After her husband had gone to work, Mrs Richards send her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning.
In the evening she would go to a fancy dress party with her husband. She wanted to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was really splendid. After putting it on, She went downstairs to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.
Just as Mrs Richards was entering the dining-room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, she quickly hid in the small store-room under the stair. She heard the front door opened and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the store-room was opened and in came a man. Mrs Richards realized it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situation, saying “It’s only me. ” but it was too late, the man let out a cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs Richards walked towards him, he fled, losing the door heavily behind him.
小題1:The reason for Mrs Richards’ excitement that day was that____.

A．she had sent her children to school

B．she was to attend an evening party

C．she wouldn’t do any housework that morning

D．she had made a special costume the night before

小題2:Mrs Richards went downstairs with the costume on so as to____.

A．made sure that the costume fitted her well

B．frighten the person who was knocking on the door

C．find out if she had finished the costume ?

D．receive the bread and do some cooking

小題3:The man who was knocking at the door was____.

A．a(chǎn) baker

B．a(chǎn) thief

C．her husband

D．a(chǎn)n electricity man

小題4:What did the man do after he knocked on the front door?

A．He entered just as Mrs Richards had told him to.

B．He did not do anything as Mrs Richards had expected him to.

C．He stepped directly towards the meter.?

D．He went straight in so as to find Mrs Richards.

小題5:The man ____ and that made him cry out and run away.

A．thought he must have met a ghost

B．recognized Mrs Richards

C．found out Mrs Richards was walking towards him

D．thought that Mrs Richards must have recognized him

Last winter, when I was heavily pregnant, I was visiting my sister and brother-in-law's house and had to park in a nearby parking lot because they didn't have accessible parking. The snow was extremely heavy and there was lots of ice on the ground --- not many people had ventured out that evening!
When I returned to my car around 11pm, I noticed that I was the only car left. Nervously, I hopped into the car and let it warm up a bit. When I finally tried to drive away, my wheels began to spin. I was stuck! I spun and spun and wondered what to do.
All of a sudden, in my rear view mirror, I saw four teen-aged boys approaching my car. They were walking side by side in a line and dressed a bit like gang members --- at least I thought that's what they looked like. My car was in a very isolated area and I began to panic. I was certain they were coming to my car to harm me. Terrified, I just froze. One of the young men tapped on my window and said "Excuse me, Ma'am, can we help you? You seem stuck." Still afraid and fearing the worst, I said "I am stuck." And the young man said "It's okay, stay in your car and we'll push you out of the snow." And they did!
When they finally got me out of the snow, they smiled and waved. I rolled down my window and thanked them, embarrassed to have judged them so poorly.
小題1:Why did the author just freeze when the four young men walking toward her car?

A．Because she was afraid of being harmed.

B．Because she sat in her car for too long a time.

C．Because she was cold indeed in that freezing evening.

D．Because she knew they would rob her of the car.

小題2:Which of the following words can best describe the four young men?

A．Impolite.

B．Ill-mannered.

C．Unfriendly

D．Warm-hearted.

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

A．One of the four teenagers was a gang member.

B．The kids wanted to help the author out of trouble.

C．The author would have a baby in her car.

D．The young men enjoyed pushing cars out of the snow.

小題4:The best title for the text would be___________．

A．Every man has his faults

B．Fortune favors those who use their judgment

C．Don't judge a book by its cover

D．Think twice before you do.

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands.__16__people were reluctant (不情愿的) to work on farms along the Atlantic. They feared the violent storms __17__ the ocean. As the farmer interviewed__18__for the job, he received a steady stream of __19__ .
Finally, a short, thin man, __20__ past middle age, approached（接近） the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep__21__ the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although __22__ by this answer, the farmer, in great need of help, __23__ him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt __24__ with the man's work.
Then one night the wind blew __25__ in from offshore. __26__ out of bed, the farmer rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and shouted, "__27__ ! A storm is coming! __28__ things down before they blow away!"
The little man __29__ in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Angered by the response, the farmer meant to fire him on the spot. __30__ , he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his __31__ , he discovered that all of the haystacks(草垛) had been covered with tarpaulins(帆布). The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. Everything was tied down. __32__ could blow away.
The farmer then understood __33__ his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. When you're __34__ , spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to__35__. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?

小題1:	A．No B．Few C．Most D．All

小題2:	A．Above B．Across C．below D．through

小題3:	A．Applicants B．peasants C．workers D．engineers

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)rrivals B．refusals C．a(chǎn)pprovals D．finals

小題5:	A．well B．Too C．very D．pretty

小題6:	A．when B．before C．a(chǎn)fter D．because

小題7:	A．Pleased B．puzzled C．surprised D．frightened

小題8:	A．fired B．scolded C．hired D．ordered

小題9:	A．Disappointed B．satisfied C．excited D．tired

小題10:

A．loudly B．Slightly C．hardly D．silently

小題11:

A．Jumping B．Rising C．Getting D．Falling

小題12:

A．Stand up B．Get up C．Sit down D．Lie down

小題13:

A．Let B．Put C．Lay D．Tie

小題14:

A．rolled over B．jumped over C．rolled up D．jumped up

小題15:

A．Therefore B．Otherwise C．likewise D．Instead

小題16:

A．expectation B．imagination C．a(chǎn)mazement D．sorrow

小題17:

A．Something B．Everything C．Anything D．Nothing

小題18:

A．how B．which C．that D．what

小題19:

A．prepared B．finished C．determined D．En

小題20:

A．beat B．win C．desire D．fear

As a boy, Sanders was much influenced by books about the sea, but by the age of fifteen he had decided to become a doctor rather than a sailor. His father was a doctor. So he was often with the doctors and got along very well with them. When he was fourteen, he was already hanging around the hospital where he was supposed to be helping to clean the medicine bottles, but was actually trying to listen to the doctors’ conversations with patients in the next room.
During the war Sanders served in the army as a surgeon(外科醫(yī)生). “That was the happiest time of my life. I was dealing with real sufferers and on the whole making a success of my job.” In Rhodes he taught the country people simple facts about medicine. He saw himself as a life-saver. He had proved his skill to himself and had a firm belief that he could serve those who lived simply, and were dependent upon him. Thus, while in a position to tell them what to do he could feel he was serving them.
After the war, he married and set up a practice deep in the countryside, working under an old doctor who hated the sight of blood. This gave the younger man plenty of opportunities (機(jī)會(huì)) to go on working as a life-saver.
小題1:When he was a small boy, books about the sea had made Sanders want to be ___.

A．a(chǎn) surgeon

B．a(chǎn)n army man

C．a(chǎn) sailor

D．a(chǎn) life-saver

小題2:At the age of 14, Sanders ___.

A．worked as a doctor by cleaning the medicine bottles

B．met some doctors who were very friendly to him

C．was interested in talking with patients

D．remained together with the doctors

小題3:Having proved his skill to himself, Sanders ___.

A．wanted to live a simple life like a countryman

B．came to realize that he was really working for his countrymen

C．taught himself life-saving

D．was highly respected by the old doctor

小題4:When the war was over, he ___.

A．learned from an old doctor because he was popular

B．started to hate the sight of blood while working

C．served the countrymen under an old doctor who needed someone to help him

D．had few chances to be a “l(fā)ife-saver” because he was younger

“Well, what did I say？Buck’s a real fighter, all right,” said Francois the next morning when he discovered that Spitz had disappeared and that Buck was covered in blood．
“Spitz fought like a wolf,” said Perrault, as he looked at the bites all over Buck．
“And Buck fought like ten wolves,” answered Francois. “And we'll travel faster now. No more Spitz，no more trouble.”
Francois started to harness the dogs. He needed a new lead-dog, and decided that Solleks was the best dog that he had. But Buck jumped at Solleks and took his place．
“Look at Buck！” said Francois，laughing. “He's killed Spitz，and now he wants to be lead-dog．Go away, Buck！”
He pulled Buck away and tried to harness Solleks again．Solleks was unhappy too. He was frightened of Buck, and when Francois turned his back，Buck took Solleks’ place again. Now Francois was angry．
“I'll show you! ” he cried，and went to get a heavy club from the sledge．
Buck remembered the man in the red coat，and moved away. This time，when Solleks was harnessed as lead-dog，Buck did not try to move in．He kept a few meters away and circled around Francois carefully. But when Francois called him to his old place in front of Dave, Buck refused．He had won his fight with Spitz and he wanted to be lead－dog．
For an hour the two men tried to harness him．Buck did not run away，but he did not let them catch him．Finally，F(xiàn)rancois sat down，and Perrault looked at his watch．It was getting late. The two men looked at one another and smiled. Francois walked up to Solleks，took off his harness， led him back and harnessed him in his old place．Then he called Buck. All the other dogs were harnessed and the only empty place was now the one at the front. But Buck did not move．
“Put down the club,” said Perrault．
Francois dropped the club, and immediately Buck came up to the front of the team．Francois harnessed him, and in a minute the sledge was moving．
Buck was an excellent leader. He moved and thought quickly and led the other dogs well. A new leader made no difference to Dave and Solleks; they continued to pull hard．But the other dogs had had an easy life when Spitz was leading．They were surprised when Buck made them work hard and punished them for their mistakes. Pike，the second dog，was usually lazy；but by the end of the first day he was pulling harder than he had ever pulled in his life. The first night in camp Buck fought Joe，another difficult dog，and after that there were no more problems with him．The team started to pull together，and to move faster and faster．
“I've never seen a dog like Buck!” cried Francois, “Never! He's worth a thousand dollars. What do you think, Perrault? ”
Perrault agreed．They were moving quickly，and covering more ground every day. The snow was good and hard，and no new snow fell．The temperature dropped to 45°C below zero, and didn't change．
This time there was more ice on the Thirty Mile River, and they crossed in a day．Some days they ran a hundred kilometers，or even more. They reached Skagway in fourteen days; the fastest time ever．
小題1:The writer mentioned “the man in the red coat” in the passage to show that____.

A．the man in the red coat once beat Buck severely with a club.

B．Buck remembered Francois was the man in the red coat.

C．the man in the red was quite friendly to Buck in his memory.

D．Buck remembered Francois was a friend of the man in the red coat.

小題2: Why did Buck fight Joe the first night in camp?

A．He wanted to get rid of Joe.

B．He wanted to make some trouble.

C．He was interested in fighting with others.

D．He wanted to teach Joe a lesson.

小題3: According to the passage, which of the following is true about the other dogs?

A．Dave stood in the second position in the team.

B．Joe was always quite lazy in the team.

C．Pike was a trouble-maker in the team.

D．Solleks was hard-working in the team.

小題4: What did Francois think of Buck at the end of the passage?

A．a(chǎn)nnoying

B．a(chǎn)dmirable

C．a(chǎn)ggressive

D．a(chǎn)verage

小題5: Which of the following best shows that Buck was an excellent leader?

A．He killed Spitz at the beginning of the story.

B．He punished them for their mistakes.

C．He fought Joe the first night in camp.

D．They reached Skagway in the fastest time ever.

小題6:Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．The Fight with Dogs

B．The New Lead-dog

C．A Dog Called Buck

D．A Real Fighter

It was early in the morning, on a lonely road. It's 1  heavily. A 9-year-old boy was in the car with his mother, who was 2  him to school. Suddenly, the car went off the road, rolled  several times, and came to rest upside down in a ditch (溝渠) filled with water.
Luckily, both the mother and son were 3  seatbelts. The mother suffered a blow to her head and was unable to move. The boy was frightened but 4 . As water came through broken windows in the car, he 5  unbuckled (解開) himself, climbed out of the  passenger  window, made his way around to the driver's side, and reached inside the 6  to free his trapped mother. With great effort, he managed to 7  her, pull her through the window and up to the road, where they were soon 8  .
His mother later recalled her experience of the 9  . Being unable to move or even  speak   to offer instructions (指導(dǎo)) or encouragement to her son, she was  10  by her little son's action. She recalled hearing  her boy saying out loud as he pulled her through the water, “I think I can, I think I can!”
It seemed clear    that this little boy's act of courage was from one of his favorite books: The Little Engine that Could. In that  11  , when everyone else had  12  hope, the Little Engine carried the heavy load of toys and good things to eat over the hill to the children waiting on the other side. He had 13  and took action. Obviously this book had left a 14  impression before the accident that rainy 15  and motivated (激勵(lì)) the son to take action if the terrifying moments.

小題1:	A．snowing B．smoking C．blowing D．raining

小題2:	A．ordering B．driving C．pushing D．flying

小題3:	A．making B．watching C．wearing D．missing

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)fraid B．dead C．tired D．unhurt

小題5:	A．quickly B．carefully C．nearly D．happily

小題6:	A．box B．room C．car D．ditch

小題7:	A．respect B．introduce C．recognize D．free

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)ccepted B．rescued C．welcomed D．fed

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)ccident B．experiment C．travel D．fire

小題10:

A．excited B．frightened C．wounded D．a(chǎn)mazed

小題11:

A．poem B．notice C．story D．dream

小題12:

A．realized B．waken C．kept up D．given up

小題13:

A．courage B．food C．space D．time

小題14:

A．bad B．deep C．false D．general

小題15:

A．a(chǎn)fternoon B．night C．morning D．evening

Once again, I was in a new school. So was a girl in my class named Phoebe. That’s   36  the similaritiesended.
I was tall and she was small. I was one of the oldest in the class while she was the youngest. I was   37 and shy. She wasn’t. I couldn’t   38  her, considering her my enemy. But she wanted to be friends.
One day, she invited me over and I said yes — I was too   39  to say no. Actually no one has invited me over to play before. But this girl, who wore the latest fashion, wanted to see me.
She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother, her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister. When we got to the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Barbies（芭比娃娃）- which was my next   40 . I would have thought she’d outgrown them. I had never played with them. But we sat on the floor of a walk-in cupboard laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Barbies. That’s   41  we found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older. We both had wild   42 .
We had a great day that afternoon. Our jaws ached from   43  so much. She showed me her outfits, which had mostly come from a designer clothing store down the block. The woman who owned it used her   44  a model sometimes for her newspaper ads and gave her clothes in exchange.
Phoebe had the whole neighborhood   45 . The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines, the movie theater gave her free passes and the pizza place let her have free slices. Soon I was included in her magic world. We slept over at each other's houses and spent every free moment together. My dark hair grew out and I learned to love being   46 .
Phoebe, my first real friend since childhood, helped me get through the through teenage years and taught me an amazing and very surprising thing about making friends: your “worst enemy” can   47  to be your best friend.

小題1:	A．how B．why C．that D．where

小題2:	A．beautiful B．a(chǎn)wkward C．brave D．clever

小題3:	A．like B．hate C．stand D．help

小題4:	A．shocked B．worried C．shamed D．happy

小題5:	A．surprise B．puzzle C．issue D．question

小題6:	A．where B．how C．when D．why

小題7:	A．profile B．imagination C．image D．thinking

小題8:	A．crying B．shouting C．smiling D．doing

小題9:	A．for B．from C．of D．a(chǎn)s

小題10:

A．confused B．charmed C．a(chǎn)ddicted D．a(chǎn)nnoyed

小題11:

A．short B．high C．funny D．tall

小題12:

A．turn out B．look out C．watch out D．work out

Children are very, very observant and have excellent memories.
Around Christmas last year, we were heading to Grandma’s house. The drive was an hour long, so we had plenty of time to chat. We were waiting to get onto the freeway when my daughter Hayley noticed a homeless man, no sign in hand. “Mom, is that man homeless?” I told her I believed he was.
We got onto the freeway and drove away. But the chatting had stopped. Hayley was quiet all the way there. We spent a few hours at Grandma’s then packed up to head home. As we drove back, Hayley rustled(沙沙作響地移動(dòng)) around in her seat, trying to reach something on the floor of the car. I asked her to sit still, worried her seatbelt would slip from the booster seat. She mumbled(咕噥)something and sat back.
“Mom, will the homeless man still be outside tonight?” I told her I was not sure, maybe. It was a freezing night, and I started to think of the man now too, and how cold he must be.
All of a sudden, as we got onto the freeway exit, Haley shrieked (尖叫): “There he is! There he is!” and started rolling down her window. “Mom, I found these gloves and scarf back here. Can I give them to him? Can I?” she asked.
I pulled over to the edge of the road, and beckoned(招手示意) the man to come over. Haley smiled at him and handed him her gift. I looked in the front passenger seat, loaded with leftovers from Grandma’s house, and handed those out to him as well.
The man thanked us, he clutched (抓緊) my hand in his and I could feel the bitter cold of them. We wished him a safe night and continued on our journey to our warm home.
“Haley, that was very sweet of you!” I told her. “Well, they were your gloves and scarf, Mom, but his hands looked colder, and he has to keep looking for his house!”
We had talked about homelessness before , and I could hear myself telling her: “Someone who has lost their home.” She had taken my words literally and thought the man’s home was like a lost puppy.
On the ride home, and as I carried my sleeping angel into the house that night, my heart filled with gratitude.
小題1:The underlined word “observant” in Paragraph I means “      ”.

A．fond of serving others	B．quick at noticing things
C．good at memorizing	D．easy to be pleased

小題2:The girl thought “a homeless person” was a person who       .

A．had no home to go to

B．had lost his or her puppy

C．was in need of gloves and scarves

D．couldn’t find his or her home

小題3:The mother felt thankful because        .

A．she felt lucky to have such a warm-hearted daughter

B．she was pleased that she had a great family

C．she felt happy to have given the leftovers to the man

D．they had arrived home safely despite the cold

小題4:The article is mainly structured around        .

A．a(chǎn)nalysis

B．comparison

C．time order

D．cause and result

Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March. The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square. The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town center entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).
Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force. But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice. A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis.
When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor. Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working. Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper.
It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative (主動(dòng)) and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in. By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her. In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed.
When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn’t been able to take it in. On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned (含糊不清地說) thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head.
It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realized with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room. The Pelhams’ large house stood in a sizable garden. It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it. The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy. Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook.
Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree. This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house.
With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness. And the view from the window didn’t bear looking at. The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes. It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.
“Doesn’t it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife. But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed. “That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.”
小題1:Why were some people in Brackham annoyed after the storm?

A．No market could be held.

B．The police had done little to help.

C．The town looked different.

D．Fallen trees had not been removed.

小題2:In the third paragraph, what do we learn about Chief Inspector Pelham’s general attitude to his work?

A．He finds it extremely annoying.

B．Не is sure that he plays an important role.

C．Не considers the systems are not clear enough.

D．He does not trust the decisions made by his superiors.

小題3: What aspect of the Pelhams’ furniture does “shabbiness” in paragraph 8 describe?

A．its condition.

B．its colour.

C．its position.

D．its design.

小題4:As a result of the storm, the Pelhams’ living-room _____.

A．was pleasantly lighter	B．felt less private
C．had a better view	D．was in need of repair

小題5:Why did Molly sound pleased by her husband’s comment?

A．It proved that he was well again.

B．She agreed about the tree.

C．She thought he meant the sofa.

D．It was what she expected him to say.

On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover（探測(cè)器）named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.
My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.
I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.
I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.
Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.
Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.
My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.
In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.
People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.
The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.
This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.
And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far.
小題1: The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.

A．telling a story	B．giving an example
C．offering an explanation	D．describing a scene

小題2:Why did the writer hurry home to finish the essay for the contest NASA held?

A．She had just gathered enough information from Time for Kids

B．She wanted to write down what flashed through her mind in time.

C．She knew from Mrs. Estevez the deadline for the contest was approaching.

D．She was afraid she might miss the chance to compete with the former winner.

小題3: The writer mentions her grandfather in order to show that ______.

A．she missed him very much.

B．he knew a great deal about space

C．he influenced her to love the stars

D．she treasured their happy moments

小題4:Which of the following serves as a summary of Paragraph 11?

A．The writer was inspired to be a volunteer by the people she met.

B．The writer owed her success to her team members’ encouragement.

C．The writer met many difficulties in her four-year life with Curiosity.

D．The writer has benefited a lot from her experience tied to Curiosity.

小題5:Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?

A．Sharp.

B．Proud.

C．Aggressive.

D．Enthusiastic.

小題6:What is conveyed in the passage?

A．Curiosity is important to human beings.

B．A thirst for knowledge helps one grow up.

C．Entering a contest is a way to achieve success.

D．Curiosity changes people’s attitude towards science.