In his lowest days when few people bought his records, Taiwan singer Steve Chou (周傳雄) lived alone in Canada and did little. One day, he passed by a local CD store and accidentally heard a song that greatly enchanted (迷住) him. His passion for music was suddenly rekindled (重新點(diǎn)燃).
“My heart tells me that music is the thing I truly want to do, not for fame or money,” Chou told Teens. “So I asked myself, ‘why not start all over again?’”
That's how we luckily regained this music genius, who has since then composed lots of hits for the pop music charts (排行榜). His emotional voice is enthralling (迷人的). "Sometimes we need to get close to nature to look deeply into our souls and see what we genuinely (真正地) want to follow," he said.
Following the success of Turkey in Blue, he has recently released his latest work Lovers Genesis. In this album he explores human relationships in the Internet age. This time, he takes the role of a calm observer rather than a struggling insider. "Technology itself is a good thing, but it depends on how you're going to use it," is Chou's advice to teenagers. Chou often gets his music ideas from trips. He has traveled to many places around the world and believes that learning a country's language is the fastest way of experiencing the culture behind it.
【小題1】How was Steve Zhou’s passion for music rekindled?

A．He was encouraged by his friends.

B．When he passed by a store and heard a song that enchanted him.

C．He decided to rebuild his reputation.

D．A good idea suddenly occurred to him.

【小題2】Which of the following songs belongs to Steve Zhou ?

A．Heal the world

B．I swear

C．Lovers Genesis

D．Lemon tree

【小題3】How does Zhou get his music idea ?

A．From his work life

B．From his trips

C．From his friends

D．From musical books

【小題4】What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Technology is always a good thing.

B．Technology by no means is a good thing.

C．If you use it properly, it will be helpful to your life.

D．We should not believe technology too much.

Carlos had been in New York for five months now, and he detested it. He would never forget the day when the plane landed. His parents had big smiles on their faces as they discussed the wonderful new life they would have in this great city. His older sister and brother looked in wonder and excitement at the buildings. Uncle Miguel and Aunt Esperanza thought of the good jobs they would get. Grandmother and Grandfather told him what a lucky boy he was to come to this wonderful city. But Carlos was lonely. The city looked big, cold and dirty to him.
They lived in an apartment in Manhattan. There were stores and cinemas close to their home. But Carlos didn’t want these things. He loved his home in the country in Puerto Rico; he loved the green fields, the hot sun, and the lovely beaches.
He didn’t want to go to school because it made him think of his friends at home. And he didn’t want to learn a new language that he could never describe the world as beautifully as his own.
He began to go the dock(碼頭), because this made him feel closer to Puerto Rico. He sat down and watched the ships. He would often find a man also sitting there looking at the sea. The man was Eric—a taxi driver who came there to escape from the noisy traffic.
Eric noticed the young boy and felt his sadness. One day he said, “Yes, it’s hard to leave your homeland. I remember when I left Norway 15 years ago. I know it’s hard to start a new life in a new country, but let’s face it. I did it, and you can do it, too.”
From then on the taxi driver and the young boy began to develop a deep friendship.
【小題1】The underlined word “detested” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A．forgot

B．enjoyed

C．hated

D．missed

【小題2】According to the text, ________________.

A．Carlos’ grandparents were afraid of the traffic in New York

B．Carlos’ parents were looking forward to the life in New York

C．Carlos’ uncle and aunt found it hard to get jobs in New York

D．Carlos’ brother and sister got excited at the schools in New York

【小題3】Why did Carlos feel lonely?

A．He knew nobody around his apartment.

B．No one went to the movies with him.

C．His parents left him alone at home.

D．He missed the life in Puerto Rico.

【小題4】Eric and Carlos became friends because they ________.

A．came from the same country	B．faced the same problems
C．were the same age	D．both hated noise

Jayne Fisher watched anxiously as her 17-year-old daughter Katie pulled her lamb（羊羔） into the Madison County Junior Livestock for sale.
Katie was battling cancer. This was her first chance in months to be outdoors having fun, away from hospitals and treatments, and she had come with high hopes for earning some money for her treatment. She had wavered a little on her decision to part with the lamb, but with lamb averaging two dollars a pound, Katie was looking forward to it. So the bidding（出價(jià)began.
That’s when Roger Wilson, the auctioneer(拍賣師), had a sudden inspiration that brought some unexpected results. “We sort of let everybody here know that Katie had a situation that wasn’t too pleasant,” is how he tells it. He hoped that his introduction would push the bidding up, at least a little bit.
Well, the lamb sold for $11.50 a pound, but things didn’t stop there. The buyer paid up, then decided to give the lamb back so that it could be sold again.
That started a chain reaction, with families buying the animal and giving it back, over and over again. When local businesses started buying and returning, the earnings really began to pile up. The first sale is the only one Katie’s mom remembers. After that, she was crying too hard as the crowd kept shouting, “Resell! Resell! ”
Katie’s lamb was sold 36 times that day, and the last buyer gave it back for good. Katie ended up with more than $16,000 to pay her medical expenses——and she still got to keep her famous lamb.
【小題1】Katie sold her lamb in order to_______.

A．earn an amount of money to cover her medical expenses

B．help her mother support their family and keep more lambs

C．show her lamb was a famous one and raise some money

D．get some unexpected results from a chain reaction

【小題2】Why did families buy Katie’s lamb and return it repeatedly?

A．They had fun in reselling it.

B．The auctioneer ordered them to do so.

C．They wanted to help Katie from the heart

D．Katie’s mother cried for help.

【小題3】The word “waver” in the second paragraph probably means _______.

A．a(chǎn)gree

B．hesitate

C．refuse

D．focus

【小題4】What is the best title of the passage?

A．Battling cancer	B．A warm-hearted auctioneer
C．Bidding from the heart	D．A wise lamb

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits（成就）. Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy." John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say, 'You are completely crazy,'" Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter（遭遇）with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
【小題1】The turning point in Saunders' life came when _________.

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at age 15

C．he ran his first marathon at age 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway's training

【小題2】We can learn from the text that Ridgway __________.

A．dismissed Saunders' dream as fantasy

B．built up his body together with Saunders

C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

【小題3】What do we know about Saunders_________?

A．He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

D．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

【小題4】The underlined word "Intrigued" in the third paragraph probably means_________.

A．Excited	B．Convinced
C．Delighted	D．Fascinated

【小題5】It can be inferred tat Saunders' journey to the North Pole __________.

A．was accompanied by his old playmates

B．set a record in the North Pole expedition

C．was supported by other Arctic explorers

D．made him well-known in the 1960s

In December of l 992．I was a happy husband and father of two young children．A month later，I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(急性白血病)．
After two years of chemo(化療)that helped control the disease，my body was weak and lifeless．I felt as if I were a puppet who needed help to lift his arms or hold up his head．
I began to run．After six months my strength had come back．On one of my runs，one where I felt I could run forever，I decided I was going to try to run a marathon．
After telling my Dad about my plan，he told me of a program that trains people to run a marathon，while raising funds for Leukemia research at the same time．So that summer，through the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training program，I started to train for the Marine Corps Marathon．During mile after mile of uncertainty，the day finally came to run the marathon．
On October 27，1996，at 8 A．M．，along with l9,000 other brave souls I started on a 26.2-mile journey that I will never forget．
I first saw my wife Patty at the six-mile mark . She seemed happy that I was still looking as if I knew what I was doing，and having a good time doing it．At Mile l7，my mind was going back to those two horrible years that tried to bring my family and me down．I saw her again．The concern in her face told me she knew I was starting to struggle．I felt as if we were thinking the same，nine more miles and these last few years will be behind us．
That thought alone pulled me forward．Mile 22，23，slowing but going，24，25，then there it was．The Iwo Jima War Memorial．I have seen nothing so grand and inspiring in my life．Three hours and forty-one minutes after I started，I crossed what I think has to be the most fitting finish line in all of road racing!
That night the Leukemia Society gave me a pin at a post-race party that simply says，“Leukemia 26.2”．
If God wills，my cancer may once again take away my hair and my strength，maybe even my life．But it can never take away my pin，or the fact that I am a marathoner .
【小題1】The writer decided to run a marathon because __________ .

A．he wanted to raise money for Leukemia research

B．he believed he was able to take the challenge

C．he hoped to recover his strength through training

D．his dad knew about the race and made the suggestion

【小題2】Which statement is RIGHT about the writer?

A．He has always been dreaming of becoming a marathoner．

B．The training he took that summer well prepared him for the race．

C．Those running in the race were mostly Leukemia patients like him .

D．His wife was with him during the marathon to give him support．

【小題3】Why does the writer think the finish line is the most fitting?

A．Because running a marathon is the most suitable sport for him．

B．Because the memorial is the most powerful construction he has seen．

C．Because he considers it a victory over his disease to finish the race．

D．Because 26.2 miles is the most reasonable distance for road racing．

【小題4】Which of the following can best describe the writer?

A．Optimistic and outspoken	B．Strong-willed and determined
C．Generous and easy-going	D．Brave and warm-hearted

The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: “The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head stubbornly（固執(zhí)地）and felt the ache in my tooth. I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.
“If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry. The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.
“Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said.
“The artwork?” I was puzzled.
The chair went back. Suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!
【小題1】Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?

A．Upset.

B．Nervous.

C．Satisfied.

D．Cheerful.

【小題2】What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?

A．The laughing assistant of the dentist.

B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists.

C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office.

D．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice.

【小題3】What did the author learn from her experience most probably?

A．Strike while the iron is hot.

B．Put oneself in others’ shoes.

C．Have a good word for one’s friend.

D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

They were going to Fort Lauderdale — three boys and three girls — and when they boarded the bus, they were carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags, dreaming of golden beaches and sea tides as the gray, cold spring of New York went behind them.
As the bus passed through New Jersey, they began to notice Vingo. He sat in front of them, completely in silence.
Deep into the night, outside Washington, the bus pulled into Howard Johnson’s, and everybody got off except Vingo. The young people began to wonder about him. When they went back to the bus, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself.
“Want some wine?” she said. He smiled and took a swig from the bottle. He thanked her and became silent again. After a while, she went back to the others, and Vingo nodded in sleep.
In the morning, they awoke outside another Howard Johnson’s, and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He ordered black coffee and some cookies as the young people talked about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again, and after a while, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in prison in New York for the past four years, and now he was going home.
“Are you married?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” she said.
“Well, when I was in prison I wrote to my wife,” he said, “I told her that I was going to be away for a long time, and that if she couldn’t stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, and if it hurt her too much, well, she could just forget me. I’d understand. Get a new man, I said — she’s a wonderful woman. I told her she didn’t have to write me. And she didn’t. Not for three and a half years.”
“And you’re going home now, not knowing?”
“Yeah. Well, last week, when I was sure the parole (假釋) was coming through, I wrote her again. We used to live in Brunswick, just before Jacksonville, and there’s a big oak (橡樹(shù)) just as you come into town. I told her that if she didn’t have a new man and if she’d take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I’d get off and come home. If she didn’t want me, forget it — no handkerchief and I’d go on through.”
“Wow,” the girl exclaimed, “Wow.”
She told the others, and soon all of them were in it, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children.
Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as if protecting himself against still another disappointment.
Then Brunswick was ten miles, and then five. Then, suddenly, all of the young people were up out of their seats, shouting and crying.
Vingo sat there astonished, looking at the oak. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs — 20 of them, 30 of them, maybe hundreds, flying in the wind. As the young people shouted, Vingo slowly rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the bus to go home.
【小題1】At the beginning of the story, the young boys and girls ______.

A．showed a great interest in Vingo	B．didn’t notice Vingo at all
C．wanted to offer help to Vingo	D．didn’t like Vingo at all

【小題2】The underlined part “Howard Johnson’s” is most probably a(n) ______.

A．bus station

B．a(chǎn)partment

C．hospital

D．restaurant

【小題3】How did Vingo feel on the way home?

A．Ashamed.

B．Relaxed.

C．Nervous.

D．Disappointed.

【小題4】The paragraphs following this passage would most probably talk about ______.

A．Vingo’s experience in prison

B．the young people’s travel to Fort Lauderdale

C．Vingo’s three lovely children

D．the dialogue between Vingo and his family

Cameron thought of himself as merely organized．He certainly did not consider that he took great pains over anything ,he did just enough to get it right．Exactly right, of course as he was fond of telling his staff, “if it’s not exactly right, it’s wrong”．Occasionally a worker might be sad on hearing these words, because it meant another hour or so of going over the same bit of work, correcting the mistakes which Cameron had patiently pointed out．And doing the corrections exactly right of course．
Strangely enough ,his department had the reputation for performing the highest quality work in the company ,and it was seen, and not only by those who worked in the department ,as a sort of elite（出類拔萃）unit．Those programs that had to work first time, straight out of the box, Cameron’s men got those．“It’s mission（任務(wù)）critical—give it to Cameron” was almost a catch—phrase with his team．
It helped that Cameron was not merely particular about things．He wanted things done just so ,not because of a personal taste ,but because he had discovered through patient experimentation that this was the best way for it to be done．

【小題1】Cameron was a            ．

A．software programmer	B．a(chǎn) chief scientist
C．quality controller	D．head of department

【小題2】“Mission-critical” work given to Cameron because       ．

A．Cameron’s work was error—free	B．Cameron was critical
C．he didn’t mind working late	D．he had a good team

【小題3】Working for Cameron, people felt that          ．

A．they were part of an elite

B．their mission was critical

C．Cameron was very particular about things

D．Cameron was patient and responsible

【小題4】According to the underlined part in paragraph 5,what is meant by someone “who couldn’t cut it”?

A．He didn’t cut corners．	B．He wasn’t good enough．
C．He had the wrong measurements．	D．He was a perfection．

【小題5】What can we learn about Cameron?

A．He never got things Wrong．

B．He didn’t allow for any mistake．

C．He encouraged work to be done in office hours．

D．He was often misunderstood．

【小題6】The attitude of the author towards Cameron is that of being       ．

A．positive	B．sympathetic
C．non-subjective	D．optimistic

Lightning flashed through the darkness over Donald Lubeck’s bedroom skylight．The 80-year-old retired worker was shaken by a blast of thunder．It was 11 p．m．The storm had moved directly over his two-story wood home in the rural town of Belchertown, Massachusetts．Then he heard the smoke alarm beeping．Lubeck padded down the stairs barefoot and opened the door to the basement, and flames exploded out．
Lubeck fled back upstairs to call 119 from his bedroom ,but the phone didn’t work．Lubeck realized he was trapped．“I started panicking,” he says．
His daughter and young granddaughters ,who lived with him ,were away for the night．No one will even know I’m home, he thought．His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by pines that Lubeck knew calling for help would be fruitless．
Up a hill about a third of a mile away lived Lubeck’s closest neighbors, Jeremie Wentworth and his wife．Wentworth had been lying down, listening to the radio when it occurred to him that the sound was more like a smoke detector．He jumped out of bed ,grabbed a cordless phone and a flashlight, and headed down the hillside toward the noise．
He dialed 119“Is anyone there?” he called out as he approached the house．Wentworth knew that Lubeck lived in the house．
Then he heard ,“Help me! I’m  trapped!” coming from the balcony off Lubeck’s bedroom．
“I ran in and yelled, ‘Don, where are you ?’Then I had to run outside to catch my breath．”
After one more attempt inside the house, he gave up and circled around back．But there was no way to get to him．“I shined the flashlight into the woods next to an old shed and noticed a adder,” says Wentworth．He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Lubeck down just as the second floor of the house collapsed．
Wentworth and Lubeck don’t run into each other regularly, but Lubeck now knows that if he ever needs help ,Wentworth will be there．
Lubeck still chokes up when he tells the story．“I was alone,”he says．“Then I heard the most beautiful sound in my life．It was Jeremie．”
【小題1】According to the text ,Lubeck       ．

A．stayed calm in the fire	B．couldn’t find a safe way out
C．lived on the first floor	D．called for help in the fire

【小題2】How did Wentworth help Lubeck escape?

A．He called 911．

B．He went upstairs and took Lubeck out．

C．He put out the fire

D．He used a ladder and pulled lubeck down．

【小題3】Which of the following factors was not mentioned in the text that almost caused Lubeck’s life?

A．He was living in his wood home alone that night．

B．The storm was too heavy and the fire was too fierce．

C．He lived far from the main road and was surrounded by pines．

D．He was too frightened to escape from the danger．

【小題4】What does the text mainly talk about?

A．A near neighbour is better than a distant cousin．

B．A good way to get a narrow escape．

C．God helps those who help themselves．

D．Blood is thicker than water．

I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head．Now I am thirty two．I can slightly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is．It would be wonderful to see again, but a calamity（災(zāi)難） can do strange things to people．It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind．I believe in life now．I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, otherwise．I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes．I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left．
The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself．That was basic．If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life．When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone．That is part of it．But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate（錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的） pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit．
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance．It had to start with the simplest things．Once a man gave me an indoor baseball．I thought he was making fun of me and I was hurt．"I can't use this．" I said．"Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around．" The words stuck in my head．"Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went．This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball．At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball．We called it ground ball．
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time．I had to learn my limitations．It was no good trying for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure．I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress．
【小題1】We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _______

A．the author lost his sight because of a car crash．

B．the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen．

C．the disaster made the author appreciate what he had．

D．the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see．

【小題2】What's the most difficult thing for the author?

A．How to adjust himself to reality．

B．Building up assurance that he can find his place in life．

C．Learning to manage his life alone．

D．How to invent a successful variation of baseball．

【小題3】According to the context, “a chair rocker on the front porch” in paragraph 3 means that the author __________

A．would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his life．

B．would be unable to move and stay in a rocking chair．

C．would lose his will to struggle against difficulties．

D．would sit in a chair and stay at home．

【小題4】According to the passage, the baseball and encouragement offered by the man _____

A．hurt the author's feeling．

B．gave the author a deep impression．

C．directly led to the invention of ground ball．

D．inspired the author．

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

A．A Miserable Life

B．Struggle Against Difficulties

C．A Disaster Makes a Strong Person

D．An Unforgettable Experience