A letter of reply is sometimes a most treasured thing． Here is a story that tells about this common and natural human sentiment．
The busiest woman in Labrador during one bitter cold Christmas not very long ago, was an Australian nurse by the naI11e of Kate Austen． But Nurse Austen was not too busy to acknowledge with a long, friendly letter every gift of food or clothing received for distribution to the natives in that cold and poor district of the north． Among the gifts was a box of knittings for children, knitted（編織）and sent by a woman in Toronto．
Nurse Austen was busy, exhausted and not feeling too well that winter．She could have written just ordinary routine notes of acknowledgement． But that was not her way． She sat down and wrote the woman in Toronto a real letter telling all about the village, and the names of the children who were wearing the knitted gloves and caps, and what they said -when they got them, and how they looked when they wore them．She wanted the woman who had knitted and sent all those lovely knittings "to see how much happiness and warmth she had created．" Not long after, she received the following answer from Canada．
Dear Miss Austen:
Your letter made me happy． I did not expect such a full return． I am eighty years old, and I am blind． There is little I can do except knit, and that is why I knit so many caps and sweaters and scarves．Of course I cannot write this, so my daughter-in-law is doing it for me．She also sewed the seams and made the buttonholes for the knitted things．
I know something of the work you are doing． At the age of nineteen I married a man who was going to China to be a missionary(傳教士）． For forty years, with an occasional year at home in America, we Worked in China, and during that time our two sons and a daughter were born to us, of whom only one son survives．\After forty years, my husband's health began to fail． We returned to the States where he took charge of a settlement house in Brooklyn, New York． A surprising number of the problems we faced there were similar to the problems we had met in China．When my husband died, I came to Toronto to live with my son and daughter-in-law． They are very good to me, and I pride myself that I am little trouble to them, though it is hard for a blind old lady to be sure of anything．
What I most want to say, my dear, is this． For sixty years I have been making up missionary packages of such clothing or food or medicine or books as I could collect． In various parts of the world and to various parts of the world I have sent them．Sometimes I have received a printed note of acknowledgement from the headquarters depot or mission board, sometimes nothing．Occasionally I :have been informed that my contribution was planned for Syria or Armenia or the upper Yangtze． But never before in all that time have l had a personal letter picturing the village and telling me who is wearing the clothing and what they said．I did not suppose that ever in my lifetime I should receive a letter like that．
May God bless you．
Sincerely yours,

【小題1】The underlined word “sentiment”（in Paragraph l） most probably means“       ”?

A．view point	B．gentle feeling
C．way of thinking	D．expression of attitude

【小題2】The underlined sentence “But that was not her way” （in Paragraph 3） implies that          ．

A．she would not just write an ordinary letter of thanks

B．she was too busy to write a note of acknowledgement

C．she was not busy, exhaustec3 0r feeling too well that time

D．she wrote a letter telling all about the village and the children

【小題3】Why was Laura so happy when she received the letter from Miss Austen? Because      ．

A．the letter was* from an Australian nurse

B．she was already eighty years old and blind

C．she had never received a letter like that

D．the letter was not supposed to reach her

【小題4】Ms． Laura N． Russell is now living in       ．

A．China

B．Australia

C．Canada

D．the States

【小題5】For decades, Ms． Laura has been to       and sent contributions to people all over the world．

A．Toronto and New York only	B．Syria and Armenia once
C．the upper Yangtze area alone	D．many places of the world

Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he fears silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest headed chatterbox (喋喋不休的人). He knows that ninety-nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure (蠟塑人像).
The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito (蚊子). But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbors.[來源:Z*xx*k.Com]
Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people’s ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conservationists
【小題1】According to the author, people make conversation to ______

A．exchange ideas	B．prove their value
C．a(chǎn)chieve success in life	D．overcome their fear of silence

【小題2】By "the buzzing of a fly" (Para. 1), the author means"________”

A．the noise of an insect	B．a(chǎn) low whispering sound
C．meaningless talks	D．the voice of a chatterbox

【小題3】According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors ______.

A．a(chǎn)bout whatever they have prepared

B．a(chǎn)bout whatever they want to

C．in the hope of learning something new

D．in the hope of getting on well

【小題4】What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? ________.

A．To discuss why people like talking about weather.

B．To encourage people to join in conversations.

C．To persuade people to stop making noises.

D．To explain why people keep talking.

How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times”.
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule：almost all common troubles eventually go away！Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little！I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
【小題1】How did the author get to know America?

A．From her relatives.	B．From her mother.
C．From books and pictures.	D．From radio programs.

【小題2】Upon leaving for America the author felt ________.

A．confused

B．excited

C．worried

D．a(chǎn)mazed

【小題3】 For the first two years in New York, the author ________.

A．often lost her way	B．did not think about her future
C．studied in three different schools	D．got on well with her stepfather

How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times”.
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule：almost all common troubles eventually go away！Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little！I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
【小題1】How did the author get to know America?

A．From her relatives.	B．From her mother.
C．From books and pictures.	D．From radio programs.

【小題2】Upon leaving for America the author felt ________.

A．confused

B．excited

C．worried

D．a(chǎn)mazed

【小題3】 For the first two years in New York, the author ________.

A．often lost her way	B．did not think about her future
C．studied in three different schools	D．got on well with her stepfather

The other day when I was passing a clothing store, I fell in love with a skirt. I knew it would suit me best at first sight. But when I looked at the price tag (標簽), I knew I had to give it up.
The love for beautiful clothes has been planted in my heart the day when I was born to be a woman. Several years ago I read an article in a magazine. The article stated that when a woman is at her best time, she is usually poor or tasteless, so she can’t get the right clothes; when she can afford to buy the clothes she likes, she often finds that they do not suit her anymore.
On the way home, I was quite disturbed by such thoughts. It was just a pity, like many other pities. I thought to myself this way. But when I was about to enter the building where I was living, I saw the big mirror placed in the entrance. I saw a girl in it who was in cheap but cleanly washed sweater and jeans. She was rather young, healthy and energetic. For quite a while I was touched by what I had seen in the mirror.
Then I almost forgot the tale: A person without shoes cried until he saw a man without feet. Being young without good clothes is like the person without shoes. I should have felt grateful that I haven’t lost my feet.
【小題1】How did the author feel when she decided not to buy the skirt?

A．Embarrassed.

B．Wise.

C．Regretful.

D．Relieved.

【小題2】The underlined word “She” in Paragraph 3 refers to       .

A．the author’s friend	B．a(chǎn) stranger
C．the author’s roommate	D．the author

【小題3】Why was the author touched by what she saw in the mirror?

A．She came to realize what she really possessed.

B．She was reminded of her devotion to beauty.

C．She didn’t feel at ease when looking into a mirror.

D．She never thought over the other side of a person.

【小題4】We can learn from the text that the author considered her love for beautiful clothes as       .

A．funny

B．natural

C．silly

D．simple

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy”at Microsoft.The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed.”he said.”Give me our e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in ,as well as date when you may start.”
The man replied,”But Idon’t have a computer,neither an e-mail.”
“I’m sorry,”said the HR manager,”If you don’t have an e-mail,that means you do not exist.And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all.He didn’t know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket.He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10kg tomatoes.He then sold the tomatoes from door to door.In less than two hours,he succeded to double his capital,He repeated the operation three times,and returned home happily with 60 dollars.
The man realized that he can survive in this way,and started to go every day earlier,and return late,Thus,his money doubled or tripled every day.Shortly,he bought a cart,then a truck,and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.Five years later,the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future and decided to have a life insurance He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail,The man replied,”I don’t have an e-mail.”
The broker answered curiously,”You don’t have an e-mail,and yet have succeeded to build an empire.Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?”The man thought for a while and replied,”Yes,I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小題1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?

A．Because he didn’t have an e-mail

B．B Because he was lazy.

C．Because he didn’t pass the test

D．Because he didn’t have a computer

【小題2】The underlined word “triple”can be replaced by_______.

A．become 3 times

B．become large

C．increase quickly

D．decrease quickly

【小題3】According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE?

A．The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world.

B．The man didn’t give up though he failed the interview.

C．He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket.

D．Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft.

【小題4】The man can be described as ______.

A．helpful and considerate	B．smart and hardworking
C．positive and generous	D．stubborn and unselfish

【小題5】Which proverb can best describe the story?

A．Where there is a will,there is a way.	B．Accidents will happen.
C．Misfortune may be an actual blessing.	D．No pains,no gains.

It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady?” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals （涼鞋）, wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I’ll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I saved them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking. [來源:學(xué)§科§網(wǎng)]
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”
“Am I rich? Pity, no!”
I looked at my worn-out slipcovers （椅套）. The girl put her cup back in its saucer （茶碟）carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
【小題1】The writer let the two children come in and served them well because ______.

A．she wanted to sell old papers to them

B．she wanted to give them some presents

C．she showed great pity and care on them

D．she wanted to show her thanks to them

【小題2】The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to _______.

A．show that she was a kind-hearted lady

B．remind her she shouldn’t forget how rich she was

C．leave room for readers to think about what being rich is

D．call up her memories of the good old days

【小題3】It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on _______.

A．how much money you have made

B．what attitude you have had toward life

C．the way you help others

D．your social relationship

“Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher.” You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organization decision making. For years March( possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.
He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning :“Experience is respected；experience is sought；experience is explained.” The problem is that learning from experience involves（涉及）serious complications（復(fù)雜化），ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.
In one interesting part of book，for example，he turns a double eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. He says “The more accurately（精確的）reality is presented，the less understandable the story，and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”
Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher. March is also a poet, and his gift shines though in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding；Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life.
【小題1】According to the text, James March is ____________. 

A．a(chǎn) poet who uses experience in his writing

B．a(chǎn) teacher who teachers story writing in university

C．a(chǎn) researcher who studies the way humans think and act

D．a(chǎn) professor who helps organizations make important decisions

【小題2】According to James March, experience ______________. 

A．is overvalued

B．is easy to explain

C．should be actively sought

D．should be inactively sought

【小題3】What can we learn from Paragraph 3?  

A．Experience makes stories more accurate.

B．Stories made interesting fail to fully present the truth.

C．The use of stories is the best way of experiential learning.

D．Stories are easier to understand when reality is more accurately described.

【小題4】What’s the purpose of this text?  

A．To introduce a book.	B．To describe a researcher.
C．To explain experiential learning.	D．To discuss organizational decision making.

How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times."
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
【小題1】How did the author get to know America?

A． From her relatives.	B． From her mother.
C． From books and pictures.	D． From radio programs.

【小題2】Upon leaving for America the author felt_______.

A．confused	B．excited
C．worried	D．a(chǎn)mazed

【小題3】For the first two years in New York, the author _________.

A．often lost her way	B．did not think about her future
C．studied in three different schools	D．got on well with her stepfather

【小題4】What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A.  She worked as a translator.
B.  She attended a lot of job interviews.
C.  She paid telephone bills for her family.
D  She helped her family with her English.
【小題5】The author believes that______.

A．her future will be free from troubles

B．it is difficult to learn to become patient

C．there are more good things than bad things

D．good things will happen if one keeps trying

   It was Saturday. As always, it was a busy one, for “Six days shall you labor and do all your work” was taken seriously back then. Outside, Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick  were engaged in spring cleaning.
Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having Brother caught to beat carpets , they had sent him to the kitchen for string(線). It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today.
My mother looked at the sitting room, its furniture disordered for a thorough sweeping, A gun she cast a look toward the window. “Come on, girls! Let’s take string to the boys and watch them
On the way we met Mrs. Patrick, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something wrong, together with her girls.
There never was such a day for flying kited! We played all our fresh string into the boys’ kites and they went up higher and higher .We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down it the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth, just for the joy of sending it up again.
Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. “Perhaps it’s like this in the kingdom of heaven,” I thought confusedly.
It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to house. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been a surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was, we didn't mention that day afterward. I felt a little embarrassed .Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep “the things that cannot be and yet they are.”
The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently  cried her desire to “go park ,see duck.”
“I can’t go!”  I said. “I have this and this to do, and when I’m through I’ll be too tired to walk that for.”
My mother , who was visiting us , looked up from the peas she was shelling ,“It’s a wonderful day,” she offered，“Really warm , yet there’s a fine breezy . Do you remember that day we flew kites?”
I stopped in my dash between stove and sink. The looked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. “Come on.” I told my little girl. “You’re right, it’s too good a day to miss.”
Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath (余波)of a great war. All
evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely, but now for a long time he had been silent. What was he thinking of – what dark and horrible things?
“Say!” A smile slipped out from his lips. “Do you remember --- no, of course you wouldn’t. It probably didn’t make the impression on you as it did on me.”
I hardly dared speak. “Remember what?”
“I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp(戰(zhàn)俘營), when things weren’t too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?”
【小題1】  Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought       .

A．she was too old to fly kites

B．her husband would make fun of her

C．she should have been doing her housework then

D．her girls weren’t supposed to play the boy’s game

【小題2】  By” we were all beside ourselves”, the writer means that they all      .

A．felt confused	B．went wild with joy
C．looked on	D．forgot their fights

【小題3】  What did the writer think after the kite-flying?

A．The boys must have had more fun than the girls.

B．They should have finished their work before playing.

C．Her parents should spend more time with them.

D．All the others must have forgotten that day.

【小題4】 Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?

A．She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother.

B．She was reminded of the day they flew kites.

C．She had finished her work in the kitchen.

D．She thought it was a great day to play outside.

【小題5】  The youngest Patrick Boy is mentioned to show that _____ .

A．the writer was not alone in treasuring her fond memories

B．his experience in POW camp threw a shadow over his life

C．childhood friendship means so much to the writer

D．people like him really changed a lot after the war