Last night I drove a long way (about 500 km) to return home. It was late and I was driving fast because I wanted to get home as soon as possible. So several times when I was driving behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road, I wanted to shout at the driver ahead.
Then I came to a crossroad with a traffic light. As I drove near, it turned red. I stopped my car at once. I looked left，right and behind. I found no cars or persons — I was alone on the road. The person who would come to the crossroad was at least a mile away in any direction. Certainly going through the light would cause no danger. I could pass the traffic light. But strangely enough, I just stopped there, waiting for several minutes until the light went green. I asked myself why I refused to run the light. Surely it was unnecessary for me to be afraid of danger or being fined (罰款), because there were no cars or police around at all. But I remained waiting until the light changed.
When I finally got home, it was near midnight. My wife had fallen asleep. The question of why I stopped for that light came back to me again, because I stopped another two times for the red lights as “special” as the first one. I stopped, not because of the law, but because it was a good habit I had developed. In fact, we were used to doing something right just because we have made obeying the rules a good habit. We do it just because we should do it. I thought if another man met with the same thing, he would make the same choice. I believed so. And I could be trusted (信任) by others. I believed that everyone would and could control (控制) himself/herself well. It was amazing that we trusted each other to do the right things, wasn’t it?
小題1:When the author drove behind the slow-moving truck, he felt ____.

A．confused but happy

B．sleepy and tired

C．excited but tired

D．a(chǎn)ngry and worried

小題2:Who made the author stopped at the crossroad?

A．A policeman.

B．The author’s wife.

C．The author himself.

D．Another driver.

小題3:The author waited until the light went green because ____.

A．running the light would make him fined	B．he was afraid to cause an accident
C．he was prevented by the passers-by	D．he was used to obeying traffic rules

小題4:The author is a person who ____.

A．believes others easily	B．can control himself well
C．treats others very unfriendly	D．is very experienced in driving

小題5: We can infer from the passage that ____.

A．running the light could help the author get home earlier

B．the author’s wife was angry because he got home late

C．the truck driver in front of the author might be drunk

D．it was very necessary to have very strict traffic rules

The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious （叛逆的） and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds; they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall, “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with it.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over.”
小題1:What is the popularly- held image of teenagers?

A．They worry about their school life.

B．They live in harmony with their parents.

C．They have to be locked in to avoid making troubles.

D．They quarrel a lot with their parents.

小題2:The study shows that teenagers don’t want to ______.

A．share family responsibility	B．cause trouble in their families
C．go boating with their family	D．make family decisions

小題3:Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today’s parents______．

A．go to clubs more often with their children

B．a(chǎn)re much stricter with their children

C．care less about their children’s life

D．give their children more freedom

小題4:According to the author, teenage rebellion _______．

A．may be a false belief	B．is common nowadays
C．is based on real facts	D．resulted from changes in families

小題5:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Negotiation in family.	B．Education in family.
C．Harmony in family.	D．Teenage trouble in family.

Long working hours,the fewest holidays and the high cost of living mean the big salaries on offer（可使用的）in the UK do not go as far as those earned in other countries,making Britain and Ireland the worst places to live in Europe．
France and Spain are the two countries topping the European Quality of Life Index（指數(shù)）out today,according to the place comparison website Switch．com．
The French enjoy longer lives,better healthcare,more holidays and cheaper prices．In contrast Britons work three years longer and die two years younger after paying above the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes．The amount we spend on healthcare and education is below the European average．
Only Ireland and Poland spend less,but Ireland has more doctors and hospital beds and Poland has more beds than the UK．People in Germany,Spain,France,Italy,the Netherlands and Sweden all enjoy longer life expectancy than Britons．And while we may be giving up work earlier,the average age at which we retire is still the fourth highest in Europe——and the UK state retirement age is set to rise．
Ann Robinson,of Switch．com,said:“There’s more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Britons are giving up on （對(duì)……不再抱希望）the UK and heading to France and Spain．We earn substantially more than our European neighbors,but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads,food on the table and our homes warm” ． “It’s giving us a decent standard of living,but it’s not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy．For too long the focus in the UK had been on standard of living rather than quality of life．”
小題1:In Europe,to enjoy the best quality of life,you’d better live in _______．

A．Britian and Ireland	B．Spain and France
C．Ireland and Poland	D．Britian and Italy

小題2:Which of the following about the UK is TRUE according to the passage?

A．People in the UK pay more than the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes．

B．People in the UK enjoy the highest quality of life．

C．People in the UK spend most on the healthcare and education．

D．People in the UK die two years older than in France．

小題3:The underlined word“decent”in the last paragraph means “_______”

A．good enough

B．bad enough

C．ordinary

D．neither bad nor good

小題4:What do you think would be the best title for the passage?

A．Money is a must to make you live a good life．

B．High standard of living means good quality of life．

C．High standard of living is one thing and good quality of life is another．

D．To live a good life,go to Britian．

You hear a rumor（謠言）from a friend,who heard it from another friend,who read it on a note passed in math class,which was written by somebody who probably just made it up．Chances are rumors are always spreading around your school．Sometimes it can be very hurtful．But why do people still do so?
When people are feeling bad about themselves,they sometimes think they’ll feel better if there were someone worse off than they are．It’s okey being near the bottom,as long as they’re not actually on the bottom．The easiest way for them to make sure someone else is on the bottom is to make up a rumor that puts him or her there．
If everybody else is spreading rumors,you might feel you have to do the same thing in order to fit in．Unfortunately,the person who the gossip or rumor is about is usually let out of the group for the same reason that you’re let into it．
When you know a secret that nobody knows,or are the first person in your group to hear a rumor,it can make you the center of attention．A rumor or piece of gossip is sometimes like money;telling it to people is like buying their attention．Certain people always want to be at the top of the ladder（梯子）．You probably know at least one person who wishes to be the leader,and make all the decisions．One way they do this is by reducing the status（地位）of another person．Spreading rumors and gossip is one way people reduce another person’s status．
Sometimes a period when everyone is happy and getting along just seems kind of dull．Spreading rumors might get two people to start a fight,and that would make life a little more exciting．All those newspapers and TV shows full of gossip about famous people are proving that rumors are a popular form of entertainment．
小題1:We know from Paragraph 2 that some people spread rumors to _______．

A．be more confident	B．feel like part of a group
C．a(chǎn)ttract attention	D．be more powerful

小題2:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 may mean some people _______．

A．love looking down from a high position．

B．hope to become leaders．

C．a(chǎn)re not afraid of falling down．

D．a(chǎn)re fond of spreading rumors．

小題3:What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．Famous people like spreading rumors．

B．Rumors can make people feel bored．

C．Some people seek excitement from rumors．

D．There are many rumors in newspapers．

小題4:The passage is mainly about ________．

A．what rumors mean	B．how hurtful a rumor is
C．how people spread rumors	D．why people spread rumors

This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won’t be of much use to you.
Actually I don’t care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can.
小題1: In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to           .

A．describe the contents of the bag in detail

B．tell the thieves hardly any money was available

C．state the fact that she was careless with the money

D．give some suggestions to the three thieves

小題2:Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?

A．The cash in her bag.

B．The handbag itself.

C．The papers and notes in the bag.

D．The check book in the bag.

小題3:What can we conclude about the police?

A．They are unable to find the thieves.

B．They show sympathy to the woman.

C．They have doubts about human nature.

D．They think the case quite common.

小題4: Why does the author write the letter?

A．To give the thieves a serious warning.

B．To express her affection for her valuable bag.

C．To call people’s attention to their belongings.

D．To complain about the fall of morality.

Travelling abroad for leisure is becoming more and more popular for Chinese. The UK is high up in the list of places that the Chinese want to visit. There is a sense of mystery about the UK; it’s often the images of England’s green parks, countryside and Victorian houses that people point to as an alternative to polluted, overcrowded cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou.
The capital is viewed as modern and dynamic, while being filled deep with history. When asked what other images are thought of by the UK, the reply is often “the Queen, tea and Oxbridge”. So what’s stopping them actually coming? Sebastian Wood ,the British ambassador in Beijing, has described the UK as a “fortress”, and while this is perhaps an exaggeration(夸張)，Britain does have a reputation as a country that is harder to access.
The main problem for Chinese tourists is obvious. Although visa applications are now completed online, visitors are still required to visit one of 12 UK centers across the country for a face-to-face interview and fingerprinting. If you don’t live near one of these enters already, you’d have to travel some distance to get there.
Another problem is also to be mentioned. If travelers from China visit the UK, they also want to cover as much ground as possible. But the UK is not included in the Schengen visa, which allows access to a host of 26 European countries such as France and Germany. So it makes the former seem a less worth it.
There is also the issue of cost: £47 for a Schengen visa, £82 for the UK. On top of this, the UK is viewed as stricter in its handing of visas compared with the rest of Europe, fed by urban legends of rejected applications. In the end, the decision comes down to one question: Is Britain worth a visit?
小題1: The underlined word “fortress ” in paragraph2 is something similar to ______.

A．temple

B．a(chǎn)partment

C．castle

D．market

小題2:Which of the following statements is NOT true for the UK visa?

A．One can apply for a visa online.

B．One must have a face-to-face interview.

C．No one can get a visa without a fingerprinting.

D．No one needs to travel a long distance to get a center.

小題3:What can a visitor do if he gets a Schengen visa?

A．He can only visit the UK.

B．He can only visit 26 European countries.

C．He can visit the UK and France.

D．He can travel to any country he likes.

小題4:What is the writer’s attitude towards visiting the UK?

A．He really supports Chinese people to visit the UK.

B．He suggests Chinese people visit London strongly.

C．He thinks it is troublesome to visit the UK.

D．He believes everyone should go to see the Queen and Oxbridge.

At age 11, Ghulam was married off to 40-year-old Jaiz in a rural Afghan village, making her only one of more than 10 million young girls who are being forced to wed men old enough to be their fathers of grandfather every year.
In an effort to start a global conversation about the devastating effects of early marriages, which are currently practiced in more than 50 developing countries, the United Nations designed October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child this year.
Although child marriage is against the law in many countries, and international treaties forbid the practice, it is estimated that about 51 million girls below age 18 are currently married, often under the cover of darkness and in secret. In Afghanistan alone, it is believed that approximately 57 percent of girls wed before the legal age of 16.
Various factors drive parents of child bridges to marry off their daughters, from the community’s pressure to confirm to age-old cultural customs to economic considerations. In poor, developing nations, it is not uncommon for families to settle debts by offering their daughters as payment.
Experts agree that early marriage denies the girl education and robs them of their childhood because most young wives, burdened by grownup responsibilities, do not get a chance to interact with their peers or carry on friendships outside the household. In many cases, the girls are lorded over by their husbands and in-laws, leaving them vulnerable(易受傷害的) to domestic violence as well as physical, sexual and verbal abuse. Underage wives who are lucky enough to escape from their husbands end up living in poverty, or worse. Most girls who enter early marriages are expected to get pregnant right away, which often leads to tragedy for both the mothers, who are still children themselves, and their babies.
Unless international organizations take steps to reverse the troubling trend, it is estimated that over the next decade, 100 million more girls—or about 25,000 girls a day ---will marry before they turn 18.
To learn more about campaign to end the practice of early marriages, please click: Too Young To Wed.
小題1:The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.

A．a(chǎn)ttract readers’ attention

B．introduce the following topic

C．list the countries practicing early marriages

D．give readers an example of early marriages

小題2:The fifth paragraph mainly talks about __________.

A．the number of girls involved in early marriages

B．the causes of early marriages in developing counties

C．the tragic effects of early marriages

D．the countries that allow early marriages

小題3:The UN made October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child in order to __

A．urge parents to treat girls equally as boy

B．call on people to pay more attention to girls’ education

C．call on people to pay more attention to girls in poor countries or areas

D．start a global campaign against early marriages

小題4:Which of the following is a cause of early marriages?

A．The present girls develop much earlier than before

B．Some poor parents marry off their young girls for economic problems.

C．Many young girls receive little or no education for different reasons.

D．Most girls suffer from domestic violence and have babies too early.

The new science of spending comes to a surprising conclusion, How we use our money may        as much or more than how much we’ve got it.
Money spent on experiences, rather than material ,goods,        more happiness.
Imagine that you wake up tomorrow morning to    ＄1 million under your bed . What would you do     that cash?
The money will probably make you think about one thing     all else—yourself. A large amount of research reveals that money     our selfish sides. We will     much on what that money can do for us alone, Perhaps you are imagining buying a faster car, or even a new house,
But studies show that     goods often fail to deliver     happiness, Fortunately ,our ongoing research     many ways to get more happiness from every dollar you spend, Changing how you spend money can increase your happiness.
But making these     needs to challenge some of our ideas of spending It’s hard not to    buying a house as a wise investment（投資）, But new research shows it brings very little happiness, A study in the United States found that homeowners, on average , were no happier than     .
So, working hard to save money for a house might not be such a good idea     it means spending less time with your families and friends.
And dozens of studies show that people get more happiness from buying     than material things, Experiential purchases --- such as trips, concerts and special meals--- are more     connected to our sense, of self.
And experiences come with one more     , They tend to bring us     to other people , but more often , material things are enjoyed   . So social contacts are important to     mental and physical health.

小題1:	A．present B．matter C．a(chǎn)ppear D．equal

小題2:	A．carries along B．breaks out C．holds on D．brings along

小題3:	A．keep B．own C．discover D．count

小題4:	A．to B．with C．a(chǎn)bout D．for

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)bove B．below C．before D．a(chǎn)fter

小題6:	A．shows B．explains C．proves D．designs

小題7:	A．depend B．concentrate C．take D．look

小題8:	A．mental B．material C．beautiful D．clever

小題9:	A．outgoing B．lasting C．willing D．exciting

小題10:

A．invites B．offers C．prefers D．follows

小題11:

A．changes B．plans C．decisions D．mistakes

小題12:

A．know B．view C．dream D．judge

小題13:

A．buyers B．sellers C．builders D．renters

小題14:

A．if B．how C．unless D．though

小題15:

A．houses B．cars C．experiences D．health

小題16:

A．clearly B．hardly C．generally D．deeply

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)dvantage B．conclusion C．purpose D．identify

小題18:

A．familiar B．close C．proper D．native

小題19:

A．completely B．worldwide C．secretly D．a(chǎn)lone

小題20:

A．gain B．damage C．improve D．build

The British aren’t having as many children as they used to , One reason is that people are having children much older than before, meaning they have fewer year in which they can have them,  After years at university ,they need a few years of work experience before they can get the job they want, They might then get married, but it’s incredibly expensive to buy a house in the UK.
The above explains why young British people now don’t move out of their parents’ home until they are around 30 years old on average, It’s only after this age that many young people start thinking about having a child , However , it is quite expensive to bring up a child in the UK, Both parents need to work just to pay for their child during the day, Paying for this childcare is always expensive, What’s more ,financial crisis and unemployment are making things even harder for families, With so much pressure on families, is it any surprise that the divorce rate is so high?
So what is Britain doing to try and save the British family ? The government is trying to make it cheaper to have children , For example ,there are increasing government subsidies for nursery schools, so that parents do not need to bay so much for child care.
The government is also trying to reduce the number of hours British parents have to work to earn enough money to pay their bills, If parents didn’t have to work so many hours, they’d have moue time to spend with their children and wouldn’t need to spend so much on childcare, On average, a Briton works 49 hours a week ,which is the most in Europe, The state is now considering introducing laws to encourage companies to improve their employees’ work –life balance, Let’s hope they’re not too late to save the British family , Otherwise, the British will always be too tired ,and won’t have enough time and money, to have children.
小題1:Young British people live in their parents’ home until around 30 because       

A．They are allowed to get married at 30

B．they can’t allowed to get married at 30

C．they can’t afford a house of their own until then

D．they enjoy family life with their parents

小題2:The British are now having fewer children than before for all the following reasons EXCEPT that       

A．they have fewer years to have children

B．they live much shorter lives than before

C．it is more expensive to bring up a child

D．people are losing their jobs because of the recent financial crisis

小題3:The underlined word “subsidies” in Paragraph 5 means       

A．food paid by the government

B．school buildings for poor students

C．free transportation

D．money from the government to benefit the public

小題4:It can be inferred from the text that       

A．with long work hours, it is hard for British parents to balance life and work

B．more and more families in Britain are breaking up because they are having fewer children

C．a(chǎn)mong Europeans, British people work hardest and earn the least

D．childcare takes up too much energy and time for the British

小題5:To make it cheaper to have children , the British government is         

A．bringing down prices

B．raising the salaries of parents

C．reducing family income tax

D．increasing subsidies for families and nursery schools

Is It OK to Snap （拍照） Your Food?
Have you ever taken a snap of a luxurious cake or photographed a juicy steak when you eat in restaurants? You may want to share what you eat with your friends or just post part of your daily life onto the Internet. However, such action may be very annoying(討厭的) to other diners, or even to chefs and restaurant owners. Currently, more and more people begin to consider “ foodstagramming” as very silly and a bad manner.
In many restaurants, diners complain of being blinded by flasher(閃光燈), snapped without their permission and disturbed by people climbing on to chairs for a better angle. Even chefs and restaurant owners are annoyed at food photography. A Michelin-starred(米其林星級(jí)) chef said, “It’s hard to build a memorable evening when flashes are flying every six minutes.”
At the start of 2013, the debate on whether it is OK to take photographs of your food in restaurants seemed to swing (搖擺) towards a definite “no.” According to several chefs in New York City, some restaurants there have started banning customers from taking photos of their food. Policies around the ban of food photography vary from restaurant to restaurant, ranging from restrictions on using a flash to outright(完全的) bans. If other restaurants follow such policies, it may signal the death of “ foodstagramming”.
Nevertheless, instead of banning food photography, some restaurants are offering food photography courses. In Spain, the restaurant group Grupo Gourmet has started running a “ Fotografia para foodies” course to instruct its customers to better take food pictures. The course teaches customers to take photos in a proper way without disturbing other dinners, such as never use a flash.
小題1:Who are annoyed with food photography in restaurants?

A．Restaurant owners.	B．Other diners.
C．Chefs.	D．The above all.

小題2:What did some New York restaurants do about food photography?

A．They started to ban customers from taking photos of their food.

B．They had no idea about taking photos for the profits.

C．They wanted to talk with some customers.

D．They decided to learn from Spain.

小題3:What did the Spanish restaurant group do about food photography?

A．It told the customers when to take food pictures.

B．It asked the customers to pay for taking food pictures.

C．It ran a course to instruct customers to better take food pictures.

D．It also prevented the customers from taking food pictures.

小題4:What is foodstagramming?

A．It’s a popular practice where diners take photos of their meals and share them online.

B．It’s a popular practice where dinners take photos of their meals and sells to others.

C．It’s a habit that people take photos when they eat.

D．It’s an idea how to take photos of their meals.

小題5:Which of the following is True?

A．Customers in America like others to use flashes when they eat.

B．Restaurants in Spain think of a methord to meet people’s need.

C．American government is discussing the problem of foodstagramming.

D．People in China are trying to think of an idea to deal with the problem.