In 1970, my five brothers, my sister and I lived in the housing projects of Toronto with our parents. My father was a factory worker, and my mother stayed at home. Each year my father would dress up as Santa Claus and go through the streets of the projects sharing joy and candies with the children there. He loved it as much as they did!
But around the Christmas in 1970, my father was out of his job and money was tight. In fact, there was no money for Christmas and my parents weren’t sure what they’d provide for us.
That Christmas Eve, however, as usual, my father left the house dressed as Santa Claus. He knew that even though our Christmas would be hard, he could not disappoint the other kids in the neighborhood.[來源:學(xué),科,網(wǎng)]
As my father left the house and went down the walkway, Santa Claus was walking up, with a great sack full of gifts for us! He said nothing, only smiled a sweet smile at my father, and wished him a Merry Christmas. The happy man handed Dad the sack and walked away down the block.
We never knew who the man was and who showed us great kindness on a snowy Christmas night. We do know, however, that without him we would have had nothing under the tree. His kindness gave my parents hope and showed us in a very real way the true meaning of Christmas.
Our family has never forgotten this kind stranger. Each year we tell the story of the mysterious Santa Claus and try to repay his gifts by giving gifts to others in need.
【小題1】The author’s father ________.

A．was once the richest man in his hometown

B．was working in a government office

C．had to support a family of 9 people

D．looked like Santa Claus most

【小題2】What happened in 1970?

A．The author’s father was out of work.

B．The author’s mother lost her job.

C．They had a little money left for Christmas.

D．They had the worst Christmas in their lives.

【小題3】The author’s family knew ________.

A．who the mysterious Santa Claus was

B．why the mysterious Santa Claus helped them

C．how they could repay the mysterious Santa Claus

D．they could find the mysterious Santa Claus one day

【小題4】It can be inferred（推斷）that ________.

A．the mysterious Santa Claus was one of their relatives

B．the mysterious Santa Claus was a rich man in the area

C．the sack from the mysterious Santa Claus was very expensive

D．the author’s family were all thankful to the mysterious Santa Claus

A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(強調(diào))the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an proper topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic. “ So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was stopped again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say.’ actually means ‘really’! It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know how foolish I had been. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.
【小題1】At first, on hearing “You don’t say”, I thought the foreigner meant_______.

A．He was not interested in the topic

B．He was only interested in the Great Wall

C．I had talked too much

D．I had to stop talking

【小題2】The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means_______.

A．interesting

B．important

C．terrible

D．unlucky

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.

B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.

C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.

D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth (值得) visiting.

【小題4】After the Englishman explained the idiom, ________.

A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool

B．The Englishman became a real fool

C．I felt very foolish

D．I became more careful in everything

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually did. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品雜貨），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影響）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
【小題1】Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A．The man’s job was bike racing.

B．It was their only possession.

C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed.

D．They used it for work and daily life.

【小題2】We can infer from the text that _________.

A．the couple worked 60 hours a week

B．people were busy before Christmas

C．the stranger brought over the bike

D．life was hard for the young family

【小題3】How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A．From radio broadcasts.	B．From a newspaper.
C．From TV news.	D．From a stranger.

【小題4】What do the couple learn from their experience?

A．Strangers are usually of little help.

B．One should take care of their bike.

C．News reports make people famous.

D．An act of kindness can mean a lot.

【小題5】Which one do you think is NOT TRUE according to the text?

A．The couple will never steal bikes in revenge.

B．The couple will try their best to help others in trouble.

C．Trevor bought a new Kona immediately after someone stole his old one.

D．The couple got some help from several people in their area.

Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise. But nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.
【小題1】The story tells us that people began to enjoy roller-skating _______.

A．before the year 1750	B．before the invitation
C．because of Joseph Merlin	D．because it was dangerous

【小題2】People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.

A．he slept and dreamed a lot

B．he was full of different ideas

C．he was a talented violinist

D．he always made people’s dreams come true

【小題3】___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.

A．Merlin’s work

B．Merlin’s violin

C．A huge mirror

D．An important party

【小題4】What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?

A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating.

B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention.

C．Everyone was surprised at him.

D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling.

【小題5】The text is mainly about_________.

A．a(chǎn) strange man

B．a(chǎn)n unusual party

C．how roller skating began

D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

When Ben Franklin was only a boy, he always wanted to know about things. He was always asking his father and brothers ‘What?’ and ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’
They couldn’t always tell him what he wanted to know．
When they couldn’t tell him, Ben tried to find out for himself．
Many times Ben did find out things that no one knew before. The other boys would say, ‘That is Ben Franklin! He’s always finding out something new!’
Ben lived close to the water. He liked to go there to see the boats. He saw how the wind blew them across the water．
One day Ben said to himself: ‘Why can’t the wind help me float across the water? And I’m going to try.’ Ben got his big kite．He took hold of the kite string and ran with it. The wind took the kite up into the air．Then Ben jumped into the water．
The wind blew the kite high into the air．Ben began to float across the water．Soon he was on the other side, and he had not worked at all．
One boy shouted, ‘Look at Ben floating across the water! His kite takes him to the other side without any work!’
‘Yes,’ said another. ‘He’s always finding new ways to do things.’
【小題1】 When he was only a child, Ben____________.

A．liked to fly a kite by himself

B．a(chǎn)lways asked easy questions

C．a(chǎn)lways liked to play with water

D．a(chǎn)lways liked to find out how things worked

【小題2】His father and brothers_____________.

A．couldn’t answer all his questions

B．could answer all his questions

C．tried hard to find out something new for him

D．were too busy to answer his questions

【小題3】 How did Ben Franklin float across the water? _______________.

A．The other boy took him across it.	B．The water carried him across it.
C．The flying kite took him across it.	D．A boat took him across it.

【小題4】He found out many things that______________.

A．children didn’t know	B．his father knew
C．people didn’t know	D．most people knew

【小題5】 From the story we can see that young Ben Franklin liked____________.

A．using his mind

B．using his hands

C．making kites

D．flying kites

There was once a man called Mr. Flowers, and flowers were his only joy in life. He spent all his free time in one of his four glass-houses and grew flowers of every color, with long and difficult names, for competitions. He tried to grow a rose of a new color to win the silver cup for the Rose of the Year.
Mr. Flowers’ glass-houses were very near to a middle school. Boys of around thirteen of age were often tempted (引誘) to throw a stone or two at one of Mr. Flowers’ glass-houses. So Mr. Flowers did his best to be in or near his glass-houses at the beginning and end of the school day.
But it was not always possible to be on watch at those times. Mr. Flowers had tried in many ways to protect his glass, but nothing that he had done had been useful. He had been to school to report to the headmaster; but this had not done any good. He had tried to drive away the boys that threw stones into his garden; but the boys could run faster than he could, and they laughed at him from far away. He had even picked up all the stones that he could find around his garden, so that the boys would have nothing to throw; but they soon found others.
At last Mr. Flowers had a good idea. He put up a large notice made of good, strong wood, some meters away from the glass-houses. On it he had written the words: DO NOT THROW STONES AT THIS NOTICE. After this, Mr. Flowers had no further trouble; the boys were much more tempted to throw stones at the notice than at the glass-houses.
【小題1】It was Mr. Flowers’ hope to ________.

A．build glass-houses in his free time

B．grow the Rose of the Year in a silver cup

C．win a silver cup for growing a rose of a new color

D．grow a rose with the longest name.

【小題2】Boys were often tempted to ________.

A．throw stones at Mr. Flowers’ glass-house

B．throw stones at Mr. Flowers from their school

C．be in or near by Mr. Flowers’ glass-houses

D．play with Mr. Flowers near his glass-houses

【小題3】Mr. Flowers stayed in or near by his glass-houses _______.

A．a(chǎn)t times when school-boys were walking near them

B．a(chǎn)ll the school day when there were no boys about

C．where he could not be seen by the boys passing

D．in his free time at the beginning and end of the school day

【小題4】Mr. Flowers had tried to ______ to protect his glass.

A．be on watch in his free time	B．a(chǎn)sk the headmaster for help
C．pick up all the stones around his garden	D．do all the above

【小題5】Mr. Flowers’ good idea was to ______.

A．write some words on the glass

B．put up a large notice to cover his glass-houses

C．give the boys something else to throw stones at

D．send for policemen

One day a man found a cocoon（繭）of a butterfly in the forest. He sat there for several hours and watched the butterfly. Suddenly a small opening appeared, and the butterfly made its great effort to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could come out easily. But to his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that the body would grow smaller at any moment and the wings would become larger and be able to fly. But neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling（爬）around with a heavy body and small wings. It was never able to fly.
The man was in his kindness, but he did not understand the nature rules. Before the butterfly came out of the cocoon, fluid（流體）from its body must be forced into its wings, and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle to get through the small opening to get its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any difficulties, it would make us fail. We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never fly.
【小題1】What was the butterfly doing at the beginning of the story?

A．It was trying to make a cocoon for itself.

B．It was struggling to get out of its cocoon.

C．It was flying among the trees in the forest.

D．It was crawling around quietly on the ground.

【小題2】The man cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon              .

A．to take the butterfly home

B．to help the butterfly come out easily

C．to kill the butterfly

D．to stop the butterfly growing bigger

【小題3】What do you think of the man?

A．patient but cruel

B．careful and wise

C．kind but unwise

D．brave and funny

【小題4】What does the last paragraph tell us?

A．Struggles are sometimes necessary in our life

B．Nothing is difficult if we put our heart into it

C．Every good deed will come back with a good result

D．The greatest happiness in the world is to help others

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

A．The love for the cocoon.	B．The joy of helping each other
C．The lesson of the cocoon	D．The expectation for the butterfly

The 30-mile road that runs through the mountains of Willie Valley makes most drivers′ hands sweat. But Andersen, a 46-year-old father of four, wasn’t expecting any trouble on the road last New Year’s Eve, when he set off for a ski trip to the Bear Mountains with nine-year-old daughter Mia, four-old son Baylor, and nine-year-old neighbor Kenya. Andersen had driven through the Valley hundreds of times over the years.
The weather was fine. But the higher they drove, the more slippery the road became. Rounding a sharp U-turn, Andersen saw a heavy truck off the road and immediately hit his brakes. In a minute, the car was going at 25 miles per hour down the mountain before falling down from a ten-foot dam into the extremely cold Logan River.
The crash had broken a few windows, and within seconds, the car was filled with water. “It was frightening that we were going fast into deep water,” remembers Andersen, a soft-spoken manager.
Having lost all sense of direction, Andersen began to search the freezing water for the kids. Mia had been right next to him in the front seat; now, in the blackness, he couldn’t find her. “I thought, if I don’t get out, maybe none of us are going to get out.” Andersen got out of his seat belt, swam through a broken window, and, deeply and quickly, breathed air at the surface. That’s when he saw a group of men, about ten in all, appear at the top of the dam. One after another, they rushed down into the water. Helping onto safety all the three children, they began to shout at the father, “Who else is in the car？”
Andersen says respectfully, “It was like the sight of angels.”
【小題1】 What might be the main cause of the car accident？

A．The bad weather.	B．The high dam.
C．The sudden brake.	D．The heavy truck.

【小題2】 Andersen didn’t expect any trouble on the road because _____.

A．he was familiar with the road

B．he was good at driving

C．his hands didn’t have sweat

D．the weather was fine

【小題3】 What can be learned from the last paragraph？

A．Andersen lost consciousness in the water.

B．Strangers helped Andersen out of the car.

C．Andersen liked Mia most among the children.

D．Strangers teamed together to save three children.

【小題4】The underlined sentence is to express Andersen’s feeling of being _____.

A．tired

B．excited

C．doubtful

D．thankful

【小題5】Which of the following can be the best title of the text？

A．Stay calm when in trouble

B．Drive rounding a U-turn

C．Miracle rescue from a river

D．Mystery of the Bear Mountains

When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, “Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you'll have something to rely on.” Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, "the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course," she recalls. 
The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom, “I don't know how to use a computer,” she admits. 
Unlike her 1995 autobiography(自傳), After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes (糖尿病). All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. “I felt there was a need for a book like this,” she says. “I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease.” 
But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts (甜甜圈). Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up ---again---and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet. 
Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity. “Everybody on earth can ask, 'why me?' about something or other,” she insists. “It doesn't do any good. No one is immune (免疫的) to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be.”
【小題1】Why did Mary feel regretful? 

A．She didn't achieve her ambition.

B．She didn't take care of her mother.

C．She didn't complete her high school.

D．She didn't follow her mother's advice.

【小題2】We can know that before 1995, Mary __________.

A．had two books published

B．received many career awards

C．knew how to use a computer

D．supported the JDRF by writing

【小題3】Mary's second book Growing Up Again is mainly about her__________ . 

A．living with diabetes	B．successful show business
C．service for an organization	D．remembrance of her mother

【小題4】When Mary received the life-changing news, she_____________ . 

A．lost control of herself	B．began a balanced diet
C．tried to get a treatment	D．behaved in an adult way

【小題5】What can we know from the last paragraph? 

A．Mary feels pity for herself.

B．Mary has recovered from her disease.

C．Mary wants to help others as much as possible.

D．Mary determines to go back to the dance floor.

When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you ? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It’s happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.
A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself, completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn’t my friend’s talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table.
When we picked up the check, the waitress said, “ Your meal was already paid for .” My friend and I didn’t have a clue how it happened. Then I remembered a man I saw out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes. The waitress said, “Yes, the gentleman in white paid for you .” It felt like an angel was saying “I see you, honey. It’s going to be okay.”
Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just 1 mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it “hitting the wall”. I thought I couldn’t move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, “What’s your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let’s go! Come on! It’s just around the corner! You can do it!” And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn’t even supposed to be in the race that day.
I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these?
【小題1】Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．The kindness of strangers.	B．Valuable friendship .
C．Two special experiences .	D．Helping others is worthwhile

【小題2】Why did the author suffer when dining out with a friend?

A．Because she didn’t like the dishes.

B．Because she quarreled with her friend

C．Because her friend only talked about himself.

D．Because she was sad for her last relationship.

【小題3】The underlined expression in the passage means “______”.

A．being hurt by the wall	B．winning the game
C．taking a deep breath	D．running out of energy