Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (惡作劇) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龍) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven–page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.
NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片斷) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.
【小題1】Which of the following  countries is NOT mentioned in the text?

A．India

B．The UK

C．The United States

D．Sweden

【小題2】Who worked as a host on the radio?

A．Kjell Stepson

B．Rich Little

C．Richard Nixon

D．John Huckleberry

【小題3】When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?

A．In 1962

B．In 1977

C．In 1992

D．Never

【小題4】Where can we probably read this article?

A．In the ad.

B．In a magazine

C．In a novel

D．In a news report

At Blossom End Railroad Station, 22-year-old Stanley Vine sat, waiting for his new employer. The surrounding green fields were so unlike the muddy landscape of war-torn France. After four horrible years as an army private fighting in Europe, Stanley had returned to England in February 1946. Armed now with some savings and with no prospects for a job in England, he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada. Two months later he was on his way.
When the old car rumbled (發(fā)著轆轆聲) toward the tiny station, Stanley rose to his feet, trying to make the most of his five foot and four inches frame. The farmer, Alphonse Lapine, shook his head and complained, “You’re a skinny thing.” On the way to his dairy farm, Alphonse explained that he had a wife and seven kids. “Money is tight. You’ll get room and board. You’ll get up at dawn for milking, and then help me around the farm until evening milking time again. Ten dollars a week. Sundays off.” Stanley nodded. He had never been on a farm before, but he took the job.
From the beginning Stanley was treated horribly by the whole family. They made fun of the way he dressed and talked. He could do nothing right. The humourless farmer frequently lost his temper, criticizing Stanley for the slightest mistake. The oldest son, 13-year-old Armand, constantly played tricks on him. But the kind-hearted Stanley never responded.
Stanley never became part of the Lapine family. After work, they ignored him. He spend his nights alone in a tiny bedroom. However, each evening before retiring, he lovingly cared for the farmer’s horses, eagerly awaiting him at the field gate. He called them his gentle giants. On Saturday nights he hitch-hiked into the nearest town and wandered the streets or enjoyed a restaurant meal before returning to the farm.
Early one November morning Alphonse Lapine discovered that Stanley had disappeared, after only six months as his farmhand. The railway station master, when questioned later that week, said he had not seen him. In fact no one in the community ever heard of him again. That is, until one evening, almost 20 years later, when Armand, opened an American sports magazine and came across a shocking headline, “Millionaire jockey (賽馬騎師), Stanley Vine, ex-British soldier and 5-time horse riding champion, began life in North America as a farmhand in Canada.”
【小題1】Stanley Vine decided to go to Canada because ___________.

A．he wanted to escape from war-torn France

B．he wanted to serve in the Canadian army

C．he couldn’t find a job in England

D．he loved working as a farmhand

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

A．Stanley joined the French army when he was 18 years old.

B．On the farm Stanley had to milk the cows 14 times a week.

C．The Lapine family were very rich but cruel to Stanley.

D．Stanely read about the job offer in a newspaper.

【小題3】What did Stanley like doing after work each day?

A．Hitch-hiking to different towns.

B．Caring for the farmer’s horses.

C．Wandering around the farm alone.

D．Preparing meals on the farm.

【小題4】Why was Armand so astonished when he read about Stanley in the magazine?

A．He didn’t know Stanley had been a British soldier.

B．He had no idea Stanley had always been a wealthy man.

C．He didn’t know his father paid Stanley so little money.

D．He didn’t expect Stanley to become such a success.

The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting moments for all the children in the class. It took place during the first week of the term. Every kid was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year.
Some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones. When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year. During the previous year Rita had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly. All the children knew Rita would be given the best job.
But there was a big surprise. Each child received a normal job. But Rita’s job was very different. She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant. Though the teacher insisted that this ant was very special, Rita felt disappointed. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her. Even her father became very angry with the teacher and he encouraged Rita to pay no attention to this insignificant pet. However, Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by doing something special with that job of little interest.
Rita started investigating all about her little ant and gave the ant the best food, and it grew quite a bit bigger.
One day, a man, who looked very important, came into their classroom and declared, “Your class has been chosen to accompany me, this summer, on a journey to the tropical rain forest, where we will investigate all kinds of insects. Among all the schools of this region, your class has best cared for the little ant.”
That day the school was filled with joy and celebration. Everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible. And many children learnt that to be given the most important task you have to know how to be responsible even in what are the smallest tasks.
【小題1】What did the teacher base his decision on when giving out jobs to the children?

A．Their characters and interests.

B．Their class performance during the previous year.

C．Their working performance during the previous year.

D．Their ability of managing their accounts during the previous year.

【小題2】What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Each child got an important job.

B．Each child got an interesting job.

C．The perfect student got the job of everyone’s preference．

D．The most responsible student got the job of least interest.

【小題3】What is Rita’s attitude to her father’s suggestion?

A．Negative.

B．Uncertain.

C．Totally positive.

D．Acceptive.

【小題4】We can infer that the man who made the declaration is a _________.

A．hunter

B．director

C．biologist

D．principal

【小題5】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Never complain about life.

B．Small tasks can lead to fortunes.

C．Men are best known by their friends.

D．Responsibility and intelligence bring good luck.

Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was impolite and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold underground room. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very kind farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, "How could this happen? Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help."
"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the underground room , I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so he couldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. You see, things aren't always what they seem. "
【小題1】Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?

A．Because she didn't like the greedy owner.

B．Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.

C．Because the underground room was too cold to stay in.

D．Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help.

【小題2】The younger angel was very angry because ________.

A．the older angel killed the farmer's cow

B．the older angel treated the two families differently

C．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live in

D．the angel of death took the cow away

【小題3】Why did the older angel let the farmer's cow die?

A．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow.

B．Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson.

C．Because she wanted to save the farmer's wife.

D．Because she was sympathetic to the rich.

【小題4】The story tries to tell readers that ________.

A．a(chǎn)ngels are always ready to help the poor

B．sometimes things are not what they seem

C．a(chǎn)ngels are always ready to help the rich

D．the young should always learn from the old

John H. Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas city in 1918. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching the high school age, but his hometown offered no high school for blacks.
Fortunately he had a strong-willed (意志堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的) caring mother. John remembered that his mother told him many times, “Son, you can be anything you want really to be if you just believe.”She told him not to depend on others, including his mother. “You have to earn success, ”she said. “All the people who work hard don’t succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard.”
These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and hard work don’t mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son, who was then 15, to Chicago.
Chicago in 1933 was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for. John’s mother and stepfather could not find work. But here John could go to school, and here he learned the power of words—as an editor of the newspaper and yearbook at Du Sable High School His wish was to publish a magazine for blacks.
While others discouraged him, John’s mother offered him more words to live by.“Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”She also let him pawn(典當(dāng))her furniture to get the $ 500 he needed to start the Negro magazine.
It is natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful. He always keeps his mother’s words in mind.“Son, failure is not in your vocabulary!”
Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America—worth $ 150 million.
【小題1】John’s mother decided to move to Chicago because _____.

A．his father died when John was very young

B．life was too hard for them to stay on in their hometown

C．John needed more education badly

D．there were no schools for Negroes in their hometown

【小題2】John’s mother_____________________

A．didn’t believe in or depend on others

B．thought one could be whatever one wanted to be

C．believed one would succeed without working hard

D．thought no one could succeed without working hard

【小題3】The underlined sentence“Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”means _____.

A．if you try, you would succeed

B．a(chǎn) failure is difficult to beat, even if you try

C．a(chǎn) try is always followed by a failure

D．no failure can be beaten unless you try

【小題4】The story mainly tells us _____.

A．how John H. Johnson became successful

B．a(chǎn)bout the mental (心理的) support John’s mother gave him

C．a(chǎn)bout the importance of a good education

D．a(chǎn)bout the key to success for blacks

Bertie knew there was something in the wind. His mother had been sad in recent days, not sick, just strangely sad. The lion had just lain down beside him, his head warm on Bertie's feet when Father cleared his throat and began," You'll soon be eight, Bertie. A boy needs a proper education. We've found the right place for you, a school near Salisbury in England."
His heart filled with a terrible fear, all Bertie could think of was his white lion. "But the lion," he cried, "What about the lion?"
"I'm afraid there's something else I have to tell you," his father said. Looking across at Bertie's mother, he took a deep breath. Then he told Bertie he had met a circus(馬戲團(tuán)) owner from France, who was over in Africa looking for lions to buy. He would come to their farm in a few days.
"No! You can't send him to a circus!" said Bertie. "People will come to see him. He'll be shut up behind bars. I promised him he never would be. And they will laugh at him. He'd rather die. Any animal would! " But as he looked across the table at them, he knew their minds were quite made up.
Bertie felt completely betrayed. He waited until he heard his father's deep breathing next door. With his white lion at his heels, he crept downstairs in his pyjamas, took down his father's rifle from the rack and stepped out into the night. He ran and ran till his legs could run no more. As the sun came up over the grassland, he climbed to the top of a hill and sat down, his arms round the lion's neck. The time had come.
"Be wild now," he whispered. "You've got to be wild. Don't ever come home. All my life I'll think of you. I promise I will." He buried his head in the lion's neck. Then, Bertie clambered down the hill and walked away.
When he looked back, the lion was still sitting there watching him; but then he stood up, yawned, stretched, and sprang down after him. Bertie shouted at him, but he kept coming. He threw sticks. He threw stones. Nothing worked.
There was only one thing left to do. With tears filling his eyes and his mouth, he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired over the lion's head.
【小題1】Bertie's mother was sad probably because she ______.

A．had been seriously ill recently

B．had decided to send Bertie to school

C．knew selling the lion would upset Bertie

D．knew Bertie would hate to go to England

【小題2】The underlined word "they" in Para.4 probably refers to ______.

A．some audience

B．other animals

C．Bertie's parents

D．circus owners

【小題3】In the last paragraph, the boy lifted the rifle to ______．

A．kill the lion out of fear

B．threaten the lion back to the wild

C．protect himself from the lion

D．show his anger towards his father

【小題4】The passage intends to show that ______.

A．a(chǎn)nimal-hunting is popular in Africa

B．parents are sometimes cruel to their children

C．a(chǎn)nimals usually lead a miserable life in circuses

D．people and animals can be faithful to each other

My mother, Marisol Torres, came with her family to Australia in the early 1960s. Then my parents’ marriage ended and Mum began the study of precious stones. Her interest in opals (貓眼石) took her to the New South Wales remote town of Lightning Ridge. There were no luxuries (奢華的享受), but she was closer to nature and had a chance to find black opals and make some money.
My mother was beautiful with dark hair and brown eyes, but she was also quiet and shy. Early in the Ridge years, she kept to herself, but later, she started going to the neighbourhood centre to make friends.
It was her dream to mine, but her get-rich-quick thinking was unrealistic. She was cheated and she was never very successful. But she kept a sense of humour and a charming smile.
Then, just as friendships began to blossom, she was diagnosed with cancer and had to return south for treatment. She had the intention of cooking Spanish food as special treat for her Ridge friends, but died too soon. In her honour, my aunt, Marisa, and I fulfilled her desire when we visited the Ridge in March last year.
People who mine the Ridge come from a cross section of society, from lawyers to travels. Looks don’t mean much: it can be hard to tell who is millionaire and who is poor. Opals attracted Sebastian and Hanna Deisenberger to Lightning Ridge. They planned a two-year stay, but became permanent residents.
Then there’s Neil Schellnegger, 45, who moved to the area with his parents when he was a child. He lives with his son, Luke. Luke is a shy 19-year-old boy who enjoys helping his dad. They haven’t had much luck over the past couple of years, but their passion for opals conquers disappointment. They love the peaceful lifestyle.
Danny Hatcher, 38, is a second-generation miner and president of the Lightning Ridge Miners’ Association. He is an optimistic man, driven by the desire to find the perfect opal. “It’s magic,” he explains. “Once you start opal mining you don’t want to do anything else… There is always the potential for finding a million dollars. Nothing beats it.”
It’s a place where dreams --- spiritual or material --- can be fulfilled; a place, for one last bet in life.
【小題1】What made the author’s mother go to Lightning Ridge?

A．The luxurious life there.	B．Her new marriage there.
C．Her interest in opals.	D．Her passion for nature. .

【小題2】After the author’s mother died, she fulfilled her desire by __________.

A．treating her mother’s Ridge friends with Spanish food

B．writing a biography about her whole life

C．decorating her house in Lightning Ridge

D．finding a lot of black opals in Lightning Ridge

【小題3】We know from the passage that _________.

A．the rich and the poor can be distinguished by their looks

B．Luke is a successful miner, just like his father

C．Sebastian is planning to leave Lightning Ridge

D．Danny Hatcher’s parents were miners in Lightning Ridge

【小題4】Lightning Ridge is a place where dreams can be fulfilled because __________.

A．there are precious stones and life is peaceful

B．there are people from all walks of life

C．there are rich people who can help poor people

D．there is a lot of gold hidden in the ground

【小題5】What is the author’s purpose of giving Neil Schellnegger and Danny Hatcher as examples?

A．To show the magic power of opal mining.

B．To tell people it isn’t always hard to mine opals.

C．To warn people not to take up this kind of job.

D．To persuade people to look for more resources for the country.

As a substitute teacher, my daily routine involves driving to a new school almost every day so I’m usually unable to anticipate the day’s events, good or bad!
On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult classroom. I was managing behavior all morning and by lunch time, I knew I needed coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunch break, I drove to a nearby plaza（購(gòu)物中心）to get a cup of coffee. Upon returning to the car I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good 4 or 5-minute drive away. I contemplated  (思考）sprinting（沖刺）back, but it being winter, I thought a nasty fall on ice would only make the situation much worse.
So I ran into a McDonald’s which was in the same plaza and asked the man at the counter who happened to be the manager to please call me a cab. I briefly explained my situation to him, and I could tell by the look in his eyes, that he empathized. He hurried to the back to use the phone while I paced in the restaurant. I had less than 10 minutes to get back to my school at this point.
The manager returned only to tell me that the cab company had put him on hold and then the line got disconnected, and that he was now on hold again, but had not yet been able to request the cab yet. My expression, I assume, began to resemble some combination of hopelessness and fear.
Without a thought, he grabbed his coat and offered to drive me to the school. Without hesitation, I followed him into his car and made it back into my classroom with 2 minutes to spare before the bell!
Upon arriving at the school, I thanked this man endlessly. His calm demeanor（舉止）and kind nature made me think he was probably a wonderful manager to work for, and also a wonderful human being to have on this earth. This experience makes me realize that out of every seemingly hopeless situation, there is the opportunity for acts of kindness to transpire（發(fā)生）, which can have an unimaginable impact on those who receive them.
【小題1】Why did the author go to get a coffee?

A．Because he needed to eat something as lunch.

B．Because he was very thirsty.

C．Because he had to refresh himself for the classes in the afternoon.

D．Because he wanted something hot to drink.

【小題2】What happened to the author after he got a cup of coffee?

A．He fell on the icy road.

B．He realized his keys and phone were locked inside the car.

C．His car was broken.

D．He lost his keys and phone.

【小題3】How long probably had the author stayed in the McDonald’s?

A．For about 15 minutes.	B．For about 10 minutes.
C．For about 8 to 9 minutes.	D．For only 2 minutes.

【小題4】What kind of person is the manager?

A．Kind-hearted.

B．Active.

C．Good-mannered.

D．Thoughtful.

Abraham Lincoln was born into poverty 200 years ago. At any other time and place, this lowly origin would have dictated his future, but in Lincoln’s case, his self-determination and force of will made it possible for him to secure his seat in his country's history. He has become a role model in the self-made America.
If you want to learn about somebody who didn’t quit, look no further. Abraham Lincoln had two business ventures failed, and the second one made him bankrupt, so he had to spend the next 17 years of his life paying for the debt. He also lost 8 different elections. It seemed that he had never done things right at the first time: the first time he ran for state legislature for Congress, for land officer, for Senate, all of these failed, and the first time he sought the vice-presidential nomination, he got less than 100 votes nationally. But he never found it too shameful to carry on his mission. Then later in 1860, on such a rough road, he made it to the White House. He lived up to his famous saying, “Always bear in mind that your own determination to success is more important than any other.”
He could have quit many times-—-but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit，he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of America. One important way Lincoln influences present society is that we look back on his lifeas a role model for future generations. Lincoln’s high character influences us because we compare present-day politicians to the example Lincoln set. A major influence Lincoln has on the united States today is simply through the good example he set when it came to honesty, persistence and leadership.
【小題1】According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements is true?

A． Lincoln was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

B． Like Lincoln, a poor origin leads to a bright future.

C． America is considered self-made because of Lincoln.

D． Self-determination and will contributed to Lincoln’s success.

【小題2】What is Paragraph Two mainly about?

A． How Lincoln made his way to the White House.

B． Lincoln suffered various failures.

C． Lincoln was a man who never quit.

D． Lincoln once lost two business ventures.

【小題3】Which is the correct order of what happened to Lincoln?
a. He was paying off his debt.  b. He failed in the run for land officer,
c. He got less than 100 votes nationally. d. he stuck to his mission, e. He went bankrupt.

A．b-c-c-d-a

B．e-a-b-c-d

C．e-c-a-b-d

D．d-c-a-b-c

【小題4】What’s the function of Lincoln’s famous saying in Paragraph Two?

A． To tell us that determination is the most important to success.

B． To attract readers1 attention.

C． To show why Lincoln was able to carry on in hard times.

D． To summarize Lincoln’s story.

【小題5】Why does the writer consider Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents in America?

A． Because he still influences America as a role model.

B． Because he set a good example to the present politicians.

C． Because of his great personalities.

D． Because he went through diverse difficulties.

When Boris left school，he could not find a job．He tried hard and pestered(糾纏)his relatives，but they had problems of their Own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed，then depressed，then a little hardened．Still he went on trying and still he failed．He began to think that he had no future at all.
“Why don’t you start your own business?” one of his uncles told him．“The world is a  money-locker. You’d better find a way of opening it.”
“But what can I do?”
“Get out and have a look round,” advised his uncle in a vague sort of way．“See what people want；then give it to them，and they will pay for it.”
Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of a waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer．He worked hard，made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit．A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself．He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good：in the wrong position，too expensive or with some other snag(障礙). But at long last，he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition.
Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motor-cycles．Slowly  but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last，Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold Coins inside．
【小題1】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage ?

A．Goodwill is the key to success．

B．The world is a money-locker

C．No education, no future

D．Difficulty of starting a small business

【小題2】Which of the following best describes Boris’ job hunting experience?

A．Surprising

B．Encouraging

C．Boring

D．Disappointing

【小題3】Boris start his career by       . 

A．cycling around the town

B．developing a waste ground

C．repairing cycles

D．buying empty shops

【小題4】Boris finally chose an empty shop on a new estate because      .

A．it was not so expensive

B．he had a lot of old customers there

C．he could make good use of his skills there

D．there were good opportunities there

【小題5】We can infer from the last paragraph that Boris       .

A．still couldn’t make good profits

B．set off in a successful career

C．found a lot of gold coins by accident

D．had great difficulty running his business