“I grew up on Jackson’s music and I still have all his stuff on My iPod. I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life.”
Michael Jackson was a singer，songwriter，dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that，he had transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer，he had enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known  ——Barack Obama
only to Elvis Presley，the Beatles and  Frank Sinatra.
Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the 80s’，and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958.The fifth and youngest son of steelworker Joe Jackson，Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962，and Michael joined them the following year，quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5，the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969，when Michael was just 11 years old. I Want You Back，ABC，The Love You Save and I’ll Be There all hit number one in 1970，making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972，Jackson had his first number one solo single，Ben. In 1977，he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing，Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult，Off the Wall.
Released（發(fā)行） in 1982，the Quincy Jones produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall：the dance and rock tracks were more driving，the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful，and all of it was recognizably Michael. There was no surprise that Thriller was a hit；what was a surprise was its staying power .Jackson’s duet with McCartney，The Girl Is Mine，was a natural single choice，and it peaked at number two；then Billie Jean and the Van Halen track Beat It both hit number one，for seven and three weeks respectively.
Michael Jackson died from heart disease on June 25 at age 50.
小題1:What does Barack Obama mean by saying “His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life”？

A．Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career as well as in life.

B．Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career.

C．Michael Joseph Jackson led a happy life.

D．Michael Joseph Jackson gained a lot in his career，but he also suffered a lot in his life.

小題2:According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true?

A．Barack Obama likes Michael Jackson’s song very much.

B．Barack Obama and Michael Jackson are good friends.

C．Michael is good at music as well as at dance.

D．Michael Jackson had his first number one solo single when he was 14 years old.

小題3:Choose the right time order of the following events.
a．Barack Obama，President of the US，assessed the whole life of Michael Jackson.
b．The family musical group signed to Motown.
c．Michael joined the family musical group.
d．His father began to organize a family musical group.
e．Thriller became a hit.

A．a(chǎn)－c－e－b－d	B．d－c－b－e－a
C．b－e－a－c－d	D．d－e－b－c－a

小題4:What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Michael Jackson’s job.	B．How Michael Jackson performed.
C．Michael Jackson’s great achievements.	D．Michael Jackson’s life.

As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son   36  a severe stomachache and died suddenly. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later,   37  him alone with his six-year- old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were _ 38 _ Al could handle, and he _ 39  to alcohol. Al began to lose everything he possessed---his home, his land, his art objects, everything.   40  he died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I reacted with the same disdain（蔑視）the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing   41 _ left. “What a complete failure!” I thought. “What a totally   42__  life!”
As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier _ 43  judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most   44  most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free   45  of the love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come   46  somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to   47  an alcoholic. One day I get up my   48  to ask him. “I’m really puzzled by something,” I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to   49  you.   50  on earth did he do that you became such a special person?
Ernie sat _ 51 _ and thought for a few moments. Then he said, “From my  _52   memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a __53  and said, “I love you, son.”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to   54  Al as a failure. He had not left any material possession behind,   55  he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.

小題1:	A．obtained B．developed C．cured D．recovered

小題2:	A．taking B．locking C．finding D．leaving

小題3:	A．more than B．less than C．other than D．rather than

小題4:	A．got B．turned C．loved D．changed

小題5:	A．Luckily B．Suddenly C．Eventually D．Jokingly

小題6:	A．material B．expensive C．real D．special

小題7:	A．happy B．thoughtful C．deserted D．wasted

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)ngry B．sharp C．a(chǎn)ctual D．proper

小題9:	A．handsome B．rich C．caring D．ordinary

小題10:

A．flow B．rise C．fly D．move

小題11:

A．out B．from C．up D．down

小題12:

A．defend B．become C．discuss D．a(chǎn)rgue

小題13:

A．confidence B．courage C．belief D．strength

小題14:

A．feed B．love C．care D．raise

小題15:

A．How B．What C．Why D．Which

小題16:

A．a(chǎn)ngrily B．comfortably C．quietly D．excitedly

小題17:

A．earliest B．nearest C．best D．hardest

小題18:

A．pat B．lesson C．kiss D．present

小題19:

A．judge B．say C．remember D．respect

小題20:

A．so B．a(chǎn)nd C．but D．or

One summer several years ago, my family was enjoying a barbecue on the beach. After the barbecue, my father-in-law invited me to go fishing.  Fishing was his hobby, but I   36  went fishing. We walked a little way along the beach and reached a rock by the shore, and I    37   the hook into the sea from there.  Frankly speaking, I am a (n)   38  person, and although I had not felt a tug (猛拽) on the line, I reeled up the hook after five minutes or so. I had caught    39 . It was a starfish. It trembled uneasily when I   40  the hook from its ugly mouth. I threw the starfish back into the sea. After another five minutes I caught another starfish and I threw it back again.
After a while, I caught yet another starfish. That was  41  time, and this time I really got angry. I hit the starfish on the rock   42  throwing it into the sea. I was not in the   43  to continue fishing any more.
When I was   44  the fishing tools, I noticed a little girl looking at the starfish on the rock. We   45  looks with each other. The little girl spoke to me in a   46  voice. “Sir, would you mind if I   47  the starfish back into the sea?”“Not at all,” I replied. “"But you know, there are too many starfish in the sea, and they eat many shellfish.   48 , they look so ugly. I don't like them.”
“I understand,” said the little girl. “But if the starfish cannot get back to the sea, it will be   49  by the sun and die. My dead grandfather once told me that there are no living creatures that have no right to exist in the world. God   50  every creature because it was needed by nature. Poisonous snakes, spiders, and starfish were born into this world with a certain   51  for their existence.”
“All right, dear, please throw the starfish back into the sea,” I said to the little girl, feeling   52 . The girl picked up the starfish and gently put it into the sea, and she  53  at me and said, “Thank you, sir.”
Many people like "cute" creatures such as dogs, cats, and rabbits, while they tend to dislike “ugly” creatures such as snakes, spiders, and starfish.  However, the “cuteness” and “ugliness” of things are decided   54  only on one’s personal opinions. There are no living creatures that have no  55  in the world-- this is what I learned from the little girl.

小題1:	A．even B．still C．seldom D．ever

小題2:	A．dragged B．pulled C．cast D．pushed

小題3:	A．imaginable B．careless C．impatient D．confident

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)nything B．something C．everything D．nothing

小題5:	A．received B．released C．replaced D．relaxed

小題6:	A．a(chǎn) second B．the second C．the third D．a(chǎn) third

小題7:	A．other than B．instead of C．more than D．except for

小題8:	A．sense B．hope C．mood D．peace

小題9:	A．putting off B．putting out C．putting in D．putting away

小題10:

A．changed B．exchanged C．experienced D．a(chǎn)rranged

小題11:

A．frightened B．hopeless C．puzzled D．hesitating

小題12:

A．put B．threw C．cast D．dropped

小題13:

A．Therefore B．However C．Besides D．Still

小題14:

A．died out B．worn out C．turned out D．dried out

小題15:

A．protected B．blessed C．created D．a(chǎn)dmitted

小題16:

A．idea B．excuse C．purpose D．a(chǎn)bility

小題17:

A．very satisfied B．a(chǎn) little ashamed C．quite angry D．a(chǎn) bit tired

小題18:

A．smiled B．shouted C．looked D．laughed

小題19:

A．carrying B．based C．depended D．following

小題20:

A．value B．right C．price D．life

He's an old cobbler （修鞋匠）  with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris．When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time．Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away．”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time．Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman． “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well．”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” ­­­— without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys．They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap （鞋帶） you might as well just throw away the pair．
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled．He wiped his hands on his blue apron （圍裙）, looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week．”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf．
“See what I can do?” he said with pride． “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work．”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me．He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft．
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption （消費(fèi)） rather than a way to realize their own abilities．In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done．
小題1:Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?

A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools．

B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais．

C．He was proud of his skills．

D．He was a native Parisian．

小題2:The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend．” （ paragraph 7 ） implies that______

A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him

B．it was difficult to communicate with this man

C．the man was very strange

D．the man was too old

小題3:According to the author, many people work just to__________．

A．realize their abilities	B．gain happiness
C．make money	D．gain respect

小題4:This story wants to tell us that__________．

A．craftsmen make a lot of money	B．whatever you do, do it well
C．craftsmen need self-respect	D．people are born equal

You Are Going Places
One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work．I work at a local restaurant in town as a cashier, seater and waiter．
I went to work feeling  31  . And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening．It' s the same thing over and over again． 32 with customers who complain about their food and where they are  33  is too big or too small．Little things like that tend to  34 a lot of us  35 but we manage to deal with it．
Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows．It happened to be the very  36 near where I keep the dirty  37 in the boxes．Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and  38 running all over the house, it was crazy． 39 these elderly women were watching  40 I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers．
When they  41 their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen．They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what  42 I was in and what I planned to do in the future．
43 they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a  44 and gentle voice, "You are going places．And that was it．They left the  45 and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me  46 to believe in myself．They  47 my spirit from being down and gave me a  48 to keep on working hard．
People used to tell me that I could not have a career in  49 until I had a degree．I'm now a co-anchor （聯(lián)合主持人）of a student-produced television  50  . And the best thing is: I'm only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school．

小題1:	A．tired B．excited C．up D．down

小題2:	A．Dealing B．Helping C．Talking D．Meeting

小題3:	A．sat B．seated C．laid D．seating

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)ttract B．a(chǎn)void C．a(chǎn)djust D．a(chǎn)nnoy

小題5:	A．employees B．customers C．boss D．employers

小題6:	A．table B．box C．spot D．kitchen

小題7:	A．dishes B．rooms C．clothes D．chairs

小題8:	A．men B．women C．servers D．people

小題9:	A．And B．Otherwise C．But D．So

小題10:

A．what B．how C．where D．why

小題11:

A．finished B．completed C．ordered D．got

小題12:

A．place B．grade C．mark D．position

小題13:

A．Before B．While C．As D．After

小題14:

A．confident B．loud C．low D．pleasant

小題15:

A．kitchen B．house C．restaurant D．table

小題16:

A．a(chǎn)bility B．courage C．imagination D．time

小題17:

A．put down B．picked up C．took over D．pointed out

小題18:

A．cause B．reason C．present D．permission

小題19:

A．television B．government C．school D．restaurant

小題20:

A．company B．station C．show D．a(chǎn)dvertisement

Liu Jiaoyang, 16, carefully winds a bobbin（繞線筒） with thread, places it on her sewing machine （縫紉機(jī)） and then presses her foot down to begin sewing．While she' s doing this, she pretends to guide fabric （布料）through the machine．Liu looks forward to the class when she can work on a piece of real cloth, and make a beautiful dress．
Each Tuesday afternoon, after the bell rings for the fourth period, Liu becomes a fashion designer．At the same time, the rest of the students at the High School Attached to Yunnan Normal University in Kunming are also having classes a little bit different from the usual ones．Some students dance, others create robots, and still others review films．These are just a few of the other 27 elective （選修的） courses besides Liu's sewing class that the school began to offer last month．
"The fashion design class has become the bright point of my week．I learn how to choose colors and fabrics （織物） as well as sewing and sketching （素描） skills．It's all helping me to realize the dream of becoming a fashion designer I' ve had since I was a little girl, " Liu said．
Design is Liu' s favorite, but for other students the electives are interesting lessons which relieve （舒緩） the pressures of schoolwork．Some students, for example, are learning how to play bridge．Chen Xi,15, is one of them．She said, "Many people think that playing a card game like this in class is a waste of time．But in fact, bridge is a very challenging game that helps develop memory and math skills．"
小題1:How often do the students have elective classes?
A．Once a week   B．Once a month   C．Once a term    D．Once a year
小題2:How many elective courses had the school offered by last month?

A．27

B．28

C．26

D．25

小題3:Why did the students like to have elective classes?

A．Because the elective classes are easier．

B．Because they needn't do any homework in the elective classes．

C．Because they can get an opportunity to relieve their pressures．

D．Because they want to be fashion designers in the future．

小題4:According to the passage many people think____in class is a waste of time．

A．dancing	B．creating robots
C．playing a card game	D．reviewing films

It was so cold that I couldn’t feel my legs. There was going to be a racing contest that night so I was 36 my horse, Skippy, up. I was simply running laps(跑道的圈) around the ring. The  37  cold air had been blowing past me, freezing my limbs, but every second I  38 it. You could hear the faint  39  of the people up at the clubhouse eating their dinner. My parents were also there, not knowing that my little sister had slowly wandered her way down to the ring. It was  40 because there was no moon or stars. Nobody else was in the ring at the time. I was really enjoying the  41  and I was able to  42  what Skippy was doing. As I took my last lap it  43 . Everything rapidly slowed down as I saw my little sister step 44   the ring. I saw true fear on her face because she knew she wouldn’t be  45  to move out of the way fast enough. She knew that she was going to get hit. She tried to  46 but nothing came out of her fear-dried throat. When my horse got to her, he was still in a full out run.  47  , miraculously(奇跡般地), he slid so hard on his back feet that he  48 . It really made the  49  seem absolutely unreal. I thought that maybe I was 50 . I had  51  in my mind that I wasn’t seeing what was happening. I knew I had hit my sister. There was no way I could have  52  her. My horse was rising straight up and while he was in the air I couldn’t breathe. It’s like I forgot  53 . As all of this happened I watched my sister’s face transform (變形) through many different  54 : terror, confusion, curiosity, and then a sort of relief. Then she was laughing.
As I held my sister into my arms, Skippy stood right behind me knowing that I actually owed him my life  55 he saved my sister’s.

小題1:	A．picking B．warming C．catching D．setting

小題2:	A．bitterly B．hardly C．gently D．perfectly

小題3:	A．challenged B．witnessed C．enjoyed D．hated

小題4:	A．ceremony B．tradition C．victory D．laughter

小題5:	A．windy B．bright C．dark D．cloudy

小題6:	A．quiet B．quality C．impression D．significance

小題7:	A．rely on B．focus on C．insist on D．put on

小題8:	A．let out B．held on C．participated in D．took place

小題9:	A．close to B．out of C．into D．towards

小題10:

A．a(chǎn)ble B．frightened C．content D．proud

小題11:

A．evaluate B．worry C．scream D．escape

小題12:

A．Accidentally B．Normally C．Generally D．Somehow

小題13:

A．sped up B．rose up C．broke down D．wore out

小題14:

A．moment B．contest C．comment D．technique

小題15:

A．a(chǎn)dvancing B．breathing C．concluding D．dreaming

小題16:

A．that B．none C．neither D．it

小題17:

A．hit B．recognized C．missed D．a(chǎn)cknowledged

小題18:

A．how B．what C．when D．why

小題19:

A．a(chǎn)ctions B．emotions C．a(chǎn)ttitudes D．thoughts

小題20:

A．if B．because C．a(chǎn)s if D．so that

Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Na Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles form home. I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I'd just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. "Four more lights," she said. There was another bus I could take form there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its wind-shield. It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
"I just can't leave you here, "she said. "This isn't the nicest place. I'll give you a ride home."
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(迷惑的).
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested(抗議).
“Come on,”she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along.”she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That would not make it a  favor,” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”
小題1:The writer thought that he would have a long night because

A．it world be long before he could take another bus

B．no driver would give him a ride

C．he didn’t know the routes

D．he perhaps would have to take a taxi

小題2:Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was     .

A．very quiet and peaceful	B．dark without street lights
C．neither clean nor beautiful	D．a(chǎn) little unsafe

小題3:The writer wanted to take a taxi home at the end of the route because         .

A．no bus would come

B．a(chǎn) taxi ride would be more comfortable

C．he became impatient and a bit worried

D．he knew the driver would never return

小題4:The bus driver drove the writer home later because       .

A．she happened to go in the same direction

B．she wanted to do something good for other people

C．her brother told her to do so

D．she wanted to earn more money

小題5:The bus driver hoped that the writer         .

A．world do as she did	B．would keep her in memory
C．would give the money to others	D．would do her a favor

It was an afternoon in the winter, some friends and I were talking at a restaurant. We talked and soon swimming became the   36 . Suddenly I hit upon an idea．“Wouldn’t it be _37_ if we went swimming? Others went swimming in winter, and _38_ couldn’t we? Besides, we could be _39_ if we did．” I told them about this and they all said it was a good idea indeed．
Early in the morning, three days _40_, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, _41_ for a bus to take us to the _42_． The sky was clear, the sun was shining, but all the same, it was very cold．_43_ our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us _44_． We all felt that we should go back, but no one wanted to _45_．
We soon reached the sands． There was nobody there, but we were not to be discouraged． _46_ we were proud that we were the _47_ ones that dared to challenge(向……挑戰(zhàn)) the weather． Besides, the sun could keep us warm． So we _48_ ourselves quickly．
But things were not going to be so nice as we thought． The sea wind was blowing, we felt _49_ cold and we shook from head to feet． At last, we decided to _50_ the sea water． We put our feet in first, only to take them back _51_．The water was unbelievably cold．The I   52 that we should all jump in at the same time． We all went back ten steps． I gave the order and we all rushed forward．We jumped．I shall never   53 the feeling I had when I was in the water. I got up and rushed against to the seaside. So _54_ my friends．We put on our clothes as quickly as possible and went home．
We four did not go to school the next three days, for we all _55_ a bad cold． We missed the lessons, but we got this unforgettable experience．

小題1:	A．topic B．object C．center D．opinion

小題2:	A．lucky B．interesting C．surprising D．happy

小題3:	A．how B．what C．why D．that

小題4:	A．ill B．worse C．better D．stronger

小題5:	A．past B．later C．before D．since

小題6:	A．meeting B．a(chǎn)sking C．looking D．waiting

小題7:	A．sands B．pool C．river D．lake

小題8:	A．Though B．Only C．Since D．Even

小題9:	A．warm B．cold C．cool D．hot

小題10:

A．talk about B．speak out C．think over D．shout at

小題11:

A．Instead B．Therefore C．Particularly D．Lately

小題12:

A．lucky B．only C．happy D．younger

小題13:

A．enjoyed B．helped C．changed D．dressed

小題14:

A．a(chǎn) little B．such C．a(chǎn) few D．very

小題15:

A．dive into B．put down C．take off D．walk into

小題16:

A．quickly B．carefully C．finally D．bravely

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)nnounced B．promised C．suggested D．told

小題18:

A．forget B．remember C．tell D．believe

小題19:

A．do B．did C．had D．was

小題20:

A．felt B．became C．caught D．turned

Ibrahim became disabled after contracting polio (小兒麻痹癥) when he was three years old. At first his parents, like many other parents of disabled children in Niger, did not want to send him to school. They were worried he would be laughed at by his classmates.  
Despite his disability, and his parents’ doubts, Ibrahim was determined to go to school. “When I was eight,” Ibrahim says, “other kids of my age were going to school while I stayed at home. I did not like that. So, I pestered (纏著) my parents until they finally let me go to school.”
Ibrahim’s parents sent him to a private school nearby. Although the journey to and from school was a short one, it still wasn’t easy for Ibrahim. He had to use his hands to help him move along, protecting them with plastic slippers. But at least he was getting an education.
However, after only a year in school, Ibrahim’s education was interrupted when his parents separated. His mother did not have the means to continue paying for his tuition.
In 2007, Ibrahim received some money to be fitted with a leg brace (支架), corrective shoes and his first pair of crutches (拐杖). Now that he was more mobile than before, the most important thing for him was to find a way to go back to school. 
“I wanted to start school again last October,” Ibrahim says. “After my mother told me she could not afford it, I went to visit some of my relatives for support. And I collected 5,000 francs CFA (US $8) to pay my tuition for half a year. I will find the rest of the money somehow.”
Ibrahim attends a school in which he is the only disabled student. According to his teacher, he is among the top five students in a class of 55.
小題1:Why did Ibrahim’s parents prefer Ibrahim to stay at home? 

A．There was a lot of housework for him to do.

B．They had no money to pay for his tuition.

C．There were not enough schools in the country.

D．They were afraid the students would make fun of him.

小題2:How did Ibrahim go to school before his parents separated? 

A．He went to school on his wheelchair.

B．He went to school on his parents’ bicycle.

C．He walked to school with the support of his hands.

D．He walked to school using a pair of crutches.

小題3: Ibrahim’s education was interrupted because of his _____.

A．parents’ doubts

B．lack of tuition

C．physical disability

D．terrible mood

小題4:The best title for the passage might be _____.

A．A long way to go	B．Determined to learn
C．The only disabled student	D．I did not like that