Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames(綽號). Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence(影響)on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, be grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短號) at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁愛) and warmth that caused many listeners to say, “Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over. ”He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most-admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.
【小題1】Armstrong was called Pops because he　　　　.  

A．looked like a musician

B．was a musician of much influence

C．showed an interest in music

D．traveled to play modern music

【小題2】When Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.” what did he mean?

A．He meant he had a brother named Jazz.

B．He meant he was very good at Jazz.

C．He meant he couldn’t afford to learn Jazz.

D．He meant he was very lucky to live among great musicians.

【小題3】The third paragraph is developed　　　　.  

A．by space

B．by examples

C．by time

D．by comparison

【小題4】Which statement about Armstrong is true?

A．His tale begins in New Orleans.

B．He was born before jazz was invented.

C．His music was popular with his listeners.

D．He learned popular music at a boy’s home.

【小題5】Which would be the best title for the text?

A．The Invention of the Jazz Music

B．The Father of the Jazz Style

C．The Making of a Musician

D．The Spread of Popular Music

Shirley Temple, who died on February 10, 2014, was that rare example of a Hollywood child star who, when the cameras stopped rolling, carved out a new career.
For four years, she was Hollywood’s biggest box-office star representing the kind of sweet, innocent girl that everyone wanted as their daughter. However, years later, she reappeared as a successful politician.
Shirley Temple was born in Santa Monica, California on 23 April 1928. Encouraged by her mother, she learned to dance while she was just three.
In 1934, Stand Up and Cheer became her first film and the film was a great success. At the age of six she was earning $1,250 a week — more than $21,000 at today’s values.
Across the world, audiences flocked to see her in films such as Little Miss Marker, The Little Colonel and The Littlest Rebel.
In 1935 she was awarded a special Oscar (Academy Award) and her foot and hand prints were added to those of stars such as Jean Harlow and Mary Pickford outside Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood. The peak of her film career came in 1939 when The Little Princess became a box-office success.
Temple starred in a total of 43 feature films. But she found it difficult to maintain her film career in adulthood and retired from Hollywood in 1950.
She disappeared from the spotlight for nearly 20 years. She returned to the public eye in 1967, as a Republican candidate for Congress. When Nixon became president, he rewarded her with an appointment to the American delegation to the United Nations. Then, in 1974, President Ford appointed her the United States Ambassador(大使) to Ghana. George Bush Snr, appointed her Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.
Shirley Temple drew a line between her childhood stardom and her later political career. “Some people are stuck on this image of the little girl,” she once said. “She is not me. We shouldn’t live in the past; my life is now.” Nevertheless, for many across the world, the name Shirley Temple always called to mind a superstar child.
【小題1】Shirley Temple died at the age of _____.

A．75

B．80

C．86

D．90

【小題2】What happened to Shirley Temple when she was 7 years old?

A．She won a special Oscar.

B．She began to learn to dance.

C．She appeared in her first film.

D．She retired from Hollywood.

【小題3】Which of the following represents the peak of Shirley Temple’s film career?

A．Stand Up and Cheer.	B．Little Miss Marker.
C．The Little Colonel.	D．The Little Princess.

【小題4】We can infer that _____.

A．the films in which Shirley Temple starred in adulthood were not popular

B．Jean Harlow and Mary Pickford appeared in the same film with Temple

C．Shirley Temple succeeded in being elected as Congresswoman in 1967

D．Shirley Temple was the youngest person to receive an Academy Award

Joke l：
A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him round the head with a frying pan． “What was that for?” the man asked．
The wife replied, “That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it I found in your pocket．” The man then said, “When l was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on．” The wife apologized and went on with the housework． Three days later the man was watching TV when his wife hit him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious． Upon regaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again． Wife replied, “Your horse phoned．”
Joke 2：
“Do you believe in life after death?” the boss asked one of his employees．
“Yes, sir, ” the new employee replied．
“Well, then, that makes everything just fine, ” the boss went on． “After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother’s funeral． she stopped in to see you!”   
Joke 3：
“Oh, I am happy to see you, ” the little boy said to his grandmother on his mother's side． “Now maybe daddy will do the trick he has been promising us． ” The grandmother was curious． “What trick is that?” she asked．
“I heard him tell mommy that he would climb the walls if you came to visit, ” the little boy answered．
Joke 4：
A woman’s husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day． One day, he signaled for her to come nearer． As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times．
When I got fired, you were there to support me．
When my business failed, you were there．
When I got shot, you were by my side．
When we lost the house, you stayed right here．
When my health started failing, you were still by my side… You know what Martha?”
“What dear?” she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth．
“I’m beginning to think you’re bad luck…”
【小題1】The wife became angry suddenly in Joke 1 because __________．

A．she had her frying pan burned while away

B．her husband made a bet on a horse but lost

C．her husband was carrying with himself a woman’s name

D．her husband’s pocket money was lost without any reason

【小題2】Who called the husband in Joke 1?

A．The organization of the horse races of a club．

B．Jenny the man chose to bet on in the races．

C．Jenny who won the race successfully．

D．Jenny whom the man made friends with．

【小題3】What dose the boss mean in Joke 2?

A．He was lucky to see the employee’s former grandmother．

B．The employee’s grandmother has come into heaven after death．

C．He has figured out that the employee told a lie to him．

D．The employee’s grandmother was an honest woman．

【小題4】What can we learn about the little boy from Joke 3?

A．His father likes to make fun of his mother-in-law．

B．He likes to play tricks on others．

C．His mother is strict with him．

D．His father doesn’t like his mother-in-law to come．

【小題5】The husband in Joke 4 means that __________．

A．he is thankful for his selfless and lovely wife

B．he realizes he is unlucky to have married his wife

C．it is fortunate to experience so many unforgettable things

D．his wife deserves all his love because of her devotion

Recently I came in contact with the true meaning of love． That would have been, Kane, a boy． Kane was the two-year-old son of Jolene, my new neighbor．
At a glance Kane was a sight． He’d been born with hard sticks for legs． And on that morning I witnessed the effect that Kane’s physical shortcomings had on his family． But I also witnessed much more than that．
I saw an extraordinary family that embraced this special child． A family that wouldn’t allow Kane to know he was different． Jolene had constructed a small cart just a few inches off the floor for his son to get around． Using his hands to move about, Kane moved the cart to “go to” any place just as everyone else was able to do． Kane worked that little cart like a master． Kane was a vital focus of the entire family． He was more than just a member of the family; he was the soul． This child was the driver, the motivator, and the founder of much of the interaction．
Much later in my life, I came to realize that God had sent this child to help some of us who just weren’t getting what love was all about． Even with my limited capacity for understanding at the time that Kane was a highly developed spirit with great wisdom．
Kane demanded attention, but not because of his mobility challenges or other apparent shortcomings． In his mind, he had no challenges or shortcomings． The truth is that he received attention because he was alive and real and had so much to offer．
Kane was and still is a lot of warm and powerful energy sent to us all, so we might learn that love surpasses all things． Kane, a fragile yet lovely baby, was here to teach us all an important lesson． And at the age of two he did just that．
【小題1】How did the author think of Kane’s family members?

A．They were strange because they locked Kane at home．

B．It was respectable for them to start their own business．

C．It was ridiculous for them to make a cart for Kane．

D．They were greatly brave to face all the difficulties．

【小題2】How did Kane “get to” everywhere he wanted to go?

A．By moving his cart with his own hands．

B．By asking his father to lead him ahead with a stick．

C．By asking his grandparents to push hin everywhere．

D．His parents specially employed a babysitter for him．

【小題3】According to the author, God made Kane with disability to help _______．

A．his parents get to know their responsibility

B．his family members know the importance of union

C．people especially the healthy realize what love really means

D．people especially the disabled realize their inner power

【小題4】Kane needed attention because he wanted to show ________．

A．he can challenge his difficulty in moving

B．he had challenges or shortcomings in his life

C．he himself needed to be looked after by others

D．he had the power to prove he was capable too

【小題5】What can we learn from Kane’s story?

A．Love me, love my dog．

B．Love is above all things．

C．Many hands make light work．

D．Pure gold fears no fire．

Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance.
"Watson," said Mr. Smith, "this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to drop that department. It's finished. I’m sorry, —but you'll have to go." "But, sir — if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School."
"What's that!" said the boss. "Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary."
"I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He's a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ there."
The boss sat perfectly still for a long time — a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, "We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life."
Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:
I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple (跛腳的人). But don't worry about me, Dad. They've got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ (冠軍) and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, 1 want to do something for Champ. Something big — that he won’ t even know about.
Your son,
Herbie
【小題1】Mr. Smith wanted to fire Watson because _____.

A．Watson would take over a new job in another department

B．Watson had his son study in Riverside School

C．Watson's son knocked a boy down who hit Herbie

D．Watson's department didn't earn money that year

【小題2】We can learn from the text that _____.

A．Mr. Smith didn't know that Champ was Watson's son at first

B．Mr. Smith was told not to fire Watson by Herbie

C．Mr. Smith decided to give Watson another chance in no time

D．Mr. Smith wanted to realize Champ's dream

【小題3】According to the text, which words can best describe Mr. Smith?

A．Selfish and greedy.

B．Sympathetic and grateful.

C．Hardworking and strict.

D．Easy-going and optimistic.

【小題4】The author wrote the text in order to _____.

A．share a moving story with us

B．make our children enjoy life

C．provide us with tips on work

D．help us to deal with our boss

Mrs. Goff is a math teacher at Lincoln High School. Mrs. Goff and I met my freshman year. Zach Howe and I were on our way to a baseball game when he said he needed to get his stuff from Mrs. Goff’s room. I had no idea who she was then, but he said she was great. Well, he was definitely right.
Last year, I had a college math class that required me to be in the computer lab, which was located directly behind Mrs. Goff’s room. When I struggled in the section, I would go to Mrs. Goff’s and ask for assistance. She told me that I was a little too dependent and not confident enough in my ability.
A little confidence, combined with effort, will do wonders for anyone in anything. If you go into something thinking negative thoughts, negative things will happen. Mrs. Goff taught me that it was OK to make a few mistakes. Mistakes are a part of everyone’s life. She told me that it is how you learn from them that defines your character. A person that learns from his or her mistakes is more likely to be a successful person in life.
This year, I have spent a lot of time with Mrs. Goff. She really helps me instill(逐漸灌輸) confidence in myself and others around me. The encouragement that she has given me made me realize that I can do the same thing for people. Therefore, she has helped my leadership skills and increased my confidence in being outgoing.
Mrs. Goff is a great role model in my life, and I appreciate everything she has done for me. I will never forget the things that she has done for me and the things she has helped me learn and accomplish throughout high school. I hope to be as good a teacher as she and give encouragement that she has for me and all of her students.
【小題1】What can we conclude from the passage?

A．A little confidence may help you achieve what might be impossible.

B．Mrs. Goff is the best math teacher.

C．A teacher determines the fate of a student.

D．The author became successful due to Mrs. Goff.

【小題2】What does the author intend to say in the third paragraph?

A．You are sure to succeed with confidence and effort.

B．Take a positive attitude towards your mistakes.

C．Try to avoid making mistakes in your everyday life.

D．A successful person may make fewer mistakes.

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．the author now is working as an excellent teacher.

B．Mrs. Goff has a great effect on the author.

C．the author has made many mistakes at school.

D．Mrs. Goff should have helped the author more.

【小題4】Mrs. Goff spent much time with the author______.

A．to make him realize he can help people around

B．to help him gain more and more confidence

C．to tell him how to give others encouragement

D．to share her experience with him and others.

William Herschel was born on November 15th, 1738 in Hanover in a family of musicians. In 1757,he fled to England and began earning a living as an organist and later composer and conductor. In 1772, he convinced his sister Caroline to join him as a singer. In their spare time the brother-sister team became occupied in astronomy. William died at his home in Slough, near Windsor on August 25th,1822,and Caroline on September 1st,1848.
Herschel’s first major discoveries were to show that Mars and Jupiter exhibit axial rotation(繞軸自轉(zhuǎn)). Herschel struck fame in 1781,when on March 13th he discovered the planet Uranus(天王星) while engaged in work aimed at determining stellar parallax(恒星視差).This being the first new planet discovered since ancient times, Herschel, until then a mere amateur astronomer relatively unknown even in England, became world-famous. Adopting a historically proven strategy, Herschel named the new planet Georgium Sidum,in honor of the then ruling English king GeorgeⅢ. The trick worked once again, as King GeorgeⅢ gave William and Caroline the titles of“The King’s Astronomer”and“Assistant to the King’s Astronomer”, an honor which came with a life’s pension for both. In 1782 they moved to Bath, and shortly thereafter to Slough, and from this point on William and Caroline could devote themselves entirely to astronomy. The Herschels went on to discover two moons of Uranus in 1787.
While Caroline became increasingly occupied with the search for comets at which she was quite successful, William became for a time interested in the Sun. Inspired by Wilson’s 1774 work, he put forth the theory of sunspots(太陽黑子),an opinion that continued to exist well into the nineteenth century. In 1800,he became interested in the solar spectrum(太陽光譜),and uncovered the first evidence for solar energy output outside of the visible spectrum, in what is now known as the infrared(紅外線).In 1801, he published two papers that effectively started the field of solar influences on Earth’s weather.
【小題1】Herschel made himself known to the world mainly by       .

A．discovering the planet Uranus

B．determining stellar parallax

C．discovering two moons of Uranus

D．uncovering the evidence for the infrared

【小題2】It can be inferred from the passage that George Ⅲ        .

A．liked science and technology

B．liked Herschel’s naming of the new planet

C．was interested in astronomy

D．gave Herschel a lot of useful suggestions

【小題3】What do we know about Caroline from the passage?

A．She was successful in music.

B．She was given the title of“The King’s Astronomer”.

C．She died later than her brother.

D．She published two papers.

【小題4】This passage mainly tells readers        .

A．some information about Herschel and his sister

B．how Herschel and his sister discovered the planet Uranus

C．Herschel and Caroline got along well with each other

D．Herschel and Caroline’s major scientific publications

He’s an old cobbler(修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me,“I haven’t time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street. He’ll fix them for you right away.”
But I had my eyes on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手藝人).“No.”I replied,“The other fellow can’t do it well.”
“The other fellow”was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys —without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap(鞋帶), you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn’t give in, and he smiled. He wiped hands on his blue apron(圍裙),looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said,“Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?”he said with pride.“Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange dusty felt hat, his funny accent and his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it“pays”,when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption rather than a way to realize their abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
【小題1】Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?

A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools.

B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais.

C．He was proud of his skills.

D．He was a native Parisian.

【小題2】The sentence“He was something out of an ancient legend.(Paragraph 7) implies that        .”

A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him

B．it was difficult to communicate with this man

C．the man was very strange

D．the man was too old

【小題3】According to the author, many people work just to        .

A．realize their abilities	B．gain happiness
C．make money	D．gain respect

【小題4】This story wants to tell us that       .

A．craftsmen make a lot of money	B．whatever you do, do it well
C．craftsmen need self-respect	D．people are born equal

As a boy I was always small for my age. I was also five years younger than one of my brothers and seven years younger than the other. As a result I often felt left out when their friends came over to play. I was either too small or too young for whatever they were doing and they didn't want their younger brother listening in on their conversations either. More often than not I found myself outside playing alone and feeling forgotten.
I remember one spring afternoon feeling especially lonely as I sat in the yard behind our house. We lived miles from town and I rarely saw my own friends outside of school. I heard my brothers laughing from inside the house and felt a single tear coming down my cheek. At that moment I saw a large brown dog walking over to me. He looked happy and his tail was wagging as well. Even though he didn't know me he greeted me like a long lost friend, licking my chin and sitting beside me on the spring grass. It must have been at least an hour that I petted and talked to this four-legged angel. He let me pour out all my troubles and share my deepest thoughts before he kissed my cheek goodbye and ambled off either to Heaven or his home. I went back inside feeling happy, knowing that no matter what life may hold I was loved. Now over 40 years later I still remember that angel with a smile.
I believe that God sent him in that moment of sadness to remind me just how much he loved me. There is nothing more important than knowing we are loved. When we are loved, we will learn to love others. Learning to love helps us to understand ourselves and other people better.
【小題1】How did the writer feel when his brothers’ friends came?

A．Proud.

B．Lonely.

C．Worried.

D．Happy.

【小題2】The writer shared his troubles and thoughts with the dog because ______.
it was his friend
B. it could understand him
C. it was friendly to him 
D. it looked like an angel
【小題3】From Paragraph 2, we can learn that ______.

A．the boy met a long lost friend

B．the boy had no friends at school

C．the dog helped the boy realize that he was loved

D．the dog spent the afternoon with the boy and his brothers

【小題4】The author wrote the story to______.

A．encourage people to talk about their troubles

B．tell people they should treat animals friendly

C．share his unforgettable experience with us

D．show knowing you are loved is the most important

A few days ago，I went to school with lots of books，hoping to get a locker (鎖柜)．Suddenly，it started raining heavily. I hurried to pay for my locker，but I was disappointed when they informed me they only accepted cash. I was $7.00 short，which meant I had to carry the books back home. It would be an exhausting (令人筋疲力盡的) two­hour journey back home with all those books.
An elderly gentleman nearby noticed my problem. He asked how much cash I needed. When I told him I was $7 short，he quickly took out the money from his wallet. “You don’t have to pay me back，”he said. I was speechless；I didn’t know whether to take the money or come back with the books the next day. A young student who was working there noticed my hesitation. “He’s really nice，” said the student. “I was starving this morning and he bought breakfast for me. He always helps people in different ways.”
The next day，I went to him and thanked him for trusting me and lending me the money. He said he forgot about it and didn’t expect I would give it back. “I’m very happy，”he said，“not because I’m getting my money back，but because this is the right way to go—whatever you get from this world，give it back as much as you possibly can. Spread kindness around the world with the smallest things you can do.”
Later，I found out he wasn’t involved with any charity organizations. He has been performing these types of acts for years. Earlier，someone had done something incredibly kind for him and he has been spreading the kindness ever since. He taught me a very important lesson in life—we come to this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Whatever we own，it will become somebody else’s and whatever we leave，it will become somebody else’s.
【小題1】When the old gentleman offered the money，the writer was________.

A．touched

B．hesitant

C．a(chǎn)mazed

D．embarrassed

【小題2】From Paragraph 3 we learn that________.

A．the gentleman worked in the school

B．the gentleman was kind but forgetful

C．the gentleman refused to take back the money

D．the gentleman thought it right to give back to society

【小題3】Why had the gentleman been doing acts of kindness?

A．He wanted to join the charity organizations.

B．He managed a lot of other people’s money.

C．He had received help from others before.

D．He thought money was of little importance.