Accidents happen almost every day. Some accidents are not serious and some are. We read about such accidents nearly every day in the newspapers. It is wrong for people to think that accidents take place only on the roads or highways, or even at work places. Home accidents are just as common. Because very few home accidents are reported, people come to think that there are few accidents which happen in homes.
There have been many cases where people fall to their deaths from high rise flats. Children often fall over while coming down the stairs. Old people may slip (滑跤) on wet floors if they are not careful.
Nowadays there are a lot of modern electrical appliances (電器) such as rice cookers which make life easy for the modern house wives. These appliances can kill if they are not used in the proper way. Gas stoves (煤氣灶) used for cooking are also dangerous if they are not properly used. They may cause burns or, in more serious cases, even fires.
But all such accidents can be stopped if we are careful and follow simple rules of safety. For example, it is unwise for people to try repairing their own electrical appliances if they do not know how to. It is safer to get them repaired by an electrician (電工).
小題1:Accidents take place ____.

A．mostly in homes

B．mostly on roads and highways

C．mostly in factories

D．a(chǎn)lmost everywhere

小題2:Which of the following accidents may NOT happen in homes?

A．People may fall to death from high buildings.

B．People may be knocked down by cars on the roads.

C．Gas stoves may cause burns or even fires.

D．People may be killed by an electrical appliance.

小題3:People are advised____ .

A．to avoid using electrical appliances

B．to repair their own electrical appliances

C．not to repair their own electrical appliances

D．not to get their electrical appliances fixed

Do you know the open-air art gallery in London's Blackall Street? Probably -not. Not many  Londoners know it either, but Henri does and he is willing to show it to you.
Henri used to sleep in parks until he met a charity(慈善機(jī)構(gòu)) that helps homeless people get  back on their feet by becoming tour guides.
Rather than show traditional London sights, “Unseen Tours" take people off the beaten track. Henri has been teaching tourists about the history and architecture of Shoreditch, where he slept on public benches for three years.
When he felt separated from the society, contact with the volunteer network "The Sock Mob" gave Henri hope. "Not everyone just looked down on me," he said. The tours aren't the only actions trying to help those who have suffered a misfortune to stand tall again.
An innovative(創(chuàng)新的) college for homeless people in London, the first of its kind in the country, is attracting hundreds of students. The Recovery College, set up by St Mungo's charity, is providing courses designed to improve technical skills and life skills.
According to Andy Williams, who helps to organize the college, the most popular courses have proved to be about raising self-confidence and developing self-pride.
Steve, now in his 50s, told a reporter how much of a difference it makes to "have a bit of confidence". He had difficulty learning to read and had to leave school when he was 12. Because Steve's problem was not recognized at the time, he was "seen to be unable to read or write", and suffered with depression and alcohol addiction. He says the status of "student" is itself important for people who are used to being treated as outcasts（被遺棄者）
Some charities aim not only to help the homeless become independent but also to make them popular. The Homeless World Cup started ten years ago. Today the tournament draws teams from 48 countries made up of players-men and women-who are, or have been, living in the streets.  It gives them a chance to become football heroes.
小題1:The underlined part "take people off the beaten track" means "take people to______.”

A．famous galleries	B．traditional sights
C．unusual places	D．public benches

小題2:How does the Recovery College help the homeless people?

A．By training them to be guides

B．By offering them different courses.

C．By keeping in contact with them.

D．By asking more students to help them.

小題3:At the age of 12, Steve _______ .

A．wasn't treated as a normal student

B．had much confidence in himself

C．didn't want to study at school

D．left school because of depression

小題4:The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to help the homeless people _______.

A．become football stars	B．improve life skills
C．gain self-confidence	D．find proper jobs

小題5:Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Confidence Back Now.	B．London Tour.
C．The Popular Homeless.	D．Football Heroes.

Mother stayed at home cooking and cleaning while Father left for work. Two or more children took the bus to school. In the evening, all the family members got together at home again. This is what a traditional family was like twenty years ago. But now great changes have happened in British families.
As many as 2 out of 3 marriages now end in divorce(離婚), and many children have to live with one parent and only see the other at weekends or during holidays.
There has been a great increase in the number of working women with children. Many women have to work to support themselves and their children. Even in the family where there is no divorce, both parents have to work in order to survive.
Also women are no longer happy to stay at home taking care of children. Many of them have jobs and some of them can even make more money than men, the traditional breadwinners.
What’s more, the increasing number of single-parent families have caused an increase in the crime rate (犯罪率) among children in a way. It is thought that if a child doesn’t have a father, he or she will be harmed.
However the changes may be good for some people. For women it’s now much easier to have well-paid jobs. Although it is difficult to be a working mother, it is no longer seen as a bad thing for children.
As for some children, they learn how to solve problems by themselves at an early age.
小題1:Which of the following statements is TRUE about a traditional family in Britain twenty years ago?

A．Both the mother and the father had to work to support the family.

B．The father stayed at home taking care of the children.

C．The mother didn’t need to work.

D．A family had only one child.

小題2:Which of the following things is NOT mentioned in the passage ? 

A．The increasing number of divorces.

B．The increasing number of fathers who stay at home.

C．The increasing number of working mothers.

D．The increasing crime rate among children.

小題3:According to the passage, a “breadwinner” refers to a person who ________.

A．has got some bread	B．is good at making bread
C．stays at home raising children	D．works to support the family

小題4:From the passage we can learn that ________.

A．In a family where the parents are not divorced in Britain，the mother doesn’t have to work.

B．Children whose parents are divorced have to start working early.

C．The father is very important to a child’s growth.

D．The changes in British families do no good to people.

Don’t drive your kids to school. Let them ride a bike to school.
In England 8.3 million children travel to school every day. It is reported that only a small number of pupils cycle to school (under 2%), although one in three children would actually like to.
Experts say that to stay healthy, children need at least one hour of moderate (適度的) exercise every day. But only six out of ten boys and four out of ten girls get that. One of the reasons is that parents have developed a habit of driving their children to school when they could just walk or ride a bike to school.
Teachers often say that children who walk or ride a bike to school are more ready to listen to their classes, ask and answer questions in class than those driven by car, and the school journey is a good chance for children to learn about road safety and other life skills. Also, for many children, riding a bike is more fun than going to school by car.
Most parents know the benefits (益處). Then what’s stopping them from letting their kids ride a bike? Safety is the number one worry for them. But actually riding a bike is not as dangerous as parents think it is.
When you decide to buy a bike, you should be aware（意識到） that a bike that is too big or too small is dangerous. Don’t try to get a bike that your child will “grow into”. Get the right size in good working order. Generally, 20-inch wheels are on bikes for 5-8 year olds; 24-inch wheels are for 9-11 year olds; 26-inch wheels are suitable for those over 11, and some older children should even take bikes with 28-inch wheels, but the main thing is that the bike fits your child.
小題1:This passage is mainly written for ________.

A．teachers whose students have asked their parents to drive them to school

B．children who have asked their parents to drive them to school

C．parents who drive their children to school

D．parents who drive to work

小題2:Which of the following benefits of cycling to school is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．It will help children keep healthy

B． It will make children more active in class.

C．It will make children feel freer

D．It will be more fun for children.

小題3:Parents don’t allow their children to ride a bike to school mainly because ________.

A．their children don’t want to.

B．they are worried about their children’s safety.

C．they don’t know what size bike to choose

D．They haven’t enough money to buy a bike.

小題4:Generally, what size bike is suitable for a 10-year-old child？

A．A bike with 20-inch wheels	B．A bike with 24-inch wheels
C．A bike with 26-inch	D．A bike with 28-inch wheels

How do you think of the following example? Many Japanese never take the vacations they should enjoy, but with the coming of “Golden Week”, several holidays following one after another in late April and early May, they pour out of the country in the tens of thousands.
So when traveling, whether on business or for pleasure, the first thing to think about are hotels. The kind of hotel you choose is decided according to how much money you want to spend. There are small hotels with very few services, where the prices are low, or there are large hotels with all the very latest comforts, where you could spend all the money you have in the bank for a very comfortable night.
There are several different kinds of people who go to hotels. Some want to live, rather than just stay, in a hotel; hotels which are designed to meet their needs are called residential hotels. However, most people who stay in hotels are either business people or tourists on holiday.
In most hotels, there are two kinds of rooms: single rooms, for the use of one person, and double rooms, for the use of two people. In addition, in large hotels, there are also suites (套房), which include two or more rooms connected together — perhaps a bedroom and a living room. They are for people who are very rich or very important.
小題1:From the example of many Japanese, we can learn that           .

A．they don’t enjoy taking vacations because it’s too expensive

B．they enjoy touring in “Golden Week” because it consists of several holidays

C．they don’t have vacations unless they go abroad

D．they enjoy staying at home unless they have enough time and money

小題2:A person’s choice of a particular hotel is made mainly according to           .

A．how much he is willing to pay for a night

B．whether he is traveling on business or for pleasure

C．whether the hotel is in the central part of a city

D．how good the services of the hotel are

小題3:If the president of a certain country comes, he will most probably             .

A．live in a new hotel	B．stay in a single room of a hotel
C．stay in a double room of a hotel	D．stay in a suite of a modern hotel

小題4:If a person stays in a modern hotel with the latest comforts for a night,           .

A．he will become poor

B．he will have to pay a lot of money

C．he will have to spend all the money he has in the bank

D．he will have to draw all of his money out of the bank

As any parent with an iPhone or an iPod Touch knows, mobile apps (手機(jī)軟件) can be an engaging and entertaining experience for kids. Now, a new study of PBS Kids suggests that the experience can be an educational one as well.
The study, which was administered by PBS under a grant from the Department of Education, first tested the vocabulary level of a group of 90 Title 1 school children, aged 3 to 7. Then, the children were each given two weeks with an iPod Touch loaded with the Martha Speaks Dog Party app created by PBS Kids.
The study monitored how the children used the iPod, during what hours, and in what context. On average, the study found that kids played with the iPod Touch for a total of 5 hours across the two weeks, with half that time spent playing the Martha Speaks app. At the end of the two week trial, the children were given another vocabulary test, which revealed an increase in vocabulary acquisition by as much as 31 per cent.
The study findings are particularly useful as smart phones and mobile devices have become increasingly popular among families and parents are faced with a proliferation of mobile apps designed for kids. According to a recent Nielsen study, smart phone usage is 12% higher in households with children than other households.
“Mobile apps can be a great learning tool in the hands of children,” said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP, Children’s Media, PBS. “This research is important in helping to better understand and guide the development of new apps that improve the value of children’s screen time with significant educational outcomes.”
So what does it all mean? Well, at the very least it will help parents get over that guilty feeling when they hand over their iPhone or iPod Touch for a little peace and quiet. At best, it provides more evidence that mobile devices and apps do indeed have educational value and could be an important part of the child-learning process for many years to come.
小題1:What Lesli Rotenberg said in the fifth paragraph suggests that      .

A．he has a positive attitude towards mobile apps

B．he thinks children should never use smart phones

C．he is doubtful about mobile apps designed for children

D．he thinks parents should be careful with mobile apps for children

小題2:The underlined sentence in the last paragraph implies that      .

A．parents will feel more comfortable giving kids iPhone or iPod Touch

B．parents will know what kind of mobile phones are suitable for kids

C．parents will know what children do with mobile phones

D．parents can watch over their children now and then

小題3:What would be the best title of the text?

A．The popularity of smart phones among kids

B．The entertaining function of smart phones

C．Smart phones make kids learn more.

D．It’s too early for kids to use smart phones

One evening after dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Tisich called a family meeting. “We’ve had to make a difficult decision,” Mr. Tisich announced. “You see, your mother has been offered a post as co-director of a television station in Chicago. Unfortunately, the station is not here. After thinking long and hard about it, we’ve concluded that the right decision is to move to Chicago.” Marc looked shocked, while his sister Rachel breathlessly started asking when they’d be moving. “It’s surprising, but exciting!” she said. Marc simply said, “We can’t go—I can’t leave all my friends. I’d rather stay here and live with Tommy Lyons!”
The Tisichs hoped that by the time they moved in August, Marc would grow more used to the idea of leaving. However, he showed no signs of accepting the news, refusing to pack his belongings. When the morning of the move arrived, Marc was nowhere to be found. His parents called Tommy Lyon’s house, but Mrs. Lyons said she hadn’t seen Marc. Mrs. Tisich became increasingly concerned, while her husband felt angry with their son for behaving so irresponsibly.
What they didn’t know was that Marc had started walking over to Tommy’s house, with a faint idea of hiding in Lyons’s attic(閣樓) for a few days. But something happened on the way as Marc walked past all the familiar landscape of the neighborhood: the fence that he and his mother painted, the tree that he and his sister used to climb, the park where he and his father often took evening walks together. How much would these mean without his family, who make them special in the first place? Marc didn’t take the time to answer that question but instead hurried back to his house, wondering if there were any moving cartons(紙板箱)the right size to hold his record collection.
小題1:The conflict(沖突) in this story was caused by_________.

A．Marc and Rachel’s different attitudes

B．a(chǎn) quarrel between Tommy Lyons and Marc

C．Marc’s disagreement with his parents about their move

D．Mr. And Mrs. Tisich’s comment of Marc’s irresponsibility

小題2:Marc and Rachel’s reactions to the move were similar in the way that both were________.

A．surprised	B．a(chǎn)ngry and upset
C．a(chǎn)nxious for more details	D．worried about pacing

小題3:The reason for Marc’s going home was that_________.

A．he did not want to be left behind

B．he realized his family was important to him

C．he hoped to reach an agreement with his parents

D．he wished to be a more responsible person

小題4:What would most likely happen next?

A．Marc would bring his records over to the Lyons’s house.

B．Mr. and Mrs. Tisich would call the police.

C．Marc would join his family for house moving.

D．Mr. and Mrs. Tisich would start searching for Marc.

Are supermarkets designed to persuade us to buy more? When you enter a supermarket, the manager knows         than you do how you will behave — which        you will walk, where you will        , what will make you      one product rather than another. When customers go into a shop, they      look to their left       move  towards the right. So supermarket entrances are usually on the left of the building, and the arrangement is to take shoppers       the store ,aisle after aisle, from left to right. Then shoppers will pay attention to all the      .
Fresh fruit and        are displayed near supermarket entrances. This gives the        that only healthy food is sold in the shop.       foods that everyone buys, like sugar and tea are put near each other. They are kept in different aisles so customers are taken past other attractive foods        they find what they want. In this way, shoppers are      to buy products that they do not really       .
People walk quickly through      aisles, but they move more slowly in wide aisles and give more attention to the products. One best-selling       for products is at the end of aisles, because shoppers        to turn into the next aisles.
Sweets are often placed at children’s        level at the checkout. While parents are waiting to pay, children        the sweets and put them in the trolley.
Customers buy more when shelves are      than when they are half empty because they feel there is something wrong with those products that are there.

小題1:	A．sooner B．better C．more D．less

小題2:	A．side B．a(chǎn)pproach C．place D．way

小題3:	A．go B．look C．stop D．stand

小題4:	A．buy B．enjoy C．see D．prefer

小題5:	A．naturally B．simply C．easily D．hurriedly

小題6:	A．or B．then C． but D．a(chǎn)nd

小題7:	A．into B．a(chǎn)long C．a(chǎn)round D．through

小題8:	A．prices B．signs C． shelves D．products

小題9:	A．wines B．vegetables C．sweets D．meat

小題10:

A．impression B．effect C．thought D．expression

小題11:

A．Fresh B．Important C．Fast D．Basic

小題12:

A．when B．unless C．before D．until

小題13:

A．invited B．encouraged C．willing D．ready

小題14:

A．use B． know C．need D．like

小題15:

A．narrow B．short C．high D．long

小題16:

A．case B．point C．example D．position

小題17:

A．slow down B．hurry up C．walk down D．come up

小題18:

A．hand B．eye C．head D．height

小題19:

A．pay for B．care for C．look for D．reach for

小題20:

A．low B．neat C．full D．high

In the United States and several other countries, 2.5 million children play baseball in an organization called Little League. They play on teams in their hometowns. Their parents and other adults in the community coach or instruct them and serve as umpires to make sure that everyone follows the rules. Local businesses give money for the ball fields and the uniforms. Local teams compete against each other and the winners get to play teams that are more distant. Eventually, the top teams go to the Little League World Series.
One hundred years after Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839, Little League got started in Pennsylvania. Three men started the game for neighborhood boys with a smaller playing field and fewer innings than adult baseball. Little League became popular after World War II when the game spread across the United States. By 1955 it was played throughout North America and within five years it had spread to Europe. Children’s baseball really caught on in Japan and Taiwan of China and teams from those areas won the World Series seven out of eight years. After this, the organization tried banning foreign teams from the World Series, but the ban came to an end after one year.
At first, Little League was only for boys aged nine to twelve. However, in 1974, the parents of girl baseball players brought a law suit. The courts ruled that Little League had to include both boys and girls. Later Little League added on softball and other games for teenagers up to age eighteen. Occasionally a Little Leaguer becomes a professional player. For example, Gary Carter went from Little League to play nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues, ten of them as an All-Star player. But, by and large, youngsters play baseball for fun and because their parents are proud of them.
小題1:The mothers and fathers of Little League players ______.

A．help run the games	B．travel in coaches
C．give the teams money	D．play in the World Series

小題2:In what year was Little League established?

A．1839

B．1939

C．1955

D．1960

小題3:Why do most players take part in Little League?

A．To play in the Major League.

B．To have fun and please their parents.

C．They expect a profit from All-Star games

D．They want to learn how to serve as umpires.

小題4:What is true about players today?

A．Little League is only for neighbourhood boys.

B．Girl players have to buy their suits.

C．Girls and boys can participate to age eighteen.

D．Children can only play until age twelve.