Hans Christian Andersen was a poor boy who lived in Denmark. His father, a shoemaker, had died, and his mother had married again.
Andersen’s father liked to read better than to make shoes. In the evenings, he had read aloud from The Arabian Nights. His wife understood very little of the book, but the boy, pretending to sleep, understood every word.
By day Hans Christian Anderson went to a house where old women worked as weavers. There he listened to the tales that the women told. In those days, there were almost as many tales in Denmark as there were people to tell them.
Among the tales told in the town of Odense, where Andersen was born in 1805, was one about a fairy who brought death to those who danced with her. To this tale, Hans Christian later added a story from his own life.
Once, when his father was still alive, a young lady ordered a pair of red shoes. When she refused to pay for them, unhappiness filled the poor shoemaker’s house. From that small tragedy and the story of the dancing fairy, the shoemaker’s son years later wrote the story that millions of people now know as The Red Shoes.
As a little girl, Hans Christian’s mother was sent out on the streets to beg. She did not want to beg, so she hid under one of the city bridges. She warmed her cold feet in her hands, for she had no shoes. She was afraid to go home. Years later, her son, in his pity for her and his anger at the world, wrote the angry story She’s No Good and the famous tale The Little Match Girl.
Through his genius, he changed every early experience, even his father’s death, into a fairy tale. One cold day his father showed him a white, woman-like figure among the frost patterns. “That is the snow queen,” said the shoemaker. “Soon she will be coming for me.” A few months later he died. And years later, Andersen turned that sad experience into a fairy tale, The Snow Queen.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE about Anderson when he was a boy?

A．His father had remarried before he died.

B．His mother was struck by The Arabian Night.

C．He enjoyed listening to stories very much.

D．He would help old weavers with their work.

【小題2】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．Almost all tales from around the world once had their origin in Denmark.

B．The people in Denmark were very enthusiastic about telling tales.

C．The number of tales in Denmark was exactly equal to that of the people living there.

D．The people in Denmark loved doing nothing but tell stories to each other.

【小題3】How many of Anderson’s fairy tales are mentioned in the passage?

A．5.

B．6.

C．3.

D．4.

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．The Red Shoes was based on a tragedy of Anderson’s family

B．Andersen’s genius as well as his early experience made him successful

C．Andersen was educated at home by his parents because of poverty

D．Anderson wrote The Snow Queen in memory of his parents

【小題5】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Hans Christian Andersen’s Own Fairy Tales.

B．Hans Christian Andersen’s Family.

C．Hans Christian Andersen’s Bitter Experiences.

D．Hans Christian Andersen’s Considerate Parents.

Oprah Winfrey is not just a very successful TV personality(名人) in the US, she is also a woman who has encouraged millions. For those people, her life and her success are a good example. She has struggled with many of the challenges（挑戰(zhàn)）that we all face, and she has changed her life. Her message is powerful: I did it, and so can you.
Oprah Winfrey is a black woman whose becoming famous is an encouraging story. She was born on January 29, 1954 in a small village in America. Her patents were very poor. For her family, life seemed to hold no promise.
But there was nothing that could stop Oprah. She was an extremely bright girl at school. She asked her kindergarten teacher to let her go to school sooner and she also skipped (跳級)the second grade of primary school（小學）. Her life from the age of six till about fourteen was very hard. For many women such difficulty would be too heavy to bear（忍受）. But not for Oprah. When she was fourteen, Oprah went to live with her father. Her father showed her how hard work and discipline（自律） could lead to self-improvement. Oprah listened to her father, and a few years later she won a college scholarship that allowed her to go to university.
Two years later, after graduation, she started working for television. For more than ten years she worked for different TV stations across the country. In 1984, she moved to Chicago, where she became the host of a talk show called "AM Chicago". When Oprah started, "AM Chicago" had few listeners. By September of the next year, the show was so successful that it was given a new name: 'The Oprah Winfrey Show".
Oprah Winfrey's story encourages many people to believe that success and happiness in life are within reach for everyone.
【小題1】What does Oprah Winfrey mean by saying “I did it”?

A．I managed to over come (戰(zhàn)勝)the challenges.

B．I encouraged many people who want to succeed.

C．I created many chances to help people.

D．I was respected as a source of strength.(力量源泉)

【小題2】When Oprah Winfrey was a child, her parents were so poor that _____.

A．life seemed hopeless.	B．her family never promised anything.
C．her family could hardly keep any promise.	D．nobody trusted her family

【小題3】From the third paragraph we can infer________.

A．Oprah was older than most of her schoolmates when she finished primary school.

B．Oprah was younger than most of schoolmates when she finished primary school.

C．Oprah couldn’t finish primary school because her family was very poor.

D．Oprah stopped her study when she was in the second grade of primary school.

【小題4】Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

A．Oprah’s father had a great effect（影響） on her.

B．AM Chicago was a local newspaper in Chicago.

C．Oprah worked for different TV stations in the US.

D．Oprah suffered a lot when she was young.

【小題5】The best title of the passage may be _____.

A．Oprah Winfrey’s TV show	B．A popular TV show in America
C．Oprah Winfrey	D．How to become a successful host

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded．” “I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor (牧師) as he walked by．Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor guessed the reason, and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class．The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus．

Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements．As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump．Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School．”

For two years she had saved for this offering of love．When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do．Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion．

A newspaper learned of the story and published it．It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands．When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents．

Church members made large donations．Checks came from far and wide．Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000, a huge sum for that time．

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained．Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time．

41．Why did the girl have a purse with 57 cents?

       A．To save money for her future career．

       B．To build a large building for more children to live in．

       C．To help build a church big enough for every child to go to．

       D．To remind people to make remarkable history．

42．How did a Realtor help the church?

       A．He made the story known to the public by publishing it．

       B．He sold a land to the church for free．

       C．He offered the church a piece of land for 57 cents．

       D．He raised money for the church．

43．What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．Church members donated because of their desire for a big church．

       B．The girl’s unselfish love was rewarded at last．

       C．The pastor found 57 cents saved by the little girl．

       D．Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, Good Samaritan Hospital and a Sunday School building all belong to the small church the little girl went to．

44．What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．57 Cents                B．A little girl’s wish

       C．Pastor and Girl              D．A bigger Church

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded.” “I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor (牧師) as he walked by. Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor guessed the reason, and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.”
For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion.
A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000, a huge sum for that time.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.
【小題1】 Why did the girl have a purse with 57 cents?

A．To save money for her future career.

B．To build a large building for more children to live in.

C．To help build a church big enough for every child to go to.

D．To remind people to make remarkable history.

【小題2】 How did a Realtor help the church?

A．He made the story known to the public by publishing it.

B．He sold a land to the church for free.

C．He offered the church a piece of land for 57 cents.

D．He raised money for the church.

【小題3】 What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Church members donated because of their desire for a big church.

B．The girl’s unselfish love was rewarded at last.

C．The pastor found 57 cents saved by the little girl.

D．Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, Good Samaritan Hospital and a Sunday School building all belong to the small church the little girl went to.

【小題4】. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．57 Cents	B．A little girl’s wish
C．Pastor and Girl	D．A bigger Church

They say a cat has nine lives, and I think that possible since I am now living my third life and I’m not even a cat．My father died when I was 15, and we had a hard struggle to make a living．And my mother, who was seriously ill in her last years, died while still in her 60s．My sister married soon after, and I followed her example within the year．

This was when I began to enjoy my first life．I was very happy, in excellent health．I had a good job in San Jose and a beautiful home up the peninsula (半島) in San Carlos．Life was a pleasant dream．Then the dream ended．I became afflicted (使苦惱) with a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first my right arm and leg, and then my other side．Thus began my second life…．

In spite of my disease I still drove to and from work each day, with the aid of special equipment installed in my car．And I managed to keep my health and optimism (樂觀), to a degree, because of 14 steps．Crazy? Not at all．Our home was an affair with 14 steps leading up from the garage to the kitchen door．Those steps were a standard measure of life．They were my yardstick, my challenge to continue living．I felt that if the day arrived when I was unable to lift one foot up one step and then drag the other painfully after it ---repeating the process 14 times, I would be through---I could then admit defeat and lie down and die．

Then on a dark night in August, 1971, I began my third life．It was raining when I started home that night; strong winds and slashing rain beat down on the car as I drove slowly down one of the less-traveled roads．Suddenly the steering wheel jerked (猝然一動)．In the same instant I heard the bang of a blowout．It was impossible for me to change that tire! Utterly impossible!

I started the engine and thumped slowly along, keeping well over on the shoulder until I came to the dirt road, where I turned in and where I found lighted windows welcomed me to a house and pulled into the driveway and honked the horn．

The door opened and a little girl stood there．When she knew what happened to me, she went into the house and a moment later came out, followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting．I sat there comfortable and dry, and felt a bit sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm．

About an hour later, the man’s voice was heard, “This is a bad night for car trouble, but you’re all set now．” “Thanks,” I said．“How much do I owe you?” He shook his head, “Nothing．Cynthia told me you were a cripple．Glad to be of help．I know you’d do the same for me．There’s no charge, friend．” I held out a five-dollar bill, “No! I like to pay my way．” He made no effort to take it and the little girl stepped closer to the window and said quietly, “Grandpa can’t see it．”

1．“A cat has nine lives” here means ___________．

A．a(chǎn) cat can live nine times longer than any other animal

B．a(chǎn) cat can die ninth

C．a(chǎn) lucky man can not die easily

D．the writer will live nine times

2．What do you think of the man who helped change the tire?

A．Warm-hearted but pitiable

B．Warm-hearted and happy

C．A blind old man that has nothing to do every day．

D．A poor old man that is always ready to help others．

3．How will the story be ended?

A．The writer paid the little girl but the old man did not accept．

B．The writer drove away with tears running down his cheek．

C．The writer stayed there, without knowing what to do and how to do．

D．In the next few frozen seconds the writer felt the shame and astonishment he had never felt before．

4．How do you understand the underlined sentence “I followed my sister’s example?”

A．He listened to his sister carefully．

B．Mother told him that he must get the agreement from his sister for whatever he would do．

C．His sister got married．He, too．

D．His sister was a great woman．．He must learn from her．

5．The best title for this passage perhaps will be _____．

A．The Old Man and His Daughter                    B．Heart Leaping Up

C．Never Lose Heart                                        D．Good Will Be Rewarded Good