We do some strange things when we don't like the way our life is going. Too often we blame(埋怨)
someone else.
     "I wish my parents were more understanding."
     "I have such a bad Chemistry teacher!"
     "My friends are so boring and self-centred. They make my life worse and worse."
     Blame! Blame! Blame!
     It seems natural to sing this self-pitying song, but the truth is, if you don't like your life, you should do
something about it. No one else knows exactly how  you feel or what you need.  No one can read your
mind correctly. You are the only one with the  power(能力) to  check your life, and if you want it to be
different, you can change what you're doing. This means asking.. "What do I need? What do I want to
do?" instead of trying to meet others'  needs. For example,  try  to  decide how you want to spend your
evening instead of asking somebody else for advice. We teach other people how we want to be treated.
If we don't think of our own needs, no one else will either.
     When you're in trouble, don't give away your power to decide how you feel about yourself. Choose
how you want to think and act(行動). Other people can't make you unhappy or angry. They only act in
their own way and then it's up to you to decide how you will respond(回應). For example, your friends
go out to lunch withou t you.  You feel angry.  How are you going to act?  You may blame your friends.
"They're not kind. Who needs  them anyway?"  or  you may tell your friends how you feel, listen to their
explanation(解釋), and let them know you'd like to be invited next time.
     When you decide everything in your own way,  you're  getting  hold  of your own life and shaping it
according  to  your tastes  and feelings.  You can  choose to be happy, to make friends and to build an
interesting life. When you blame others for what is  or  isn't  happening  in  your life,  you have stopped
growing or learning.
     One of the most important rules is that  you  can  never  change another person by your direct action.
The only person you have the right and power to change is yourself. Once you change, the other person
then has something different to respond to and change is possible. If you  want change in your life, begin
with yourself...put love into your power to take action.

1．What should we do if we don't like our life?

A．Sing that self-pitying song.
B．Read our minds correctly.
C．Change what we're doing.
D．Tell others what we want.

2．If the writer's friends have dinner together without him, he may ________.

A．forget it and be still friendly with them
B．talk to them and try to find out why
C．do the same thing to them in return
D．ask somebody else to talk to them

3．What's the writer's idea about how to change others?

A．He thinks it's impossible to change others.
B．He believes our love can change everything.
C．He chooses to talk with others directly.
D．He prefers to change ourselves first instead.

4．How many points of view(觀點)are mentioned in the passage?

A．Three.
B．Four.
C．Five.
D．Six.

       As teenagers, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel
Prize, or they can be small. You may just want to become one of the ten best students in your class.
       Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real?
       "Follow Your Heart" by Australian writer Andrew Mathews tells us that making our dreams real is
life's biggest challenge.
       You may think you're not very good at some school subjects, or that it is impossible for you to
become a writer. These kinds of thoughts stop you from getting your dream, the book says.
       In fact, everyone can make his dream come true. The first thing you must do is to remember what you dream is.
       Don't let it leave your heart.  Keep telling yourself what you want.  Do this step by step (逐步地)and your dream will come true faster because a big dream is, in fact, many small dreams.
       You must also never give up your dream. There will be difficulties on the road to your dreams. But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will lead to (導致) better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book. As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as
you have the chance to learn more skills and find new interests.

1. "Follow Your Heart" is ________ .

A. the first thing you must do to make your dream real
B. the most important dream to have for teenagers
C. the name of a famous Australian writer
D. the name of a book by Andrew Mathews

2. If you want to make your dream real, you should_________.  

A. remember what your dream is first
B. keep telling yourself what you want
C. never be afraid of the big difficulties
D. try to start with all the things above

3. From the text, we know the word "challenge" means __________ .

A. 變化    
B. 挑戰(zhàn)    
C. 決定      
D. 態(tài)度

4. What shouldn't be done to make your dream come true ?    

A. Always remember what your dream is.
B. Watch TV instead of studying.
C. Do what you should do step by step.
D. Read more books, learn more skills and find new interests.

5. What is the best title for the text?    

A. Keep your dream in your mind.
B. How to find your real dream.
C. Never stop dreaming of success.
D. Teenagers have many dreams.

     Saving money gives you freedom (自由). If you have enough savings you may be able to give up your
job. I know a couple (夫妻) who saved up enough money that they were able to leave their jobs for a year,
and travel across the country. You could see the wonderful experiences they had because they were able
to enjoy that time together.
     Saving money is improving your future life. It is important to realize that by saving money now you will
be able to do so many more things in your later years. You can retire early and spend time traveling around
the world. By saving money now, you wil be able to do as many things as you like and enjoy a good life.
     Saving money wil bring you peace of mind. Every dolar that you have in the bank is a dolar, which stands
between you and disaster (災難). People who have savings are not worried when a car breaks down, or
someone becomes sick. They know that they wil be okay if they lose a job, and it takes time to find a new
one.
     Saving money sets an example for your children. By teaching your children to save money and plan for
the future, you are in control of (掌控) where you spend your money, and what you do with it. It may be
one of the most important ideas that you teach your children.

1. According to paragraph (段落)1, if you want to give up your job, ______.

A.you can travel across the country
B.you must have enough savings
C.you can stay with your family
D.you wil have wonderful experiences

2. Paragraph 2 tells us that by saving money ______.

A.you should do more things in the future
B.it is easier for you to retire whenever you wish to
C.it will be possible for you to have a better future life
D.you will never do the things you don't like

3. Paragraph 3 mainly tells us ______.

A.not to lose a job if you don't have savings
B.to put the money in the bank when you have savings
C.not to worry if a car breaks down or someone is ill
D.to save money if you want to have a peaceful mind

4. Paragraph 4 mainly talks about ______.

A.the plan for future life
B.the importance of children's education
C.the influence of saving money on children
D.the skills of saving money for children

5. The best title (標題) for this passage may be ______.

A.Money saving importance
B.Money saving purpose
C.Money saving skills
D.Money saving experience

1. At midnight Nasreddin saw ________ in his garden.

A. something strange
B. a thief 
C. something white
D. a ghost

2. Nasreddin was so frightened that he ____________ .

A. cried out for help
B. dared not go out of the house
C. dared not stay in his house
D. couldn't say a word

3. The next morning Nasreddin found ___________ .

A. his wife in the garden
B. the clothes-line
C. the thief dead
D. a bullet-hole through the white shirt

4. Nasreddin said that if he had been wearing that shirt ____________ .

A. he would be killed
B. he would die
C. he would have killed
D. he would have been killed

5. He called his neighbors together in order to __________ .

A. make a speech.
B. tell the story
C. thank God
D. thank them

      My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body. Through the years I would
guess at what I thought was the correct answer.
      When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, "My ears,
Mommy." She said, "No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again
soon."
      Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the
correct answer. So this time I told her, "Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our
eyes." She looked at me and told me, "You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are
many people who are blind."
     Over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, "No, but you are
getting smarter every year, my child."
     Then last year, my Grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. My Mom looked at me
when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to Grandpa. She asked me, "Do you know the most important
body part yet, my dear? " I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game
between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, "This question is very important. It
shows that you have really lived your life." I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, "My dear, the most
 important body part is your shoulder." I asked, "Is it because it holds up your head?" She replied, "No, it is
because it can hold the head of a friend or loved one when they cry.
      Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love
and friends that you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it." Then and there I knew the most
important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.