The centerpiece of curling(冰壺)is the curling stone. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.

Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally, the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of steps.

Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直徑) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大鏡). Lastly, a handle(把手) is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones----8 pairs----are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!

Kays is a small company, employing less than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.

【小題1 】What is true about Kays?

A. It is a family business.

B. It’s a brand(牌子) of curling stones.

  C. It’s a place in Scotland.

D. It’s the name of a curling stone dealer(業(yè)者).

【小題 2】How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?

  A. 8          B. 16           C. 32           D. 96

【小題 3】What does the underlined word “sliced” mean in Chinese in the second paragraph?

A. 切割    B. 鑲嵌         C. 移開        D. 固定

【小題 4】Which of the following statements is NOT RIGHT according to the passage?

A. Kays of Scotland has been curling stone maker for more than 150 years.

B. The weight of each curling stone must be 44 pounds.

C. We use a special machine to polish the curling stone.

D. The workers in Kays are all experienced.

【小題 5】What’s the passage mainly about?

A. The history of curling.

B. How to make a curling stone.

C. The rules of curling.

D. How to become a curling stone maker.

Dick had a toothache. His mother  36   him to the dentist. Before they saw the dentist, they 37  wait. “Please come in!” said a nurse in a   38  dress.     Dick looked afraid  39   he came into the dentist’s room. “Now tell me. What’s wrong 40  you?” the dentist asked. “I feel terrible. I think I’ve a  41  tooth.” said the boy. “Well, let me have a   42  ”, said the dentist kindly. Dick  43  his mouth 44  the dentist began to examine（檢查）his  45  .

As my friend was passing some elephants，he suddenly stopped．He was confused by the fact that these huge animals were being held by nothing but a small rope．The rope was tied to their front legs． It was ?? that the elephants could break away from the ropes at any time．But for some ? ?? ? ，they did not．

My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these elephants just stood there and didn't?? ?? ?? to get away．

“Well，” he said，“when they are very ?? ?? ?? and much smaller，we use the same size rope to tie them．At that age，it's enough to hold them．As they grow up，they are used to ? ?? ? that they cannot break away．They believe the rope can? ?? ? hold them，so they never try to break free．”

My friend was amazed．These animals could at any time break free， ?? ?? because they believed they couldn't，they were stuck right where they were．

Like the elephants，how many of us go? ?? ?? life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something，simply because we? ?? ? at it once before? How many of us are being held back by old，outdated?? ?? ?? that no longer serve us?

1.A．clear????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．necessary????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．interesting????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．important

2.A．business????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．time????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．duty????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．reason

3.A．try????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．continue????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．remember????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．refuse

4.A．strong????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．sleepy????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．young????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．tired

5.A．guessing????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．believing????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．proving????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．regretting

6.A．ever????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．even????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．never????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．still

7.A．but????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．and????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．or????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．so

8.A．across????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．into????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．through????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．over

9.A．failed????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．laughed????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C．aimed????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．looked

10.A．dreams????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．instructions????????????? ????????????? C．beliefs????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．chances

Feeding a crowd of hundreds doesn’t make Kenny Seals-Nutt nervous.
In fact, he thrives in the kitchen. He’s in his perfect place when dicing tomatoes, making salads and baking cakes.
By the time Kenny, 16, reached his third year of high school at Hickory Grove, North Carolina, US, he had become vice president of his school’s cooking club. He also opened his own food company, called Modern Fusion.
Kenny said he developed his love of cooking by watching his mother, and his grandmother, who owned a catering (飲食業(yè)) business herself. Kenny helped them both in order to remember their tips: how long to cook chicken so it stays wet, and the right amount of tomatoes to add to a spaghetti dish.
At the age of 5, he cooked his first dish of shrimp and broccoli. Taking it for his school lunch, he warmed it up in the school’s microwave, while the other kids ate their sandwiches.
“I love to eat, and it started to become more fun to cook than to use a microwave,” he said.
Cooking came easy to Kenny, and he enjoyed adding new ingredients into common dishes. “It started with a passion (熱情) and I wanted to know more,” he said. He began to watch the Food Network and read chef blogs.
Last summer, Kenny put his skills to the test by working with his grandmother to cater his uncle’s wedding. While she cooked traditional dishes, Kenny wanted to add new to the expected flavors (風(fēng)味).
Now Kenny spends his weekends catering his own events: weddings, birthday parties, baby showers. Kenny’s dishes are always a hit.
Chef Frederick Mookie Hicks, owner of a catering business, said Kenny’s success comes from his ability to multitask in the kitchen. Hicks said he has asked Kenny to cook with him on jobs three times now, and he presents Kenny as a positive example of a passionate chef to the students in his cooking classes.
“He’s so vigorous (精神飽滿的) about cooking that he doesn’t let anything stop him,” Hicks said. “I knew in the first five minutes of working with the kid that he is something special.”
【小題1】How is Kenny different from other students?