In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.    
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They had to move back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
小題1:Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.

A．want to be as rich as their neighbours

B．want others to know or to think that they are rich

C．don’t want others to know they are rich

D．want to be happy

小題2:It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________.

A．live outside New York City	B．live in New York City
C．live in apartments	D．live with many neighbours

小題3:What’s the author’s attitude to keeping up with the Joneses?

A．Negative.	B．Positive.
C．Supportive.	D．Objective.

One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. They ran away from the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
“The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing,” says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland. A survey of the wildlife in New York’s Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels. A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species. One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons (浣熊) now lives in Washington D.C., and moose (駝鹿) are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns. Peregrine falcons(游隼) dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to prey on (捕食) pigeons.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities. Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs. In addition, urban wildlife refuges (避難處)have been created. The Greater London Council last year spent￡750,000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from derelict lots. One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings (懸崖棲息地). By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food.
Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful. The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated. Such habitats can even be functional. In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain (保持) the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds.
小題1:The first paragraph suggests that ________.

A．environment is crucial for wildlife

B．tour books are not always a reliable source of information

C．London is a city of fox

D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment

小題2:Which of the following is NOT a reason that wildlife is returning to the cities?

A．Food is plentiful in the cities.

B．Wildlife is appreciated in the cities.

C．Wildlife refuges have been built in the cities

D．Air and water quality has improved in the cities

小題3:The underlined word “tallied” in Para. 2 means __________.

A．distinguished

B．described

C．counted

D．excluded

小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A．Londoners are putting more and more wild animals into their zoos.

B．Londoners are happy to see wild animals return to their city

C．Londoners are trying to move wild animals back to the countryside

D．Londoners have welcomed the wild birds, but found foxes a problem

小題5:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Wildlife returning to large cities

B．Foxes returning to London

C．Wild animals living in zoos

D．A survey of wildlife in New York

Englishmen speak British English and Americans speak American English. A student is learning to speak British English. He often asks himself, “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” Learners often ask “What’s the difference between British English and American English?”Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. The Englishmen say “Have you a pen?” While Americans say “Do you have a pen?” The pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans often sound “r” in words like “bird” and “hurt”. The British speakers don’t sound the “r” in these words. There are differences in spelling. For example, “colour” and “neighbour” are British while “color” and “neighbor” are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. When Englishmen and Americans are talking with each other, they don’t need an interpreter(翻譯). Maybe some day they need, but not now.
小題1:Between British and American English, _______.

A．the greatest difference is in spelling

B．there are differences in many ways

C．people can’t understand each other

D．students don’t know the difference

小題2:When a student is asking himself “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” it shows that_______.

A．he wants to learn American English

B．he doesn’t like British English

C．he hasn’t spoken to any American so far

D．he is going to spend more time on American English

小題3:43. The differences between British and American English are not important because______

A．everyone knows the differences

B．people talk to each other very often

C．Englishmen and Americans get along well

D．British English and American English are the same language

小題4:“Have you a pen” and “Do you have a pen?” show a difference in______

A．grammar

B．spelling

C．pronunciation

D．listening

小題5:At the end of the passage the writer wants to tell us _______.

A．British and American English will be two different languages some day

B．Englishmen and Americans will never need an interpreter while talking

C．there will be no more differences between British and American English

D．the differences between British English and American English will grow larger

London Underground
The world’s first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time，the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work， they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This  would  help ease(減輕) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems，the idea of the London Underground，the first subway system，was born.
The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays，but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30，000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed)， and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However， the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰)， as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems，riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.
小題1:How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem？

A．It made the tunnels larger.

B．It put fans in the tunnels.

C．It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.

D．It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.

小題2:What led the British government to build the London Underground？

A．Traffic jams and pollution.

B．Population and pollution.

C．Overcrowding and traffic jams.

D．The poverty and subway problems.

小題3:Which of the following is TRUE？

A．To relocate the workers’ homes outside London，the government built the subway.

B．There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.

C．The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.

D．There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.

小題4:The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “______”.

A．be troublesome	B．become popular and fashionable
C．keep up with	D．seize

It is estimated that some seven hundred million people, about half the world’s  adult population, are unable to read or write, and there are probably two hundred and fifty million more whose level is so slight that it is hardly called literacy(有文化).
Recently the attack on illiteracy had been stepped up. A world plan has been drawn up by a committee of UNESCO experts in Paris, as part of the United Nations Development Decade（十年計劃）,and an international conference of the subject has also been held. UNESCO stresses that functional literacy is the aim. People must learn the basic skills of responsible citizenship, the ability of reading notices, newspapers, timetables, letters, price-lists to keep simple records and accounts, to select the importance of the information gathered, and to fill in the forms.
The major areas of illiteracy are in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. In Africa there are at least one hundred million illiterate people, which is eighty to eighty-five percent of the total population. In Europe the figure is about twenty-four million; most of them are in Sothern Europe, with Spain, Italy, Portugal, Yugoslavia heading the list (the United Kingdom has about seven hundred thousand).
UNESGO is eager for each country in the world, poor or rich, to wipe out illiteracy.
小題1:The author implies that this world plan is to______.

A．be carried out in the major areas of illiteracy like Africa.

B．be realized in the years

C．be drawn up by Parisian experts

D．be discussed at an international conference

小題2:The world plan mentioned in the passage aims at____.

A．a(chǎn)sking African countries to take the lead in attacking illiteracy

B．strengthening the function of the UNESCO

C．helping illiterate people learn functional reading and writing

D．training responsible citizens

小題3:According to the passage, which of the following countries has the most illiterate people?

A．England

B．France

C．Sweden

D．Spain

小題4:Which of the statements is true?

A．The major areas of illiteracy are in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.

B．In the USA there are at least one hundred million illiterate people,

C．the United Kingdom has about seven hundred million illiterate people

D．In Europe the figure is about twenty-four million; most of them are in Northern Europe.

Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for-its stadium and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years.
Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe, But they were not.
In August of AD 79 , Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii . When the eruption ended , Pompeii was hurried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861,an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD79 , There  were streets and fountains, houses and shops, There was a stadium with 20,000 seats , Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine, They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in the bakery .In one bakery there were 81 round , flat loaves of bread –a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today . Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.
小題1:Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?

A．To find the volcano

B．To shop and eat there

C．To watch sports and plays

D．To see how Pompeians lived

小題2:Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79?

A．Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully.

B．The city was buried alive and remained untouched.

C．Scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects.

D．Nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted.

小題3:What do we know about the Pompeians who lived 2000 years ago?

A．They lived more or less the same as Italians now do .

B．They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup.

C．They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating.

D．They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD79.

Chinese and Western eating habits are different. In China, the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. It is always polite to let guests or elderly people at the table taste every dish first. But in the West, everyone has his or her own plate of food.
Although there are no strict rules on how to set chopsticks and spoons, there are some things you should never do during a Chinese banquet (筵席).
　Firstly and most importantly, don’t put your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl full of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking out upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it appears that you want someone at the table to die.
Make sure the spout(容器嘴) of the teapot is not facing anyone, as this is impolite. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.
Don’t tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slow in a restaurant, you should not tap on your bowl. If you are in someone’s home, it is like insulting the cook.
小題1:What is the difference between Chinese and Western eating habits according to Paragraph 1?

A．In China people are very polite, while in the West people are not so.

B．In China people share the dishes, while in the West people eat separately.

C．In China people use the chopsticks, while in the West people use the knife and fork.

D．None of the above.

小題2:What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．The reason why chopsticks shouldn’t be put upright in the rice bowl.

B．The Chinese use chopsticks to eat.

C．The Chinese eating habits.

D．How to use chopsticks.

小題3:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．It is polite to taste the dishes before the guests or the elderly.

B．You can put your chopsticks wherever you want.

C．Never tap on your bowls with the chopsticks during the meal.

D．Teenagers can stick their chopsticks in the rice bowl.

小題4:The underlined word “insulting” in the last paragraph probably means “_________”.

A．playing jokes on

B．laughing at

C．treating badly

D．looking down upon

Brazil is a federation that consists of twenty-six states and one federal district. The biggest majority of Brazil’s population belongs to the Christian religion and almost all of them are Catholics. This is something Brazil inherited(繼承) being Portugal’s colony(殖民地).
Historically, the country was a colony claimed by people from Portugal and this made Portuguese the official language. The Portuguese reached Brazil in 1500 and until that moment it was inhabited by semi-nomadic(半游牧的) people. The Portuguese changed Brazil into a country of slaves until 1800, when Maria I of Portugal came to live in Brazil. The Queen did not stay long in Brazil, but during the 20 years of royal presence a lot of changes occurred: commercial ports to United Kingdom were opened; Brazil stopped being isolated(孤立) from other countries. So at the moment of getting the independence on the 7th of September, 1822, Brazil already had the potential to develop. The Brazilian Empire, Pedro I, abolished slavery in 1888 in the face of Princess Isabel. A lot of European people started coming to Brazil and the industry of the country started working. In the 19th and the 20th century as it has been said above foreign people immigrated(移民) to Brazil and basically 5 million European and Japanese people became the residents of Brazil. The beginning of the 20th century was especially marked by the immigration of a lot of Asian people: Japanese, Korean and Chinese immigrants. As a matter of fact Japanese people do not immigrate a lot, and the fact that the Brazilian-Japanese people are the largest Japanese minority in the world does astonish greatly.
The majority of the cultural inherits of Brazil are actually Portuguese, due to the fact that Brazil was Portugal’s colony for a very long time. The southern states mainly consist of European population and the north and the northeast consist of a mixed population including Africans, Amerindians and Europeans. Most of this population is Roman Catholic. No other country in the world has the same amount of Catholics. The modern tendency of Brazil is the growing number of people calling themselves Protestants. Around 7.4% of the population don’t believe any god. Some Brazilians, especially in the northern states are mixed Africans who prefer following the traditional African religions. Only 1.8% of the population chose Buddhism, Islam or Judaism.
Though Brazil always tried to maintain democracy, it was failed several times by the dictatorship（獨裁） of Getulo Vargas. This fact could not affect the political situation in the country.
小題1:Brazil was ruled by Portuguese about ______.

A．22 years

B．300 years

C．322 years

D．328 years

小題2:Who might block the development of Brazil?

A．Maria I

B．Pedro I

C．immigrants

D．Getulo Vargas

小題3:The writer mainly tells us the ______ of Brazil in the passage.

A．religion

B．history

C．culture

D．political situation

小題4:Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Brazil was isolated from other countries when Maria I stayed there.

B．The industry of the country started working in 1888.

C．Brazil has the largest population of Catholics in the world.

D．Some people in Brazil don’t believe any god.

小題5:It can be inferred that Brazil is a country with ________.

A．western culture	B．modern culture
C．traditional culture	D．mixed culture

American Watersports Tuesday-Saturday
Located on the beach of the Sea Gardens Beach Resort, there are fun things to
rent for the whole family. They offer rentals for kayaks, jet skis, and even parasail!
Enjoy the water up-close or from a bird’s eye view! No matter what activity you’re
enjoying, be sure to protect yourself and your family from the sun’s powerful rays and  apply plenty of sun block!
15^th Street Boat Company Monday-Saturday
15^th Street Boat Company offers rental boats of all kinds. They’re sure to have what you are looking for, whether it’s a small boat for a quick and simple outing or an extravagant boat with comfortable seats with a stereo and high tech navigation. You can rent a boat for half a day or a couple of days, or even weeks at a time. If you want it, they’ve got it. It’s fun for everyone!
Coconut’s Watersports 9am-5pm Monday-Sunday
Coconut’s Watersports is open 7 days a week and offers tons of water fun for the whole family. Jet Ski activities last 30 minutes or 1 hour and can make stops along the way. You must be at least 14 years of age to ride alone and can be as young as 3 to ride along with an adult. Everybody is required to wear a life jacket and a license is required to operate the Jet Ski. Bathing suits and shorts are recommended.
Jet Ski Tours of Miami 10am-7pm Thursday-Sunday
Jet Ski Tours of Miami includes onsite parking, indoor restrooms, lockers, and life jackets for participants. You may choose a one or two tour and each Jet Ski can hold up to 3 people. You must be at least 18 years old in order to ride. As long as you are accompanied by an adult, there is no age limitation for any passenger. There is a restaurant nearby to eat at. The tour visits 6 different islands and passes by Bayside and Hard Rock. You may even catch sight of dolphins, turtles or a crab resting in these splendid Florida waters.
小題1:You should especially protect yourself from sun burnt while visiting______.

A．Jet Ski Tours of Miami

B．Coconut’s Watersports

C．15th Street Boat Company

D．American Watersports

小題2:Which of the following can help you enjoy sailing a boat?

A．Go to the Sea Gardens Beach Resort.

B．Visit 15th Street Boat Company.

C．Choose Jet Ski Tours of Miami.

D．Visit Coconut’s Watersports.

小題3:What’s a must to ride alone in the Jet Ski activities?

A．One must be at least 14 years old.

B．One must wear bathing suits and shorts.

C．One must apply plenty of sun block.

D．One must be accompanied by parents.

小題4:What will you do to satisfy your son’s curiosity about sea animals?

A．You would like to rent a boat to ride with him.

B．You need a boat with comfortable seats with a stereo.

C．You’d like to choose American Watersports.

D．You prefer the tour to Bayside and Hard Rock.

Students who want to study in the United States may find that their chances for financial aid are limited. They often have to pay for their education with their own savings or their family's money.
A recent report from the Institute of International Education in New York looked at 2008-2009 school year.
Colleges and universities in the United States had more than half a million foreign students. 63% of them paid for school mostly by themselves or with family help. 26% percent were supported by the school they attended.
There are other sources of financial aid for international students. These include a student's home government or university, or the United States government. Private sponsors, international organizations and employers may also provide support. Yet during the last school year, not many students were able to depend on any of these other sources. Current employers provided the most help. Still, they represented the main support for just four percent of international students.
Those at the graduate level, however, are more likely than undergraduates to receive financial aid in the United States. More than 80% percent of foreign undergraduates depended mostly on personal and family money to pay for school last year. The same was true of less than half of graduate students. Most of the others received financial aid from their college or university in the United States.
A list of American schools that offer financial aid to foreign students can be found at a useful Web site. The address is edupass.org. This site also provides information about scholarship programs. But it warns foreign students not to pay if there is any charge for scholarship application forms. You could be cheated out of your money.
小題1:Most foreign students depend on _______ to pay for their education.

A．the home universities	B．personal or family money
C．the American schools	D．international organization

小題2:How many sources of financial aid are mentioned in the text?

A．9

B．3

C．6

D．12

小題3:Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A．Foreign students have no chance to get money from American schools.

B．Most foreign graduate students depend on their own savings.

C．Edupass.org offers financial aid and scholarship information.

D．Usually the present employers provide the most financial help.

小題4:The text mainly talks about ________.

A．financial aid for foreign students in US

B．the hard life for foreign students in US

C．the variety of educational choices in US

D．the disadvantages of studying in US.