In the past, American families tended to be quite large. Parents raising five or more children were
common. Over the years, the size of the family has decreased. One reason for this is an increase in the
cost of living. On the average, children attend schools for more years than they used to, making them
financially dependent on their families longer. Moreover, children nowadays are better dressed and have
more money to spend on entertainment. The parents usually take the responsibility for all the expenses.
Meanwhile, families are less close than they used to be. More and more American mothers work away
from home. The break up of the family occurs when the parents divorce. A lot of children in the U. S.
live part of their young lives with only one parent. Broken families usually result in problems for children
and parents alike. Children blame themselves when their parents separate. They grow up feeling unsettled
as they are moved back and forth between parents. Usually one parent is responsible for raising the children.
These single parents must care for the children's emotional and psychological needs while also supporting
them financially. This is very demanding and leaves very little time for the parent's own personal interests.
Single parents often marry other single parents. In this type of family, unrelated children are forced to
develop brother or sister relationship. The situations of many American families today are not good.
However, recent signs indicate that things are getting better. The divorce rate is declining. The rate of
childbirth is rising. Perhaps Americans have learned how important families are.

1. In the past, American families tended to be _____.

A. quite small
B. medium sized
C. quite large
D. small

2. To parents who take the responsibility for children's expenses, the cost of living increases because _____.

A. children attend school for more years
B. children are better dressed
C. children spend more money on entertainment
D. all of the above

3. According to the author, the situations of American families in the future may _____.

A. become worse
B. remain the same
C. get better
D. keep unchanged

4. The title of the article might be _____.

A. American Children
B. American Families
C. American Mother
D. American Parents

     I'm lying on my back in my grandfather's orchard (果園), looking up at the branches above me. It is one
of the last days of summer. Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler. Some kinds of apples are
already ripe (成熟的). Others will be ready to pick soon. I think of my grandmother's apple pie (蘋果餡餅),
and how I used to make it with her. She died last year, before the apple harvest, and I have not had her pie
since. I really miss her. I hear bees busily humming about, visiting the late summer flowers. The gentle hum
of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.
     The sky is as blue as my grandfather's eyes. Above me, big white clouds race across the sky like pieces
of cotton blowing in the wind. School starts in another week, and time seems to have slowed down.
     "Sophie!" calls my grandfather. "Is that you?" I stand up, take his hand, and tell him all about my day as
we walk through the orchard. We talk about apples, and bees, and Grandma. He tells me that he misses her
too.
     He puts his rough, brown farmer's hand around my shoulder and pulls me close. "You know, Sophie," he
says, "I spent the morning in the attic (閣樓), and you'll never guess what I found. It's the recipe (烹飪法)
for Grandma's apple pie. I used to help her make it sometimes. I can't do it all alone, but you used to help her
too. Maybe between the two of us, we can work it out. Want to try?"
     "But it won't be the same without Grandma," I tell him.
     "That's true," he says, "but nothing is the same without Grandma. Still, I don't think that she would want
us never to have another apple pie. What do you say?" I nod yes, and we walk towards home… towards an
afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen, making Grandma's famous apple pie.

1. We learn from the passage that Sophie _____.

A. likes to watch clouds in the attic
B. comes to the orchard after school
C. enjoys Grandma's apple pie very much
D. picks many apples in the orchard

2. Both Sophie and her grandfather used to _____.

A. help Grandma make apple pies
B. spend summer afternoons in the orchard
C. enjoy fresh fruit in the farmhouse kitchen
D. walk alone among the apple trees

3. The underlined part in the last paragraph shows _____.

A. how much Sophie's grandmother loved Sophie
B. how much Sophie's grandfather likes apple pies
C. how much Sophie loves her grandfather's orchard
D. how much Sophie's grandfather misses Grandma

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

A. My grandfather's orchard
B. My grandmother's apple pie
C. A morning in the attic
D. The last days of summer

Dear Sir,
     I have to travel every day from SoUk Road to the Airport. Two buses travel along this route: the number
49 and the number 16. However, by the time the number 16 bus reaches SoUk Road, it is always full, so it
is of no use for me. This leaves the number 49 which sometimes has empty seats on it.
     The timetable states that there are buses from SoUk Road to the Airport every ten minutes. If this is so,
why do I have to wait half an hour for a bus nearly every day? The instructions state that if there are empty
seats on a bus, the bus must stop at every stop where people are waiting. Why is it that half-empty buses go
straight past me when I am standing at the bus stop?
     The instructions state that no bus may carry more than 40 seated passengers and 20 standing passengers.
Yesterday, I was first to get off the bus when it reached the Airport. I counted the other passengers as they
got off. There were 129 of them.
     Clearly printed on the back of every bus is a sign that says "Maximum speed: 50 m.p.h." The distance
from SoUk Road to the Airport is 10 miles. Saturday morning a 49 bus traveled the distance in ten minutes,
at an average speed of 60 m.p.h. At times it must have done at least 80 or even 90 m.p.h. It is obvious that
our bus companies have no respect for the instructions nor consideration for their passengers. Can nothing
be done about this?

1. The writer prefers to take Bus No.49 because it _____.

A. stops at every stop
B. has more seats on it
C. travels faster
D. is not always full

2. According to the timetable, a 49 bus should travel through its route _____.

A. every ten minutes
B. in less than ten minutes
C. in more than twelve minutes
D. in half an hour

3. The writer is not satisfied with the bus company because _____.

A. buses are too crowded
B. bus drivers often go straight past without stopping
C. too few buses are traveling along this route
D. bus services are poor

     I'm sure I'm not the only person (my age 15) who hates going to the dentist. Channel 4's late-night
documentary (紀錄片) Open wide last Tuesday was excellent for people like me. However, none of my
school friends watched it because they didn't know it was on. Why can't television companies let us know
about such important programmes in advance?
     This pragrammes was important because it showed how methods for helping people with toothache
have developed over the centuries. If you think visiting the dentist today is an uncomfortable experience,
just be grateful you didn't live 200 years ago! Then, the programmes told us, the only cure for toothache
was removing the tooth. There weren't any dentists, so the person who cut your hair also pulled out your
bad teeth, and there was nothing to stop you feeling the pain.
     The programme has also completely changed my attitude to looking after my teeth. My parents were
always saying to me things like, 'Don't eat too many sweets.' And, 'Brush your teeth after meals.' But I
never paid much attention. Now I've seen what damage sugar can do, especially if I don't use a toothbrush
regularly. I'm going to change my habits. Many people would benefit from a repeat of this programme.
Sophie Ashley, Oxford

1. Sophie has written this letter to _____.

A. complain about the time a television programme was shown
B. ask for more television programmes designed for school children
C. advise people to watch a particular television programme
D. persuade a television company to show a programme again

2. A reader can find out from this letter _____.

A. how to encourage young people to take care of their teeth
B. where to get information about future television programmes
C. what kind of subjects young people enjoy studying at school
D. which television channel shows the most interesting programmes

3. What did Open wide say about toothache?

A. In the past, nobody could make it stop.
B. Dentists used to help people who had it.
C. Hairdressers have it more than other people.
D. Ways of curing it have changed.

4. What does Sophie think about her parents now?

A. They don't know as much as her about teeth.
B. Their advice is worth listening to.
C. They eat things that are bad for them.
D. They don't clean their teeth often enough.

     Except for the Indians, the earliest backpackers in America were frontiersmen (邊疆居民), who walked in
the wilderness looking either for necessities such as food and water or for sources of wealth such as fur and
gold. For them backpacking was a way of survival or a means of achieving what one day would be called the
"American dream". Today, however, many people enjoy backpacking as a recreational activity. Shouldering a
pack and leaving behind the world of telephone, television and traffic promise an exciting experience. Testing
one's stamina (耐力) and skills and challenging a sense of one's place in the natural world can be rewarding.
Moreover, backpacking is an activity that can last any length for time and can be enjoyed alone or with friends.
Then too, a backpacking trip may be organized within a day or two. The backpacker and his friends have only
to decide on their destination and then organize the all-important kit (工具包), whose contents they must depend
on throughout their trip. A map, a compass, a flashlight, along with first-aid equipment, food, and extra clothing
can be rounded up without much difficulty. Once the backpackers have left word about where they go in a note
on the refrigerator door or in a message on an answering machine, they can look forward to an adventure that
will lift the spirit and encourage the soul. Their outing will enable them to return in a short time to the age of
technology with the courage and independence of Natty Bumppo, who did indeed belong to the age of the
frontier.

1. The passage mainly discusses _____. 　

A. the early backpackers 　　
B. how backpacking started 　　
C. important tips on backpacking 　　
D. why people of today are interested in backpacking

A. had no recreation in life 　　
B. did backpacking for a living 　　
C. enjoyed backpacking very much 　　
D. had better skills than backpackers today  

3. It seems that the writer of the passage thinks that backpacking today is _____. 　　

A. a waste of time 　　
B. a great adventure 　　
C. a rewarding experience 　　
D. a means to achieve American Dreams

4. One of the advantages of backpacking is that _____. 　　

A. it is not so challenging as other activities 　　
B. it can help people to establish a link with nature 　　
C. it does not require people to decide on a destination 　　
D. it is a group activity and can cure a person's loneliness

     1_____ One of the best things you can possibly do is to start you own club. It's great fun especially if you
are the sort of person who feels there's never anything to do during the school holidays. 　　
     The first thing you need to come up with is an idea for your club. What are you interested in? Pets, clothes,
pop music or dancing groups, sports, or making things? 2_____　　　
     Next you need some friends to be in your club with you. 3_____ All you need is three or four other people
who are interested in the same thing as you. 　　　
     4_____ You should all sit down somewhere together with lots of pieces of paper and write down every name
you can think up. That'll keep you busy for ages. 　　
     At your first meeting you should make up a rule book. And the first rule should be no grown-ups or little/big
brothers or sisters! The best clubs are always secret! 　　
     Now you have just about everything you need, except membership cards. These are very important and again
you will spend a lot of time making them. Use a bright thick pen to make a special design. Why not leave some
space for a photo of yourself? 5_____　　　
     So there you are, get clubbing! Once you get started you'll think of loads of more interesting things to do!

A. That's easy. 　　
B. The list is endless. 　　
C. Enjoy your own club! 　　
D. Invite a designer to join you. 　　
E. Winter vacation is just around the corner. 　　
F. Then you need to pick a name for your club. 　　
G. That will make the membership card really look like it.

     I don't think there is anything wrong with your blood. The key to your problem is that long nap (打盹,
小睡) after dinner.
     If you didn't sleep for hours during the early part of the evening, you would be more ready to sleep at
bedtime. If you didn't nap after dinner, you would not want to stay up so late, and you would not feel the
need to take a sleeping pill. The pill is still working in your system when you get up in the morning. This
helps account for the fact that you feel tired all day.
     You should get out of the habit of sleeping during the evening. Right after your evening meal, engage in
some sort of physical activity-a sport such as bowling, perhaps. Or get together with friends for an evening
of cards and conversation. Then go to bed at your usual time or a little earlier, and you should be able to get
a good night's rest without taking a pill.
     If you can get into the habit of spending your evenings this way, I am sure you will feel less tired during
the day. At first it may be hard for you to go to sleep without taking a pill. If so, get up and watch television
or do some jobs around your house until you feel sleepy. If you fall asleep and then wake up a few hours later,
get up but do not take a sleeping pill. Read a while or listen to the radio, and make yourself a few hours' sleep
that night, you will feel better in the morning than you usually feel after taking a pill. The next night you will
be ready to sleep at an earlier hour. The most important thing is to avoid taking that nap right after dinner and
avoid taking pills.

1. According to the writer, it is difficult for you to go to sleep because _____.

A. you get the habit of staying up late
B. you haven't taken sleeping pills
C. you sleep for hours after dinner
D. you fail to do some exercises

2. Which of the following is NOT true if you want to get out of the habit of sleeping during the evening?

A. Go to bed earlier than usual.
B. Talk with friends after dinner.
C. Stay with friends after dinner. 　
D. Do some physical labor.

3. You feel tired all day probably because _____.

A. you stay up too late
B. you get up too early in the morning
C. you take sleeping pills
D. you wake up too frequently at night

4. We may infer that the author is most probably a _____.

A. doctor 　　
B. reporter 　　
C. scientist
D. professor