By the third year of teaching I’d begun to expect Christmas break more for the school holiday and less for the excitement of the children. I was teaching fourth grade and my students had made me   36  . I just had to get through one of the hardest days of the school year.
　　The morning bell rang. I walked   37  through the cold into the overly heated school building. Twenty-two smiling faces   38  me at the school bus stop. I forced myself to   39  their smiles. Back into the classroom, they   40 , comparing plans for the   41  . I had to remove one student from each arm   42  I could take a seat at my desk for my morning duties. Before I could find my roll book（點名冊） my desk was covered with   43  and gifts followed by a   44  of “Merry Christmas” wishes.
　“Oh, thank you,” I must have   45  a million times. Each gift was truly special to me, except my   46  mood（情緒）. It was kind of them to   47  me. After a while, I heard a small nervous   48  say my name. I looked up to see Brandon standing   49  by my desk, holding a small, round gift. “This is for you.”
　 “Thank you, Sweetheart.” I laid it on my desk with the others.
　“Um, could you   50  it now?”
　I gently tore at the paper and tape. “  51  ,” he said, “it’s breakable.” Slowly I opened a small, green Christmas tree ornament（裝飾物）, complete with a hook already   52 . It dawned on me what he had done. Then a nearby student said that he just pulled that off his own tree. I tried to keep my   53  back.
　Later that day, I sat   54  the ornament in my hands. Was I really so important to this child that he had searched for something to give me? Now every year as I   55  pull a green Christmas ball from my ornament box, I remember the deep influence my students have on me.

小題1:	A．excited B．tired C．a(chǎn)mazed D．relaxed

小題2:	A．eagerly B．a(chǎn)imlessly C．gently D．heavily

小題3:	A．watched B．greeted C．delighted D．warned

小題4:	A．return B．forget C．ignore D．refuse

小題5:	A．calmed B．settled C．chatted D．a(chǎn)rgued

小題6:	A．study B．weekend C．vacation D．lesson

小題7:	A．before B．when C．a(chǎn)fter D．because

小題8:	A．letters B．books C．chalks D．cards

小題9:	A．knowledge B．collection C．series D．bunch

小題10:

A．confirmed B．a(chǎn)ssessed C．responded D．explained

小題11:

A．pleased B．low C．thrilled D．a(chǎn)ngry

小題12:

A．talk about B．think of C．turn to D．connect with

小題13:

A．call B．sound C．shout D．voice

小題14:

A．shyly B．bravely C．rudely D．sadly

小題15:

A．classify B．collect C．open D．a(chǎn)rrange

小題16:

A．Careful B．Dangerous C．Patient D．Hasty

小題17:

A．exposed B．a(chǎn)dapted C．a(chǎn)djusted D．a(chǎn)ttached

小題18:

A．trees B．hooks C．gifts D．tears

小題19:

A．looking into B．turning over C．giving away D．packing up

小題20:

A．a(chǎn)nxiously B．hurriedly C．delicately D．casually

A daughter’s duty? Adult daughters are often expected to caregiver for older parents. In 2007, Jorjan Sarich and her dad moved from California to Idaho. It was where he wanted to live his rest time.
“I left my occupation, I left my friends; he did the same thing,” said Sarich, who bought a house with her father, George Snyder, in the China Gardens neighborhood of Hailey after his health began to decline. Though a graduate student struggling to finish her dissertation（論文）, Sarich chose to be her dad’s full-time caregiver.
“It’s only now, several years later, that I’m realizing how much work it was. It’s the kind of exhaustion（疲憊）that sleep doesn’t cure,” she said.
About 6 million Americans provide care to elderly relatives or friends living outside of nursing homes. Laurel Kennedy, author of “The Daughter Trap” (Thomas Dunne Books, $25.95), says that women bear a disproportionate（不成比例的）share of the burden — about 70 percent of hands-on care giving such as bathing.
“I want to be clear: Women don’t hate this,” Kennedy said. “What they hate is that everyone just assumes they’ll do it.”
Kennedy is calling for a social revolution equal to the rise of affordable child care and day care: Employers should help working caregivers by offering accommodations. Men should step up more often. It’s unfair that women are always chosen to provide care for an elderly family member.
Despite the hard work it took on Sarich — interrupted sleep and the knowledge that his 2009 death was the end game, she would do it again. Since about half a century had gone by, she wasn’t the person he remembered, and he wasn’t the person she remembered either. Caring for her father changed how each saw the other.
小題1: Why did Jorjan Sarich caregiver for her father?

A．It was a very easy job.	B．She had no work to do.
C．It was the social practice.	D．She lived with her father.

小題2:What can we infer from the book “The Daughter Trap”?

A．Daughters don’t like care giving.

B．Daughters devote a lot to care giving.

C．Care giving is daughters’ duty.

D．Care giving should be sons’ duty.

小題3:What does the underlined phrase “a social revolution” refer to?

A．The child care revolution.	B．The reform in day care.
C．The social development.	D．The change in care giving.

小題4:How many years did Jorjan Sarich work as her father’s full-time caregiver?

A．Five years.

B．Only one year.

C．Four years.

D．Two years.

小題5:In her care giving, Jorjan Sarich _____.

A．got along well with her father	B．was a little tired of her father
C．changed her father in every way	D．felt it was unfair to do so

One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet view of the wonderful works..
A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me chatted nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided she was doing all the talking. I admired his patience for tolerating her constant words. Disturbed by their noise, I moved on.
I encountered them several times as I moved through the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her constant talking, I moved away quickly.
I was standing at the counter of the museum gift store doing some shopping when the couple approached the exit. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He turned it into a long cane (手杖) and then tapped his way into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket.
“He’s a brave man,” the clerk at the counter said, “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn’t change. So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there’s a new art show.”
“But what does he get out of the art?” I asked, “He can’t see.”
“Can’t see! You’re wrong. He sees a lot. More than you or I do,” the clerk said, “His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head.”
I learned something about patience, courage and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life.
And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away arm in arm.
小題1:Which of the following statements is true?

A．The husband was doing all the talking when the couple viewed the works.

B．The husband tapped his way to the coatroom to get his jacket.

C．The husband was considered a brave man by the clerk at the store.

D．The husband allowed blindness to change his life.

小題2:The underlined word “encountered” in the passage means “________”.

A．saw

B．met

C．talked

D．a(chǎn)rgued

小題3:At first the author’s attitude towards the wife of the couple was _________.

A．positive

B．neutral

C．bored

D．a(chǎn)dmiring

小題4:What can be inferred from the passage is ___________. 

A．the man had his eyes blinded in a fight

B．the man must be a painter before

C．the woman was very devoted to his husband

D．the man often killed time by visiting exhibitions

Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was failing. Surprisingly, he could read, yet,    21  his reading skills, Steve had been failing since first grade. Steve was a big boy, yet, he went unnoticed...    22   Miss White.
Miss White was a smiling, beautiful, young lady. For the first time in his    23  life, Steve couldn’t take his eyes off his teacher; yet,    24  he failed. In the middle of the first term, the entire seventh grade was    25  for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and    26  to dream of other things, as the day passed slowly. One day, Miss White’s    27  voice broke into his daydreams. “Steve!” Startled (嚇了一跳), he    28  to look at her. “Pay attention!” She began to    29  the test results. “You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “   30  one boy, and it breaks my    31  to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp    32 . “... The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!”
After that, Steve still    33  do his homework. “Just try it,” Miss White said one day. “Steve! Please! I care about you!” Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it! Someone cared about him? Someone, so beautiful and perfect, cared about him! Steve went home from school,    34 ,  that afternoon.
The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! Immediately, she gave a    35  on the weekend homework. Steve was the first to    36  his paper. With a look of    37 , Miss White took his paper. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart beating strongly within his chest.
Miss White’s face was in total    38 ! Suddenly, her face broke into a bright smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just    39  his first test! From that moment   40  was the same for Steve.

小題1:	A．in honor of B．in spite of C．in addition to D．in case of

小題2:	A．to B．before C．until D．upon

小題3:	A．rich B．young C．fresh D．simple

小題4:	A．still B．even C．a(chǎn)lso D．forever

小題5:	A．observed B．corrected C．selected D．tested

小題6:	A．struggled B．a(chǎn)greed C．continued D．declared

小題7:	A．cheerful B．impatient C．enthusiastic D．shy

小題8:	A．decided B．managed C．turned D．forgot

小題9:	A．go over B．run over C．turn over D．hand over

小題10:

A．except for B．due to C．a(chǎn)s for D．up to

小題11:

A．will B．record C．heart D．back

小題12:

A．pain B．stare C．sense D．contrast

小題13:

A．wouldn’t B．couldn’t C．mustn’t D．shouldn’t

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)mused B．doubtful C．a(chǎn)pproved D．thoughtful

小題15:

A．survey B．speech C．report D．quiz

小題16:

A．give up B．hand in C．turn down D．come across

小題17:

A．respect B．curiosity C．surprise D．fear

小題18:

A．victory B．shock C．sadness D．confidence

小題19:

A．escaped B．taken C．missed D．passed

小題20:

A．nothing B．something C．a(chǎn)nything D．everything

One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions (假設(shè)) in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. I exercise all the time, but I still have gut fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn’t all the exercise getting rid of it?
It’s a question many of us could ask. More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, up from 23 million in 1993. We spend some $19 billion a year on gym memberships. Of course, some people join and never go. Still, as one major study — the Minnesota Heart Survey — found, more of us at least say we exercise regularly.
And yet obesity (肥胖) figures have risen sharply in the same period: a third of Americans are obese, and another third count as overweight by the Federal Government’s definition. Yes, it’s entirely possible that those of us who regularly go to the gym would weigh even more if we exercised less. But like many other people, I get hungry after I exercise, so I often eat more on the days I work out than on the days I don’t. Could exercise actually be keeping me from losing weight?
The popular belief that exercise is essential for weight control is actually fairly new. As recently as the 1960s, doctors routinely advised against too much exercise, particularly for older adults who could injure themselves. Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reasons: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases — those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer and many other illnesses. But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly over-evaluated.
“In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless,” says Eric Ravussin, exercise researcher at Louisiana State University. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn’t as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or, for that matter, from magazines like this one.
The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can make one hungry. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate (使無效) the weight-loss benefits we just gained. Exercise, in other words, isn’t necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.
小題1: From the passage we learn that ____.

A．some Americans join a health club but never go there

B．the number of overweight people has doubled since 1993

C．more than 45 million Americans now go to the gym regularly

D．Americans waste too much money each year on sports

小題2: According to the passage, exercise ____.

A．has long been believed to be good for older adults

B．is not properly advertised as an effective way to lose weight

C．was first recognized as an effective way to lose weight in the 1960s

D．is less effective in preventing heart disease than what doctors believe

小題3:According to the writer, people might gain weight because ____.

A．they have the habit of going to the gym regularly

B．they eat the same food when they do not exercise

C．they exercise less than required by doctors

D．they eat more after they exercise

小題4:What may be the best title for this passage?

A．Overweight Is Not Good for Your Health

B．Exercise Won’t Make You Thin

C．Gym Is Part of American Lifestyle

D．Obesity Is a Social Problem in America

Once upon a time, there was a group of forest deer. In this group was a wise and respected   36 , smart in the ways of deer. He taught the tricks of   37  to the fawn-the young deer.
One day, his younger sister   38  her son to him, to be taught   39  is so important for deer. The teacher said to the fawn, “Very well, you can come at this time tomorrow for your first   40 .”
At first, the young deer came to the lessons   41  he was supposed to. But soon, he became more interested in   42  with the other young bucks（雄鹿）. He didn’t realize how   43  it could be for a deer who learned   44  but deer games. So he started
  45 . Soon he was escaping school all the time.
  46 , one day the fawn who played hooky   47  a snare（陷阱）and was trapped. Since he was   48 , his mother got worried. She went to her brother the teacher, and
  49  him if her son had learned something. The teacher   50 ,”My dear sister, your son was disobedient and   51 . Out of respect for you, I   52  to teach him. But he did not want to learn the   53  of deer. He played hooky! How could I possibly teach him?”
Later they heard the sad news. The   54  fawn had been trapped and killed by a hunter. He skinned him and took the meat home to his family.
The moral is: Nothing can be learned from a teacher by one who   55  the class.

小題1:	A．student B．mother C．teacher D．magician

小題2:	A．perform B．survival C．hunting D．hiding

小題3:	A．brought B．caught C．a(chǎn)rranged D．referred

小題4:	A．that B．which C．how D．what

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)rrival B．punishment C．prize D．lesson

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)s B．because C．whether D．where

小題7:	A．learning B．playing C．talking D．fighting

小題8:	A．interesting B．boring C．dangerous D．useful

小題9:	A．nothing B．something C．a(chǎn)ll D．none

小題10:

A．working hard B．cutting classes C．playing games D．teaching others

小題11:

A．Luckily B．Unexpectedly C．Definitely D．Unfortunately

小題12:

A．found out B．set up C．stepped in D．got over

小題13:

A．dying B．missing C．unhappy D．improving

小題14:

A．told B．scolded C．a(chǎn)sked D．suspected

小題15:

A．replied B．a(chǎn)nalyzed C．a(chǎn)dvised D．questioned

小題16:

A．unbelievable B．unreachable C．inflexible D．unimportant

小題17:

A．made up my mind B．tried my best C．gave up D．would like

小題18:

A．stories B．structures C．games D．tricks

小題19:

A．proud B．sick C．stubborn D．shy

小題20:

A．misses B．loves C．forms D．a(chǎn)ttends

Hundreds of people lined up at Grand Central Terminal yesterday, but they
weren’t there to catch a train. They came to New York City’s famous railroad station to trade in old dollar bills for the new George Washington Presidential苊1 coin.
The gold-colored coin is the first in a new series by the U.S. Mint（造幣廠）that honors former U.S. Presidents. The Mint will issue(發(fā)行) four Presidential苊1 coins a year through 2016. Like the popular 50 State Quarters program, which issues coins in the order in which each state joined the Union, Presidential苊1 coins will come out in the order in which each President served. The George Washington coin is the first to be released. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison coins will come out later this year.
The Presidential 苊1 coins will be the same size and color as the Sacagawea Golden Dollar. However, there is an important difference. For the first time since the 1930s, there is an inscription（題字）on the edge of each coin. Each coin will show a different President on its face, or head side. It will also show the President’s name, the order in which he served and his years in office. The other side of the coin will show the Statue of Liberty and the inscriptions “United States of America” and “苊 1”.
There will be one Presidential苊1 coin for each President, except Grover Cleveland. He will have two! Cleveland is the only U.S. President to have served two nonconsecutive（不連續(xù)的）terms.
The last President scheduled to get a coin is Gerald Ford because a President must have been dead for two years before he can be on a coin.
小題1: Why did people line up at the railway station?

A．To book train tickets.	B．To exchange money.
C．To visit a coin show.	D．To visit the station itself.

小題2:In which order will the Presidential苊1 coins come out?

A．Each state joined the Union.	B．Each President was born.
C．Each President took office.	D．Each President died.

小題3:It can be inferred from the passage that         .

A．there are no words on the Sacagawea Golden Dollar

B．the new coin can buy more than the old coin

C．the new coin takes on a white color

D．the Sacagawea Golden Dollar is bigger

小題4:Why will Grover Cleveland have two coins?

A．He served longer than any other President.

B．He is the most famous President in the U.S.

C．He is the only one who has served two terms.

D．He served two terms but not continuously.

小題5:Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?

A．Presidential苊1 coin issued.

B．Different ways to honor Presidents.

C．The differences between Presidential苊1 coin and other coins.

D．Collections of old dollar bills.

Misery and setbacks are not always as terrible as one imagines. Hard times can offer new ways of looking at life that would otherwise never be known. And, if you are a writer, this can be the source of much of your success.
Popular British author, Charles Dickens' （1812-1870）family could hardly make ends meet. They could only afford to send one of their six children to school. Dickens was not that child. His parents chose to send a daughter, who had a talent for music, to an academy. Then at the age of 12, Dickens' life took another turn for the worse.
His father, a clerk, was placed in prison for unpaid debts. And, being the oldest male left at home, Dickens took up work at a factory. His horrible experience there became the fuel for his future writing. His father was freed three months later and inherited a small amount of money. Dickens was then sent to school.
From 1836 to 1837, he wrote a monthly series of stories. Thus the Pickwick Papers, came into being, which brought fame to the 23-year-old man.
Throughout his career, Dickens covers various situations in his novels. He wrote about the miserable lives of the poor in Oliver Twist, the French Revolution in Tale of Two Cities, and social reform in Hard Times. He also wrote David Copperfield, a book thought to be modeled on his own life.
“I do not write bitterly or angrily: for I know all these things have worked together to make me what I am,” he once said. His difficult childhood did indeed shape the person he became, as well as his writing career. There are shades of young Dickens in many of his most beloved characters, including David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.
Like the author, all these characters come from poor beginnings and are able to rise above their setbacks and achieve success. “Minds, like bodies, will often fall into an ill-conditioned state from too much comfort,” he once wrote. On June 9th, 1870, aged 58, Dickens died, leaving one unfinished work．The words on his tombstone read: “He was a sympathizer to the poor, the suffering and the oppressed, and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world.”
小題1:The book that first called public attention to Dickens was ______.

A．the Pickwick Papers	B．Oliver Twist
C．Tale of Two Cities	D．David Copperfield

小題2:The phrase “shades of” in bold means “_____”.

A．various shapes of	B．situations of
C．different experiences of	D．reminders of

小題3:How did Dickens see his childhood?

A．He felt grateful for it．

B．He felt it a pity that things weren’t in his favor．

C．He loved writing about it．

D．He chose to forget the bitterness about it．

小題4:From the story, we can see Dickens’ attitude towards an easy life is ______．

A．to enjoy it	B．to hate it
C．not to abandon yourself to it	D．to work hard for it

Yesterday the police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour of Cape York Peninsula.
This was the second day of the search and the police were now very worried about the safety of the three missing people.
The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rainforest was thick and their work was made harder by the recent rain. Later on Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said, “The travelers had a radio with them. If they had been in trouble, they would have called us.”
The three travelers left Cooktown very early on Saturday morning in a Toyota car. They took a small dirt road that runs down to the Daintree River, a dangerous river full of crocodiles (鱷魚). Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said the tourists wouldn’t have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road.
A photo of Vicky and Tom was found by a policeman under the “Be Careful about crocodiles” sign near the river. Why was the photo left behind? This is just one of the unanswered questions. Other questions are: Why was the photo left behind? Why was the Toyota parked and locked at the edge of the rainforest? The police said that the travelers had left a map of the area behind. Why? Why had someone drawn a cross on the point (地點) where the car is? Is this a sign? What does it mean? If anyone can give information or has seen these three young people, contact the local police in Cooktown.
小題1:This article is probably taken from ___________

A．a(chǎn) newspaper

B．a(chǎn) magazine

C．a(chǎn) storybook

D．a(chǎn) guidebook

小題2:Which of the following things wasn’t found by the police?

A．A touring map.	B．A photo of the travelers.
C．The travelers’ radio.	D．The travelers’ car

小題3:All the following are unanswered questions except_____________.

A．why they left a photo behind	B．why they came to this area
C．why their Toyota was parked in the place	D．why a cross was drawn on the map

小題4:The article asks people to _____________.

A．join the police in searching for the missing people

B．tell the police about the travelers’ ages and their appearance

C．learn the lesson and stop taking adventure tours

D．provide information about the missing people

Do you want to have a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or just can’t understand what you are going through?
Anne Frank chose the first kind. She lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Her family was Jewish (猶太人) so they had to hide, or they would be caught by the German soldiers. She and her family hid away for two years before they were discovered. During this time the only true friend was her diary, which she called Kitty.
In a diary dated on Thursday 15 June, 1944, she wrote, “Dear Kitty, I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’ve grown so mad about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me puzzled. That’s changed since I was here for a year and a half.”
小題1:In Anne’s opinion, the best friend is one who_______.

A．knows everything	B．likes to talk with you
C．can read your diary	D．can understand you

小題2:Who do you think Kitty is ?

A．Anne’s sister.

B．Anne’s mother

C．Anne’s teacher

D．Anne’s diary

小題3:Anne had grown so mad about nature. Maybe it was because ______.

A．she had been indoors too long	B．she had no interest in nature
C．she had always been such a girl	D．she had got used to living alone

小題4: In her diary on Thursday 15, June, 1944, Anne expressed her strong wish for ______.

A．friendship

B．schooling

C．free life

D．free weather