It happened to me recently.I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President.A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was，in his words，“a brilliantly (精彩地)written book”．However，he then went on to talk about Mr Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all.I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one.Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t.In the World Book Day’s“Report on Guilty Secrets”，Dreams From My Father is at number 9.The report lists ten books，and various authors，which people have lied about reading，and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out)，I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten.But I am pleased to say that，unlike 42 percent of people，I have read the book at number one，George Orwell’s 1984.I think it’s really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it.It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen，Charles Dickens，F(xiàn)yodor Dostoevsky (I haven’t read him，but haven’t lied about it either) and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied，the most common reason was to“impress”someone they were speaking to.This could be tricky if the conversation became more in­depth!
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy，people named J．K.Rowling，John Grisham，Sophie Kinsella (ah，the big sellers，in other words)．Forty­two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I’ll come clean：I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so)．
【小題1】How did the author find his friend a book liar?

A．By judging his manner of speaking.

B．By looking into his background.

C．By mentioning a famous name.

D．By discussing the book itself.

【小題2】Which of the following is a“guilty secret”according to the World Book Day report?

A．Charles Dickens is very low on the top­ten list.

B．42% of people pretended to have read 1984.

C．The author admitted having read 9 books.

D．Dreams From My Father is hardly read.

【小題3】By lying about reading，a person hopes to________.

A．control the conversation

B．a(chǎn)ppear knowledgeable

C．learn about the book

D．make more friends

【小題4】．What is the author’s attitude to 58% of readers?

A．Favorable.	B．Uncaring
C．Doubtful	D．Friendly

There are many differences between America and China. The biggest difference is traffic rules. In America there are too much more cars than in China. But there are much fewer traffic jams and accidents in America than in China. We hardly see traffic police in the street, but all cars obey strictly traffic rules, and people hardly find that a car does not obey traffic rules in the street.
About American traffic rules, there are many better terms, such as:
1. Stop line: There are stop lines in all crossing without traffic light (some have two stop lines and others have four stop lines). All cars must stop while meeting the stop line.
2. Traffic light: There is traffic light in the crossing of the road. Cars may almost turn every direction. The traffic light can give signal step by step including u-turn. There is a kind of middle lane of turning left. When a car wants to turn left in the road, he may enter into the middle lane of turning left and give a signal of turning left. When he thinks being safe, he may turn left. In many conditions the order of passing is also given very specifically. If people want to change lane or turn, they must look behind and think being safe. Only so, they may do it.
3. Specific item: Such as parking, there are three kinds of lines (their colors are white, blue or red) in the roadside. Every line may park different kinds of cars. There are many streets in some residential areas (住宅區(qū)), and there is a kind of rule that any car cannot park at any time or any period time. In every parking, there are some special positions for invalid (傷殘的) people.
4. About the priority of passenger and car: At any case, passengers have the priority to cars. And only after passengers have passed the road and got the top of sidestep, cars may go ahead.
In general, traffic rules of America are very specific, convenient, safe and humanizing.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT the reason why we can hardly see traffic police in the street in America?

A．Traffic police are not very necessary because few cars break traffic rules.

B．The traffic is very clear and there are few traffic jams and accidents in the street.

C．There are so many cars in the street that the traffic police can’t be seen.

D．The effective traffic rules play an important part in the road safety.

【小題2】Why is there a middle lane of turning left on the road?

A．It is designed for the cars that want to turn left.

B．It is very safe to drive there.

C．It is very convenient for the traffic police to find the cars that break the rules.

D．The cars that want to turn left can easily give a signal of turning left.

【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．In America, all cars in the crossing must stop when they meet the stop line.

B．In America, any car cannot park in the streets in some residential areas.

C．If people want to turn, they can obey the guide of the traffic police.

D．There are more traffic jams in China.

【小題4】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．American Traffic Rules

B．Differences in Traffic Rules between China and America

C．Traffic Jams in America

D．American People Who Obey Traffic Rules

There is an endless supply of stories about sleepwalkers(夢(mèng)游者). People have been said to climb on roofs, solve mathematical problems, write music, walk through windows, and do murder in their sleep.
In Revere, Massachusetts, a hundred policemen searched for a lost boy who left his home in his sleep and woke up five hours later on a strange sofa in a strange living room, with no idea how he had got there.
At the University of Lowa, a student was reported to have the habit of getting up in the middle of the night and walking three-quarters of a mile to the Lowa River. He would take a swim and then go back to his room to bed.
An American expert on sleep claims(聲稱) that he has never seen a sleepwalker. He is said to know more about sleep than any other living man, and during the last thirty-five years he has lost a lot of sleep watching people sleep. He says, “Of course, I know that there are sleepwalkers because I have read about them in the newspapers. But none of my sleepers ever walked, and if I were to advertise for sleepwalkers for an experiment, I doubt whether I would get many takers(應(yīng)征者).”
Sleepwalking, however, is a scientific reality. It is one of those strange things that sometimes look quite fantastic(奇特的). Doctors say that sleepwalking is much more common than is generally supposed. Many sleepwalkers do not try to find help and their sleepwalking is never recorded.
【小題1】Generally speaking, sleepwalkers are people who __________.

A．do fantastic things during their sleep

B．walk through windows

C．climb on roofs

D．walk in a half-awake state

【小題2】It was reported that a boy ________.

A．was found on a strange sofa, telling how he had got there

B．lost his way five hours after he left home

C．slept in his own room but woke up in a strange room

D．was searched for by policemen when he lost his way

【小題3】There was a college student who got into the habit of _______.

A．walking three-quarters of a mile every day

B．getting up in the middle of the night and walking down to the river

C．swimming in the Lowa River before going to bed

D．walking about before he went to bed

【小題4】Why do people think sleepwalking is nothing but a fantastic thing which doesn’t have any explanation?

A．It is so common that it needn’t be recorded.

B．Scientists take no interest in it.

C．No records about it have been made.

D．Most sleepwalkers do not seek help for their problem.

Water is the most common substance(物質(zhì)) found on the earth, but less than 1% of the earth’s water is suitable for drinking. More than 1,000,000,000 people around the world survive on just over 1 galon of water a day. Probebly more than 3,000,000,000 people may suffer from not having enough water by the year 2025. You are considered lucky if you live in a country where you can drink water out of your kitchen tap or bathroom tap. People in some countries have to pay for drinking water at home. So clean water is one of our most valuabe natural resources(資源).
In fact, peole waste so much clean water today. In factories lots of water is wasted. At home many people are not taking showers but still baths, and many are brushing their teeth with the tap turned on. Children are no longer taught how to save water….
You can save clean water in many ways. For example, if you keep gold fish, the tank water excellent for graden plants. And when you wash a milk bottle, pour the water on your house plants. Putting a brick or a water into your toilet tank many help use less water, saving many gallons over a long time.
Using rainwater is another simple way to save clean water. You can use rainwater to wash your hands after gardening, flush the toilet, and wash your car, your pet, your driveway when they are dirty.
For the same reason, people in Malaysia are encourageed to use rainwater. If one has a house with a small garden, he would buy a huge plastic tank to keep rainwater for their daily life.
【小題1】We can learn from the passage ______.

A．when man can’t live without water

B．where there is no water resource

C．why there is less water on the earth

D．how important it is to save water

【小題2】According to the passage, one of the ways to save water is _______.

A．to stop keeping gold fish

B．to pay much for drinking water

C．to use it in a clever way

D．to educate those who waste water

【小題3】The underlined word “flush” in Paragraph 4 means “_______”.

A．clean something with water

B．pour water over something

C．make somehting wet with water

D．get water out of someghing

【小題4】People are ecouraged to use rainwater _______.

A．so that is can make our life easier

B．so that clean water can be kept for other uses

C．because is it free and easy to get

D．because there is no claen water left for them

Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Website you’ve visited，Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girl friend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen --- the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times.But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs (碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.”
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收費(fèi)站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acauisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (優(yōu)惠卷).
But privacy does matter - at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.
【小題1】What does the author mean by saying “the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked” (Para. 2)?

A．People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.

B．In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets.

C．People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.

D．Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.

【小題2】What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A．Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B．There should be a distance even between friends.

C．Friends should always be faithful to each other.

D．There should be fewer disputes between friends.

【小題3】Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret” ( para. 3)?

A．People leave traces around when using modern technology.

B．Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.

C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.

D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.

【小題4】What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?

A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.

B．They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.

C．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

D．They rely most and more on electronic devices.

【小題5】According to the passage, privacy is like health in that         .

A．people will make every effort to keep it

B．its importance is rarely understood

C．it is something that can easily be lost

D．people don’t cherish it until they lose it

It was a comfortable sunny Sunday. I was going to meet an old university friend I hadn't seen for years, and was really excited to hear all his news.
My train was running a little late, but that was no big problem - I could text him to say I would be delayed. He would understand. But… where was my mobile phone? I had that familiar sinking feeling. Yes, I'd forgotten it at home.
No mobile phone. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling anxious, on edge and worried when I don't have my phone with me. In fact, I know I'm not alone: two-thirds of us experience ‘nomophobia’, the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.
That's according to a study from 2012 which surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about their relationship with mobile phones.
It says we check our mobile phones 34 times a day, that women are more ‘nomophobic’than men, and that 18-24 year-olds are the most likely to suffer fear of being without their mobiles: 77% of them say they are unable to be apart from their phones for more than a few minutes.
Do you have nomophobia ?
· You never turn your phone off
· You obsessively check for texts, missed calls and emails· You always take your phone to the bathroom with you· You never let the battery run out
It's funny to think that around 20 years ago the only people with mobile phones would be businessperson carrying their large, plastic ‘bricks’.   Of course, these days, mobile phones are everywhere. A UN study from this year said mobile phone subscriptions would outnumber people across the world by the end of 2014.
And when there are more phones than people in the world, maybe it's time to ask who really is in charge? Are you in control of your phone, or does your phone control you?
So, what happened with my university friend? When I arrived a few minutes late he just laughed and said: "You haven't changed at all – still always late!" And we had a great afternoon catching up, full of jokes and stories, with no interruptions and no nagging(嘮叨的) desire to check my phone.
Not having it with me felt strangely liberating. Maybe I'll leave it at home on purpose next time.
【小題1】What does the passage talk about ?

A．The history of mobiles.

B．The story of meeting an old university friend.

C．The addiction of playing mobile phone.

D．The terrible feeling of being without their mobiles.

【小題2】The underlined phrase “ on edge ”in the third paragraph probably means_______.

A． nervous

B．energetic

C．crazy

D．surprised

【小題3】Which word is used to describe old mobile phones according to the passage?

A．digital phone

B．cell phone

C．bricks

D．smart phone

【小題4】According to the passage, who is most likely to be addicted to mobiles ?

A．a(chǎn) successful manager	B．a(chǎn) 21-year-old girl
C．a(chǎn) 21-year-old boy	D．a(chǎn) lonely middle-aged person

【小題5】What’s the author’s attitude towards the using mobiles ?

A．Worried

B．Favorable

C．Neutral

D．Critical

The Great Barn Adventure
One morning when I was 11, I explored the town’s abandoned round grain barn（谷倉(cāng)）. I found a chained sliding door that was wide enough for me to pass through.
Inside, there was a heavy smell of dead mice in the dark. After my eyes adjusted, I noticed a shaft (升降機(jī)井) that rose all the way to the top of the barn. On one side was a one-man elevator with a long rope and roller.
I stepped onto the platform and gave the rope a drag and the elevator began sliding up the shaft, but stopped halfway. After a brief panic attack, I noticed holes in the wall at regular intervals, forming a ladder. For reasons known only to an 11-year-old, I decided it would be better to go up than down. So, with shaking hands, I began climbing the wall.
After what seemed like forever, I reached the top of the shaft. I stood up, dusted myself off and found absolutely nothing of interest. It was just an empty room with a ladder leading up to the roof. I climbed all the way up here for this? Then I noticed a fire extinguisher（滅火器）,which I’d always wanted to shoot off. So this was the chance of a lifetime. I tried it, and, much to my surprise, the thing worked! It shot out a thick cloud of powder that instantly filled the room. I couldn’t breathe. I was going to choke to death, and they’d probably never even find my body.
Luckily, I remembered the ladder to the roof. I climbed up, popped the straw roof and saw a bright blue sky.
I suddenly realized the dust and powder pouring out of the top could draw attention. So when the dust had settled, I climbed down and slipped out of the chained door. I’m not sure if I was more excited about being alive or about not being caught, but I ran all the way back home.
【小題1】When the author got inside the barn, he _______.

A．noticed a man on the elevator

B．opened the chained sliding door

C．saw many dead mice in the dark

D．found a shaft leading to the top

【小題2】Which of the following is the right order of the author’s adventure?
a. The elevator stopped halfway.
b. He entered the round grain barn.
c. He climbed to the top of the shaft.
d. He found a fire extinguisher and shot it off.

A．b-a-c-d

B．a(chǎn)-c-b-d

C．c-a-d-b

D．b-c-a-d

【小題3】After getting out of the chained door, the author might feel _______.

A．inspired

B．relieved

C．surprised

D．disappointed

【小題4】From the passage, we can learn that the author was probably a boy full of _______.

A．passions

B．dreams

C．curiosity

D．imagination

Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents，photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish them in books and on the Internet.
【小題1】The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to        .

A．beauties

B．photos

C．goods

D．events

【小題2】The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos           .

A．a(chǎn)re also works of art

B．a(chǎn)re popular ways of reporting news

C．often shock the public

D．can serve as a force for social change

【小題3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．News with pictures is encouraging.

B．Photos help people improve their life

C．News photos mean history in a sense.

D．People prefer reading news with pictures.

【小題4】The text is mainly about      .

A．telling the story through pictures

B．decorating the walls of homes

C．publishing historical papers

D．expressing feeling through pictures

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
【小題1】Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?

A．He was silent most of the time.

B．He was too proud of himself.

C．He did not love his children.

D．He expected too much of her.

【小題2】When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.

A．nervous

B．sorry

C．tired

D．safe

【小題3】What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A．More critical.	B．More talkative
C．Gentle and friendly.	D．Strict and hard-working.

【小題4】The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

A．the author’s son	B．the author’s father
C．the friend of the author’s father	D．the café owner

Do you know how to use a mobile phone without being rude to the people around you?
　　Talking during a performance irritates (激怒) people. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the exit doors and set your phone to vibrate (振動(dòng)). When your mobile phone vibrates, you can leave quietly and let the others enjoy the performance.
　　Think twice before using mobile phones in elevators, museums, churches or other indoor public places—especially enclosed spaces. Would you want to listen to someone’s conversation in these places? Worse yet, how would you feel if a mobile phone rang suddenly during a funeral! It happens more often than you think. Avoid these embarrassing situations by making sure your mobile phone is switched off.
　　When eating at a restaurant with friends, don’t place your mobile phone on the table. This conveys the message that your phone calls are more important than those around you.
　　Mobile phones have sensitive microphones that allow you to speak at the volume you would on a regular phone. This enables you to speak quietly so that others won’t hear the details of your conversations. If you are calling from a noisy area, use your hand to direct your voice into the microphone.
　　Many people believe that they can’t live without their mobile phone. Owning a mobile phone definitely makes life more convenient, but limit your conversations to urgent ones and save the personal calls until you are at home.
【小題1】What should you do when you need to answer a phone call during a performance?

A．Call back after the performance.	B．Answer it near the exit door.
C．Talk outside the exit door.	D．Speak in a low voice.

【小題2】 Putting your mobile phone on a restaurant table may make your friends think_____.

A．you prefer to talk to your friends at the table

B．you value your calls more than your friends

C．you are enjoying the company of your friends

D．you are polite and considerate of your friends

【小題3】When you are calling in a noisy area, you are advised to _____.

A．use a more sensitive microphone

B．shout loudly into your microphone

C．go away quietly to continue the phone call

D．use your hand to help speak into the phone

【小題4】The author implies that the use of mobile phones in such places as museums should be_____.

A．limited

B．expected

C．encouraged

D．recommended