I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”?
“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.?
“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!”?
【小題1】 We can learn from this passage ________.?

Many people say pennies are not worth saving. After all, a penny is only worth a cent. But one unusual penny turned out to be worth a lot more when a coin collector paid $1.7 million for it earlier this month.
The coin is one of a kind. It is the only penny that the Denver mint(鑄幣廠(chǎng)) made out of copper, instead of steel, in 1943. Because it is unique, it is also very valuable. No penny has ever sold for so much money.
The Changing Penny
The Lincoln penny first appeared in 1909. For 34 years, the one-cent coin was made out of copper. Then, in 1943, the penny changed. World War II was going on, and copper was needed for equipment. So for one year, pennies were made out of steel instead. At least most of them were.
Only a few coins were made out of unused copper. There are three main mints, or places where coins are made, in the United States. Of the known copper pennies from 1943, twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.
Nobody knows for sure why a copper penny was made at the Denver mint in 1943, coin dealers Andy Skrabalak told Time for Kids. “There is a rumor that a mint employee made the coin in the middle of the night.”
A Special Set
The coin collector who bought the $1.7 million penny wants to remain unknown. But the reason for the trade is known. He already had two copper pennies from 1943 – one from the San Francisco mint and one from the Philadephia mint. To complete the set, he needed the Denver penny. The three coins will go on display at a coin exhibition in Tampa, Florida.
The collector who sold the penny is also keeping his name a secret. It took four years to convince him to give up the rare coin. Now that he has finally donating all of the money to charity.
【小題1】Why is the Lincoln penny worth over one million dollars?

第三部分：閱讀理解(共20小題, 滿(mǎn)分40分)
The 4th of July is the most important holiday in the United States, for it reminds us of the famous day in 1776. When the Americans declared their independence, congress made the declaration in Philadelphia, and that night in the city there were joyful celebrations which soon became nationwide. Even since, the 4th of July has been marked in the American calendar as Independence Day, and there are parades and festivities of all kinds.
The Declaration of Independence drawn up by Thomas Jefferson is one of the most important documents ever published, and it dropped like a bombshell（意外事件） on the western world. Here is a sentence which shook the ruling classes of Europe, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed ( 賦予)by their Creator with certain unalienable(不可剝奪的) rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
1. When did the Americans declare their independence?
A. The fourth of July, 1776..        B. The fourth of June, 1794.
C. The first of July, 1767.          D. The first of June, 1756
2. By whom was The Declaration of Independence drawn up?
A. George Washington.          B. Benjamin Franklin.
C. Thomas Jefferson            D. Abraham Lincoln.
3. Which of the following most generally summarizes the Declaration of Independence?
A. Equality.                 B. Liberty   
C. The pursuit of happiness.    D. All of the above.

Honesty, my mum always used to tell me, is the best policy. Of course, this didin’t include her when she told me that if I didn’t eat all my vegetables Father Christmas would find out and wouldn’t give me any presents.
But when it comes to medicine, I had assumed it was important to always be honest with my patients. After all, the doctor patient relationship is based on trust, and therefore honesty is essential, Or so I thought.
I had just started working in geriatrics(老年病科). Mr. McMahon was brought in when his baby was faound very swollen. I took a medical history from his daughter would accompanied him in the ambulance. She’d been his main carer for years. I stood looking at him as she gave a detailed history. “Has he lost any weight recently?” I asked, “Well, it’s funny you should mention that, but yes.” She said slowly. There was silence for a few moments. “Why? What are you worried about?” she asked, I hesitated. She was obviously very involved in his care and it was only fair that I told her the truth. “Well, we need to prove it’s not cancer.” I said and talked briefly about some of the tests I was going to order.
Half an hour later, a nurse called me: “Mr. McMahon’s daughter broke down－she said you told her he had cancer.” My heart sank. By the time I arrived at the ward, my consultant was already there, explaining that we still had to run lots of tests and that it was by no means confirmed that he had cancer. I stood silently at the end of the bed. My consultant was obviously angry with me and as we left Mr. McMahon, she turned to me. “Why on carch did you do that?” she asked to disbelief. I looked at her andbit my hp. “She asked me what I was worried about and I told her.” I said, hanging my head. “And give her more to worry about?” replied my consultant. “You don’t say the word ‘cancer’ until it’s confirmed. Even if you suspect it, think very carefully before you tell people.”
As it turned out, it wasn’t cancer. But I did learn that when somecone is stressed and worried about their loved one they’re sometimes selective in what they hear－and as a doctor it’s important to be mindful of this. In being truthful, I’d made the situation worse.
【小題1】.The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that the author        .

Tom was a poor boy. He made a living by cleaning leather shoes for others in the street. Tom was also a clever boy.
One day, a very rich man with the name Miser appeared in front of Tom. He watched his dirty shoes for a while, and then looked at Tom. Tom knew this kind of people well: they love money very much and hate to spend it.
Tom said, “Let me clean your shoes, sir.”
“For nothing?” the rich man asked.
“Only two pence, sir.”
Mr Miser shook his head and walked away.
Tom thought for a moment and then called out, “I’d like to clean it for nothing!” This time Mr Miser agreed. And soon one of his shoes was shining brightly.
When the rich man put his other shoe on the stool(凳子), Tom said he wouldn’t clean it for him unless he was paid two pence for his work. Mr Miser was very angry. He refused to pay anything and went away with a smile on his face.
But to his surprise, the well-cleaned shoe was so bright that it made the other one look even dirtier. Mr Miser took a look around. People in the street were laughing at him. He couldn’t walk on any further.
Finally the rich man returned and gave Tom two pence. In a very short time his two shoes shone brightly.
【小題1】The story happened___________.