On Saturday, Feb 12, 2000, two things happened that changed my life.
First of all, my baby sister got married. She was 26 this day, and yet to me she was still my baby sister.
I was happy, but also sad. Gone were the days of me bossing(支使) her around. My bossy behavior had once earned me the nickname Lucy. If you’re a fan of Peanuts, then you can clearly imagine my behavior as an older sister.
At one point, I left the wedding reception to get some air. I went outside and walked to a nearby playground. I’m not sure how long I sat there before my sister came and joined me. We talked about how we were both grown up. As she wiped a tear from my eye, she lovingly said, “You’ll always be Lucy to me.” We hugged.
Then, my cousin Mike walked over to tell us that it was time to cut the cake, and the second thing that changed my life that day came to pass.
“Hey, did you guys hear that Charles Schulz died today?” he said casually – as if it were no big deal. Then he took my sister’s arm and they turned to head back to the reception hall. “Coming?” they asked. “In a minute,” I replied, and I sat back down on the bench, dizzy from what Mike had just told me.
How could Charles Schulz be dead? He was my creator! He was almost like a father to me!
I had lost so many things on that day. My innocence had slipped away like a thief in the night. It was gone before I could do anything about it, taking with it all the treasures that I had held in my heart. I felt myself grow up in an instant. I saw, for the first time, what I really was – a 30-year-old woman with a husband of my own, and soon, a child of my own.
I took a deep breath and stood up from the bench. I turned and headed back to the hall, hoping I hadn’t missed the cutting of the cake. It was the day that my sister grew wings of her own and left the nest – the day that Lucy died, and I was born.
【小題1】Why did the author feel sad at her sister’s wedding?

A．She was afraid of change.

B．Her sister was getting ready to move far away from her.

C．Her wonderful childhood with her sister had become a thing of the past.

D．She had nobody to turn to for help with housework.

【小題2】When the author’s cousin told her that Charles Schulz had died, she __________.

A．felt a great sense of loss

B．burst into tears

C．thought he was joking

D．got angry at him for his attitude

【小題3】What is implied when the author says that “Lucy died, and I was born”?

A．The author has realized how her sister must have felt about her and decided to change.

B．Lucy no longer matters to the author.

C．The author doesn’t like the nickname Lucy anymore.

D．The author is no longer sad and ready to face the fact that she is an adult.

【小題4】The best title of the passage can be __________.

A．Two things changing my life

B．My baby sister’s wedding

C．Not Lucy anymore

D．Not innocent anymore

Sharing Beauty
It was in October. I was aimlessly wandering down the street, heading into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but it seemed everyone was in a hurry.
I took the next-best action. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet. She hesitated, and then seemingly against her better judgment, she moved toward the door.
When she got outside I said to her, “Just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone.”
For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.” I thanked her for coming out to see it; she went back inside and I left. It felt good to share the beauty.
Four years later my situation changed greatly. I came to the end of a twenty-year marriage. I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life. I lived in a trailer park which, at the time, I considered a real come-down, and I had to do my wash in the community laundry room.
One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: clothing sales in a department store.
Then something that happened to her changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world,” and she had realized the truth in that statement. From that moment on, she turned her life around.
【小題1】The author asked the woman to go outside to ______.

A．a(chǎn)dmire the sunset

B．cheer her up

C．offer some help

D．have a chat

【小題2】Four years later, the author ______.

A．found her dream job

B．put an end to her marriage

C．worked in a laundry room

D．lived in the same community

【小題3】After reading the article in the magazine, the author was probably______.

A．disappointed

B．puzzled

C．inspired

D．overjoyed

When it comes to relationship, we spend a lot of time discussing their joys, but rarely talk about the pain when they break down. Yet most people have a story about a broken relationship.
For Jane Black, a six-year friendship ended when her friend was rude to one of her children. “After quite a few drinks at a party in my house, she said something rude to my child. I ended the friendship face to face at the party,” she says. “I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time, I was simply standing up for my child, but in her eyes any challenge was a betrayal.”
When Angela Thompson noticed a seven-year friendship disappearing, she let it go. “I didn’t know how to deal with the issue. I didn’t sit down for a grown-up conversation; I just walked away quietly.” The decision caused a reaction among Thompson’s other friends. “The other friends in the circle are the worst people when you are trying to break up with a friend,” she says. “They don’t want you to stop being friends, because it puts them in a difficult position. You get told to just get it over.”
Though we have plenty of measures for handling conflict at work or family fight, we still don’t have good ways of ending friendships. Do we sit down and properly break up, or just walk away? Psychologist Serena Cauchy has the following advice.
Don’t blame. Talk about your needs and feeling rather than talking like a Dutch uncle.
Do talk about your needs. Talk about why the friendship is not working for you –about how your needs aren’t being met.
Don’t gossip. Negative talk hurts everyone involved and in some cases can make matters worse.
Don’t be so accessible. If there is a common wish to conclude the friendship then you can remove it.
【小題1】How did Angela Thompson deal with her friendship when it went wrong?

A．She ended it face to face.

B．She left it as it was.

C．She turned to her friends for advice.

D．She made a direct challenge.

【小題2】According to the third paragraph, we learn the other friends________.

A．will help you to fix a broken friendship

B．will choose either of the sides who broke up

C．will ask you to forgive each other

D．will be the worst people to break up with you at the same time

【小題3】Which is NOT mentioned by Psychologist Serena Cauchy?

A．End the friendship if it can’t be renewed.

B．Don’t complain behind one’s back.

C．Express what you want and expect.

D．Sincerely talk about friends’ shortcomings.

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

A．A True Friendship	B．When Friendships disappear
C．How Friendships Last	D．Ways to Fix Friendships

How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt＇s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people　on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then. 
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times. ”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives. 
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
【小題1】How did the author get to know America?

A．From her relatives	B．From her mother
C．From Books and pictures	D．From radio programs

【小題2】Upon leaving for America the author felt       .

A．confused	B．excited
C．worried	D．a(chǎn)mazed

【小題3】For the first two years in New York, the author       . 

A．often lost her way

B．did not think about her future

C．studied in three different schools

D．got on well with her stepfather

【小題4】What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?

A．She worked as a translator

B．She attended a lot of job interviews

C．She paid telephone bills for her family

D．She helped her family with her English

【小題5】The author believes that      . 

A．her future will be free from troubles

B．it is difficult to learn to become patient

C．there are more good things than bad things

D．good things will happen if one keeps trying

You have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. Happiness is a choice.
You can't depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early on in my marriage. I realized that I couldn't rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on me and not my husband's actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within; it can't be forced by outside forces. So how do you choose happiness? The same way you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit. You choose it because that's what you want to experience in your life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feel good. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that you don't like or that don't fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don't make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions ---we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not react automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don't dwell on what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.
【小題1】What’s the best title of this passage?

A．Choose to Be Happy	B．Pretend to Be Happ
C．Choose Your Emotions	D．Find Happiness

【小題2】The lesson the writer learned in her marriage is ________.

A．balancing the relationship between the husband and wife is an art

B．one can’t rely on someone else to make himself or herself happy

C．she can depend on her husband to find happiness

D．happiness can be influenced by outside forces

【小題3】Why did the writer mention buying shoes?

A．To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes.

B．To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit.

C．To help to move to the next paragraph easily.

D．To use it as an example to show the importance of choosing to be happy.

【小題4】The writer suggests that we should ________.

A．hold back our feelings properly

B．let others control our feelings

C．respond immediately to others’ words

D．pay more attention to words than actions

Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.
Life is like a game and maybe you can award(獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)) points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “ Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.
What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.
It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact you should always have realistic expectations. Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “ give up ” be a part of your vocabulary.
【小題1】By saying “To err is human”, the author means that________.

A．human beings should try to avoid(避免) making mistakes

B．no one is perfect(完美的) and everyone makes mistakes

C．mistakes and failures make up our life

D．human beings make mistakes easily

【小題2】.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．Try to reach 50 points.

B．Never stop trying in your life.

C．Award yourself for your success

D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points.

【小題3】 The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through_________.

A．examples	B．numbers
C．experiments	D．stories

【小題4】 The underlined word “ despondent ” in the last paragraph means________.

A．frightened	B．disappointed
C．surprised	D．excited

Where has the Time gone? is the hottest song that has moved thousands of Chinese. Chinese parents give their children endless love and ask nothing in return. However, sometimes, daughters and sons are too busy growing up and forget that their parents are getting older and older. What should we do? Let’s have a look at a letter of a father’s.
Dear son，
One day if you see me old and I am not myself, have patience and try to understand me. If I get dirty when eating…, if I cannot dress…, have patience. Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you.
If, when I speak to you, I say the same things one thousand and one times, do not stop me and listen to me. When you were small, I had to read to you one thousand and one times the same story until you get to sleep.
When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame（羞辱） me nor scold（責(zé)備） me. Remember when I had to chase you with a thousand excuses I invented, in order that you wanted to bath.
When you see me meet something new, give me the necessary time and don’t laugh at me. I taught you how to do so many things… to eat well, to dress well… to face life.
If I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to and when not. When my legs do not allow me to walk, give me your hand the same way I did when you gave your first steps.
When sometimes I lose the memory during our conversation, let me have the necessary time to remember. And if I cannot do it, do not become nervous because the most important thing is not my conversation but to be with you and to have you listen to me.
Yours,
FFather
【小題1】What do the Chinese parents often do?

A．They often get dirty when eating.

B．They often read stories to their children at night.

C．They give their children endless love and ask nothing in return.

D．They often refuse to take a shower.

【小題2】What would the father do, if he wanted his son to go to sleep?

A．He would read the same story many times to make his son sleep.

B．He would invent many excuses.

C．He would scold his son.

D．He would teach his son to count sheep.

【小題3】According the father, what should you do, when your old parents lose the memory during your conversation?

A．Go on talking with them.	B．Leave them alone.
C．Go for a walking with them.	D．Be with them and listen to them.

【小題4】Why does the writer write this passage?

A．To introduce the song, Where has the Time gone?

B．To show what we should do when our parents are old.

C．To show a father’s love to his son.

D．To complain that we are too busy.

One moment it was quiet and calm in the forest, the next, the air was charged with tension. The elephant had heard the distant alarm calls of animals and her mood suddenly changed. I urged the elephant deeper into the forest. We sounded like a forest fire --- cracking, snapping, trailblazing. But through all the noise came a sharp warning cry. The elephant stopped and we heard it again --- the tell-tale call of a spotted deer.
I looked quickly around the shadows of the forest. Rays of sunlight shone through tree branches, beneath which the patchwork（交錯(cuò)）of green plants and shadows-within-shadows would make tiger stripes（條紋）look more attractive. Apart from an occasional noise from the elephant’s stomach, the forest was silent.
Gradually, the tension slipped from our bodies. The elephant seized a nearby branch and put it into its mouth. I reached forward and gently moved my hand over the elephant’s neck; there was a soft part, free of wrinkles and hairs, behind her ear.
This was my fourth time to sense the aura of the forest in Corbett, although I saw no tigers in the end. Located at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Corbett is home to about 135 Bengal tigers, but the forest seemed to be guarding their whereabouts（出沒處）, a silent reminder of their secrecy and rarity. Still, I was happy enough touching the elephant behind the ear. If I had so desperately wanted to see a tiger, I could have gone to a zoo. After all, spotting tigers merely confirms their beauty; tracking them can make you aware of something more.
【小題1】Which of the following was a clear signal of alarm?

A．The elephant stopped.

B．A spotted deer called.

C．The elephant seized a branch.

D．The forest was silent for a while.

【小題2】The author begins his account of the tour in the forest mainly by _______.

A．describing various sounds

B．comparing different animals

C．listing different activities

D．introducing various plants

【小題3】What does the underlined part “to sense the aura” most probably mean?

A．To see the diversity.

B．To enjoy the scenery.

C．To feel the atmosphere.

D．To experience the freedom.

【小題4】How does the author feel after several visits to Corbett?

A．Seeing a Bengal tiger is quite thrilling.

B．It is very time-consuming to travel in Corbett.

C．It is really worthwhile to study the animals in Corbett.

D．The process of finding Bengal tigers is most appealing.

A  typical lion tamer (馴獸師) in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip (鞭子)and a chair .The whip get all of the attention , but it’s mostly for show .In reality , it’s the chair that does the important work .When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face , the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time .With its focus divided , the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next .When faced with so many options , the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion ? How often do you have something you want to achiever (e,g. lose weight , start a business , travel more ) –only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress ?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best , the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information .The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things , and so we take less action , make less progress , and stay the same when we could be improving .
It doesn’t have to be that way .Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face , remember this :All you need to do is focus on one thing .You just need to get started .Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people .If you have somewhere you want to go , something you want to accomplish , someone you want to become ….take immediate action .If you’re clear about where you want to go , the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out the way .
【小題1】Why does the lion tamer use a chair?

A．To trick the lion.

B．To show off his skill .

C．To get ready for a fight.

D．To entertain the audience.

【小題2】In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?

A．They feel puzzled over choices.

B．They hold on to the wrong things.

C．They find it hard to make changes.

D．They have to do something for show.

【小題3】What is the author’s attitude towards the experts mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．Tolerant

B．Doubtful

C．Respectful

D．Supportive

【小題4】 When the world is “waving a chair in your face”, you’re advised to_____.

A．wait for a better chance

B．break your old habits

C．make a quick decision

D．a(chǎn)sk for clear guidance

However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone’s time or money could be better spent on something else.
Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.
For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it’s human nature to do precisely that—we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.
In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.
【小題1】According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.

A．making more money

B．taking more opportunities

C．reducing missed opportunities

D．weighing the choice of opportunities

【小題2】The “l(fā)eftover ... time” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time ________.

A．spared for watching the match at home

B．taken to have dinner with friends

C．spent on the way to and from the match

D．saved from not going to watch the match

【小題3】What are forgone opportunities?

A．Opportunities you forget in decision-making.

B．Opportunities you give up for better ones.

C．Opportunities you miss accidentally.

D．Opportunities you make up for.