A ship was damaged during a storm at sea and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a small island. Not knowing what else to do, the two survivors decided that they should pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayers were more powerful, they agreed to divide（分割開）the land between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruit. But the other man’s side of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man became lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was damaged and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. But on the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these things were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship so that he and his wife could leave the island, and in the morning he found a ship stopped at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven, “Why are you leaving your partner on the island?”
“My blessings are mine alone since I was the one who prayed for them.” The first man answered. “ His prayers were all unanswered so he doesn’t deserve anything.”
“You are mistaken!” the voice said. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. He prayed that all your prayers would be answered.”
【小題1】Why didn’t the two men stay together on the island?

Instead of staying at home to care for the kids, many mothers work to help support their families. But what does a mother do when her child is sick?
Sophia Fowkes worked as a computer programmer before, but she was fired for taking too much time off to care for her very sick child. Although she lost her job, she took an opportunity to turn her hobby into a business: creating “baby cakes”, a combination of diapers (尿布) and baby products artfully arranged to look like a cake. Inside, it contains blankets, towels, bottles and toys — things that can be used for babies. They are perfect gifts.
However, the idea of making “baby cakes” came from one of her experiences. When her child was born, she received a gift called diaper cake. It was made of diapers, but it was small and unusable. So she decided to create her own style of it to give her friends as a gift. Her friends liked these gifts very much and advised her to make and sell “baby cakes”.
She thought that it would be turned into a full-time business. In 1998, she started Baby-Cakes.com. After several years, her business grew and expanded in a way that even she had never expected. She sold her products online at first. Three years after her own website was created, demand for her products was so great that in August, 2001 she opened a real store. She is ready to combine the online store with the traditional store.
【小題1】Sophia was out of work because     .

Father’s Garden
My father was always a good(酷愛的) gardener. One of my earliest memories is standing without shoes in the freshly tilled(翻耕的) soil, my hands blackened from digging in the ground.
As a child, I loved following Dad around in the garden. I remember Dad pushing the tiller(耕作機) ahead in perfectly straight lines. Dad loved growing all sorts of things: yellow and green onions, watermelons almost as big as me, rows of yellow corn, and our favorite--- red tomatoes.
As I grew into a teenager, I didn’t get so excited about gardening with Dad. Instead of magical land of possibility, it had turned into some kind of prison. As Dad grew older, his love for gardening never disappeared. After all the kids were grown and had started families of their own, Dad turned to gardening like never before. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he still took care of his garden.
But then, the cancer, bit by bit, invaded his body. I had to do the things he used to do. What really convinced me that Dad was dying was the state of his garden that year. The rows and rows of multicolored vegetables were gone. Too tired to weed them, he simply let them be. He only planted tomatoes.
For the first few years after he died, I couldn’t even bear to look at anyone’s garden without having strong memories pour over me like cold water from a bucket. Three years ago, I decided to plant my own garden and started out with just a few tomatoes. That morning, after breaking up a fair amount of soil, something caught the corner of my eye and I had to smile. It was my eight-year-old son Nathan, happily playing in the freshly tilled soil.
【小題1】Why did the author like the garden when he was a child?

When Jean Calment entered the world in 1875, telephones and automobiles still lay in the future. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso were not yet born. The Eiffel Tower was 14 years from being built. As a teenager, she met Vincent Van Gogh, near her home in Arles, in the south of France. He was “very ugly, ungracious, impolite, sick—I forgive him, they called him loco.” She recalled. When she died last week at age 122, she was the world’s oldest person. (There were others who claimed to the title, but only Calment had the official documents to prove her age)
Each February 21, her birthday, she would share the secrets of long life. Some years it was “a sense of humor”, others it was “keeping busy”. “God may have forgotten me,” she once explained. The truth probably was that she had good genes. Her mother reportedly lived to be 86 and her father 94.
Her life had its sadness: she outlived her husband, her only daughter and her grandson. According to a friend, she was imperturbable. “If you can’t do anything about it,” she reportedly said, “don’t worry about it.”
In her last years she was nearly blind and deaf, but her health remained good. She ate a few bars of chocolate each week and continued smoking until a few years ago, when she could no longer light her own cigarettes. She never lost her sense of humor. On her 110^th birthday, she commented, “I have only ever had one wrinkle, and I am sitting on it.” Her longevity made her famous. Her spirits made her eternal(永恒的)
【小題1】Why does the author mention Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and the Eiffel Tower?

They think they're lucky and it's Christmas again. They can't see that we live on a dirty street in a shabby house among people who aren't much good. Johnny and the children can't see how pitiful it is that our neighbors have to make happiness out of this filth and dirt. My children must get out of this. But how? The money that we've saved isn't nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money, but they are show-offs with it. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of cookies while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts, and when she couldn't eat any more, she threw the rest down the sewer(陰溝).
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn't rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. Everybody else here looks away because they're ashamed of their lives. I'd like to see the children would be like Miss Jackson when they grew up.
【小題1】The writer's family is the poorest one on that street.
【小題2】The McGarity girl is characterized as rich and nice.
【小題3】The writer thinks Miss Jackson is an example her children should follow.
【小題4】The writer wants to move out of that district.
【小題5】Watching the rich girl eating cookies, those hungry children cried.

William Henry Bragg was born at Westward，Cumberland，on July 2,1862.He was educated at Market Harboroagh Grammar School and afterwards at King William’s College，Isle of Man.Elected as a minor scholar of Trinity College，Cambridge，in 1881，he studied mathematics under the well­known teacher，Dr E．J.Routh.He studied physics in the Cavendish Laboratory during a part of 1885，and at the end of that year he was elected to the Professorship of Mathematics and Physics in the University of Adelaide，South Australia.
His research interests dealt with a great many fields and he was skilled at picking up a subject，almost casually，making an important contribution，and then dropping it again.However，the work of Bragg and his son Lawrence in 1913～1914 founded a new branch of science of the greatest importance and significance，the analysis of the crystal structure by means of X­rays.It is true that the use of X­rays as an instrument for the systematic revelation of the way in which crystals are built was entirely due to the Braggs.This was recognized by the award of the Nobel Prize jointly to father and son in 1915.
He was an honorary Doctor of some sixteen universities，and a member of the leading foreign societies.Many other medals and awards were bestowed upon him among which may be mentioned the Rumford Medal in 1916 and the Copley Medal (its premier award) in 1930.
He was the author of many books，including Studies in Radioactivity，X­Rays and Crystal Structure，The World of Sound，Concerning the Nature of Things，Old Trades and New Knowledge，An Introduction to Crystal Analysis，and The Universe of Light.His favorite hobby was golf.After a life of astonishing productiveness，Sir William Bragg died on March 10,1942.
【小題1】William Henry Bragg was awarded the Nobel Prize because________.

One of the world’s richest men has taken a close interest in one of man’s most basic functions：visiting the toilet.Bill Gates’s charitable organization，the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation，is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future，which，they hope，would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world.
So，what’s wrong with the traditional flush toilet？Firstly，it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water.Secondly，they are more likely to cause pollution.This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world，where，according to United Nations estimates，unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations.Younger people are particularly at risk.Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1.5 million children a year.Finally，standard lavatories simply aren’t practical in remote areas.
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water，electricity or aseptic tank.It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents.28 designs were displayed at the recent Reinvent the Toilet Fair，in Seattle，USA.Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves，another which converted human waste into charcoal，and yet another which used urine for flushing.
But the winner was a solar­powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity. The team from the California Institute of Technology(CIT) picked up a prize of $100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn’t feel he’s flushing money down the toilet.After the Seattle event he said，“We couldn’t be happier with the response we’ve gotten.” Gates has even pledged $370 million more to the future toilet project.They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years.
【小題1】Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?

French novelist Jules Verne (1828～1905) is often called the father of science fictions.Although he was not a great traveller himself，his characters journeyed to the moon (in From Earth to Moon)，Under the sea (in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea)，into a volcano (in A Journey to the Centre of the Earth)，around the world (in Around the World in Eighty Days) and to many other places.
Jules Verne was born in the French city of Nantes in 1828.When he was a boy he ran away from home to work on a ship.However，his father soon found him and brought him home.After that he decided that any future travel he did would be in books.In 1847，his father sent Jules to Paris to study to be a lawyer.Even though he was busy writing，Verne passed his exams in 1849 with high marks.
When Jules told his father he did not want to be a lawyer，his father was very angry.He stopped sending his son any money，so Jules had to earn a living by his writing.Over the next few years he wrote many stories and plays which brought him only a little money.Then，in 1856，he met Honorine de Viane，a rich，young widow with two children.The couple married the next year and their only child Michel was born in 1862.
After his marriage，Verne worked as a businessman in Paris.However，he was not very successful at his job and spent most of his time writing books and doing research for the next one.In 1863，he published his novel Five Weeks in a Balloon and in the following year he published A Journey to the Centre of the Earth which brought him fame.His books became so popular and earned him so much money that he was able to leave his job and work full time on his writing.
In his lifetime，Jules Verne wrote more than 50 books and he became a rich man.Many of this imaginative novels have been turned into films.
【小題1】Jules Verne became rich because of his________.

Among professional basketball players，Jeremy Lin’s background is not typical.He graduated from Harvard University，which sends few players to the NBA，and he is the only Chinese­American NBA player.But when you watch him on the court，there is no doubt that he belongs there.He moves with speed and grace(魅力) that show years of faithful practice，which is fueled by a love for basketball.
The Family Effect
Lin’s enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan，where his father started watching it.Lin’s father moved to U．S.，and his interest in the sport only grew.He passed on this love of basketball to his son，introducing him to the game at the age of five.The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.After each game，his parents would discuss not only his score but also his conduct toward other players.This taught Lin that character was more important than playing well，a lesson he still remembers.
Rise of a Star
In high school，Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA but did not really expect to do so.When he applied for college，he was not offered a single sports scholarship.However，after his admission to Harvard，he was offered a place on its college basketball team.During Lin’s time at Harvard，his basketball career began to take off.He scored 1,482 points，making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.Eventually，the recognition he received led him to suspect that his NBA dream could come true.
When he first graduated，no professional teams offered Lin a contract(合約)，but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League.He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Life in the NBA
His journey in NBA did not go very well at first.He spent most of his time on the bench during the past two seasons.He constantly compared himself to other players and gave himself no time to rest up.For the first time in his life，he no longer enjoyed playing basketball.After a few very difficult months，he realized that much of his anxiety and stress came from self­centered desires like wanting to be famous.So he transformed his attitude.He never stopped practicing and never gave up any slim chance.
Now he has become the NBA’s latest phenomenon after leading the New York Knicks to seven straight wins.He stays_humble and thinks that the credit for the winning goes to everyone in his team.Knicks fans developed nicknames for him，such as “Linsanity”，“Lincredible”，and “Linderella”．The Associated Press called Lin “the most surprising story in the NBA”．
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE of Jeremy Lin?
A．He was born in U．S.
B．He was sure of his NBA dream in high school.
C．He loves playing basketball all the time.
D．He was coldly received when he first came to NBA.
【小題2】The underlined phrase “stays humble” in the last paragraph means ________.

I never thought I would have a life­changing experience at Wal­Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed，the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted，and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies，wearing glasses and a nice smile.I thought，well，he’s an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him.He greeted every customer before scanning the items.Sure，his words were the usual，“How’s it going？” But he did something different—he actually listened to people.Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd.I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit.After a while，you don’t give any thought to the question and just mumble something back.I could say，“I just found out I have six months to live，” and someone would reply，“Have a great day！”
But that wasn’t the end.
He gave them the change，walked around the counter，and extended his right hand in an act of friendship.He looked the customers in the eyes.“I sure want to thank you for shopping here today，” he told them.“You have a great day.Bye­bye.”
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless.There were smiles and some sheepish grins.All had been touched by his simple gesture—and in a place they never expected.They would gather their things and walk out，smiling.
Of course，he did the same to me and I got to know his name，Marty.
Who was that guy？It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy’s body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.
【小題1】The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because ________.