Three wishes
A man and his wife were very poor. They kept hoping for new clothes and good food. The man enjoyed eating, and he especially liked cakes. One night an old woman came to their house and told them she would let them have three wishes. They could wish for anything they wanted.
The man had just finished eating a piece of bread for his dinner, but he was still hungry. He said, “I wish I had a big cake!”
Suddenly a cake appeared on his plate.
“You fool!” His wife cried. “You could have wished for a house full of wonderful food, but you wished for a cake. I wish that cake was on the end of your foolish nose! ”
Immediately the cake stuck to the end of his nose.
Then the man and his wife started blaming each other. “It’s your fault!” she man cried. “No, it’s your fault!” she answered. What could they do? The cake was still stuck to the husband’s nose.
“Oh!” the wife cried. “I wish none of this had ever happened!”
Immediately the cake was gone, and the man was saying, “I’m still hungry. How I wish I had some cakes! ”
But of course nothing happened.
小題1:. The man quarreled with his wife because ___.

A．he always enjoyed eating

B．his wife hoped that he asked for a house

C．the cake stuck to the end of his nose according to his wife’s wish.

D．he didn’t want anything except cakes

小題2:The wrong statement of the following is ___.

A．the man made his wishes before dinner

B．the wife made two wishes, which worked

C．the wife wanted her husband to wish for more than a big cake

D．the man wished that the cake were not on his nose

小題3:Why did the old woman not satisfy the man’s wish when he said he was still hungry and wanted some cakes?

A．Because the old lady was angry with them

B．Because this was the fourth wish.

C．Because the man had made this wish before.

D．Because the cake had been gone.

About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college in New York, I was working as a practice student at my University's Museum of Natural History. One day while I was working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was seated on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and the trunk of the human body. She was wearing a little white dress with the patterns of red roses and yellow dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink(眨眼示意). As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the most beautiful, largest smile I have ever seen
All of a sudden herhandicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. I immediately felt full of hope and confidence. She took me, a poor, unhappy college student, into her world, a world of smiles, love and warmth.               
That was ten years ago, but I still remember it clearly as if it happened just yesterday. I'm a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me.
小題1:What was the writer a decade ago?

A．A worker working in a university.

B．A teacher teaching in a college.

C．A clerk working in a museum.

D．A university student who had not yet taken a degree.

小題2:What does the underlined world “handicap” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Life difficulty.	B．Troublesome problem.
C．Failure in work.	D．Physical disability.

小題3:How did the writer probably feel before meeting the disabled girl?

A．She felt full of hope.

B．She was filled with confidence.

C．She felt unhappy because of poverty.

D．She felt life was beautiful.

小題4:Which of the following title suits this passage best?

A．A Disabled Girl.

B．A Disabled Girl’s Smile.

C．Full of Hope.

D．Full of Confidence.

I found a website that has changed my life for the better. The website is wishuponahero.com and it is all about people helping others, not expecting anything in return.
I am a single mom with a son. My son’s 12th birthday was on October 29th, 2007. Knowing that I didn’t have money to buy him a birthday gift had broken my heart. So I decided to post a wish on wishuponahero.com for people to send my son birthday cards.
Many cards just started coming and my little son was very excited and this went on for about three weeks. The smile on his face and the sparkle (閃光) in his eyes brought me to tears.
Then, in the end of November, he started thinking about Christmas and he already knew that there would not be a tree for him because we didn’t have enough money. However, it didn’t matter to him. All he talked about was how much he wanted to make other children smile. So he decided that what he wanted to do was earn money to buy Christmas cards and send them to other children from poor families. My son went out daily and raked (耙) leaves and walked some dogs to make money. Not only did he buy cards, but he also made enough money to buy all the stamps and lollipops (棒棒糖) to be sent with the cards. He sent out about 100 cards. Doing this brought him that same smile and sparkle in his eyes as did the birthday cards that he received.
小題1:The single mother posted a wish on wishuponahero.com because _______________.

A．she wanted to buy her son a card on the website

B．she wanted to get something for free

C．she hoped that people could help her

D．she thought her son would like the website very much

小題2:What did the son think of his birthday cards on October 29th, 2007?

A．Disappointing.	B．Exciting.
C．Cheap.	D．Poor.

小題3:What can we conclude from the story?

A．Surfing the Internet is of great use.

B．One should take care of his children.

C．People can ask for help from wishuponahero.com.

D．Learning to give makes one’s life more meaningful.

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than most of the adults in our community.
When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant care and growth. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them so that each successive tree generation would grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out(淘汰) the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured.
So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs passed away a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They’re extremely tall, big and robust since they have deep roots now. However, the trees in my garden trembled in a cold wind although I had watered them for several years.
It seems that adversity(逆境) and suffering benefit these trees in ways comfort and ease never could. I stood there deep in thought.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But I think that it’s time to change my prayer(禱詞) because now I know my children are going to encounter hardship.
小題1:According to Dr. Gibbs’ theories, trees will become weaker if they _________.

A．a(chǎn)re lack of care

B．a(chǎn)re watered

C．a(chǎn)re weeded out

D．a(chǎn)re beaten

小題2:According to Para.3 and Para.4, we can infer that Dr. Gibbs’ motto(座右銘) may be       .

A．“Seeing is believing”	B．“Put everything in proper use”
C．“Practice makes perfect”	D．“No pain, no gain”

小題3:The underlined word robust in Para.5 most probably means _________.

A．strong

B．strange

C．deep

D．old

小題4:Which of the following may be the author’s best prayer for his two sons now?

A．I wish them strong wings, with which they can fly higher and touch the sky.

B．I wish them nice fortune so that they can meet people like Dr. Gibbs in the future.

C．I wish them deep roots into the earth since the rains fall and the winds blow often.

D．I wish them great shades under the tree since the sunlight is always sharp and bitter.

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

A．A Nice Doctor

B．The Deep Roots

C．Adversity and Suffering

D．My Childhood Memory

Being able to multitask---doing several things at the same time---is considered a welcome skill by most people. But if we consider the situation of the young people aged from eight to eighteen, we should think again.
What we often see nowadays is that young people juggle an ever larger number of electronic devices as they study. While working, they also surf on the Internet, send out emails, answer the telephone and listen to music on their iPods. In a sense, they are spending a significant amount of time in fruitless efforts as they multitask.
Multitasking is even changing the relationship between family members. As young people give so much attention to their own worlds, they seem to have no time to spend with the other people around them. They can no longer greet family members when they enter the house, nor can they eat at the family table.
Multitasking also affects young people’s performance at university and in the workplace. When asked about their opinion of the effect of modern gadgets on their performance of tasks, many young people gave a positive response. However, the response from the worlds of education and business was not quite as positive.
Educators feel that multitasking by children has a serious effect on later development of study skills. They believe that many college students now need help to improve their study skills. Similarly, employers feel that young people entering the job market need to be taught all over again, as modern gadgets have made it unnecessary for them to learn special skills to do their work.
小題1:What does the underlined word “juggle” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．Want to buy.

B．Take the place of.

C．Use at the same time.

D．Seek for information from.

小題2:In Paragraph 3, the author points out that  ________.

A．family members do not eat at the family table.

B．family members do not greet each other.

C．young people live happily in their families

D．young people seldom talk with their family members

小題3:What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．multitasking is harmful to young people’s development.

B．Young people benefit a lot from modern gadgets.

C．Multitasking is an important skill to young people.

D．Yong people must learn skills for future jobs.

小題4:The author develops the passage mainly by ________.

A．providing typical examples

B．following the natural time order

C．comparing opinions from different fields

D．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects

To son, Cecil,
Just a quick note before I start in earnest. When I wrote this, you were 8, still a little boy. In 2002, I was called to active duty in the Marine Corps in the war on Terrorism (恐怖主義). On the 11th of September 2001 when America was attacked, I knew that I would eventually have to go and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness. That night as you and Keiko were asleep, I looked at your little faces and couldn’t help but fight the tears. I knew it would be hard for you because I had a similar experience. When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the war there. I remember how much I missed him, too. But now unfortunately I have come to realize just how rough it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year. Thinking about this, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down for you and your sister. I am so sorry that I had to leave for such a long time. There is no place I would rather be than with you and Keiko. You two are the lights of my life. I have known no greater joy than in the few years since you two were born. I hope to have many more years with you. If this doesn’t happen, then know that I love you more than words can express. If for some reason I don’t make it home, I will need you to take care of your little sister and your Mom. You will be the man of the Cawley family. Be good my son and God will watch over you as he has me. I will be waiting impatiently for the time when we can all be together again.
小題1:The writer of the letter may be ______.

A．a(chǎn)n American soldier in the battle field

B．a(chǎn)n American policeman

C．a(chǎn) soldier in the Vietnam War

D．a(chǎn) postman working far away from home

小題2:Keiko is the ______ of the writer.

A．wife

B．son

C．daughter

D．sister

小題3:One of the experiences the writer and his son had in common is that ______.

A．they both experienced the Vietnam War

B．their fathers had to leave them and fight abroad.

C．they used to study in the same school

D．they were both eight when the fathers had to leave them

小題4:We can infer(推斷) that ______.

A．the writer was a devoted son

B．the writer was a brave soldier

C．the writer realized he might die in the battle field

D．the writer’s wife was suffering from a terrible illness.

Every country had its heroes. The heroes are the people that nation and especially the young peo­ple 21_____ . If you get a list of the 22   _____of a nation, it will tell you the potential (潛力）of the nation.
If today in America ’ you ask the high school students to list their heroes their 23____ would prob­ably divide into three groups. rHie first group of heroes would be the rock stars—the people 24 _____with rock music. There is no doubt that such people do have talent (天才）but one 25_____ if one should hold up rock stars as model. The rock stars too often are mixed with drugs and their personal life isnot all that — 26 ____  . The rock stars are rich and wear the latest fashion styles (時裝）.However oneshould 27 _____more in a hero than such things as 28______ and fine clothes.
A second type of heroes for the American youth are sports stars. Again you have a person who has a great talent in one area_ 29 _____. However, too often the personal life of the sports star is a bit 30_____. Too frequently drugs and drinking are a part of 31_____ of the sports stars.
A third group of heroes are TV or movie stars. These people may have lots of 32___ ，tal­ent and are quite handsome. However ’ the personal life of too many actors is quite sad and should not be held up as a 33____  for young people.
Today，the rock stars，the sportsmen  and the actors 34____ have become the models of the youth in America. Really,do you hear a young person say that his 35____ is a doctor, a teacher or a scientist? These people are not 36____ and do not wear fashionable clothes. However, they are 37____ people who work hard to make the world a better place for everyone.
What is really sad is that the young try to 38____ their heroes. They like to wear the same clothes as theirs, if the heroes of today for the American youth are 39 ____only to rock stars, sportsmen and actors, the future does not look too 40_____ .

小題1:	A．dislike B．a(chǎn)dmire C．hate D．satisfy

小題2:	A．doctors B．soldiers C．teachers D．heroes

小題3:	A．choice B．conclusion C．a(chǎn)nswer D．questions

小題4:	A．interested B．connected C．excited D．pleased

小題5:	A．wants B．hopes C．wonders D．expects

小題6:	A．bad B．simple C．silent D．good

小題7:	A．gather B．spend C．put D．be after

小題8:	A．paper B．money C．food D．book

小題9:	A．sports B．music C．movie D．teaching

小題10:

A．regular B．disorder C．happy D．hard

小題11:

A．sports B．life C．clothes D．talent

小題12:

A．teaching B．running C．a(chǎn)cting D．pretending

小題13:

A．model B．example C．lessor D．education

小題14:

A．both B．each C．a(chǎn)ll D．none

小題15:

A．parent B．husband C．wife D．hero

小題16:

A．rich B．poor C．healthy D．kind

小題17:

A．stupid B．talented C．terrible D．weak

小題18:

A．persuade B．praise C．remember D．follow

小題19:

A．enough B．limited C．powerful D．great

小題20:

A．bright B．usual C．necessary D．important

Earlier this morning I e-mailed an old friend, Mark. We have been out of touch for 12 years, but the   36  is a wonderful thing. Finding his e-mail address   37  less than a minute. He is working on his doctoral paper in western America.
Mark and I met at a summer   38  that we both attended. I went every year from the time I was 8 or 9 until I was 15. I don’t   39  exactly, but I think Mark was there for as many years as I was.
We lived close to each other and   40  saw each other around the campsite, but not often. Mostly we stayed together for a week or two in the   41  and wrote letters back and forth during the rest of the first few years. I still have all of his letters in a box somewhere. I come across them occasionally and   42  to sit down and read through them, but I never have. He was a   43  and precious friend to me, and I am deeply   44  that we have drifted so far apart.
Mark was a very kind and incredibly bright and funny   45  . He loved Monty Python — I mean he was a fanatic(狂熱者), and could   46  entire movies from memory. He was one of those kids who   47  such a unique and powerful mind   48   they never quite fit into the main stream of life.   49  Mark, who I believe realized that, never seemed to care about it. When I knew that Mark was working on his   50  (on a highly intellectual and fairly mysterious and difficult topic), I thought, “Well yes, of course.” He is just where I would
  51  him to be.
I wonder if he will write me back. I wonder if he will be   52  by where I am. I wonder whether he and I can be   53  again, or whether these years have left us with   54  
in common. I wonder whether he can ever be the man I   55 , or only remain the boy I knew.  

小題1:	A．world B．Internet C．life D．fax

小題2:	A．cost B．paid C．took D．spent

小題3:	A．train B．meeting C．camp D．holiday

小題4:	A．remind B．recall C．remember D．realize

小題5:	A．occasionally B．regularly C．usually D．commonly

小題6:	A．neighborhood B．group C．holiday D．summer

小題7:	A．manage B．a(chǎn)dvise C．intend D．prefer

小題8:	A．likely B．friendly C．coldly D．dear

小題9:	A．regret B．sorry C．excited D．satisfied

小題10:

A．teenager B．a(chǎn)dult C．reader D．camper

小題11:

A．see B．recite C．write D．read

小題12:

A．gained B．had C．got D．deserved

小題13:

A．that B．a(chǎn)s C．because D．so

小題14:

A．Because B．Though C．Since D．But

小題15:

A．book B．novel C．paper D．lesson

小題16:

A．let B．lead C．expect D．a(chǎn)llow

小題17:

A．shocked B．surprised C．disappointed D．excited

小題18:

A．classmates B．partners C．enemies D．friends

小題19:

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

小題20:

A．value B．know C．dislike D．a(chǎn)dmire

請閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該選項的標號涂黑。
Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old. I was born in a war-torn area. Right now I’m a web designer.
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields. For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long. Those are my great memories.
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes. As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family. I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age. However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone. I learnt to be independent.
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area. I would have loved to live with my family in freedom. Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe.
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age. I want to give back what I’ve got. That’s our way. But I am working in another city. My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it. It filters（過濾）out your emotion and leaves your voice only. My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch.
小題1:In Misbah’s childhood,     .

A．he was free from worry

B．he liked living in the countryside

C．he was fond of getting close to nature

D．he often spent holidays with his family

小題2: What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?

A．A colorful life.

B．A beautiful house.

C．Peace and freedom.

D．Money for his family.

小題3:How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?

A．By chatting on the Internet.

B．By calling them sometimes.

C．By paying weekly visits.

D．By writing them letters.

小題4:If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?

A．What was your childhood dream?

B．What is your biggest achievement?

C．What is your parents’ view of you?

D．What was your hardest experience in the war?

Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer (掃盲志愿者). The training I received, though excellent, didn't tell me how it was to work with a real student, however. When I began to discover what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Marie was a 44-year-old single mother of three children. In the first lesson, I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn't know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule, she told me it would not help because she couldn't read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn't always remember what she needed. Also, she could only recognize items by sight, so if the product had a different label, she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together, learning how to read built Marie’s self-confidence. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip, she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program, she began helping her youngest son, Tony, a shy first grader, with his reading. I found that helping Marie to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer, I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact, I may have learned more from the experience than Marie did.
小題1:What did the writer do last summer?

A．She worked in the supermarket.

B．She helped someone to learn to read.

C．She helped some single mothers.

D．She was trained by a literacy volunteer.

小題2: Why didn't Marie go to the supermarket by bus at first?

A．Because she liked to walk to the supermarket.

B．Because she didn't have a bus schedule.

C．Because she couldn't afford the bus ticket.

D．Because she couldn't find the right bus.

小題3:How did Marie use to find the goods she wanted in the supermarket?

A．She knew where the goods were in the supermarket.

B．She asked others to take her to the right place.

C．She managed to find the goods by their looks.

D．She remembered the names of the goods.

小題4:Which of the statements is TRUE about Marie?

A．She could do many things she had not been able to before.

B．She was able to read stories with the help of her son.

C．She decided to continue her studies in school.

D．She helped to build up my self-confidence.