An old man lived with his family. The family would eat together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, dropping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk, it often spilled clumsily(笨拙地) at the tablecloth.
With this happening almost every night, the son and daughter-in-law became annoyed with the mess.
“We must do something about grandfather,” said the son.
“I’ve had enough of his milk spilling, noisy eating and food on the floor,” the daughter-in-law agreed.
So the couple set a small table at the corner.
There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in wooden bowls. Sometimes when the family looked in grandfather’s direction, he had tears in his eyes as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp warnings when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening, before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood pieces on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy replied, “Oh, I’m making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
These words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done.
小題1:Eating was difficult for the grandfather because ________.

A．his son and daughter-in-law didn’t like him

B．there wasn’t enough food for him

C．life was hard for the poor family

D．he was old and weak

小題2:The couple served the old man’s food in wooden bowls to ________.

A．show how sick they felt of the old man

B．make the old man’s food more enjoyable

C．prevent the old man from breaking more dishes

D．encourage their son to make more wooden bowls

小題3:What would the end of the story be like?

A．The couple gave their son a good beating.

B．No more milk was spilled by the old man.

C．The old man had every meal with the family.

D．The whole family started to use wooden bowls.

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a freezing cold wet day in the winter of 1975. I remember the right moment, hiding behind a fragile mud wall, peeking (窺視）into the alley (胡同）near the frozen stream. That was a long time ago ，but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I，ve learned, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I，ve been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.
One day in summer, my friend, Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come to see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins (未能彌補(bǔ)的罪行) After I hung up, I went for a walk along Spreckels Lane on the northern edge of Golden Gate Park. The early afternoon sun sparkled on the water where dozens of small boats sailed, driven by a gentle breeze. Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites with long blue tails, soaring in the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park, over the windmill, floating side by side like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco, the city I now call home.
And suddenly Hassan5S voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the hare-lipped kite runner. I sat on a park bench near a willow tree. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an after thought. There is a way to be good again. I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. AU. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today.
小題1:After 1975，the hero of the story spent his life_____.

A．with happiness	B．with regret
C．in peace	D．in danger

小題2:It can be inferred from the passage that_____.

A．Rahim Khan spoke ill of the hero

B．the hero had made up for his wrong-doings

C．San Francisco was the birthplace of the hero

D．something bad might have happened in the alley

小題3:The writer attracts the readers by using_____
a.an impressive opening b.a lively description of inner thoughts
c.concrete and vivid language   d.a detailed plot of the story

A．a(chǎn)bc

B．bcd

C．a(chǎn)cd

D．a(chǎn)bd

小題4:What is the passage mainly about?

A．A hide-and-seek game.	B．A forget-me-not event.
C．kite-flying competition.	D．A coming-of-age story.

I remember one Thanksgiving when our family had no money and no food, and someone came knocking on our door. A man was ___36____ there with a huge box of food, a giant turkey and even some ___37____ to cook it in. I couldn’t ___38___ it. My dad demanded, “Who are you? Where are you from?”
The stranger announced, “I’m here because a friend of yours knows you’re in need and that you wouldn’t accept __39__ help, so I’ve brought this for you. Have a great Thanksgiving.”
My father said, “No, no, we ___40___ accept this.” The stranger replied “You don’t have __41____.”, closed the door and left.
Obviously that experience had a profound impact (深刻影響) on my life. I ___42___ myself that someday I would do well enough financially _43__ I could do the same thing for other people. By the time I was eighteen I had created my Thanksgiving ritual (習(xí)慣). I would go out ____44___ and buy enough food for one or two ___45____. Then I would dress like a delivery boy, go to the __46____ neighbourhood and just knock on a ___47____. I always __48____ a note that explained my Thanksgiving experience __49____ a kid. The note said, “All that I ask ___50___ is that you take good enough care of ___51____ so that someday you can do the same thing for someone else.” I have received more from this annual ritual than I have from any amount of __52____ I’ve ever earned.
Years ago I was in New York City with my new wife during Thanksgiving. She was sad because we were not with our family. ___53____ she would be home decorating the house for Christmas, but we were __54_____ in a hotel room. When I told her what I always do on Thanksgiving, she got excited.
We packed enough food for seven families for thirty days and went to buildings where half a dozen people lived in one room with no electricity and no heat in winter surrounded by rats, cockroaches(蟑螂) and the smell of urine(尿). It was both an ___55____ realization that people lived this way and a truly fulfilling experience to make even a small difference.

小題1:	A．speaking B．standing C．looking D．shouting

小題2:	A．meat B．vegetables C．pans D．firewood

小題3:	A．believe B．a(chǎn)ccept C．help D．refuse

小題4:	A．direct B．some C．our D．a(chǎn)ny

小題5:	A．may not B．needn’t C．can’t D．daren’t

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)ny money B．a(chǎn) choice C．food D．a(chǎn) turkey

小題7:	A．permitted B．promised C．a(chǎn)sked D．said

小題8:	A．when B．so that C．even if D．a(chǎn)s if

小題9:	A．driving B．playing C．offering D．shopping

小題10:

A．people B．children C．families D．days

小題11:

A．nearest B．farthest C．largest D．poorest

小題12:

A．house B．door C．window D．gate

小題13:

A．concluded B．included C．wrote D．took

小題14:

A．like B．with C．a(chǎn)s D．to

小題15:

A．in return B．later C．in future D．for

小題16:

A．others B．yourself C．your family D．the presents

小題17:

A．warmth B．thanks C．money D．encouragement

小題18:

A．Unfortunately B．Obviously C．Normally D．Gradually

小題19:

A．stuck B．excited C．free D．delighted

小題20:

A．exciting B．a(chǎn)stonishing C．encouraging D．outstanding

Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whirr,” she said weakly.
“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.
Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”
It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.
小題1:When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?

A．She wanted to tell her sons her will.

B．She wanted to have something to eat before she died.

C．She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.

D．She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.

小題2:Which of the following statements is NOT right?

A．Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.

B．Mom was always making her teaching fun.

C．Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.

D．Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.

小題3:What does the writer think of his mother?

A．He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching at home.

B．His mother should forget her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.

C．His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.

D．His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.

小題4:Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Once a teacher, always	B．Mom’s will
C．A teacher’s life	D．A teacher’s devotion

How to Become Cleverer
Once a boy came to ask a fisherman how to become cleverer, because his mother always called him “foolish boy”.
“That’s easy,” answered the fisherman. “I know one way to make you become cleverer.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It is said a fish head is good for brain. If you eat one, you’ll become cleverer indeed. Pay only three pounds for one fish head.” The boy paid him three pounds and the fisherman cut off a fish head and handed it to him.
A raw fish head is not good—not even for a hungry boy to eat but the boy ate it up in two gulps.
“Do you feel anything?” asked the fisherman.
“Not in my head,” said the boy.
The boy lay on the ground and thought. “One whole fish costs only two pounds. I had paid him three pounds for the fish head. Why couldn’t I have the whole fish for soup, a head for brain and one pound left over?” He jumped up and shouted at the fisherman. “You thief! You are fooling me!” The fisherman laughed, saying, “The fish head works now, you see.”
小題1:The boy ate up the raw fish head only in two gulps, because he __________.

A．enjoy it

B．wanted to taste it

C．took it as a good medicine

D．was a foolish boy

小題2:The boy came to the fisherman in order to __________.

A．buy a fish head

B．a(chǎn)sk the fisherman a question

C．become cleverer

D．A and C

小題3:“Not in my head” means “__________”.

A．The fish head was not in the boy’s head

B．The boy felt nothing came into his head

C．It’s difficult to give an answer right away

D．The boy didn’t feel that he was cleverer

小題4:The boy paid three pounds. He should have had __________.

A．a(chǎn) whole fish

B．a(chǎn) fish head and one pound back

C．a(chǎn) whole fish and one pound back

D．a(chǎn) whole fish, a fish head and one pound back

小題5:__________ helped the boy become cleverer.

A．A good meal	B．The raw fish head
C．Nothing	D．What had happened

In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand (木架) with a small notepad (記事本)　and a hole for a pencil.
I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely  the original one.
“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years.” I say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”
My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly  well. I’ve  always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in those days.”
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”
This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible (看不到的) exhibits at every meal.
小題1:Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A．To leave messages.

B．To list her everyday tasks.

C．To note down maths problems.

D．To write down a flash of inspiration.

小題2:What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden stand?

A．It has great value for the family.

B．It needs to be replaced by a better one.

C．It brings her back to her lonely childhood.

D．It should be passed on to the next generation.

小題3:The author feels embarrassed for             .

A．blaming her mother wrongly

B．giving her mother a lot of trouble

C．not making good use of time as her mother did

D．not making any breakthrough in her field

小題4:What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The mother is successful in her career.

B．The family members like travelling.

C．The author had little time to play when young.

D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

小題5:In the author’s mind, her mother is             .

A．strange in behaviour

B．keen on her research

C．fond of collecting old things

D．careless about her appearance

When a first-time father saw his newborn son, he immediately noticed the baby's ears obviously standing out from his head. He expressed his concern to the nurse that some children might tease his child. A doctor examined the baby and reassured the new dad that his son was healthy- the ears presented only a minor problem with its appearance.
But the nervous father persisted. He wondered if the child might suffer psychological effects of ridicule, or if they should consider plastic surgery. The nurse assured him that it was really no problem, and he should just wait to see if the boy grows into his ears.
The father finally felt more optimistic about his child, but now he worried about his wife's reaction to those large ears. She had been delivered by operation, and had not yet seen the child.
“She doesn't take things as easily as I do,” he said to the nurse.
By this time, the new mother was settled in the recovery room and ready to meet her new baby. The nurse went along with the dad to lend some support in case this inexperienced mother became upset about her baby's large ears.
The baby was in a receiving blanket with his head covered for the short trip through the cold air-conditioned corridor. The baby was placed in his mother's arms, who eased the blanket back so that she could look at her child for the first time.
She took one look at her baby's face and looked to her husband and gasped, “Oh, Honey! Look! He has your ears!”
No problem with Mom. She married those ears...and she loves the man to whom they are attached.
The poet Kahlil Gibran said, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” It's hard to see the ears when you're looking into the light.
小題1:When the father first saw his baby, he was worried that________.

A．The baby might not grow up healthily

B．The baby might be laughed at by others.

C．The baby might disappoint its mother

D．the baby might have mental problems.

小題2:According to the doctor and nurse, the baby’s ears________.

A．could not function well.	B．looked the same as others.
C．only caused a small problem.	D．needed to have plastic surgery.

小題3: What is true about the baby’s mother?

A．She blamed her husband for the baby’s big ears.

B．She was the first to discover the baby’s large ears.

C．She suggested having an operation on the baby immediately.

D．She found something similar between the baby and its father.

小題4: What does the underlined word they refer to?

A．The ears.	B．The parents
C．The doctor and nurse.	D．The problems

小題5: What’s the function of the last paragraph?

A．To advise readers to listen carefully.

B．To draw a conclusion from the story.

C．To criticize the wrong attitude to physical beauty.

D．To stress the importance of doctor-patient relationship.

Norah has a cottage on a cliff above a big bay. In winter it could be very nasty because of strong winds and sea spray. In fact, when a gale was blowing, Norah and her husband got used to sleeping in a small room downstairs, because their bedroom upstairs, which faced the gales, had a very big window, and they were afraid that an extra violent gust might break it and blow pieces of broken glass over them.
Also, the salt spray from the sea put an end to many of the colorful plants Norah planted in the garden. She tried putting up a fence to protect them, but the wind just hit it, went up over the top and then down the other side, so in the end she filled the garden with trees and bushes that liked salt.
But most of the summer Norah enjoyed her cottage and garden very much. At weekends she could sit out-of-doors in the sun, looking at the beautiful view, with interesting ships and boats passing by, and she could very easily cycle down to the sea for a swim.
Now, Norah and her husband had plenty of friends and relations. In the summer most of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for Norah and her husband. When they were at home, they found friends and relations arriving, expecting to be given unlimited drinks and meals, and to sit in the sun for hours, talking as if Norah and her husband had nothing else to do but entertain and listen to them.
This went on for several years. Norah did not wish to appear rude by refusing to let her friends and relations in, but on the other hand, she was getting tired every summer.
Then one day Norah was complaining about this to her hairdresser while she was doing her hair. “You’re disturbed by too many uninvited guests, are you?” said the hairdresser. “Why don’t you try my way of escaping?”
“What’s that?” asked Norah.
“Well,” the hairdresser answered, “when the bell rings, I put on my coat and take my shopping bag. If it’s someone I don’t want to see, I say innocently, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go out. But…’”
小題1:In paragraph one the underlined word “spray” probably means 　　　. 

A．wastes produced by some birds living near the sea

B．great waves caused by strong wind

C．plants floating on the surface of the sea

D．very small drops of sea water sent through the air by something

小題2:We can infer that 　　　. 

A．a(chǎn) lot of friends came to visit them in winter

B．few friends came to visit them in winter.

C．Friends came to visit them only for drinks and meals

D．Norah was a good cook

小題3:The best title for the passage might be 　　　. 

A．A Good Place of Enjoying the Sea

B．A Warm-hearted Couple

C．A Clever Way of Escaping

D．A Visit to Norah

小題4:What the hairdresser is likely to continue to say in the end is “　　　” 

A．If I am tired, I say, ‘Sorry, can you come next time?’

B．If it’s someone I like to see, I say, ‘How lucky! I’ve just come in!’

C．If it’s someone I like to see, I say, ‘How happy to see you! I was going shopping, but now I’ve changed my mind.’

D．If it is fine that day, I say, ‘I am tired, but I’ll show you around the place, anyhow.’

A farmer went to town to sell his vegetable. But it was snowing that afternoon, and there_26_ few people in the street. So when his vegetable was sold out, it was dark. _27_ his way home, he saw a man _28_ in the snow. He put his basket _29_ and was going to _30  the man to get up. At that time he found  31  was a dead man _32_ that there was _33  blood on the ground. He was _34_ frightened that he ran away _35 ,  _36_ his basket away.
The next _37_ the farmer was sent to the police station. After showing him the basket, an officer asked, “Is this yours?” “Yes,sir.” the farmer answered_38_.
“When did you see the dead man?”
“At about seven yesterday evening.”
“Did you see who _39 him?” the officer brought out a knife and asked, “Have you seen it yet?” “No, sir.”
The officer became angry and told the policeman _40_ him up and _41_ him in prison.
That afternoon the officer went on 42_ the farmer._43 the knife, the officer asked him again, “Now, listen to me! Did you see it yet?” “Yes,sir.”
“Well,” the officer became 44_ and asked, “but when and where?”
“I saw it _45  this morning, sir.”

小題1:	A．had B．was C．would have D．were

小題2:	A．On B．By C．In D．At

小題3:	A．lying B．lay C．lied D．laying

小題4:	A．in the snow B．on his shoulder C．on his back D．on the ground

小題5:	A．make B．help C．let D．hope

小題6:	A．him B．him just C．it D．himself

小題7:	A．even B．so C．a(chǎn)nd D．/

小題8:	A．a(chǎn) lot B．much C．quite a few D．many

小題9:	A．very B．much C．so D．very much

小題10:

A．in time B．slowly C．happily D．quickly

小題11:

A．without taking B．not took C．a(chǎn)nd took D．taking

小題12:

A．a(chǎn)fternoon B．morning C．night D．evening

小題13:

A．loudly B．friendly C．nervously D．proudly

小題14:

A．killed B．a(chǎn)sked C．sent D．helped

小題15:

A．beating B．beat C．of beating D．to beat

小題16:

A．put B．sent C．took D．send

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)sk B．to ask C．trying D．to try

小題18:

A．Pointed B．To point to C．Pointed to D．Pointing to

小題19:

A．grey B．happy C．a(chǎn)ngry again D．silly

小題20:

A．in my basket B．here C．near my basket D．in the snow

One day as a boy and his father were taking a walk in the woods, they saw lying beside a half-fallen tree a pair of shoes. An old workman was cooling his feet in a neighboring stream. The son, in a spirit of 36 ____ , picked up some small pebbles (卵石）and said, “I will put these in the old fellow’s shoes, and it’ll be great fun when he tries to put them on.”
“I 37 ____ if you will get much fun out of that,” said the father, “ 38  ____from his clothes, he must be a poor man. And his life is hard. Would there be fun in 39 ____ his troubles? If you were to surprise him in a 40 ____ way, say by putting a coin in each shoe, you would probably enjoy more.”
The boy adopted the 41 ____ of his father and slipped a silver coin into each shoe. Then they hid behind a tree to watch the 42 ____ of their trick. After a while, the old man came back to his work and slipped his right foot into his shoe.
43 ____ something hard in the shoe he 44 ____ his foot to see what was inside. He discovered the coin. A(n) 45  ____look came over his face. He turned the coin over and over in his hand, and gazed at it in astonishment. As he looked at it, he felt with his foot for the other shoe, which also held a coin. Then 46 ____ clasping his hands together, he fell upon his 47 ____ and prayed. The boy and his father 48 ____ from his words that his poor wife was sick and
49 ____at home, and that his orphaned grandchildren were suffering starvation, while he was struggling to earn a living.
“The kind helper has gone,”cried the old man, “without even waiting to be thanked. But 50____he may go, my blessing shall seek him out and be 51  ____him to the end of life. May God keep him from poverty, 52 ____ him against evil and ever fill his heart with warmth and joy, 53____ he has filled mine today.” The boy and his father listened to the most heart-felt words in the world, eyes 54 ____.
“Now I call this the best kind of fun”，said the father, “So，you see, fun may lead to 55 ____as well as to laughter. Of all the pleasures of life, those that are expressed by tears rather than laughter are the most blessed”.

小題1:	A．mercy B．charity C．help D．fun

小題2:	A．wonder B．doubt C．a(chǎn)nalyze D．suspect

小題3:	A．Considering B．Distinguished C．Judging D．Determined

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)dding to B．making up C．bringing out D．a(chǎn)dding up to

小題5:	A．confusing B．different C．same D．challenging

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)greement B．plan C．request D．proposal

小題7:	A．output B．outcome C．intention D．production

小題8:	A．Feeling B．Realizing C．Noticing D．Recognizing

小題9:	A．drove B．dropped C．pushed D．withdrew

小題10:

A．excited B．strange C．puzzled D．delighted

小題11:

A．suddenly B．frequently C．finally D．gradually

小題12:

A．hands B．knees C．feet D．head

小題13:

A．thought B．guessed C．sensed D．learned

小題14:

A．useless B．helpless C．worthless D．careless

小題15:

A．however B．whenever C．whatever D．wherever

小題16:

A．a(chǎn)fter B．a(chǎn)gainst C．with D．onto

小題17:

A．spare B．guard C．help D．prevent

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)s B．when C．what D．a(chǎn)lthough

小題19:

A．wet B．wide C．closed D．fixed

小題20:

A．a(chǎn)ppreciation B．hurt C．tears D．satisfaction