I can still remember the first day when I met my best friend. I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother,   1  to look at each other. But we soon lost the  2  and started playing with each other. In the 7th grade, I first lost touch with her. She was   3  family problems and I deserted her to be with the “cooler people”.   4  of my new friends like her as much as I did  5  they knew she had “problems”. However, every summer we would   6  sit at each other’s house and watch soap operas and talk about everything we liked.
It was last year when I   7   the problem. I guessed I was just too busy to catch up in high school to realize she   8  someone there for her. Well, she made a new “best friend” and so did I. Then I didn’t know why, but she started cutting herself！
She was diagnosed with clinical depression（抑郁癥）. I was very  9   at first, but with the late night calls, we still stayed in   10 . I wanted to be there for her since her new best friend   11  deserted her, since people were calling her   12 , and I knew I still   13 her like a sister.
Yesterday she came   14  me and said this, “I never knew what a best friend was   15  you were the only person that would stop me from cutting; the only person that ever made me feel better about myself and my  16 . You don’t know this but I was trying to kill myself one night when you   17  me and I was crying. I   18  you so much, and you didn’t even know you were   19  me.”
We both cried. And I guess a kind of lesson from my life so far is to never   20  your friends.
1．A．pleased       B．excited    C．a(chǎn)fraid       D．disappointed
2．A．happiness   B．kindness  C．shyness     D．sadness
3．A．working out       B．a(chǎn)nswering for C．helping with D .going through
4．A．All           B．None  C．No   D．Every
5．A．because      B．though      C．while D．yet
6．A．sometimes  B．seldom     C．just  D．a(chǎn)lways
7．A．solved B．noticed     C．faced D．understood
8．A．a(chǎn)sked        B．needed      C．had   D．left
9．A．mad           B．cardless    C．hopeful    D．upset
10．A．touch             B．bed   C．hospital    D．love
11．A．luckily     B．successfully     C．basically   D．calmly
12．A．selfish     B．crazy C．brave      D．lonely
13．A．believed in      B．waited for  C．cared about     D．replied to
14．A．with         B．a(chǎn)fter    C．upon  D．to
15．A．until        B．when    C．since   D．if
16．A．mistakes   B．parents       C．friends       D．problems
17．A．visited      B．encouraged   C．called      D．prevented
18．A．tell          B．owe      C．give  D．show
19．A．helping     B．reminding     C．cheating   D．praising
20．A．give up on       B．look back at   C．drop in at   D．look down on

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從各題所給的A、B、C和D項中，選出最佳選項。
Recently I was invited to a friend’s house for supper —and had a meal I have never had before.
All the friends invited were a little surprised. It’s not that Ben is unsociable, or a bad cook, but it’s just that he never   21  more than he has to. So how come he was inviting us round for a meal? Had he bought something   22  for his friends? He greeted us at the door and showed us into his dining room where a   23 _ table was waiting for us.“Nothing but the best for my friends!”said Ben. We all sat down and looked   24   at each other —what was he up to?
Ben returned with four bowls of hot soup. “It’s a mixture of carrots, potatoes and tomatoes,”said Ben. The next   25  was also a little strange in that we didn’t quite know what it was again. It’s just another mixture of vegetable.
As we ate we chatted and finally the   26   turned back to what we were eating. ”Was there a recipe (食譜) for this,” asked Marina, “or did you   27   it up?” Ben put his fork down. “What I cooked depended on what I could find.” Marina was surprised. “But you can find anything in supermarkets these days.” “But there’s 28  choice in what you can find outside supermarkets,” he replied.
Seeing that we had all finished the food, Ben decided to tell the truth. He had read recently that supermarkets usually throw away 5 percent of their food every day. So Ben decided to look inside his local supermarket bins. There he found food that was slightly out of __29 , boxes of throw-away vegetables and fruit.
So Ben had successfully provided a decent (體面的) meal for his friends, and made us aware of the fact that there are many poor people who need the food, but the amount of food thrown away is enough to   30   millions of people.

1. A.takes	B. spends	C. uses	D. does
2. A.cheap	B. special	C.practical	D. usual
3. A.new	B. separate	C. booked	D. laid
4. A.nervously	B. carefully	C. sadly	D. happily
5. A.course	B. food	C. soup	D. salad
6. A.dinner	B. idea	C. food	D. subject
7. A.pick	B. look	C. make	D. take
8. A.less	B. more	C. some	D. any
9. A.order	B. place	C. season	D. date
10. A.enrich	B. please	C. affect	D. feed

Each year this organization of men came to the Children's Home. The men would take us in groups of five to downtown to do some ___16___shopping.
I __17__ going with this gentleman three years in a row. He would ___18___ us shopping , then he would ask us if we wanted to go to the __19__. As he pulled his wallet out to pay for our tickets I watched him __20__. He looked over at me and just __21__ with his great big smile. During the movie he bought us all the popcorn and candy. I remember thinking how __22__ it was that someone would __23__ their own money on me. I remember thinking that he was like Santa Claus.
We all laughed at the __24__movie and had a good laugh about it. The man would laugh really hard and __25__ over and touch my hair to comfort me. I would just look at him, and he would just __26__ smiling with his great big wonderful smile. My nerve completely disappeared.
That trip to the movies was the first time in my life that I ever __27__as if someone really cared about me. It was a wonderful feeling which I have never forgotten, even to this day, __28__ later. I don't know if that man felt sorry for me, ___29___ I do know this: If I ever __30__ the big lottery, that man will find out that he carried a million-dollar smile.
This is ___31___I believe it is so important that the organizations __32__ to reach out and help the children who are less fortunate. __33__my particular case, it was this man's personal act of __34__ that will be remembered. Just one little act of kindness. 
I thank you, kind Sir, for a(n) __35__ which I now share with my children and grandchildren fifty years later.   
16. A. organization     B. season    C. weekend             D. Christmas  
17. A. appreciate              B. admit          C. remember  D.consider    
18. A. accompany             B. permit     C. take          D. bring
19. A.supermarket    B.airport            C. club              D. movies
20. A. closely                B. nervously             C. delightedly        D. patiently
21. A. spoke            B. laughed                 C. smiled           D. answered
22. A. stupid                 B. strange           C. rare                  D. wonderful  
23. A. cost                   B. spend               C. contribute             D. pay
24. A. funny                  B. moving            C. boring           D. sad
25. A. glance                B. run                          C. jump                 D. reach 
26. A. keep                        B. last                   C.start                        D. stop
27. A. seemed            B.acted            C. felt            D. thought       
28. A. months               B. weeks         C. decades     D. days 
29. A. and                    B. but              C. though                    D. so
30. A. lose                     B. buy              C. catch          D. win
31. A. when             B. because          C. why             D. how 
32. A. try              B. continue                C. intend           D. prepare
33. A. At             B. Under           C. In                D. On
34. A. manners                  B. generosity      C. pleasure          D. kindness     
35. A. movie        B. memory             C. fortune                 D. smile 

YOU don’t need millions to be happy. In fact, at The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred dollars may be enough.
The institute opened its doors last year, and, since then, men and women of all ages have been paying A$200 an hour (US$140) for l essons on how to feel great.
“You can actually increase your happiness levels. That’s what we teach,” said Timothy Sharp, founder of the institute.
Experts say that only about 15 per cent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 85 per cent comes from things such as attitude, life control and relationships.
Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, but happiness levels haven’t changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to happiness.
Many decades ago, the “sage of Baltimore, Maryland”, editor HL Mencken, defined wealth as earning US$100 more than your “wife’s sister’s husband.”
Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is because we compare ourselves to people better off materially.
“The argument is that if you want to be happy there’s a very simple thing you can do: Compare yourself to people who are less well off than you — poorer, smaller house, car,” said Sharp.
The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing on “more than just your bank account.”
“If I compare myself to Bill Gates then I’m always going to be down,” said Sharp.
A better thing to compare with, he said, might be Kerry Packer, Australia’s richest person who has had a kidney transplant and heart surgery in recent years.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. You can increase your happiness levels by attending the classes at the Happiness Institute.
B. Most of us are happier than our parents or grandparents since we earn more.
C. Earning US$ 100 more than your wife’s sister’s husband if you want to be happy.
D. Both Bill Gates and Kerry Packer are examples of those who are extremely rich but obviously unhappy.
2. The underlined phrase has the same meaning as the word _______.
A. healthy          B. unhealthy          C. free           D. wealthy
3. The author wrote the passage to tell us _______.
A. happiness is everything
B. wealth is the foundation of happiness
C. have fun at the Happiness Institute
D. money doesn’t always mean happiness

Hiring a self?drive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday. There are so many places of interest to visit, and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center there’s no better way to explore than by car.

Hire Charges

What’s included a)Unlimited mileage(英里數(shù))

b)Expenses on oil, maintenance(保養(yǎng)) and repairs, which will be repaid on production of invoices(發(fā)票)

What’s not included

a)Personal accident insurance.

b)Garaging, petrol, parking and traffic fines.

 
Condition of Hire
The shortest rental period at these specially low prices is three days. For prices for periods of one or two days you only see our representative at the hotel.
Car hire must be booked six weeks or more before arrival in London to guarantee a car. But if you have been unable to make a booking in advance, please see our representative at the hotel who may still be able to help you.
The car types on the sheet are examples of the types of cars in each price range, but a particular car cannot be guaranteed.
Upon delivery the driver(s) will be asked to sign the car hire company’s Conditions of Hire.
If you decide to hire a car, just fill in the Booking Form and return it to us. A booking fee of ￡12 as part of the car hire cost is required.
Should you be forced to cancel your car hire booking after payment in full (two weeks before date of hire), a cancellation charge of ￡12 will be made.
5.From the advertisement we can see a car hirer will pay          .
A.insurance against damage to the car          
B.insurance against injury to the driver
C.the cost of maintenance of the car         
D.the cost of repairs to the car
6.Which of the following is NOT true judging from the advertisement?
A.Such an advertisement most likely appears in a newspaper.
B.You are required to fill in a form before you hire a car.
C.You are pretty certain to hire a particular car if you’d like to.
D.You have to pay a booking fee when you hire a car from the company.
7.If car hirers change their minds after paying the whole cost of hiring, the ￡12 booking fee is .          
A.partly returned  
B.doubly paid 
C.not returned at all  
D.returned within two weeks.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically（熱情地）responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics（歌詞）and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
4. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A. serious              B. cold           C. humorous          D. crazy
5. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A. Rose finished the college degree within a year
B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education
C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
6. Rose delivered the speech ______.
A. at the graduation                         B. which she prepared carefully
C. ended with “The Song of Rose”             D. to challenge all the other speakers
7. According to her speech, ______.
A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed 
B. all people don’t grow up while growing older
C. Rose usually regretted having done something
D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything

Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California’s Santa Ana Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn’t reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I’d just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. “Four more lights,” she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its windshield(擋風玻璃). It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
“I just can’t leave you here,” she said. “This isn’t the nicest place. I’ll give you a ride home.”
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(困惑).
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested.
“Come on, ” she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along, ” she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That wouldn’t make it a favor, ” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”
1. Why did the writer say that he would have a long night?
A. He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus.   B. No driver would give him a ride.
C. He didn’t know the routes.                            D. He perhaps would have to take a taxi.
2. Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was _______.
A. very quiet and peaceful                 B. dark without street lights
C. neither clean nor beautiful             D. a little unsafe
3. Why did the writer change his mind after waiting for 30 minutes at the end of the route?
A. No bus would come at the time.          B. A taxi ride would be more comfortable.
C. He became impatient and a bit worried.   D. He knew the driver would never return.
4. The bus driver drove the writer home later because ________.
A. she happened to go in the same direction  B. she wanted to do something good for other people
C. her brother told her to do so             D. she wanted to earn more money
5. The bus driver hoped that the writer ________
A. would do as she did                    B. would keep her in memory
C. would give the money to others         D. would do her a favor

Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺騙)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important in formation that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for on e hundred dollars!”
This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only on e was a winner. He’s really a big loser!
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(對手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” that’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers(廣告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too of often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.
小題1:How much did the lottery winner lose?

A．One hundred dollars.	B．Two hundred dollars.
C．Three hundred dollars.	D．Four hundred dollars.

小題2:We may infer that the author believes people should _______.

A．buy lottery tickets	B．make use of half-truths
C．not take anything at face value	D．not trust the Yucky Company

小題3: What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．final increase	B．big advantage
C．large share	D．total saving

小題4:What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?

A．False statements are easy to see through.

B．Half-truths are often used to mislead people.

C．Doctors like to act in advertisements.

D．Advertisements are based on facts.

Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”
In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.
Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.
Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “l(fā)ost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.
11. The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.
A. loss      B. wonder    C. lucky thing        D. terrible thing
12. Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.
A. he was a man difficult to please
B. she never knew when he was coming
C. she was too busy looking after her children
D. he never stayed long enough for a meal
13. What do we know about James’ behavior?
A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.
B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.
C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.
D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.
14. Maggie felt pleased when _______.
A. she paid James the money that she owed him
B. James gave some money to the children
C. she had to wake James up to catch his train
D. James thanked her for the nice supper
15. The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.
A. had been dead              B. suffered from loss of memory
C. had run away from him     D. might appear again one day

There was a time in my life when beauty meant something special to me. I guess that would have been when I was about six or seven ye ars old, just several weeks or maybe a month before the orphanage turned me into an old man.
I would get up every morning at the orphanage, make my bed just like the little soldier that I had become and then I would get into one of the two straight lines and march to breakfast with the other twenty or thirty boys who also lived in my dormitory.
After breakfast one Saturday morning I returned to the dormitory and saw the house parent chasing the beautiful monarch butterflies who lived by the hundreds in the azalea (杜鵑花) bushes strewn around the orphanage.
I carefully watched as he caught these beautiful creatures, one after the other, and then took them from the net and then stuck straight pins through their head and wings, pinning them onto a heavy cardboard sheet.
How cruel it was to kill something of such beauty. I had walked many times out into the bushes, all by myself, just so the butterflies could land on my head, face and hands so I could look at them up close.
Every year when the butterflies would return to the orphanage and try to land on me I would try and shoo (用"噓"聲趕走,嚇走)them away because they did not know that the orphanage was a bad place to live and a very bad place to die.
1. According to the passage, how did the author find the orphanage?
A. A favorable place to live.                B. A bad place to live.
C. A comfortable place for butterflies.  D. A favorable place for the old.
2. How did the people go to their meals?
A. By car.              B. On foot.            C. Queuing in two ways.              D. Any way they wanted.
3. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. I love everything of beauty when I was old.
B. The people in the orphanage stand in line doing everything.
C. The azalea bushes were planted by the people living in the orphanage.
D. I shooed the butterflies away because I didn’t want them to be killed.
4. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?
A. I love beauty when I was about six or seven years old.
B. I became old very soon in the orphanage.
C. I had a very pleasant time in the orphanage.
D. I was tired with the life the way I lived in the orphanage.
5. What does the author think of the house parent?
A. Pitiless.             B. Kind.                C. Lovable.                          D. Beautiful.