--What's one fourth and one fourth, can you tell me?

--Yes, it's     .

A. one      B. one half      C. one third      D. two fourth

I read yesterday (yes, on a blog) that there are now blogging competitions!! I can’t believe it. A man in England won $2,000 for writing the best blog. There’s even a list of the best Chinese bloggers! I’ve read a few of them- before they were famous, I might add. I suppose that one blog can be better than another. It can be better written, more interesting, funnier, and I suppose that blogs are there to be read and judged (點(diǎn)評(píng)) by other people. If they’re not good, they’re not read. And they’re not just personal feelings. If they were, they’d be called diaries. Have locks, and be hidden under beds. So I’m OK with this whole competition thing. I just can’t believe I didn’t win!

This has got me thinking about why I’m writing this blog. I’m not doing it to win a competition (or I wasn’t when I started …) and I’m not doing it to show all my personal feelings – I do that in my diary. So, why am I a blogger?

To tell the truth, the first time I heard the word blog I thought it was a new word for a toilet. But I love learning new words so I used my knowledge and found out that a blog was a personal website and the word blog came from the words web log. Now a log is a type of diary kept by sailors (水手), and web, well, we all know that it has nothing to do with catching flies and everything to do with the Internet. Web log… weblog… blog…. Being a writer I loved the idea of getting my views (觀點(diǎn))onto the Internet where anyone could read them, and no editors (編輯) could get their hands on them!

So my first reason for blogging: I’m a writer. I want people to read what I write (un-edited!). And I love writing about anything I choose. I can write about saving the environment or complain about how the people in front of me in the cinema always seem to have big heads. And sometimes I pour out my heart too.

My second reason is that it’s relaxing. I don’t have to do research and write an article. I can let my thoughts go on as long as I like.

Third reason? To keep in touch.  I’m terrible on the phone and all my friends around the world read my blog (or they say they do …). Every now and then, I even upload a photo so they remember what I look like.

Is there a fourth reason? There probably is but now it’s time for dinner. Tomorrow I might even tell you what I ate.

1. The writer thinks a good blog is one that _____________.

  A. can let his thought go freely

  B. wins a blogging competition

  C. helps people keep in touch

  D. is read by large numbers of people

2. The writer loves writing blogs mainly because __________.

  A. his writing about feeling can be shown anywhere

  B. his writing would never be edited by others

  C. he enjoys writing something about big events

  D. he finds himself terrible on the phone

3. There’re __________reasons in the passage to explain why the writer is a blogger.

  A. 2                     B. 3                      C. 4                     D. 5

4. This passage is _________.

  A. a blog about blogging                     B. a diary about blogging

      C. a view on blogging                        D. a judgement on blogging

閱讀理解

　　Mrs Chen and her mother lived together in America. Mrs Chen had been there many years, but her mother had only recently arrived. After just two months, Mrs Chen's mother died. Mrs Chen was very unhappy. She loved her mother very much and missed her.

　　One day, Mrs Chen was walking along the street when she saw a notice outside a building. The notice said, “Madame Rita, Spiritual Medium. Room 454. Fourth floor. I can help you contact your departed loved ones.”

　　Mrs Chen thought, “I'd like to ask mother how she is. Perhaps I should visit this Madame Rita.” She went into the building and took the lift to the fourth floor. She soon found Room 454 and went inside.

　　Madame Rita said, “How can I help you?”

　　“I want to speak to my mother. She died last year.”

　　“What was her name?” Madame Rita asked.

　　“Mei Ling,” Mrs Chen said.

　　“I can help you,” Madame Rita said. “It will cost 200 dollars.”

　　“All right,” Mrs Chen said.

　　Madame Rita closed her eyes. She was silent for several minutes. Then she spoke.

　　“Mei Ling, can you hear me?” She asked.

　　A voice came out of nowhere. “Yes, I can hear you.”

　　“Your daughter wants to know if you are happy.”

　　“Yes, I am very happy,” the voice said.

　　Madame Rita opened her eyes. “Did you hear what your mother said?” she asked Mrs Chen.

　　“Yes,” Mrs Chen said.

　　“Then that will be two hundred dollars.” Madame Rita said.

　　“Fine,” Mrs Chen said. “I'll pay you if you can explain how my ninety-year-old mother learned to speak such good English. She couldn't speak it when she was alive.

1．When Mrs Chen saw the notice, ________.

[　　]

A．She thought of her dead mother

B．she thought Madame Rita must be her old friend

C．she was happy and wanted to see her mother

D．she took it and went to Room 454

2．Why did Mrs Chen go to the Medium?

[　　]

A．To check on her health.

B．To check on her mother's health.

C．To get to know how her mother was by the Medium.

D．To tell Madame Rita how she missed her mother.

3．Madame Rita said she could help her ________.

[　　]

A．a(chǎn)fter she paid her $ 200

B．even if she had no money

C．if she told Madame Rita her mother's name

D．a(chǎn)nd asked her to pay $ 200 for it.

4．The word “depart” means ________.

[　　]

5．Mrs Chen didn't believe the Medium ________.

[　　]

A．because her mother could speak English

B．because she knew her mother didn't answer a strange person's question

C．because she knew that voice was not her mother's voice

D．so she paid the woman half of the money