William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood lacked the harmony（和睦）that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked  his family by saying that he remembered “l(fā)ittle of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he inherited（繼承）excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama（戲�。゛nd poetry. 
Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at beginning. He didn’t lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats’s poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.
He had not enjoyed a major public life since winning the Nobel Price in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats’ death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:
Earth, receive an honored guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel（船）lie
Emptied of its poetry.
小題1:Which of the following can describe Yeats’s family?

A．It filled Yeats’s childhood with laughter

B．It was shocked by Yeats’s choice

C．It was a typically wealthy family

D．It had an artistic atmosphere

小題2:According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats’s life?

A．Yeats founded the first Irish theater

B．Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry

C．Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s

D．Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize

小題3: What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Auden’s lines?

A．Envy

B．Sympathy

C．Emptiness

D．Admiration

小題4:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Yeats’s literary achievements	B．Yeats’s historical influence
C．Yeats’s artistic ambition	D．Yeats’s national honor

When I was in seventh grade, I volunteered at a local hospital during the summer. I spent most of the time there with Mr. Gillespie. He never had any      , and nobody seemed to care about his condition. I spent many days there       his hand and talking to him, helping with anything that needed to be done. He became a close friend of mine,       Mr. Gillespie was in a coma (昏迷).
I left for a week, and when I came back, Mr. Gillespie was      . I didn't have the courage to ask any of the nurses where he was, for       they might tell me he had died.
So with many questions      , I continued to volunteer there.
Several years later, I was at a gas station when I noticed a       face. When I realized who it was, my eyes filled with tears. He was alive? I got up the       to ask him if his name was Mr. Gillespie, and if he had been in a       about 5 years ago. With an uncertain look on his face, he       yes. I explained how I knew him. His eyes were       with tears, and he gave me the warmest hug.
He began to tell me when he       there comatose (昏迷的), he could hear me talking to him and could       me holding his hand the whole time. He thought it was an      , not a person, who was there with him. Mr. Gillespie firmly believed that it was my       and touch that had kept him alive.
Then he told me about his life and what happened       him to put him in the coma. We both cried for a while, said our goodbyes and       our separate ways.
Although I have not seen him since then, he fills my heart with joy every day. I know that I made a       between his life and his death. More      , he has made a very big difference in my life, too. I will never forget him and what he       for me: he made me an angel.

小題1:	A．visitors B．employees C．doctors D．relatives

小題2:	A．touching B．breaking C．holding D．shaking

小題3:	A．if B．although C．when D．since

小題4:	A．dead B．lost C．puzzled D．gone

小題5:	A．fear B．terror C．convenience D．insurance

小題6:	A．undone B．unanswered C．uncovered D．unaccepted

小題7:	A．blank B．kindly C．familiar D．strange

小題8:	A．support B．principle C．memory D．courage

小題9:	A．coma B．position C．conversation D．situation

小題10:

A．expected B．replied C．thought D．considered

小題11:

A．kept B．put C．filled D．came

小題12:

A．climbed B．sat C．stood D．lay

小題13:

A．feel B．attack C．imagine D．send

小題14:

A．animal B．angel C．interviewee D．assistant

小題15:

A．noise B．shout C．voice D．suggestion

小題16:

A．to B．on C．over D．off

小題17:

A．ran B．checked C．escaped D．went

小題18:

A．living B．difference C．mistake D．turn

小題19:

A．importantly B．carefully C．frequently D．actually

小題20:

A．decorated B．headed C．did D．allowed

Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 am. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak and elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly towards the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It's nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you are such a good man.” She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It's not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I'm in no hurry,” she said. “I'm on my way to a hospice (臨終醫(yī)院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (計價器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, “I'm tired. Let's go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers.” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
小題1:Why did the man help the old woman so much?

A．He wanted to get more money from the old woman.

B．He was out of patience with the woman and wanted to leave quicker.

C．The old woman asked him to help.

D．He hoped others could also treated his old mother as well as he did.

小題2:The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to       .

A．show she was familiar with the city

B．see some places for the last time

C．let the driver earn more money

D．reach the destination on time

小題3:According to the text, what would the old woman feel after the driver showed her around the city and gave her a warm hug?

A．Excited.	B．Shocked.
C．Grateful.	D．Upset.

小題4:What can we learn from the story?

A．Giving is always a pleasure.

B．People should respect each other.

C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

D．People should learn to appreciate others' concern.

It was a winter afternoon. Some friends and I were eating at a restaurant and talking. We talked and talked and soon       became the topic. Suddenly I hit upon an idea. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go       ? Others go in winter, but why couldn’t we?      , we could be healthier if we did. ” I told them about this, and they all said it was a good idea      . Early the next morning, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands,       for a bus to take us to the       . The sky was clear; the sun was shining. But it was very cold all the same.       our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us warm. We all felt we should go back, but no one wanted to speak out.
We soon reached the sands. There was       there, but we were not discouraged. Instead we were       that we were the only ones that dared to challenge the weather.       we changed our clothes quickly. But things were not going so       . The freezing sea wind was blowing. We felt very cold and trembled all over. At       we made up our minds to go into the water. We put our feet in first       to take them back very quickly. The water was unbelievably cold. Then I suggested we all jump in       . We all went back ten steps. I gave the       , and we all rushed forward and jumped in. I shall never forget the moment I was in the water. I was up       and rushed again to the shore.       it was with my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible.
On the way back home, we talked about this unforgettable       . The four of us did not       school for the following three days. We all suffered a lot       a very bad cold. But we thought it was all worth it.

小題1:	A．film B．music C．sports D．play

小題2:	A．swimming B．skating C．skiing D．camping

小題3:	A．Specially B．Besides C．Really D．Clearly

小題4:	A．indeed B．fully C．certainly D．truly

小題5:	A．looking B．searching C．waiting D．asking

小題6:	A．river B．lake C．pool D．sands

小題7:	A．Even B．Yet C．But D．Just

小題8:	A．somebody B．nobody C．everybody D．anybody

小題9:	A．excited B．happy C．proud D．lonely

小題10:

A．So B．But C．Still D．Yet

小題11:

A．wrong B．right C．bad D．smooth

小題12:

A．first B．all C．last D．once

小題13:

A．just B．then C．only D．but

小題14:

A．one by one B．one after another C．separately D．at the same time

小題15:

A．message B．order C．mark D．information

小題16:

A．slowly B．nervously C．late D．immediately

小題17:

A．Nor B．And C．So D．Or

小題18:

A．idea B．experiment C．chance D．experience

小題19:

A．attend B．reach C．enter D．go

小題20:

A．by B．with C．from D．of

The centenary（百年）of the birth of William Faulkner, one of the great modern novelists, was celebrated in September 1997. Faulkner wrote about the southern states of the United States of America where he grew up, and where his family had an important part to play in the history of that region. His work became a touchstone for insights into the troubled issues of southern American identity, race relations, and the family interrelationships of the old time southern gentry(貴族).
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. Despite his interest in writing, he left Oxford High School, Mississippi, without graduating. After World War I, he entered the University of Mississippi as a special student, a right to study which was granted to retired soldiers, although Faulkner had only finished training with the Air Force in Canada, and not entered combat(戰(zhàn)斗).
Faulkner began to write poems, a verse play, short stories and finished his first novel Sartoris in 1928. His fiction was centered for 14 of the 19 novels published during his lifetime in a fictional region called Yoknapatawpha County. The name is said to come from the Indian Chickasaw word meaning split land.
In December 1950, Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. When he accepted it in Stockholm, his speech emphasized that he wished to continue writing, but in a positive way that affirmed the power of humanity to prevail over adverse circumstances. As he said in his speech, he still felt that, despite the threat of nuclear war then hanging over the world, the central concern of the writer should be “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself”. He wanted the tensions and problems that he had cast the spotlight on in the southern states of America to be resolved by the life-affirming attitudes and action of his characters. Like playwright Tennessee Williams, Faulkner was a major voice who spoke for the troubled heart of the southern states of America. His achievement is all the more remarkable because, as a schoolboy, he was not only a frequent absentee but also reportedly failed to reach pass grades in English class. His collected short stories, novels, poems, and other writings form a legacy( 遺產) of literature which casts profound illumination(啟發(fā)) on the special culture of the South, a culture which developed from a history and social circumstances that were always unique.
From the focus on a fictional county, and by remaining true to his view of a close-knit but real society that reflected the greater world around him, Faulkner in the end fashioned a legend of the Deep South that is one of the major achievements of the 20th century literature.
小題1:Which of the following statements about William Faulkner is NOT true？

A．William Faulkner’s work focuses on several troubled problems of southern America.

B．William Faulkner died one hundred years ago.

C．Although William Faulkner did not graduate from high school, he had great interests in writing.

D．William Faulkner once took part in the army when he was young.

小題2:Why did William Faulkner write about the southern states of America?

A．They were the place where he grew up and his family took an important role in the history of that region.

B．His work became a touchstone.

C．He cared about the troubled issues of southern America.

D．He felt sympathy for the poor in southern America.

小題3:Which of the following statements about Tennessee William is true?

A．Both Tennessee William and William Faulkner are playwrights.

B．Tennessee William was a major voice who spoke for the troubled people in southern America.

C．Like Faulkner, he once won Nobel Prize for literature.

D．Tennessee William had to pursue his writing career through difficult times.

小題4:What was William Faulkner’s attitude toward the troubled issues of southern America?

A．He reflected them by writing and criticized them.

B．He intended to call on the troubled people to rebel.

C．The troubled issues of southern America just provided many elements for his novels.

D．He advocated resolving them in positive attitudes and actions.

Once there was a man who liked to eat mangoes(芒果). One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.
So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.
Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived - a well-known sage who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.
He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man. Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?”  The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: “If I could just come down, I would show you!”
That’s what everybody wanted - that he came down. But how? Now everybody was tense(緊張), as to what would happen next! Some wanted to punish the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was enraged and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge（報仇）.
He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.
However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really helped him because he induced him to try his best and save himself.
“I should be thankful and not angry.”
小題1:What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?

A．He remained hanging helplessly on the tree.

B．He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly.

C．He was climbing down quickly but carefully.

D．He shouted loudly for help but no one helped.

小題2:How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?

A．He was nervous.

B．He kept silent.

C．He was angry.

D．He felt surprised.

小題3:What do you think motivated the man to climb down?

A．Courage.

B．Assistance.

C．Carefulness.

D．Revenge.

小題4:From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one        .

A．on the tree for the longest time	B．hidden in the middle of a tree
C．on the very top of the a tree	D．exposed to sunlight less often

小題5:The best title of this passage will be _____.

A．Anger saves one’s life.	B．Wisdom does count.
C．Skill and strength count.	D．Anger is the biggest enemy.

Henry Edwards Huntington was born in 1850 in Oneonta, New York. In 1872 he went to work for his uncle, one of the owners of the Central Pacific Railroad. Twenty years later, Huntington moved to San Francisco at his uncle’s request to share management of the Southern Pacific Railroad. On the way to San Francisco, he visited San Marino, and later bought it, which is home to his collections today.
In 1902, Huntington moved his business operations to Los Angeles, where he developed the street railway system that created the structure of the Los Angeles area. He greatly expanded the existing electric railway lines, creating an extensive inter-urban system providing the transportation necessary. Huntington’s business interests continued to grow particularly in the areas of water, power, and land development; at one time he served on as many as 60 corporate boards throughout the United States.
At the age of 60, he announced his decision to retire in order to devote time to his book and art collections and the landscaping of the 600-acre farm. In 1911 the large Beaux Arts building, in the charge of the architect Myron Hunt, was completed.
In 1913, Huntington married Arabella Duval Huntington. She shared his interests in collecting. As one of the most important art collectors of her generation, she was highly influential in the development of the art collection now shown in the former building.
In 1919, Henry and Arabella Huntington signed the agreement that conveyed their San Marino property and collections to a nonprofit educational trust, creating the Huntington, one of the world’s great cultural, research, and educational centers.  
Henry E. Huntington died in 1927, leaving his great treasures the Huntington, including the world-famous Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California to the public, which hosts more than 500,000 visitors each year.
小題1:What can you learn about Huntington from the first two paragraphs? 

A．He worked in many fields before he came to Los Angeles.

B．He built a house to store his art collection in San Marino.

C．He did a lot to the USA railway development.

D．He founded the Central Pacific Railroad.

小題2:What did Huntington do after his retirement?

A．He devoted himself to his personal interests.

B．He worked part time for non-profit business.

C．He was in charge of an educational center.

D．He shared his wife’s interests with her.

小題3:Which of the following can best describe Huntington?

A．An excellent artist.	B．A talented architect.
C．An ambitious educator.	D．A successful businessman.

小題4: This article is most probably taken from_______.

A．a science fiction

B．a newspaper report

C．a novel

D．a biography

“It is never too late and you are never too old to start something new!” says Englishtown       Ellen Rema. Ellen began to learn English at the age of 50, and in just a few years, she has made      progress!
Ellen chose to study at Englishtown because no evening classes were       in the German countryside where she lives. At Englishtown, she joins       classes online and speaks with live native English-speaking teacher.
In 2010, Ellen began with the first level of Englishtown and quickly    . “I spent hours and hours studying,” she said “Maybe I wanted too much in a short time. I finished all my       after 2 years and studying English isn’t all about hard work. It should also be       ! I really like the online conversation classrooms, in which I can learn so much about other cultures and traditions. I am open for all      .”
Ellen has been able to        her English to use by visiting England five times! “I am very thankful to Englishtown because most of the English I know now was learned here,” Ellen says. “My life has       with Englishtown.”

小題1:	A．professor B．friend C．student D．reporter

小題2:	A．amazing B．challenging C．discouraging D．disturbing

小題3:	A．satisfied B．offered C．attended D．represented

小題4:	A．conversation B．composition C．listening D．reading

小題5:	A．dropped B．brushed C．awarded D．progressed

小題6:	A．channels B．schedules C．courses D．papers

小題7:	A．fun B．waster C．weakness D．wonder

小題8:	A．measures B．topics C．timetables D．fashions

小題9:	A．take B．set C．make D．put

小題10:

A．ruined B．started C．changed D．Turned

Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree.
“Dad, can we watch when you trim(修剪) the tree?” My eldest son, Dan, nine, and his seven-year-old brother John, asked.
“I won’t be cutting this year,” my husband Bob said. “Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it?”
Dan and John seemed to grow six inches in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. “We can handle it,” Dan promised. “We won’t let you down.”
A few days before Christmas, Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they’d need and brought them out to the yard, where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the living room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence. I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears.
I felt worried. The tree was central to our holiday. I didn’t want the boys to feel ashamed every time they looked at it. I couldn’t lower the ceiling, and I couldn’t raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution.
“We can’t make the tree taller,” I said. “But we can put it on a higher position.”
Dan nodded his head sideways. “We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let’s try it!”
When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath.
“What a good idea!” he declared. “Why didn’t I ever think of such a thing?”
John broke into a grin. Dan’s chest swelled with pride.
小題1:The underlined part “grow six inches” (Para. 4) implies the brothers felt        .

A．proud

B．nervous

C．embarrassed

D．Scared

小題2:What happened after the brothers moved the Christmas tree into the living room?

A．They rushed to school.

B．They began to decorate the tree.

C．They got angry with each other.

D．They found the tree was cut short.

小題3:How could the short tree be turned into a perfect one?

A．By making the tree taller.

B．By lowering the ceiling.

C．By placing it on a coffee table.

D．By raising the floor.

小題4:What Bob said in the last but one paragraph showed        .

A．he was a little disappointed

B．he was too stupid to think of the idea

C．he appreciated what the brothers had done

D．he should not have given them the task

As our exams were over, my friends and I went to a fast food restaurant. We         hamburgers and Coca Colar at the counter. When our        came, I started walking towards an empty table. By bad luck, my purse strap(帶子) got      on a chair and the tray(托盤) that I was holding slipped      my hands and went flying in the air. The tray, and its contents,     on a man who was just about to     a bite of his sandwich. I stared, greatly      , as the drinks soaked(浸濕) his white shirt.
Then I      my eyes and prepared myself for his burst of       . Instead, he said “It’s OK” to       me before he disappeared into washroom.
Still shaky and unsure      to do next, my friends and I went to a table and sat there, trying our best to look     . A moment later, the man came out of the washroom and        our table. My heart almost stopped     . I though he was going to ask for my father’ s       and call him.
To my surprise, he merely smiled at us, handed us some cash and said, “       yourself new hamburgers.” He then walked        without even finishing his food.
He could have made what was already an uncomfortable situation worse,        he chose a different way and gave us a reason to believe that there is still     in this world. I’ll never       his actions.

小題1:	A．made B．ordered C．arranged D．demanded

小題2:	A．food B．turn C．bill D．menu

小題3:	A．fixed B．cut C．tied D．caught

小題4:	A．out B．by C．in D．from

小題5:	A．knocked B．fell C．stood D．hung

小題6:	A．taste B．take C．swallow D．chew

小題7:	A．discouraged B．disappointed C．shocked D．annoyed

小題8:	A．rolled B．rubbed C．narrowed D．closed

小題9:	A．bitterness B．anxiety C．anger D．sorrow

小題10:

A．satisfy B．comfort C．encourage D．praise

小題11:

A．what B．how C．who D．which

小題12:

A．mild B．honest C．calm D．modest

小題13:

A．approached B．pushed C．drew D．laid

小題14:

A．breaking B．sinking C．trembling D．beating

小題15:

A．help B．position C．number D．job

小題16:

A．Prepare B．Buy C．Find D．Cook

小題17:

A．away B．on C．around D．up

小題18:

A．so B．since C．although D．but

小題19:

A．kindness B．happiness C．politeness D．brightness

小題20:

A．refuse B．forget C．oppose D．ignore