Would you jump off the Great Wall of China for 300 pounds a day?
A stunt (特技表演)person is a man or woman who does all the dangerous bits of acting work in films or on TV. This can be anything from a simple fall into a swimming pool, or walking off the top of a tall building. It sounds like a job that you would have to be made to try, but there are actually lots of people who want to do it.
Sarah France, twenty-four, is one of Britain’s sixteen professional stunt women ---there are one hundred and sixty stunt men in the country. We asked Sarah how she came to be a stunt woman.
“When I was young I was trained to be a dancer, and for seven years after school I was hardly out of work. A dancer’s life is pretty short, though, and my father suggested I should think about doing stunt work after I’d given up dancing. I thought about it for the next two years and decided to have a go. For six months, I worked really hard every day. I had to learn different skills---swimming, jumping, horse -riding, etc.”
Sarah finished the course in just five months and applied to the office which decides whether you’re accepted as a professional stunt person or not. Two weeks after she was accepted, Sarah was throwing off the Great Wall of China in Superman IV.
“I was very lucky to get work so quickly. I had a small part, playing a traveler who fell off the Wall after an earthquake. The traveler’s life was saved by Superman, of course! Actually, I fell forty-five feet into a pile of cardboard boxes! You can’t use anything softer than that or you will be brought back into view of the cinema. Instead you just have to learn to fall properly. It’s quite dangerous but I enjoy it.”
小題1:Quite a number of people want to do dangerous acts in films because___________.

A．they are mad	B．they don’t think them dangerous
C．no training is needed	D．they can earn much money

小題2:Sarah gave up dancing because___________.

A．her father persuaded her to do stunt work

B．she could not go on dancing forever

C．she had to work hard every day

D．she was often out of work

小題3:Soon after Sarah got her new job as a stunt person, ______________.

A．a(chǎn)n earthquake took place near the Great Wall

B．she fell off the Great Wall and hurt herself

C．she was asked to act in Superman IV

D．she learned how to fall properly

小題4:Which of the following words best describes Sarah?

A．Healthy

B．Adventurous

C．Skillful

D．Successful

小題5:The purpose of the first sentence of the passage is to ____________.

A．draw the readers’ attention to the whole passage

B．invite you to try jumping off the Great Wall for money

C．a(chǎn)sk you to be a stunt person

D．raise a question for the readers to think about

Jenny was a pretty five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl (珍珠) necklace priced at $2.50. Her mother bought the necklace for her on condition that she had to do some homework to pay it off. Jenny agreed. She worked very hard every day, and soon Jenny paid off the necklace. Jenny loved it so much that she wore it everywhere except when she was in the shower. Her mother had told her it would turn her neck green!
Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would read Jenny her favorite story.
One night when he finished the story, he said, “Jenny, could you give me your necklace?”
“Oh! Daddy, not my necklace!” Jenny said. “But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. Okay? ”
“Oh no, darling, that’s okay.” Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. “Good night, little one.
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny for the necklace after her favorite story. “Oh, Daddy, not my necklace! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She’s my favorite.”
“No, that’s okay,” her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. “God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams. ”
Several days later, when Jenny’s father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling. “Here, Daddy,” she said, holding out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father’s hand.
With one hand her father held the plastic pearl necklace and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue box. Inside the box was a real, beautiful pearl necklace. He had had it all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap necklace so he could give her a real one.
小題1:What did Jenny have to do to get the plastic pearl necklace?

A．She had to help her mother do some housework.

B．She had to listen to her father tell a story every night.

C．She had to ask her father to pay for the necklace.

D．She had to give away her favorite toys to the poor children.

小題2:From the text we know that ______.

A．Jenny’s mother paid a lot for the plastic pearl necklace

B．Jenny wore the necklace everywhere even in the shower

C．Jenny didn’t like Rosy and Ribbons any longer

D．Jenny got a real pearl necklace from her father

小題3:Jenny’s father asked for her plastic pearl necklace repeatedly in order to ______.

A．get it for himself

B．donate it

C．train her character

D．put it away

小題4:What can be the best title for the text?

A．A Lovely Girl	B．Father and Daughter
C．A Pearl Necklace	D．An Unforgettable Childhood

The composing career (作曲生涯) of Albert Roussel got off to a changeable start, and received one of its biggest successes from a lie.
Roussel became an orphan (孤兒) at the age of eight and went to live with his grandfather. He built on the music he had learned from his mother, entertaining himself by reading through the family music collection and playing operatic selections and popular songs on the piano. Three years later Roussel’s grandfather died, and his mother's sister took him in. Her husband arranged for young Albert to take piano lessons. Summer vacations at a Belgian seaside added a second love to his life — the sea. He studied to be a soldier in the navy, but still made time to study music.
In the French Navy, he and two friends found time to play the music of Beethoven and other composers. Roussel also began composing. At the Church of the Trinity in Cherbourg on Christmas Day 1892, he had his first public appearance as a composer. That success encouraged Roussel to write a wedding march, and one of his fellow naval officers offered to show it to a famous conductor, Edouard Colonne. When Roussel’s friend returned with the manuscript (手稿), he reported that Colonne had advised Roussel to give up his naval career and devote his life to music.
Not long afterward, at the age of 2S, Roussel did just that. He applied the qualities that he had developed in the navy to his composing and became a major force in twentieth century French music. As for Edouard Colonne’s inspiring advice that Roussel should devote his life to music, Roussel's naval friend later admitted that he had made it up and that he had never even shown Roussel’s manuscript to the conductor.
小題1:What information can we get from the second paragraph?

A．Albert’s grandfather died when Albert was eight years old.

B．Albert's aunt arranged for him to take piano lessons.

C．Albert gave up studying music after he studied to be a soldier in the navy.

D．Albert came to love the sea after summer vacations at the seaside.

小題2:From the third paragraph we know that ______.

A．in the French Navy, Roussel and two friend began composing

B．Roussel’s first public appearance at the church was successful

C．Roussel's naval friend showed the wedding march to Edouard

D．Edouard Colonne advised Roussel to devote his life to music

小題3:Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．The composing career of Roussel started stably.

B．Roussel learned basic music knowledge from his aunt.

C．A white lie helped Roussel achieve success.

D．Roussel was cheated and hurt by his naval friend.

小題4:Who told a lie according to the text?

A．Roussel’s grandfather.

B．Albert’s naval friend.

C．Roussel's aunt.

D．Edouard Colonne.

When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. ______, it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so ______.
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly ______ cold — very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move ____ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also ______. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something ______. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear, ” said the old lady. “I need ______. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”
“Airport? You ______ are lost, ” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers ______ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and ______ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the ______ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no ______ you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear, ” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll ____ in time. ”
The ______ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it ______ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something ______ happened. The car began changing. First, its color ______ from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, ______ just above the ground. As the car ______ into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling ______, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…

小題1:	A．However B．Besides C．Therefore D．Otherwise

小題2:	A．brave B．excited C．curious D．stubborn

小題3:	A．fell B．seemed C．proved D．grew

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)side B．a(chǎn)round C．forward D．backward

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)rrived B．stopped C．stayed D．started

小題6:	A．gathered B．existed C．dropped D．moved

小題7:	A．help B．gas C．rest D．water

小題8:	A．necessarily B．normally C．basically D．certainly

小題9:	A．if B．until C．unless D．a(chǎn)s

小題10:

A．drive B．walk C．follow D．march

小題11:

A．a(chǎn)ddress B．signs C．notices D．guidance

小題12:

A．doubt B．room C．time D．way

小題13:

A．have it B．get it C．make it D．finish it

小題14:

A．door B．window C．headlight D．wheel

小題15:

A．passed B．rushed C．turned D．continued

小題16:

A．strange B．sensitive C．imaginable D．horrible

小題17:

A．developed B．a(chǎn)ppeared C．spread D．faded

小題18:

A．rolling B．floating C．drawing D．flashing

小題19:

A．pointed B．returned C．broke D．rose

小題20:

A．tune B．voice C．sound D．tone

Tasha Tudor(August 28，1919 — June 18，2008) was an American illustrator(插畫家)and writer of children’s books. She received many awards and honors for her contributions to children’s literature. When people talk about her creativity in artwork，she said,“I do it to support my dogs and my four children.”Her great publishing record, the number of magazine stories that have been written about her over the years, and her admirers have no effects on her at all.

Much of Tasha’s artwork and her reading are done in the wintertime.“I love winter. It’s delightful，”she says.“I don’t have to go anywhere because I work at home. If I’m snowed in，I can stay this way for months.”She hopes for early, deep snow to protect her garden from the hardship of the New England winter，and when it comes she puts on snowshoes when she needs to get down the mile-long dirt path that leads to the road.
Given her enjoyment of winter and her fantasy(夢(mèng)幻)way of life，it’s not surprising that Tasha’s  Christmas is a storybook holiday. She hangs flowers over the front door. Her tree comes from the woods,
and it goes up on Christmas Eve，lit by homemade candles and decorated with her great- grandmother’s collection that dates from 1850. In a place of honor on the tree are large cookies cut into the shapes of her animals.
The grandchildren and friends get presents from Tasha’s old dolls；so do the animals and they
have their own Christmas tree. “Of course，it’s a known fact that all the animals talk on Christmas
Eve,”she has written. Small, handmade gifts fill a big wooden box
At the end 0f each year, Tasha can look back and know that her life is perfect，that she has
again ignored the twentieth century，and that the magic continues. And for the rest of us，here’s
a bit of advice, Tasha style：“Nowadays, people are so restless．If they took some tea anti spent more time rocking on the porch(門廊)in the evening listening to light music，they might enjoy life more.”
小題1:Tasha loved winter because it allowed her to ____________．

A．read stories to her grandchildren

B．show her DIY snowshoes to kids

C．stay indoors working mid reading

D．enjoy bicycle tiding along the path

小題2:From the passage, we can learn that Tasha’s life is ____________．

A．modern and fashionable	B．simple and fantastic
C．lonely and hard	D．a(chǎn)dventurous and inspiring

小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about Tasha?

A．She cared little about fame.

B．She created an animal fund.

C．She wrote many stories for magazines.

D．She bought presents for her relatives.

小題4:In which section of a paper can you probably read the article?

A．Travel.

B．Sports.

C．Economy.

D．People.

In a land far away, once upon a time there was great poverty, and only the rich could manage without great problems．It is said that one day three of those rich men and their servants were         together on a road when they came to a very poor village．
The first could not stand seeing the         , so he took all the gold and jewels from his wagons （四輪載重馬車） and shared them out among the villagers．He wished them all the best of luck, and he left．
The second rich man, seeing the worrying situation, stopped for a short time and then decided to give the        all his food and drink, since he could see that money would be of little         to them．He made sure that they each         their fair share and would have enough food to last for some time．Then, he left．
The third rich man, on seeing such poverty,        and went straight through the poverty-stricken village without stopping．The two other rich men saw all this from a distance and commented heatedly with each other on how the third rich man lacked sympathy．It was         that they themselves had been there to offer help．
However, to their great surprise,  three days later, they        the third rich man, who was coming in the         direction．He was still traveling quickly, but his wagons, instead of the gold and valuables they had been carrying, were now completely full of farming tools and bags of        ．He was rushing back to help them out of poverty．

小題1:	A．standing B．traveling C．gathering D．running

小題2:	A．land B．welfare C．richness D．poverty

小題3:	A．villagers B．servants C．others D．rest

小題4:	A．interest B．concern C．use D．a(chǎn)ttraction

小題5:	A．returned B．possessed C．offered D．received

小題6:	A．turned around B．certain C．true D．strange

小題7:	A．welcomed B．met C．a(chǎn)ccepted D．persuaded

小題8:	A．opposite B．same C．similar D．familiar

小題9:	A．food B．jewels C．money D．seeds

A very wealthy man was standing thoughtfully on a bridge．Despite all his riches，he could feel none of happiness but        and emptiness in his heart．He        to commit suicide by jumping into the fast-flowing water．
When he was about to do it，an old beggar        him．“Sir，please give me some money to buy some food．I will pray for your health and long life．”
Hearing this，he        his wallet from his pocket and gave all the money inside to the beggar．“Take all of this，”he said．
“All of this?” the beggar       ．He could not believe his good luck．
“Yes，take it all．I am going to a place where I won’t need it anymore，’’said the man．He looked back at the river       ．
The beggar became suspicious of the man’s       ．Looking at the money，and holding it for a while，he        returned it and said，“No，thank you．I won’t take it! I may be a beggar but I'm not a coward(懦夫)!Bring that money with you to the river，sir!”
Hearing his response，the man was       ．The satisfaction and happiness of him        his money to the beggar disappeared immediately．He was not even able to make the beggar receive his sincere soon-to-be-useless money．
At that moment，he suddenly        the feeling that he felt just now，that good feeling and satisfaction from giving others happiness，had indeed        become his own true happiness．By this he was encouraged，and had found what would make his life worth living．
Happiness is only real when       ．

小題1:	A．eagernes B．poverty C．sorrow D．success

小題2:	A．struggled B．wondered C．managed D．intended

小題3:	A．a(chǎn)pproached B．interrupted C．persuaded D．shouted

小題4:	A．picked up B．took out C．reached for D．handed in

小題5:	A．recalled B．refused C．repeated D．retold

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)way B．forward C．a(chǎn)side D．below

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)ttitude B．order C．a(chǎn)ttention D．politeness

小題8:	A．delightedly B．hurriedly C．hopelessly D．generously

小題9:	A．shocked B．terrified C．worried D．encouraged

小題10:

A．sending B．giving C．supplying D．contributing

小題11:

A．realized B．hated C．enjoyed D．struck

小題12:

A．by nature B．by design C．in turn D．in circles

小題13:

A．bought B．a(chǎn)ppreciated C．sacrificed D．shared

In December of l 992．I was a happy husband and father of two young children．A month later，I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(急性白血病)．
After two years of chemo(化療)that helped control the disease，my body was weak and lifeless．I felt as if I were a puppet who needed help to lift his arms or hold up his head．
I began to run．After six months my strength had come back．On one of my runs，one where I felt I could run forever，I decided I was going to try to run a marathon．
After telling my Dad about my plan，he told me of a program that trains people to run a marathon，while raising funds for Leukemia research at the same time．So that summer，through the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training program，I started to train for the Marine Corps Marathon．During mile after mile of uncertainty，the day finally came to run the marathon．
On October 27，1996，at 8 A．M．，along with l9,000 other brave souls I started on a 26.2-mile journey that I will never forget．
I first saw my wife Patty at the six-mile mark . She seemed happy that I was still looking as if I knew what I was doing，and having a good time doing it．At Mile l7，my mind was going back to those two horrible years that tried to bring my family and me down．I saw her again．The concern in her face told me she knew I was starting to struggle．I felt as if we were thinking the same，nine more miles and these last few years will be behind us．
That thought alone pulled me forward．Mile 22，23，slowing but going，24，25，then there it was．The Iwo Jima War Memorial．I have seen nothing so grand and inspiring in my life．Three hours and forty-one minutes after I started，I crossed what I think has to be the most fitting finish line in all of road racing!
That night the Leukemia Society gave me a pin at a post-race party that simply says，“Leukemia 26.2”．
If God wills，my cancer may once again take away my hair and my strength，maybe even my life．But it can never take away my pin，or the fact that I am a marathoner .
小題1:The writer decided to run a marathon because __________ .

A．he wanted to raise money for Leukemia research

B．he believed he was able to take the challenge

C．he hoped to recover his strength through training

D．his dad knew about the race and made the suggestion

小題2:Which statement is RIGHT about the writer?

A．He has always been dreaming of becoming a marathoner．

B．The training he took that summer well prepared him for the race．

C．Those running in the race were mostly Leukemia patients like him .

D．His wife was with him during the marathon to give him support．

小題3:Why does the writer think the finish line is the most fitting?

A．Because running a marathon is the most suitable sport for him．

B．Because the memorial is the most powerful construction he has seen．

C．Because he considers it a victory over his disease to finish the race．

D．Because 26.2 miles is the most reasonable distance for road racing．

小題4:Which of the following can best describe the writer?

A．Optimistic and outspoken	B．Strong-willed and determined
C．Generous and easy-going	D．Brave and warm-hearted

An old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and 4-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands    , his eyesight was not clear, and his    unsteady（不穩(wěn)定的）. The family were    every night at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and     sight made this rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass,       would often spill（灑落）onto the tablecloth. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the husband.
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate    in the corner while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table.       grandfather had already broken a dish or two, his food was served in a    bowl. Sometimes, when the family      grandfather, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone.      , the only words the couple had for him were sharp    when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The 4-year-old boy watched all this      .
One evening before supper, the father      his son playing with wood scraps（小塊）on the floor. He asked the child sweetly: “What are you making?” Just as      , the boy answered: “Oh, I am making a little    for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The 4-year-old boy smiled and went back to      on it.
The words    the parents so much that they were    . Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.        no word was spoken, both knew what they had to do. That evening, the husband took grandfather’s hand and      led him back to the family table.

小題1:	A．wounded B．moved C．trembled D．dragged

小題2:	A．step B．feet C．speech D．body

小題3:	A．a(chǎn)way B．together C．a(chǎn)sleep D．a(chǎn)part

小題4:	A．losing B．failing C．disappearing D．rising

小題5:	A．food B．pan C．milk D．dinner

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)lone B．casually C．steadily D．bitterly

小題7:	A．After B．Since C．While D．When

小題8:	A．small B．safe C．big D．wooden

小題9:	A．glanced at B．stared at C．looked through D．looked after

小題10:

A．However B．Otherwise C．Still D．Rather

小題11:

A．comments B．quarrels C．warnings D．remark

小題12:

A．in silence B．in advance C．in danger D．in charge

小題13:

A．researched B．noticed C．searched D．explored

小題14:

A．firmly B．suddenly C．cruelly D．sweetly

小題15:

A．bowl B．cup C．spoon D．pan

小題16:

A．worship B．work C．whisper D．weave

小題17:

A．impressed B．touched C．confused D．struck

小題18:

A．speechless B．homeless C．fearless D．hopeless

小題19:

A．Once B．Whether C．Though D．Unless

小題20:

A．gently B．happily C．fluently D．fortunately

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits（成就）. Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy." John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say, 'You are completely crazy,'" Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter（遭遇）with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
小題1:The turning point in Saunders' life came when _________.

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at age 15

C．he ran his first marathon at age 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway's training

小題2:We can learn from the text that Ridgway __________.

A．dismissed Saunders' dream as fantasy

B．built up his body together with Saunders

C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

小題3:What do we know about Saunders_________?

A．He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

D．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

小題4:The underlined word "Intrigued" in the third paragraph probably means_________.

A．Excited	B．Convinced
C．Delighted	D．Fascinated

小題5:It can be inferred tat Saunders' journey to the North Pole __________.

A．was accompanied by his old playmates

B．set a record in the North Pole expedition

C．was supported by other Arctic explorers

D．made him well-known in the 1960s