In one way of thinking, failure is a part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web（蜘蛛織網(wǎng)）. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times without success. On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone on to defeat the English… Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one.
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top from yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal（目標(biāo)）you’re trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about his question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it’s a part of life. Learn to “l(fā)ive with yourself” even though you may have failed. Remember, “You can’t win them all.”
【小題1】 This passage deals with two sides of failure. In paragraph 1, the author talks mainly about __         .

A．the value of failure

B．how people would fail

C．famous failures

D．the cause of failure

【小題2】The underlined phrase “made it” means ______ .

A．succeeded

B．failed

C．gave

D．got

【小題3】The lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce seems ______ .

A．productive

B．straight forward

C．sorrowful

D．deep

【小題4】The author tells you to do all things except ______ .

A．The think about the cause of your failure

B．to check out whether your goals are right for you

C．to consider failure as a part or life

D．to bear in mind that you will never fail in your life

【小題5】 Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Bruce and Edison were successful examples.

B．Failure may be regarded as a way toward success.

C．Edison learned a lot from the lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce.

D．One may often raise a question whether his goals are worth attempting.

The greatest recent changes have been in the lives of women, during the twentieth century there was an unusual shortening of the time of a woman’s life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which custom, chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman’s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty five and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by household appliances （家用電器）and convenience foods.
This important change in women’s way of life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity and most of them took a full time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards, return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with both husband and wife accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfaction of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money and running the home, according to the abilities and interest of each them.
【小題1】 According to the passage, around the year1990 most women married       .
A. at about twenty five       B. in their early fifties
C. as soon as possible after they were fifteen D. at any age from fifteen to forty five
【小題2】We are told that in an average family about1990        .

A．many children died before they were five

B．the youngest child would be fifteen

C．seven of eight children lived to be more than five

D．four of five children died when they were five.

【小題3】 When she was over fifty, the late 19th century mother       .

A．would expect to work until she died

B．was usually expected to take up paid employment

C．would be healthy enough to take up paid employment.

D．was unlikely to find a job.

【小題4】 Many girls, the passage says, are now likely to       .

A．marry so that they can get a job

B．Leave school as soon as they can

C．give up their jobs for good after they are married

D．continue working until they are going to have a baby

【小題5】 According to the passage, it is now quite usual for women to       .

A．stay at hone after leaving school

B．marry men younger than themselves

C．start working again later in life

D．Marry while still at school

In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation（模仿） is helpful. When I first learned to cook, I used recipes (菜譜) and turned out some tasty dishes. But soon I grew bored. Why follow someone else’s way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child’s bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them.
In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously (下意識(shí)地) hold poor role models. If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did. If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others.
In the field of entertainment, those stars look great on screen. But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous. If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors.
Think of the movies, books, teachers, and friends that have affected you most deeply. The world is changed not by those who do what has been done before them, but by those who do what has been done inside them. Creative people have an endless resource of ideas. The problem a creator faces is not running out of material; it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination.
【小題1】
.Imitation proves useful when you        .

A．know you are unique	B．lose the balance of life
C．begin to learn something new	D．get tired of routine practice

【小題2】
To avoid the bad result of imitation, we should________.

A．forget daily fear and pain	B．choose the right example
C．a(chǎn)sk others for decisions	D．stay away from stars

【小題3】
According to the author, the world moves on because of those who are          .

A．eager to influence others with their knowledge

B．ready to turn their original ideas into reality

C．eager to discover what their ancestors did

D．willing to accept others’ ideas

【小題4】
The trouble a creator faces is          .

A．the lack of strong motivation	B．the absence of practical ideas
C．how to search for more materials	D．how to use imagination creatively

【小題5】
The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to __________.

A．emphasize the importance of creativity.

B．criticize the characters of role models.

C．compare imitation with creation.

D．explain the meaning of success.

Last year, Jack Bleed cut through the bone of his ring finger while working. The 31-year-old resident of North Little Rock, Arkansas, waited for about six hours at a nearby medical center while the medical staff there called all over town — even as far away as Dallas and Memphis — to find a hand surgeon to reattach his finger. Finally, a willing doctor was located in Louisville, Kentucky. But even though Bleed had insurance(保險(xiǎn)), he would have to hire a private plane to get himself there, at a cost of $4,300. In the end, he charged the cost to two credit cards, and his finger was saved. His insurance company eventually covered the cost of the plane, but his experience makes people aware of the fact that trauma(外傷) care in the United States is not only geographically limited, but in many places, non-existent.
Only eight states — New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, New Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington — have local, fully functional trauma systems. The remaining states have partial systems, and 12 — including Arkansas — have no trauma system at all.
Although the President has signed a bill of $12 million for the purpose of supporting trauma care systems nationwide, many in Congress(國(guó)會(huì)) are unwilling to spend government money for a service they think should be paid for by states, says Wayne Meredith, medical director for trauma programs at the American College of Surgeons. Meanwhile, many states have also failed to find the dollars to support trauma systems. To make matters worse, many people without insurance depend heavily on the emergency care services, placing a huge financial burden on the medical centers that serve them.
For the same reason, doctors, too, often go unpaid. They are unwilling to perform emergency care, worsening critical shortages of neurosurgeons, orthopedists, and hand surgeons — the very types of specialists Bleed needed at short notice.
Supporting a trauma care system doesn’t take much. A half-penny sales tax in Miami-Dade County makes its outstanding system work. In Arkansas alone, says Wayne Meredith, a well-funded trauma system would possibly prevent 200 to 600 deaths each year. If trauma care systems were to work well across the nation, experts say, many thousands of lives each year could be saved. “You don’t get much better return on your investment than that,” Meredith says.
【小題1】
In Paragraph 1, the writer uses Bleed’s case to ______.

A．make a comparison	B．describe a person
C．introduce a topic	D．tell a story

【小題2】
Many people in Congress argue that trauma care systems should be supported by ______.

A．the President	B．each state
C．insurance companies	D．the US government

【小題3】
The example of Miami-Dade County shows that ______.

A．its tax policy is admirable

B．running a trauma system is profitable

C．a(chǎn) trauma system is not expensive

D．sales tax is not heavy in small counties

【小題4】
Why are the present trauma care systems in some states not satisfactory?

A．They are shared by all the states.

B．They are short of financial support.

C．The doctors are not well trained.

D．The hospitals can’t provide low-cost services.

For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing ---- sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.
The sales start on Boxing Day — 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30 am for the ‘Next’ clothing store’s sale which began at 4 am. Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line.
Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the bargain sales. The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London’s West End.
Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet — you’re likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks!
It’s a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there’s no better time to invest in some designer clothes.
Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale----a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own.
The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales!
【小題1】
In the sales, people can buy, at a very low price, all of the following except ______.

A．fashionable clothing	B．bestseller
C．TV sets	D．bookcases

【小題2】
We can learn from the passage that the sales ______.

A．a(chǎn)ctually start before the end of December	B．generally last for two months
C．basically benefit none of the people
D．a(chǎn)re a time to buy Christmas gifts in a romantic way

【小題3】
“Hit the shops” in the third paragraph means to ______.

A．a(chǎn)ttack the shops	B．a(chǎn)rrive at the shops
C．a(chǎn)ffect the shops	D．find the shops

【小題4】
What is the best title for this passage?

A．January Sales	B．Sales in London at Christmas
C．Practical but Unromantic Shopping	D．Shopping under One Roof

Hawaii has planned to be the first U.S. state to roll out（正式推出）electric car stations statewide --- a move towards weaning the islands off oil.
Hawaii, which is far away from the U.S. mainland, imports foreign oil for almost 90 percent of its energy needs. One–third of that oil is used to power cars and buses on island streets. This move will help Hawaii meet its goal of reducing fossil fuel use by 70 percent by 2030.
Better Place, a Palo Alto, California-based company, will build the car recharging stations and provide recharged batteries for electric cars. The company will purchase renewable energy --- such as wind power --- from Hawaiian Electric Co.
Better Place picked Hawaii for the first statewide rollout in part because the islands are a contained environment, with few vehicles (車輛) coming in and out. Better Place would need to build a bigger network across several states to serve some mainland markets. Hawaii also has rich renewable energy resources, including wind, solar and wave power. This is important because Better Place won’t use oil. Better Place plans to recharge its batteries at night with power from Hawaii’s wind farms. That power normally goes unused because of Hawaii’s low nighttime energy needs.
Hawaii is an ideal place to show off Better Place technology because the state welcomes over five million tourists each year from the U.S. mainland, Japan, Canada and the rest of the world. “If we can get them into electric cars when they rent, we do two great things,” Shai Agassi, Better Place’s founder and chief executive officer, said. “One, we avoid emissions （排放物）; two, we use the opportunity to educate them, to teach them in Hawaii how it needs to be done in the rest of the world.”
However, Hawaii doesn’t expect to spend any money to improve the network. Maybe it needs to offer tax breaks or other ways to encourage people to buy electric vehicles when they are first offered.
【小題1】
The underlined part “weaning the islands off oil” (in Para 1) probably means _________.

A．exploring the islands for oil

B．stopping Hawaii’s dependence on oil gradually

C．importing more oil from other islands

D．increasing the amount of oil used there

【小題2】
Why is Hawaii chosen to be the first state where car recharging stations will be built statewide? _________
①There are few cars in Hawaii.
②Hawaii can provide environmentally friendly energy.
③Plenty of oil has been found in Hawaii.
④Hawaii is separated from the mainland with few vehicles coming in and out.

A．①, ③

B．②, ③

C．②, ④

D．①, ④

【小題3】
When visitors to Hawaii rent electric cars, they _________.

A．will be taught it is necessary to do as Hawaiians do to protect the earth

B．will be offered tax breaks

C．need to be told what should be done before travelling

D．should be given the chance to try two things before driving

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

A．Better Place is a company producing electric cars

B．people are not encouraged to buy electric cars

C．electric cars will be recharged with power from renewable resources

D．Hawaii now has reduced the use oil by 90 percent

In America,drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum(課程). Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver’s education. However, unlike other courses,it is not given during the regular school year.Instead it is a summer course.?
The course is divided up into two parts:class time for learning laws and regulations, and driving time to practise driving.Class time is not unlike any other class. The students study the basic traffic laws from a text to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone who wants to get a driver’s license.
Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel (steering wheel) and practise starting steering,backing up,parking,switching lanes,turning corners,and all the other maneuvers (操作) required to drive a car.Each student is required to drive a total of six hours.The students are divided up into groups of four.The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time.Thus,each student gets half an hour driving time per outing.The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.
After the student has passed the driver’s education course and reached the appropriate age to drive(this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old),they can go to a designated(指定的) state office to take their driver’s test,which is made up of an eye examination,a written test,and a road test.The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver’s license.If the person did well in his or her driver’s education class,he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver’s license.?
【小題1】
.In America,the driver’s course mentioned above           .?

A．is considered as part of the advanced education?

B．is given to anyone wanting to get a driver’s license?

C．is carried on at the same time as other courses?

D．is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools

【小題2】
We can infer that the students are required to_________in their whole driving practice.

A．spend at least six hours driving	B．get half an hour driving
C．drive for two hour blocks of time	D．go out driving for tweleve times

【小題3】
Which of the following is Not True for the students wanting to get their driver’s license??

A．They must have their eyes examined.

B．They must be 16 years of age.?

C．They should go to have their driver’s test.

D．They ought to do well in their driver’s course.?

【小題4】
In the last sentence,“with flying colors” means           .?

A．happily

B．quickly

C．colorfully

D．?successfully

Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind.They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion (坐墊)on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory (掛件).
Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韓國(guó)外國(guó)語(yǔ)大學(xué)). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Greenhalgh, a professor, explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.
【小題1】
Why did Bloomsbury publish the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover?

A．Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults

B．Bloomsbury thinks it can attract more readers

C．Bloomsbury knows kidults prefer to chose books for adults in nature

D．Bloomsbury thinks the cover with an adult is better

【小題2】
Being a kidult is good in some way EXCEPT that _______.

A．it is helpful to solve some social problems

B．it can make people listen to their parents

C．it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids

D．it can help kidults feel relaxed

【小題3】
According to the writer, _______.

A．our society is very dull

B．kidults have mental problems

C．being a kidult is nothing wrong

D．some people can never grow up

Choosing a nice mountain bike for you is easier than learning how to ride it. Keep these tips in mind：
Decide how you are going to use your new mountain bike.
Are you a new rider who simply wants to travel outdoors on the weekend，weather permitting？Do you intend to test yourself on the rough roads，every day，rain or shine？Or are you going to use your new mountain bike to ride to and from school or work？Be honest about your intentions，and you’re more than half way toward choosing the right mountain bike for you.
Visit your local bike shops.
Any good bike shop will stock a wide range of quality mountain bikes in all price points and sizes. Your local bike shops will carry more than one brand of bicycle. Not only will they sell you a mountain bike that suits your needs，but they will service what they sell. Visit at least a few shops. You’ll get one that satisfies you right away.
Don’t be bashful.
Tell your salesperson how you intend to use your new mountain bike，and how much you are willing to spend. Your salesperson will show you a selection of models and brands accordingly. He or she will also help you determine the right size for you. You may ask more without any sense of shyness.
Take a test ride.
All good bike shops let customers take test rides. There’s a good reason for this beyond “try­before­you­buy” salesmanship. Since you already know your price range and find the right size，you now have to find out which brand you ride best. They want you to be happy with your purchase. After only a few test rides from more than one bike shop，the right mountain bike will choose you.
【小題1】
What would be the best title for the text?

A．How to Choose a Mountain Bike

B．How to Ride a Mountain Bike

C．Where to Ride Your Local Bike

D．Why to Take a Test Ride

【小題2】
The main purpose of visiting bike shops is________.

A．to share happiness with the salesperson

B．to seek a wide range of quality

C．to get a mountain bike that satisfies you

D．to service your new mountain bike

【小題3】
The underlined word “bashful” means________.

A．cold

B．pitiful

C．shy

D．helpful

【小題4】
Which of the following is probably the author’s attitude towards “try­before­you­buy” salesmanship?

A．Honorable.

B．Favorable.

C．Negative.

D．Suspicious(懷疑的).

The law says women should have the chance of doing the same jobs as men and earn the same as them. The reality is very different. Women lose because, 25 years after the Equal Pay Act, many of them still get paid less than men. They lose because they do lower－paid jobs which men just won’t consider. And they lose because they are the ones who interrupt a career to have children. All this is reported in an independent study ordered by the Government’s women’s unit. The biggest problem isn’t equal pay in workplaces such as factories. It is the sort of work women do.
Make a list of low－paid－jobs,  then consider who does them. Try nurses, secretaries, cleaners, clerks, teachers in primary schools, dinner ladies and child－care helpers. Not a lot of men among that group, are there? Yet some of those jobs are really important. Surely no one would deny that about nurses and teachers, for a start. So why do we reward the people who do them so poorly? There can be only one answer—because they are women. This is not going to be put right overnight. But the government, which employs a lot of them, and other bosses have to make a start.
It is disgraceful（可恥的） that we have gone into the 21st century still treating women like second－class citizens. 
【小題1】
Women should have the chance of doing the same jobs and getting the same pay as men_________.

A．a(chǎn)fter 25 years

B．a(chǎn)ccording to the law

C．a(chǎn)s a result of those important jobs

D．because women are as strong as men

【小題2】
．We can learn from the text that what really matters in this problem is_________.

A．that women interrupt a career to have children

B．what sort of work women do

C．because they are women

D．what unfair pay women get in workplaces

【小題3】
．Which of the following best describe the writer’s idea?

A．Women and men should get equal pay for equal work.

B．Women should strengthen themselves.

C．The government ought to protect women against getting paid less than men.

D．Some of the jobs that women do are of great importance.

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

A．Work to give women a fair pay deal	B．The equal pay act
C．The sort of work women do	D．The biggest problem about women