閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。
While I was standing at the kitchen window, five-year-old Spencer, my oldest son, ran into the house    1 , “We need a doctor out here! We need a doctor! Hurry , Mom!” “What’s wrong?” I asked. Spencer anxiously told me he had found a dead bird that needed a doctor.
I seized a small plastic bag from the cupboard and took Spencer’s hand.   2   , that’s sort of thing mothers do! While my son led me out of the door and toward the bird, I explained that    3   the creature was indeed dead, a doctor could not    4   . When we arrived at the accident scene, it was obvious that the baby bird was dead. Spencer and I could see the nest high up in the tree. My son and I discussed the probable age of the baby bird, its inability to fly well, and exactly how the    5    had caused its death. “ I think his mommy and daddy really    6    him,” Spencer observed. I    7   my boy’s hand and tried to ease his    8    by saying I was sure they did, but that they would be OK because the little bird had gone to Heaven to be with God and Popo (my dead grandfather). I told Spencer that the bird’s mommy and daddy knew that their little one would be    9   and loved. I also told Spencer that Popo loved little birds and I was sure he was in Heaven holding and playing with the baby bird right then. I    10   the little creature’s body, slipped (悄悄放到) it into my plastic bag and   11   placed the bird in the rubbish bin.    12   else was said about the matter for the rest of the day. Spencer went right back to playing    13   he had never been interrupted, and I returned to my work in the kitchen.
At breakfast the next morning, Spencer sadly explained to his father that he had found a baby bird the day before that had fallen from its nest.
“It was dead, Daddy!”
Trying to   14   Spencer’s spirits and remind him that the little bird was really OK, I asked our son to tell Daddy where the baby bird was. Spencer,    15  solemn (鄭重的) faced at his dad, said, “In the rubbish bin with Mama’s granddad, Popo.”
1. A. saying       B. screaming        C. declaring        D. telling
2. A. In all        B. At all          C. Above all        D. After all
3. A. unless       B. if              C. whether         D. though
4. A. come        B. save           C. help           D. support
5. A. fall         B. tree           C. fly             D. drop
6. A. hate         B. lose            C. miss           D. love
7. A. picked up     B. turned to       C. got to         D. reached for
8. A. excitement    B. regret          C. sadness        D. disappointment
9. A. enjoyed      B. played         C. treated        D. cared for
10. A. put up      B. picked up       C. set up         D. held up
11. A. gently       B. loudly         C. strongly        D. firmly
12. A. Nothing     B. Nobody         C. Everything      D. Something
13. A. as usual     B. as if          C. even though     D. though
14. A. break       B. rise            C. show           D. lift
15. A. pointing    B. shouting        C. looking       D. aiming

On a cold evening I was waiting for a taxi in New York. About 5 minutes later, I was picked up by a driver, and he said how horrible some people were. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to be silent, but I had to listen out of kindness.
The man told me that he had just come from JFK Airport without a customer. Over the course of that taxi ride, what started as anger changed slowly and he mentioned that he had read an article which said that the happiest people are the ones that give, so he hoped he’d have more chance to give in his life. I was really starting to enjoy being with this man.
As we arrived at the place where I wanted to go, I paid my money by credit card. I pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Sir, since we’ve been talking about giving this whole time, I want to share that feeling with you. I’ve already paid my money, but here’s an extra little bit. You can tell the next passenger in this taxi that their ride is a gift from another.”
I thought I was pretty cool at this point. But he turned toward me, tears in his eyes, and he said, “Sir, I have a better idea. You give that $20 to a homeless person around here and I will give the next passenger a free ride myself.”
It was a great honor meeting that man and learning the lesson of how everyone gives and adds joy to another with their generosity.
小題1:According to the text, when the author got in the taxi, the taxi driver was________.

A．angry

B．nervous

C．worried

D．regretful

小題2:The author gave the driver an extra $20 in order to_________.

A．help him to get out of trouble	B．know what he was really like
C．experience the joy of giving	D．learn how to get along with others

小題3:What can be inferred from the taxi driver’s words in Paragraph 4?

A．A driver should be willing to help.

B．People should understand each other.

C．The driver was deeply moved.

D．One needs to keep an optimistic attitude (樂觀態(tài)度).

小題4:What would be the best title for the text?

A．A cold evening in New York	B．Learning from a taxi driver
C．A gift to a generous stranger	D．Always being a happy person

A few years ago when my youngest son Matt was eight years old, we were getting things together to take to the Salvation Army (救世軍) at Christmas time. The boys would go through their old 36 and give away what they didn’t 37 . I made cookies and got together blankets and clothes. After that Matt and I 38 the Christmas package to our local Salvation Army. We unloaded 39 and headed home.
40 we took the corner out of the parking lot, Matt 41 that a baseball glove he had put in the bag had 42 . He said, “Mom, we forgot my glove.” Just then he saw a little boy and his mom sitting on a bench on the side of a building 43 a small playground was. He said, “Mom, can we 44 so that I can give the glove to him?” I said, “ 45 .” And we drove to the side of the 46 and went through the gate.
Matt handed the boy the glove and said, “Here, Santa 47 me to give it to you.” He was so 48 to get it! His mom 49 and gave Matt a huge hug. Her eyes were full of tears. “It is the best 50 he could get,” she looked at us and said, “because the 51 thing I could get him this year was a baseball.”
When we got back in the car, Matt said to me, “Mom, God must have made me 52 the baseball glove inside so the little boy could have it — it was 53 to be!” That moment proved my 54 that everything happens for a 55 and I have tried my best to get people to see that ever since!
36. A. friends    B. ideas       C. toys            D. days
37. A. buy        B. eat         C. ensure         D. need
38. A. threw      B. delivered    C. posted         D. offered
39. A. everything  B. anything    C. something      D. nothing
40. A. When      B. Though     C. Until            D. Since
41. A. added     B. noticed     C. announced      D. remembered
42. A. found out  B. pointed out   C. missed out      D. fallen out
43. A. that        B. which        C. where         D. what
44. A. look over   B. climb over   C. pull over      D. roll over
45. A. Thanks    B. That’s right   C. You’re welcome  D. Sure
46. A. boy         B. road        C. bench          D. park
47. A. wanted    B. persuaded    C. allowed        D. forced
48. A. angry      B. nervous     C. happy         D. disappointed
49. A. sat down    B. stood up     C. went out     D. left behind
50. A. property    B. gift          C. material       D. information
51. A. first          B. worst      C. only           D. cheapest
52. A. leave        B. get          C. find           D. take
53. A. intended   B. planned     C. decided        D. meant
54. A. suggestion  B. chance       C. belief         D. thought
55. A. cause       B. reason       C. time          D. person

It is an exciting start to the college football season. A team that many people never heard of defeated one of the best in the country. If you follow American sports, then you know we are talking about the Michigan-Appalachian State game, which took place on September 1st at Michigan Stadium, in front of more than 100,000 people.
Appalachian State University is in Boone, North Carolina. Its team often plays in a stadium that holds about 25,000 people. Also, Appalachian State plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. Michigan is in the newly named Football Bowl Subdivision, the top level of college football. So the Mountaineers of Appalachian State and the Wolverines of the University of Michigan normally do not even play each other.
But they decided to meet for the first time. Michigan agreed to pay Appalachian State 400,000 dollars, win or lose. Teams like Michigan need victories, even a victory over a lower division team, to get into big, nationally broadcast bowl games. These games are worth millions of dollars at the end of the season.
Fans expected an easy Michigan win. After all, in the preseason, sports experts had considered Michigan the fifth best college football team in the country. But Appalachian State is a two-time national champion at its own division level. Its players wanted to show they could play well against a nationally ranked team. And they did. The final score was Appalachian State thirty-four, Michigan thirty-two. The game quickly became known as one of the greatest upsets in college football history.
The win has brought national attention to Appalachian State. Local stores reported a huge increase in orders for college clothing and other items. And the university official head expects more students to seek admission next year. Last Saturday, at home, Appalachian State defeated another North Carolina school, Lenoir-Rhyne College, forty-eight to seven.
小題1:The Michigan-Appalachian State game ________.

A．is a regular competition held in the US every year

B．is a state competition held for the football championship

C．is part of a national competition held on September 1st every year

D．was an occasional football competition between two universities

小題2:Michigan wanted to play with Appalachian State because Michigan ________.

A．needed money to support its development

B．wanted to test the skills of Appalachian State

C．was a new football team without experience

D．needed victories to enter nationally broadcast bowl games

小題3:After the game, the Appalachian State University got _________.

A．much economic support from the government

B．much national assistance

C．national recognition

D．many applicants for admission

Beijing (Xinhua): When she appeared on stage, singing a Japanese song, hundreds of excited teenagers crowded around shouting, "Curarpikt (酷拉皮卡)！It’s Curarpikt!"
At the Beijing Comic and Animation Expo last week, that’s exactly who Shi Jia was. The Senior 1 girl was cosplaying (角色扮演) "Curarpikt", a character from the popular Japanese comic book Hunter X Hunter (《獵人》)by Yoshihiro Togashi.
"I cosplay Curarpikt because I like him," said the pretty 15?year?old girl. "I’m moved by his sad story and I’m attracted by his courage and personality."
In the adventure comic story, Curarpikt, a handsome and kind?hearted boy, struggles to become a hunter so he can capture(擄獲)the people who killed his tribe(部落).
Shi has read all the comic books and is a big fan of the animated series(動畫片)of Hunter X Hunter. Then last year she saw a real "Curarpikt"in a cosplay show.
"I had watched cosplay shows before but only for fun," she explained. "It’s really exciting to see young people wearing the make?up and costumes of characters that you’ve read about and are familiar with."
"But that time I just fell in love with cosplaying, probably because I like Curarpikt so much. I thought I could play the character better, so I decided to have a go."
Shi bought some cloth and asked a tailor to make a Curarpikt costume for her. She was delighted to find out there was a cosplay show in Beijing in October.
"It’s a great way to spend the national holiday. Posing on the stage for all the comic book fans, I knew I was doing something I had always wanted to do," she said.
But she never talks about her hobby with her parents.
"They think it will distract me from my studies. I don’t want to upset them,that’s my secret hobby," she said. "It’s also why I don’t dye my hair for cosplaying like all the others."
小題1:What’s cosplay according to the passage?

A．When cosplaying, comic fans wear costumes and pretend to be their favourite comic characters.

B．Cosplay is a kind of performance in which you play a Curarpikt.

C．Cosplay is a character from the popular Japanese comic book Hunter X Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi.

D．When cosplaying, some funny teenagers play some characters in the animated series.

小題2: Shi Jia cosplayed Curarpikt ______.

A．in order to attract her fans

B．because she liked animated series

C．because she was greatly attracted by that role

D．because it’s her secret hobby

小題3:The underlined word "distract" means_____.

A．get rid of	B．keep out of
C．give courage to	D．draw away attention of

小題4:Which of the following is wrong?

A．Curarpikt was created by a Japanese cartoonist.

B．Shi Jia’s parents were in favor of her performance.

C．Shi Jia cosplayed Curarpikt successfully.

D．Cosplay is popular with some teenagers.

Athens Olympic 110m hurdle champion Liu Xiang felt so relieved to return to racetrack after getting out of the great number of social activities.
Liu arrived in hometown Shanghai Wednesday night and was about to resume^① training shortly after.
“I am so exhausted^② from so many social activities, which made me even more tired than training,” said the 21-year-old Liu, who wrote a new chapter in China’s Olympic history by winning the country’s first ever athletics short-distance running title in the men’s 110m hurdles in Athens in August.
“I am happy that I will resume my training soon back in Shanghai,” said the Shanghai native. He turned into an instant national hero with the Olympic glory^③ and one of the most popular Olympic gold medalists, taking part in scores of celebration activities since he returned to China early September.
“My regular training has been interrupted for such a long time that I think I can only run at about 13.5 seconds now,” said Liu, who clocked a world record-tying time of 12.91 to clinch the title.
“I would rather forget what I have achieved in the past and try my best to realize a higher goal,” he said.
Liu already missed the Berlin Golden League Series on Sunday and won’t be able to catch the IAAF Grand Prix final slated for September 18-19 in Monaco.
He plans on attending an IAAF all-star tournament in Japan at the end of this month.
小題1:This passage mainly talks about ________.

A．victory of Liu Xiang

B．Liu Xiang’s resumption to the racetrack

C．dream of Liu Xiang

D．Liu Xiang’s high aim

小題2: From the passage we can see ________.

A．Liu Xiang is content to go back to training

B．Liu Xiang will win Golden League Series on Sunday

C．Liu Xiang wasn’t good at social activities

D．Liu Xiang was refreshed after so many social activities

小題3:The underlined word “relieved” means ________.

A．sad

B．glad

C．worried

D．disappointed

小題4:Which of the following is NOT wrong?

A．Liu Xiang has had a quiet life for as long as half a month.

B．Liu Xiang has missed two races because of his social activities.

C．Liu Xiang has made up his mind to stop his social activities.

D．Liu Xiang has deserted his present career.

Yao Ming edged Kobe Bryant as the top votegetter in fan balloting^①for the 55th NBA All-Star game Thursday, and Shaquille O’Neal became the fifth player in league history to earn 13 consecutive^②selections for the midseason showcase.
Yao and Tracy McGrady give the host Houston Rockets two starters in the Feb.19 game. They were joined on the Western Conference squad by Bryant, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and reigning MVP Steve Nash of Phoenix — who will be a first-time All-Star starter.
Yao edged Bryant by 71,107 votes for the top overall spot in the balloting, despite missing 21 games following surgery to clean out an infection^③ in his left big toe. It’s the fourth All-Star trip for the 7-foot-6 center from China and the eighth for Bryant, who leads the NBA in scoring and had an 81-point effort — the second-biggest night in NBA history — last month in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over Toronto.
Yao finished with 2,342,738 votes; Bryant had 2,271,631 in the closest finish among the top two players in All-Star balloting since Vince Carter, then of Toronto, edged Miami’s Alonzo Mourning by 33,385 votes in 2000.
Notes:
①    ballot  vi. 投票
②    consecutive  adj. 連續(xù)的
③    infection  n. 傳染，感染
小題1:Yao Ming’s got _______ Kobe Bryant in fan balloting for the 55th NBA All-Star game Thursday.

A．the same votes as	B．more votes than
C．less votes than	D．no more than

小題2:Yao Ming and _______ belong to the Houston Rockets.

A．Kobe Bryant	B．Tracy McGrady
C．Shaquille O’Neal	D．Steve Nash

小題3: Which of the following is not wrong according to this passage?

A．Yao Ming edged Kobe Bryant as the top votegetter in fan balloting for the 54th NBA All-Star game.

B．Yao edged Tracy McGrady by 71,107 votes for the top overall spot in the balloting.

C．It’s the fourth All-Star trip for Yao Ming from China.

D．Yao finished with 2,271,631 votes; Bryant had2,342,738 in the closest finish among the top two players in All-Star balloting.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast^① fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated^②worth of more than $ 40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat^③for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially^④ successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates, “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set good examples to him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said, “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”
Notes:
①    vast  adj. 巨額的
②    estimate  v. 估計，估價
③    feat  n. 功績，壯舉
④    financially  adv. 財政上，金融上
Choose the best answers according to the above:
小題1: Why will Bill Gates give away his vast fortune?

A．to improve the health of population in America alone

B．to improve the health of population all over the world

C．to avoid leaving his children too much money

D．to spare the American government the burden of health care

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．Americans should care about people in other countries

B．Americans should treat fellow citizens well

C．Americans should devote themselves to certain projects

D．Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune

小題3:Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of       __.

A．his weakening health condition

B．his parents’ suggestions

C．his great success in business

D．his concerns for suffering people

小題4:According to the passage, which word can be used to describe Bill Gates?

A．brave

B．kind-hearted

C．strong-minded

D．confident

It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip t Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross’s campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmine landmines(地雷)Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines. “I knew the statistics,” she said. “But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her.”
The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the press. They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “l(fā)oose cannon”(亂放炮的人).
The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: “This is a distraction(干擾), we do not need. All I’m trying to do is help.”
Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged(顯現(xiàn)出來)that the Princess’s trip had been approved by the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British government’s policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the government.
To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess’s views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was “working towards” a worldwide ban. The Defense Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or misunderstanding.”
For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people an their problems.
小題1:Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997

A．to clarify(澄清)the British government’s stand on landmines

B．to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims

C．to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there

D．to voice her support for a total ban of landmines

小題2:What did Diana mean when she said “…putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me”(Line 5, Para. 1)?

A．Meeting the landmine victims in person made her believe the statistics.

B．She just couldn’t bear to meet the landmine victims face to face.

C．The actual situation in Angola made her like going back home.

D．Seeing the pain of the victims made her realize the seriousness of the situation.

小題3:Some members of the British government criticized Diana because

A．They were actually opposed to banning landmines.

B．She was ill-informed of the government’s policy.

C．She had not consulted the government before the visit.

D．They believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola.

小題4:How did Diana respond to the criticisms?

A．She made more appearances on TV.

B．She paid no attention to them.

C．She rose to argue with her opponents.

D．She met the 13-year-old girl as planned.

小題5:What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?

A．It had caused embarrassment to the British government.

B．It had greatly promoted her popularity.

C．It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.

D．It had affected her relations with the British government.

On the New York set of the film Hide and Seek, ten-year-old Dakota Fanning spends her time playing a deeply disturbed girl who deals with her mother's suicide (自殺) by creating an imaginary friend, who may not frighten her family.
Today, though, she has the day off. "This week I only worked two days,"says Fanning, sitting in a sofa in her hotel's library, "but I get bored when I'm not working. Especially because it's cold here and I can't do anything, you know? So, I've been knitting (編織) --- all day, every day."The actress, who's held her own opposite Oscar winners such as Sean Penn and Denzel Washington, recently mastered the fine art of scarves (圍巾). Though she's about ready to move on to hats, she first plans to make a souvenir (紀念品) scarf for Robert De Niro, who plays her father in the film. "He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet in your entire life,"she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I would make him a brown one.”
Like any other fifth-grader, Fanning spends several hours a day going to school. In addition to her personal trailer (活動住房) --- which is kept well-supplied with hot chocolate packets, lemon Gatorade, and a TV that doesn't always work --- she has another trailer where her teacher, Jan, conducts classes in history, spelling, reading, math, science and health. "We have this big board where we have a calendar (日歷),"Fanning says. "When we were here in January, I wrote the calendar in all blue. February was red, and March was green.”
On this particular morning, she had a spelling test. "There was a topic for each of the word lists,"she says, sitting on her knees. "This one was flowers --- they were all names like oxygen, carbon dioxide, chrysanthemum (菊花)..."Chrysanthemum? "Well, they didn't make me spell that one. They just had me fill in the ‘e'. But I can spell it: c-h-r-y-s-a-n-t-h-e-m-u-m.”
小題1:Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Dakota Fanning is a young gifted actress.

B．Dakota Fanning is a lonely orphan.

C．Dakota Fanning is a creative pupil.

D．Dakota Fanning has many interests.

小題2: Dakota Fanning has to knit all day in order to _____.

A．kill time

B．make money

C．master a skill

D．make a scarf for her boyfriend

小題3:By saying that "He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet in your entire life”, Dakota Fanning really means that _____.

A．she is the daughter of Robert De Niro

B．she has fallen in love with Robert De Niro

C．she is in love with Robert De Niro

D．she admires Robert De Niro very much

小題4:What would be the best title for the text?

A．Dakota Fanning's Role

B．Dakota Fanning's Knitting Art

C．Dakota Fanning's Day Off

D．Dakota Fanning's Spelling Test