In March 2008, Joe Ryan got a notice from a billing agency for a hospital near Denver, Colorado. The
hospital wanted payment for surgery totaling ＄41,188. Ryan had never set foot in that hospital. Obviously
there was some mistake. "I thought it was a joke," says Ryan.
     But when he called the billing agency, nobody laughed. Someone, who's also named Joe Ryan, using
Ryan's Social Security number, had indeed been admitted for surgery. He figured clearing this up would
take just a few phone calls.
     Two years later, Ryan continues to suffer from the damage to his credit rating and still doesn't know
if his medical record has been cleared of wrong information.
     Joe Ryan was the victim of a little-known but frightening type of consumer cheating that is on the rise:
medical identity theft, which involves using your name to get drugs, expensive medical treatment and even
cheating insurance payments.
     As Ryan discovered, money isn't the half of it. When someone steals your name to receive health care,
his medical history becomes part of your record and setting the record straight can be extremely difficult.
That's because, in part, the information is handed out among dozens of caregivers, from doctors to medicine
stores, insurance companies and labs.
     "I wanted to help straighten this out," says Ryan, "so I went to the hospital, and they had a three-inch-
thick record for me, but they wouldn't let me see it. I showed them my ID, and they said that's not Joe
Ryan's signature. Well, of course not! They had other guy's signature."
     Ryan had fallen into a victim's Catch-22 situation: If your record doesn't appear to be yours, your may
not have the right to read it, much less change it.
     Ryan's next step was a visit to the police department. But the police said that there was not much they
could do, that the local law enforcement has little experience with medical ID theft, and that cases like this
can end up being considered a civil matter.

1. The billing agency sent Joe Ryan a notice to _____.

A. play a joke on him for medical treatment
B. inform him of the payment for his surgery
C. correct the mistakes about payment for his surgery
D. clear up the wrong information in his medical record

2. Joe Ryan at first thought his problem was _____.

A. easy to settle
B. difficult to settle
C. impossible to solve
D. unnecessary to solve

3. The number of medical identity theft cases in the United States is _____.

A. increasing
B. decreasing
C. countable
D. changeable

4. An even worse consequence of medical ID theft is _____.

A. some trouble in obtaining insurance payment
B. a big loss of money and damage to credit rating
C. the widely spread medical information of the victim
D. the difficulty in changing the wrong medical history

     Laura Edmonds has a look of horror on her face as she turns to look out the airplane window.
     It's not the threat of terrorism that worries her, but rather the possibility of mechanical failure. She says
she imagines the plane plunging to the ground because the engines may fall off. So every few minutes she
glances out the window to make sure they're still attached.
     It is a fear that has gripped her for 18 years, since her wedding day. Since then she has tried drugs and
cocktails to make it through flights. But, she says, they've been no help in easing her anxiety.
     She has dragged her family on the train from Connecticut to Florida, insisted on long drives and tried to
avoid flying at all costs. Even when friends fly, Edmonds says she worries, counting the hours till they arrive
at their destination.
     It's been three years since Edmonds has stepped on a plane.
     Yet here she is now, 20,000 feet above the ground on board a turbo-prop that's enroute from New York's
LaGuardia Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Maryland. She is hoping this is the flight
that will overcome her fear.
     "I feel the seat. I feel the seat against my arm. I feel my hands," recites Edmonds, her eyes still closed.
     She is attempting to change her mind, one of several so-called "strengthening exercises" she recently
learned from a video course designed to overcome fear of flying. The idea is to focus on the moment, rather
than the abstract.
     Former Pan Am's (泛美航空公司) pilot Tom Bunn is president of the company that produced the videos
that instruct passengers in the basic mechanics of flying and teaches them to control their thoughts.
     Before boarding the U.S. Airways flight, Edmonds presents a letter from Bunn to the flight attendant
asking to speak with the captain. The pilot gladly obliges, telling her he's been flying for more than two decades
and assuring her, "You're going to be fine. We're going to take good care of you."
     When the flight attendant offers drinks, Edmonds places her cup of water on the tray table and studies it,
tangible evidence that the plane is barely shaking.
     "Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching Baltimore," announces the flight attendant. Edmonds is relying
heavily on Bunn's coping strategies during the 90-minute flight. But she's coping. As the wheels touch down,
Edmonds' face lights up.

1. Laura Edmonds has a fear of flying because _____.

A. she once experienced a mechanical failure
B. a mechanical failure often appears in her mind
C. she is good at imagining a terrible situation
D. air crashes often happen in her hometown

2. The underlined word "gripped" in the third paragraph means _____.

A. seized firmly
B. hurt seriously
C. cheated simply
D. treated carefully

3. From this passage it can be inferred that _____.

A. every seat in planes is equipped with video
B. passengers on board always feel nervous
C. nervous passengers in flying can get help from Bunn's company
D. travel by train is safer than travel by plane

4. Laura's overcoming the fear of flying is mostly owed to _____.

A. airline's comfort
B. her counting the hours on board
C. a letter from Bunn
D. her defeating herself

     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 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

     If you were to walk up to Arthur Bonner and say, "Hey, Butterfly Man," his face would break into a
smile. The title suits him, And he loves it.
     Arthur Bonner works with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, once thought to have died out. Today the
butterfly is coming back thanks to him. But years ago if you'd told him this was what he'd be doing someday,
he would have laughed, "You're crazy." As a boy, he used to be "a little tough guy on the streets". At age
thirteen he was caught by police stealing. At eighteen, he landed in prison for shooting a man.
     "I knew it had hurt my mom," Bonner said after he got out of prison. "So I told myself I would not put
my room through that pain again."
     One day he met Professor Mattoni, who was working to rebuild the habitat for an endangered butterfly
called El Segundo blue.
     "I saw the sign 'Butterfly Habitat' and asked, 'How can you have a habitat when the butterflies can just
fly away?'" Bonner recalls. "Dr. Mattoni laughed and handed me a magnifying glass (放大鏡), 'Look at the
leaves.' I could see all these caterpillars (蝴蝶的幼蟲) on the plant. Dr Mattoni explained, 'Without the plant,
there are no butterflies.'"
     Weeks later, Bonner received a call from Dr. Mattoni who told him there was a butterfly that needed help.
That was how he met the Palos Verdes blue. Since then he's been working for four years to help bring the
butterfly back. He grows astragals, the only plant the butterfly eats. He collects butterflies and brings them
into a lab to lay eggs. Then he puts new butterflies into the habitat.
     The butterfly's population once almost zero, is now up to 900. For their work, Bonner and Dr. Mattoni
received lots of awards. But for Bonner, he earned something more: he turned his life around.
     For six years now Bonner has kept his promise to stay out of prison. While he' s bringing back the Palos
Verdes blue, the butterfly has helped bring him back, too.

1. When he was young, Arthur Bonner _____.

A. broke the law and ended up in prison
B. was fond of shooting and hurt his morn
C. often offered necessary help to other people
D. often caught butterflies and took them home

2. Bonner came to know the Palos Verdes blue after he _____.

A. found the butterfly had died out
B. won many prizes from his professor
C. met Dr. Mattoni, a professor
D. collected butterflies and put them into a lab

3. From the last sentence of the text, we learn that raising butterflies has _____.

A. made Bonner famous
B. changed Bonner's life
C. brought Bonner wealth
D. enriched Bonner's knowledge

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

A. A Promise to Morn
B. A Man Saved by Butterflies
C. A Story of Butterflies
D. A Job Offered by Dr. Mattoni

     A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking (搭便車) on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible
rainstorm, with no cars on the road. The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet
ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop. The man, without thinking about it, got
in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel
(方向盤)!
     The car started to move very slowly. The man looked at the road and saw a curve (拐彎處) coming his
way. Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life. He had not come out of shock when, just before the
car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel. The man, paralyzed
with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve. Finally, although
terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky car. Without looking back, the man
ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town. In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a
nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky.
     Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just
went through in the spooky car. Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair
standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly
not drunk!
     About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, "Hey,
there's a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!"

1. When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man _____.

A. felt very curious
B. was extremely frightened
C. cried for help
D. remained as calm as possible

2. According to the passage, what made the man's experience believable?

A. His reasonable behavior.
B. His vivid description.
C. His plain appearance.
D. His honest attitude.

3. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. it is unsafe for people to take a free ride
B. the man was telling a lie to his listeners
C. the car probably broke down on the way
D. the two young men were familiar with the man

     Has anyone noticed how, with the passage of time, one's relationship with one's grown-up daughters and
sons becomes changed? I've been aware of this for some time but I'm not quite sure how to deal with it.
     Take the kitchen sink for example.
     Following a family get-together at my place, I walked into the kitchen to find Kate, my daughter carefully
cleaning the sink.
     "Don't do that; what are you doing that for?" I said, unhappy about the hidden criticism. 
     "Mum," she said, "you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was
black!"
     But it's just things like kitchen sinks. Another time Kate arrived to pick me up to lunch. She looked at me
and then asked, "Mum, why do you use brown eyebrow pencil when your hair is grey?"
     A sudden memory of her, aged 14, going to her first mixed party flooded back. She had come in to say
goodbye. For a moment I thought she'd been an accident. Both eyes were black. I remember suggesting that
perhaps a little less eye make-up might be more effective.
     Now I told her, "My hair used to be brown."
     "It looks absurd."
     "Mrs. Menzies had dark eyebrows with grey hair."
     "Yes, but you're not Mrs. Menzies, are you?" she said triumphantly, as if that proved her point.
     But a recent event made me realize that something really must be done.
     She had returned home for a few weeks before getting married. One evening I went out on a dinner date.
By the time my companion left me at the front door, it was about 2 am. As I stepped in, an angry figure in a
white nightgown stopped me.
     "Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?" she shouted. "Where have you been? I've been
worried sick!"
     Shades of the past come back to disturb me. But what should I do about all this? Nothing, probably. Maybe,
after all, it's only a stage young people are going through.

1. The daughter thought her mother didn't clean the kitchen sink well because of her _____.

A. laziness
B. carelessness
C. unhappiness
D. poor-quality glasses

2. From the passage we know the daughter _____.

A. didn't want to help with the sink
B. didn't like brown eyebrow pencils
C. had an accident when she went to her first party
D. shouted at her mum because she came home late

3. How does the mother feel after all these have happened?

A. Shocked.
B. Proud.
C. Envious.
D. Confused.

4. The author writes the stories to prove that _____.

A. their relationship became stronger
B. their roles changed as time passed
C. her daughter very much cared about her
D. her daughter got upset as she grew up