We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn't even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. While I watched mouth open in surprise, Mum took off  her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, "Very dirty floors. "
"Yes, I'm glad they've finally decided to clean them, "the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, "But aren't you working late?"
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe(拖一下)of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book.
After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining. She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, "Thank you."
Outside, Mum told me, "Dagmar is fine. No fever. "
"You saw her, Mum?"
"Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It's a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is no good. You need a brush."
67. When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a      .
A. nurse                  B. visitor     C. patient                D. cleaner
68. After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital?
A. It is a children's hospital.
B. It has strict rules about visiting hours.
C. The conditions there aren't very good.
D. The nurses and doctors there don't work hard.
69. From the text we know that Dagmar is most likely     
A. the story-teller's sister            B. Mum's friend
C. the story-teller's classmate         D. Dad's boss
70. Which of the following words best describes Mum?
A. strange                 B. warm-hearted     C. clever                  D. hard-working

Education cuts(削減) have become routine (慣常的) over the past few years, which has made it difficult for students to learn. The results of a survey of 1,850 Los Angeles County high school students show just how much the cuts are affecting students.
Because of teacher layoffs (解雇), class sizes at some high schools have risen to 50 students — even in math and English classes. Some 37 percent of students report that they sometimes don’t have a desk to sit at. Sixty-seven percent say crowded classrooms make them feel the teachers don’t have enough time to teach, and 30 percent say they’ve not been able to join in a program because it’s no longer offered at their school.
At a time when technology is an important skill, 52 percent of students say there aren’t enough computers. Or they’re often broken, and there’s no one to fix them. Fifty-one percent say they’ve had to share textbooks with a classmate because there aren’t enough copies to go around. Fifty-seven percent say they’ve had to copy information because their school doesn’t have enough paper to make copies.
“We have only one science teacher for the entire(整個(gè)的) high school,” writes Felix Ruano, a 16-year-old student. He goes on to describe how that teacher, who is only qualified to teach chemistry, is teaching physics — or, at least, is trying to do so. “He shows physics videos and we teach ourselves from our textbook,” says Ruano. And, as has been seen elsewhere, “all but one of the restrooms” at Ruano’s school “have been closed because we don’t have enough people to clean them.”
Ruano notes that though faced with the challenges, 97 percent of students say they plan to go to college. But without “properly trained teachers and the best resources,” says Ruano, it’s not likely that every student will achieve that goal. “Unless schools fix these problems,” he says, “students could lose hope.”
【小題1】According to the text, education cuts have led to the following results EXCEPT that _____.

As we all know sewing-machine(縫紉機(jī)) repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today. Newspapers, women’s magazines, high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing, not only to make their own shirts and sweaters, but also to make nice clothes for their husbands, sons, or boyfriends. The lattes figures(數(shù)字) show that over 89 million American women, because of the high costs of ready-to-wear clothing are now making almost all of their families’ clothes. Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines. So it is natural that the demand(要求) for excellent service of sewing machines is growing.
Think of it! 89 million or more sewing machines, not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds, need service at least once a year, and quite possibly four or more times each year. I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly. I’ve seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in.
So I’ve decided to write an introduction book to sewing-machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home. It’s not that difficult. In the book, I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine.
【小題1】The author wrote the passage to       .

Ayesha and Latisha Jones need to take a break in their own homework to help their dad, because at the age of 52, John Jones is just now learning to read.
“I was so uncomfortable and so ashamed,” he said. For many years, unable to read a menu or a bus schedule, Jones was just one of the estimated 65,000 adults in Buffalo, New York who cannot read above a 5th-grade level.
And a new study shows the problem is getting worse in many states. California, New York and Florida have all shown surprising increases in illiteracy（文盲）rates. The situation has improved in a few states, like Mississippi, Rhode Island and Kentucky. But worldwide, the United States doesn’t perform well.
Fourteen countries rank higher in reading ability than the United States, including Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, South Korea, UK, Japan, Sweden, Iceland, Belgium, Austria, France and Norway.
Back in Buffalo, a program called Read to Succeed targets the problem early, teaching preschoolers shapes, colors and letters.
“We have a lot of poverty and that means a lot of children don’t have the skills, but they have the potential（潛質(zhì)）,” said Helene Kramer of Read to Succeed. The theory is : you’re never too young or too old to learn.
Working with Buffalo’s literacy volunteers has given Jones a fresh start. “They gave me a chance to open a door that I could never open before,” he said. “I could never open it before, because I couldn’t read.” It’s not easy, but Jones says seeing his daughters read inspires him to try.
64. In America, which of the following states has seen an improvement in the situation of illiteracy?
A. New York.   B. Mississippi.   C. Florida.   D. California
65. Helene Kramer would probably think that _______.
A. kids should not learn to read too early
B. old people aren’t able to learn to read
C .poverty contributes to poor reading ability
D. most poor kids have difficulty reading
66. What can we know about John Jones?
A. He is very tired of learning to read.
B. He is thankful for the chance to learn to read.
C. It is easy for him to learn to read.
D. His children don’t like to help him.
67. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. Canadians perform better in reading than Americans
B. American children’s ability to solve problems is quite bad
C. the illiteracy rates in New York have dropped
D. Norway ranks the lowest in reading ability
68. What might be the best title for the passage?
A. America ranks higher in reading ability.
B. volunteers help a man live a new life.
C. Reading offers more chances to children.
D. Find inspiration to fight illiteracy.

Pets provide an unconditional love that requires very little on the part of the human.
Animals are so special to those of us who love them. We miss them when they are no longer with us. We grieve (哀悼) for them in ways which are just the same as grieving for a human loved one.
Whether the end comes through old age, illness, or sudden death, the death of a pet can cause enormous feelings of sorrow, guilt, and loneliness for children and adults alike, as the animal was considered a family member, a child’s favoured playmate, or an older person’s loyal and faithful companion.
Some people don’t want a pet because they do die! It’s understandable to be unwilling to expose yourself to death but, at the same time, we become immeasurably more human because our animals die. When we live with animals we’re more in step with the rhythms of the planet from day to night and from season to season because our companions make us more aware of the changes around us. Our companion animals teach us about the simple gifts of a beautiful day, a good meal and a gentle touch.
The death of a pet can make us struggle with our belief structure－a natural part of the grieving period. Whether grieving an animal or human, we question our beliefs and many people find their belief structure becomes stronger when they ask themselves hard questions. Others find a new way of acceptance.
And we learn from our animals. Animals aren’t afraid to die; they show us that the end of life can be faced without fear. They can teach us to accept death as an opening for love and wonder.
Allow yourself to grieve in whatever way is appropriate for you. The loss of a pet is real grief and causes us to travel through the stages of grief－denial, anger, depression, guilt, and acceptance. These stages must be lived through for the mourning to allow full healing.
【小題1】 According to the passage, the reason why some people don’t want a pet may be that       .