Baseball (棒球) Match
Mr. Jenkins works in a middle school. There he teaches his students English. He works hard and is very busy. After supper, when his family watch TV, he always reads some newspapers in his room. At times Robert comes in and asks him to tell him a story. He likes his little son and does all what the boy wants.
One Sunday Mrs. Jenkins was doing some housework and Mr. Jenkins was reading a newspaper.
Robert came in but he didn’t say anything. About ten minutes later the boy showed a newspaper to him and called out, “There will be a baseball match tonight, Dad!”
Mr. Jenkins was surprised. He said to himself, “The boy is only three years old. How can he read the newspaper?”
He held up the newspaper and began to look for the news. But he couldn’t find it. At last the boy showed him an exclamation mark on the newspaper.
【小題1】Mr. Jenkins is a ______.

A．doctor

B．teacher

C．driver

D．farmer

【小題2】 Mr. Jenkins always reads newspapers after supper because ______.

A．he’s very busy at school

B．he works hard at school

C．he wants to teach his son

D．he wishes his family to listen to him

【小題3】 “An exclamation mark” in the story means ____.

A．逗號(hào)

B．冒號(hào)

C．句號(hào)

D．感嘆號(hào)

【小題4】 Robert found ______ and called out.

A．a(chǎn) baseball match	B．a(chǎn) piece of good news
C．a(chǎn) today's newspaper	D．a(chǎn)n exclamation mark

【小題5】Mr. Jenkins thought ______, so he was surprised.

A．there was a baseball match

B．his son bought a newspaper for him

C．his little son learned to read

D．his little son learned to write

Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school. His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do all for him. They call him at six in the morning. After breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy something in  the shops.
Once Harry’s father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Before leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up earlier and did all that her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn’t do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. Even he didn’t know where to get on the bus!
Yesterday Harry’s mother found his shoes were  worn out and told him to buy a new pair in the shop. But he didn’t know how to choose. The woman had a sigh(嘆息) and gave him a shoe pattern(鞋樣) and told him to buy a pair of shoes himself. It’s Saturday today and Harry doesn’t go to school. With a policeman’s help, he found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, “What’s the matter, young man?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve left the shoe pattern at home!”
【小題1】 _______ always does some housework in the morning.

A．Harry’s father

B．Harry’s mother

C．Harry

D．Nobody

【小題2】Harry’s parents do all instead of him because _______.

A．he’s too young	B．he has poor health
C．he’s busy with his studies	D．they hope he spends all time on studies

【小題3】When the man was in London, _______.

A．Harry had to stay at home	B．Harry couldn’t find the bus stop
C．Harry fell behind in his class	D．Harry wouldn’t go to school

【小題4】We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．Harry wanted his mother to buy shoes for him

B．Harry didn’t believe himself

C．Harry wouldn’t listen to his mother

D． Harry was strong enough to buy shoes for himself

It’s Pigs’ Hometown
The story happened during the Second World War. An old man lived in a small town of Germany. He had three sons and they all worked in the same factory where he had worked. After the war had begun, his sons were all made to join the army one after another and they all died in the fights. The old man was very sad. He didn’t have enough food and was often hungry. And nobody helped him and he didn’t know how to go on living.
It was a very cold winter night. The old man couldn’t go to sleep. He had been hungry for two days and it was so cold in his room that ice could be seen. He had to get up and began to run in the room until he lay down on the floor. The next morning he had to beg from door to door. He had been to a lot of cities and knew a lot.
Once he came to a village, but the villagers were all poor and couldn’t give him anything. He was too hungry to go to another village. He thought hard and found a way. He came to a police station and called out, “Hitler is a foolish pig!”
Out came an old policeman at once. He took the old man into a room, gave him some bread and a cup of tea. Then he said, “Don’t say so in our village, sir!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the old man. “I don’t know it’s Hitler’s home town.” “No, no, sir,” the policeman said in a hurry. “It’s pigs’ hometown!”
【小題1】The old man’s son joined the army because ___________

A．they were all strong

B．they loved their country

C．they wanted to be full

D．they had to do so

【小題2】The villagers didn’t give the old man any food because _______.

A．they weren’t kind-hearted

B．his sons were in the army

C．they were also hungry

D．they hated him

【小題3】The policeman thought _______.

A．Hitler was more foolish than pigs

B．the old man insulted(侮辱) their hometown

C．the old man had to say sorry to him

D．the old man had to fight with Hitler

Tony Bennett, the American singer recently touring Britain, can’t remember how many times he has sung his standard hit “I left My Heart in San Fransisco”. He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.
“I never get tired of singing it.” He said. “I like it too much . It’s a great city and it’s a good song.”
Bennett is to record a TV program with American singer Lens Home while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled “Listen Easy” will be published in June.. “I like it here.” He added quietly over whiskey. “I would like to live here so many months of the year.”
He already keeps a large flat in Grosenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $4000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film , which has been specially written for him called “Two Bits”, an informal expression for 50 cents. It’s about an Italian immigrant who goes to America , but he becomes a failure.
“In many ways it’s very close to my life the way the story has been written,” said Bennett. “My father, an Italian ,was ill and died when I was nine. He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success.
【小題1】The underlined phrase “standard hit” most nearly means______

A．Bennett’s favourite song but it’s not very popular.

B．a(chǎn) song that is always popular

C．a(chǎn) song which makes him standard

D．a(chǎn) song which is like a heavy blow to his audience

【小題2】What does Tony Bennett want to do?

A．Buy a house and live in England.

B．Stay with his wife and daughter in England.

C．Live part of each year in England

D．Leave American and settle in England

【小題3】What’s Tony’s hobby?

A．Singing

B．Drinking

C．Playing

D．Painting

【小題4】 What can we learn about Tony’s father from this passage?

A．He liked his son’s singing.

B．He was born in Italy and died when Tony Bennett was a small boy

C．He was a part of Bennett’s achievement

D．He was glad that his son became famous.

【小題5】What kind of man is Tony Bennett？

A．hardworking and humorous

B．family-centered and hardworking

C．outgoing and kind

D．a(chǎn)mbitious and trustworthy

The year was 1932. Amelia Earhart was flying alone from North America to England in a small single-engined aeroplane. At midnight, several hours after she had left Newfoundland, she ran into bad weather. To make things worse, her altimeter (高度表) failed and she didn't know how high she was flying. At night, and in a storm, a pilot is in great difficulty without an altimeter. At times. her plane nearly plunged (沖) into the sea.
Just before dawn, there was further trouble. Amelia noticed flames coming from the engine. Would she be able to reach land? There was nothing to do except to keep going and to hope.
In the end, Amelia Earhart did reach Ireland, and for the courage she had shown, she was warmly welcomed in England and Europe. When she retumed to the United States, she was honored by President Hoover at a special dinner in the White House. From that time on, Amelia Earhart was famous.
What was so important about her flight? Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone, and she had set a record of fourteen hours and fifty-six minutes.
In the years that followed, Amelia Earhart made several flights across the United States, and on each occasion she set a new record for flying time. Amelia Earhart made these flights to show that women had a place in aviation (航空) and that air travel was useful.
【小題1】Which of the following statements is NOT the difficulty which Amelia Earhart met in her flight from north America to England?

A．She was caught in a storm.

B．The altimeter went out of order.

C．Her engine went wrong.

D．She lost her direction.

【小題2】When Amelia Earhart saw flames coming from the engine. what did she do?

A．She did nothing but pr ay for herself

B．She changed her direction and landed in Ireland.

C．She continued flying.

D．She lost hope of reaching land.

【小題3】According to the passage, what was Amelia Earhart's reason for making her flights?

A．To set a new record for flying time.

B．To be the first woman to fly around the world.

C．To show that aviation was not just for men.

D．To become famous in the world.

【小題4】Which of the following statements was NOT mentioned?
A. She was the first woman who succeeded in flying across the Atlantic Oceanalone.
B. She showed great courage in overcoming the difficulties during the flight.
C She was warmly welcomed in England, Europe and the United States.
D. She made plans to fly around the world.
【小題5】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Amelia Earhart-First Across the Atlantic.

B．Amelia Earhart-Pioneer in Women's Aviation.

C．A New Record for Flying Time.

D．A Dangerous Flight from North America to England.

Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.
【小題1】We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.

A．a(chǎn) conductor

B．a(chǎn) thief

C． a worker

D．a(chǎn)n umbrella maker

【小題2】The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.

A．his ticket

B．his drawing

C．his bag

D．his umbrella

【小題3】Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?

A．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown.

B．Because it was much like his own umbrella.

C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it.

D．Because he was lost in thought.

【小題4】When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt ______.

A．surprised

B．fortunate

C．a(chǎn)ngry

D．sad

【小題5】How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?

A．He picked them on the train.

B．He bought them in London.

C．He brought them from his small town.

D．He stole them from four women.

Christian Eijkman, a Dutch doctor, left the Netherlands for the island of Java. Many people on the island had a disease（疾�。� called beri-beri. He was going there to try and find a cure.
At first, Eijkman thought some kind of germ (細(xì)菌) caused beri-beri. He raised some chickens. He didn’t eat them, but made experiments on them. The local people were quite surprised at that. One day he noticed that his chickens became sick when they were fed the food most Javanese ate — refined white rice (精煉米). When he fed them with unrefined rice, also known as brown rice, they recovered. Eijkman realized that he had made an important discovery — that some things in food could prevent disease. These things were named vitamins (維生素). The Javanese were not getting enough vitamins because they had actually removed the part that contains vitamins. Later, other diseases were also found to be caused by the lack of vitamins in a person’s food.
Today many people know the importance of vitamins and they make sure they have enough vitamins from the food they eat. If they don’t, they can also take vitamin pills.
【小題1】The underlined word “cure” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.

A．a(chǎn) kind of rice	B．a(chǎn) kind of vitamin
C．a(chǎn) kind of germ	D．a(chǎn) medical treatment

【小題2】 Christian Eijkman went to the island of Java to ______.

A．help the Javanese with their illness

B．find ways to grow better crops

C．do some research about the island

D．spend his holiday

【小題3】Why did Christian Eijkman raise some chickens?

A．To eat them.

B．To give the Javanese a surprise.

C．To carry out his experiments.

D．To make money by selling them.

【小題4】If a person doesn’t get enough vitamins in his diet, he’d better ______.

A．eat vitamin pills	B．eat more meat
C．eat some chicken	D．eat more rice

【小題5】We can learn from the passage that ______.

A．beri-beri was caused by chickens

B．Christian Eijkman’s experiment was successful

C．the Javanese didn’t like vitamins

D．the Javanese’s disease was caused by a kind of germ

Anthony was sad. He was, as he put it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Anthony was sent away to a boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded with（懇求）his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was it would be good for me,” he recalled.
It was not. Anthony did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied for five years. “My teachers couldn’t have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn’t even smart enough to rebel. The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was the desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at 55, Anthony is one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, has come out.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency M16.
Anthony says he doesn’t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling that it has something to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
The style has also made Anthony a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it’s all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Anthony couldn’t be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”
【小題1】Which of the following is true of Anthony?

A．He was the beloved child of his family.

B．Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy.

C．He places more emphasis on the characters’ behavior in his stories.

D．Studying in a boarding school proved a good choice for him.

【小題2】At boarding school, Anthony’s teachers_____________.

A．often criticized him

B．showed great concern for him

C．encouraged him to be a writer

D．thought little of his ability

【小題3】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Anthony’s popular books—Alex Rider series

B．Alex Rider, a popular character

C．Anthony, a successful children’s book author

D．Special writing style

【小題4】What advice does Anthony give to readers?

A．Confidence is the key to success.

B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons.

C．Internet is the best teacher.

D．Failure is the mother of success.

Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.
After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.
Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投資) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.
At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.
【小題1】In his childhood, Mark Twain, ________.

A．learned a lot at school

B．he often went swimming with other boys

C．his mother often worried about his safety

D．he often played games with other boys

【小題2】Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?
a. He became a miner.           b. He worked as a printer.
c. He got into debts.             d. His father died.
e. He became a full-time writer.    F. He joined the army.

A．a(chǎn)—d—b—c—e—f	B．d—b—f—a—e—c
C．d—a—f—e—b—c	D．c—b—d—f—e—a

【小題3】In order to make a living, Mark Twain _______.

A．first worked as a printer

B．did many kinds of work

C．wrote stories in the beginning

D．joined the army after he worked in a mine

【小題4】From the passage we can see that Mark Twain _______.

A．had a happy childhood

B．was a good boy and always did what he was asked

C．was very naughty when he was young

D．lived a pleasant life

Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard. 
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast. 
“And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”
George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse. 
Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.
Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(競爭對手). Perhaps he missed him? 
George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading. 
“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.” 
【小題1】George and Richard were ______ at school.

A．roommates

B．good friends

C．competitors

D．booksellers

【小題2】How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

A．He envied Richard’s marriage.

B．He thought of Richard from time to time.

C．He felt lucky with no rival in town.

D．He was guilty of Richard’s death.

【小題3】George got information about Richard from ______.

A．a(chǎn) dictionary collector in Australia

B．the latter’s rivals Dylans

C．a(chǎn) rare first edition of a dictionary

D．the wrapping paper of a book

【小題4】What happened to George and Richard in the end?

A．Both George and Richard became millionaires.

B．Both of them realized their original ambitions.

C．George established a successful business while Richard was missing.

D．Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.