My parents, without ______ help I wouldn’t have become who I am, have taught me the true meaning of life.

A. whom                      B. their                        C. whose                     D. them

 

That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week ago, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾車) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 A.M. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
【小題1】How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?

A．Cold and sick	B．Disappointed and helpless
C．Satisfied and cheerful	D．Fortunate and helpful

【小題2】On her way home the writer _______.

A．was robbed of her wallet by an armed man

B．was stopped by a garbage truck driver

C．lost her wallet unknowingly

D．found some homeless people following her

【小題3】In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?

A．Someone offered to take her back home.

B．A red-haired man came to see her.

C．Her wallet was found in a garbage truck.

D．She heard someone call her name.

【小題4】From the text, we can infer that the writer _________.

A．would stay on in San Francisco

B．would stop working at night

C．would make friends with cleaners

D．would give up her job at the bank

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, fundingcuts, and many other administrative chores and started to dream of retirement．Sitting in trafficon a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering．I would imagine spending time withmy grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books．Itold myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anythingrequiring a schedule．

    My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me,leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends．On thesecond day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper …On the third day, ...This is retirement? Itried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right roundthe corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough．But something was missing．

    A former colleague asked a favor．A group of students was going to Jamaica to work withchildren in the poorest neighbourhood．Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and returnto the students, just this once? One trip．That's all．My bags were packed and by the door．

    The trip was very inspiring．I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by thesense of responsibility of the young people on the trip．When I returned home, I offered to workone day a week with a local youth organization．The experience was so positive that I was soonvolunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work．

    Now，it seems, the tables have turned ．Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student．These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poorand suffer because of greed, corruption and war．Most importantly, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions．In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas．I've gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

    A．To stay away from busy schedules．   B．To write some great books．

    C．To do some voluntary work．  D．To plan for his future．

Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

    A．He missed his students in that country．

    B．He couldn't reflise his colleague's favor．

    C．He was concerned about the people there．

    D．He was not satisfied with his retired life．

The underlined part "the tables have turned" （Paragraph 5 ） means that thewriter ．

    A．improved the situation in his school B．felt happy to work with students again

    C．became a learner rather than a teacher   D．changed his attitude toward his retired life

What does the writer think of his retired life now?

    A．Disappointing．      B．Troublesome．

    C．Promising．      D．Meaningful．

Michel is a young girl who works for the police      a handwriting expert (專家). She has helped      many criminals (罪犯) by using her special talents (天才).

When she was fourteen, Michel was already      interested in the differences in her friends'       that she would spend hours      them. After       college she went to France for a        two-year class in handwriting at the School of Police Science.

　　Michel says that it is      for people to hide their handwriting. She can        of what she needs to know simply      looking at the writing with her own eyes,     she also has machines      help her make      different kinds of paper and ink. This knowledge is often        great help to the police.

Michel believes that handwriting is a good     of what kind of person the      is. "I wouldn't go out with a fellow        I didn't like his handwriting.” She says. But she     she fell in love with her future husband, a young policeman        she studied his handwriting. It is later proved to be       , however.

1.A. with        B. by 　　　　 C. like 　　　D. as

2.A. search　　 　B. follow 　　 C. catch 　　 D. judge

3.A. so　　　　　 B. too 　　　　C. quite 　　 D. extra

4.A. books　　　　B. letter　　　C. tongues 　 D. handwriting

5.A. writing 　　　B. studying　　C. settling 　D. uncovering

6.A. attending　　 B. finishing 　C. starting 　D. stepping into

7.A. powerful 　　B. natural 　　C. special　　D. common

8.A. main 　　　 　B. safe 　　　 C. easy 　　　D. impossible

9.A. most 　　　　B. nothing　　 C. little 　　D. sight

10.A. with 　　　  B. by 　　　　 C. of　　　 　D. about

11.A. so 　　　　  B. for 　　　　C. thus 　　　D. but

12.A. they 　　　  B. in which 　 C. that 　　　D. those

13.A. up 　　　　  B. out 　　　　C. for 　　　 D. into

14.A. of 　　　　  B. to　　　　　C. with 　　　D. for

15.A. test 　　　  B. sign    　C. means 　 　D. habit

16.A. thief 　　　 B. criminal　　C. writer 　　D. policeman

17.A. whether 　　 B. unless 　　 C. if 　　　　D. after

18.A. adds 　　　  B. tells 　　　C. repeats 　 D. cries

19.A. before 　　  B. after 　　　C. so 　　 D. and

20.A. necessary　　 B. all right 　C. important 　D. quite easy

 

Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套設備） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''
【小題1】Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?

A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play.

B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others.

C．Because she didn't have her own room.

D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors.

【小題2】Brenda started to give concerts _______.

A．after she practiced in her space bubble

B．when she became part of the unique space journey

C．after she became a real musicalastronaut

D．when people came to see her in the space bubble

【小題3】Brenda became famous because _______.

A．she was good at music and science	B．she became a real musical astronaut
C．she invented a special way of practice	D．she played well and had a talent

【小題4】Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?

A．Kind, hardworking and clever.	B．Brave, kind and hardworking.
C．Lovely, brave and kind.	D．Nervous, kind and clever.

【小題5】It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".

A．He laughs best who laughs last	B．It's never too old to learn
C．Two heads are better than one	D．One good turn deserves another