Last December, I performed 30 shows in 11 days. I knew it would be a tiring tour before I set off, but I just wanted to be there to support our men and women.
From the minute I walked onstage the afternoon I arrived at the army, the soldiers were cheering, singing along at the top of their voices. I had done hundreds of concerts, but it was my first time to perform for troops. Looking at the smiling faces of these soldiers --- some of them only teenagers --- I felt great joy moving through me. They were the loveliest fans I had ever met. Then, from out of nowhere, words came into my head. “I want to play you something new … a song just came in my head minutes ago. It’s called Here with Me,” I told them. Cheers rang out. As I sang, I could see the tears in some of soldiers’ eyes. I finished to thunderous applause.
At the autograph(親筆簽名)part afterward, one of the soldiers took out a picture of a high school student. “This is my girl. You know, I miss her so much,” he said. “That new song you sang … it meant so much to me. Those were the words I’ve always wanted to tell her.
I realized that the song wasn’t about me and that it was, in fact, a gift for these men and women. I played it in every concert after that, always with the same unbelievable reaction.
On the long plane ride home I kept thinking about the soldiers I’d met. They risked their lives every day to defend our country, yet they were grateful for a simple concert. I decided to record the new song to thank our men and women           in uniform(制服).
小題1:Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “troops” in the second paragraph?

A．officials

B．teenagers

C．soldiers

D．students

小題2:When the author performed on the stage, he felt _____.

A．pleased

B．nervous

C．confident

D．worried

小題3:What might be the topic of the new song?

A．The tiring army life

B．The danger of being a soldier

C．The excitement of going to a concert

D．The family one misses

小題4:From the text, we can infer that the author _____.

A．served in the army before

B．received many gifts during shows

C．was impressed by the soldiers

D．a(chǎn)lways cared for the soldiers

小題5:The passage is most probably written by a(n) _____.

A．dancer

B．teacher

C．singer

D．official leader

Today, I felt terrible. My head was full of problems, burdens and confusion. I decided to take a walk even though I didn’t know where I would go.
The most extraordinarything happened when I was out on this walk. I saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. He looked at least 70 years old. He seemed so tired and nobody bought his shoes. I wanted to give him something but I had not brought anything with me.
Then, a little girl came toward him. I heard the child say, “Grandpa, may I polish your shoes?” That old man took pity on her and he gave her a shoe to polish. The girl said, “I polish the shoe because I need money to buy my brother a new school uniform.”
I heard this and tears filled my eyes. The old man answered, “Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform.” Then they walked to a market and I followed close behind them. There he bought her a uniform. The girl said, “Thank you so much for doing this. May God bless you.” Then she left, leaving the old man smiling.
The old man walked away from the market, but I stopped him. I whispered in his ear, “You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!” As I walked away, I glanced back and I could see him still smiling.
My own sadness had disappeared, chased away by the light of this kind act. I began realizing that I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope, some day, I can show my appreciation of what I have by following the example of the old man who only had a little, but shared it happily with someone who had nothing.
小題1:The author decided to take a walk in order to    .

A．build himself up

B．lighten his mood

C．enjoy the scenery nearby

D．find out something special

小題2:When seeing the old shoe seller, the author felt   .

A．happy

B．sympathetic

C．regretful

D．disappointed

小題3:Why did the girl offer to polish shoes for the old man?

A．She took pity on him.

B．She intended to take care of him.

C．She meant to be friendly to him.

D．She wanted to earn some money.

小題4:By sharing the story, the author conveys a message that    .

A．a(chǎn) kind act can cheer us up

B．old men often set us examples

C．people value what they don’t have

D．helping others means helping ourselves

小題5:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A clever little girl	B．A pair of old shoes
C．A kind shoe seller	D．A girl’s new uniform

Before I started school, people felt that 1 was not going to be successful．At the age of four I started speech lessons because basically I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me．The story goes downhill from here．
The first grade was a struggle．I not only had difficulty speaking, but also felt nervous about the fact that I was expected to learn to read and I just couldn't do it．The second grade was not much better．I still struggled with the inability to read．It was in the third grade that the school district built a new school close to my home．I remember going there with my parents and helping to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one．However, things were still not much better as far as my schooling was concerned and did not get better for the next two years．
It was in the fifth grade．Mrs．Wakefield was my teacher, and if ever there was a teacher that deserved a gold star, it was her．She did not make me feel defeated．On the contrary, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be．And that is just what I did．
For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher．Because of Mrs．Wakefield's influence on my life, I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can overcome any difficulty and become someone．I have won numerous awards up to now, such as Teacher of the Year．I owe it all to one fifth grade teacher who believed in me and challenged me to be all that I could be．
小題1:The writer ______ when he was in the third grade．

A．did better in reading	B．began speech lessons
C．went to a new school	D．received a high award

小題2:We can learn from the passage that the writer ______．

A．is a very successful teacher now

B．thinks teaching is a challenging job

C．has solved problems with his own effort

D．works in the same school with Mrs．Wakefield

小題3:What is the writer's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To express his devotion to his work．

B．To show his respect to a special teacher．

C．To share his teaching experience with us．

D．To tell us his story of overcoming difficulties．

This is no joke. Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt, 20, and Kelly Carl Hildebrandt, 24, are expecting just over 100 guests at a(an)   21  at a church, where they will become husband and wife.
Their modern romance was a   22  made in cyberspace（網(wǎng)絡(luò)空間）. She was   23  and bored one night last year, so she typed her name into the   24  social networking Website Facebook just to see if anyone   25  it: Hildebrandt, 24, in South Florida. At the time, Kelly Hildebrandt, of Lubbock, Texas, was the only one matched. So she sent him a   26 . She said, “Hi. We had the same name. Thought it was cool.” Kelly Carl Hildebrandt said, “I thought she was pretty   27 .”
For the next three months the two   28  e-mails.   29  he knew it, occasional phone calls turned into daily chats, sometimes   30  hours. He   31  her in Florida after a few months and fell head over heels.
“I thought it was fun,” he said of that first online meet. “I had no   32  that it would lead to this.”
Months after Kelly Hildebrandt sent her first e-mail, she found a diamond engagement   33   hidden in treasure box on a beach in December. “I totally think that it’s all God’s   34  ,” Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt said. “He planned it out just   35   .”
She's a student at a local community college. He works in financial   36 . They plan to make their home in South Florida.
There was also some uncertainty   37  how to phrase their wedding invitations, so they decided to include their   38  names. But   39  confusion likely won't carry on past the husband and wife, as Kelly Katrina Hildebrandt said there are no plans to pass along the name to their future   40 . “No,” she said. “We're definitely not going to name our kids Kelly.”

小題1:	A．situation B．occasion C．ceremony D．meeting

小題2:	A．game B．match C．contest D．competition

小題3:	A．curious B．serious C．a(chǎn)nxious D．generous

小題4:	A．ordinary B．common C．fashionable D．popular

小題5:	A．understood B．made C．shared D．recognized

小題6:	A．word B．message C．letter D．reminder

小題7:	A．clever B．simple C．a(chǎn)ttractive D．easy

小題8:	A．exchanged B．changed C．expected D．received

小題9:	A．After B．As C．While D．Before

小題10:

A．wasting B．spending C．lasting D．taking

小題11:

A．dropped B．visited C．forgot D．called

小題12:

A．idea B．decision C．chance D．hope

小題13:

A．call B．lace C．phone D．ring

小題14:

A．preparation B．reason C．a(chǎn)rrangement D．a(chǎn)ppointment

小題15:

A．great B．perfect C．excellent D．smart

小題16:

A．crisis B．conveniences C．customs D．services

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)bout B．on C．in D．a(chǎn)t

小題18:

A．first B．last C．middle D．family

小題19:

A．some B．no C．a(chǎn)ny D．little

小題20:

A．wife B．husband C．parents D．children

William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood lacked the harmony that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered "little of childhood but its pain". In fact, he inherited (繼承) excellent taste in art from his family — both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama and poetry. 
Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at the beginning. He didn't lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama. 
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats's poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition. 
He had not enjoyed a major public life since winning the Nobel Prize in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats's Death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines: 
Earth, receive an honoured guest:
        William Yeats is laid to rest. 
        Let the Irish vessel (船) lie
        Emptied of its poetry.
小題1:Which of the following can describe Yeats's family?

A．It filled Yeats's childhood with laughter.

B．It was shocked by Yeats's choice.

C．It was a typically wealthy family.

D．It had an artistic atmosphere.

小題2:According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats's life?

A．Yeats founded the first Irish theater.

B．Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry.

C．Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s.

D．Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize.

小題3:What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Auden's lines?

A．Envy

B．Sympathy

C．Emptiness

D．Admiration

小題4:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Yeats's literary achievements	B．Yeats's historical influence
C．Yeats's artistic ambition	D．Yeats's national honor

Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南針). While he was alive, he  36  me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important  37 : “Believe in yourself.”
If there was one phrase my dad  38  liked to hear, it was “I can’t.” He never got to finish high school and  39  two jobs to support his large family,  40  he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.
When I was in high school, I had a  41  time with math. He tried to help me, but I  42 struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for  43  help. I told Dad, “That’s  44 ! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the  45 . Despite (盡管) working 12 hours every day, Dad never once  46  driving me to school.
After months of  47 , I was facing the final exam. I was so  48 . On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke,  49  yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my  50  and in the hours of work I’d  51 . When I got my  52  proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it!”
Even now, whenever I  53  that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how  54  something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever  55  to Dad for that lesson.

小題1:	A．understood B．forgave C．guided D．impressed

小題2:	A．history B．lesson C．skill D．language

小題3:	A．a(chǎn)lways B．a(chǎn)lmost C．ever D．never

小題4:	A．took B．lost C．left D．finished

小題5:	A．so B．or C．but D．a(chǎn)nd

小題6:	A．good B．free C．terrible D．short

小題7:	A．still B．nearly C．hardly D．probably

小題8:	A．real B．practical C．immediate D．extra

小題9:	A．wonderful B．crazy C．expensive D．necessary

小題10:

A．house B．school C．office D．farm

小題11:

A．suggested B．risked C．enjoyed D．missed

小題12:

A．meeting B．testing C．learning D．interviewing

小題13:

A．excited B．nervous C．happy D．shocked

小題14:

A．stand for B．hold back C．believe in D．look after

小題15:

A．teacher B．luck C．time D．a(chǎn)bility

小題16:

A．wasted B．ignored C．picked up D．put in

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)nswer B．grade C．pay D．gift

小題18:

A．hope B．forget C．worry D．promise

小題19:

A．different B．important C．hard D．interesting

小題20:

A．grateful B．sorry C．polite D．useful

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no address. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. He didn’t hate the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it; overspending, running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and powder for Grandma…
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, at 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended and before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.
As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear to protect a wrestler’s ears. They obviously could not afford.
Mike shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.”
Mike loved kids—all kids—and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
小題1:Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Precious Present	B．Christmas Gift
C．The Small White Envelope	D．The Good Old Tradition

小題2:Why did Mike hate Christmas according to the passage?

A．He didn’t like the true meaning of Christmas

B．He didn’t like people spending too much money on presents

C．He hated buying presents for Uncle Harry and Grandma

D．He didn’t want to receive gifts like shirts, sweaters or ties.

小題3:Which is the closest meaning to the underlined phrase “take the heart right out of them”?

A．make them excited

B．make them inspired

C．make them lose confidence

D．make them kill themselves

小題4:Why was his smile the brightest thing about Christmas that year? ( paragraph 9)

A．He received some sporting goods

B．He found a potential wrestling team

C．His son won the wrestling match

D．His wife sent presents to those poor kids

小題5:What can we infer from the passage?

A．The tradition of sending presents will pass from generation to generation.

B．The children were eager to get their new toys ignoring the envelope.

C．With the presents, the poor kids will surely win the match one day.

D．Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

Many people watched the lift-off of the space shuttle Columbia on March 21, 1982. But none watched more closely than eighteen-year-old Ted, as Ted’s insects were on board the shuttle.
The Shuttle Student Involvement Program invited students to make a science experiment. The experiment would be done by astronauts on the space shuttle.
Ted had always been interested in space and flight. Insect flight especially interested him. Ted noticed that insects need gravity to take off and land. They need gravity to fly in a straight line. But in space, there is no gravity. Could insects fly in zero gravity? That is what Ted wanted to find out.
Ted made an experiment called “Insect in Flight Motion Study”. He entered his experiment and soon news came that it was a winner.
A large team of scientists and engineers helped Ted get his experiment ready to fly. There were many questions to be answered first. What kind of insects would Ted use in his experiment? The insects would have to be strong enough to live on the shuttle for nine days without much food. What kind of container would hold the insects? Would the insects die during the shuttle flight?
After months of hard work, the “insectronauts” were chosen. A group of moths, flies, and honeybees were put into a special box and put onto the space shuttle. When Columbia flew into space, it was carrying insect passengers.
On March 24, astronauts Gordon Fullerton and Jack Lousma took out the box that held the insects. They began filming the insects with a special video camera.
When the space shuttle landed Ted was able to watch the video film of insects. Just as he thought, most of the insects did have trouble flying in zero gravity. The flies did well. But the moths’ flight seemed “uncontrolled”. They would often just hang in the air. The bees had the most trouble. They couldn’t fly at all! The film showed bees spinning around in all directions. Others were just floating about in the box.
Ted learned the answer to his question about insects’ flight in zero gravity. But he also learned a lot more. He learned about the hard work needed in making a successful experiment.
小題1:What does the underlined sentence “it was a winner” mean?

A．Ted could fly in space.	B．Ted won a prize.
C．Ted’s experiment was accepted.	D．Ted won in a race.

小題2:What did Ted want to find out?

A．Whether the insects could fly in space.

B．Whether the insects could fly in a straight line.

C．Whether the insects could land after flying for a while.

D．Whether the insects could take off after resting for a while.

小題3:Of the three kinds of insects sent into space, which one flew worst in zero gravity?

A．The flies.

B．The honeybees.

C．The insects.

D．The moths.

小題4:Who did the experiment?

A．Ted himself.

B．Ted’s friend.

C．A large team of scientists and engineers.

D．Two astronauts on the space shuttle.

小題5:How did Ted learn the answer to his question about insects’ flight in zero gravity?

A．By asking the scientists and engineers.

B．By studying a book written by the astronauts.

C．By going into space and watching the insects’ flight himself.

D．By watching the video film made by the astronauts.

B
He is a lesson to every boy who ever picked up a basketball and dreamed that it would change his life.
The lights were never brighter and the crowds were never bigger for a homegrown sports hero than they were a quarter-century ago for Ray Hall. But his athletic achievements, as impressive as they are, are to my mind not what is most admirable about the man.
Known as “Sugar Ray” in his teens, Hall was rated among the country’s top 25 high school basketball players. An inner-city kid from a solid family, Hall took on the challenge of lifting Canisius College — still recovering from its failure — back to respectability, rejecting more favorable offers. His status of a savior (救世主) brought more pressure than any 18-year-old should have to handle. However, I watched him mature into the player who led Canisius back to daylight.
After college Hall played professionally in Italy and Greece for over 10 years until a car accident at 32 ended his basketball career. The news that he would never play again shocked Hall but unlike so many others he was ready for life after basketball. When I met Hall — still fit at 46 — for lunch Monday, he wore a cut-sharp gray suit, designer tie and blazing white shirt that screamed Success. “That was always the question — when the cheers end, where do you go? Who do you turn to?” he said. “It starts and ends with that person in the mirror.”
Hall got the concept of academics-first from his parents. He graduated from Canisius a semester early. “No matter how good of an athlete you are, you are just one injury away from losing it all,” he said. “But if you take care of things academically, you are prepared until you leave this earth.”
For the past 14 years, he has been in a computer sales job at Ingram Micro. He married his college sweetheart. They have three kids and a nice house in the suburbs. He figured out early what others learn too late: Athletics is part of a journey, not the destination.
Congratulations, Ray, you made it. In more ways than one.          
小題1:Ray was regarded as a savior because ________.

A．he liked to take on challenges

B．he helped his team to regain its glory

C．he was faithful to his hometown city

D．he fought hard against failure at a young age

小題2:According to the writer, which of the following best describes Ray’s success?

A．Unlike other athletes, he was academically superior.

B．He defeated his injury and returned to the playground.

C．He enjoys a successful job and a happy family.

D．He has gained impressive athletic achievements.

小題3:What’s the right order of the events related to Ray?
a. He was rated among the best high school basketball players.
b. He was in a car accident.
c. He graduated from Canisius College.
d. He started his computer sales job.
e. He gave up his athletic career.

A．a(chǎn), c, b, e, d

B．a(chǎn), c, e, b, d

C．c, a, b, d, e

D．c, a, e, b, d

小題4:We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．Ray was from an academic family

B．Ray was very mature in his teens

C．Ray was once desperate facing the cruel reality

D．a(chǎn)thletics was not Ray’s final goal in life

小題5:What was the writer’s intention in writing this passage?

A．To describe the difficulties of being a professional athlete.

B．To explain the importance of choosing the right college.

C．To emphasize the need for a good education.

D．To warn against playing professional basketball.

Rosa liked making up stories. She was so __1__ that her classmates believed her from time to time. In fact, the whole class believed her! At first she supposed it was __2__. Now, as she got up to __3__ before the class, She knew that make –believe stories had some way of coming back to make you sad.
Rosa’s parents were separated. Nine months out of the year, Rosa lived with her mother in an apartment on Anderson Street. But when summer __4__, she went to her father’s farm in Arizona.
The farm was great! Rosa rode horses and __5__ with some farm work. Her father, however, was so __6__ that he couldn’t find time to go places with her. When she arrived each summer, her father would __7__ her at the airport and take her out to eat. And the day she went back to the __8__ he would always buy her a present.
When summer came to a close, Rosa __9__ to her mother. At school she heard lots of stories her friends told about their family trips. Rosa wished she had a __10__ to talk about.
Not long after __11__ began, Rosa was looking through travel magazines in the school library. They talked about many exciting __12__, like England and Germany. When Rosa’s friends asked what she had done that summer, she made up something that was not __13__. Remembering the travel magazines she had looked at, she told her classmates that she and her father had gone to __14__.
When the class began studying England, Mr. Thomas asked Rosa to tell all the things she could __15__ about her trip to England!

小題1:	A．a(chǎn)fraid B．worried C．sure D．happy

小題2:	A．joke B．fun C．turn D．game

小題3:	A．talk B．teach C．show D．travel

小題4:	A．passed B．a(chǎn)rrived C．lasted D．changed

小題5:	A．made B．played C．helped D．did

小題6:	A．weak B．pleased C．busy D．lonely

小題7:	A．show B．visit C．meet D．send

小題8:	A．farm B．city C．family D．school

小題9:	A．wrote B．called C．moved D．returned

小題10:

A．family B．school C．teacher D．farm

小題11:

A．meeting B．school C．summer D．talk

小題12:

A．people B．cities C．languages D．places

小題13:A interesting     B. true            C. long              D. same

小題14:

A．England B．Germany C．farm D．home

小題15:

A．think B．see C．remember D．read