On a hill 600 feet above the surrounding land, we watch the lines of rain move across the scene, the moon rise over the hills, and the stars appear in the sky. The views invite a long look from a comfortable chair in front of the wooden house.
Every window in our wooden house has a view, and the forest and lakes seldom look the same as the hour before. Each look reminds us where we are.
There is space for our three boys to play outside, to shoot arrows, collect tree seeds, build earth houses and climb trees.
Our kids have learned the names of the trees, and with the names have come familiarity and appreciation. As they tell all who show even a passing interest, maple（楓樹）makes the best fighting sticks and white pines are the best climbing trees.
The air is clean and fresh. The water from the well has a pleasant taste, and it is perhaps the healthiest water our kids will ever drink. Though they have one glass a day of juice and the rest is water, they never say anything against that.
The seasons change just outside the door. We watch the maples turn every shade of yellow and red in the fall and note the poplars（楊樹）putting out the first green leaves of spring. The rainbow smelt fills the local steam as the ice gradually disappears, and the wood frogs start to sing in pools after being frozen for the winter. A family of birds rules our skies and flies over the lake.
【小題1】 What can be learned from Paragraph 2?

A．The scenes are colorful and changeable.

B．There are many windows in the wooden house.

C．The views remind us that we are in a wooden house.

D．The lakes outside the windows are quite different in color.

【小題2】 By mentioning the names of the trees, the author aims to show that ______ .

A．the kids like playing in trees

B．the kids are very familiar with trees

C．the kids have learned much knowledge

D．the kids find trees useful learning tools

【小題3】 What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The change of seasons is easily felt.

B．The seasons make the scenes change.

C．The weather often changes in the forest.

D．The door is a good position to enjoy changing seasons.

【小題4】 What is the main purpose of the author writing the text?

A．To describe the beauty of the scene around the house.

B．To introduce her children’s happy life in the forest.

C．To show that living in the forest is healthful.

D．To share the joy of living in the nature.

When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars.
A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want ---an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open. Second, apologize when your’re wrong---even if you’ve been wronged. Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong also. Third, see things from your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships. My suggestion: consider friendship an honour and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture.
【小題1】What is likely to happen if you have disagreements with your friends?

A．An end to the friendships.

B．Getting experience for the later life.

C．Quarrelling with each other.

D．Sitting down and have a talk.

【小題2】The author wrote the article mainly to tell us ________.

A．how to make friends

B．the benefits of making friends

C．what is a true friendship

D．how to mend a troubled friendship

【小題3】The underlined word “nurture” probably means ________.

A．mend

B．develop

C．keep

D．accept

【小題4】What causes the change of friendships?

A．Our characters.	B．Our hobbies.
C．Our living habits.	D．Our needs and lifestyle.

【小題5】Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A．A true friend can never have a disagreement with each other.

B．Most troubled friendships can be mended.

C．You don’t need to apologize when you know you are wronged.

D．Friends are more important than jobs, homes and cars.

It was the beginning of the school year a few years ago and I had a little boy in my class who came from a non – English speaking home, He was very quiet and shy, I wasn’t sure how much he understood during the school day and I was especially concerned that he just stood by himself at break time and did not play, If I tried to talk to him , he would turn away and tightly shut his eyes to hide from me.
After a day or two of this, I decided to seek the help from one of my outgoing and friendly little girls, I called her over and she ran to me , ready to help.
I immediately began a long speech about what I needed from her, I asked her if she would try to get him to play, and I started talking quickly about all these suggestions on how she could start communication with him , I explained she could do that , she could try this idea, she could try that idea, “Don’t worry, I speak kid” And she ran off.
I stood there all alone, silently watching her, It took less than a minute for the two new friends to urn off, hand in hand , happily joining a game of tag （捉人游戲）taking place all over the gym.
I often think of that small moment, about what I learned and how important it is for all teachers to speak kid --- big kid, little kid and middle kid , I know my focus must be on teaching students how to think , how to approach problems ,and how to figure out solutions and teaching them never to let the opportunity away , We must be ready to learn from our students because those “teachable moments ”during the school days are for us , the teachers, as well as our kids.
【小題1】Why did the author worry about the boy?

A．He didn’t dare to look at the author in the eyes

B．He couldn’t speak English as well as other students

C．He failed to understand what the author taught

D．He was unwilling to communicate with others

【小題2】After the girl agreed to help, the author       

A．taught her what to do in detail

B．thanked her for her willingness to help

C．thanked her for her willingness to help

D．reminded her of what she should be careful about

【小題3】By saying “I speak kid ”,the girl meant that she could       

A．speak the language that kids understand

B．speak the boy’s native language

C．know what kids want to day

D．speak well like a little kid

【小題4】The underlined words“the opportunity”refer to the chance to       

A．play at break time

B．learn from students

C．solve problems

D．speak kid

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

A．Gold will shine everywhere

B．Children are more friendly than adults

C．Teachers’ thoughts are different form students’

D．You learn something every day if you pay attention

It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking, and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. My parents lived nearby, and Dad had visited us several times already. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him.
He looked up, smiling. “I’m making you a surprise.” Knowing my father, I thought it could be just about anything. A self-employed jobber, he was always building things out of odds and ends. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us.
Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught ups in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise.
Until one gloomy day the following March when I glanced out of the window. Any yet… I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番紅花), throughout the front lawn. Lavender, blue, yellow and my favorite pink --- little faces moved up and down in the cold wind.
Dad! I smiled, remembering the things he had secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father’s crocuses bloomed each spring for the next four or five seasons, bringing the same assurance every time they arrived: hard times was almost over. Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms. The next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses. I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did.
He died suddenly one October day. My family was in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith. I missed him terribly.
Four years passed, and on a dismal spring afternoon I was driving back when I found myself feeling depressed. “You’ve got the winter depression again and you get them every year.” I told myself.
It was Dad’s birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual --- my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived his faith. Once I saw him give his coat to a homeless man.
Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. And there on the muddy grass and small gray piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years old, one that had not blossomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day. But it built my faith for a lifetime.
【小題1】According to the first three paragraphs, we learn that _________.

A．the writer was unpacking when her father was making the surprise

B．the writer knew what the surprise was because she knew her father

C．it was not the first time that the writer’s father had made a surprise

D．it kept bothering the writer not knowing what the surprise was

【小題2】Which of the following would most probably be the worst time of the year as seen by the writer?

A．Spring.

B．Summer.

C．Autumn.

D．Winter.

【小題3】The writer’s father should be best described as_________.

A．a full-time gardener with skillful hands

B．a part-time jobber who loved flowers

C．a kind-hearted man who lived with faith

D．an ordinary man with doubts in his life

【小題4】At the end of the passage, crocus was viewed as the symbol of _________ by the writer.

A．faith

B．family

C．love

D．friendship

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts. 
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a passage from the Bible about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that medical checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?” It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
【小題1】 From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A．all by himself	B．with Evelyn
C．with his family	D．with his children

【小題2】During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________.

A．he was willing to be a good husband

B．he could afford time to care for her

C．she looked lovely in her new clothes

D．she was seriously ill

【小題3】The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A．He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B．He was so good to her that she thought she would be dying.

C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D．She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

【小題4】 By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.

A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B．he is beginning to regret what he did to his wife before

C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such an attractive, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more long-lasting emotion. Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to exciting parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir(回憶錄) after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children, and long-time loneliness.
The way people hold on to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually decreases their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very efforts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, charitable work and self-improvement.
【小題1】According to the passage, “fun activities” ____________.

A．are the things we do before we find happiness

B．may help us relax and forget our problems sometimes

C．will lead us to the true happiness

D．could provide long-last positive effects

【小題2】In the author’s opinion, those Hollywood stars ____________.

A．possess happiness because they are rich and famous

B．experience almost all kinds of happy things

C．tell us happiness isn’t equal to fun using their own stories

D．have to suffer a lot before they become successful

【小題3】 It is difficult for people to find real happiness because ____________.

A．they believe happiness is the fun life without pain

B．they find pain equals unhappiness

C．they fear to lose what they already have in life

D．They are afraid all their efforts were in vain

【小題4】The main purpose of the text is to ____________.

A．describe the difference between happiness and fun

B．show the true meaning of happiness

C．encourage people to pursue fun activities

D．advise people to find their real life

One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents’ house to feast upon Mom’s wonderful cooking. During the normal dinner chatter (閑聊), I noticed that my father was slurring (說話含混) his words. No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward.
We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor.
Mom phoned me two days later. “The doctor found a brain tumor (腫瘤). It’s too large at this point to operate. Maybe they can do something then, but the odds are long.”
Even with the treatment, my father’s condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal (晚期的). During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him. By this time he had great difficulty speaking. I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her.
Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever. Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background.?
On the visit to my parents’ home during what we all know was my father’s last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, “Your father would like to see you alone for a minute.”
I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed. He appeared even weaker than the day before.
“How are you feeling, Dad?” I asked. “Can I do anything for you?”
He tried to speak, but he couldn’t make out a word.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t understand you,” I said.
With great difficulty he said, “I love you.”
We don’t learn courage from heroes on the evening news. We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations. In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man. He found it difficult to show emotion. The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life.
【小題1】Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The writer accompanied his father to a medical examination.

B．The writer’s father got worse after the removal of the brain tumor.

C．The writer was quick to notice the strange condition of his father.

D．The writer’s father had known about his illness before the writer discovered it.

【小題2】 What does the underlined sentence “the odds are long” mean?

A．There’s little possibility for Father to recover.

B．It takes a long time for Father to recover.

C．Father needs love and care from his family.

D．They need a proper time to operate on Father.

【小題3】 The father had never said “I love you” to the writer before because ________.

A．he believed in strictness and punishment

B．he was not so attached to the writer

C．he thought there was no need to tell the writer

D．he was not used to openly showing his emotions

【小題4】What does the writer attempt to tell us?

A．We don’t often value health until we lose it.

B．Don’t wait to see a doctor till it is too late.

C．Life is short, so live your life to the fullest.

D．Bravely express your love for your family.

It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work.
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag. This one was worn and held together with staples(書釘).
“Why two bags?”her father asked.“The other is something else,” Molly answered. “What’s in it?”“Just some stuff(東西). Take it with you.”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both sacks into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off. At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons(絲帶), three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies...The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included.
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper. “Where’s my bag?”“What bag?”“The one I gave you this morning.”“I left it at the office. Why?”“I forgot to put this note in it,”she said.“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like—I thought you might like to play with them. You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?”“Oh, no,”he said, lying. “I just forgot to bring it home. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read:“I love you, Daddy.”Molly had given him her treasures—all that a 7­ year ­old held.
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it—not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket. So back he went to the office. Just ahead of the night janitor(看門人), he picked up the wastebasket. He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully. The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted.
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack. It took a long time to tell. Everything had a story or a memory.
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,”he thought.
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey. That journey with the people we love is all that really matters. It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten.
【小題1】Why did Molly give her father a second bag?

A．She didn't want to keep the things in the bag.

B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father.

C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things.

D．She enjoyed playing with her father.

【小題2】How did Father deal with the bag after he opened it?

A．He kept it in the drawer.	B．He took it back home.
C．He threw it into the wastebasket.	D．He put it on his table.

【小題3】After father heard what his daughter said，he felt ________.zxxk

A．regretful

B．surprised

C．sad

D．satisfied

【小題4】Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage? zxxk

A．An important journey	B．Two bags
C．Father and daughter	D．Love in a paper bag

Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship usually develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity (成熟) and sense of responsibility. A familiar expression is “you can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.” Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be athletic. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same. www.zxxk.com
Some people call you their friends for the wrong reason. These people are not really friends. They are only “friends” on the outside, not the inside where it counts. They only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage. True friends are there whether you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich. By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the “false”.
True friends are most special. They are also difficult to find. You can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.
【小題1】“So-called” friends refer to        .

A．fair-weather friends

B．those who want to benefit from you

C．the friends who are on the surface only

D．all of the above

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．You should tell true friends from false ones.

B．True friendship is too difficult to find.

C．You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend.

D．A true friend will stand by you whatever happens.

【小題3】The proper title for this article may be “       ”.

A．Friendliness	B．What friends like
C．True Friends	D．So-called Friends

A couple had a son eleven years after they married. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eye. When the boy was around four years old, one day the father was very tired after work so he asked his wife to pick up their son. The mother, who was very busy in the kitchen, totally forgot about it.
Later the boy lost his way on the street. When the son was found missing, the mother hurried to look for him, but she didn’t find him. The mother felt very sad and didn’t know how to face her husband.
When the father went to the police station after hearing that the son was missing, he looked at his wife and said just four words. What do you think the four words were? The husband just said "I love you, darling." www.zxxk.com
The son was missing. If she had picked him up earlier, this would not have happened. There is no point in blaming (責備) anyone. His wife had also lost her only child. What his wife needed at that moment was comfort and understanding from her husband. That is what the husband gave his wife. Several weeks later, with the help of the police, the couple finally found their lost son. The family’s relationship became stronger over that time.
Sometimes we spend lots of time asking who is to blame. We miss many chances to give each other support and let each other feel the warmth of human relationships. Get rid of all your unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find the world is much more wonderful.
【小題1】What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “the apple of their eye”

A．A person who always has a sweet smile in their opinion.

B．A person who is as pretty as an apple in their opinion.

C．A person who is loved more than anyone else in their opinion.

D．A person who looks like an apple in their opinion.

【小題2】Why didn’t the father pick the boy up himself?

A．He was very lazy.

B．He thought the mother had picked him up.

C．He forgot to pick him up.

D．He was too tired to do it.

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

A．Be careful in everything you do.

B．Love is the most important thing.

C．Learn to forgive others.

D．Everyone can make mistakes.

【小題4】What do you think of the husband?

A．Warm-hearted.

B．Careful.

C．Hard-working.

D．Broad-minded.