When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at hospital.
On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!
　When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He took me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's really tired. And besides – a little burned toast never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. This good quality is the base of any relationship --- husband-wife or parent-child or friendship! As far as I’m concerned, I’m not the best engineer as expected. However, I have made my efforts. That’s enough.
So learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life. Burnt toast isn’t a deal-breaker! Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket but into your own.
【小題1】When his mother put the burnt biscuit on the table, the author _____.

A．wanted to see how his father reacted

B．pretended not to notice it

C．pretended to enjoy the burnt food

D．stopped his father eating the burnt toast

【小題2】We can infer from the passage that the author’s mother       .

A．She was not good at cooking.

B．She hardly had time to cook at home.

C．She felt sorry for the burnt food.

D．She spent more time on breakfast than dinner.

【小題3】How did the author feel when his father said he loved burnt toast?

A．Moved.

B．Puzzled

C．Surprised.

D．Disappointed.

【小題4】According to the text, to get a happy life, one should______ .

A．give help to people in need	B．try to be a perfect person
C．learn from one’s mistakes	D．learn to be understanding

Twenty-first century humanity has mapped oceans and mountains, visited the moon, and surveyed the planets. But for all the progress, people still don’t know one another very well.
That brings about Theodore Zeldin’s “feast of conversation”－events where individuals pair with persons they don’t know for three hours of guided talk designed to forget the past “Where are you from?”
Mr. Zeldin, an Oxford University professor, heads Oxford Muse, a 10-year-old foundation based on the idea that what people need is not more information, but more inspiration and encouragement.
The “feast” in London looks not at politics or events, but at how people have felt about work, relations among the sexes, hopes and fears, enemies and authority, the shape of their lives. The “menu of conversation” includes topics like “How have your priorities changed over the years?” Or, “What have you rebelled against the past?”
As participants gathered, Zeldin opened with a speech: that despite instant communications in a globalized age, issues of human heart remain. Many people are lonely, or in routines that discourage knowing the depth of one another. “We are trapped in shallow conversations and the whole point now is to think, which is sometimes painful,” he says. “But thinking interaction is what separates us from other species, except maybe dogs…who do have generations of human interactions.”
The main rules of the “feast”: Don’t pair with someone you know or ask questions you would not answer. The only awkward moment came when the multi-racial crowd of young adults to seniors, in sun hats, ties and dresses, looked to see whom with for hours. But 15 minutes later, everyone was seated and talking, continuing full force until organizers interrupted them 180 minutes later.
“It’s encouraging to see the world is not just a place of oppression and distance from each other,” Zeldin summed up. “What we did is not ordinary, but it can’t be madder than the world already is.”
Some said they felt “l(fā)iberated” to talk on sensitive topics. Thirty-something Peter, from East London, said that “it might take weeks or months to get to the level of interaction we suddenly opened up.”
【小題1】What can the “conversations” be best described as?

A．Deep and one-on-one.	B．Sensitive and mad.
C．Instant and inspiring.	D．Ordinary and encouraging.

【小題2】In a “feast of conversations”, participants ______.

A．pair freely with anyone they like

B．have a guided talk for a set of period of time

C．a(chǎn)sk questions they themselves would not answer

D．wear clothes reflecting multi-racial features.

【小題3】From the passage, we can conclude that what Zeldin does is ______.

A．a(chǎn)n attempt to promote thinking interaction

B．one of the maddest activities ever conducted

C．a(chǎn) try to liberate people from old-fashioned ideas

D．a(chǎn)n effort to give people a chance of talking freely

September is an exciting month in every college freshman’s life. For many, it’s the first time that they’ve left home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of a few weeks, excitement gives way to a less enjoyable emotion— homesickness.
Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum’s cooking, your pets, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a bitter feeling for many students, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment.
But remember, you’re not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to faraway places for a relationship, education or work, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults.
Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression and in extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack. As for the term, homesickness or nostalgia wasn’t invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers’ mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, “nostos” from Greek, and the accompanying pain, “algos”.
Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health. After a decade of surveys and researches, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found that nostalgia is what makes us human. He explains that nostalgia can resist loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Therefore, it’s necessary for college students to learn some ways to overcome the uncomfortable feeling.
【小題1】 From the first two paragraphs, we can infer that __________.

A．homesickness means a fond memory of the past

B．only a few students will experience homesickness

C．homesickness is an enjoyable emotion among freshmen

D．college freshmen usually suffer from homesickness after weeks

【小題2】According to the passage, we can know that _________.

A．homesickness may cause mental diseases

B．homesickness is a feeling only shared by adults

C．homesickness won’t do any good to our health

D．homesickness is also called nostalgia in Switzerland

【小題3】What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．some benefits about homesickness

B．other problems in college freshmen’s life

C．how to make campus life more meaningful

D．some tips on how to cope with homesickness

【小題4】The attitude of Sedikides towards homesickness is _________.

A．negative

B．supportive

C．skeptical

D．critical

【小題5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Let’s embrace homesickness

B．How to fit into the college life

C．A harmful emotion—homesickness

D．The disadvantages of homesickness

On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.
【小題1】It can be learned from the passage that _______.

A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse

B．it was spring when the accident happened

C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son

D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous.

【小題2】What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?

A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy..

B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce.

C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson.

D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson.

【小題3】How does the writer find other people on the dockside?

A．Warm and ready to help	B．Thoughtful
C．Kind of cold-blooded	D．Not skillful at swimming

【小題4】What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?

A．To set us thinking what makes people brave.

B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson.

C．To remind people of risk while saving others.

D．To show people bravery can be learned.

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺點(diǎn)). Wee k by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.                                                                
He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like ? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”                                                                         
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself.            
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it.“That’s just for you,” he said.“You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”                   
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.                                                          
【小題1】What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?                   

A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her“enemy” had said.

B．He criticized (批評(píng)) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings.

C．He refused to take the list and have a look at it.

D．He told her to write down all that her“enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true

【小題2】What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?                                   

A．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me.

B．She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to its that it was growing longer and longer.

C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on.

D．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious.

【小題3】Why did her father listen to her quietly?                                          

A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true.

B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while.

C．Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment.

D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth.

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

A．Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend	B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had
C．My Father	D．My Childhood

Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studiedfor the test or who were the true winners of a game.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test --- unless the person cheats again.
Some people lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and maybe at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending the time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating. Even when there seems to be a “good reason” for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with your parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解決辦法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will be better than cheating.
【小題1】The author thinks that when kids cheat in class,________.

A．it does harm to their heath

B．it is unfair to other people

C．teachers should punish them

D．teachers shouldn’t stop them at once

【小題2】Some students like cheating mainly because_________.

A．the material in the test is very difficult

B．they want to do better than the others

C．they have little time to study their lessons

D．cheating can make hard things seem very easy

【小題3】The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.

A．cheating isn’t a good idea

B．why kids cheat in the test

C．some kids can’t pass the test without cheating

D．some kids don’t spend the time studying

【小題4】In the passage those cheaters are advised to_______.

A．spend more time on school than on sports

B．try hard to be intelligent rather than lazy

C．find good solutions instead of cheating

D．a(chǎn)sk their classmates for good methods of study

Several years ago, I worked as a truck driver for a company. On Saturdays I usually spent several hours doing something to keep my truck in good condition.
One Saturday, as I was cleaning my truck, I noticed the boss’s elderly father came out to ask his grandson to take him fishing after work. The grandson told him all about how much he would love to do that, but he just couldn’t because he had other plans already. The old man hobbled (蹣跚) off to the house.
Then I heard the grandson telling his dad, "I’m not taking that old man fishing! It’s worse than taking a kid."
That just broke my heart.
I quit working immediately and went home to fetch my fishing gear (漁具) and a chair. Then I came back and invited the old man to go fishing. He accepted happily.
When we got to the river, I let him sit in the chair at the edge of the water. It wasn’t long before he got a fish. He got one fish after another. His eyes were shining like a child. About half an hour later, he told me he was tired and needed to go home. So I took him and the fish home.
Two weeks later, the old man died. His family told me later that all he talked about during that time was his fishing trip. I am satisfied that I have taken an old man on his last fishing trip, but I am sorry that his family have lost their last chance. Whenever you get the chance, don’t forget about taking Grandpa fishing. Someday, you may be in the same place and you’ll want your family to care about you, too.
【小題1】The writer wrote the passage mainly to ________.

A．tell us something about his work

B．tell us about a fishing experience

C．persuade us to take Grandpa fishing

D．persuade us to care about the elderly

【小題2】The old man’s Grandson refused to fish with him because ______.

A．he had something more important to do that day

B．he didn’t like to fish with an old man

C．he was tired of his job and he wanted to rest

D．he preferred fishing with a child

【小題3】What’s the possible meaning of the underlined word "quit"?

A．start

B．stop

C．imagine

D．try

【小題4】According to the passage, we can infer（推斷） that the author is _______.

A．willing to make his boss happy

B．in need of care from his family

C．prefers fishing to his work

D．kind and warm-hearted

When I was about 10, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I knew I could see Mr. Lee anytime around the neighborhood, so I just stood there. After we passed him, my mother stopped and said something unforgettable, "You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody you know without opening your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street. "That sentence sounds simple but it made me become who I am.
At work, I used to say hello to the president of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I also spoke to the people in the cafe and people who cleaned the buildings, and asked them how their children were doing, for every single person deserves to be accepted, no matter how humble(低微的)they are. I remember that after a few years of passing by the president, I had the courage to ask him for a chat. We had a great talk. At some point, when I asked him how far he thought I could go in his company, he said that if I wanted to, I could get all the way to his seat.
I've become vice-president, but that hasn't changed how I treat people. I speak to people wherever I am. Speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too.
The day you speak to someone who has his head down and then see him lift it up and smile, you will realize how powerful it is just to open your mouth and say hello.
【小題1】What is the best title for this passage?

A．The power of being talkative

B．My mother's influence on me

C．The power of saying hello

D．My way to become vice-president

【小題2】 It is implied in the first paragraph that        .

A．the writer didn't like Mr. Lee

B．the writer didn't say hello to Mr. Lee on that occasion

C．the writer didn't get along well with his mother

D．the writer's mother stopped to say hello to everyone she met

【小題3】 What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．The writer didn't say hello to everyone in the company.

B．The writer made a very good impression on the president of the company.

C．The president of the company thought the writer was much better than him.

D．The president of the company actually didn't like the writer at all.

【小題4】For the writer, saying hello to others          .

A．is a way to get what he wants

B．has become a habit and a way of life

C．is a way to show respect for his mother

D．is important in making him remembered

【小題5】According to Paragraph 3, in the writer’s opinion, speaking to others can       .

A．make our world much better

B．make people much happier every day

C．help people understand each other better

D．help people work much better

The riches in the world are not found in the famous gold and diamond mines，where many men and women are digging for them．Most riches in the world are found in the cemeteries(墓地)and grave yards，buried with people’s dreams，aspirations，and unfulfilled potential．Why is it so?
Countless men and women died without ever having the courage to follow their own paths．Maybe because they were afraid to violate some kinds of social norms, maybe because they were afraid to be alone，or maybe simply because they preferred to settle for the familiar．They went to the graves，with a song that would never be heard，a piece of poetry never be written, a dance step never be initiated and a heart full of dreams and aspirations，leaving behind a life full of potential yet no legacy．
Michael Jordan，one of the greatest athletes once said，‘‘I can fail，but I cannot afford not to try．” Life remains a beautiful journey if we learn to take that step and to work that path．Every challenge and defeat in the process becomes a light post that sharpens the vision and shapes the direction forward．
“In my world nothing goes wrong，”said the great Indian sage Nmaja Dhahta Majraj．We must learn to trust the greatness within all of us and know that each of as is here to bring our unique contribution to the universal monument．If each of us learns to dance to the music we only can hear, society as a whole will evolve naturally and spiritually toward love，peace and happiness，and will be void of jealousy,envy and discrimination．
And Henry David Thoreau would say, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions，that is because he hears a difierent drum．’’And one truly believes that the path to success and happiness passes through the dancing to such a unique drumbeat．Therefore，do not die with the music still playing inside you．
【小題1】What’s the author’s opinion on riches?

A．They are people’s dreams and aspirations．

B．They are the most important things in the world．

C．They are something we can’t possess and dream of．

D．They are gold and diamonds which we can dig for in mines．

【小題2】According to Paragraph 2，which one is NOT the reason why so many people died without sticking to their own paths?

A．They were afraid to break the traditional norms．

B．They were used to what they were already familiar with．

C．They were afraid to hurt others and snffer setbacks．

D．They were afraid to be alone when making the dreams come true．

【小題3】What does Michael Jordan mean by saying “I can fail, but I cannot afrord not to try”?

A．Having a try is an easy thing we can do．

B．Trying something new will bring us benefits．

C．We should be careful if we want to have a try．

D．All people are not brave enough to experience something new．

【小題4】Which word can best describe Nihaja Dhahta Majraj according to the passage?

A．Brave．

B．Healthy．

C．Common．

D．Self-confident．

【小題5】How is the passage organized?

A．Topic—Argument—Explanation

B．Topic—Examples—Conclusion

C．Introduction—Comparison—Discussion

D．Introduction—Explanatton—Examples

Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手術(shù))”, one replied. I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job. One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows, you can get at least 5cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost. In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.
【小題1】We can know from the passage that the author works as ______.

A．a(chǎn) doctor

B．a(chǎn) model

C．a(chǎn) teacher

D．a(chǎn) reporter

【小題2】Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to______.

A．marry a better man or woman

B．become a model

C．get an advantage over others in job-hunt

D．a(chǎn)ttract more admirers

【小題3】According to the passage, the author believes that ______.

A．everyone should pursue perfection, whatever the cost is

B．it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs

C．media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery

D．it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career

【小題4】 What does the author think of his height?

A．He hates to be called a short man.

B．He tries to increase his height through surgery.

C．He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact.

D．He just accepts it as it is