Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California’s Santa Ana Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn’t reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I’d just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. “Four more lights,” she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting for 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its windshield（擋風(fēng)玻璃）.It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
“I just can’t leave you here,” she said. “This isn’t the nicest place. I’ll give you a ride home.”
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, puzzled.
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested.
“Come on,” she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along,” she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t accept it. “That wouldn’t make it a favor,”she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”
【小題1】Why did the writer say that he would have a long night?

A．He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus.

B．No driver would give him a ride.

C．He didn’t know the routes.

D．He perhaps would have to take a taxi.

【小題2】Judging from the context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was     .

A．very quiet and peaceful

B．dark without street lights

C．neither clean nor beautiful

D．a(chǎn) little unsafe

【小題3】Why did the writer change his mind after waiting for 30 minutes at the end of the route?

A．No bus would come at the time.

B．A taxi ride would be more comfortable.

C．He became impatient and a bit worried.

D．He knew the driver would never return.

【小題4】The bus driver hoped that the writer            .

A．would pass the good deed along

B．would keep her in memory

C．would give the money to others

D．would do her a favor

Robert Spring, a 19th century forger (偽造簽字者), was as good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he make some money by selling his small but genuine of early U.S. autographs (親筆簽字). Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ban Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To make less the chance of detection (發(fā)覺), he sent his forgeries (偽造物) to England and Canada for sale and circulation (銷售).
Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.
In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny's economic problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eye experts the difficult task of separating this forgeries from the originals.
【小題1】Why did Spring sell his autographs in England and Canada?

A．There was a greater demand there than in America.

B．There was less chance of being detected there.

C．Britain was Spring's birthplace.

D．The price were higher in England and Canada.

【小題2】After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for _______.

A．Southern money

B．signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin

C．Southern manuscripts and letters

D．Civil War battle plans

【小題3】Robert Spring spent 15 years _______.

A．running a bookstore in Philadelphia

B．corresponding with Miss Fanny Jackson

C．a(chǎn)s a forger

D．a(chǎn)s a respectable dealer

【小題4】According to the passage, forgeries are usually sold to _______.

A．sharp-eyed experts	B．persons who aren't experts
C．book dealers	D．owner of the old books

【小題5】Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?

A．The only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson.

B．A little-known girl who sold her father's papers to Robert Spring.

C．Robert Spring's daughter.

D．An imaginary person created by Spring.

My friends, Emma Daniels, spent the summer of 1974 traveling in Israel. During her monthlong stay in Jerusalem she often went to a café called Chocolate Soup. It was run by two men, one of whom – Alex – used to live in Montreal. One morning when Emma went in for coffee, while chatting with her new friend Alex, she mentioned that she had just finished the book she was reading and had nothing else to read. Alex said he had a wonderful book she might like, and that he’d be happy to lend it to her. As he lived just above the café, he quickly ran up to get it. The book he handed to Emma just minutes later was Markings, a book by a former Secrcetary-General of the United Nations (UN).
Emma had never read it, nor had she ever bought a copy. But, when she opened it up, she was floored to see her own name and address inside the cover in her own handwriting.It turned out that the summer before, at a concert back in Montreal, Emma had met a Californian who was in town visiting friends. They decided to exchange addresses, but neither of them had any paper. The man opened up a book he was carrying in his backpack and asked Emma to write her name and address inside. When he returned to California, he left the book behind in Montreal, and his friend Alex kept it. When Alex later moved to Jerusalcm, he took the book along.
【小題1】Alex lent Emma the book, Markings,__________.

A．to show his friendliness to her

B．to show his interest in reading

C．to tell her about the importance of UN

D．to let her write her name and address inside

【小題2】How did Emma feel the moment she opened the book?

A．Pleased.	B．Satisfied.
C．Worried.	D．Surprised.

【小題3】We can learn from the text the Californian________.

A．met Emma at a concert

B．invited Emma to a concert

C．introduced Emma to his friend

D．left Emma his backpack

【小題4】Who was supposed to be the first owner of the book?

A．An official of the UN.

B．A coffee shop owner.

C．A friend of the author’s.

D．Alex’s friend from California.

Liu Xiang, athlete, born in 1983

Liu Xiang made his name by winning the 110-meter hurdles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This was the first time an athlete of non-African descent (血統(tǒng)) had gone under 13 seconds for the event. In the same year, Liu set a new 110-meter hurdling world record at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, with a time of 12.88 seconds.
Lang Lang, pianist, born in 1982

Lang Lang began piano lessons at age three. His father quit his job to accompany his boy to Beijing. At 11, Lang Lang was awarded first prize for his outstanding performance at the Fourth International Young Pianists Competition in Germany. In 1995, at 13, he won first place at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians’ Competition in Japan. At 17, Lang Lang made his breakthrough in the West and has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras since then.
Li Yuchun, singer, born in 1984

Born into a middle-class family, Li was not encouraged by her parents to pursue a career in entertainment. The turning point came when she entered the Super Girl contest in 2005. This competition drew the largest audiences in Chinese television history. She rose above 120,000 applicants with her tomboy style and Latin-flavored performance. Her win came as a surprise to many people because she didn’t fit the stereotype of female singers. She has millions of fans of all ages all over the country. Her haircut and manners have been copied by tens of thousands of girls. Her first album sold more than 430,000 copies in the first month.
Ding Junhui, snooker player, born in 1987

Ding quit school at 13, after his father insisted he concentrate on snooker. His parents then sold their house to help Ding kick-start his career. In March 2005, he celebrated his 18th birthday by reaching the final of the China Open in Beijing, along the way beating world top-16 ranked players Peter Ebdon, Marco Fu and Ken Doherty. In the final, he defeated the then world No 3, Stephen Hendry, ranking first in the tournament. After shooting to fame, questions were raised over the father’s decision for Ding to quit school.
【小題1】Who is the passage intended for?

A．People only interested in China Daily.	B．Children born after the 1980s.
C．Students and the young crazy fans.	D．Readers of all ages.

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

A．Liu Xiang was the first to prove the Asians can equal the African descent in the hurdles.

B．Li Yunchun’s talent made her the best-known singer in China.

C．Ding Junhui was forced to drop out of school because of his low grades.

D．Lang Lang was the most popular with the students in China.

【小題3】Who was the youngest when they rose to fame?

A．Li Yuchun.

B．Liu Xiang.

C．Ding Junhui.

D．Lang Lang.

Mr. Knight was the manager of a hotel. One weekend all of the hotels in the city were full because there was a large meeting. On Friday, three men came into the hotel and asked for rooms. Mr. Knight said there were no rooms ready because of the meeting. The men were unhappy.
Mr. Knight wanted to help them. He remembered that Room 418, a small room, was empty. He asked them if they could share a room. The three men said they would. Mr. Knight said the room would be thirty dollars; ten dollars for each person. Each man gave him the money and then went up to the room.
Mr. Knight soon began to feel sorry. “Thirty dollars is a lot to ask as a price for that small room.” he thought. He called his assistant over and said, “Here is five dollars. Take it to the men in Room 418. I asked too much for their room.”
The assistant took the money. While he was on the way there, he started to think, “How can three men divide five dollars? I’ll give them each only one dollar and keep the two dollars for myself. The men will be happy to get something back. And Mr. Knight will never know.” So the assistant returned one dollar to each man.
Each man had at first paid ten dollars. After the assistant returned them one dollar each, each had actually(in fact) paid nine. There were three men. $9´3="$27." The assistant kept$2. $27+$2="$29." Where is the missing dollar?
【小題1】With the help of the manager, the three men___________.

A．went to another hotel

B．each got a small room for the night

C．stayed together in a small room

D．got a small room Mr. Knight kept for himself

【小題2】At first___________.

A．$27 was paid by the three men

B．$30 was paid by each of the three men

C．$25 was paid by the three men

D．$10 was paid by each of the three men

【小題3】The assistant___________.

A．helped the men to divide the money

B．kept two dollars for himself

C．kept three dollars for himself

D．returned three dollars to the men and two to the manger

【小題4】Where is the missing dollar?

A．It was taken by the assistant, too.

B．It was taken by Mr. Knight.

C．It was taken by the three men.

D．In fact, there wasn’t any missing dollar.

"Colour" and "color"，"favourite" and "favorite"... Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact，the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists (語(yǔ)言學(xué)家) celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)，Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary，rather than rely on British versions (版本). He dropped the British "u" in some words. And he changed "centre" into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn't shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定義) preposterous (unreasonable)，he wrote: "A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous."
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
"He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity，"said Joshua Kendall，who is working on a biography (傳記) about Webster. "He at last bonded (聯(lián)合)us through our language."
【小題1】Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?

A．The shaper of American English.

B．American identity.

C．Webster's dictionary.

D．Spelling differences between American and British English.

【小題2】According to the passage，when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT        .

A．voicing his opinion	B．changing "centre" into "center"
C．a(chǎn)dding local words	D．dropping "u" in all the British words

【小題3】Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?

A．Interesting.

B．Meaningful.

C．Unfinished.

D．Boring.

【小題4】Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?

A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy.

B．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK.

C．Because he wanted to achieve political freedom.

D．Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics.

【小題5】When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?

A．In 1758.

B．In 1783.

C．In 1800.

D．In 1828.

“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’ s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed(嘆息), knowing that his life was to be unfortunate. He cried to his mum “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人)．”
He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’ re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’ s a secret.” The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.
Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”
The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’ s casket棺材. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”
【小題1】Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

A．Because her son had a tiny face.

B．Because she saw her son crying.

C．Because her son was born imperfect.

D．Because her son was in her arms.

【小題2】Which word can describe Mother’ s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?

A．Nervous.

B．Sympathetic.

C．Proud.

D．Angry.

【小題3】We can infer that the person who donate the ears is_____.

A．A doctor.

B．His father.

C．His mother.

D．A stranger.

【小題4】From the passage we know the followings are True except________

A．the mother felt sorry for the son without ears

B．the doctor didn’t like the baby

C．the boy meant everything to the mother

D．the father kept the secret until mother died

【小題5】The best title for the passage would be ________.

A．Mother’s hair	B．An unforgettable memory
C．Who gave me the ears?	D．Who is my best respectable person?

When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.
But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”
“She had an exquisite(優(yōu)美的，高雅的), hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”
GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it But how happy I was that morning!”
GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”
“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”
A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.
Subdued(沉默的) for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?
Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.
Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?
On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”
GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.” 
And perhaps she wasn't saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.
【小題1】GG moved in with her daughter because ______.

A．she wanted to live with a large family

B．she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness

C．her husband passed away

D．she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her

【小題2】Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?

A．Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll.

B．Because she recalled her long deceased parents.

C．Because she was surrounded by her offspring.

D．Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season.

【小題3】What can we infer from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4? 

A．GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things.

B．GG showed great respect for his husband’s love.

C．GG missed the great old days she spent with her family

D．GG was grateful for her long life.

【小題4】What happened to GG’s baby sister?

A．She envied her sister all her life.

B．She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go.

C．She left home at a young age.

D．She died of some disease at a young age.

【小題5】Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?

A．Because she was clever.	B．Because she was loving.
C．Because she was amiable.	D．Because she was imaginative.

【小題6】This passage implies that ______.

A．treating the elderly well is moral

B．it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly

C．love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart

D．physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品雜貨) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so grieved that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that，several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick ii up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影響) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
【小題1】Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A．The man's job was bike racing.	B．It was their only possession.
C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed.	D．They used it for work and daily life

【小題2】We can infer from the text that ________

A．The couple worked 60 hours a week	B．people were busy before Christmas
C．the stranger brought over the bike	D．life was hard for the young family

【小題3】How did people get to know the couple's problem?

A．From radio broadcasts.	B．From a newspaper.
C．From TV news.	D．From a stranger.

【小題4】The underlined word "grieved" in paragraph 3 probably means________.

A．upset

B．pleased

C．frightened

D．lucky

【小題5】What do the couple learn from their experience?

A．Strangers are usually of little help.	B．One should take care of their bike.
C．News reports make people famous.	D．An act of kindness can mean a lot.

Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York, in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be a farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.
Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends (小商品) for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said FIVE CENTS EACH. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.
Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store, selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly from the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.
By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always run his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: “ THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.”
【小題1】 Frank took a short business course in order to _________.

A．get away from the farm	B．learn something from a salesman
C．earn more money for his family	D．get enough to eat.

【小題2】 Frank sold the odds and ends quickly because _________.

A．he had put the goods on a table in a very nice way.

B．he cut down the price by half

C．he knew how to get people to buy his goods.

D．the sign he put on the table was well designed.

【小題3】 The price of the knives was cut down by half because ________.

A．the factory workers worked 24 hours a day.

B．knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory.

C．the knives were made in Germany, where labour was cheap.

D．the knives were produced in one factory.

【小題4】 ________ make Woolworth a world-famous man.

A．His business skills and his wealth

B．The low price of the goods he sold

C．His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives

D．His natural skill for showing things

【小題5】 The belief that “ The customer is always right” suggests that ________.

A．whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right.

B．If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way.

C．stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money.

D．stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful.