In winter Hammerfest is a thirty-hour ride by bus from Oslo, though why anyone would want to go there in winter is a question worth considering. It is on the edge of the world, the northernmost town in Europe, as far from London as London is from Tunis, a place of dark and cruel winters, where the sun sinks into the Arctic Ocean in November and does not rise again for ten weeks.
I wanted to see the Northern Lights. Also, I had long harboured a half-formed urge to
experience what life was like in such a remote and forbidding place. Sitting at home in England with a glass of whisky and a book of maps, this had seemed an excellent idea. But now as I picked my way through the grey, late-December slush（融雪） of Oslo I was beginning to have my doubts.
Things had not started well. I had overslept at the hotel, missing breakfast, and had to leap into my clothes. I couldn't find a cab and had to drag my unreasonably overweighted bag eight blocks through slush to the central bus station. I had had huge difficulty persuading the staff at the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate to cash sufficient traveller's cheques to pay the overcharged 1,200-kroner bus fare-they simply could not be made to grasp that the William McGuire Bryson on my passport and the Bill Bryson on my traveller's cheques were both me-and now here I was arriving at the station two minutes before departure, breathless and steaming from the endless uphill exertion（費(fèi)力）that is my life, and the girl at the ticket counter was telling me that she had no record of my reservation.
"This isn't happening," I said. "I'm still at home in England enjoying Christmas．Pass me a
drop more port, will you, darling?" Actually, I said, "There must be some mistake. Please look
again."
The girl studied the passenger list. "No, Mr Bryson, your name is not here·”
But I could see it, even upside-down. "There it is, second from the bottom.”
"No," the girl decided, "that says Bemt Bjornson. That's a Norwegian name·”
"It doesn't say Bernt Bjornson. It says Bill Bryson. Look at the loop（圓圈） of the 'y', the two
‘I's. Miss, please." But she wouldn't have it. "If I miss this bus when does the next one go?"
"Next week at the same time．，，
Oh, splendid.
"Miss, believe me, it says Bill Bryson."
"No, it doesn't."
"Miss, look, I've come from England. I'm carrying some medicine that could save a child's
life.”She didn't buy this. "I want to see the manager."
"He's in Stavanger.”
"Listen, I made a reservation by telephone．If I don't get on this bus I’m going to write a letter to your manager that will cast a shadow over your career prospects（前景）for the rest of this century." This clearly did not alarm her. Then it occurred to me. "If this Bemt Bjornson doesn't show up, can I have his seat?"
"Sure.”
Why don't I think of these things in the first place and save myself the suffering? "Thank you," I said, and dragged my bag outside.
【小題1】What words can best describe Hammerfest in winter?

A．Grey and dirty.	B．Dark and cold.
C．Unfriendly and expensive.	D．Wild and forbidden.

【小題2】Why did the author mention the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate?

A．To suggest that people there could be ridiculous and stubborn.

B．To introduce the cultural differences in northern Europe and England.

C．To give an example of an interesting story during his journey.

D．To indicate that the bus fare was very expensive．

【小題3】What could be inferred from the passage?

A．The author booked his bus ticket with a Norwegian name.

B．The author paid the bus fare by traveller's cheque.

C．The author would hopefully get on the bus．

D．The girl at the ticket counter cared about the author's complaints.

【小題4】According to the last paragraph, the author probably felt＿at that moment.

A．embarrassed	B．contented
C．regretful	D．grateful

【小題5】We can learn from the passage that＿．

A．the author's journey to the north was not worthwhile

B．the Europeans didn't welcome visitors

C．the author wrote a letter to the girl's manager

D．the author's journey to the north was not smooth

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
【小題1】Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?

A．He was silent most of the time.

B．He was too proud of himself.

C．He did not love his children.

D．He expected too much of her.

【小題2】When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.

A．nervous	B．sorry
C．tired	D．safe

【小題3】What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A．More critical.	B．More talkative
C．Gentle and friendly.	D．Strict and hard-working.

【小題4】The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

A．the author’s son

B．the author’s father

C．the friend of the author’s father

D．the café owner

Hercule Poirot looked over the small gate which gave admission to Pine Crest. It was a modern nicely-built house. It was on a hill top, and the hill top was planted with a few sparse pines. It had a small neat garden and a large elderly man was watering with a big tin.
Spence’s hair was now grey all over. He had not shrunk much in girth（圍長(zhǎng)）, though. He stopped watering and looked at the visitor at the gate. Hercule Poirot stood there without moving.
“God bless my soul,” said Spence. “It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be Hercule Poirot!”
“Aha,” said Poirot, “you remember me. I’m grateful.”
Spence abandoned the watering can and came down to the gate.
“What brings you down here?”
“What has brought me to many places in my time,” said Poirot, “and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me. Murder, Spence.”
“I’m done with murder since I retired,” said Spence, “except in the case of weeds. Killing weeds is never easy as you think, something’s always wrong. How did you know where to find me?” he asked as he opened the gate and Poirot passed through.
“You sent me a Christmas card. It had your new address on it.”
“Ah yes, so I did. I’m old-fashioned, you know, I like to send round cards at Christmas time to a few old friends. I’m an old man now.”
“We both are.”
“Not much grey in your hair,” said Spence.
“I take care of my hair with a bottle,” said Poirot. “There is no need to appear in public with grey hair unless you wish to do so. By the way, why have you come to live in Woodleigh Common?”
“As a matter of fact, I came here to join forces with a sister of mine. She lost her husband, her children are married and living abroad. So I moved in here. Pensions（退休金）don’t go far nowadays, but we do comfortably living together.”
【小題1】From their dialogue, we can learn about _______.

A．their common friends	B．Spence’s sister’s characters
C．their relationship	D．Poirot’s recent life

【小題2】Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Spence used to deal with murder.

B．Poirot didn’t care about his appearance.

C．Spence moved to join his sister for lack of money.

D．Poirot came specially to reunite with his old friend.

【小題3】From the passage we can infer that they might _______ next.

A．meet Spence’s family	B．discuss about a murder
C．visit Spence’s new home	D．water the garden together

Saturday, March 24th
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand（泰國(guó)）. All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising. The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life—no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. They always smile and say “hello”. Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.
【小題1】The diaries above show the writer’s ______ days in Thailand.

A．3

B．8

C．15

D．7

【小題2】It seems that visitors _________ in Bangkok.

A．often feel hungry	B．can have a good time
C．can’t take any photos	D．feel a little bored

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus.

B．Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand.

C．The writer is traveling alone in Thailand.

D．The writer will take a bus to Chiang Mai.

【小題4】The people in the village _______.

A．a(chǎn)re friendly to others	B．like to speak English
C．hope to live in the cities	D．live a very busy life

【小題5】What is the best title（標(biāo)題）for the whole diary?

A．My First Travel	B．Traveling in Thailand
C． The Outside World	D．My Trip to Chiang Mai

The breaking news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday evening soon aroused public curiosity of the 57-year-old Chinese writer: Why was he favored by the Swedish Academy?
Less than half an hour after the announcement from Stockholm,  Mo's works turned to “sold out" status at China's major online book sellers．
One lucky buyer wrote in an online comment: "Rushed to purchase, but to my shame, I have not read any of his novels．”
Although Mo was entitled one of the top China's literature awards before the Nobel Prize, he is not the most popular novelist in China, in either the book market or in reputation．
Chinese media seemed to be shocked as some journalists were reported to be on their way overnight to Gaomi City of East China's Shandong Province, Mo's birthplace where he stayed with his family．
Born in 1955 into a rural family, Mo dropped out of school and became a farmer when he was a teenager． He joined the army and devoted himself to writing． Mo's novels were translated into several languages．
For more than a century, Nobel Prize has been regarded by the world as recognition to an individual or even a nation's cultural and scientific advances．
“I think the reason why I could win the prize is that my works present lives with unique Chinese characteristics, and they also tell stones from a viewpoint of common human beings, which transcends（超越）differences of nations and races," Mo said on Thursday evening to Chinese journalists．
Mo also said many folk arts originated from his hometown, such as paper cuts and traditional new year paintings, have inspired and influenced his novels．
Mo's prize may give powerful encouragement to the country's writers as the more reflective of Chinese lives their works are, the more possible they arise as world literature．
【小題1】From this passage we know that the news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature was          .

A．a(chǎn) shock to online booksellers

B．curiosity to the Swedish Academy

C．contrary to the belief of the Chinese media

D．beyond the expectation of most Chinese people

【小題2】The "one lucky buyer" mentioned in the third paragraph admitted that he _       ．

A．had not yet read Mo Yan's novels

B．had written an online comment

C．regretted not reading Mo Yan's Novels

D．failed to buy a copy of Mo Yan's novels

【小題3】The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to          .

A．the Chinese writers	B．the Chinese writers' works
C．the Chinese lives	D．Mo Yan's novels

【小題4】What can we infer from this passage?

A．Mo Yan will win another Nobel Prize in the near future．

B．Folk arts originated from Mo Yan's hometown will also be awarded Nobel Prize．

C．Nobel Prize will no longer regarded by the world as recognition to an individual．

D．Mo Yan's success will encourage the Chinese writers to win more Nobel Prizes．

When his book Little Princes begins, Conor Grennan is planning a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month volunteer service at the Little Princes Children’s home, an orphanage(孤兒院) in Nepal.
When he arrived at the orphanage, Conor was immediately welcomed by all the children even though he had no previous experience in working with children. He quickly grew to love the job. But it wasn’t long before Conor came to learn that the children were not orphans at all — they were actually children who had been separated from their parents by a child trafficker(販子).
This realization turned Conor’s global journey into a strong desire to try to find a way to reunite these children with their families. As a part of his efforts, Conor did a great amount of work when he was back in America. He started up a nonprofit organization called Next Generation Nepal(NGN), raising funds in order to buy a house in Nepal for another children’s home. Then, back in Nepal, he began a life-changing trek(艱苦跋涉) into the remote villages in the mountains of Humia.
It is really amazing to read about Conor communicating with the children and to read his descriptions of each of them. He made me truly care about the kids. I wanted them to be able to reunite with their families, too! Unfortunately, this was simply not possible for some of the children. But there were some children who received amazing surprises. Jagrit, for example, had thought for years that both his parents were dead. So, Conor was dumbfounded when he visited Jagrit’s village and was introduced to the boy’s father!
Conor successfully found many of the families of the children. Also, he was successful in finding his future wife while in Nepal.
【小題1】What do we know about Little Princes Children’s Home?

A．It is a profitable organization.

B．The children in it are all orphans.

C．It has many branches all over Nepal.

D．Many children ended up there due to illegal trade.

【小題2】 In order to help the children, Conor _________.
a. gave up his plan to travel worldwide         b. set up the organization NGN
c. fought against child traffickers             d. visited some remote villages
e. decided to settle in Nepal

A．a(chǎn), b, c	B．a(chǎn), b, d
C．b, c, d	D．c, d, e

【小題3】What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Satisfied.	B．Interested.
C．Astonished.	D．Ashamed.

【小題4】It can be learned from the passage that Conor Grennan _________.

A．is the author of Little Princes

B．is determined to remain single

C．likes teaching very much

D．is a friend of the author’s

There has been an outpouring of love for a 23-year-old disabled woman whose dog was killed in front of her while a groomer(美容師) tried to trim(修剪) its claws.
Calls and e-mails came from as far away as the Upper Peninsula and Arizona as well as Oakland and Macomb counties, offering Laurie Crouch, who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis(硬化癥), everything from dogs to money, such as that from Jason Daly of Roseville who said, “ I would like to buy her a new dog.”
A story about the death of Crouch’s pet, Gooch, was printed on the front page of Macomb Daily. Crouch said a man sat on the dog to trim its nails. Gooch died after one claw was trimmed.
Crouch yelled at the groomer to stop when she saw Gooch was struggling to breathe, but she said she was ignored. “If I could have walked, I would have put my hands on her and pulled her off my dog and physically stopped her, but I can’t do that.” Gooch was not a trained service animal, but naturally helped Crouch by picking up things for her.
“This case is absolute animal abuse(虐待),” Larry Obrecht, division manager of the Oakland County Animal Shelter in Auburn Hills, said.
People who read the story contacted Oakland Press to offer help. A message, from Rebecca Amett of Giggles N Wiggles Puppy Rescue, in Roseville, said, “We have puppies to donate … and want to help the young woman who lost her service dog.”
“When Gooch was with me, I was happy,” Crouch said, “I think I can be happy again but no animal can replace Gooch. There’s never going to be another Gooch out there but I think I will find a dog that can bring me joy again.”
【小題1】What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．A disabled woman’s service dog.

B．A cruel groomer killed a disabled woman’s dog.

C．People’s love for a disabled woman who lost her dog.

D．Disabled woman loves to have the dog as company.

【小題2】 People called and emailed to             .

A．offer help and care to Laurie Crouch.

B．give their angry voice to the groomer.

C．offer a cure for Crouch’s disease.

D．tell Crouch how to punish the groomer.

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that          .

A．Crouch refused to take another dog.

B．Crouch must be sad after losing her dog.

C．Crouch has accepted another dog from a stranger.

D．Crouch can live well without a dog’s company.

Minnie's flat, as the one-floor resident apartments were then being called, was in a part of West Van Buren Street inhabited by families of laborers and clerks, men who had come, and were still coming, with the rush of population pouring in at the rate of 50,000 a year. It was on the third floor, the front windows looking down into the street, where, at night, the lights of grocery stores were shining and children were playing. To Carrie, the sound of the little bells upon the horse-cars, as they tinkled in and out of hearing, was as pleasing as it was novel. She
gazed into the lighted street when Minnie brought her into the front room, and wondered at the sounds, the movement, the murmur of the vast city which stretched for miles and miles in everydirection.
Mrs. Hanson, after the first greetings were over, gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper. Her husband asked a few questions and sat down to read the evening paper. He was a silent man, American born, of a Swede father, and now employed as a cleaner of refrigerator cars at the stock-yards. To him the presence or absence of his wife's sister was a matter of indifference. Her personal appearance did not affect him one way or the other. His one
observation to the point was concerning the chances of work in Chicago.
"It's a big place," he said. "You can get in somewhere in a few days. Everybody does."
It had been understood beforehand that she was to get work and pay her board. He was of a clean, saving character, and had already paid a number of monthly installments(分期付款）on two pieces of land far out on the West Side. His ambition was some day to build a house on them.
In the interval which marked the preparation of the meal Carrie found time to study the flat. She had some slight gift of observation and that sense, so rich in every woman-intuition.
She felt the drag of a lean and narrow life. The walls of the rooms were improperly papered. The floors were covered with matting and the hall laid with a thin rag carpet. One could see that the furniture was of that poor, hurriedly patched together quality sold by the installment houses.
She sat with Minnie, in the kitchen, holding the baby until it began to cry. Then she walked and sang to it, until Hanson, disturbed in his reading, came and took it. A pleasant side to his nature came out here. He was patient. One could see that he paid enough attention to his baby.
"Now, now," he said, walking. "There, there," and there was a certain Swedish accent
noticeable in his voice.
"You'll want to see the city first, won't you?" said Minnie, when they were eating. "Well, we'll go out Sunday and see Lincoln Park.
Carrie noticed that Hanson had said nothing to this. He seemed to be thinking of something else.
"Well," she said, "I think I'll look around tomorrow. I've got Friday and Saturday, and it won't be any trouble. Which way is the business part?"
Minnie began to explain, but her husband took this part of the conversation to himself.
"It's that way," he said, pointing east. "That's east." Then he went off into the longest speech he had yet taken part in, concerning the lay of Chicago. "You'd better look in those big manufacturing houses along Franklin Street and just the other side of the river," he concluded. "Lots of girls work there. You could get home easy, too. It isn't very far."
Carrie nodded and asked her sister about the neighborhood. The latter talked in a soft tone, telling the little she knew about it, while Hanson concerned himself with the baby. Finally he jumped up and handed the child to his wife.
【小題1】The first paragraph mainly describes＿＿

A．the surroundings around the Hansons' flat

B．the scenes in West Van Buren Street

C．what Mr. and Mrs. Hanson's flat looked like

D．the nightlife of West Van Buren Street

【小題2】 From the passage we can learn that Mr. Hanson＿＿·

A．was glad at Carrie's arrival’

B．cared little about his child

C．was unfamiliar with Chicago

D．tried hard to live a better life

【小題3】We can draw a conclusion from the passage that＿＿．

A．Minnie's house was very well furnished

B．Carrie was a sensitive girl with ambition

C．Carrie came to look after her nephew

D．Minnie and her husband got on very well

【小題4】 Which of the following shows the right order of the events in the story?
a. Carrie observed the Hansons' flat.
b. Mr. Hanson handed his baby to Minnie.
c. Minnie told Carrie about their neighborhood.
d. Carrie sang to the baby to stop it from crying.
e. Mr. Hanson explained the business part to Minnie.
f. Minnie gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper.

A．c-a-f-e-d-b	B．a(chǎn)-c-f-eb-d
C．f-a-d-e-c-b	D．f-e-a-b-c-d

One day, when I was working as a psychologist in England，an adolescent boy showed up in my office. It was David. He kept walking up and down restlessly, his face pale, and his hands shaking slightly. His head teacher had referred him to me. “This boy has lost his family，” he wrote. “He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others, and I'm very worried about him. Can you help？”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn't have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.
The first two times we met, David didn't say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children's drawings on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon—in complete silence and without looking at me. It's not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed, took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why did he never look at me?
“Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with，” I thought. “Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.” Some months later, when we were playing chess, he looked up at me suddenly.
“It's your turn,” he said.
After that day, David started talking. He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times, about his biking with some friends, and about his plan to get into university. Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something. But I also learned that one—without any words—can reach out to another person. All it takes is a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, and an ear that listens.
【小題1】When he first met the author, David ________．

A．felt a little excited	B．walked energetically
C．looked a little nervous	D．showed up with his teacher

【小題2】As a psychologist, the author   ________．

A．was ready to listen to David

B．was skeptical about psychology

C．was able to describe David's problem

D．was sure of handling David's problem

【小題3】David enjoyed being with the author because he________．

A．wanted to ask the author for advice

B．needed to share sorrow with the author

C．liked the children's drawings in the office

D．beat the author many times in the chess game

【小題4】What can be inferred about David?

A．He recovered after months of treatment.

B．He liked biking before he lost his family.

C．He went into university soon after starting to talk.

D．He got friends in school before he met the author.

Once I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents, and that it would take only a few minutes. Thus, on one evening, three people turned up at my house and were shown into my front room. When they saw the room they were a bit alarmed, for it was laid out as a studio. In front of each easy chair there was a microphone at head height, with wires leading to a tape-recorder in the middle of the floor. I explained that all I wanted was for them to count from one to twenty. Then we could relax and have a drink.
I turned on the tape-recorder and each in turn seriously counted from one to twenty in their best accent. When it was over, I turned the tape-recorder off and brought round the drinks, and for the rest of the evening there was general cheerful conversation—interrupted only by the fact that I had to take a telephone call in another room, which unfortunately lasted some time.
Or at least that was how it would appear. For, of course, the microphones were not connected to the tape-recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one, which was turning happily away in the kitchen. The participants, having seen the visible tape-recorder turned off, paid no more attention to the microphones which stayed in front of their chairs, only a few inches from their mouths, thus giving excellent sound quality. And my lengthy absence meant that I was able to obtain as natural a piece of conversation as it would be possible to find.
I should add, perhaps, that I did tell my friends what had happened to them, after the event was over, and gave them the choice of destroying the tape. None of them wanted to—though for some years afterwards it always seemed to be my round when it came to the buying of drinks. Linguistic research can be a very expensive business.
【小題1】The writer asked his friends to count from one to twenty because _______.

A．he wanted to record the numbers for his research

B．he wanted to find out whether the tape recorder was working

C．he wanted to make his friends relax before real recording started

D．he wanted his friends to think that was all he wanted to record

【小題2】The writer went into another room to ________.

A．get a natural recording of his friends’ conversation

B．stay away from too much drinking with his friends

C．bring a telephone into the front room

D．a(chǎn)nswer a long distance phone call

【小題3】The writer turned off the tape-recorder because _______.

A．he had to answer a phone call

B．he wanted his friends to enjoy some drinks

C．he thought the tape-recorder might bother his friends

D．he wanted to make his friends believe he had finished the recording

【小題4】Which one is true according to the passage?

A．The writer destroyed the tape.

B．The writer’s friends destroyed the tape.

C．The writer did tell his friends what had happened.

D．The writer’s friends like to drink.