perfect when we lost something. A man who has everything is a poor man in some ways. He will never have hopes, dreams or something better. He will never know someone is loving him or someone is giving him something he has always wanted or never had.
We couldn’t be perfect, but we must be brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, kind enough to share happiness with others and clever enough to know there is enough love around us and then we can always live a wonderful time in our lives.
【小題1】The circle rolled very slowly because it __________.

A．spent much time talking to worms

B．wanted to enjoy the sunshine

C．was looking for its missing piece

D．lost a piece of its own

【小題2】After it was whole again and rolled fast, the circle __________.

A．felt unhappy

B．could see more beautiful flowers

C．could talk to any worm

D．could go everywhere

【小題3】If a man owns everything, he’ll be __________ in some ways.

A．perfect

B．poor

C．happy

D．strong enough

【小題4】The story mainly tells us that __________

A．nobody loves us if we give nothing

B．a(chǎn) man who has everything is the happiest

C．losing something may not be a bad thing sometimes

D．we are not whole when we lose something

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed a boy ahead of him. He had tripped (絆倒) and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with some clothes, a baseball bat and a glove.
Mark knelt (跪) down and helped the boy pick up the things. Since they were going the same way, he offered to carry some things for the boy.
As they walked, Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill. He loved video games, baseball and history, but he was having trouble with some of his subjects.
They arrived at Bill’s home first. Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with some laughs and talk. Then Mark went home.
They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior school.
Three days before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded (提醒) Mark of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill.
“You see, I took away all my things from school. I had stored away some of my mother’s sleeping pills (安眠藥). I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time talking and laughing, I realized that if I had died, I would have missed so many good times. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more._____________________”
【小題1】When Bill fell down on his way home, Mark ________.

A．didn’t notice that

B．went away quickly

C．carried all the things for him

D．helped him pick up the things

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

A．Mark was a warm-hearted boy.

B．Bill and Mark were in the same school.

C．Bill was good at all of his subjects.

D．Bill loved video games, baseball and history.

【小題3】At Bill’s home, they didn’t ________.

A．drink some Coke	B．play video games
C．have a pleasant talk	D．watch TV

【小題4】Three days before graduation, Bill asked Mark to talk because he ________.

A．hoped to go on holiday together

B．wanted to kill himself again

C．hoped to have lunch together

D．wanted to tell him his story

【小題5】What would Bill probably say at last?

A．You saved my life.	B．I should die.
C．You did a good job.	D．You helped me a lot.

Two men, Alan and Henry, both seriously ill, shared a hospital room. Alan was allowed to sit up in his bed and his bed was next to the room’s only window. Henry had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours, of their wives, families, their homes and their jobs. And every afternoon when Alan, in the bed next to the window, could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm among flowers. Trees and skyline could be seen in the distance. As he described all this, Henry, on the other side of the room, would close his eyes and imagine the scene.
One warm afternoon Alan described a parade (游行) passing by. Although Henry could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind. Unexpectedly, an alien though: entered his head: why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never got to see anything? It doesn’t seem fair. Henry felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sight, his envy grew and soon let him down. He began to find himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window ---- and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night,　as he lay staring at the ceiling. Alan began to cough. He was choking. Henry watched in the dim room as the struggling man tried hard to reach for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence ---- deathly silence.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, Henry asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he struggled to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He looked out, but faced a black wall.
【小題1】Judging from the passenger, the meaning of the underlined word “alien” in Paragraph 3 is ______.

A．disappointing

B．sudden

C．new

D．strange

【小題2】What finally happened to Alan?

A．He was moved to another room.	B．He died.
C．He switched his bed with Henry.	D．He was very sick.

【小題3】Henry, who had his bed switched, had expected _____.

A．to see the blank wall

B．to feel the joy of seeing the outside world

C．to feel the joy of breathing fresh air

D．to see more than Alan

【小題4】Which of following words could be used to describe Alan?

A．Kind-hearted and imaginative	B．Well-informed and humorous
C．Talkative and funny	D．Cold-hearted and indifferent

It was  Monday.  Mrs Smith’s dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house.Considering that there was no better way,  Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper,  and wrote the following words on it “Give my dog half a pound of meat. ” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently:“  Take this to the butcher and he’s going to give you your lunch today.”
Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher’s. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once.
At sunset, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it. he gave it half a pound of meat once more.
The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his regular customers .
　However, the dog came again at four o’clock. And the same thing happened once again. At six o’clock,, it came for more meat, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs Smith feed it with so much meat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there was a piece of blank paper. He laughed and phoned Mrs Smith.
【小題1】The little dog went to the butcher’s _____ during the period.

A．there times

B．four times

C．five times

D．six times

【小題2】The butcher didn’t give any meat to the dog ________.

A．until he made sure the words were really written by Mr Smith

B．when he found there was no words on the paper

C．before he was paid by the lady

D．because he sold out all the meat

【小題3】From the story, we can reach a conclusion(結(jié)論) that the dog was ____.

A．honest and loyal

B．brilliant

C．a(chǎn)musing

D．a(chǎn)mazing

【小題4】At the end of the story, you’ll find _______.

A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper

B．the dog dare not go to the butcher’s any more

C．the butcher was told not to give meat to the dog

D．the butcher found himself tricked by the dog

Alia Sabur, from Northport, N. Y., US, went to college at age 10. And four years later, Sabur became a bachelor of science in. Applied Mathematics summa cum laude（以最優(yōu)等成績(jī)）from Stony Brook University -- the youngest female in US history to do so.  Her education continued at Drexel University, where she earned a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy (哲學(xué)博士) in Materials Science and Engineering.
With an unlimited future ahead of her, Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching. "I really enjoy teaching," she said. She was three days short of her 19th birthday in February, 2008, when she was hired to become a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea.  This distinction made her the youngest college professor in history, according to the Guinness' Book of Worm Records, beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin, a student of Isaac Newton, in 1717.
Although she doesn't start until next month, Sabur has taken up teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans. Sabur is old enough to teach in the city, but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work. In Korea, where the drinking age is 20, she might have more luck.  In traditional Korean culture, children are considered to be 1 year old-when they are born, and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday, so in Korea Sabur is considered 20.
On top of her unprecedented (空前的) academic achievements, Sabur has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do (跆拳道黑帶). She is also a talented clarinet (豎笛) player who has performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth. So is there anything Sabur can't do?
【小題1】We can learn from the passage that Sabur is ________.

A．America's youngest bachelor of science

B．Drexel University's youngest student

C．the world'syoungest college professor

D．the world's youngest female teacher

【小題2】When Sabur was hired as a professor, her actual age is ________.

A．fourteen

B．eighteen

C．nineteen

D．twenty

【小題3】What does the author mean by saying "she might have more luck" (in Paragraph 3)?

A．Sabur might be permitted to drink in a Korean bar.

B．Sabur would be allowed to attend parties in Korea.

C．Sabur is old enough to teach at Konkuk University.

D．Sabur is lucky to be hired by Konkuk University.

【小題4】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Alia Sabur is the youngest female doctor from Stony Brook University.

B．Colin Maclaurin has once been the youngest college professor in the world.

C．In Korea, Alia Sabur is not allowed to drink for she is still underage.

D．Alia Sabur knows anything but Tae Kwon Do.