A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications(資歷), he said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”
This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.
A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was safe from damage. They found that the doors of the farmhouse had been safely fastened, and a lot of wood had been set next to the fireplace.
The young man slept soundly.
The farmer and his wife then looked at their property (財產(chǎn)) carefully. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage room, safe from the bad weather. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.
The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”
The farmhand did his work loyally. When the sky was clear, he had prepared for the storm in case it broke. So when the wind blew, there was no need for him to be afraid. He could sleep in peace.
小題1:The underlined word “fastened” in Para. 3 can be replaced by ______.

A．closed

B．damaged

C．taken

D．moved

小題2:From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A．a(chǎn)t first the farmer understood his words well

B．the young man was awakened in the night by a violent storm

C．the young man had prepared for the storm before it came

D．the young man was too sleepy to wake up in the night

小題3:The best title for this passage is ______.

A．Sleeping in peace through the storm	B．A violent storm
C．A young man and his dream	D．A clever farmer

小題4: Which of the following proverbs can best explain the story?

A．Lookers-on see more than players

B．Two heads are better than one

C．A stitch（針）in time saves nine

D．No man can do two things at a time

It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!”
小題1: The military camp was built in the village to _______.

A．stop the soldiers going to towns

B．stop the soldiers meeting their friends

C．train the new soldiers

D．make the young men live quietly

小題2:Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.

A．he was kind to them

B．they felt lonely

C．they had something important to do

D．they were the best of all

小題3: The young officer was worried because _______.

A．a(chǎn) traffic accident had happened to the nine soldiers

B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers

C．he didn’t think the nine soldiers would come back

D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town

小題4:The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.

A．something was wrong with their buses

B．their horses died on the return way

C．it took them much time to run back

D．they all had drunk much in the town

小題5: Which answer do you think right?

A．I’ll believe only the last soldier.

B．The officer believed the nine soldiers.

C．I’ll believe none of the nine soldiers.

D．The officer won’t punish his soldiers.

When I began married life more than 17 years ago, I weighed 118 pounds. After having two children, and years of ____21____ eating, I weighed 180 pounds. I was unhappy. I considered going on a ____22____, so I gathered information about it.
I ____23____ the South Beach Diet and how well it was ____24____ for some people in our area. I looked it up online and ____25____ for it. Even though I knew my husband loved me no matter how I ____26____ or how much I weighed. I decided that it would be a wonderful ____27____ for my husband to come home and see a new ____28_____, so I kept my South Beach experience a ____29____ from him. Later he left home for a two-week business trip.
I was surprised at all the ____30____ I could eat. It was great to have breakfast, ____31____ and dinner. The food was difficult to eat at first ____32____ I usually didn’t like such food. This made the daily menus hard, ____33____ I overcame (克服) the challenge.
The first two weeks there really ____34____ me change the way I thought about ____35____. It wasn’t chocolate or cheese or candy I ____36____, but fruit! Before my husband’s return, my children and I were amazed at how quickly the ____37____ was lost.
When my husband returned, I had ____38_____more than 30 pounds. When I saw my husband’s reaction at the airport I thought it was worth every minute on the diet! I have ____39_____ to lose weight and I am now less than 10 pounds from my final ____40____. I feel better than I have in years and I’m enjoying life much more!

小題1: A．unknown B．unhealthy C．unpaid D．unlucky

小題2: A．diet B．tour C．plan D．way

小題3: A．cared about B．cheered up C．heard about D．looked for

小題4: A．seeking B．trying C．a(chǎn)cting D．working

小題5: A．signed up B．brought up C．dressed up D．set up

小題6: A．felt B．looked C．stayed D．sounded

小題7: A．gift B．message C．task D．surprise

小題8: A．face B．sign C．globe D．woman

小題9: A．lie B．joke C．secret D．story

小題10: A．things B．vegetables C．meals D．drinks

小題11: A．supper B．coffee C．lunch D．dessert

小題12: A．because B．if C．though D．until

小題13: A．so B．but C．a(chǎn)nd D．then

小題14: A．a(chǎn)llowed B．helped C．caused D．managed

小題15: A．work B．rest C．food D．wealth

小題16: A．pleased B．wanted C．terrified D．bought

小題17: A．memory B．money C．weight D．confidence

小題18: A．reduced B．produced C．increased D．gained

小題19: A．stopped B．led C．referred D．continued

小題20: A．a(chǎn)mount B．belief C．day D．goal

Dear Editor,
I’m now busy in preparing for the Postgraduate (研究生) Entrance Exam. A few days ago, I happened to see some new guidebooks for those who want to take next year’s exam. With too many hopes and without taking it into too much consideration, I bought several that were written by some known for helping candidates (應試者) for master’s degrees.
What made me really angry was the starting discovery that the contents of those books were almost exactly the same as some I had bought before. There were only superficial (外表的) changes in their covers, with more attractive new titles and better designs. The contents were the same.
People say that the publishing industry is in a state of chaos (混亂) these days but I used to be doubtful abut that. I was of the opinion that only people of noble character, prestige (威望), and exceptional talent would produce books for higher education. But these editors are caring little about their readers.
I hope that authors and publishing houses will be more responsible for their readers. Don’t destroy the image that you have with your readers.
小題1:The writer bought some guidebooks in order to ___________________________.

A．write an essay on guidebooks	B．prepare for the entrance exam
C．give his students a lecture	D．send them to his good friends

小題2:The writer was angry because _________________________________________.

A．there were a lot of printing mistakes in the books that he had bought

B．the books were so expensive that he couldn’t afford any of them

C．he found the books he had bought were thin but of poor quality

D．the books had the same contents as what he had bought before

小題3: In the writer’s opinion, publishers should be _____________________________.

A．responsible

B．kind-hearted

C．hard-working

D．creative

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery（公墓）. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism (批評) of President Lincoln at the time. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The other speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman (政治家) and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.
It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Later that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. His speech lasted an hour and 57 minutes and it was a perfect example of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause（掌聲）. Lincoln turned to a friend and said, “I have failed again.”
Some newspapers at first criticized (批評) the speech. But little by little, as people read the speech, they began to like its simplicity（簡潔）and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.
Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history.
小題1: In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was __________________ in Gettysburg.

A．warmly welcomed

B．unpopular

C．greatly praised

D．very polite

小題2:Lincoln was invited to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery because he was __________.

A．a(chǎn) famous speaker of the day	B．very handsome and polite
C．President of the United States at the time	D．a(chǎn) popular statesman

小題3: It can be inferred from the text that __________________________________.

A．Lincoln had prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg

B．Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn’t have much time to prepare his speech

C．Lincoln’s speech seemed to be a failure for the first time

D．Lincoln’s speech was a little shorter than Everett’s one

小題4:Lincoln’s speech was __________________.

A．a(chǎn)n immediate success	B．not accepted at all
C．a(chǎn) total failure	D．not well-received at first

小題5:Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．Lincoln’s speech has deep meaning though it is simple in style.

B．Neither Lincoln’s speech nor Everett’s was popular then.

C．Lincoln’s speech proved to be a great success later.

D．Everett’s speech was thought to be perfect at that time.

Not long before, my daughter's shoes were scratched with a knife．She burst into   36 ．I took them to the shoemaker to get them   37 ．
The young apprentice （學徒） glanced at the opening and said, " 38  I can do except replace the upper．" His master looked at them and said to me, "If you   39  me, I will add more scratches on both of the shoes．"
I was   40  and asked why．
He explained, "As if the openings were made   41  for the sake of special style and reuse．"
Two days later I found there were indeed more scratches on   42  shoe, but all the openings were patched （打補�。� by soft red leather with edges sewed by thick thread,   43 more unique and interesting than ever．I couldn't help but   44  the master's skill．
Another time, my wife's sister's white blouse had been torn, leaving a large opening on the back．My wife   45  the blouse carefully, and then said, "Let me take it   46 _ and mend it．"
Seeing the blouse again, I was shocked: all the torn parts had been sewed up by thin and   47  thread and they   48  a look of ice crystal （冰晶） hanging from a winter's branch． 49  , she had attached a snowman and a cabin made of flowery cotton rags onto the shirt．I 50  with praise, "It's just as beautiful as a piece of   51  !"
"I was inspired by that craftsman．Patches are supposed to be   52 , but a skillful craftsman can make it take on a kind of perfection," replied my wife．
Her words inspired me even more: Perfection is   53  to achieve in everything; Patches are unavoidable, so is human's life．Since you can't   54  the existence of wound, you should not expect people's   55  by exposing the wound, which reveals nothing meaningful．

小題1:	A．laughter B．cheers C．tears D．speech

小題2:	A．made B．repaired C．decorated D．preserved

小題3:	A．Anything B．Something C．Everything D．Nothing

小題4:	A．trust B．inform C．a(chǎn)ppoint D．convince

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)nnoyed B．confused C．disappointed D．discouraged

小題6:	A．on purpose B．by accident C．in vain D．beyond control

小題7:	A．neither B．a(chǎn)ny C．every D．each

小題8:	A．remaining B．growing C．looking D．feeling

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)ppreciate B．witness C．praise D．describe

小題10:

A．delivered B．checked C．washed D．ironed

小題11:

A．outside B．downtown C．home D．a(chǎn)broad

小題12:

A．red B．white C．pink D．purple

小題13:

A．took on B．put on C．decided on D．focused on

小題14:

A．Therefore B．Otherwise C．Anyway D．Besides

小題15:

A．sighed B．signed C．greeted D．paused

小題16:

A．cake B．a(chǎn)rt C．furniture D．jewellery

小題17:

A．pretty B．a(chǎn)ttractive C．tough D．ugly

小題18:

A．easy B．improper C．likely D．impossible

小題19:

A．change B．imagine C．stand D．prove

小題20:

A．respect B．friendship C．sympathy D．a(chǎn)pology

I was very fond of hunting when I was a young man. In the autumn of 1915, I was __16__ in the northwest of India. One evening, after hunting in the forest all __17__， I was returning alone to the place where I had __18__ up my tent. I was tired __19__ hungry. It was getting __20__ and darker, and I was walking slowly __21__ a narrow path. On my right was a wide river; on my left, a __22__， dark forest. All of a __23__ I saw two green eyes looking at me from among the trees. I knew it __24__ be a man-eating tiger. The tiger was getting ready to __25__ on me.
My heart __26__. What could I do? Should I jump __27__ the river and hope to save my life __28__ swimming? I looked to the __29__. In the river there was a __30__ crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth __31__ open. I was so  __32__ that I shut my eyes. And I thought it would be the end of my __33__. I heard branches moving __34__ the tiger roared (咆哮) and jumped. __35__ then I opened my eyes. What do you think had happened? The tiger had jumped right over me and now in the jaws (嘴) of the crocodile.

小題1:	A．practicing B．studying C．planting D．travelling

小題2:	A．day B．night C．the time D．the year

小題3:	A．turned B．put C．made D．brought

小題4:	A．but B．a(chǎn)nd C．or D．nor

小題5:	A．colder B．warmer C．brighter D．cooler

小題6:	A．by B．beside C．a(chǎn)long D．on

小題7:	A．thick B．strong C．tall D．short

小題8:	A．shock B．joy C．sudden D．surprise

小題9:	A．could B．can C．must D．should

小題10:

A．live B．depend C．look D．jump

小題11:

A．beat B．sank C．a(chǎn)ched D．jumped

小題12:

A．a(chǎn)cross B．over C．into D．from

小題13:

A．on B．of C．with D．by

小題14:

A．front B．back C．left D．right

小題15:

A．big B．tiny C．dead D．dying

小題16:

A．long B．short C．wide D．narrow

小題17:

A．tired B．excited C．frightened D．surprised

小題18:

A．work B．study C．day D．life

小題19:

A．though B．a(chǎn)s C．but D．or

小題20:

A．Just B．Even C．Still D．Only

A businessman had two sons. While he gave the younger son a lot of love and gifts, he neglected (忽視) the elder son. It was completely puzzling (令人費解) and no one knew why.
When the boys grew up, they were asked to manage the father’s business. The elder son was absorbed in the business. From morning till late in the evening, he was busy working. Within a few years, he ran the business very well and even expanded (擴大) it.
What about the younger son? He didn't have much to do except have a good time. But the father believed that his favorite son would be a success. If the elder son could be a successful businessman, surely the younger one, with a higher education, would do much better.
A few years later, the results of his decision became clear. Uninterested in business, the younger son continued spending his time enjoying himself. And he went out of business. But the elder son’s far smaller share (份) of business had expanded and he had proved himself to be a good decision maker.
Ashamed at the turn of events, the father met the elder son and was angry with the younger one. The elder son, who was listening to all this quietly, suddenly said he wanted to set up an independent business and live on his own.
“Why?” asked the father.
“I blame (責備) one person for the way my brother has turned out, and it’s not him. You can’t blame children for the faults (過失) of their parents, can you?” asked the elder son.
小題1:Before the younger son went into the father’s business, he______.

A．was interested in business	B．had achieved great success
C．often looked down upon his brother	D．was well-educated at school

小題2: Why did the father treat the two sons differently?

A．the elder son didn’t work hard	B．no one knew why he did it
C．the younger son was hardworking	D．he wanted to do an experiment

小題3:Which is NOT the reason for the younger son’s going out of business?

A．he himself didn’t work hard

B．his father didn’t educate him properly

C．he was not interested in business at all

D．he was busy working every day

小題4:What does the text really want to teach us?

A．Parents are responsible for children’s development.

B．Once something is done, you should do it well.

C．Interest is the most important for success.

D．One has responsibility for what he himself has done.

Last Sunday turned out to be more exciting than I had expected. We were at our grandparents’ house for a visit as     31   . My cousin and I had made an appointment to go in-line skating in the nearby park. He could do some neat stunts (特技)and had promised to show me     32   .
We managed to persuade our parents to    33    us go in-line skating on our own.   34    it soon started to rain and we had to seek shelter on the empty deck (place) of a block of flats. It really dampened my     35   .
Suddenly, we heard a    36    and saw a man dashing out of a lift. Just as he ran   37     us, we saw an old woman coming out of the same lift and crying, “Thief! Thief!” My cousin immediately went after the thief in his    38    . To be honest, I was extremely    39    at the beginning .Then I heard a honk. It was my uncle and aunt. I jumped into their car and told them about the robbery. We   40   off in the thief’s direction while my aunt stayed with the old woman.
Soon, we    41  up with my cousin. He was still in hot pursuit of the thief. Seeing his 42    , my uncle sped up and turned suddenly to the right to   43   just in front of the thief. The man was   44   and fell to the ground. My uncle got out of the car and   45   the man down with his body.
By this time, we could hear the siren of a police car approaching,   46  , my aunt had phoned the police and told them the   47   in which we were heading, so they were able to locate us .
We handed the thief over to the police officers who took down our names and    48  . They informed us that we would be called up to give our   49   . After that, we returned to the empty deck in our uncle’s car to  50    my aunt up .
When we reached there, the old woman had already left to give a report to the police. Our family members were all proud of us for our courageous deed.

小題1:	A．known B．usual C．well D．far

小題2:	A．what B．that C．where D．how

小題3:	A．make B．have C．let D．see

小題4:	A．And B．But C．As D．So

小題5:	A．spirits B．ideas C．intentions D．imaginations

小題6:	A．scream B．noise C．story D．news

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)fter B．over C．past D．to

小題8:	A．place B．boots C．clothes D．skates

小題9:	A．proud B．frightened C．brave D．excited

小題10:

A．sped B．put C．ran D．took

小題11:

A．looked B．kept C．picked D．caught

小題12:

A．luck B．chance C．risk D．hope

小題13:

A．stand B．move C．stop D．stay

小題14:

A．tired B．a(chǎn)nxious C．confused D．shocked

小題15:

A．pinned B．pulled C．threw D．broke

小題16:

A．Surprisingly B．Obviously C．Certainly D．Immediately

小題17:

A．park B．place C．situation D．direction

小題18:

A．problems B．pictures C．particulars D．possessions

小題19:

A．statements B．decisions C．suggestions D．protections

小題20:

A．take B．get C．pick D．lift

Dear Sir,
I have to travel every day from Souk Road to the airport． Two buses travel along their route (路線): the number 49 and number 16． But by the time the number 16 bus reaches Souk Road it is always full, so I can’t get on it． I have to wait for the number 49, because sometimes there are empty seats on it．
The timetable says that there are buses from Souk Road to the airport every ten minutes． If this is so, why do I have to wait half an hour for a bus nearly every day?
The regulations say that if there are empty seats on a bus, the bus must stop at every stop where people are waiting． Why do the half-empty buses go straight past me when I am standing at the bus stop?
The regulations say that no bus may carry more than 40 seated passengers  and 20 standing passengers． Yesterday I was the first to get off the bus when it reached the airport． I counted the other passengers as they got off． There were 129 of them．
It is clear that our bus companies break the regulations and think little of their passengers． Can nothing be done to make your service  better?
Yours
Tired passenger
小題1:The writer has to take Bus No.49 because      ．

A．it arrives on time	B．it is not always full
C．it travels faster	D．it has fewer seats on it

小題2:How long does the writer usually have to wait for a bus?

A．Ten minutes．	B．One hour．
C．Half an hour.	D．Nearly a day．

小題3:The regulations say that each bus may carry       passengers at most．

A．20

B．40

C．60

D．129

小題4:From the passage we can see that      ．

A．the bus service was poor

B．no buses except the No.49 bus passed Souk Road

C．no passengers took their buses

D．the writer was always the first to get on the bus