It was several years since Adolf Hitler came into power in Germany. And now his army was marching into
some parts of Europe. He must be in the prime of his career. 
    One day Hitler went to an exhibition where the works of school children were on show. He seemed to have
great interest in the exhibits-inventions as well as carvings, drawings. After having walked around the hall and
examined everything, he said he was ready to meet the young artists. And soon a group of children came into
the room to salute (向-----敬禮) him.
    "Well, well. You did very good work." nodded Hitler in satisfaction. "I promise on my honor I'd satisfy you
with whatever you want. What'd you wish to be if I were your father?"
     "A sailor sailing the sea." one of the boys answered.
     "Good. I'll have you join my navy and some day you will rule the oceans."
     "Ask for anything? What'd you wish to be if I were your father?" he asked a second boy.
     "A painter as great as Rembruant."
     "Good. You are to be sent to the Fine Art School and surely you will make an even greater painter."
     When Hitler caught sight of a sad-looking boy he frowned (皺眉), then quickly forced a smile,"There my
boy, in spite of my point of view towards the Jews, I'd do you a favor and your dream will come true. What'd
you wish to be if I were your father?"
     The boy looked straight at the man.
     "An orphan (the child who has no parents)." he murmured.

1. Hitler promised to satisfy the children with whatever they want because _____.

A. he wanted all the children to live a happy life
B. he wanted to make a good impression on the children
C. he liked paintings very much
D. he liked all the children

2. Hitler frowned when he saw the sad-looking boy because _____.

A. the boy was recognized to be a Jew
B. the boy didn't come to the front to salute him
C. the boy didn't want to ask for anything
D. the boy was sad-looking

3. Judging by what the boy said we can see that _____.

A. the boy's parents had died
B. the boy had no brothers or sisters
C. the boy hated Hitler very much
D. the boy wanted himself to be an orphan

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Hitler wanted to be the father of the children.
B. The boy was both clever and courageous (勇敢的).
C. Rembruant was a great painter.
D. Hitler did not like Jews.

     Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar (美洲豹) saw Jeb and his son. Tom before they saw it. Jeb put
his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar. It
worked. The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too.
     Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross. Now the cougar's
enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and
struggled free of Jeb.
     "Tom, go" shouted his father.
     But Tom broke and ran and that's the last thing you do with a cougar. The second Tom broke free, Jeb
threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock. They hit each other in mid-air and both fell.
The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted.
     Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his
fists. As the cougar's claws (爪子) got into his left shoulder, Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit hard. The
animal howled (吼叫) and put its head back. Jeb followed up with his other fist. Then out of the corner of
his eye. Jeb saw Tom. The boy was running back to help his father.
     "Knife, Tom," shouted Jeb.
     The boy ran to his father's bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar's attention
away from Tom. Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb. The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying
to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms. Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar's
back. It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains.
     The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds.

1. Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?

A. To get ready to fight
B. To frighten it away
C. To protect the boy
D. To cool down

2. What do we know about cougars?

A. They are afraid of noises
B. They hesitate before they hit
C. They are bigger than we think
D. They like to attack running people

3. How did Jeb try to hold the cougar's attention?

A. By keeping shouting and hitting
B. By making a wall out of his arms
C. By throwing himself on the cougar
D. By swinging his fists at the cougar's eyes

4. Which of the following happened first?

A. The cougar jumped from the rock
B. Tom struggled free of his father
C. Jeb asked Tom to get the knife
D. Jeb held Tom across his body

     When I met him, I had a lot of anger inside of me. I've lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem, but in
my neighborhood, there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have
friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way, too, but Mr. Clark wouldn't let that happen.
     Mr. Clark worked long hours, making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact, the scores of our
whole class rose. One day, he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera, and it was the first time
some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show, he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught
us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down.
      Mr. Clark was selected as Disney's 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out
of a hat; those students would go with him to Los Angeles to get the award. But when the time came to draw
names, Mr. Clark said,"You're all going."
     On graduation day, there were a lot of tears. We didn't want his class to end. In 2001, he moved to Atlanta,
but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education, and wrote a bestselling book based
on his classroom rules, The Essential 55.
      In 2003, Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit
orphanages(孤兒院). It was the most amazing experience of my life. It's now my dream to one day start a
group of women's clubs, helping people from all backgrounds.

1. Without Mr. Clark, the writer _____.

A. might have been put into prison
B. might not have won the prize
C. might have joined a women's club
D. might not have moved to Atlanta

2. The Essential 55 is _____.

A. a show
B. a speech
C. a classroom rule
D. a book

3. How many students'names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr. Clark?

A. None
B. Three
C. Fifty-five.
D. All.

4. In the passage, the writer intends to tell us that _____.

A. Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked travelling
B. Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women's clubs
C. a good teacher can help raise his or her students' scores
D. a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students

     I was on my way to the Taiyetos Mountains. The sun was setting when my car 1______ (break) down
near a remote and poor village. Cursing my misfortune, I was wondering where I was going to spend the
night when I realized that the villagers who had gathered around me were arguing as to 2______ should have
the honor of receiving me 3______ a guest in their house. Finally, I accepted the offer of an old woman who
lived alone in a little house. While she was getting me 4______ (settle) into a tiny but clean room, the head of
the village was tying up his horse to my car to pull it to 5______ small town some 20 kilometers away 6______
there was a garage.
     I had noticed three hens running free in my hostess's courtyard and that night one of them ended up in a
dish on my table. 7______ villagers brought me goat's cheese and hone. We drank together and talked 8______
(merry) till far into the night.
     When the time came for me to say goodbye to my friends in the village, I wanted to reward the old woman
9______ the trouble I had caused 10______.

     I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.
It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this
with boys of my own size or less.
     One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I
thought him a fair game. Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would
not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength
masking its way by face strokes (猛力地劃) to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me
violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found
myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys. "Do you know what you have done?" they said, "It's
Amery; he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym, he has got his football honor."
     I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when be was wrapped in a bath towel
and so small. "He didn't seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word," My father, who is a great
man, is also small." At this be laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had
better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed.

1. The writer thought Amery "a fair game" because the boy _____.

A. looked like an animal B. was fond of games C. was of similar size D. was good at sports

2. The writer felt "ashamed" because _____.

A. he was laughed at by other boys
B. Amery turned out to be in the same grade
C. he pushed Amery hard and hurt him
D. he played a joke on an outstanding athlete

3. By saying "My father, who is a great man, is also small", the write _____.

A. tried to please Amery
B. challenged Amery
C. threatened Amery
D. admired his father

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer could run faster than Amery.
B. The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes.
C. Amery was a student in Grade Four.
D. Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior.

     It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming
up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work.
On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he
returned to find his bike gone.
     The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour
weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品雜貨), saving us from
having to walk long distances from where we live.
     I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story.
Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then
called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an
honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
     People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are
even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in
humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影響) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share
with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results
can be everlasting.

1. Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A. The man's job was bike racing.
B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.
D. They used it for work and daily life.

2. We can infer from the text that _____.

A. the couple worked 60 hours a week
B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike
D. life was hard for the young family

3. How did people get to know the couple's problem?

A. From radio broadcasts.
B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV news.
D. From a stranger.

4. What do the couple learn from their experience?

A. Strangers are usually of little help.
B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous.
D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

     A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to
waist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.
     Before the trip, I'd had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill,
she noticed my Louisiana license plate. "You from New Orleans?" she asked. I said I was. "No charge,"
she said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and
the same thing happened.
     As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we
could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押貸款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places,
but none was satisfactory. We'd begun to accept that we'd have to live in extremely reduced circumstances
for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He'd read some pieces
I'd written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us ("no conditions attached")
a new house across the lake from New Orleans.
      It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no
plans to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me while he went to
England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet's offer to James
Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.
     Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in
humanity. It's almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when
given half a chance.

1. The garage employee's attitude toward the author was that of ____.

A. unconcern
B. sympathy
C. doubt
D. tolerance

2. What do we know about James Kennedy?

A. He was a writer of an online magazine.
B. He was a poet at the University of Florida.
C. He offered the author a new house free of charge.
D. He learned about the author's sufferings via e-mail.

3. It can be inferred from the text that ____.

A. the author's family was in financial difficulty.
B. rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster.
C. houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area.
D. the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank.

4. The author learned from his experience that ____.

A. worldly possessions can be given up when necessary.
B. generosity should be encouraged in some cases.
C. people benefit from their sad stories.
D. human beings are kind after all.