Bobby Moresco grew up in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, a poor working-class neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side. But Hell’s Kitchen lies right next door to Broadway, and the bright lights attracted Bobby from the time he was a teen. Being stage-struck was hardly what a street kid could admit to his partners. Fearing their making fun of him, he told no one, not even his girlfriend, when he started taking acting lessons at age 17. If you were a kid from the neighborhood, you became a cop, construction worker, longshoreman or criminal. Not an actor.
Moresco struggled to make that long walk a few blocks east. He studied acting, turned out for all the cattle calls (試戲通告)-- and during the decade of the 1970s made a total of $2,000. “I wasn’t a good actor, but I had a driving need to do something different with my life,” he says.
He moved to Hollywood, where he drove a cab and worked as a waiter. “ My father said, 'Stop this craziness and get a job; you have a wife and daughter.' ”But Moresco kept working at his chosen career.
Then in 1983 his younger brother Thomas was murdered in a killing. Moresco moved back to his old neighborhood and started writing as a way to explore the pain of Hell’s Kitchen. Half-Deserted Streets, based on his brother’s killing, opened at a small Off-Broadway theater in 1988. A Hollywood producer saw it and asked him to work on a screenplay.
His reputation grew, and he got enough assignments to move back to Hollywood. By 2003, he was again out of work and out of cash when he got a call from Paul Haggis, a director who had befriended him. Haggis wanted help writing a film about the country after September 11. The two worked on the writing Crash, but every studio in town turned it down. They kept trying. Studio executives, however, thought no one wanted to see hard lives in modern America.
Crash slipped into the theaters in May 2005, and quietly became both a hit and a critical success. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three -- Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Paul Haggis and the kid from Hell’s Kitchen.
At age 54, Bobby Moresco became an overnight success. “If you have something you want to do in life, don’t think about the problems,” he says, “think about other ways to get it done.” 
【小題1】Why Bobby Moresco did not tell anyone that he started taking lessons at age 17?

A．He wanted to give his girlfriend a surprise.

B．His girlfriend did not allow him to do this.

C．He was afraid of being laughed at.

D．He had no talent for acting.

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

A．His father did not support his work as a bartender.

B．Before he became an overnight success, his life experienced ups and downs.

C．His brother’s death inspired his writing Half-Deserted Streets.

D．Moresco grew up in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen which is a few blocks east of Broadway.

【小題3】The Studio executives turned the script Crash down because ______________.

A．they thought the script would not be popular.

B．the script was not well written.

C．they had no money to make the film based on the script.

D．they thought Moresco was not famous.

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

A．a(chǎn)mbitious and persistent	B．shy but hardworking
C．caring and brave	D．considerate and modest

My mind seems always to return to the day when I met Carl. The city bus stopped at a corner to pick up the daily commuters (someone who travels regularly to and from work), a group in which I was included. Boarding the bus, I looked for a place to sit. At last, I found a place near the back.
The man in the seat next to the one I was going for was an older man in a grey suit, well-worn dress shoes, and a black hat like I always pictured reporters wearing, but without the little press card. Seated, I began to read the book I had been carrying, which was Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The man in the seat next to me introduced himself by asking if I had read any other book like the one I was holding. When I told him I had, he seemed to become interested, and so did I. He introduced himself as Carl and asked if I liked jazz, and I told him that I didn’t really listen to it, and that I liked rock and roll. Waiting for Carl to tell me that I should listen to real music, I was shocked when he just smiled and nodded. He said, "You remind me of myself when I was your age. I remember how my parents hated jazz and how they couldn’t see how I could listen to that awful noise. I bet your parents say the same thing, don’t they?" Now it was my turn to smile, amused with how right he was.
As the bus carried us from one side of the city to the other, Carl and I talked about a lot of different things. The more we talked, the more amazed I became at how much the two of us really had in common, despite the age difference. I haven’t seen him since we parted, but the thought of our connection that day rarely leaves my mind.
Carl really made me think about how much we can learn from each other if we just break through the blocks between us we’ve got. I mean, I would have never thought before that day that I could have anything in common with someone so much older than I. But Carl taught me that no matter what we are, we are all just people, and that we should make an extra effort to try and get to know our neighbors and people we see every day, regardless of age, race, religion, sex, or anything else. If we all take the time to attempt to understand each other, I think that the world would be a much better place that we could share together, as humans.
【小題1】From the first paragraph we know that the author _____________.

A．did not mind whether there was a seat or not

B．hoped to have a seat when getting on the bus

C．thought the bus was overcrowded

D．looked for a seat but failed

【小題2】The author usually imagined a reporter as one who _____________.

A．liked jazz music

B．enjoyed talking with others

C．liked reading Jack Kerouac’s works

D．usually wore a black hat and press card

【小題3】 After talking with Carl, the author realized that _____________.

A．older people were nice to talk to

B．he should have known Carl earlier

C．his parents were so different from Carl in listening to music

D．a(chǎn)ge was not necessarily a problem in heart-to-heart communication

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A．the author hasn’t seen the old man since then

B．jazz music used to be more popular than rock and roll

C．the author was not satisfied with human relationships in the world

D．Carl made the author realize we humans live in peace and brotherhood

Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I'm going to fly to New York next week because I've got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don't know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram (電報(bào))," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered.
He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.
In the evening he didn't have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, "Now I'm going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner."
He found a taxi and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn't remember the name and address of his hotel.
"Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "Please send me my address at this post office.
【小題1】Dick flew to New York because ________.

A．he went there for a holiday	B．he had work there
C．he went there for sightseeing (觀光)	D．his home was there

【小題2】Why did his wife want a telegram from him?

A．Because she didn’t know his address yet.

B．Because she wanted to go to New York, too.

C．Because she might send him another telegram.

D．Because she couldn't leave her husband by himself in New York.

【小題3】Where did Dick stay in New York?

A．In the center of the city.	B．In a hotel.
C．In a restaurant.	D．At his friend's house.

【小題4】Who would send him the name and address of his hotel?

A．The manager (經(jīng)理) of his hotel.	B．The police office.
C．The taxi driver.	D．His wife.

【小題5】Which of the following is not true?

A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city.

B．Dick didn't work on the first night of his arrival.

C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram.

D．Dick wanted to go back to his hotel in a taxi.

It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp (軍營(yíng)). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,”said the first soldier.“I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the horse died!”
【小題1】The military camp was built in the village to________.

A．stop the soldiers from going to towns

B．stop the soldiers from meeting their friends

C．train the new soldiers

D．make the young men live quietly

【小題2】Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because__________.

A．he was kind to them	B．they felt lonely
C．they had something important to do	D．they were the best of all

【小題3】The young officer was worried because_______.

A．a(chǎn) traffic accident had happened

B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers

C．the nine soldiers would come back

D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town

【小題4】The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because________.

A．something was wrong with their buses

B．their horses died on the return way

C．it took them much time to run back

D．they all drank much in the town

【小題5】Which answer do you think is true?

A．You’ll believe only the last soldier.

B．The officer believed the nine soldiers.

C．You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers.

D．The officer won’t punish his soldiers.

Jess really felt very happy. When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning, he found an invitation on his desk. It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip. This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity. Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him. In fact，he had been so lonely that he drowned his feeling with food. As a result，he had put on a lot of weight，and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him.
Cindy, who was standing near Jess when he read the invitation, went out quickly to tell the others that the trick（惡作�。﹉ad worked. Everyone was pleased that Jess thought that was true. But there was no camping trip. The whole thing was made up.
At first, Cindy thought it was fun. But later, when Jess told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings（積蓄）, Cindy had a second idea. She knew that Jess’s family had little money, and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use. Cindy also hated to tell Jess the truth. Her close friends would be angry with her. What could she do now?
【小題1】The sentence “…h(huán)e drowned his feeling with food” means “________”.

A．he ate a lot to make himself feel less lonely

B．he asked for a lot of food from his classmates

C．he brought his food to his classmates

D．he had a lot of food to put on weight

【小題2】What would happen if Cindy told Jess the truth?

A．Jess would go on the camping trip himself.

B．Jess's family would be angry with Cindy.

C．Cindy might have trouble with her friends.

D．Jess would be thankful to his classmates.

【小題3】If Jess really bought a sleeping bag, ________.

A．everyone else would also buy one

B．it would be the best in the class

C．Cindy would pay for it

D．he would have it for no use

【小題4】From the story we can guess ________.

A．everybody would go camping in the class

B．Jess had few friends in the class

C．Cindy was Jess’s best friend in the class

D．Jess joined in many out-of-school activities

【小題5】Choose the best title for this passage.

A．Jess and His School

B．Jess and His Friends

C．An Invitation for Jess

D．Jess and His Camping Trip

Mr. Grey was the manager of a small office in London. He lived in the country, and came up to work by train. He liked walking from the station to his office unless it was raining, because it gave him some exercise. One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him, “You may not remember me, sir, but seven years ago I came to London without a penny in my pockets, I stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money, and you lent me £ 5, because you said you were willing to take a chance so as to give a man a start on the way to success.”
Mr Grey thought for a few minutes and then said, “Yes, I remember you. Go on with your story!” “Well,” answered the stranger, “are you still willing to take a chance?”
【小題1】How did Mr. Grey get to his office?

A．He went up to work by train.

B．He walked to his office.

C．He went to his office on foot unless it rained.

D．He usually took a train to the station and then walked to his office if the weather was fine.

【小題2】Mr Grey liked walking to his office because ________.

A．he couldn’t afford the buses

B．he wanted to save money

C．he wanted to keep in good health

D．he could do some exercises on the way

【小題3】Mr. Grey had been willing to lend money to a stranger in order to_______

A．give him a start in life	B．help him on the way to success
C．make him rich	D．gain more money

【小題4】One morning the stranger recognized Mr. Grey, and_______

A．wanted to return Mr. Grey the money

B．a(chǎn)gain asked Mr. Grey for money

C．would like to make friends with him

D．told Mr. Grey that he had been successful since then

Paul couldn’t sleep last night. He woke up early and sat up, and then he lay down again. He felt terrible. “I must be sick,” he thought. “but I must study for that test.”
He got up and looked for his history notebook. He finally found it under a pile of clothes on a chair. He went over his history notes, but he couldn’t remember any of the facts in the notes. “What shall I do?” he thought. He felt terrible.
Just then Paul’s telephone rang. He put down his notebook and picked up the telephone.
“Good morning,” Jack’s voice said, “You must be wrong about that test.”
“What do you mean?” Paul asked weakly.
“We’re not going to have the test today.” Jack said. “I wrote down the date in my notebook. The test will be next Wednesday; it isn’t today. How do you feel this morning?”
“Fine,” said Paul. “Just fine!” Suddenly he really felt fine.
【小題1】Paul felt uneasy because he

A．was seriously ill.	B．was too tired.
C．was worried about the coming test.	D．couldn’t find his history notebook.

【小題2】It seemed that Paul __________

A．was good at history.	B．liked to study history.
C．lost interest in history.	D．was ready for the history test.

【小題3】What made Paul feel fine at once?

A．The telephone call

B．the coming test.

C．Jack’s notebook

D．The fact that the test was not to be given that day.

【小題4】“How do you feel this morning?” From this question we can see Jack________

A．knew Paul.	B．knew Paul very well.
C．wanted to help Paul with his history.	D．would lend Paul his notebook..

A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspaper. “Last week,” he said, “my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn’t get it back.”
“How did you write your advertisement?” asked one of the listeners, a merchant. “Here it is,” said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read, “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street.”
“Now,” said the merchant, “I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one.”
The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: “If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn’t wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No.10 Broad Street. He is well known.”
This appeared in the newspaper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors, and his own was among them. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about matter.
【小題1】The result of the first advertisement was that ______________.

A．the man got his umbrella back

B．the man wasted some money advertising

C．nobody found the missing umbrella

D．the umbrella was found somewhere near the church

【小題2】The merchant suggested that the man should _______________.

A．buy a new umbrella

B．go on looking for his umbrella

C．write another and better advertisement

D．report the police

【小題3】“If it fails, I’ll buy you a new one,” suggested that the merchant
_______________.

A．was quite sure of success

B．wanted to buy him a new umbrella

C．didn’t know what to do

D．was rich enough to buy one

【小題4】The story is mainly about _________________.

A．a(chǎn) useless advertisement

B．how to make an effective advertisement

C．how the man lost and found his umbrella

D．what the merchant did for the umbrella owner