That summer an army of crickets(蟋蟀) started a war with my father. Dad didn’t care for insects much more than Mamma, but he could tolerate a few living in the basement. Mamma was a city girl and she said a cricket was just too noisy. Then to support her point she wouldn’t go to bed. She drank coffee and smoked my father’s cigarettes and paced between the sofa and the TV. Next morning she threatened to pack up and leave, so Dad drove to the store and hurried back. He sprayed poison from a jug. When he was finished he told us that was the end of it.
For a couple of weeks we went back to find dead crickets in the laundry. He suggested that we’d all be better off to hide as many as we could from Mamma. I fed a few dozen to the cat who I didn’t like because he scratched for no reason.
However, soon live crickets started showing up in the kitchen and bathroom. Mamma was upset because she thought they were the dead crickets coming back, but Dad said these were certainly new ones. He fetched his jug of poison and sprayed all over until the whole house smelled of poison, and then he sprayed the basement again.
A couple of weeks later, when both live and dead crickets kept turning up, Dad emptied the basement of junk. Then he burned a lot of old newspapers and magazines which he said the crickets had turned into nests.
While we ate supper that evening, the wind lifted some flames onto the wood pile. The only gasoline was in the lawn mower’s(割草機(jī)) fuel tank but that was enough to create an explosion big enough to reach the house. Once the roof caught, there wasn’t much anyone could do.
After the fire trucks left, Mamma took the others to Aunt Gail’s. I helped Dad and Uncle Burt carry things out of the house and pile them by the road. We worked into the night and we didn’t talk much, while all around the noise of crickets broke our silence.
【小題1】What do we know about the author’s mother?

A．She didn’t like insects at all.

B．She liked insects more than his father.

C．She cared for insects very much.

D．She could only tolerate a few insects.

【小題2】The author’s father drove to the store to buy _______.

A．cigarettes for himself	B．some poison
C．more coffee for his wife	D．some gasoline

【小題3】The author’s father burned the old newspapers and magazines because he thought ______.

A．they were no longer useful

B．the crickets were afraid of fires

C．they became the home of crickets

D．the dead crickets came back to life

【小題4】We learn from the last paragraph that ________.

A．the author’s family lost their battle against the crickets

B．the author’s parents learned to put up with insects

C．the author’s family didn’t suffer much in the fire

D．the author’s parents got divorced

A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps. One should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting us in age.
Men often discover their similarity to each other by the common love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, “Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this: “Love my, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond(紐帶) of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.
A good book is often the best container of a life preserving the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which become our steady companions and comforters.
Books are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay(腐朽), but good books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago.
The great and good do not die, even in this world. Preserved in books, their spirits walked abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect(智者) to which one still listens.
【小題1】The writer introduces the topic of the passage by            .

A．describing life experience of great writers

B．telling his own story of reading good books

C．presenting the best thoughts in good books

D．comparing good books to good friends in life

【小題2】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Readers feel sympathy for the author.

B．Readers live together with the author.

C．Readers and the author share the same feeling.

D．Readers are the author’s companions and comforters.

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

A．We can learn about the great and good through books.

B．The most important part of a man’s life is his treasures.

C．Good books help us to know about their authors’ friends.

D．Books are often regarded as best containers in our life.

【小題4】the passage mainly tells us that            .
A. one should have some good friends
B one should read as many books as possible
C. one should keep company with good books
D books are the most lasting products of human efforts

The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.
This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.
Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.
The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.
【小題1】The passage mainly deals with         .

A．the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer

B．the relationship between genius and success

C．the decisive factor in making a genius

D．the way of gaining some sense of distinction

【小題2】By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could        .

A．come to understand the inner structure of writing

B．join a fascinating circle of writers someday

C．share with a novelist her likes and dislikes

D．learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security

【小題3】 In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.

A．her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success

B．her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance

C．she acquires the magic of some great achievement

D．she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write

【小題4】What can be concluded from the passage?

A．A fueling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success

B．A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.

C．As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. doesn’t matter, but just his/her effort.

D．What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

On Thursday afternoon Mrs. Clarke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the Over 60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old woman who lived alone.
At six o’clock she came home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke in her house? How? Had someone got in? She checked the back door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign of forced entry.
Over a cup of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door—“a master key ”perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she went out at her usual time, dressed as usual, but she didn’t go to the club. Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through her garden and the back door. She settled down to wait.
It was just after four o’clock when the front door bell rang. Mrs. Clarke was making a cup of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter box being pushed open. With the kettle of boiling water in her hand, she moved quietly toward the front door. A long piece of wire appeared through the letter box, and then a hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob on the door lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs. Clarke heard the sound of running feet.
【小題1】Mrs. Clarke looked forward to Thursday because__________.

A．she worked at a club on the day

B．she lived alone

C．she visited a club on Thursdays

D．a(chǎn) special visitor came on Thursday Clarke

【小題2】 If someone had made a forced entry,________.

A．Mrs. Clarke would have found a broken door or window

B．he or she was still in the house

C．things would have been thrown about

D．he or she would have needed a master key

【小題3】According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．She is about more than 50 years old.

B．The next day after she found something unusual in her house, she stayed at home.

C．The man who tried to enter her house wore a pair of gloves.

D．Mrs. Clarke was in an attempt to trick the thief when she noticed something unusual.

【小題4】The wire fell to the floor________.

A．because Mrs. Clarke refused to open the door

B．when the man’s glove dropped off

C．because it was too hot to hold

D．because the man just wanted to get away

A driver stopped his car on a street side to have a rest. As he lay down in the seat and closed his eyes, a person came up and knocked at the window to ask the time. The driver opened his eyes and looked at his watch: “It’s 8:05,” he said. Then he went to sleep again. But soon he was waken up again because a second person was knocking at the window. “Sir, do you know the time?” he asked. The driver looked at his watch again, and told him it was half past eight.
In this way, the driver thought he could not have a good rest, so he wrote a short note and stuck it on the window for all to see. It said, “I don’t know the time.”
Again, he lay down in the seat for his sleep. A few minutes later, a third person came and began to knock at the window, “Hey, sir,” he said, “It’s a quarter to nine.”
【小題1】Where did the driver sleep?

A．At the window	B．In the street road
C．In his car	D．In his room.

【小題2】How long had the driver been there when the third person called him?

A．40 minutes	B．25 minutes
C．50 minutes	D．70 minutes

【小題3】Why did the driver write a note and stick it on the window?

A．Because he didn’t know the time

B．Because he didn’t want anybody to trouble him

C．Because he needed somebody to wake him up.

D．Because he wanted somebody to tell him the time

Tail Spin

Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin Grace, shown off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she’s even swimming at all. She doesn’t have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap.
When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “Is she going to make it?” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it — but her tail didn’t. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way—like a fish! She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncles from side to side.
The movement put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone. So a company offered to create a man-made tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail. She soon shook it off and let it sink in the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The tail isn’t necessary for her to feel comfortable,” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion(動作) and build muscles(肌肉).”
Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focus on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her man-made tail gives people so much courage.
【小題1】When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her .

A．physical build	B．potential ability
C．chance of survival	D．a(chǎn)daptation to the surroundings.

【小題2】A man-made tail is created for Grace to     .

A．let her recover faster	B．make her comfortable
C．a(chǎn)djust her way of swimming	D．help her perform better tricks

【小題3】The story of Grace inspires people to   .

A．stick to their dreams	B．treat animals friendly
C．treasure what they have	D．face difficulties bravely

Please excuse me if I’m a little sad today because Mark is leaving．You probably don’t know Mark，but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him．He’s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining professional skills with a sweet and gentle nature．He’s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does．He just wants to do his job，and to do it extremely well．
And now he’s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity．It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime，and we’re sincerely pleased for him．But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague．
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us．Just when we start to get comfortable with a person，a place or a situation，something comes along to change the recipe．A terrific neighbor moves away．Someone in the family graduates．A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage．The family’s bread-winner is laid off．Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines our peace，happiness and contentment in life．
But how do we do that? According to the author of Ecclesiaste，comfort can be found in remembering that “to everything there is a season，and a time to every purpose under heaven．Let today embrace the past with remembrance，and the future with longing．’’
“Change，indeed，is painful，yet ever needful，”said philosopher Thomas Carlyle．“And if memory has its force and worth，so also has hope．”
We’re going to miss Mark．But rather than lose ourselves in the sadness of our parting，we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future——for him，and for us．And then we’ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen．Until our plans change——again．
【小題1】What will happen to Mark soon?

A．He will pass away．	B．He will leave for a new job．
C．He will get married．	D．He will stay with us forever．

【小題2】The underlined word “credit” in Para．1 probably means __________ ．

A．praise	B．criticism
C．opportunity	D．job

【小題3】From the passage，we can learn that __________ ．

A．a(chǎn)ny change will make us upset any time

B．it is easy to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague

C．our happiness depends on our ability to deal with change

D．comfort can be found in remembering the sadness

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

A．My Friend Mark	B．Focusing on Future
C．Always Changing	D．A Sad Story

Have you ever heard the saying “If you want a friend, be one”?
Here is how a new teacher made friends with the girls and boys in her class on the first day of school. As the bell rang, the teacher smiled at each girl and boy. Then she said in a quiet voice, “Good morning. How nice it is to have all of you in my class this year. I'd like to know each of you. I am sure we will enjoy working together.” Everyone felt that she meant what she said because of her sweet voice and her friendly look.
She told the girls and boys her name and wrote it on the blackboard. Then she told them some of the things she liked to do and she was hoping to do with them during the year.
Then she said to the class, “Now you know my name and the things I like and I want to know your names and the things you like. Then I will feel that I know you.”
Could you make friends by doing the same as this teacher did?
One way of getting to know girls and boys in your class is to find out more about them. It is often easy to be friends with those people who have the same hobbies with you. You play the same games and go on journeys together.
You may find that some new comers in your class miss their old friends and feel strange and lonely. You can invite them to take a walk or to ride bikes with you. You will find many things in common to talk about. Just talking together in a friendly manner is one good way to make friends.
【小題1】What does the underlined sentence “If you want a friend, be one” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．You may have a friend by doing everything for him.

B．You can make friends by doing what a friend should do.

C．If you want to have a friend, try to make one be your friend.

D．When you need a friend, you have to be a friend of yourself.

【小題2】The teacher’s sweet voice and her friendly look _______.

A．made every girl and boy happy

B．told the girls and boys everything about herself

C．showed that she would like to be a friend of the girls and boys’

D．meant she wanted to tell the boys and girls something interesting

【小題3】A new comer will be your friend if __________.

A．he always thinks of his old friends

B．you ask him to do something

C．he knows you

D．you talk with him in a friendly way

【小題4】 If you want to make friends with others, which of the following shouldn’t you do?

A．Learn more about them.	B．Go on journeys together.
C．Find out your differences.	D．Try to be the same as them.

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

A．How to Make Friends

B．Teachers Can Make Friends with Students

C．A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed

D．How to Be Friends with New Comers

Any day we wish；we can discipline ourselves to change it a11．Any day we wish；we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge．Any day we wish；we can start a new activity．Any day we wish；we can start the process of life change．We can do it immediately，or next week，or next month，or next year．
We can also do nothing．We can pretend rather than perform．And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable，we can remain as we are．We can choose rest over labor，entertainment over education，delusion(幻想)over truth，and doubt over confidence．The choices are ours to make．But while we complain about the effect，we continue to nourish(助長)the cause．
As Shakespeare uniquely observed，“The fault is not in the stars，but in ourselves．’’We created our circumstances by our past choices．We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today．
Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth .They need the whole truth .And the responsibility to ks5unothing but the truth．
We cannot allow our errors in judgment，repeated every day，to lead us down the wrong path．
We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out．And then we must make the very choices that will bring life，happiness and joy into our daily lives .
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life—If you don’t like how things are，change it !You’re not a tree．You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life — and it all begins with your very own power of choice．
【小題1】The first paragraph tells us that_________.

A．no one wants to be disciplined

B．we often need some new knowledge

C．taking activities does good to our health

D．we want to change all the time

【小題2】We may conclude from the second paragraph that

A．whatever happens, we have to change ourselves

B．people tend to nourish the cause of bad results

C．whether we change or not depends on ourselves

D．most choices we made are not good enough

【小題3】From Shakespeare’s words，we know________.

A．it is our duty to change for the better

B．we complain a lot about our past choices

C．sometimes we have to face the fate

D．we should believe in ourselves in life

【小題4】In the author’s opinion，if。you want a good life，what you need most is_______.

A．self confidence

B．good choices

C．strong wills

D．the truth

Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款機(jī)）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (現(xiàn)金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
【小題1】The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits_________ .

A．hoped to have the food first and pay later

B．promised to obey the store rules

C．forgot to take any money with him

D．could not afford anything more expensive

【小題2】Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?

A．kind and lucky	B．friendly and helpful
C．poor and lonely	D．hurt and disappointed

【小題3】The writer acted upon the store rules because_________ .

A．he felt no pity for the old gentleman

B．he considered the old man dishonest

C．he expected someone else to pay for the old man

D．he wanted to keep his present job

【小題4】What does the writer learn from his experience?

A．Wealth is more important than anything else

B．Experience is better gained through practice

C．Obeying the rules means more than compassion.

D．Helping others is easier said than done