When his book Little Princes began, Conor Grennan was planning a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month volunteer service at the Little Princess Children’s Home, an orphanage (孤兒院）in Nepal.
Arriving there, Conor was immediately welcomed by all the children even though he had no previous experience in working with children. He quickly grew to love the job. But it wasn’t long before Conor came to learn that the children were not orphans at all—they were actually children who had been separated from their parents by a child trafficker (販子).
This realization turned Conor’s global journey into a strong desire to try to find a way to reunite these children with their families. As a part of his efforts, Conor did a great amount of work when he was back in America. He started up a nonprofit organization called Next Generation Nepal (NGN), raising funds in order to buy a house in Nepal for another children’s home. Then, back in Nepal, he began a life-changing trip into remote villages.
It is really amazing to read about Conor communicating with the children and to read his descriptions of each of them. He made me truly care about the kids. I wanted them to be able to reunite with their families, too! Unfortunately, this was simply not possible for some of the children. But there were some lucky ones. Jagrit, for example, had thought for years that both his parents were dead. So, Conor was surprised when he visited Jagrifs village and was introduced to the boy’s father!
Conor successfully found many of the families of the children and also found his future wife while in Nepal.
【小題1】What do we know about Little Princess Children’s Home?

A．Many children ended there due to illegal trade.

B．The children in it are all orphans.

C．It is a worldwide profitable organization.

D．It has many branches all over Nepal.

【小題2】In order to help the children, Conor ______.
a. decided to remain single
b. set up the organization NGN
c. visited some remote villages
d. fought against child traffickers
e. gave up his plan to travel worldwide

A．a(chǎn), b, d

B．b, c, d

C．b，c，e

D．c，d，e

【小題3】It can be learned from the text that Conor Grennan______.

A．is a friend of the author	B．likes teaching very much
C．has already settled in Nepal	D．is the author of Little Princes

When I was eight years old, I had a big accident. I get scared even now when I think about that time. There were many people skating near my house, and seeing them skate so wonderfully, I couldn’t wait to have a try, just a piece of cake, I thought .
I went with a friend who was very skillful. He spent a long time teaching me how to skate , but I still didn’t learn much , which made him very angry. Finally , he left me and skated all around. I skated alone and soon got bored because I kept falling down so I took off my skates and just walked around on the ice in my shoes. It was cold and my feet were frozen.
Suddenly, I stepped on something that was not hard. What was it ? It was a weak place in the ice . When I stepped there, I sank under the ice. I thought that I was going to die, but I did my best to grab something to get out from under the ice. I would have climbed out myself by grabbing the edge of the ice, but at that time I was only a child of eight . I cried out.
Fortunately, someone helped me. He grabbed my arms and pulled me up. Those several minutes seemed a year to me. I thanked him. At that time, my friend came back. I was annoyed at him because he was supposed to take care of me, but he didn’t. He was embarrassed. When I took a taxi home, the taxi driver was surprised and asked what had happened. I didn’t want to say anything because I was tired and scared. Since then, I have never touched skating.
【小題1】At first the writer thought that skating _________________.

A．was hard to learn

B．was only suitable to watch

C．was easy to learn

D．can only be done with support

【小題2】 Why did the writer’s friend leave and skate alone? ___________

A．He wanted to show off his skating skill before the writer.

B．He was disappointed at the writer’s performance.

C．He was too tired to go on teaching the writer.

D．He found he had no gift for teaching others to skate.

【小題3】 According to the writer, if an adult sank under the ice, he would _____________.

A．grab the edge of the ice and get out.

B．have courage to call for help

C．wait until people came to help

D．not like to accept others’ help

【小題4】What effect did the accident have on the writer?

A．He broke away from his irresponsible friend.

B．He didn’t dare to skate any longer

C．He fell ill because of staying under ice too longer.

D．He lost interest in all kinds of sports.

Rosa Parks was an African-American woman who began the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a bus . She stood up for what she believed was right , and her courage inspired countless others to do the same.
Born in Alabama in 1913 , Mrs. Parks grew up on a farm just outside Montgomery in a town called Pine Level . She was home-schooled until she was 11. She later attended the Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery. She briefly attended the Alabama State Teachers College for Negroes , but had to drop out to take care of her mother and grandmother when they became ill.
Mrs. Parks married Raymond Parks in 1932 . He encouraged her to finish her education . This was very uncommon at that time , especially for a woman. Less than 7 percent of African-Americans studied in a high school in the 1930s.
Mrs. Parks also succeeded in gaining the right to vote, which was very difficult for blacks under the segregation laws( 種族隔離制度 ) . In 1943, she began working as a secretary for the NAACP----National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Mrs. Parks made her historic decision on December 1,1955. She recalled in her autobiography(自傳) ：
“When the driver saw me still sitting, he asked if I was going to stand up and I said , ‘ No, I’m not.’ Then he said , ‘ Well , if you don’t stand up , I’m going to have to call the police and have you arrested .’ I said , ‘ You may do that.’”
Mrs. Parks died on October 24,2005. “ She sat down in order that we might stand up,” said civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson. “ Her imprisonment opened the doors for our long journey to freedom.”
【小題1】 From the passage we can infer that in Rosa Parks’ time black people ______________.

A．were not allowed to take buses

B．only stood in the buses

C．were looked down upon

D．had no right at all

【小題2】From the second paragraph we know that Rosa Parks ____________________.

A．began to learn at the age of 11

B．studied at home until she was 11

C．a(chǎn)ttended the Industrial School when she was 11

D．graduated from the Alabama State Teachers College

【小題3】 Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat to a white person because ________________.

A．she was tired after a day’s work

B．there were empty seats on the bus

C．she didn’t want to stand on the bus

D．she wanted to be treated equally

【小題4】 In this passage the phrase “ stood up for ” in the first paragraph probably means “___________”.

A．a(chǎn)cted to protect	B．paid attention to
C．looked forward to	D．gave up to

One of the best-known American writers of children’s books is Alfred Strong, or Doctor Strong, as he is better known to readers everywhere. Now, an art show called “Doctor Strong From Then to Now” is travelling around the United States. The pictures and drawings show the history of Doctor Strong.
Doctor Strong first became famous almost fifty years ago when his first children’s book was published. Since then, he has written forty-five books that have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world.
Doctor Strong’s books are known for their easy use of words and colorful, hand-drawn pictures. These drawings bring life to his imaginary creatures. The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hundreds of others.
The San Diego Museum, in California, organized the art show. It included about three hundred Doctor Strong’s original(最早的) drawings and some of his writings.
Most of Doctor Strong’s books, although written in a funny way, have serious messages. For example, in Mc Elligot’s Pool, he describes the danger of pollution. He discusses the arms race in The Butter Battle Book, written in 1984.
Doctor Strong is almost eighty-four years old now. He says he never planned to write stories just for children. He says he writes stories that interest people of all ages. He says he uses easy words so that everyone, even a child, can understand.
【小題1】 Alfred Strong is a famous _______ in the United States.

A．doctor

B．a(chǎn)rtist

C．writer

D．reader

【小題2】 Doctor Strong first became famous in __________.

A．his eighties when an art show was travelling around the United States

B．his fifties when his drawings and writings were published

C．1984 when his book Mc Elligot’s Pool was published

D．his thirties when his first book was published

【小題3】 Doctor Strong’s books are very popular in America because __________.

A．they are stories about animals such as cats, elephants and so on

B．they are written in easy words with colorful pictures

C．he organized the art show in California

D．they are written in a funny way

【小題4】 His purpose in writing many such books is __________.

A．to show his original pictures and drawings

B．to organize a special art show of his own

C．to make his readers laugh or smile when they read his books

D．not only to interest people but also to uncover some serious social problems

Three high students become heroes after their act of saving a baby’s life.
Andrew Willis, 15, his brother Chris, 13, and friend Reece Galea, 14, were walking along Swallow Drive on their way to school on May 23, when Nicholle Price ran out of her house, shouting for help. Her six-month-old son Corey had swallowed (吞下) an earring （耳環(huán)） and the young mother couldn’t ring for help because something was wrong with her phone. The three teenagers rushed to the aid of Ms Price, called an ambulance (救護(hù)車(chē)), calmed her down and waited with her until the ambulance arrived before heading to school.
Ms Price, Corey and his grandmother Joyce Finnie visited the school last Thursday to thank the boys for their kind action. “It’s good to know that there are still some good people who will stop and help,” Ms Price said. “While I was shouting for help, a woman walking her dog went straight past, without stopping. I don’t know what would have happened if these boys had not stopped.”
The teenagers were shocked at the attention they received at school for their heroic act but admitted that the incident was nerve-racking(刺激神經(jīng)的). “We heard her shouting so we knew something wasn’t right,” Andrew said. “We thought someone had died. It was scary （驚慌的） but we just did what we had to do.”
Just as proud as the boys’ parents is their principal, Tim McCallum.
After two days in hospital, Corey has now fully recovered. “He’s got two new teeth to show,” Ms Price said. “I have to keep a closer eye on him. He’s into everything now and grabs whatever he finds to put it straight into his mouth.”
【小題1】The three high students were _____ when a woman ran out of her house shouting for help.

A．playing near the house

B．on their way to school

C．walking their dogs nearby

D．on their way back from school

【小題2】Ms Price spoke of a woman walking her dog without stopping to show _____.

A．how dangerous the case was

B．how brave the three boys were

C．why the three teenagers’ action was heroic

D．how clever the three boys were

【小題3】The underlined sentence in the 4th paragraph probably means “_____”.

A．they didn’t expect they would be given so much praise

B．they felt excited to have become so famous after the incident

C．they were supposed to receive so many prizes for their good deed

D．they were proud of the attention they received at school for their heroic deed

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

A．How a baby was saved after swallowing an earring

B．Why the mother shouted for help

C．Baby life saved: teenage heroes earn high praise

D．A mother came to school to thank 3 teenagers

February 4, 2012 saw the take-off of a new rising NBA star-Jeremy Lin.
Among professional basketball players, Jeremy Lin's background is not typical. He graduated from Harvard University, which sends few players to the NBA, and he is the only Chinese-American NBA player.
Lin's enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan. When Lin's father moved to U.S., his interest in the sport only grew and he passed on this love of basketball to his son, introducing him to the game at the age of five. The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.
In high school, Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA. When he applied for college, he was not offered a single sports scholarship. However, after his admission to Harvard, he was offered a place on its college basketball team.
During Lin's time at Harvard, his basketball career began to speed up. He scored 1,482 points, making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.
When he graduated, no professional teams offered Lin a contract, but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League. He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
At first，playing in professional games filled Lin with excitement. He treasured opportunities to meet players he had been watching on TV for years. But slowly, the excitement wore off and was replaced by anxiety. In a few very difficult months, he was cut by two teams before the New York Knicks picked him up.
But he had the courage and determination to stick to his dream, so he put himself into hard training to get ready for his opportunity to come. Then his moment arrived on February 4, 2012，on which his excellent performance made him famous overnight. After that, he led the Knicks to their fifth straight victory. Knicks fans developed the nickname for him "Linsanity" (林發(fā)瘋）. Time magazine released its 2012 list of the 100 "Most Influential People in the World", Jeremy Lin included.
【小題1】 Which of the following is of little help in Lin’s success?

A．hisfather’sinfluence

B．hisdevotiontobasketball

C．hisyearsofhardwork

D．hisgraduationfromHarvardUniversity

【小題2】 What does the phrases "wore off" in seventh paragraph probably mean?

A．a(chǎn)rose

B．disappeared

C．grew

D．remained

【小題3】 Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Lin learned to play basketball when he was eight.
B. Lin was excited for professional games and did a good job at the beginning.
C. Before Lin there was no Chinese-American NBA players.
D. Lin is the most outstanding player in NBA.
【小題4】 It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. Lin didn’t have a smooth road in NBA.
B. Lin got an easy entry into NBA.
C. Lin didn’t show his basketball talents in Harvard University.
D. NBA prefers graduates from Harvard University.

While I was on my way to Walmart, I was greeted by an elder woman who was working at the door as a greeter, I had a return to make so she stopped me and asked to tag my bag. Usually I would have gotten annoyed because I know I don’t steal, so why does my bag need to be tagged? I’d just witnessed someone ahead of me being not so nice, and treating the lady like she was a nobody. I could see this lady looked to be at retirement age, trying to make ends meet. The look on her face and the energy she gave was that of someone afraid and not knowing where they stood in life. Not to mention the person ahead of me who’d just snatched(奪) a bag back from her and stormed off without even saying thank you. I could tell this woman was hurt by that, and no one knows how many people had been treating her that way all day long.
What if she was a grandmother who’d recently taken care of her grandchildren for whatever season? What if her husband she had to support recently fell sick and they couldn’t afford the medical expenses, so she had to go back to work? What if she just lost everything she had in her retirement and now she had to go back to work?
All she wants is to do her job and do it well. All she wants is to serve customers the way she was trained. All she needs is to be appreciated. Can I be that someone she needs, just for the moment?
I looked her in her eyes as she scanned my bag, smiled and said, “Your hair is beautiful and fits you well!” Her face lit up and she smiled back and began to tell me how much easier it is to manage. It was salt-and-pepper hair and was cut in the prettiest style. She handed my bag back, smiled and told me the service desk was straight down to my left. I said “Thank you!”
【小題1】At the door of Walmart, the old woman_____.

A．a(chǎn)sked every customer for money to feed her family

B．was made to welcome customers and check their bags

C．was asked to keep the door open all the time

D．worked as guide to give customers direction

【小題2】Seeing the look of the old woman and the treatment she received, the author_____.

A．became annoyed	B．showed sympathy
C．was puzzled	D．turned generous

【小題3】It could be learned from paragraph2 that the author_____.

A．didn’t understand why the old woman did such a job

B．insisted the old woman should stay at home comfortably

C．was sure the old woman was respected by people

D．supposed the old woman might be in trouble for some reason

【小題4】By saying “Your hair is beautiful and fits you well.” the author wanted to ____.

A．make the old woman feel appreciated

B．please her so as not to let her bag tagged

C．praise her for her hair style and clothes

D．confirm her hard work and special beauty

When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class.
She was absent(缺席) a lot , and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig(假發(fā)) because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class—seldom—I would hang around with her on the playground.
I received much ridicule (嘲笑) from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa’s needs were much more important than others I knew.
It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗爭(zhēng))with cancer for years.
I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.
I’ve had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I’d like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents’ first names are. I write to your column (欄目)and hope you can point me in the right direction.
Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.
【小題1】The underlined sentence in Para 2 probably means ________________.

A．we discussed the topic and then left together

B．we just stopped talking about her illness

C．we went away after talking about her illness

D．we kept on talking about her illness later

【小題2】Why was the author being laughed at?

A．Because she lost her friends because of Lisa.

B．Because she wore a wig to school.

C．Because she cried in the classroom.

D．Because she always played with Lisa.

【小題3】What did the author learn from Lisa?

A．To put others’ needs above yours.	B．To keep your illness a secret.
C．To be nice to everyone everywhere.	D．To face challenges in life bravely.

【小題4】The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.

A．a(chǎn)sk for help to find a friend’s parents	B．remember a true friend
C．tell her experience of fighting cancer	D．show her concern for a friend

Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and two unsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.
Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division(國(guó)際網(wǎng)球聯(lián)會(huì)青少年賽). Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate(大學(xué)的) sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic(學(xué)術(shù)的) study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.
Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.
When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer(轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)), Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”
After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”
【小題1】What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Paragraph 1) refer to?

A．Poland and the U.S.

B．Baylor and Berkeley.

C．The community college and Baylor.

D．The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team.

【小題2】Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?

A．Poland had no culture of sports.

B．Berkeley had always been her dream university.

C．She wanted to play tennis and have a good education.

D．She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking.

【小題3】Why did she leave Baylor?

A．The level of tennis there was not high.

B．It was not suitable for international students.

C．She couldn’t get along with her friends there.

D．She was not satisfied with the education level there.

【小題4】The phrase “gave it a shot” (Paragraph 5) is closest in meaning to ______.

A．had a try

B．shot a tennis ball

C．took a picture

D．waved goodbye

【小題5】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．How Siwosz left Poland.

B．How Siwosz realized her dream.

C．How Siwosz became a top tennis player.

D．How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley.

Young Jack moved to a new house. When entering his new bedroom, he saw that it was full of toys but it was tidy. That day he played all he liked, but went to bed without tidying up.
The next morning, when Jack got up, he found all the toys had been put back in their proper places. He was sure that no one had entered his bedroom, but the boy didn’t pay much attention to it. The exact same thing happened that day, and the next day. But on the fourth day when he went to get his favourite toy, the toy jumped out of his hands and said, “I don’t want to play with you!”
Jack felt surprised, but the same happened with every toy he touched. Finally, one toy said to him:
“We don’t want to play with you. You always leave us so far away from our proper places. You don’t know how arduous it is for us to climb back up onto the shelves, or jump into the box. We feel most uncomfortable and unhappy. You don’t know how uncomfortable and cold the floor is! We don’t play with you any more if you don’t promise to leave us in our proper places before you go to bed.”
Jack remembered how comfortable he felt in his bed and how bad he felt when he had once slept in a chair. He realized how badly he had treated his friends, the toys. He asked for their forgiveness(原諒)， and from that day on he always put his toys nicely in their proper places before he got into bed.
【小題1】when Jack moved into his bedroom,           .

A．it needed to be cleaned	B．he found lots of toys
C．he brought lots of toys	D．he put away his toys

【小題2】Why did all the toys refuse to play with Jack?

A．because he always broke them.

B．because he didn’t like them any more.

C．because he only played with his favourite one.

D．because he did’t put them in their proper places.

【小題3】The underlined word “arduous” in Para.4 probably means         .

A．difficult

B．easy

C．regular

D．useful

【小題4】The purpose of the text is to tell us that          .

A．we should have a good sleep

B．we should be fair to every friend

C．we should treat our friends well

D．we should always keep our rooms tidy