When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain's Got Talent and announced she
was unemployed, had never been married and "never been kissed, actually", few in the audience would have
wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and
the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain's Got
Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.
     She couldn't hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone-
including the judges- seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As
soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud
her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.
     After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, "Without doubt that was the biggest surprise
I've had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing
now. That was amazing." Actress Amanda Holden followed, "I'm so thrilled because I know that we everybody
were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (憤世嫉俗的) and I think that' s the
biggest wake-up call ever."
     Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the
Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore-who between them have nearly 1.5 million
followers-speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live
American debut via satellite connection on CBS's The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her
room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
     Now Boyle has become one of the world' s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been
viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.

1. We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ____.

A. rose from a low social class
B. had an unhappy marriage
C. lived with a dog alone on a farm
D. won the championship in the Britain's Got Talent show

2. At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ____.

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance
B. was attracted by her beautiful dress
C. looked down upon her
D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that ____. contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges
B. the internet
C. the newspaper
D. the advertisement

4. The 4th paragraph is intended to tell us ____.

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success
B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher
C. Susan Boyle's influence in the USA
D. Oprah Winfrey's invitation to Susan Boyle

     It was getting dark and snow was coming down. Joe was driving home. He'd been unemployed since
the factory closed. Most of his friends had left, but he stayed on. After all, he was born here.
     Suddenly he saw a lady standing on the side of the road and pulled up. She was worried. No one had
stopped to help her. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry. Joe knew how she felt and said,
"My name is Joe and I'm here to help you." All she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad
enough. Joe changed the tire, but he got dirty and his hands were hurt. She wanted to pay Joe and said any
amount would have been all right. Joe never thought twice about the money and there were plenty who had
given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay
him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that
they needed.
     Later the lady went into a small restaurant to grab a bite to eat. The cash register was like the telephone
of an out-of-work actor-it didn't ring much. The waitress, who was nearly eight months pregnant (懷孕),
brought a clean towel to her with a sweet smile. The old lady remembered Joe. After the waitress brought
the change from a 100-dollar bill, she found the lady gone and something written on a piece of paper,
"Someone once helped me out-the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don't let the
chain of love end up with you."
     That night the waitress gave her sleeping husband a soft kiss and whispered, "Everything's going to be
all right. I love you, Joe."

1. What did Joe do that dark snowy evening?

A. He drove to work.
B. He helped an old lady with a flat tire.
C. He gave an old lady a lift.
D. He helped an old lady push her car.

2. The underlined sentence "She wanted to pay Joe and …" suggests that ____.

A. the old lady was very grateful to Joe's timely aid
B. the old lady cared little about money
C. the old lady didn't have money on hand to pay Joe
D. the old lady wanted to pay Joe less

3. We can learn from this passage that ____.

A. the old lady knew the waitress was Joe's wife
B. the old lady had a big meal in the small restaurant
C. Joe would have a baby soon
D. Joe helped a lot of people in the past

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Acts of luck
B. A warm-hearted man
C. A well-off lady
D. The chain of love

     That summer an army of crickets (蟋蟀) started a war with my father. Dad didn't care for insects much
more than Mamma, but he could tolerate a few living in the basement. Mamma was a city girl and she said
a cricket was just too noisy. Then to prove her point she wouldn't go to bed. She drank coffee and smoked
my father's cigarettes and paced between the sofa and the TV. Next morning she threatened to pack up and
leave, so Dad drove to the store and hurried back. He sprayed poison from a jug. When he was finished he
told us that was the end of it.
     For a couple of weeks we went back to find dead crickets in the laundry. He suggested that we'd all be
better off to hide as many as we could from Mamma. I fed a few dozen to the cat who I didn't like because
he scratched for no reason.
     However, soon live crickets started showing up in the kitchen and bathroom. Mamma was upset because
she thought they were the dead crickets come back, but Dad said these were certainly new ones. He fetched
his jug of poison and sprayed all over until the whole house smelled of poison, and then he sprayed the
basement again.
     A couple of weeks later, when both live and dead crickets kept turning up, Dad emptied the basement of
junk. Then he burned a lot of old newspapers and magazines which he said the crickets had turned into nests. 
     While we ate supper that evening, the wind lifted some flames onto the wood pile. The only gasoline was
in the lawn mower's (割草機(jī)) fuel tank but that was enough to create an explosion big enough to reach the
house. Once the roof caught, there wasn't much anyone could do.
     After the fire trucks left, Mamma took the others to Aunt Gail's. I helped Dad and Uncle Burt carry things
out of the house and pile them by the road. We worked into the night and we didn't talk much, while all around
the noise of crickets broke our silence.

1. What do we know about the author's mother?

A. She didn't like insects at all.
B. She liked insects more than his father.
C. She cared for insects very much.
D. She could only tolerate a few insects.

2. The author's father drove to the store to buy ____.

A. cigarettes for himself
B. more coffee for his wife
C. some poison
D. some gasoline

3. The author fed a few dozen crickets to the cat probably to ____.

A. make his mother happy
B. help clear away the crickets
C. play with the cat
D. harm the cat

4. The author's father burned the old newspapers and magazines because he thought ____.

A. they were no longer useful
B. the crickets were afraid of fires
C. they became the home of crickets
D. the dead crickets came back to life

5. We learn from the last paragraph that ____.

A. the author's family lost their battle against the crickets
B. the author's parents learned to put up with insects
C. the author's family didn't suffer much in the fire
D. the author's parents got divorced

     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 best-selling 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. What can we learn from the passage?

A. It was in Harlem that we saw The Phantom of the Opera for the first time.
B. Mr. Clark taught us not to talk with our mouths full, and we did.
C. Mr. Clark was selected as Disney's 2000 Teacher of the Year in Los Angeles.
D. In 2003, Mr. Clark moved to Atlanta, and he always kept in touch with us.

5. 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