Diane Ray was completely self-centered and very spoilt. Her parents gave her   36 she wanted, knowing that she would throw a temper tantrum(耍小孩脾氣)if they did not. She would scream and kick and  37 on the floor drumming her heels. Her parents always   38 .
That was why she was alone on the  39 , wearing an expensive swimsuit. It has taken a massive tantrum to  40 her parents to buy it. They were back at the beach-house, 41 from the tantrum she had thrown when they told her that it was too dangerous to go diving  42 . “Dangerous?” she had said. “You just don’t want me to have  43 . I’m going and if you try to stop me, I’ll scream.”
“What are you doing ?” a voice asked. Diane jumped. She did not know that the man was there 44  he spoke .
“I’m going diving, ” she answered.
“You shouldn’t swim that day, ” the man  45 . “There is a storm coming up.”
“You should mind your own   46 !” Diane replied and walked into the gentle waves.
“If you go out there you’ll be  47 ,” the man called after her. She did not bother to reply.
Diane slipped into the water and dived   48  until white caps began rolling in and it became harder to  49 against the current (水流). Saltwater hit against her face, making it  50 to breathe. Oh, why had she not listened to advice.
Panicking, she began to  51 . Then, just as it seemed as if she would slip beneath the surface, she heard a  52 voice. “Hold on ! I’m coming.” With  53 , she saw the old man rowing an ancient-looking boat towards her. “I hope you’ve learned a lesson. You put us both in  54 , ” he shouted angrily, as he dragged her over the side of the  55 . Gratefully, Diane thanked him and ran towards the beach-house.

小題1:	A．either B．neither C．nothing D．everything

小題2:	A．jump B．lie C．spin D．sleep

小題3:	A．set out B．set in C．gave in D．gave out

小題4:	A．beach B．bed C．floor D．ship

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)llow B．warn C．get D．prefer

小題6:	A．changing B．recovering C．a(chǎn)ppearing D．traveling

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)lone B．a(chǎn)way C．a(chǎn)gain D．a(chǎn)side

小題8:	A．time B．money C．food D．fun

小題9:	A．when B．until C．a(chǎn)fter D．once

小題10:

A．decided B．intended C．a(chǎn)dvised D．repeated

小題11:

A．business B．swimsuit C．friends D．parents

小題12:

A．a(chǎn)ngry B．sorry C．confused D．excited

小題13:

A．nervously B．sadly C．shyly D．happily

小題14:

A．rise B．swim C．stop D．row

小題15:

A．difficult B．easy C．comfortable D．suitable

小題16:

A．speak B．sing C．sniff D．scream

小題17:

A．calm B．frightening C．beautiful D．disgusting

小題18:

A．regret B．relief C．interest D．ease

小題19:

A．power B．safety C．danger D．thought

小題20:

A．house B．wave C．beach D．boat

The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼澤地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man. ‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (暈倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
小題1:The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.

A．courage

B．a(chǎn)ssistance

C．instruction

D．challenge

小題2:Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?

A．To frighten them.

B．To satisfy their curiosity.

C．To warn them of the danger of the place.

D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

小題3:Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?

A．The old man envied him.	B．The old man was foolish
C．He was too busy to listen to others.	D．He was greedy for more crops.

小題4:Why did Tom scream and faint?

A．He saw Dennis’s shadow	B．He was scared by a plant
C．His friends played a joke on him.	D．The weather became extremely cold.

小題5:What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?

A．Grasp all, lose all

B．No sweat, no sweet.

C．It is no use crying over spilt milk

D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

Mothers and daughters go through so much—yet when was the last time a mother and daughter sat down to write a book together about it all? Perri Klass and her mother, Sheila Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped (重疊).
Perri notes with amazement how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have full-time careers； both have published books, articles, and stories； each has three children； they both love to read. They also love to travel—in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big differences in circumstance and basic nature.
A child of the Depression (大蕭條), Sheila was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered education a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up privileged in the New Jersey suburbs of the 1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is unthinkable while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.
Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheila take turns exploring the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheila describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing research fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.
Looking deep into the lives they have lived separately and together, Perri and Sheila tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written account in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet (二重奏) that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will recognize.
小題1:Why does Perri think that her own life has mirrored her mother’s?

A．They both have gone through difficult times.

B．They have strong emotional ties with each other.

C．They have the same joys and pains, and love and bitterness.

D．They both have experiences as daughter, mother and writer.

小題2:The word “l(fā)uxury” in Paragraph 3 means ______.

A．something rare but not pleasant

B．something that cannot be imagined

C．something expensive but not necessary

D．something that can only be enjoyed by boys

小題3: What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The content of the book.	B．The purpose of the book.
C．The influence of the book.	D．The writing style of the book.

小題4: How are women’s lives explored in this book?

A．In a musical form.	B．Through field research.
C．With unique writing skills.	D．From different points of view.

The technology is great. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to put a man on the moon, explore the ocean’s depths or eat microwave sausages. Computers have revolutionized our lives and they have the power to educate and pass on knowledge. But sometimes this power can create more problems than it solves.
Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who’ve come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don’t have throat cancer, and it’s just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee accurate self-health-checks.
One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what’s wrong；I’ve got throat cancer. I know there’s nothing you doctors can do about it and I’ve just got to wait until the day comes.”
As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn’t right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven’t been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that’s what I had.”
However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn’t fit with it—but she’d just ignored this.
I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn’t the cancer but tuberculosis (肺結(jié)核)—something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did.
Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested. She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited?
小題1:Mrs. Almond talked about her illness calmly because ______.

A．she thought she knew it well

B．she had purchased medicine online

C．she graduated from a medical school

D．she had been treated by local doctors

小題2:It was lucky for Mrs. Almond ______.

A．to have contacted many friends

B．to have recovered in a short time

C．to have her assumption confirmed

D．to have her disease identified in time

小題3:Mrs. Almond said “I’m so embarrassed” (Para. 7) because ______.

A．she had distrusted her close friends

B．she had caused unnecessary trouble

C．she had to refuse the doctor’s advice

D．she had to tell the truth to the doctor

小題4: By mentioning the breakdown of the computer, the author probably wants to prove ______.

A．it’s a must to take a break at work

B．it’s vital to believe in IT professionals

C．it’s unwise to simply rely on technology

D．it’s a danger to work long hours on computers

When I was 12, all I wanted was a signet (圖章) ring. They were the "in" thing and it seemed every girl except me had one. On my 13th birthday, my Mum gave me a signet ring with my initials(姓名首字母) carved into it. I was in heaven.
What made it even more special was that it was about the only thing that wasn't being "replaced". We'd been burnt out in fires that swept through our area earlier that year and had lost everything—so most of the " new" stuff (東西) we got was really just to replace what we'd lost. But not my ring. My ring was new.
Then, only one month later, I lost it. I took it off before bed and it was missing in the morning. I was sad and searched everywhere for it. But it seemed to have disappeared. Eventually, I gave up and stopped looking for it. And two years later, we sold the house and moved away.
Years passed, and a couple of moves later, I was visiting my parents' when Mum told me that she had something for me. It wasn't my birthday, nor was it Easter or Christmas or any other gift-giving occasion. Mum noticed my questioning look. " You'll recognize this one," she said, smiling.
Then she handed me a small ring box. I took it from her and opened it to find my beautiful signet ring inside. The family who had bought our house 13 years earlier had recently decided to do some redecorations, which included replacing the carpets. When they pulled the carpet up in my old bedroom, they found the ring. As it had my initials carved into it, they realized who owned the ring. They'd had it professionally cleaned up by a jeweler before sending it to my mother. And it still fits me.
小題1:The underlined word "in" in the first paragraph probably means "_____".

A．fashionable

B．a(chǎn)vailable

C．practical

D．renewable

小題2:When she got the ring back, the writer was about _____.

A．13 years old

B．15 years old

C．26 years old

D．28 years old

小題3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A． The writer's family moved several times.

B． The writer never stopped looking for her ring.

C． The writer's ring was cleaned up by the new house owner.

D． The writer lost her ring in the morning when she took it off.

小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My New Ring	B．Lost and Found
C．Lost and Replaced	D．An Expensive Ring

Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.
Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
" My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day, " have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"
Her dull and indifferent (漠不關(guān)心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.
"Don't you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.
"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head. .. so I'd better listen. "
"Well, my dear, the rumour (傳言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month. " "What is her name?" "Bingley. "
"Is she married or single?"
"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. " "How so? How can it possibly affect them? "
"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "
" Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "
" Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call. "
" Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. " "Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same. "
And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.
... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city's business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀談) with influential figures.
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Austen was born 200 years ago.

B．Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice.

C．Austen's success lies in her wisdom.

D．Austen's updated work gains popularity.

小題2:The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ____.

A．had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley

B．felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley

C．was extremely anxious to meet Bingley

D．had a great curiosity about Bingley

小題3:In the eyes of Mrs Bennet, Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ____.

A．get married to	B．work for her
C．help her move in	D．take over her store

小題4:What does the writer intend to tell us?

A．Women with brains can also be as successful as men.

B．Women have to pay a high price for success.

C．A judgment must be made free from prejudice.

D．Sex discrimination still exists nowadays.

Number sense is not the ability to count. It is the ability to recognize a    1   in number. Human beings are born with this ability.   2   , experiments show that many animals are, too. For example, many birds have good number sense. If a nest has four eggs and you remove one, the bird will not    3  .However, if you remove two, the bird    4   leaves. This means that the bird knows the    5   between two and three.
Another interesting experiment showed a bird's    6   number sense. A man was trying to take a photo of a crow（烏鴉）that had a nest in a tower, but the crow always left when she saw him coming. The bird did not    7   until the man left the tower. The man had an    8  .He took another man with him to the tower. One man left and the other stayed, but they did not    9   the bird. The crow stayed away until the second man left, too. The experiment was    10   with three men and then with four men. But the crow did not return to the nest until all the men were    11  .It was not until five men went into the tower and only four left that they were    12   able to fool the crow.
How good is a human's number sense? It's not very good. For example, babies about fourteen months old almost always notice if something is taken away from a    13   group. But when the number goes beyond three or four, the children are    14   fooled.
It seems that number sense is something we have in common with many animals in this world, and that our human    15   is not much better than a crow's.

小題1:	A．rise B．pattern C．change D．trend

小題2:	A．Importantly B．Surprisingly C．Disappointedly D．Fortunately

小題3:	A．survive B．care C．hatch D．notice

小題4:	A．generally B．sincerely C．casually D．deliberately

小題5:	A．distance B．range C．different D．interval

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)mazing B．a(chǎn)nnoying C．satisfying D．disturbing

小題7:	A．relax B．recover C．react D．return

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)ppointment B．excuse C．idea D．explanation

小題9:	A．fool B．hurt C．catch D．kill

小題10:

A．reported B．repeated C．designed D．a(chǎn)pproved

小題11:

A．confused B．gone C．tired D．drunk

小題12:

A．gradually B．luckily C．strangely D．finally

小題13:

A．single B．small C．local D．new

小題14:

A．seldom B．temporarily C．merely D．often

小題15:

A．sight B．nature C．a(chǎn)bility D．belief

Imagination and fantasy can play an important role in achieving the things we fear. Children know this very well. Fred Epstein ,in his book If I Make It to Five, tells a story he heard from one of friends about Tom, a four-year-old boy with a cancer in his back bone. He came through several operations and a lot of pain by mastering his imagination.
Tom loved to pretend, and he particularly loved to play superheroes ,Dr. Epstein explained that it was actually a brilliant way for his young mind to handle the terrifying and painful life he led.
The day before his third trip to the operating room, Tom was terribly afraid. ”Maybe I could go as Superman ,”he whispered to his mom. Hearing this, the mother hesitated for a while. She had avoided buying the expensive costume（戲裝），finally she agreed.
The next day Tom appeared as the powerful Superman, showing off through the hospital halls and coolly waving his hand to the people greeting him along the way. And Tom, with the strength of his fantasy, successfully made it through the operation.
The power of imagination need not be reserved for children only. We all have the power to use our fantasies to attempt things we never thought possible, to go through those things that seem impossible, and to achieve what we never believed we could. Just as Dr. Epstein puts it ,”If you can dream it, you can do it”
It doesn‘t mean that you should dress as a superhero for your next job interview. But, next time you are texted in a way that seems impossible, imagine what it would take to overcome it .Become the person you need to become to win over your challenge and do it in your mind first. So, let your imagination run wild, and dare to dream.
小題1:What do we know about Tom?

A．He was seriously ill	B．He was a dishonest boy.
C．He was crazy about magic	D．He was Dr.Epstein’s patient

小題2:What can be inferred about Tom’s mother?

A．She was a rich lady	B．She refused Tom’s request
C．She wanted Tom to be a superhero	D．She wanted to get Tom through the pain

小題3:When Tom went for the third operation,he    .

A．pretended to be painful	B．a(chǎn)cted like a superhero
C．a(chǎn)ppeared in poor spirit s	D．a(chǎn)rgued with his mother

小題4:In the last paragraph, you are advised    .

A．to go through some difficult tests

B．to wake up from your wild dreams

C．to become a powerful person in your mind

D．to wear expensive clothes for job interviews

小題5:What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To tell us an interesting story.

B．To help us make right decisions.

C．To advise us to care about children.

D．To encourage us to use our imagination.

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

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

小題2:As a psychologist, the author    .

A．was ready to listen to David

B．was skeptical about psychology

C．was able to describe David's problem

D．was sure of handling David's problem

小題3:David enjoyed being with the author because he________.

A．wanted to ask the author for advice

B．need to share sorrow with the author

C．liked the children’s drawings in the office

D．bear the author many times in the chess game

小題4:What can be inferred about David?

A．He recovered after months of treatment.

B．He liked biking before he lost his family.

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

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

小題5:What made David change?

A．His teacher’s help.

B．The author’s friendship.

C．His exchange of letters with the author.

D．The author’s silent communication with him.

A little girl lived in a simple and poor house on a hill.Usually she 36 play in the small garden.She could see over the garden fence and across the valley a wonderful house with shining golden windows high on another hill.37 she loved her parents and her family, she desired to live in such a house and 38 all day about how wonderful and exciting 39 must feel to live there.
At the age when she gained some 40 skill and sensibility(識(shí)別力), she 41 her mother for a bike ride 42 the garden. Her mother finally allowed her to go, 43 her keeping close to the house and not 44 too far. The day was beautifu. The girl knew 45 where she was heading! 46 the hill and across the valley, she rode to the 47 of the golden house.
48 she got off her bike and put it against the gate post, she focused on the path 49 to the house and then on the house itself. She was very disappointed when she 50 that all the windows were 51 and rather dirty.
So 52 and heart-broken, she didn’t go any further. She 53, and all of a sudden she saw an amazing 54. There on the other side of the valley was a little house and its windows were golden. Looking at her little home, she 55 that she had been living n her golden house filled with love and care.Everything she dreamed was right there in front of her nose.

小題1:	A．might B．should C．would D．must

小題2:	A．Unless B．Although C．Since D．But

小題3:	A．dreamed B．worried C．a(chǎn)sked D．shouted

小題4:	A．this B．that C．it D．which

小題5:	A．different B．scientific C．musical D．basic

小題6:	A．begged B．blamed C．invited D．paid

小題7:	A．inside B．outside C．through D．a(chǎn)long

小題8:	A．insisting on B．relying on C．a(chǎn)rguing about D．wondering about

小題9:	A．travelling B．running C．riding D．walking

小題10:

A．madly B．rapidly C．exactly D．possibly

小題11:

A．Over B．Down C．Around D．Beside

小題12:

A．windows B．steps C．center D．gate

小題13:

A．Until B．As C．While D．Because

小題14:

A．getting B．introducing C．leading D．moving

小題15:

A．felt B．learned C．concluded D．found

小題16:

A．transparent B．bright C．plain D．wide

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)nxious B．a(chǎn)ngry C．serious D．sad

小題18:

A．turned around B．cheered up C．settled down D．dropped in

小題19:

A．hill B．valley C．background D．sight

小題20:

A．imagined B．decided C．realized D．guessed