I really hadn’t meant to yell at them. But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen.

    With a tiresome report to write, I felt bothered at my desk. Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault. A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly.

“OK, you two here, but what an awful thing you are attempting!” Shouting angrily, I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me. “Get away from us!” he shouted back, there being expression of support from his sister.

    All of a sudden, I found the fault in myself. Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers (螃蟹鰲) and crawled towards them, “Crabby Daddy is here. Ha, Ha, Ha, he likes to yell at children, and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away, but now he was laughing and crying at the same time. My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well. Still, I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way that my children could do after.

Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself. It only shows just how to get rid of something (ill-feeling, responsibility…) by blaming others. It’s not my “best self”.

    We have to search for our “best self” when with our children. They don’t need perfect parents, but they do need parents who are always trying to get better. Here, I’m reminded of the words of a great thinker. “When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook…” Then, in our lifetime, couldn’t we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level, what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children?

68. The author couldn’t help yelling at his kids this time probably because ______.

       A. the weather was so unpleasant

       B. he was tired of his boring work

       C. the kids didn’t ask him to join them

       D. a Daddy has his right to do so

69. Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?

       A. No obvious reason.   B. The boy’s yelling back.

       C. His self-awareness.   D. The girl’s expression.

70. According to the passage, the author will ______ in another similar situation.

       A. play a crab again like this time  B. apologize to kids in a sincere way

       C. avoid blaming kids in a hurry    D. beat them up about such things

71. What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph(s)?

       A. How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault.

       B. How to blame our children in a more interesting way.

       C. How to deal with the terrible mess made by our kids.

       D. How to persuade children to do what they are told to.

MONEY-SAVING TIPS FOR DISNEY WORLD

    Every time you visit Disney World, there’s something new to see. What began in 1971 as the Magic Kingdom now includes the high-tech, movie-mad Disney and Animal Kingdom. Each time the park expands, so do your chances to spend money. How can you save? As a family guide to Disney World, I’ve been to the park more than 25 times with my kids, and I’ve developed a few money-saving plans.

    ● Buy the five-day All-in-One Hopper Pass (入場券). Even if you’re visiting for fewer days, it’s a deal (the pass costs $ 229 for visitors ages 10 and up, $ 183 for kids ages three to nine and is free for kids under age three). Without the pass, you’ll have to pay separately for Pleasure Island and the water parks. A single trip to Blizzard Beach, for example, would cost a family of four $ 100.

● Dine out at lunch. The prices at some of the nicer restaurants, especially those in Epcot’s World Showcase, are much lower at noontime than at dinner. It’s wise to make reservations before you leave home. Call 407-W-DISNEY.

● Become a Gold Card Member. For $65, you can get a Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card (call 1-800-56-DISNEY). Card-holders get up to 20 percent off Disney hotel rooms, plus price breaks on character breakfasts, theme park tickets and goods from Disney stores.

● Don’t pay extra to see a character. Character-theme dinner shows are expensive, costing a family of four about $ 140, and even a character breakfast, where Mickey or Donald Duck joins you for cakes, can set you back $ 50. If your budget is tight, try to meet the characters inside the theme parks and at free in-park shows. You can watch the Diamond Horseshoe show, for example, in the Magic Kingdom for no additional cost, while the similarly themed Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue requires expensive tickets.

● Wait until the end of your trip to buy souvenirs. By then, the kids will really know what they want, and you won’t waste money on expensive things.

64. If you are short of money, the writer suggests ______.

       A. you should not buy things for the kids from Disney stores

       B. you should not buy souvenirs at the beginning of the trip

       C. you should not make a trip to Blizzard Beach

       D. you should not have your meals out at noontime

65. Which of the following can be used in place of “set you back”?

       A. Offer you.  B. Save you. C. Cost you. D. Return you.

66. You should pay more money _______.

       A. if you have a five-day All-in-One Hopper Pass while you’re visiting for four days

       B. if you do not make a reservation for hotel rooms in advance

       C. if you are not a Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card holder

       D. if you have lunch at a restaurant in Epcot’s World showcase

67. The economical way of meeting the Disney cartoon characters is ______.

       A. to have a character breakfast

       B. to watch the Diamond Horseshoe show

       C. to pay separately for Pleasure Island and the water parks

       D. to attend the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

    While researchers have long shown that tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts, it’s not only social discrimination that accounts for this inequality but tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers, a new study finds.

    “As early as age three, before schooling a child has had a chance to play a role, and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests,” wrote Anne Case and Christina Paxson of Princeton University in a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

    The findings were based primarily on two British studies that followed children born in 1958 and 1970, respectively, through adulthood and a U.S. study on height and occupational choice.

    Other studies have pointed to low self-esteem, better health that accompanies greater height, and social discrimination as criminals for lower pay for shorter people.

    But researchers Case and Paxson believe the height advantage in the job world is more than just a question of image.

    “As adults, taller individuals are more likely to be selected into higher paying occupations that require more advanced verbal (言辭的) and numerical skills and greater intelligence, for which they earn handsome returns,” they wrote.

    But the researchers said the differences in performance crop up long before the tall people enter the job force. Prenatal (產(chǎn)前的) care and the time between birth and the age of 3 are critical periods for determining future cognitive ability and height.

    “Prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are just incredibly important, even more so than we already knew,” Case said in an interview.

60. If you are among the taller individuals, you are likely to ______.

       A. get higher paying occupations             B. have higher self-esteem

       C. be unhealthy                                     D. be the height of 5 feet 4 inches

61. What can we learn from the study of Anne Case and Christina Paxson?

       A. Tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts.

       B. Prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are less important than we already know.

       C. The reason for lower pay for shorter people is social discrimination.

       D. Taller children perform significantly better on cognitive test.

62. The underlined phrase “crop up” is closest in meaning to ______.

       A. come in         B. come up            C. get out             D. stand up

63. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

       A. The Difference between Tall People and Short People

       B. Tall People Earn more than Shorter Counterparts

       C. Taller People Are Smarter

       D. A Study on Height and Occupational Choice

    I’d been 16 for six days and was already prepared to deal with failure. I remember when my mum woke me up that morning; her voice wasn’t as scratchy as it usually was.

    I stayed in bed for a few minutes. I was reluctant (不愿) to leave its warmth and comfort, and reluctant to face the problem that I’d let myself forget for the past six months. Finally, I dragged myself out of bed.

I finished getting ready and tried to settle down. It didn’t work, so I decided that my mum and I should go. We had a little time, so I thought we could practice parking. I failed, with the wheel hitting the pavement. After that, the little bit of confidence I’d had was gone. I tried two more times, but didn’t improve much. Then we headed to the test site.

I went into a room for some paperwork. And I waited for 20 minutes―just enough time to make myself believe that I was going to fail. Then, finally, it was my turn. I just wanted to get it over and make sure that I had to come back next Thursday.

I stepped outside and the sky was the light blue I love. It offered me some comfort and I realized something: sometime between when I pulled myself off the seat and when I got outside, I had become calmer.

The first thing I had to do was parking, which I did quite well. The confidence that came with it hit me like a wave. The rest of the test went well and I passed it all. As I drove back, the instructor told me I would not be coming back for a second test next Thursday.

Back in the building I didn’t have to say a word. My mum knew just by looking at me. Her smile made her face softer. And I’m sure it was at least as big as mine. But, her eyes looked kind of teary, so, I knew she was happy for me.

56. We can infer ______.

       A. the writer’s mother might often wakes him up rudely

       B. the writer’s mother is always kind to him

       C. the writer’s mother hates him

       D. never wakes him up in the morning

57. What has the author done probably in the past six months?

       A. He has been ill in bed.                                  B. He has been learning to drive.

       C. He has prepared to deal with failure.             D. He has been looking after his mother.

58. Which is TRUE according to the passage?

       A. As he did well at the beginning of the text, his confidence grew.

       B. He didn’t doubt that he could pass the driving test.

       C. As soon as he got to the test site, he calmed down.

       D. He was happy that he had to come back next Thursday.

59. Which word can be used to describe the writer’s character?

       A. Uneasy.              B. Unhappy.              C. Unconfident.             D. Unlucky.

I’ve spent most of my career as a traveling salesman, and so I know that batting loneliness is an occupational hazard(職業(yè)病). But one year, my little girl Jeanine gave me the cure   36   for my homesickness.

It had black beady eyes, a red bow tie and orange feet－a toy penguin that stood about five inches tall.   37   to its left wing was a little sign bearing the hand painted declaration “I Love My Dad!” I   38   granted(給予) the penguin a special   39   on my dresser.

On my next   40  ,  I threw the penguin in my suitcase. That night when I   41   home, Jeanine was   42   that the penguin had disappeared. “Honey, he’s here with me,” I explained, “I 43   him along.”

From then on, the penguin came with me－as essential as my briefcase of shaving kit. And we   44  friends along the way.  In Albuquerque , I   45   into a hotel, dumped out my bag and dashed to a meeting. When I returned, the maid had   46   the bed and stood the penguin on the pillow. In Boston, I found it   47   in a glass on the nightstand. Once a customs agent at New York’s Kennedy Airport dug the penguin out of my suitcase and,   48   it up, said, “Thank God we don’t charge   49   on love, or you’d owe bundle(一大筆錢).”

One night, I discovered the penguin   50  , and after frantic(發(fā)瘋的) phone call, I learned I’d left it in my previous   51   room, where it had been rescued by a maid. I droved a hundred miles to get it; and when I arrived at midnight, the penguin was   52   at the front desk. In the lobby(大廳), tired business travelers looked on at the reunion－I think with a touch(少量的) of   53  .

    Jeanine is in college now, and I don’t travel as much. The penguin sits on my   54  , a reminder that love is wonderful traveling   55  . All those years on the road, it was the one thing I never left home without.

On the top of the hill _____ , _____ the old man once lived.

A. a temple stands there; in which        B. a temple standing; on which

C. does a temple stand ;where             D. stands a temple; where

That was not the first time he ____ us. I think it is high time we ____ strong actions against him.

A. betrayed; take   B. had betrayed; took    C. has betrayed; took  D. has betrayed; take

I haven’t seen ___ before. It’s twelve meters in____ length and fifty kilograms in ___weight.

A. so a big fish; a ; a                         B. such big a fish ; /;/

C. that big a fish ; /; /                        D. rather big a fish ;the ;the

It remains ____ whether Jim will be fit enough to play in the finals.

A. seen                  B. to be seen         C. seeing                         D. to see

_____ by his grandparents, Jimmy wasn’t used to living with his parents.

A. To bring up B. To be brought up C. Brought up D. Being brought up