"He who can have patience can have what he wants," said Benjamin Franklin. They say patience is a virtue (美德) seldom found in women and never in men. This may or may not be true, but it's fair to say that there is nobody on the earth who couldn't benefit from more patience.
Patience is necessary for success.
It is said that "all good things come to those who wait". Many of the great scientists have remarked that their scientific discoveries came only through patient perseverance (堅持). Edison said, "Genius was 99% perspiration and only 1% inspiration." Patience teaches us to value the effort and not just the success. It is a mistake to think that happiness can only be obtained through achievements.
Patience brings peace of mind.
When we desire certain outcomes (結(jié)果), we'll have no peace of mind. Even if one desire is filled, the nature of desire is that more will appear in its place. There is no end to human desires. Patience means we will work with an attitude of detachment (超然).
Patience can transform suffering into joy.
Throughout life we suffer injustice; the best healer is patience. Through being patient and accepting our situation, it's quite possible for our suffering to be transformed.
Sri Chinmoy said, "If failure has the strength to turn your life into bitterness itself, then patience has the strength to turn your life into the sweetest joy."
【小題1】Whose saying supports the idea that patience makes a person joyful?

A．Franklin's

B．Edison's

C．Chinmoy's

D．Einstein's

【小題2】In the writer's opinion, _____ .

A．human desires will easily be filled

B．patience is a virtue seldom found in a person

C．happiness can only be obtained through success

D．patience is the best medicine of suffering

【小題3】How is the whole passage organized?

A．General-detail-general.	B．General-detail.
C．Detail-general-detail.	D．Detail-general.

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．We All Need Patience	B．Patience Means Success
C．Benefits of Patience	D．We Should Not Be patient

We all know that theme parks are places to have fun and amuse ourselves, but among so many exciting rides there are also some dangers, Make sure you know what the safety standards are for all the attractions at the park. If you do that , you will be safe and have fun.
Drink water. Believe it or not , dehydration-- when your body doesn’t have enough water--is the commonest cause of injuries at theme parks. Drinking water while you are at the park is not enough.You must make sure that you drink enough water before your visit.
Use your “common sense”. There are lots of people around , so make sure where your friends or family are .Also ,if you are walking and want to stop , make sure nobody is walking behind you. First step aside,then look behind and if you aren’t in anybody’s way,then stop.It might sound exaggerated(夸張的),but crashes between people can cause accidents.
Follow the instructions. The majority of theme parks have instructions for each ride. Some rides only allow people of a certain height. So make sure you are not too tall or too short before boarding any ride. Also, people with certain diseases or conditions are advised not to go on some rides. Do remember : If you are told not to go on a ride, then DON’T.
Do not ride with a bad atomach or if you’ve just eaten. Rides can make you ill because of their violent changes of direction and your lunch may end up on someone else’s head: surely not a very pleasant experience.
Have fun, relax, and be a little brave!
Some rides might look scary but theme parks are very safe places.
【小題1】What is the leading reason for injuries at theme parks?

A．Snow

B．Dehydration

C．Fire

D．Crashes

【小題2】According to the author,____.

A．it doesn’t pay to go to theme parks

B．people can have lots of fun in theme parks

C．men are more interested in theme parks than women

D．shy people should not go to theme parks

【小題3】Which of the following will the author accept?

A．Children should notplay in theme parks.

B．One shouldn’t eat anything before riding.

C．One must always stay with his friends or family in theme parks.

D．One must read the instructions before playing in theme parks.

When was the last time you were late and expected someone to understand? How about the time you left your dishes on the table for someone else to clean up? Or perhaps you left the lid on the peanut butter jar loose, and the person after you opened the jar to find it dry and not fresh.
Often, we are eager to ignore our own faults. But we have higher standards when it comes to our expectations of someone else who has the same expectations. We need to as equally understand the weaknesses of others and excuse them just as we excuse ourselves.
Two of my strengths are punctuality(準時) and organization. I like to meet deadlines when they are due and keep the space around my computer neat and orderly. But sometimes things happen, and I slip from being perfect. When this happens, I show myself mercy and lower the standard for myself. However, if someone else makes a mess around my computer, I might not show them as much mercy as I show myself. If it can happen to me, then I should be willing to realize that it can happen to someone else as well.
I am not suggesting that we should not work on improving our faults, or that it should be right to be late or leave a mess behind us. Although we should always be working towards self-improvement, we shouldn’t have a double standard that says we are excused from our own mistakes but we cannot excuse someone else. If we are not 100-percent perfect, we shouldn’t expect others to be.
Mercy shows an understanding heart. If we are blind to our own faults, we will not be very merciful towards others. Showing a little mercy goes a long way when life’s little mistakes take place. When the tables are turned, showing mercy towards someone’s shortcomings could cause us to receive some in return.
【小題1】From the first paragraph we can learn that________________.

A．we all make a mess sometimes

B．we all need private space

C．we should accept others’ help with gratitude

D．we should not open the lid on the peanut butter jar

【小題2】How does the author develop the third paragraph?

A．By raising questions.	B．By giving examples.
C．By analyzing opinions.	D．By showing research findings

【小題3】The underlined part,   “When the tables are turned” in the last paragraph, can be best replaced by____________.

A．“When good luck comes”	B．“When benefits increase”
C．“When our mistakes happen”	D．“When the situation is changed”

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

A．Changing Bad Daily Habits	B．Excusing Our Own Faults
C．Being Merciful Toward Others	D．Working Toward Self-improvement

Su Hua is studying at Cambridge, UK. She has bought a bicycle and is worried about security. Her friend, Kate, found this article and sent it to her. www.zxxk.com
Introduction
A lot of crime is against bicycles. About 150,000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found. You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps.
Basic Security
Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places. Always lock your bicycle when you leave. Secure it to lampposts or trees. Take off smaller parts and take them with you, for example lights and saddles(車座).
Locks
Get a good lock. There are many different types in the shop. Buy one that has been tested against attack. Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop.
Marking
Security marking your bike can act as a deterrent(威懾) to a thief. It can also help the police find your bicycle. It should be clearly written and include your postcode and your house or flat number. This will provide a simple way to identify your bicycle.
Registration
There are a number of companies who will mark your bicycle for you. They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database. Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you.
Finally
Keep a record of the bicycle yourself: its make, model and registration number. You can even take a photograph of it, this will prove the bicycle belongs to you.
【小題1】Which part of the article gives you information on how to lock up your bicycle when you leave it?

A．Locks

B．Marking

C．Registration

D．Basic Security

【小題2】The article advises you to keep a record of your bicycle ____________.

A．in the bike shop and your computer

B．in a police station and security company

C．in a security company and your university

D．by yourself and in a security company

【小題3】Which of the following statements is true?

A．More than 150,000 bicycles are stolen every year.

B．Leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places.

C．Taking a photograph of your bike will help prove the bicycle belongs to you.

D．Always lock your bicycle even if you don’t leave.

【小題4】The main purpose of this article is _____________.

A．to tell you what to do if your bicycle is stolen

B．to suggest ways of keeping your bicycle safe

C．to give you advice on where to buy a good lock

D．to say why you shouldn’t keep your bicycle in a quiet place

Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. His purpose is settled and decided in advance. He knows what he wants, and his objective is to find it and buy it; the price is a secondary consideration. All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want. If the shop has it in stock, the salesman promptly produces it, and the business of trying it on follows at once. All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes, with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction.
For a man, slight problems may begin when the shop does not have what he wants, or does not have exactly what he wants. In that case the salesman, as the name implies, tries to sell the customer something else, he offers the nearest he can to the article required. No good salesman brings out such a substitute impolitely; he does so with skill: “I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It happens to be the color you mentioned.” Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual response is: “This is the right color and may be the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on.”    
Now how does a woman go about buying clothes? In almost every respect she does so in the opposite way. Her shopping is not often based on need. She has never fully made up her mind what she wants, and she is only “having a look round”. She is always open to persuasion; indeed she sets great store by what the saleswoman tells her, even by what companions tell her. She will try on any number of things. Uppermost in her mind is the thought of finding something that everyone thinks suits her. Contrary to a lot of jokes, most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always on the lockout for the unexpected bargain. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one rail to another, to and fro, often retracing her steps, before selecting the dresses she wants to try on. It is a laborious process, but apparently an enjoyable one. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands.
【小題1】The passage mainly talks about ________.

A．differences between men and women shoppers

B．A man goes shopping because he needs something

C．How women go about buying clothes.

D．Women are better at shopping than men

【小題2】The underlined sentence “the price is a secondary consideration” in the first paragraph means when a man is shopping ________.

A．he buys good quality things, so long as they are not too dear

B．he buys whatever he likes without considering its value

C．he does not mind how much he has to pay for the right things

D．he often buy things without giving the matter proper thought.

【小題3】What does a man do when he can not get exactly what he wants?

A．He buys a similar thing because of the color he wants.

B．He usually does not buy anything.

C．At least two of his requirements must be met before he buys.

D．So long as the style is right, he buys the thing.

【小題4】What is the most obvious difference between men and women shoppers?

A．Men do not try clothes on in a shop while women do.

B．Women bargain for their clothes, but men do not.

C．The time they take over buying clothes.

D．Men go shopping based on need, but women never.

It is often said that you cannot “teach an old dog new tricks”, but three New Zealand dogs have decided to prove otherwise by learning a skill --- driving a car!
What's even more impressive is that the three who have become skilled in just eight weeks are not special dogs that belong to some rich owners, but abandoned ones at New Zealand's SPCA.
To get their training started, 10-month old Porter, 18-month-old Monty and one-year-old Ginny were selected from a pool of seven potential candidates and moved to Animal Q, a talent agency that teaches animals tricks for movies and television shows.
The driving classes began with teaching the dogs some basic driving techniques like turning the steering wheels（方向盤）and applying the brakes. After that the dogs practiced everything they had learnt behind the wheels of a motorized（裝上發(fā)動機的）car. Then finally, it was time for the big test--- driving a real car!
Human cars are not really built for four-legged animals, so the car they drove was adjusted so that the dogs could sit comfortably and easily reach the steering wheel with their paws.
Though they all seemed to do very well, the real test came on Monday night when Monty, the best driver of the three, showed his great driving skill on live television.
Why would the SPCA go through so much trouble to highlight the skills of homeless dogs?  The reason is to show that adopting a dog from a shelter does not mean owners are getting a pet that is worse than one purchased from a keeper. The CEO of the SPCA is hoping that this unusual event will be enough to convince the residents of New Zealand to consider them, when searching for a pet.
We surely hope so, meanwhile we are almost certain that these three pioneers have at least landed their names in the Guinness World Records, creating a category that probably does not even exist today!
【小題1】Who do the three dogs belong to?

A．Some rich owners.

B．Animal Q.

C．A shelter.

D．A zoo.

【小題2】The car the dogs drove was adjusted ______.

A．because is was too big for the dogs to drive

B．because it had no steering wheels and brakes

C．to ensure the dogs could sit comfortably and drive easily

D．to motorize the car and turn it to be a real one

【小題3】Which is the right order of the following events?
a. Teaching the dogs some basic driving techniques.
b. Selecting three dogs and moving them to Animal Q.
c. The dogs practiced everything they had learnt in a motorized car.
d. Choosing the best driver to show his great driving skill on live television.
e. Driving a real car.

A．a(chǎn)-b-c- d-e

B．b-a-c-e-d

C． b- d- a-c-e

D．a(chǎn)- e- c-b-d

【小題4】Why does the SPCA decide to teach the three dogs to learn to drive a car?

A．To prove old dogs can learn new tricks.

B．To teach them performing tricks for movies and television shows.

C．To provide amusing performances for homeless children

D．To encourage people to adopt the abandoned dogs.

【小題5】What can we learn from the passage?

A．A new Guinness category for driving dogs will probably be created.

B．Abandoned dogs are much cleverer than house-kept ones.

C．All the dogs at New Zealand’s SPCA will soon be adopted.

D．New Zealand has the most homeless dogs among all countries

It’s common to hear the honking of horns in New York. Whoever tries every day to get more than a few minutes of sleep in the city will tell you that he could do nothing about it! Honking of horns is just one of their most widely enjoyed pastimes.
But Aaron, a Japanese website developer has had enough of it. Once, the 31-year-old man approached the open window to wait for the driver to finish honking, delivered a polite "excuse me" and then yelled " Ho-o-o-o-onk!", which suggests fierce anger in Japan. Then he threw three eggs from the window of his apartment on to a passing car honking loudly below when his patience was worn out. Instead of apologizing to him, the driver threatened to kill him angrily. So, nobly, Aaron turned to non-violence. He started writing anti-honking haiku verses, a form of Japanese poetry, and submitted them to local newspapers:
Oh .forget Enron;
The problem around here is;
All the damn honking
(Enron_: a major American company that recently caused a scandal by going bankrupt be­cause of corrupt(腐敗) mismanagement)
"Then this kind of chain reaction started happening," Aaron says. "All these other haiku star­ted appearing that I haven't written." Aaron’ s community is now covered in anti - hon­king poetry, written by all walks of life, ranging from scary environmental activist types to violent revolutionaries:
Patience slowly fades;
Residents store up their eggs;
That day is coming soon.
It’s no surprise that Aaron has started a website — www. honku. org — and now people from across the country send him news of their own anti - honking activities. It seems that poetry can change the world after all. Then, just recently, anti-anti- honking haiku started to appear, taped up by locals who thought Aaron should stop worrying about honking and start wor­rying about starving children, say, or war in the  Middle East instead. Aaron has an answer for that. "Stop me if this is too tenuous(不靠譜的) ," he says," but they talk about the violence in the Middle East like it' s a force of nature, like it' s beyond our control. But actually it's kind of like the honking - the violence is man -made. If we can figure out how to stop honking on the streets, I think we could learn some things that we could use on a large scale. "
【小題1】The first paragraph of the passage is intended to tell us that_______.

A．New Yorkers have formed a habit of honking while driving

B．most New Yorkers enjoy sleeping late in the morning

C．honking noise has influenced people's life in New York

D．New Yorkers enjoy listening to the honking of horns

【小題2】What is Aaron’s final response to the frequent honking of horns?

A．Pretended to ignore it.

B．Screamed at the driver.

C．Acted in a peaceful way.

D．Complained to the government.

【小題3】According to the passage, most New Yorkers think Aaron's response is ___.

A．pointless

B．a(chǎn)bnormal

C．sensitive

D．a(chǎn)cceptable

【小題4】Faced with the criticism of his anti-honking campaign, Aaron notes that___.

A．fierce violence in the Middle East is more of an issue worthy of concern

B．finding the solution to anti - honking is as meaningful as that to starvation

C．big issues are beyond our control while small ones are under our control

D．if not handled properly, honking may cause serious problems like starvation

If Confucius(孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be many candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought.  It’s nothing personal.  Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius.  In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities.  More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries.  These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲學）.  Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy.  Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.  So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States.  Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
【小題1】The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．a(chǎn)ttract the readers’ interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

【小題2】We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

【小題3】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

【小題4】The passage is likely to appear in ___________.

A．a(chǎn) biography	B．a(chǎn) history paper
C．a(chǎn) newspaper	D．a(chǎn) philosophy textbook

Being safe in your everyday life needs knowledge(知識)．If you remember the following information，your life will be much safer．
Always notice the environment around you．You shouldn’t walk alone outside．Make sure where the public phones are．If anything dangerous happens，you can find them easily．
Your bag should be carried towards the front of your body instead of putting it on your back．When a bus is full of people, it is easy enough for a thief to take away the things in the bag on your back．
If you are followed by someone whom you don’t know, cross the street and go to the other way，let the person understand that you know he or she is after you．Next，don’t go home at once．You are safer in the street than you are alone in your home or in a lift(電梯)．
If you have to take a bus to a place far away, try to get to the stop a few minutes earlier before the bus leaves．This stops other people from studying you．On the bus，don’t sit alone．Sit behind the driver or with other people．Don’t sleep．
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT safe when you are out?

A．Go home alone late at night．

B．Make sure where the public phones are．

C．Don’t get to the bus stop too early．

D．Always notice the environment around you．

【小題2】When you are followed by someone on your way home，you should  to make yourself safe．

A．run home

B．find a lift and go in

C．turn back and walk towards him or her at once

D．cross the street and go to the other way

【小題3】What can you learn from the text?

A．How to notice the environment around you.

B．How to be safe in your everyday life.

C．How to cross the street.

D．How to use the public phones.

When asked why he or she wears clothes, some people will probably answer "to keep warm and to cover my body". These are the basic reasons why clothes are worn, but people also want to look attractive and appear successful to others.
If people only wore clothes for warmth and to cover their bodies, most clothes would be simple and cheap. In most Western countries, however, clothes are sometimes very expensive. The main reason for this is not the cost of the cloth or the cost of making the clothes. The clothes are expensive because of fashion.
Successful businessmen, for example, often wear very expensive suits, shirts and ties. Sometimes they pay thousands of dollars for a suit and hundreds of dollars for a tie. It’s just a suit and a tie but they pay these prices because of the famous name of the designer. A suit costing much less would be just as warm and would cover the wearer's body just as well.
Fashion is always changing, which means those who want to be fashionable have to buy new clothes every few months, even if last month's clothes have only been worn once or twice. Some people have wardrobes full of clothes that have hardly been worn but are no longer in fashion. Being fashionable, therefore, can be a very expensive pastime!
【小題1】 What do people basically wear clothes for?

A．Looking attractive to others.	B．Following the fashion.
C．Appearing successful to others.	D．Keeping warm and covering bodies.

【小題2】The main reason why clothes are sometimes very expensive is that _______.

A．one has to buy new clothes	B．these clothes are in fashion
C．the cost of the cloth is high	D．making clothes costs much

【小題3】 We can learn from the passage that _______.

A．expensive clothes are not any warmer than cheap ones

B．fashion is not always changing

C．expensive clothes are warmer

D．fashion designers like expensive clothes

【小題4】What does the underlined word “wardrobes” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Fashionable clothes shops.	B．The clothes that some people have.
C．Cupboards for storing clothes.	D．Shelves used for keeping books.

【小題5】 What is the passage mainly about?

A．Suits and ties.	B．Clothes and fashion.
C．Beauty and success.	D．Cost and pastime.