Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An experience last weekend showed me this is true, I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款機(jī)）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash, had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him, I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world, I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either, then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
【小題1】The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits ________.

A．promised to obey the store rules

B．forgot to take any money with him

C．hoped to have the food first and pay later

D．could not afford anything more expensive

【小題2】Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?

A．Kind and lucky.

B．Poor and lonely.

C．Friendly and helpful.

D．Hurt and disappointed.

【小題3】The writer acted upon the store rules because ________.

A．he wanted to keep his present job

B．he felt no pity for the old gentleman

C．he considered the old man dishonest

D．he expected someone else to pay for the old man

【小題4】What does the writer learn from his experience?

A．wealth is more important than anything else.

B．Helping others is easier said than done.

C．experience is better gained through practice.

D．Obeying the rules means more than compassion.

【小題5】How would the old men feel at the end of the story?

A．Sad and disappointed.	B．Happy and lucky.
C．Depressed and unlucky.	D．Surprised and grateful.

My grandmother often said to me, “You can count the number of your true friends on the fingers of one hand.” For a long time I thought this was true. However, I’ve now discovered my grandmother was only half right. Maybe we do only make a few “best” friends in our lifetime, but those aren’t the only people that we can call friends. There are many different types. Let me tell you about a few of them.
One type of friends is the type I call the “football mom friend”. My neighbor Sally is a good example. We both have kids who play football in a football club, and someone has to take them to practice and pick them up. Sally and I and two other mothers take turns to do this. We meet sometimes and have tea and talk about what our kids are doing, but those are the only times that we meet each other. I enjoy being with these women, but we don’t do anything else together.
Another type is called the “hobby friend”. That’s the person you share an interest or a hobby with. Michael and Cater, who are brothers, are a good example of this type. We’re all in a bird watching club. Every few weekends the members of the club go on a trip to watch different kinds of birds. There’s nothing romantic（浪漫的）about my relationship with Michael and Cater, of course. We just share interest in birds.
Then there’s the “other half of the couple” type of friends. Jim is married to Rose, a friend that I’ve known since college. When Rose married Jim, I realized that I would have to be Jim’s friend if I want to continue to be Rose’s. Jim and I don’t share so many interests, but we do have a friendly relationship.
【小題1】What does the first paragraph tell us about?

A．We need true friends in our lifetime.

B．We have few best friends in our lifetime.

C．We should make new friends.

D．We must be friendly to all our friends.

【小題2】Many people are mentioned in this passage. Who is the writer’s true friend?

A．Sally.

B． Michael.

C． Jim.

D． Rose.

【小題3】Which of the following statements is RIGHT?

A．Finally the writer agrees with her grandmother.

B．Michael and Cater both fall in love with the writer.

C．The writer herself sometimes takes her kid to the football club.

D．Sally and the writer are close friends.

【小題4】How many types of friends are mentioned in the passage?

A．2.

B． 3.

C． 4.

D．5

【小題5】From the last paragraph we learn that ________.

A．the writer made friends with Jim only because of Rose

B．Jim was the writer’s good friend at college

C．Rose didn’t want the writer to be a friend of her husband

D．the writer made friends with Rose because of Jim

We all have our ways of marking time. As a photographer, my life is measured from one story to the next. My oldest son was born in the middle of a long story about the Endangered Species Act. My daughter came along with a pack of gray wolves.
Twenty stories later, though, it’s the story in Alaska that I’ll remember best. It was the story about the loss of wilderness — and the story during which my wife Kathy got cancer. That’s the one that made time stand still. I stopped taking pictures on the day when she found that tumor (腫瘤). Cruelly, it was Thanksgiving. By Christmas, she had become very weak. Some days she was so sick she couldn’t watch TV.
Early examination saves time. But ours was not early. By the time you can feel it yourself, it’s often bigger than the doctor want it to be.
Cancer is a thief. It steals time. Our days are already short with worry. Then comes this terrible disease, unfair as storm at harvest time. But cancer also has the power to change us, for good. We learn to simplify, enjoying what we have instead of feeling sorry for what we don’t. Cancer even made me a better father. My work had made me a stranger to my three kids. But now I pay attention to what really matters. This is not a race. This is a new way of life and new way of seeing, all from the cancer.
In the end each of us has so little time. We have less of it than we can possibly imagine. And even though it turns out that Kathy’s cancer has not spread, and her prognosis (診斷) is good, we try to make it all count now, enjoying every part of every day.
I’ve picked up my camera again. I watch the sky, searching for beautiful light. When winter storms come, Kathy and I gather our children and take the time to catch snowflakes (雪花) on our tongues. After all, this is good. This is what we’re living for.
【小題1】As a photographer, the author used to ______.

A．leave his daughter with a pack of gray wolves

B．express his love for his family in a special way

C．miss a great many important historical moments

D．devote much more to his career than his family

【小題2】Why did the author decide to stop taking pictures?

A．To cure his own disease.

B．To spend more time with his wife.

C．To seek a better position.

D．To leave the wilderness alone.

【小題3】What is the biggest change the cancer has brought to the author?

A．He treasured every bit of time with his family.

B．He has become a stranger to his children.

C．He takes his work more seriously.

D．He focuses more on medical care.

【小題4】The author and his family catch snowflakes on their tongues probably because ______.

A．the snowflakes taste very good

B．snowflakes are what they feed on

C．they regard that as a way to enjoy life

D．there is beautiful light in the snowflakes

I remember the first time that I was extremely happy. I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns to play various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code(編碼)for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some of the BASIC code. I just gave myself an infinite number of lives in the game, so I could continue playing it forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra, and I didn't even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. I was quite excited because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I was enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them too.
I've noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic about what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and content in life too. It may also lead to success, wealth, and achievements.
Success, wealth, or achievements can also bring some people happiness, yet I know plenty of rich people who are unhappy. I know many people with successful businesses that are not happy with what they are doing. I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys, such as cars, computers, and televisions, yet never seem content for too long. Please remember, happiness is the journey of life, not the destination.
【小題1】What can we know from Paragraph 1?

A．The author has a great talent for algebra.

B．Creative thinking is necessary for every child.

C．The BASIC code of the computer is not difficult.

D．The author's experience in his childhood changed his life.

【小題2】The underlined word "infinite" means

A．big

B．limitless

C．normal

D．small

【小題3】The author wants to tell us through his experience in the school that ________.

A．interest is the best teacher	B．children are the hope of the future
C．young people are fearless	D．where there’s a will, there’s a way

【小題4】What is the secret of happiness in the author's opinion?

A．Success and wealth.	B．Gifts and self-confidence.
C．Enthusiasm and good health.	D．Knowledge and achievements.

【小題5】We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

A．people who are rich and successful in career generally feel unhappy

B．wealth can’t bring people any happiness and comfort

C．one will feel unhappy once he has gained all the things that he wants

D．being enthusiastic about what you do is more important than wealth

Dear Dad,
Today I was at the shopping mall and I spent a lot of time reading the Father’s Day cards. They all had a special message that in some way or another reflected how I feel about you. Yet as I selected and read, it occurred to me that not a single card said what I really want to say to you.
You’ll soon be 84 years old, Dad, and you and I will have had 55 Father’s Day together. I haven’t always been with you on Father’s Day but I’ve always been with you in my heart.
You know, Dad, there was a time when we were separated by the generation gap. You stood on one side of the Great Divide and I on the other.
The Father-Daughter Duel shifted into high gear ( 檔位) when you taught me to drive the old Dodge and I decided I would drive the '54 Chevy whether you liked it or not. The police officer who sent me home, after you reported the Chevy stolen, didn't have much tolerance for a stub­born 16 year old, while you were so tolerant about it, Dad, and I think that was probably what made it the worst night of my life.
Our relationship greatly improved when I married a man you liked, and things really turned around when we began making babies right and left. Somewhere along the line, the generation gap disappeared. I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together, rather like a fine wine.
But the strangest thing happened last week. I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car. It didn't immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car. It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere. Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day.
I guess what I'm trying to say, Dad, is what every son and daughter wants to say to their Dad today. Honoring a father on Father's Day is about respect and sharing and acceptance and tolerance and giving and taking. It's about loving someone more than words can say, and it's wishing that never had to end.
I love you, Dad.
Love,
Jenny
【小題1】How did Jenny probably feel on the night she was sent home by the police?

A．Disappointed.

B．Nervous.

C．Guilty.

D．Frightened.

【小題2】We can learn from the passage that Jenny and her father_________.

A．kept in touch by writing each other

B．a(chǎn)re separated due to the generation gap

C．have been getting along very well

D．had a hard time understanding each other

【小題3】Why did Jenny feel strange when she saw her father last week?.

A．She seldom saw him driving that huge car.

B．She had never realized his being old and weak.

C．She didn't expect to meet with him there.

D．She had never seen him driving so slowly before.

【小題4】Jenny wrote his father this letter to _________

A．tell him about their conflicts	B．say sorry for her being stubborn
C．express her gratitude to him	D．remind him of the early incident

Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family，and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck.I'm not going to say luck，talent，and circumstances don't come into play because they do.Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence，and that's just the reality of how life is.
However，to succeed in life，one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And，in addition to that，in order to get really good at something，one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practising.To become great at certain things，it'll require even more time，time that most people won't put in.
However，to succeed in life，one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And，in addition to that，in order to get really good at something，one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practising.To become great at certain things，it'll require even more time，time that most people won't put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don't enjoy what you do，it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don't enjoy what you do，it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success，you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It's sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent，but thinking that way does you no good，and there's a huge chance that you're wrong anyway.
Whatever you do，if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out，almost to the point of addiction，and over a long period of time.If you're not willing to put in the time and work，don't expect to receive any rewards.Consistent, hard work won't guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
【小題1】Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.

A．the reasons for success

B．the meaning of success

C．the standards of success

D．the importance of success

【小題2】Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ________.

A．work makes one feel pain

B．one tends to enjoy his work

C．one gives up his work easily

D．it takes a lot of time to succeed

【小題3】What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Successful people like to show their great skills.

B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent.

C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life.

D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success.

【小題4】What is the main theme of the passage?

A．Having a goal is vital to success.

B．Being good is different from being great.

C．One cannot succeed without time and practice.

D．Luck，talent and family help to achieve success.

One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City，Calif.，to New Orleans.In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him.There was a time in the country when you'd be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need. Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, rapists, thieves lurking everywhere, “I don't want to get involved” has become a national motto.
Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.Leaving him stranded in the desert did not bother me so much.What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision.I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator.
Does anyone stop any more? I wondered.I recalled Blanche DuBois's famous line：“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”. Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the goodwill of his fellow Americans.What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him，carry him down the road?
The idea intrigued me.
The week I turned 37，I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life.So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny.It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar.I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head.My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina，a symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip.
I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50­pound pack on my back and a  sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles：“America”．
For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles  across 14 states.As I traveled, folks were always warning me  about someplace else.In Montana they told me to watch out for  the cowboys in Wyoming; in Nebraska they said people would not  be as nice in Iowa. Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went.I was amazed by people's readiness to help a stranger, even  when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests.
【小題1】Why did the author drive past the young man in the desert without stopping?

A．Because he failed to notice this man.

B．Because he was driving too fast.

C．Because he thought the young man didn't need help.

D．Because he was afraid of being tricked.

【小題2】What was it that made the author upset?

A．Leaving the young man alone in the desert.

B．Being considered a fool.

C．Making the decision of not offering help so easily.

D．Keeping thinking about the young man.

【小題3】The author decided to travel without a penny in order to ________.

A．find out how long he could survive without help

B．go through the great difficulty in surviving unexpected environment

C．find out whether strangers would offer help to him

D．figure out how strangers thought of his plan

【小題4】In the passage，the author described his journey as a gamble because ________.

A．he was not so sure of the outlook of the journey

B．he had no money to give to strangers

C．he was sure of the coming sufferings

D．he wasn't sure whether to make the journey

【小題5】The following part might probably ________.

A．describe how he fooled strangers

B．describe how strangers went out of their way to help him

C．explain why people refused to help strangers

D．explain how he overcame his difficulties on the way

Some time ago，I was diagnosed with breast cancer and reacted in the way most people would.The first thing came to mind was a “death sentence”.  However，I found out later it was truly “an awakening” for me，especially after being diagnosed with colon cancer a few years later，but still alive to tell about them both.I began to question God.Why was I chosen to suffer this double challenge？What had I done in life so bad to have this placed upon me？I was unhappy with the way I look and the intolerant pain I had to experience each day，but instead of sighing over my fate，I decided to look on the positive sides of it.
I knew that I was about to face a new beginning，new hope，do and see more with a whole new perspective on life.I also began thinking of the individuals that are no longer among us and how there will always be someone worse off than I am.Who am I to complain？I still have my life.
During my treatments，I experienced something of a miracle that I had to write down.I took that experience and turned it into a poem and I called it “Peace”．I took that poem along with many others I had composed during my breast cancer period and submitted them for publication.The book of poems was accepted and published under the title “True Simple Poems of Life，F(xiàn)aith and Survival”．
I continue to write and hope that my poetry may encourage other unfortunate people and my writing continues to give me strength.I've had another inspirational children's book published called “If Only I Could Fly，Said Mattie­bee”．
I would never have become a writer，producing inspirational stories，if I had not gone through all that I did.I'm a true example that you can survive cancer，not once，but twice，providing that you catch it in time.It won't all be easy，but you must have faith and allow that faith to direct your path.
I truly believe when you survive a terrible tragedy or a horrible disease like cancer，it's for a reason—you have a purpose，and I want to live and find out exactly what that is for me.
【小題1】How did the author feel about her disease at first?

A．Optimistic.	B．Pessimistic.
C．Confident.	D．Discontented.

【小題2】When did the author begin to notice the positive sides of her tragedy?

A．After she was diagnosed with colon cancer.

B．After she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

C．After she wrote her first poem.

D．After she became a writer.

【小題3】In the author's opinion，________.

A．no one is luckier than her

B．God doesn't treat everyone fairly

C．writing poetry is the best way to deal with cancer

D．being alive is lucky for her

【小題4】We can know from the passage that ________.

A．the author developed breast cancer a few years after colon cancer

B．writing only helped the author alone

C．the author wrote stories as well as poems

D．If Only I Could Fly，Said Mattie­bee is a poem

When it comes to relationship, we spend a lot of time discussing their joys, but rarely talk about the pain when they break down. Yet most people have a story about a broken relationship.
For Jane Black, a six-year friendship ended when her friend was rude to one of her children. “After quite a few drinks at a party in my house, she said something rude to my child. I ended the friendship face to face at the party,” she says. “I didn’t realize what I was doing at the time, I was simply standing up for my child, but in her eyes any challenge was a betrayal.”
When Angela Thompson noticed a seven-year friendship disappearing, she let it go. “I didn’t know how to deal with the issue. I didn’t sit down for a grown-up conversation; I just walked away quietly.” The decision caused a reaction among Thompson’s other friends. “The other friends in the circle are the worst people when you are trying to break up with a friend,” she says. “They don’t want you to stop being friends, because it puts them in a difficult position. You get told to just get it over.”
Though we have plenty of measures for handling conflict at work or family fight, we still don’t have good ways of ending friendships. Do we sit down and properly break up, or just walk away? Psychologist Serena Cauchy has the following advice.
Don’t blame.
Talk about your needs and feeling rather than talking like a Dutch uncle.
Do talk about your needs.
Talk about why the friendship is not working for you—about how your needs aren’t being met.
Don’t gossip.
Negative talk hurts everyone involved and in some cases can make matters worse.
Don’t be so accessible.
If there is a common wish to conclude the friendship, then you can remove it.
【小題1】How did Angela Thompson deal with her friendship when it went wrong?

A．She ended it face to face.

B．She left it as it was.

C．She turned to her friends for advice.

D．She made a direct challenge.

【小題2】According to the third paragraph, we learn the other friends________.

A．will help you to fix a broken friendship

B．will choose either of the sides who broke up

C．will ask you to forgive each other

D．will be the worst people to break up with you at the same time

【小題3】Which is NOT mentioned by Psychologist Serena Cauchy?

A．End the friendship if it can’t be renewed.

B．Don’t complain behind one’s back.

C．Express what you want and expect.

D．Sincerely talk about friends’ shortcomings.

【小題4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A True Friendship

B．When Friendships disappear

C．How Friendships Last

D．Ways to Fix Friendships

I moved from Chicago to Brooklyn in July of 2010，just in time to watch my mother die. Our parents were both gone now； I took with me as many things they had left behind as I could.
I was out walking one Saturday later that summer when something caught my eye - a pale green dress. Laid out on the pavement was stuff like earrings, glass candle-holders, books. Hanging on the fence behind were a few pairs of jeans and a green cotton dress.
The woman, the host o£ the stoop (門(mén)廊）sale, looked like she was getting rid of a past she didn’t need or want. A dress that was too big for her. A chest of drawers that took up too much space, space she needed, maybe, to heal ，recover, or grow.
I wasn’t planning on buying anything really, but now I needed to show her that I appreciated her things and I would give them a safe home. Then I had my first stoop sale —I paid her 20 dollars for her green cotton dress and her blue candle-holder,
From that day on, I became interested in stoop sales. Some of my favorite things are from someone else’s life. I find no joy in shopping at regular stores any more. I love trying to sniff out a memory from a bud vase or a drawer. It is comforting to know that someone has breathed and laughed inside a sweater before me.
A few weeks ago, I carried my mother’s dresses to a friend’s stoop. These were her best items ，which were once worn by the most important person in my life. For many hours, I watched from across the path people advancing the stoop, some leaving with Mom1S dress. I used to think that her stuff was as forever sacred (神圣的）as my memory of her, I know now that once I love a scarf or shirt too dearly，it needs to find a new home. Even that green dress is long gone by now.
【小題1】The author took her mother*s dresses after her death because ______

A．she valued the things used by her mom

B．she didn’t want to throw them, away

C． she could sell them later

D． they were her mom’s best items

【小題2】From the passage, we know that ______.

A． the things the author bought from the woman are too big

B． the author is fond of imagining others’ life experiences

C． the author will never shop at regular stores any more

D． the author still keeps most of her mom’s things

【小題3】In the last paragraph ，the author tries to tell us that ______.
A her mom is the number one person in her life
B.  she didn’t really want to sell her mom’s dresses
C. she still thinks of her mother quite often
D. love doesn’t mean holding on to something tightly
【小題4】It can be inferred that the author will ______.

A． not sell her own things at stoop sales

B．keep her mom in her mind in another way

C． be sad about all the memory of her mom

D． move to another city for a new life