Cyril was a small town. The houses there were all made of wood; almost everything in the houses such as cupboards, tables and chairs were made of wood, too. And all the houses faced south. The town was never peaceful. Fire broke out once a week on summer afternoons. Residents were puzzled who the real firebug(纵火犯) was.

One day a big fire broke out. It was said that a Negro had jumped out of the house on fire, so the police arrested(逮捕) all the Negroes in the street. However, fire never stopped to breaking out when the Negroes were in prison.

Mauson, a physics teacher didn’t believe that the Negroes were the firebugs, for he really knew about those Negroes, He made up his mind to find out who the real firebug was.

One day he was invited to drink in a pub and happened to notice that many bottles and plastic plates were baked by the hot sunrays. Suddenly he realized what the actual fact was. He jumped with joy, saying, “I’ve got the answer!”

Mauson dashed out of the pub to his friend’s house nearby, which also faced south. He made an experiment there to confirm his idea.

The next Saturday afternoon, Mauson asked some policemen and newsmen to come to the house. They were told that the real firebug would be shown there. At that time the sun was shining full into the house and it became hotter and hotter inside the room.

Someone wanted to draw the curtains together, while another was going to use a bottle to drink water, but neither got permission from Mauson, who wanted to let the firebug in.

“Now,” said Mauson, “this house will soon catch fire.” People looked at each other in surprise. Mauson asked them to look at the bottles and focus on the table cloth. After a while the cloth gave off a burning smell and began to catch fire!

The mystery of fire was discovered, but the police wouldn’t believe him and insisted that Negroes had been the firebugs. Instead they arrested Mauson and put him into prison. But Mauson said he would never turn against science.

1.

The town was never peaceful, for fire broke out        .

2.

Why did the police arrest all the Negroes?

3.

Drinking in a pub, Mauson realized what the actual fact was         .

4.

By making an experiment, they knew the real firebug was        .

5.

Mauson was put into prison, because          .

 When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.

She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.

After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”

Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.

1.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.

A. rose from a low social class

B. had an unhappy marriage

C. lived with a dog alone on a farm

D. won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show

2. At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance

B. was attracted by her beautiful dress

C. looked down upon her

D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges   B. the Internet   C. the newspaper   D. the advertisement

4.The 4^th paragraph intends to tell us ______.

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success

B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher

C. Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA

D. Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle

This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store I am employed as a shop assistant.

When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there’s not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. I have informed the social security office so you won’t be able to cash the child benefit next week. I hope that won’t leave you too short．But if you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book．Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid(有效的), so it won’t be much use to you.

Actually I don’t mind about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!

I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book．There were all kinds of papers in it, and notes and things that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you . I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?

Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather handbag. You probably dumped it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We’ve looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.

I’m not really angry with you．I know how the pressures of modern living can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel offended and helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged（耸） their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn’t answer that question. I wonder if you can.

1.In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to __________.

A. describe the contents of the bag in detail        B. give some suggestions to the three thieves

    C. tell the thieves they could hardly get any money  D. state the fact that she was careless with the money

2.Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?

    A. The cash in her bag.                       B. The papers and notes in the bag.

    C. The handbag itself.                        D. The check books in the bag.

3. What can we conclude about the police?

    A. They have doubts about human nature.                     B. They show sympathy for the woman.

    C. They think the case quite common.                        D. They are unable to find the thieves.

4. Why does the author write the letter?

    A. To give the thieves a serious warning.                   B. To complain about the fall of human goodness.

    C. To call people’s attention to their belongings.         D. To express her affection for her valuable bag.

It was her giggling that draw my attention. Note taking really wasn’t all that funny.
Walking over to the offender, I asked for the   46 . Frozen, she refused to give it to me. I waited, all attention in the classroom on the quiet   47  between teacher and student. When she finally   48  it over she whispered, “Okay, but I didn’t draw it.”
It was a hand-drawn   49  of me, teeth blackened and the words “I’m stupid” coming out of my mouth.
I managed to fold it up calmly. My mind,  50  , was working angrily as I struggled not to   51 . I figured I knew the two most likely candidates for drawing the picture. It would do them some   52  to teach them a lesson, and maybe it was high time that I did it!
Thankfully, I was able to keep myself   53 .
When there were about six minutes remaining, I showed the class the picture. They were all silent as I told them how   54  this was for me. I told them there must be a reason behind and now was their   55   to write down anything they needed to tell me. Then I let them write silently   56  I sniffed in the back of the classroom.
As I   57  the notes later, many of them said something like, “I’ve got nothing against you.” or “I’m sorry you were hurt.” Some kids said, “We’re afraid of you.” But two notes, from the girls who I   58  were behind the picture, had a list of issues. I was too   59 , too strict …
Reading those notes, I realized that over the course of this year, instead of   60  my student, I had begun commanding them to   61 . Where I thought I was driving them to success I was   62  driving them away.
I had some apology to do. But the next day I the classroom, one boy and one girl each handed me a card. The one   63  by all the boys expressed sincere regret for the ugly joke. The one from the girls asked for   64 .
This was a lesson for both the kids and me. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the   65 .

Long before they became doctors, lawyers, CEO’s or real estate developers, they played in garage bands and maybe even dreamed of becoming rock stars. That’s why they signed up for Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp.
For nearly a week, the mostly middle-aged “campers” had practiced in the West 54th Street studios. They came from as far away as London and Tokyo and as close as Long Island and downtown New York to prepare for their moment of onstage glory.
“I feel like I’m 18 again,” said Jerry Goldberg, a 60-year-old investment banker and guitar player, whose family was in the audience.” I admit that I felt a little uncertain when I first got here, but this has turned out to be a wonderful experience, one of the greatest of my life.”
Everybody has two businesses, their own business and show business. This can be a life-changing experience for them. Mr. Daltrey, who has appeared at several fantasy camps, was asked why he keeps coming back.
“I’ve had people tell me that I shouldn’t be doing this, that it's bad for my image,” he acknowledged. “But that’s rubbish. Look, it’s all so positive, and everybody is having so much fun. So what’s bad about that?”
Jeff Munger, a drummer and rancher(农场主) said. “I’m at a point in my life where I’m going to spend my money on things I’m passionate about, and I’m absolutely crazy about music.”
Most of the campers are successful executives or professionals: a founder of the Oracle Computer Company, a businessman whose father invented the Big Mac, a plastic surgeon, presidents of health care and seafood companies.
【小题1】This text is mainly about________.