Today, roller skating (旱冰) is easy and fun, and it is popular throughout the world. People like roller skate outside on paths and roads, and inside in rinks. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man full of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

   One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball (化裝舞會). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance (隆重出場) at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

   Merlin tried different ways to make himself fool. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

   On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking into pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

 51. The text is mainly about____.

   A. a strange man                B. an unusual party  

C. how roller skating began       D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

  52. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he____ .

   A. often gave others surprises       B. was a gifted (有天賦的) musician

   C. invented the roller skates        D. was full of imagination

  53. Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________.

   A. draw the guests attention        B. arrive at the party sooner

   C. test his invention               D. show his skill in walking on wheels

  54. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

   A. The roller skates needed further improvement.

   B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

   C. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation (超出預(yù)料).

   D. Merlin got himself into trouble

Mr. Jackson lived in the centre of London but he had a hotel near the airport. There a lot of foreigners stayed for night. He didn't know any other language but English and he found it difficult for him to understand the foreign visitors. Sometimes he had to use the body language to “talk” with them, and tried his best to make himself understood. But he was often misunderstood (誤解) and it brought him a lot of trouble. A friend of his who learned a few foreign languages in a university would teach him. He was happy and studied hard. At first he learned some, but soon he found it wasn't easy to remember the words and expressions. His friend advised him to write down the useful expressions in his notebook so that he could use them when necessary. He did as he was told. He found it helpful for him to do so.

    One evening there were plenty of people in the dining room. They were all busy eating something except a Japanese. He was walking around there and waiting for his wife who was dressing herself up upstairs. Mr. Jackson thought to himself, “The man wants to eat something but he doesn’t know any English. Let me help him.”

    As he knew only a little Japanese, he had to bring out his notebook and showed it to the man, pointing to the sentence “I’m hungry”.

    The Japanese had a look at it and gave him two pounds and left.

 58. Mr Jackson knew only English because____.

    A. he was an English student             B. he had never been abroad

    C. he couldn't learn by himself            D. he hadn't studied any foreign languages

 59. As not all foreigners understood his gestures, sometimes Mr. Jackson ____ to communicate with them.

    A. succeeded        B. feared          C. failed              D. gave up

 60. The Japanese thought ____, so he gave him two pounds.

    A. Mr. Jackson was a beggar (乞丐)           B. Mr. Jackson was a translator

    C. Mr. Jackson could help him                D. Mr. Jackson could ring his wife up

Football, to me, is more than just a game. I have probably learned more valuable lessons from it than from school.

When I joined the team freshman year, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. Even though I had been playing since fourth grade and knew it was hard work, nothing would prepare me for the effort I would put into football that year. We worked all summer in the weight room and ran on the track（跑道） to get in physical and mental（精神上的） shape before the season.

See, football is more of a mental sport than anything else, so running on the track wasn’t only about getting in shape. We would push our minds by running as hard as we could even if we were going to pass out. At the beginning, I was immature（幼稚） and only thought of myself, sometimes even gave up when I was tired or hurt. Then after the third game I had a season-ending injury. Imagine working all summer and then only being able to play three games! I needed surgery（外科手術(shù)） on my arm and at least five months to recover.

Needless to say, I missed the rest of the season, but this actually helped me realize that since you never know when your last play will be, you should try your hardest in football and life.

After freshman year I decided that I would always give my best effort. Playing varsity(校隊的) football has taught me so much more than just what my assignments are on a particular play or how to block. I have learned to think about others first and realized how important working hard is. Being with all my friends, even sweating and bleeding with them, really made us bond as a group of hard-working young men who I know will succeed in life.

68. What is the main idea of the passage?

    A. How the author dislikes the game of football.

    B. When the author began to play football.

    C. How the author has changed his attitude to football.

    D. What sport the author likes best.

69. In the third paragraph, the underlined phrase “getting in shape” probably means “______”.

    A. becoming healthy                     B. designing the playground

    C. losing weight                         D. measuring the track

70. From the text we can infer ______.

   A. the author joined the football team with a clear aim

   B. football only brought the author certain assignments

   C. the author never lost heart when he met with difficulty

   D. the author worked all summer to get ready for the season

71. What did the author get from his season-ending injury?

   A. A good lesson about life.                    B. A good chance on the team.

   C. A good relationship with his partners.        D. A good rest as he expected.

A boy was born to a couple after they’d been married for eleven years. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes.

One morning, when the boy was around two years old, the husband saw a bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and put it in the cupboard. The mother, busy in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.

The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to it and, interested in its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages (劑量). When the child fell down, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was afraid. How would she face her husband?

When the heartbroken father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and said just four words, “I Love Your Darling”.

  The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There’s no pointing in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he’d taken time to put the bottle away, this wouldn’t have happened. No point in blaming others. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was comfort from the husband. That is what he gave her.

  Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who’s to blame, whether in a relationship, or in a job and miss the warmth in human relationships we could receive by giving each other support.

  After all, shouldn’t forgiving someone we love be the easiest thing in the world to do? Treasure what you have.

36. Why didn’t the husband put away the medicine bottle?

A. He forgot to do it.                                         B. He had no time to do it.

C. He was too lazy to do it.                                  D. He saw his wife do it.

37. In the opinion of the wife, which of the following is responsible for the child’s death?

  A. Her husband’s carelessness.                              B. The child’s bad behavior.

  C. Her own mistake.                                            D. The producer of the medicine.

38. When the wife heard “I Love You Darling”, she must felt _______.

  A. surprised                  B. angry                          C. afraid                          D. indifferent

39. What can be concluded from the passage?

  A. Take good care of our children.                         B. Never make serious mistakes.

  C. Learn to get along with others.                         D. Learn to forgive others.

Though the horses got off to a good start, it was not long before over half of them were out of the race．As was expected, College Boy and Sweet Seventeen had got well in front with the remaining horses grouped together some way behind．On a sharp corner, three of the horses leading the group fell, throwing the riders behind．As the race went on, the track became full of horses without riders．Towards the end, there were only three horses left: College Boy and Sweet Seventeen were still leading with an unknown horse, Tom Thumb, a very long way behind．The crowd was very disappointed when on the last jump in the race, the riders of both horses which were expected to win failed to keep in the saddle．Everyone shouted with delight when College Boy continued by himself and 'win' the race-without his rider! Tom Thumb now took his time and the crowd cheered as he crossed the finishing line without a rival in sight．

41．On a dangerous bend __________．

    A．a(chǎn)ll of the horses going ahead fell

    B．few riders were thrown behind

    C．most of the horses fell out of the race

    D．the remaining horses were grouped together and then fell

42．People had expected __________ to win the race．

    A．Tom Thumb

    B．College Boy and Sweet Seventeen

    C．Tom Thumb, College Boy and Sweet Seventeen

    D．None of the above

43．Towards the end of the race __________．

    A．Tom Thumb went in front of College Boy and Sweet Seventeen

    B．College Boy and Tom Thumb were a very long way behind

    C．The riders of Sweet Seventeenth and College Boy fell too

    D．There was not any horse left

44．The real winner was __________．

    A．College Boy      B．Sweet Seventeen

    C．Tom Thumb        D．None of the above

Ron loved basketball. One afternoon on his way to a basketball game, he was walking and dreaming about playing college basketball the following year. As Ron was walking to the game, a car hit him so hard that he was thrown three feet into the air.

   Ron woke up in a hospital room. When he learned that both his legs were broken., he realized his college basketball dreams were over. Ron did what the doctors told him, but his progress was slow. When he left the hospital, Ron was sent to a health centre for physical treatment.

   A week later he arrived there, he met Sunny. Sunny was a coach. His legs were paralysed( 癱瘓的) from a skiing accident. Even though he couldn’t move his legs, Sunny coached a basketball team called the Suns. Everyone on the team played from a wheelchair. Sunny invited Ron to join in the game. Ron played badly, but for the first time since the accident, he stopped feeling sorry for himself.

   After becoming a part of the Suns, Ron improved quickly. Basketball was like medicine for him. And whenever Ron became depressed or angry, Sunny was there to encourage him and help him. The day before Ron left the centre, he had dinner with Sunny. He asked Sunny how he managed to be so generous and cheerful, even with his paralysis.

   Sunny smiled and said, “ It’s really quite simple. When you keep your face to the sun, the shadows(陰影) fall behind.”

56. What happened to Ron on his way to a basketball game?

A. A car hit him.

B. He met his coach.

C. His doctor called him.

D. He fell down and cut his foot.

57. The underlined word  “depressed” mean _______ in Chinese.

A. 懶惰的       B. 好奇的       C. 沮喪地        D. 激動的

58. What is the most important thing we can learn from the story?

A. Basketball can teach people about life.

B. Keep smiling when you face difficulties.

C. Life is more difficult for the paralysed.

D. Skiing is more dangerous than basketball.

When an earthquake hit a small town, many houses fell down. After the earthquake, all the newspapers reported many stories about some of the families who were in trouble.

One Sunday, when I was reading a newspaper, a special picture touched me. It gave the clothing sizes of each family member. I thought that this would be a good chance to teach my children to help those who were less lucky than themselves. I said to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and three-year-old Meghan, “We have so much, and these poor people now have nothing. We’ll share what we have with them.”

I filled a box with foods and clothes. While I was doing this, I encouraged the boys to choose their toys and donate some of their less favourite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and games and put them together. Then she walked away. A few minutes later she came back with Lucy, her much-loved doll. She put the doll on top of the other toys. “Oh, dear,” I said. “You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much.” Meghan said, “Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make another little girl happy, too.’

I looked at Maghan for a long moment. She taught me a lesson. It’s easy to give something that we don’t want any more, but harder to give what we cherish(珍愛), isn’t it?

59. The writer has _______ children.

A. one          B. two         C. three        D. four

60. The underlined word “donate” probably means “______”.

A. 捐贈        B. 丟掉        C. 展出       D. 放好

61. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. An earthquake happened in the writer’s hometown.

B. The writer let Meghan give her much-loved doll.

C. The writer decided to buy some clothes for those people in trouble.

D. The writer thinks it is more difficult to give what we love a lot.

62. What’s the best title of this passage?

A. A Family Story

B. The Spirit of Giving

C. The Way of Helping Others

D. A Sad Experience

Mrs Smith often felt lonely when her husband went to work. The room was small and it took her only twenty minutes to tidy it. She couldn’t get up early in the morning, so Mr Smith had to cook breakfast himself. She usually had some bread and milk for lunch and only cooked supper for herself and her husband. They had no TV set. Mr Smith always went to bed at nine.

   It was a winter morning. The sun was shining and it was warmer outside than it was in the room. The woman sat on the step of shop, looking at the busy traffic.. At that moment a man with a map in his hand was coming towards her.

   “Excuse me, madam,” said the man. “Could you tell me how to get to the nearest hospital, please?” Mrs Smith looked at him up and down. “He seems to be a farmer,” the woman said to herself. “Let me play a joke on him.” Then she turned to him and said, “Lie down in the middle of the street and you’ll soon be sent to a hospital.”

   “Please set an example to me,” said the man.

   She had to tell the way to him and then she said, “I think you’ve been in the city for the first time. It’s much more beautiful than the field. Is that right?”

   “Yes, madam,” said the farmer with a smile. “But I think it was built on the field!”

63. Mr Smith always went to bed at nine because ______.

A. he was in poor health

B. he had nothing to do in the evening

C. there was no telephone in the room

D. he was very tired in the daytime

64. The man went to Mrs Smith to ______.

A. ask her the way

B. help her carry things

C. show her the way

D. borrow a map from her

65. The woman thought ______ , so she wanted to play a joke on him.

A. the man was poor

B. the man would ask her the way

C. the man was a traveler

D. the man came from a village

66. Which of the following is right according to the passage?

A. Mrs Smith was friendly to the farmer.

B. Mrs Smith got the farmer into trouble.

C. The farmer answered the woman cleverly.

D. The farmer didn’t know how to answer the woman.

I was tired and hungry after a long day of work. When I walked into the living-room, my 12-year-old son looked up at me and said, “I   41   you.” I did not    42   what to say, and I just stood there, looking  43   at him. My first    44    was that he    45   need help with his homework. Then I asked, “What was that all      46   ?”

“Nothing,” he said, “My teacher said we should tell our parents we love them and   47   what they say.”

The next day I called his teacher to    48    more about what my son said and how the other parents had reacted（ 反應(yīng)） . “Most of the fathers had the    49    response as you did,” the teacher said, ”When I first          50     that we try this, I asked the children   51    they thought their parents    52    say. Some of them thought their parents would have heart trouble.”

Then the teacher   53   , “ I want my students to know that feeling love is an important part of    54   . I’m trying to tell them it’s too bad that we don’t express our feelings. A boy    55    tell his father or mother he loves him.” The teacher understands that sometimes it is   56    for some of us to say something that is good for us to say.

That evening when my son   57    to me, I took him in my arms and held on for an    58     moment, saying, “Hey, I love you,    59   .” I don’t know if saying that made    60    of us healthier, but it did feel pretty good.

41. A. hate               B. love                C. like                D. enjoy

42. A. realize             B. recognize            C. know              D. find

43. A .away              B. for                 C. down               D. on

44. A . thought            B. meaning            C. news               D. reason

45. A. must              B. should              C. could               D. would

46. A. for                B. with                C. around              D. about 

47. A. test               B. know               C. understand           D. see

48. A . talk to            B. chat with            C. find out              D. do with

49. A. same              B. different            C. usual                D. unusual

50. A. allowed           B. agreed              C. planned              D. suggested

51. A. how              B. whether             C. when                D. what

52 A. would             B. will                C. could                D. can

53. A. explained          B. prepared            C. informed              D. developed

54. A. study             B. work                C. health                D. body

55. A. might             B. can                 C. should               D. need

56. A. easy              B. difficult             C. crazy                 D. silly

57. A. turned            B. shouted              C. went                  D. came

58. A. extra             B. ordinary             C. interesting              D. important

59. A. either             B. too                 C. also                   D. again

60. A. all               B. either                C. none                  D. neither

A young father was visiting an old neighbor．They were standing in the old man's garden，talking about children. The young man said，“How strict should parents be with their children？”

  The old man pointed to a string（繩子）between a big strong tree and a thin young one． “Please untie（解開）that string，” he said．The young man untied it，and the young tree bent over to one side．“Now tie it again， please，” said the old man，“but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again．”

  The young man did so．Then the old man said，“There，it is the same with children．You must be strict with them，but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on．If they are not yet able to stand alone，you must tie the string tight again．But when you find that they are ready to stand alone，you can take the string away．”

65．The story is about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

  A． how to take care of young trees    B． how strict parents should be with their children

  C． how the young father should get on with his old neighbor

  D． how to tie and untie the string

66．The young man untied the string ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

  A． in order to throw it away           B． so that both of the trees would grow straight

  C． only to find that the thinner one bent over to one side

  D． in order to let the old man teach him

67．When can the string be taken away？＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

  A． When the old man has left                 B． After you have untied it

  C． When the young man has untied it next time

  D． When the young tree grows strong enough

68．At last the old man told the young man ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

  A． that he should be strict with his children if they could not yet stand alone

  B． that he should always be strict with his children     C． that he should be hard on them

  D． that he should tie his children until they are ready to stand alone