There was once a farmer. His land was hilly and the soil was not the best. He had a cow that wasn’t giving much milk and he had chickens who were laying few eggs. The place looked run-down (破敗的) and the barn and fences (籬笆) needed repair. The farmer and his wife felt dejected.
One stormy evening, a poorly-dressed man knocked on their door, asking if he could get shelter for the night. They shared the food that had been prepared, while they talked a great deal about the farm.
When the stranger left the following morning, he thanked the farmer and his wife and pulled a little bag of gold pieces out of his pocket. He said that maybe this would help them. He added that he’d come by next year with hopes of finding a revived farm.
After this, the farmer and his wife often talked about whether they should buy a more promising cow. Other times they considered whether they should buy chickens who laid more eggs. However, every conversation ended with the farmer trusting the farm would improve as he found himself fixing the barn and the fences, caring for the animals, preparing food for themselves and their animals.
The farmer beamed (眉開眼笑) when the stranger did come by again a year later. Everything looked so much better. The stranger asked, “What did you use the gold for?”
The farmer said, “We hid the gold under a kitchen tile (地磚) and, while we often thought of it, we never did think of anything we needed the gold for.”
Then the farmer added thoughtfully, “I do thank you, though, ever so much. You gave us what we really needed to keep going — you lifted our spirits.”
Saying that, the farmer removed the tile and cheerfully returned the gold to the stranger.
【小題1】The underlined word “dejected” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_____”.

A．kind and generous

B．surprised and delighted

C．disappointed and unhappy

D．strong and fearless

【小題2】One year later, the stranger visited the farmer to _____.

A．get his gold pieces back

B．see if the farm had improved

C．get shelter for the night

D．give the farmer more money

【小題3】From the passage, we can conclude that what the farmer really needed was _____.

A．land rich enough to farm on

B．something to keep their spirits up

C．scientific knowledge of agriculture

D．money to improve his farm

A few years ago, an Englishman called Roy Jones went on holiday to a small seaside town in the west of England. He was swimming in the sea one day when, as he opened his mouth, his false teeth fell out and floated away. The following year, Mr. Jones returned to the same town. As he was having dinner in a local café one evening, he mentioned the story of his lost teeth to the manager. The manager looked surprised. He explained that he had found a set of false teeth on the beach last month. Then he asked Roy Jones if he wanted to try them on. “OK”, said Mr. Jones. “I suppose it won’t do any harm.” When the manager brought him the teeth, Mr. Jones put them into his mouth, and laughed and laughed. They were his.
In 1987, an American couple called Jane and Robert Bentley went for a picnic on a beach in California. When they returned home, Mrs. Bentley realized that she had lost her wedding ring. It wasn’t a lot of money but it was valuable to Jane Bentley. The Bentleys drove straight back to the beach, and searched for the ring for three hours, but could not find it. A few months later, Mr. Bentley went fishing off the same beach. As he pulled a large crab out of the sea, he noticed that there was something attached to one of its claws. It was his wife’s wedding ring!
At the end of the 19^th century, a young woman called Rose Harcourt was on her honeymoon in Barmouth, North Wales, when she lost a gold bracelet her husband had given her as a wedding gift. Feeling very upset, she went straight to the police stations and asked if anyone had found her bracelet. Unfortunately, no one had. Twenty-five years later, the Harcourts returned to Barmouth to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They were sitting on the beach one day when Mrs. Harcourt noticed something gold in the sand by the edge of the sea. She walked down to see what it was, and discovered her gold bracelet that had been missing for 25 years.
【小題1】Roy Jones lost his false teeth __________ .

A．when he opened his mouth to have some food

B．when he opened his mouth as he was swimming

C．The moment he got into the sea to start swimming

D．when he was having his holiday at the sea side

【小題2】Jane Bentley’s wedding ring was missing for __________ before it was found.

A．three hours

B．a(chǎn)lmost a year

C．several months

D．25 years

【小題3】From the story of the Harcourts we may understand the underlined “to celebrate their wedding anniversary” may be close in meaning to __________ .

A．having a wedding again	B．experiencing their honeymoon feelings again
C．having a honeymoon again	D．joining in the local celebrations

It was the summer of 1936．The Olympic Games were being held in Berlin．I had trained, sweated and disciplined myself for 6 years on the running broad jump．A year before, as a college student at the Ohio State, I'd set the world's record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches．Nearly everyone expected me to win．
I was in for a surprise．When the time came for the broad-jump trials(選拔賽), I was shocked to see a tall boy hitting the pit （坑） at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps．He turned out to be a German named Luz Long．He had easily qualified for the finals on his first attempt．
A nervous athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes．I fouled （犯規(guī)）twice on my qualifying jumps．Walking a few yards from the pit, I kicked at the dirt disgustedly．Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder．I turned to look into the friendly blue eyes of Luz Long．"Hi, I'm Luz Long．I don't think we've met．" "Glad to meet you," I said．Then, trying to hide my nervousness, I added, "How are you?" "I'm fine．Something must be eating you．You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed．" He said．
He seemed to understand my nervousness, and took pains to reassure me．Finally, seeing that I had calmed down somewhat, he said, "What does it matter if you're not the first in the trials? Tomorrow is what counts．" All the tension left my body as the truth of what he said hit me．Confidently I qualified with almost a foot to spare．
Luz broke his own record and pushed me on to a peak performance．The instant I landed from my final jump—the one which set the Olympic record of 26 feet 5 1/16 inches—he was at my side, congratulating me．
【小題1】The author said "I was in for a surprise" because he _____．

A．beat Luz Long	B．met a great competitor
C．qualified for the final	D．joined in the Olympic Games

【小題2】What can we learn about the author from the passage?

A．He remained confident in the Olympic Games．

B．He had qualified for the finals on his first attempt．

C．He broke the world record of the running broad jump．

D．He had prepared for Berlin Olympics in Ohio State．

【小題3】What is the passage mainly about?

A．A memorable experience in the Olympics．

B．A reliable man in the Olympic Games．

C．A surprising result in the Olympic Games．

D．A good suggestion on how to win in the Olympics

Audrey Hepburn is one of Hollywood’s all-time greatest actress. She is famous not only in the USA, but also in other parts of the world.
Hepburn was born in Belgium on May 4, 1929. She began taking ballet (芭蕾) lessons at a very young age. She loved dancing and her dream was to become a successful ballet dancer. She had put most of her effort into ballet training before she entered the film industry.
In 1951, Hepburn was chosen to play the lead role of a young princess in the Hollywood film Roman(羅馬) Holiday. It was a big success and Hepburn became famous immediately. She won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in this film.
During her life time, Hepburn earned four more Oscar nominations(提名). Some well-known films that she acted in include Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany and My Fair Lady.
Hepburn also devoted much of her time to charity(慈善). She spent the last few years of her life working closely with UNICEF to help poor children in different parts of the world. She was honoured with a number of awards(獎勵) because of her efforts in helping them.
【小題1】Hepburn was born in ________.

A．USA

B．Belguim

C．Italy

D．England

【小題2】Her dream was to become a successful ______ when she was very young.

A．singer

B．trainer

C．dancer

D．director

【小題3】______ made Hepburn a big success.

A．Roman Holidays

B．Funny Face

C．Breakfast at Tiffany’s

D．My Fair Lady

【小題4】Hepburn was honoured with a number of awards because she __________.

A．a(chǎn)cted in many films	B．was good at ballet
C．gave everything to others	D．did her best to help poor children

Four students are talking about the future after class.
Deng Yu:  In 2050, China will be richer than it is now. Beijing will be getting ready for the 40^th Olympic Games in 2050. We will see the blue and clear sky and smell the fresh air. There will be more pandas living happily in China. I believe that 2050 will be the year of China.
Liu Yan:  A holiday to the moon will no longer be a dream. We can also travel far to other planets and talk with spacemen. We might also eat something like pills instead of today’s meals. Everyone will enjoy a longer life.
Sun Wei:  Robots will be more popular. They will do what people don’t want to do. We’ll build new homes on other planets. By then, I’ll be sixty years old.
Zhang Lan:  By the year of 2050, cloning will have been used in many ways. It will bring back animals which disappeared many years ago. There will be no pollution. The whole world will be one big family. There will be no wars. We’ll live a much easier and better life.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

A．China will be richer than it is now.

B．Shanghai will be getting ready for the 40th Olympic Games.

C．We will see the blue and clear sky and smell the fresh air.

D．More pandas will live happily in China.

【小題2】______ thinks that people can spend their holidays on the moon in the future.

A．Deng Yu

B．Zhang Lan

C．Sun Wei

D．Liu Yan

【小題3】Zhang Lan thinks ________________ in the future.

A．people will live in a world without wars

B．robots will do everything for people

C．people can talk with spacemen

D．2050 will be the year of China.

【小題4】What is the dialogue mainly about?

A．the 40th Olympic Games	B．How to spend our holiday
C．the future	D．cloning

When first entered ,Vanak Restaurant does not look like much of a restaurant, but once the pleasant smells of kabob（烤羊肉串）hit the senses ,you are incapable of calling it anything less.
Owned by a local couple, this Persian restaurant has an inviting, homelike atmosphere that many restaurants lack.
The space is small with only a few dining tables and nearly no decoration, but the environment is truly charming.
Lying in a hardly noticeable street corner, the restaurant still attracts all customers, especially those experienced in the delights of Middle Eastern cooking.
A common sight is that of old Persian men sitting in the corner talking loudly about world topics, watching news events on TV, drinking a black tea known as Persian chai, and reading local Persian newspapers all the while trying to finish off their plate piled with food.
The variety of food at the restaurant is limited, but the amount of each dish is fairly large. Most of the meals can serve two people and are under $10,so not only is it affordable but practical as well.
The food, especially appeals to health-conscious eaters because each dish is very healthy, made with limited fat and oil and served straight off the grill（烤肉架）.
The main dish that the restaurant is popular for is its kabobs, which are different style of grilled meat.
One delicious and extremely healthy dish is the Joojeh Kabob, which is made of grilled chicken pieces served with either rice or bread. Another great kabob is the Chelo Kabob, kabob consisting of grilled beef.
Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere and the food is delicious. It is a place that should not be overlooked.
【小題1】When first entering the restaurant, one can find that it      

A．is splendidly decorated	B．has pleasant smells of kabobs
C．is crowded with dining tables	D．looks like a common restaurant

【小題2】What activity is also mentioned apart from dining in the restaurant?

A．Watching news events on TV	B．Drinking a kind of black coffee
C．Reading local English newspapers	D．Discussing world topics in low voices

【小題3】The food of the restaurant         

A．is served in small amounts	B．is rather expensive
C．is rich in variety	D．is very health

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that the restaurant            .

A．occupies a large space	B．owns a favorable location
C．is popular for its special food	D．has a quiet environment inside

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

A．She had seven brothers.	B．She felt herself a nobody.
C．She was too shy to go to school.	D．She did not have any good teachers.

【小題2】The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.

A．work for a school magazine	B．run away from her family
C．make a lot of friends	D．develop her writing style

【小題3】According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?

A．Her early years in college.	B．Her training in the Workshop.
C．Her feeling of being different.	D．Her childhood experience.

【小題4】What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?

A．It is quite popular among students.

B．It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.

C．It wasn’t success as it was written in Spanish.

D．It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.

Once there was a king. He had two old ministers. One was kind and the other was bad. The bad minister often said bad words about the kind minister before the king. The king was very angry.
One day the king said to the bad minister , “Write two words on two pieces of paper. Write ‘live’ on one piece and ‘die’ on the other . Then put them in a jar and tell him to choose. If he takes out the paper with ‘live’ on it , I will let him go. If he takes out the paper with ‘die’ on it ,I will kill him at once.”
The bad minister was quite happy. He got two pieces of paper ready. He wrote “die” on each piece of paper.
The kind old man came. He knew the bad minister wanted to kill him. He also knew the words on the two pieces both “die”, but he knew what to do. Later the king had to keep his word and let the old minister go. Do you k now what the kind man do about this at that time?
【小題1】The king was angry with              .

A．himself

B．the kind minister

C．the bad minister

D．the two ministers

【小題2】      was told to write “l(fā)ive” and “die”.

A．The king

B．The kind minister

C．The bad minister

D．The two ministers

【小題3】There is no “l(fā)ive” on both pieces of paper because           .

A．the kind minister didn’t want it.

B．the bad minister couldn’t write the word

C．the king told the bad minister not to write it

D．the bad minister hated the kind minister and wanted to kill him

【小題4】      must be disappointed in the end .

A．The king

B．The kind minister

C．The bad minister

D．All the other ministers

Connie Lau hates smoking. “It smells awful, and it’s so bad for you. It breaks my heart to see my friends smoking. I try to get them to give up smoking.” She says.
So why does Connie walk into convenience stores and try to buy cigarettes? She is testing to see if stores will sell cigarettes to a kid who is younger than 18. “You have to be 18 to purchase cigarettes, and I’m 16, so if they sell to me, they’re breaking the law,” Connie says.
Connie isn’t a vigilante (治安隊員); She works with local police in her town of Castro Valley, California. Officers drive her to stores, and she goes in alone to try to buy cigarettes. If the person behind the counter sells her a pack, an officer comes in and writes the business a ticket for breaking the law.
Most stores obey the law and don’t sell her cigarettes. The law requires that customers show ID if store employees ask them to. “When they ask your age, you can’t lie,” Connie says. “Most stores don’t sell to me. In a year, we’ve visited almost 150 stores and had only 15 sales.”
Working undercover can be scary, even with police nearby. Connie said one cashier refused to sell her cigarettes and then got angry when he found out her age. He threatened to call the authorities. “To calm him down, the police went in to explain that I was undercover,” she says.
Most teens wouldn’t think of going undercover for the police. What’s Connie’s motivation (動機)? For starters, she can’t stand smoking. But she also believes it’s important for young people like her to try to make a real impact in their communities. In her view, teens can do more than get good grades in school, do chores at home, and do well in out-of-class activities.
Every time she stops the sale of cigarettes to children, she’s helping to uphold the law. “A single teenager can make a big difference,” Connie says. “For the most part, when stores get caught, they learn their lesson and don’t do it again.”
【小題1】According to the law what age of person can the store be allowed to sell cigarettes to?

A．Under 18.

B．More than 18.

C．16.

D．More than 16.

【小題2】Connie goes to convenience stores to ________.

A．discover whether stores can sell cigarettes to kids

B．see which stores can sell cigarettes to her friends

C．look for her friends

D．a(chǎn)rrest the smokers

【小題3】What would happen if an owner sells cigarettes to kids?

A．The owner would be arrested.	B．The owner would be fined.
C．The kids would be punished.	D．The kids would be removed from school.

【小題4】One reason that Connie works undercover is that ________.

A．she wants more smokers to quit smoking

B．she wants to get good grades in school

C．she hopes to make a difference in the area

D．she hopes to be excellent in out-of-class activities

【小題5】Which of the following might be the main idea of the text?

A．Smoking can be forbidden with the help of a girl.

B．A good way to stop a store from selling cigarettes to kids.

C．Connie Lau — a brave girl who goes undercover for the policeman.

D．Connie Lau goes undercover to stop stores from selling cigarettes to kids.

There is only one winner and in this case it is Gina Rinehart who has won it all. In her own words, "beauty is an iron mine", Gina suggested her recipe for glory and fame. She has been announced as the richest woman of the world by BRW (formerly Business Review Weekly) in May 2012. Let's read more about her life and journey to the top.   
Georgina "Gina" Hope Rinehart was born on 9th February, 1954 in Perth, Western Australia, to Hope Margaret Nicholas and Lang Hancock, the mining king. Her father discovered one of the world's biggest reserves in the early 1950s. Gina gained lots of knowledge of the iron-ore industry while working with her father. She married an Englishman Greg Milton, at the age of 19 and together they had two children, John Langley and Bianca Hope. Soon the marriage broke off and she remarried in 1983. Frank Rinehart and Gina had two children: Ginia and Hope. Frank died in 1990. Since then, Gina has devoted herself to her work and empire.
She was the sole heir (唯一繼承人) of her family's wealth. Then after her father died in 1992, she started her professional career as the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting Pty Limited (HPPL) and other privately owned group of companies. At that time, the company centered its functioning to mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases (租約). From there, Rinehart worked her way towards transforming the leases into profit earning mines. She also worked together with other companies to raise capital. Her efforts made the business increase three times in 2011 as much as before.  
At home, Rinehart was working to expand the family business, but she did not satisfy herself with it. In 2010, she stepped into the media industry by acquiring 10% stake (股份) in Ten Network Holdings. Afterwards, she went on to hold stake in Fairfax Media, proving that mining is not her only interest. In June 2012, by increasing her stake in Fairfax to 18.67%, she became the largest stakeholder in the company. With this, she now stands at the head of $US 29.3 billion worth of an empire. Two new projects related to the mining sector in Central Queensland and Roy Hill are expected to begin in 2013.
Gina Rinehart has made her way from being Australia's Richest Woman to Australia's Richest Person and then to World's Richest Woman.
【小題1】According to Gina Rinehart, what makes her successful and famous?

A．Her own beauty.

B．Her wealth.

C．Her family.

D．The iron-ore industry.

【小題2】What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Gina Rinehart’s business career.	B．Gina Rinehart’s education.
C．Gina Rinehart’s life and family.	D．Gina Rinehart’s two marriages.

【小題3】How old was Gina Rinehart when she succeeded her father?

A．She was 58 yeas old.	B．She was 62 years old.
C．She was 38 years old.	D．She was 36 years old.

【小題4】After being the Executive Chairman, Gina Rinehart made several reforms EXCEPT ______.

A．stepping into the media industry

B．transforming the leases into profit earning mines

C．working together with other companies to raise capital

D．focusing on mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases

【小題5】Which of the following can best describe Gina Rinehart?

A．Poorly-educated.

B．Stubborn.

C．Hardworking.

D．Modest.