A girl who graduated from a world-famous university wanted to do translation work for authority leaders. She was so happy when she entered the British embassy(大使館). She thought it was the greatest happiness in her life as many graduates wanted to get that job while she was one of the few people who got it!
But when she started her new job, she realized that it was just a job of answering calls and recording staff members’ starting and quitting times. It was unappreciated and was supposed to have no future. However, she didn’t feel sad about it. She learnt how to love the job. And she loved it when she was working. The names and phone numbers of the staff members were written down on the notebook so that she could remember them. When the phone calls came in, she picked it up as soon as possible. When someone asked her about who was not in the office, she would answer them the right name and the time when they left. Nobody could do that except her.
Her wonderful performance not only received the compliments from the embassy’s staff, but also the employees from the local government. And a leader of a famous company in Britain was also impressed by it and invited her to work for him. After that she became a personal translator of an important leader from Britain and appreciated by the foreigners.
We cannot choose our destiny(命運(yùn)), but we can choose the attitude with which we face our life. Maybe the attitude could change our destiny. If we cry to life, life will be gray. If we smile to life, life will smile to us, too.
小題1:What was once the girl’s greatest happiness in her life?

A．Being a translator for a leader.

B．Graduating from the university.

C．Working in the British embassy.

D．Continuing her study in the university.

小題2:The girl was invited to work for the company mainly because of her      .

A．excellent work	B．rich knowledge
C．friendly attitude	D．excellent English

小題3:What can we know from the passage?

A．The girl was once asked to leave the British company.

B．The foreigners were impressed by her good pronunciation.

C．People in the British embassy spoke highly of the girl.

D．The girl was famous for her remembering ability.

小題4:The author wants to tell us that      .

A．everybody has his or her own hard times in life

B．we should take a positive attitude towards life

C．we should be ready to lend a hand to our friends

D．it is important to listen to other’s problems carefully

I can still remember the first day when I met my best friend. She had just moved into the neighborhood and her grandmother brought her down to 1   me. I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother,  2  to look at each other. Soon, we lost the shyness and started playing with each other. In 7^th grade, I first lost 3   with her. She was  4   family problems and I deserted her.  5   of my new friends liked her 6  they knew she had “problems”.
It was last year when I noticed the 7  . I guess I was just to catch up in high school to realize she 8  someone there for her. I didn’t know 9, but she started cutting herself!
She was 10  from clinical depression(抑郁), and had to go to a 11  during the day. I was very upset at first but with the late night 12 , and meeting each other at midnight. I wanted to be there for her since her new best friend once 13  her since people were calling her crazy.
Yesterday she came to me and said this:“I never knew what a best friend was 14  you were the only person that would 15 me from cutting; the only person that ever made me feel better about myself and my problems. You don’t know this but I was trying to 16  myself that night you called me. You didn’t even know you were 17  me. I owe you so much.”
We both cried. And I guess a kind of 18  from my life is:“never give up on your friends”. Even if they aren’t as cool as others, or people think they are 19 , they need someone there. If you desert them, you will only be 20  yourself. So if a friend needs you, and you care for them, you can never desert them.

小題1:	A．call B．find C．meet D．know

小題2:	A．scared B．surprised C．glad D．eager

小題3:	A．communication B．friendship C．relation D．touch

小題4:	A．breaking through B．going through C．seeing through D．getting through

小題5:	A．None B．All C．Each D．Neither

小題6:	A．even if B．however C．a(chǎn)s if D．because

小題7:	A．problem B．coolness C．a(chǎn)ssessment D．sadness

小題8:	A．had B．wanted C．needed D．expected

小題9:	A．how B．why C．when D．where

小題10:

A．dating B．suffering C．separating D．originating

小題11:

A．hospital B．teacher C．friend D．school

小題12:

A．comforts B．conversations C．persuasions D．calls

小題13:

A．liked B．respected C．deserted D．hated

小題14:

A．when B．until C．before D．a(chǎn)fter

小題15:

A．protect B．support C．stop D．warn

小題16:

A．control B．kill C．forget D．enjoy

小題17:

A．hurting B．ignoring C．reminding D．helping

小題18:

A．fact B．truth C．lesson D．experience

小題19:

A．unfriendly B．cool C．strange D．crazy

小題20:

A．unhappy B．foolish C．impressive D．a(chǎn)nxious

Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918，Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI， a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.
As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI，today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed，and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.
They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.
That’s why we wear the red poppy (罌粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you” ; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.
Yet this message is fading away, year after year.
Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.
Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.
It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.
It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history，no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice.
Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.
Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.
小題1:Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?

A． It’s only held in Canada.

B．Its ceremony lasts 11 hours.

C．It falls on November 11th each year.

D．It’s to celebrate the country’s independence.

小題2:Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?

A．Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead.

B．Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.

C．Wearing a red poppy to show respect.

D．Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.

小題3:What can we learn from the passage?

A．War history is too violent for school children.

B．The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army.

C．Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

D．More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.

小題4:The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____

A．the death of so many soldiers in wars

B．the fact that there were so many wars after WWI

C．people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have

D．removing children from Remembrance Day events

小題5:The writer believes that_____

A．the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered

B．Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers

C．schools - no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary

D．people should be forced to learn about the realities of war

It was a busy morning，about 8:30,when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital .I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(約會(huì))at 9:30
The nurse had him take a    36   in the waiting area,    37   him it would be at least 40 Minutes    38   someone would be able to see him I saw him    39   his watch and decided， since I was    40   busy—my patient didn’t    41   at the appointed hour, I would examine his wound .While taking care of his wound．I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment
The gentleman said no and told me that he    42   to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his    43  . He told me that she had been    44   for a while and that she had a special disease I asked if she would be   45   if he was a bit late. He replied that she   46  knew who he was，that she had not been able to    47   him for five years now. I was    48 , and asked him，“And you    49   go every morning，even though she doesn’t know who you are?”
He smiled and said．“She doesn’t know me but I know who she is” I had to hold back    50  as he left.
Now I    51   that in marriages，true love is    52   of all that is The happiest people don’t   53   have the best of everything；they just    54   the best of everything they have   55   isn’t  about how to live through the storm，but how to dance in the rain.
小題1:A breath       B.test      C seat      D break
小題2:A persuading       B promising    C understanding     D telling
小題3:A if      B before  C since    D after
小題4:A taking off B．fixing       C looking at    D winding
小題5:A very  B also     C seldom D not
小題6:A turn up     B show off     C come on      D go away
小題7:A needed      B forgot  C agreed  D happened
小題8:A daughter   B wife     C mother D sister
小題9:A. late  B well     C around D.there
小題10:A lonely     B worried       C doubtful      D hungry
小題11:A so far      B neither C no longer    D already
小題12:A recognize       B answer C believe D expect
小題13:A moved    B disappointed       C surprised     D satisfied
小題14:A only       B.then     C.thus     D still
小題15:A curiosity B tears    C words  D judgment
小題16:A realize    B suggest C hope    D prove
小題17:A agreement      B expression   C acceptance   D exhibition
小題18:A necessarily     B completely  C．naturally   D frequently
小題19:A. learn     B make   C.favor   D.try
小題20:A Adventure      B Beauty C Trust    D Life

When I was 15, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my short-comings(缺點(diǎn)). Week by week her list grew. I was skinny(瘦的), I talked too loud, I was too proud, and so on. I put up with(忍受)her as long as I could. At last, I ran to my father in tears and anger. He listened to my outburst quietly. They he asked, “Are the things she says the true or not?”True? I wanted to know how to strike back. What did truth have to do with it?
“Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. ”Go and make a list of every thing she said and mark the points that are true. You needn’t pay attention to the other things she said.
I did as he told me and discovered to my surprise that about half the things are true. Some of them I couldn’t change(like being skinny), but a good number I could and suddenly wanted to change. For the time in my life I began to get a quiet clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy, but he wouldn’t take it.“That’s just for you,”he said.“You know better than any else the truth about yourself, once you hear it. But you’ve got to learn to listen, not close your ears in anger or hurt. When someone says something about you, you’ll know if it’s true or not. If it is ,you’ll find it will echo(共鳴)inside you.”
“I still don’t think it very nice of her to talk about me in front of everybody.”
“Mary, there is one way you could stop others talking about you ever again, and criticizing(批評) you—just say nothing and do nothing. But then, if you do that, you’d find you were nothing. You wouldn’t like that now, would you?”“No, I admitted(承認(rèn))”
小題1:One day the writer ran to her father in tears and anger because__________.

A．she found she talked too much.	B．she found she was too proud.
C．her classmates were not friendly to her.	D．a(chǎn) girl pointed out many of her shortcomings.

小題2:The writer’s father asked her ____________.

A．to pay attention to all that her“enemy”said about her.

B．not to pay attention to what her“enemy”said about her.

C．to pay attention only to the points that were true about her.

D．to pay attention only to the points that were not true about her.

小題3:The writer found that___________.

A．a(chǎn)bout half the things her“enemy”said were true.

B．most of the things her“enemy”said were true.

C．few of the things her“enemy”said were true.

D．none of the things her“enemy”said were true.

小題4:The writer’s father thinks__________.

A．if one says nothing and does nothing, people will praise him.

B．one should not do anything because others will talk about him.

C．it is not good to talk about others.

D．everyone is talked about by others.

Last week, I took a sales class for female business owners. The     36   thing the instructor did was ask if anyone had been the victim of a     37   sales experience. Every person in the room    38   her hand.
When she knew details, we learned that the     39   situations had one thing in common. It     40   that whenever a class member had a bad sales experience, it involved the     41   promising something he wouldn’t or couldn’t deliver.
The example I     42  with the class was a current one. I bought a summer membership at our community pool     43   because it advertised a lovely baby pool to which I could escape with my active one and four year-olds. However, every time I’ve used the pool this summer, the baby area has been     44   . Too much chlorine（氯氣）,    45   one manager.
I’m sure the pool director was very apologetic that his     46   had been inconvenienced, and that’s nice, but the     47   is that I did not get what I paid for. When the baby pool was closed, I had to swim with my     48   in the adult pool, which did not     49   me the control I wanted and as such, was quite stressful. I would have rather stayed home.
The pool has     50  a customer. I will not be buying a pass next summer.
In work and in life, it is really important not to     51   something you can’t deliver, because at best, it will improve your   52    . At worse, you could lose your job.    53   , before you assure a co-worker or customer that you can get something done, make sure that your boss or someone higher-up isn’t going to step in and force you to     54   your plan. You are not God, so don’t lead people to believe that you     55  the universe.

小題1:	A．last B．first C．latest D．only

小題2:	A．good B．miserable C．bad D．wonderful

小題3:	A．raised B．rose C．a(chǎn)rose D．a(chǎn)roused

小題4:	A．negative B．supportive C．positive D．pessimistic

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)ppeared B．noticed C．seemed D．presented

小題6:	A．seller B．buyer C．shopper D．a(chǎn)ssistant

小題7:	A．told B．shared C．held D．spoke

小題8:	A．roughly B．correctly C．naturally D．precisely

小題9:	A．closed B．turned C．switched D．forbidden

小題10:

A．a(chǎn)nnounced B．claimed C．declared D．exclaimed

小題11:

A．colleagues B．fellows C．customers D．children

小題12:

A．point B．subject C．sense D．truth

小題13:

A．friends B．students C．kids D．cousins

小題14:

A．supply B．a(chǎn)fford C．provide D．undertake

小題15:

A．gained B．a(chǎn)cquired C．hurt D．lost

小題16:

A．promise B．serve C．a(chǎn)ccommodate D．explain

小題17:

A．mood B．relationships C．feelings D．learning

小題18:

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

小題19:

A．a(chǎn)bandon B．continue C．change D．conduct

小題20:

A．command B．demand C．contain D．control

I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say .Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁)calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased woman said to me, ”If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died. ”At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today .That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate ,was more than she could take．It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course------keeping mother at home, putting off the operation----would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needｓ,and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to his tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him，and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we don not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
小題1:The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because_______.

A．he was minister of the local church

B．he wanted to comfort the two families

C．he was an official of the community

D．he had great pity for the deceased

小題2:People feel guilty for the death of their loved ones because________.

A．they can’t find a better way of express their sorrow

B．they have neglected the natural course of events

C．they believe that they were the reason

D．the don’t know things often turn in the opposite direction

小題3:According to the main passage, the underlined part in Paragraph 4 probably means that________.

A．everything in the world is predetermined

B．there’s an explanation for everything in the world

C．the world can be interpreted in different ways

D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world

小題4:What’s the main idea of the message?
A .Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B. Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
C Every story should have a happy ending.
D. In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.

Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum’s storytelling to Dad’s, researchers said.
They carried out a study that showed younger children aged 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.
More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite pastime with their parents.
"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.
Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.
The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.
When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities(名人) will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols(偶像) Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson.
"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong relations and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson.
小題1:The underlined word “pastime” in the passage most probably means          .

A．old time

B．entertainment

C．emotion

D．character

小題2:The author develops the passage mainly by        .

A．pointing out similarities and differences	B．following the natural time order
C．comparing opinions from different fields	D．providing examples and statistics

小題3:Reading a story with their parents helped most kids aged 3-8         .

A．grow stronger

B．become more emotional

C．sleep better

D．become more powerful

Twenty-first century humanity has mapped oceans and mountains, visited the moon, and surveyed the planets. But for all the progress, people still don’t know one another very well.
That brings about Theodore Zeldin’s “feast of conversation”－events where individuals pair with persons they don’t know for three hours of guided talk designed to get the past “Where are you from?”
Mr. Zeldin, an Oxford University professor, heads Oxford Muse, a 10-year-old foundation based on the idea that what people need is not more information, but more inspiration and encouragement.
The “feast” in London looks not at politics or events, but at how people have felt about work, relations among the sexes, hopes and fears, enemies and authority, the shape of their lives. The “menu of conversation” includes topics like “How have your priorities(優(yōu)先考慮的事) changed over the years?” Or, “What have you rebelled against the past?”
As participants gathered, Zeldin opened with a speech: that despite instant communications in a globalized age, issues of human heart remain. Many people are lonely, or in routines that discourage knowing the depth of one another. “We are trapped in shallow conversations and the whole point now is to think, which is sometimes painful,” he says. “But thinking interaction is what separates us from other species, except maybe dogs…who do have generations of human interactions.”
The main rules of the “feast”: Don’t pair with someone you know or ask questions you would not answer. The only awkward moment came when the multi-racial crowd of young adults to seniors, in sun hats, ties and dresses, looked to see whom they would be ‘intimate’ with for hours. But 15 minutes later, everyone was seated and talking, continuing full force until organizers interrupted them 180 minutes later.
“It’s encouraging to see the world is not just a place of oppression and distance from each other,” Zeldin summed up. “What we did is not ordinary, but it can’t be madder than the world already is.”
Some said they felt “l(fā)iberated” to talk on sensitive topics. Thirty-something Peter, from East London, said that “it might take weeks or months to get to the level of interaction we suddenly opened up.”
小題1:What can the “conversations” be best described as?

A．Deep and one-on-one.	B．Sensitive and mad.
C．Instant and inspiring.	D．Ordinary and encouraging.

小題2:In a “feast of conversations”, participants ______.

A．pair freely with anyone they like

B．have a guided talk for a set of period of time

C．a(chǎn)sk questions they themselves would not answer

D．wear clothes reflecting multi-racial features.

小題3:In paragraph 6, “they would be ‘intimate’” is closest in meaning to “______”.

A．they would have physical contact	B．they would have in-depth talk
C．they would be close friends	D．they would exchange basic information

小題4:From the passage, we can conclude that what Zeldin does is ______.

A．a(chǎn)n attempt to promote thinking interaction

B．one of the maddest activities ever conducted

C．a(chǎn) try to liberate people from old-fashioned ideas

D．a(chǎn)n effort to give people a chance of talking freely

I recently heard a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs（突破）. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him    1   he thought he was able to be so much more    2   than the average person.
He responded that it all came from a(n)   3   with his mother that occurred when he was about 2. He had been trying to   4  milk from the fridge when he    5   the slippery(光滑的) bottle, its contents running all over the kitchen floor.
When his mother came in,    6   shouting at him or giving him a lecture, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful    7   you have made! I have    8   seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been    9  . Would you like to get down and    10   in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, “Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge(海綿), a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge.
His mother then said, “ You know, what we have here is a    11  experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two    12   hands. Let’s go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can   13 .” The little boy learned that if he    14   the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful    15  !
This scientist then said that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be    16  to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just    17   for learning something new, which is,    18  , what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn't   19 ,” we usually learn something    20   from it.

小題1:	A．why B．what C．when D．how

小題2:	A．capable B．a(chǎn)ble C．creative D．original

小題3:	A．coincidence B．experience C．incident D．conflict

小題4:	A．carry B．bring C．remove D．fetch

小題5:	A．fell B．lost C．escaped D．dropped

小題6:	A．rather than B．instead of C．other than D．in place of

小題7:	A．picture B．mass C．map D．mess

小題8:	A．rarely B．happily C．frequently D．a(chǎn)ngrily

小題9:	A．got B．suffered C．done D．received

小題10:

A．jump B．play C．enjoy D．lay

小題11:

A．failed B．successful C．fantastic D．painful

小題12:

A．strong B．tiny C．thin D．weak

小題13:

A．get it B．put it C．try it D．make it

小題14:

A．controlled B．possessed C．occupied D．grasped

小題15:

A．example B．teaching C．lesson D．instruction

小題16:

A．a(chǎn)nxious B．nervous C．fearful D．a(chǎn)fraid

小題17:

A．situations B．opportunities C．occasions D．turns

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)fter all B．a(chǎn)bove all C．first of all D．in all

小題19:

A．do B．finish C．go D．work

小題20:

A．worthy B．costly C．valuable D．interesting