The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us. I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him. “I … I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir,” he said．“Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a swindler? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked. He nodded. “That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.” He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”
【小題1】It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _________.

A．the boy was greedy

B．the boy had suffered a lot

C．the boy was in bad need of money

D．the boy was good at bargaining

【小題2】The second time the author met the boy, the boy _________.

A．told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts

B．wanted to express his thanks

C．a(chǎn)sked him for money for his schoolbooks

D．tried to take advantage of him

【小題3】The author gave his money to the boy because _________.

A．he wanted to make himself feel better

B．he had learnt to help others since childhood

C．he held a higher position in the society

D．his parents asked him to do so

【小題4】What does the underlined word “swindler” mean?

A．troublemaker

B．beggar

C．thief

D．cheat

【小題5】Which of the following best describes the boy?

A．Brave and polite．	B．Kind and smart.
C．Honest and thankful．	D．Shy and nervous.

Edward Sims was born in 1892. He was the fifth child and only son of Herbert and Dora Sims. Herbert was a blacksmith(鐵匠), and had a thriving trade making horseshoes. He was determined that his first-born son would follow him into the blacksmith. For this reason, Edward had to leave school at the age of 12,and worked with his father.
However, Edward was not cut out to be a blacksmith. Although he has an athletic body, he didn't have strong arms like his father, and he felt dizzy in the heat of the smithy.  When he tried to find alternative employment, he found it difficult because he had never learnt to read or write.
One day, he went for an interview at a solictior’s office. The job was a runner, taking documents from the office to other offices in the city. The solicitor was pleased to see that Edward was physically fit, but when he discovered that the young man couldn't read or write, he decided against employing him. "How can you deliver documents to other offices," he asked, "if you can't read the addresses on them?"
Bitterly disappointed, Edward left the building and went to wait for a tram to take him back to the suburb where his father’s smithy was. Next to the bus stop, a man was selling newspapers from a stand .
"Excuse me, son?" he said. "Would you look after my stand for a moment?"
For the next 20 minutes, Edward sold newspapers, lots of them. When the man came back, he was so delighted with his new assistant's honesty, that he offered him a job. Edward took it immediately.
In the next few months, the two men progressed from working on newspaper stands to selling newspapers, tobacco,confectionery（糖果點心）and other goods in a shop. Then they opened a second shop, and a third. Eventually, they had a chain of 25 shops in three cities.
Edward became very rich, so he employed a tutor to teach him to read and write. The tutor  was amazed at what Edward had achieved. "Imagine what you could do if you’d been able to read and write when you were younger!" he said.
“Yes!” said Edward. “I could have run myself to exhaustion delivering documents for a solicitor!”
【小題1】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Success of illiterate newsboy

B．Local blacksmith becomes famous

C．The thriving trade of the blacksmith

D．Reading and writing-the road to success

【小題2】What can you infer from the underlined expression “not cut out to be” in the second paragraph?

A．Edward Sims did not like being a blacksmith.

B．Edward Sims did not like working with his father.

C．Edward Sims was not strong enough and it made him feel ill.

D．Edward Sims was good at it but wanted to do another job.

【小題3】When Edward applied for the job as a runner for a solicitor,        .

A．the solicitor turned him down because he wasn’t intelligent enough

B．the solicitor offered him the job because he was so fit

C．the solicitor gave him the job but told him he had to learn to read

D．the solicitor didn’t offer him the job because he couldn’t read

【小題4】Which of the following is NOT ture about Edward Sims?

A．He was such a good salesman that he went on to own 25 newsagent shops with another man.

B．The newspaperman liked him so much he gave him a job.

C．He ran himself into exhaustion delivering papers.

D．He learnt to read and write.

"A child is dying---out of breath!" I had just begun my working day in the city, when these words came through the radio of the police car I was driving. I turned on the red lights and siren(警笛)and drove off as fast as I could. "Just my luck!" I thought. I didn't know this city well and my first call of the day was a life-and-death sudden happening, several kilometers away.
I got to the house. A mother, filled with fear, handed me her baby, his face already blue. Was I too late? Dear me!
I did what had been taught to do in such a serious condition. A small thing flew out of the baby's mouth on to the floor. It was a button. Thank heaven! The holes in it let a little air through.
A doctor rushed into the room. He had with him an oxygen bag.
The child began to cry at the top of his voice, burned red and started to look for his mother. He was angry but was saved.
【小題1】The writer of the story is _______.

A．a(chǎn) policeman

B．a(chǎn) driver

C．a(chǎn) doctor

D．the boy's father

【小題2】The writer turned on the red lights and siren in order to _____.

A．show that he was a police car

B．have the people in the streets make way for him

C．warn the people in the streets of the danger ahead

D．tell the people in the streets that he did not know the way well

【小題3】The baby was still living when the writer got to the house because _______.

A．the writer arrived in time

B．the writer had been taught what to do at that time

C．the button was not big enough

D．the button happened to have holes in it

【小題4】What worried the writer all the way to the dying child ?

A．He was afraid to come too late to save the child.

B．It was a sudden happening and he was too young.

C．Any people might be knocked down or killed by his car.

D．He was afraid that he could not have the button taken out.

How could I turn down an opportunity for a weeklong cruise on a luxury motorsailer in the Andaman Sea? Without a second thought, I packed my bags and jumped on a plane to Singapore, and the following day I found myself looking out the airplane window at the beautiful waters surrounding the island of Langkawi off the coast of Malaysia.
The last time I was in Langkawi was in 2001, when it was relatively quiet. Langkawi has come a long way since then; there are 4, 5, and even 6-star hotels, as well as spas, golfing, horseback riding and even a cable car taking visitors to the highest point on the island.
At the Langkawi International Airport I met my shipmates and we were driven to Pantai Tengah with a quick pit stop for sunblock and duty-free goodies. Many other shopping opportunities abound since Langkawi was designated as a duty-free zone in 1987 to entice tourists to the island.
A luxurious yacht tender picked us up. Phillipe, the first mate, maneuvered the tender between sailboats and as we went around a small island there she was, S/V Blue Gold. This majestic 10-passenger sailboat—all 165 feet of her—had been built in Italy and recently underwent a full retrofit. Once aboard, the crew welcomed us with refreshments and big smiles. Before we got too comfortable and settled into the plush comforts of the boat, Alain, the captain, took us on a tour of Blue Gold’s impressive accommodations. The master suite had a king-size bed, with a lounge area and “his & hers” wardrobes. The VIP cabin had a queen-size bed, also with a lounge area. Both had ensuite bathrooms.
The first evening aboard was the perfect start to our voyage—a small cocktail party followed by a light meal of seared tuna salad. It was exactly what our jet-lagged bodies craved, and we all slept very well aboard what would become our new home for the next 7 days.
In the morning after breakfast, we sailed to Pulau Ta Ngah (also spelled “Pulau Tengah”; pulau means island in Malay). In the 1970s the site had been a Vietnamese refugee transit camp. Not long after the end of the war, the camp was shut down and the island was gazetted as a marine park by the Malaysian government. Officially “uninhabited,” it does boast a golf course, but we were unable to determine if it was still in operation. The most intriguing event on the island occurs in July when the giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs on a beach on Ta Ngah.
【小題1】Where is Langkawi?

A．In Pulau Ta Ngah

B．In Malaysia

C．In the Atlantic Ocean

D．In The Arctic

【小題2】We know from the passage Langkawi________.

A．has become prosperous in the past decade

B．was a noisy industrial city twenty years ago

C．has no three-star hotels nowadays

D．is best known for its horse riding races

【小題3】S/V Blue Gold is __________.

A．a(chǎn) small island with most beautiful sceneries we have ever seen

B．a(chǎn) luxurious 6-star hotel with best food and service

C．a(chǎn) VIP cabin with 9 queen-size beds and ensuite bathrooms

D．a(chǎn) splendid boat with comfortable accommodations

【小題4】It is implied that _________.

A．many people go golfing on Pulau Ta Ngah every year

B．the Vietnamese War broke out in 1970

C．the author liked the party and meal provided in the voyage

D．people living on Pulau Ta Ngah must have earned a lot of money

【小題5】The article is probably part of __________.

A．a(chǎn) news report

B．a(chǎn) travel story

C．a(chǎn)n advertisement

D．a(chǎn)n operating manual

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, Leonard Bernstein gave a concert in Berlin, including Beethoven's Ode to Joy, with the word "Joy" changed to "Freedom" in the lyrics sung．The orchestra（管弦樂隊）were drawn from both East and West Germany, as well as the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States．
Freedom was in the air and it was not just for people． The wall between East and West Germany had also kept a large population of wild pigs within the eastern forests of Brandenburg．The wall's falling down made it easier for the big pigs—a very big one can weigh over 300 pounds—to leave the woodlands and walk into the town． Warm winters and easy access to food have helped the population increase． Now about 10,000 wild pigs walk around Berlin．
The nature of the beast has added to the boom（興旺）．"The pigs are intelligent," says Marc Franusch, a spokesman for the Berlin forestry department． "They learn to use the neighborhoods．They get used to people, dogs, and traffic．"  
The wild pigs tend to travel in small groups and have been found searching rubbish and gardens, feeding their piglets（小豬）in the shadow of parked cars, and crossing busy roads．On average, the animals are involved in one traffic accident every day． And despite the fact that it's illegal, some Berliners have been known to give the pigs food．
Though wild pigs are protected under German law, the city's forestry department is permitted to kill 2,000 of the creatures every year, targeting mostly young adult animals in forests surrounding Berlin． Pigs within city limits are only shot if they make an immediate threat．No humans have yet been seriously wounded by them, but local dogs have been the victims of their tusks． "The forestry department is not aiming to get rid of the pigs," explains Franusch, "but we do have to reduce dangerous situations．"
【小題1】The concert in the first paragraph is given to          ．

A．celebrate Bernstein's success	B．remind people of fighting for rights
C．show the artists' delight of life	D．express people's joy for freedom

【小題2】The following factors contribute to the boom of wild pigs EXCEPT          ．

A．the Berlin Wall	B．a(chǎn)dequate food
C．their own nature	D．warm winter

【小題3】From the text we can know that          ．

A．in Berlin people can never kill any wild pig

B．it is against law to offer food to wild pigs

C．wild pigs each weigh more than three hundred pounds

D．traffic accidents are mainly caused by wild pigs in Berlin

【小題4】The article mainly talks about           ．

A．why wild pigs in Berlin enjoy so much freedom

B．when wild pigs were united in Berlin

C．how wild pigs are living in Berlin

D．what damage wild pigs have done to Berliners

A young man from a village called Nawalapitiya married a young woman from Maliyuwa, a nearby village. They lived with the man’s big family—his parents, his brothers, their wives and children. The family kept an elephant, in which the young woman soon took a great interest. Every day she fed it with fruit and sugar.
Three months later the woman went back to her parents’ home, having quarreled with her husband. Soon the elephant refused to eat and work. It appeared to be ill and heart-broken. One morning after several weeks the animal disappeared from the house.
It went to the woman’s home. On seeing her, the elephant waved its trunk and touched her with it. The young woman was so moved (感動) by the act of the animal that she returned to her husband’s home.
【小題1】The writer wrote the story in order to ______.

A．show that elephants are very clever

B．tell how a woman trained a wild animal

C．show that women care more for animals than men do

D．tell how an animal reunited (團圓) a husband and wife

【小題2】The woman left her new home ______.

A．to visit her own parents in Maliyuwa

B．to see if the elephant would follow her

C．because she was angry with her husband

D．because she was tired of the large family

【小題3】After the young woman left her husband’s home, the elephant ______.

A．returned to the forest	B．was sad because it missed her
C．went to look for a new home	D．was sick because nobody fed it

【小題4】The young wife went back to her husband because ______.

A．she knew he had sent the animal to her

B．the elephant had come to look for her

C．her parents told her to

D．she missed her new home

For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed very busy with business，and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough，he rode out a great deal.
During this time，all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house，when he would sometimes pass me coldly， and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me，because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them.
One evening，several days later，I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. He was sitting in his armchair，and looked not quite so severe，and much less gloomy. There was a smile on his lips， and his eyes were bright，probably with wine. As I was looking at him，he suddenly turned， and asked me，“Do you think I am handsome，Miss Eyre? ”
The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: “No，sir.” “Ah，you really are unusual! You are a quiet， serious little person， but you can be almost rude.” “Sir，I'm sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn't matter，or something like that，” “No，you shouldn't! I see，you criticize my appearance，and then you stab (刺) me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you. But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance (抵消) your few good points.”
I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind，and said quickly，“Yes，you're right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one，and have never found the right path again. I might have been very different. I might have been as good as you， and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man，take my word for it，but I have done wrong. It wasn't my character，but circumstances which were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to， because you're sympathetic and give them hope.”
It seemed he had quite a lot to talk to me. He didn't seem to like to finish the talk quickly，as was the case for the first time.
“Don't be afraid of me， Miss. Eyre，”he continued. “You don't relax or laugh very much，perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me，and laugh， and speak freely. You're like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage， you'll fly very high. Good night.”
【小題1】At the beginning Miss Eyre's impressions of Mr. Rochester were all except_________.   

A．busy

B．sociable

C．dull

D．changeable

【小題2】The underlined sentence means___________.

A．Only by meeting him around the house sometimes did I know a little about him.

B．Only by coming to the house could I know about him.

C．I occasionally met him but my knowledge about him was poor.

D．What I knew about him was limited in the house.

【小題3】From what Mr. Rochester told Miss Eyre，we can conclude that he wanted to ___________.   

A．tell her all his troubles

B．tell her his life experience

C．blame her for misunderstanding him

D．change his circumstances

【小題4】At the end of the passage，Mr. Rochester sounded __________.

A．rude

B．cold

C．polite

D．encouraging

【小題5】According to the passage，which of the following statements is WRONG? 

A．Miss Eyre was atLowoodSchoolbefore she came to Mr. Rochester’s house.

B．Miss Eyre didn’t see Mr. Rochester often.

C．Miss Eyre was honest，brave and confident.

D．Miss Eyre was brave，polite and warm-hearted.

A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking（搭便車）on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel（方向盤）!
The car started to move very slowly. The man looked at the road and saw a curve （拐彎處）coming his way. Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life. He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel. The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky （幽靈般的）car. Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town. In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky.
Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car. Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!
About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”
【小題1】After he entered the car, the man found ____________.

A．it didn’t move at all.	B．it moved very quickly.
C．there was no driver in it.	D．someone was pushing it.

【小題2】When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man _______________ .

A．felt very curious	B．was extremely frightened
C．cried for help	D．remained as calm as possible

【小題3】According to the passage, what made the man’s experience believable?

A．His reasonable behavior.	B．His vivid description.
C．His plain appearance.	D．His honest attitude.

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

A．it is unsafe for people to take a free ride

B．the man was telling a lie to his listeners

C．the car probably broke down on the way

D．the two young men were familiar with the man

【小題5】As a whole , the story of the man can best be described as ______________ .

A．strange

B．puzzling

C．mysterious

D．funny

As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, "Not to be touched!"
I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve. The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
"I, uh-I want to climb the stone walls," I said. Everyone looked up. "Can I climb the stone walls? "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens, no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed; the response was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Now hold on just a minute," I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself."

Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. "There's only one person in this whole world like you," the kids can count on hearing me say, "and people can like you exactly as you are.”
【小題1】When the writer was small, he lived        .

A．in the city	B．on the farm
C．with his grandparents	D．a(chǎn)way from his parents

【小題2】The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because        .

A．there were old stone walls.	B．it was an exciting place for him.
C．he liked his grandfather.	D．the living room there was clean

【小題3】The underlined word “approve” in paragraph 2 means        .

A．prove

B．suppose

C．a(chǎn)llow

D．mind

【小題4】We can learn from the passage that the writer was        .

A．a(chǎn)dventurous

B．funny

C．smart

D．talkative

My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.
One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.
Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”
My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皺眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.
When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn’t see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes.
【小題1】From the appearance of the gentleman, we can guess he was probably a(n) _____.

A．waiter

B．a(chǎn)ctor

C．beggar

D．worker

【小題2】The manager of the restaurant looked frightened because _____.

A．the man was not friendly

B．he had fired the man before

C．the man had stolen something from the restaurant

D．he was afraid the man wouldn’t afford to pay the food

【小題3】From the passage, we can infer the man _____.

A．was thankful for their kind act

B．felt ashamed and slipped away

C．was hungry and ate a lot of food

D．was too proud to accept their offer

【小題4】The phrase “made my day” in the last paragraph probably means ______.

A．wasted my money	B．moved me deeply
C．made me feel sorry	D．made me very happy