Born in 1949, Diana Nyad took an early interest in swimming as a sport and was a Florida State High School swimming champion（冠軍）. Like many young trainers, she had Olympic dreams, but a serious illness prevented her from competing in the Games. The disappointment didn’t stop her from going forward. Instead, she became interested in marathon swimming.
For ten years Nyad devoted herself to becoming one of the world’s best long-distance swimmers. In 1970, she swam a ten-mile marathon in Lake Ontario, setting the women’s record for the course. In 1972 she set another record by swimming 102.5 miles from an island in the Bahamas to the coast of Florida. Then she broke a third record when swimming around Manhattan Island in 1975.
Nyad attempted to swim the distance between Florida and Cuba in 1978. Though the span(跨度) of water is less than 100 miles wide, it is rough and dangerous. After battling(與---作戰(zhàn)) the water for two days, she had to give up for the sake of her own health and safety. Even so, she impressed the world with her courage and strong desire to succeed. It did not matter that her swim came up short; she believed she had touched the other shore.
When Nyad ended her career as a swimmer, she continued to try new things---travelling the world as a reporter, writing books and giving public speeches about her life. Diana Nyad works to inspire others, just as she did when she swam the waters of the world.
【小題1】What was Nyad’s early interest?
【小題2】When did Nyad set the record for a ten-mile marathon swimming?
【小題3】According to the passage, how many times did Nyad join the long-distance swimming?
【小題4】What did Nyad do after she finished swimming?
【小題5】What can we learn from the passage?

One summer vacation in my college, my roommate Ted asked to me to work on his father’s farm in Argentina. The idea was exciting. Then I had second thoughts. I had never been far from New England, and I had been homesick my first few weeks at college. What about the language? The more I thought about it, the more the idea worried me.
Finally, I turned down the invitation. Then I realized I had turned down something I wanted to do because I was scared and felt depressed(沮喪). That experience taught me a valuable lesson and I developed a rule for myself: do what makes you anxious(焦慮); don’t do what makes you depressed.
In my senior year, I wanted to be a writer. But my professor wanted me to teach. I hesitated. The idea of writing was much scarier than spending a summer in Argentina. Back and forth I went, making my decision, unmaking it. Suddenly I realized that every time I gave up the idea of writing, that downhearted feeling went through me.
Giving up writing really depressed me. Then I learned another lesson. To avoid the depression meant having to bear much worry and concern.
When I first began writing articles, I often interviewed big names. Before each interview I would get butterflies in the stomach. One of them was the great composer Duke Ellington. On the stage and on television, he seemed very confident. Then I learned Ellington still got stage fright（害怕）. If Ellington still had anxiety attacks, how could I avoid them? I went on doing those frightening interviews. Little by little, I was even looking forward to the interviews. Where were those butterflies?
In truth, they were still there, but fewer of them. I had learned from a process psychologists（心理學(xué)家） call “extinction”. If you put an individual in an anxious situation often, finally there isn’t anything to be worried about, which brings me to a conclusion: you’ll never get rid of anxiety by avoiding the things that caused it.
The point is that the new, the different, is definitely scary. But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you.
【小題1】We can infer from the passage that the author________. 

After death, John went to see God. God looked at him, feeling very unhappy, “You’ve lived in this world for 60 years. Why haven’t you gotten any result at all?” God asked.
John argued, “My God, I couldn’t become a successful person just because you didn’t give me any chance. If you let that magic apple hit on my head, the man who found the law of gravity should be me.”
God said, “OK, we might as well try again.”
God rocked his hands and the time turned back to a few hundred years ago.
God shook the apple tree for the first time, when a red apple fell and happened to drop on John’s head. John picked up the apple, wiped it and ate it up as soon as possible.
God allowed another bigger apple drop on John’s head and John ate it up once again.
God shook the apple tree for the third time, when a much bigger apple fell on John’s head. John got mad, picked up the apple, threw it out heavily. Then he shouted angrily: “The apple annoyed my sweet dream! What a bad luck!”
The apple flew out and happened to fall on Newton’s head. Newton awoke and picked up the apple. After a long time of thinking, he discovered the law of gravity at last.
The time returned once again now.
God said to John, “John, do you understand it now?”
John asked, “My God, please give me another chance…I will …”
God shook his head and said, “No. The chance that the apple drops on the head of everyone is the same, but each person’s ability to catch the chance is different.” 
【小題1】When did John die?

As a music teacher for twenty-seven years I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.
A few years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase “Oh yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class Vanessa and I clapped together. She never said or sang a word.
One day late in the school year when the song was finished Vanessa turned around, looked at me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music we had made a connection.
Several years later I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times mimicking the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl through her connection with music left an impression on me that will last forever.
Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.
【小題1】The author thinks music__________.

If you had only three years left to live, how would you spend your time? It’s a hard question and few of us would even like to think about it. But 18-year-old Huang Ge has to answer this question and he says, “I want to thank the people who have helped me.”
At the age of one, Huang’s mother left the family. Six years later, he was badly ill. He has been using a wheelchair since 9 years old. Doctors said he would only live to 18.After Huang’s story went on TV, hundreds of people sent money to help him. The boy was so moved that he decided to thank every one of them. But he has to be tied to his wheelchair. And the family can only afford a three-wheeled motorcycle(三輪摩托). Since 2003, the father and son have traveled 14,000 kilometers, to 10 provinces, and thanked more than 30 helpers.          
“I am moved by the story of the boy. We need the courage to face death, and we should also show our gratefulness to those who help us,” says an online post on CCTV. com.
【小題1】_________, Huang Ge started to use a wheelchair.

That warm day was the only day of the week without rain. I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine. Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold. An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“ Hi! My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said,” Hello, Karmen. I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.
One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she didn’t still turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will(遺囑)， which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remembered the wonderful friendship we had.
【小題1】The writer came out of the house to________.

This morning, I went camping along a path in Green Natural Park with my friends. We were happy because it was a sunny day. We were expecting an enjoyable two-day holiday. On the way, we kept singing and making jokes.
However, in the afternoon, when we finished our picnic at one o’clock, it was dark and windy. Soon, there was a shower. Unluckily, none of us brought an umbrella. We ran about but we could find no place to hide.
Twenty minutes passed and it was still raining. There were hours to go before we reached the campsite (野營(yíng)地). It was even worse that our small compass (指南針) showed that we went to the wrong way. We had lost our way!
We had to make a quick decision as it was raining heavily. Chris said we could set up a tent to hide in, so Mary and Tom helped to set up the tent. Chris and I tried to make a fire to keep us warm. But we were unable to light the fire, as everything was wet. We dried ourselves, chatted and waited inside the tent. At about five o’clock, it stopped raining. We decided to give up the camping trip because all of us had been very tired.
This camping trip may not be very successful but we know each other better. And the most important thing I’ve learned from this trip is the importance of team spirit.
【小題1】The writer with his friends went camping in Green Natural Park ______.

閱讀與表達(dá)（每小題2分，共10分）
My name is Liu Fang. For a long time, I dreamed of doing something in Western China and last year after I left my college, I became a volunteer (志愿者) teacher. It has changed my life completely!
I traveled a long way from Yangkang Railway Station to a small village by bus in the noth part of Qinghai province. On my way there, I thought about the village, the school, the first day and  the children there. However, my heart sank (沉下) when I arrived there. It wasn't what I thought of. It didn't look like a school at all! How small it was! The school had only three rooms, one for Grades 1, 2 and 3, and the other for Grades 4, 5 and 6. There was a third classroom for me.   
The children welcomed me warmly on my first day. They asked me a lot of questions and I told them stories about myself and my life in Shanghai. The next day, I gave them a test to find out their level (水平). To my surprise, over half of the students didn’t pass the test, but they all wanted to learn new things. 
I spent many nights getting ready for the lessons, reading test papers and marking homework. I enjoyed teaching these lovely and hardworking children, and I could see that they were making progress (進(jìn)步) with my help. I have also learned a lot from them. I understand their lives better, and I realized that they really needed me a lot.
I have worked in the village for a year now. I'm very happy and the experience has been very useful for me. Now I know how to look after myself. I love the children. In fact, I would like to go on working here.
【小題1】Is Liu Fang a college student now?
【小題2】What did Liu Fang think of the school when she saw it?
【小題3】How was she getting on with the children?
【小題4】What did she think of her work experience in the village?
【小題5】Why does she want to go on working there?

When I was young, I wanted to be a model, so when a national competition was nearby, I asked my parents to take me for an audition(試演) and they agreed, I was selected and told I had potential. They said that for only $900 I could attend a weekend event that a number of the most famous modeling agenies(中介) from around the world would attend. At 13, my hopes of fame and fortune(名利) clouded my judgment and I begged my parents to let me go. We have never been rich, but they saw my enthusiasm and at last they agreed.
I imagined being signed by some famous model companies. For .months, any boredom or disappointment that I faced disappeared because I knew I would soon have the chance to be a real model. I thought I would appear in the covers of famous magazines!
Of course, I wasn't signed, but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to 5'9' (about 1.75 meters) I could be a success. I sprayed for a growth spurt(沖刺) because I could not imagine giving up my dream. I met with a local modeling agency and the agent required $500 for classes, $500 for a photo shoot(拍攝), and $300 for other fees. My parents only agreed after hours and hours of my begging.
The agency sent me out on a few auditions but with every day I did not receive a call, I grew more disappointed. The final chance came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling. There was an open call(公開挑it) in New York City. We spent hours driving and spent another few hours waiting, only to be told that I was too short, I could hardly stand it.
Years later, I realize that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn't actually love modeling, just the idea of it.1 wanted to be special and I naively(天真地)decided to reach an impossible goal. The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future.
【小題1】The author wanted to be a model, because_______.

Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the  money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument(樂(lè)器) or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter. However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children are short of self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking requires patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and finish his job successfully step by step. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse(激發(fā)) his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.
【小題1】Most Chinese parents don't realize_______.