At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad．I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia．On the night we arrived, we discovered that "our family" was living in a trailer（活動房車） that was in poor conditions．A crew had been wolfing on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced．
We decided the only reasonable solution was to bridle a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances．The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen．
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family's three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children suavity ask for, we were astonished when Josh responded, "I just want a bed．"
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats．That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift．On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding．
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise．We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning．
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us．Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway．
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," he replied．
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it," I answered softly．Tears came to my eyes as my father handed Eric the pillow．
"Oh．．．that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly．
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means．
【小題1】The author's first volunteer project was             .

A．working on a poor trailer

B．helping a poor family

C．donating beds and bedding

D．dealing with a housing problem

【小題2】On hearing Josh's answer, the author was shocked because           .

A．the family lived in a trailer

B．Josh didn't know what a bed was

C．Josh expected to get some toys

D．The boys had no bed to sleep in

【小題3】By "We could hardly contain ourselves．", the author means that they all

A．felt confused	B．felt excited with joy
C．couldn't help laughing	D．failed to keep the secret

【小題4】From the passage, we can learn that what Eric had never seen before is         .

A．a(chǎn) trailer	B．a(chǎn) bed
C．a(chǎn) pillow	D．a(chǎn) truck

【小題5】From the last two paragraphs, the author's father means that

A．what the author wants to get may be unnecessary

B．the author should not waste money on small things

C．the author should do more volunteer work for the poor

D．what he will buy is not what the author wants but a pillow

I stopped at a grocery store the other day because I was about to go on a long drive and I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip. It wasn’t the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way.
As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed a man and a boy who was about 10 or 12 years old standing at the front of the store. Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper. I walked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing. As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fill with groceries.
I said hello and the man greeted me and handed me one of the pieces of paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry. On the paper was a simple list of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables. It also included a short story about the boy and his efforts to collect food donations since the age of 8. I was really touched that someone so young would be so interested in helping others. I told him it was an awesome idea and that he should be proud of himself. He smiled.
Then, I went inside to get my drink. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have it in stock. But, I wasn’t upset, because by then I felt I had another mission. I went through the store, picking things from the list, then brought them back out to the boy and put them in the cart. I also gave the man the white sheet of paper back to reuse for another customer. They thanked me and offered me a treat (candy, I think) but I said to pass it on to someone else.
As I walked back to my car, the boy’s well-intentioned spirit stuck with me. How inspiring to encounter a young boy with a resolve to do good deeds, and the courage to act on it. It made my day!
【小題1】What do we know from the passage?

A．The author wasn’t a regular customer to the store.

B．The store was owned by the man and the boy.

C．The store didn’t deal in drinks.

D．The author refused their treat because he didn’t need it.

【小題2】What does the author mainly want to tell readers in paragraph 4?

A．He didn’t get his drink

B．He carried out another mission.

C．He got thanks and was offered a treat

D．He wasn’t upset though not getting his drink.

【小題3】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A Day for a Boy.	B．A Young Boy’s Determination.
C．An Inspiring Boy.	D．A Young Boy’s Groceries.

【小題4】We can infer from the description of the author that the boy is _______.

A．noble-minded	B．hard-working
C．well-educated	D．open-minded

DEAR AMY: Last year I got a full-time job as a baby-sitter for a wonderful family with two amazing kids. They have come to treat me as one of their own. But my boyfriend and I are attempting to save much more money for the life we want to build, including marriage, a house and kids. Much as I love my “babies,” I’m looking forward to beginning a challenging career in a big company. Should I tell the family that I am looking for a new job? I don’t want to find one that requires me to begin work immediately, leaving them without child care, but I also don’t want them to assume that I’m leaving right away.              
Up-in-the-Air Au Pair
DEAR AU PAIR: Whatever your arrangement, it is reasonable for them to expect you to be honest and to keep them in the loop. They see that you are making changes in your life, and surely they will also understand your desire to advance in a career. Tell them frankly and they should be happy to employ you as long as you are available.
Amy
DEAR AMY: I am a freshman in a high school. Last summer my best friend was diagnosed with skin cancer. It isn’t very serious, but she seems to be becoming more and more depressed. How can I help her be happy again?
Best Friend
DEAR FRIEND: Your best role is to prop up and encourage your friend when she seems down, and to be supportive and kind to her. You're doing a great job with that, and your friend is lucky to have you in her life.
Amy
【小題1】What is Au Pair’s problem according to the first paragraph?

A．She has no idea whether to tell the family her plan or not.

B．She has no idea whether the family will hate her or not.

C．She has no idea where to find a new good job.

D．She has no idea how to save more money.

【小題2】From the underlined phrase“ to keep them in the loop”, we can infer that Amy advises Au Pair_____.

A．to keep it secret to the family

B．to cheat the family for the time being

C．to tell her true impression of the family

D．to let the family know what’s going on

【小題3】 In which column of a newspaper can we probably find the passage?

A．Jobs

B．culture

C．Life

D．Entertainment

To win an Oscar is an achievement at any age. To do so at 22, as Jennifer Lawrence has, is just amazing. Recently, the American star won Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her role in the film The Silver Linings Playbook. According to Time magazine's Richard Corliss, Lawrence is that rare young actress who "lends a mature intelligence to any role".
Though Lawrence has found great success through her big screen work, Lawrence wasn't sure what she really liked doing before the age of 14. She thought she'd go to college and maybe find a career as a doctor or a travel agent.     
Lawrence's two brothers were star athletes and one of them was a straight-A student. Unlike them, she suffered through school, never quite finding where she belonged. However, during a trip to New York, Lawrence suddenly realized that she wanted to be an actress. When she was enjoying the beautiful city, a model seeker asked if he could take her picture, and the next day he called her in for an audition (試鏡).      
"I read the script and it was the first time I had that feeling like I understand this," Lawrence said. "Within 20 minutes, in the cab ride from the hotel room, I decided I didn't want to be a model. In fact, I wanted to be an actress." Having appreciated this young lady's performance, the agency was so impressed with her reading that they signed her on the spot. But she insisted on finishing high school so she could give her full attention to her acting career.        
Lawrence burst onto the Hollywood scene last year with The Hunger Games, which established her as the highest-grossing (票房最高的) female action hero of all time. Rolling Stone called her “the most talented young actress in America".
【小題1】What can we know about Jennifer Lawrence from Paragraph 3?

A．Her parents were really strict with her.

B．She seemed not to fit in with her school days well.

C．Her school performance made her today's fame.

D．Her two brothers were doing well in all school subjects.

【小題2】 Lawrence made up her mind to be an actress because of ______.

A．a(chǎn) model interview

B．her brothers' examples

C．the taxi-ride to her hotel room

D．the beautiful scenery of New York

【小題3】From the text we can know that Lawrence is an actress of great ______.

A．confidence

B．a(chǎn)mbition

C．independence

D．talent

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

A．Choosing Right	B．Acting Wisely
C．Winning Young	D．Following Dreams

Which is safer --- staying at home, traveling to work on public transport, or working at the office? Surprisingly, each of these carries the same risk, which is very low．However, what about flying compared to working in the chemical industry? Unfortunately, the former is 65 times riskier than the latter! In fact the accident rate of workers in the chemical industry is less than that of almost any of human activity, and almost as safe as staying at home．
The trouble with the chemical industry is that when things go wrong they often cause death to those living nearby．It is this that makes chemical accidents so newsworthy．Fortunately, they are extremely rare．The most famous ones happened at Texas City （1947）, Flixborough （1974）, Seveso （1976）, Pemex （1984） and Bhopal （1984）．
Some of these are always in the minds of the people even though the loss of life was small．No one died at Seveso, and only 28 workers at Flixborough．The worst accident of all was Bhopal, where up to 3,000 were killed．The Texas City explosion of fertilizer killed 552．The Pemex fire at a storage plant for natural gas in the suburbs of Mexico City took 542 lives, just a month before the unfortunate event at Bhopal．
Some experts have discussed these accidents and used each accident to illustrate a particular danger．Thus the Texas City was caused by tons of ammonium nitrate, which is safe unless stored in a great quantity．The Flixborough fireball was the fault of management, which took risks to keep production  going during essential repairs．The Seveso accident shows what happens if the local authorities lack knowledge of the danger on their doorstep．When the poisonous gas drifted over the town , local leaders were incapable of taking effective action．The Pemex fire was made worse by an overloaded site in an overcrowded suburb．The fire set off a chain reaction of exploding storage tanks．Yet, by a miracle, the two largest tanks did not explode．Had these caught fire, then 3,000 strong rescue team and fire fighters would all have died．
【小題1】Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Working at the office is safer than staying at home．

B．Travelling to work on public transport is safer than working at the office．

C．Staying at home is safer than working in the chemical industry．

D．Working in the chemical industry is safer than traveling by air．

【小題2】Chemical accidents are usually important enough to be reported as news because       .

A．they are very rare

B．they often cause loss of life

C．they always occur in big cities

D．they arouse the interest of all the readers

【小題3】According to the passage, the chemical accident that caused by the fault of management happened in_________．

A．Texas city	B．Flixborough
C．Seveso	D．Mexico City

【小題4】From the passage we know that “ammonium nitrate” is a kind of _____．

A．natural gas, which can easily catch fire

B．fertilizer, which can't be stored in a great quantity

C．poisonous substance, which can't be used in overcrowded areas

D．fuel, which is stored in large tanks

【小題5】From the discussion among some experts we may conclude that _____．

A．to avoid any accident we should not repair the facilities in chemical industry

B．the local authorities should not be concerned with the production of the chemical industry

C．a(chǎn)ll these accidents could have been avoided or controlled if effective measures had been taken

D．natural gas stored in very large tanks is always safe

My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.
The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.
I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?”“Why did you leave your job before that?”“And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”
Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.
【小題1】The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.

A．he could no longer afford to live without one

B．he wanted to work in the centre of London

C．he was not interested in any other available job

D．he had received some suitable training

【小題2】The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.

A．he often traveled underground	B．he had written many poems
C．he had worked in a company	D．he could deal with difficult situations

【小題3】What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be

B．How unsuitable he was for the job.

C．How difficult it is to be a poet

D．How badly he did in the interview.

【小題4】The length of his interview meant that _________.

A．he did not like the interviewer at all

B．he had not done well in the intelligence test

C．he was not going to be offered the job

D．he had little work experience to talk about

【小題5】What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?

A．He was rather unsympathetic.	B．He was unhappy with his job.
C．He was quite inefficient.	D．He was very aggressive（有進(jìn)取心的）.

One day I walked down to get to my car, thinking about what I had to accomplish and scolding myself for being late for work, but surprisingly the car was nowhere to be found.
This was at 8 a.m. in the morning. I made trips to all the towing places and police stations, all the time thinking that it was towed (拖走）by cops (巡警).By around 10 a.m., the cops decided that it was actually stolen. After filing a report with them, I finally got to work thinking how my day was completely messed up.
Later in the day I went to pick up a rental car at Enterprise only to realize that my license was missing, too, along with my car. I told the enterprise guy the whole story and he offered to take me to the closest DMV and get a duplicate (副本) license. 1 was totally shocked. I did not know why this complete stranger would want to take some time off his day to help me. He actually took me to DMV, got a duplicate and then rented me a car. I was upset the whole day because of the events happening to me but somehow this simple act of kindness from a complete stranger made it all worth it. It cheered me up and made me forget all the troubles of the day. I was so moved by this kind act that the next day I made sure someone else got a similar surprise. I took some smiley shaped chocolates and left them on some of my colleagues’ desks.
There is still a lot of goodness out there in the world. We just need to take the time to notice it. I hope that this story would inspire many others like me to do more acts of kindness.
【小題1】The moment the author found the car missing, he thought ______.

A．it was stolen by a stranger	B．it was towed by the police
C．he placed it in a wrong place	D．he should rent another one

【小題2】We can infer that DMV is ______.

A．a(chǎn)n office for license	B．a(chǎn) towing place
C．a(chǎn) renting place	D．a(chǎn) parking lot

【小題3】Why did the author put some chocolates on his colleagues’ desks?

A．His colleagues were fond of chocolates.

B．He wanted to thank his colleagues.

C．He was touched and hoped to cheer others.

D．He wanted to do his colleagues a favor.

【小題4】The author writes about his experience ______.

A．to criticize the person stealing his cars

B．to praise the rental place at Enterprise

C．to tell us a surprising but moving story

D．to encourage people to do acts of kindness

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in (旁聽生）   for another l8 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unmarried college graduate student, and she decided to, put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course. " My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers, She only gave in a few months later when my parents promised that would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I artlessly chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and ail of my working class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the $ 5 deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.
【小題1】From the passage we know that the author          .

A．was adopted by a lawyer and his wife

B．dropped out when he was 17 years old

C．The author was admitted to Stanford

D．valued his dropping out

【小題2】The author dropped out mainly because           .

A．His academic performance was very poor.

B．He did not want to waste his parents' money.

C．His parents were too poor to afford the college tuition.

D．He didn't think university could help him to get a well-paid job

【小題3】Why did the author think dropping out was a good decision?

A．He could transfer to Stanford.

B．He could follow his passion.

C．He didn't have to attend classes any more.

D．He could spend more time in Hare Krishna temple.

【小題4】What can be inferred from this passage ?

A．The author was taking a risk when he made the decision of dropping out.

B．The author enjoyed the comfort and pleasure of life after he dropped out.

C．The author's parents were very angry at his decision.

D．The author was a very curious person.

I know it is wrong to envy your children. But when I see my son, Tonio and his younger brother Sam going down a slide together, one’s arm around the other, I know I have missed something wonderful.
Not only did I never have a brother, but also I had no friendships like theirs. My sister was old enough to help take care of me, so she was more a mother than a playmate, and I was more a pest than a friend. A brother would have been wonderful, but it was not in the family planning.
Now I finally live with brothers, my sons, Tonio and Sam. I am watching them build the kind of relationship that I once dreamed about. They go to bed together. When one comes into our bed after a nightmare, my wife and I know that before morning his brother will follow.
Sam manages the world with more ease than his elder brother, whose frustrations often bring him to tears. With a sincere “Smile, Tonio,” Sam is the one who comforts him. Tonio, on the other hand, has stopped playing with boys at his age who don’t like playing with Sam. They are always backing each other up.
I don’t know what kind of relationship they will have when they grow up. Parents always want their children to have what they never could. I want them to have each other. So I imagine them going to the same college, marrying sisters and living on the same block.
That’s why I was so worried the day Tonio started kindergarten. I felt that I would lose something too. As we headed for school that morning, both boys seemed relaxed, as if neither had any idea that the day was going to be different, that starting then, Tonio would be leaving behind his brother, his best friend, his right arm.
Tonio’s first day was chaotic, with hundreds of children outside looking for their teachers. Before any of us could say goodbye, Tonio disappeared with his new classmates. He turned to wave and then was gone. It was so sudden. Sam even didn’ t see him go. Although parents had been asked to ease the craziness of the first day by statying out of the school, I lifted Sam up and took him to Tonio’s classroom, looking for a glimpse of Tonio. Sam spotted him first.
My wife and I didn’t head back home immediately, stopping instead at a coffee shop to treat Sam to hot chocolate. We even let him eat ice-cream with his fingers. Sam was still quiet, so I asked him if he missed his brother already.
He didn’t answer. Instead he asked, “Daddy, is Tonio going to be gone forever?”
“No, Sammy,” I said, feeling happy about his sweet question. “Not forever, just until three o’clock.”
I sometimes think that the greatest thing I have ever done is to help create these brothers. And I didn’t stop with them. We had another child, and for the third time in a row, it was a boy. It wasn’t long before his brothers climbed into the crib(嬰兒床) to play with him. I am surrounded by brothers.
【小題1】What makes the author envy his sons?

A．He has no friends like Sam and Tonio.

B．He has only one brother in his family.

C．He doesn’t enjoy brotherhood as they do.

D．He doesn’t have a good relation with his sister.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “pest” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．a(chǎn) bad person	B．a(chǎn)n annoying person
C．a(chǎn) good companion	D．a(chǎn) lovely brother

【小題3】What can we learn about the two little brothers?

A．Tonio often encouraged Sam when Sam burst into tears.

B．The two brothers went to the same kindergarten.

C．Neither of the brothers played with other children.

D．They supported each other in different ways.

【小題4】The author was worried the day Tonio started his kindergarten, because__________.

A．Tonio might not spend so much time with Sam

B．Tonio might not do well with his study

C．he was afraid he would lose Tonio forever.

D．he wanted Tonio to have what he didn’t have

【小題5】On the first day of the kindergarten, __________.

A．Tonio had a nice day playing with his new classmates

B．Sam was very sad because Tonio was gone forever

C．Sam was allowed to have ice-cream with fingers as usual

D．the father felt happy when he sensed Sam’s love to Tonio

【小題6】What does the title “Surrounded by Brothers” suggest?

A．The author experienced brotherly affection by raising his sons.

B．The author often plays with his sons whenever he has time.

C．Parents want their children to stay at home and play together.

D．The youngest son is always surrounded by his elder brothers.