When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard, I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadn’t touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years. I spent at least 20 minutes, knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around, relaxed. What he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly. It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care.

Over the next few days, there were other prisoners responding to the cat. Every yard period, a group of prisoners gathered there. They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldn’t usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group, not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners. Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it.

The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape. People said that the cat came to the right place. He’s getting treated like a king. This was true, but as I watched, I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us. There was a lot of talk about what’s wrong with prisons in America. We need more programs. We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds. Some may even talk about making prisons more kind. But I think what we really need is a chance to practise our own kindness. Not receive it, but give it. After more than two decades here, I know kindness is not a value that’s encouraged. It’s often seen as a weakness. Instead, the culture encourages keeping your head down, minding your own business, and never letting yourself be weak.

The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here. By simply saying, “I need some help here”, he did something important for us. He needed us. And we needed to be needed. I believe we all do.

1.From the passage, we can learn that the author was ______.

  A. an animal protector                B. the owner of the cat

C. a prison officer                   D. a prisoner

2.Which of the following statements is true?

  A. The cat was dirty because it was kept in prison.

B. The officer in the prison enjoyed petting the cat.

C. The prisoners prepared food for both the cat and bird.

D. The author realised the importance of practising kindness

3.We can infer from the third paragraph that ______.

  A. showing love to others can make prisoners strong

B. the American prison culture will be improved

C. the author is not content with the prison culture

D. caring for others is encouraged in American prisons

4.What is the best title for the passage?

  A. Caring Makes Us Human      B. Prison Culture Is Important

C. Animals Need Care              D. Everyone Needs to Be Cared for

　　 When a dirty and untidy grey cat showed up in the prison yard, I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadn’t touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years. I spent at least 20 minutes, knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around, relaxed. When he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly. It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care.

　　 Over the next few days, there were other prisoners responding to the cat. Every yard period, a group of prisoners gathered there. They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldn’t usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group, not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners. Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it.

　　 The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape. People said that the cat came to the right place. He’s getting treated like a king. This was true, but as I watched I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us. There was a lot of talk about what’s wrong with prisons in America. We need more programs. We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds. Some may even talk about making prisons more kind. But I think what we really need is a chance to practice our own kindness. Not receive it, but give it. After more than two decades here, I know kindness is not a value that’s encouraged. It’s often thought of as a weakness. Instead, the culture encourages keeping your head down, minding your own business, and never letting yourself be weak.

　　 The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here. By simply saying, “I need some help here”, he did something important for us. He needed us. And we needed to be needed. I believe we all do.

64. From the passage we can learn that the author was 　　　　　　 .

　 A. an animal protector B. the owner of the cat　 C. a prison officer D. a prisoner

65. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

　 A. The cat was dirty because it was kept in prison.

　 B. The officer in the prison enjoyed petting the cat.

　 C. The prisoners prepared food for both the cat and birds.

　 D. The author realized the importance of practicing kindness.

66. We can infer from the third paragraph that 　　　　　　 .

　 A. showing love to others can make prisoners strong

　 B. the American prison culture will be improved

　 C. the author is not content with the prison culture

　 D. caring for others is encouraged in American prisons

67. The author mainly wants to tell us _______.

　 A. Caring Makes us Human　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Prison Culture is Important

　 C. Animals Need Care　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Everyone Needs to be Cared for

The average kid has a busy day. There’s school, taking care of your pets, running around with friends, going to sports for practice or other activities , and doing your homework. It’s tiring just writing them all down. By the end of the day, your body needs a break. Sleep allows your body to rest for the next day.

Everything that’s alive needs sleep to survive. Even your dog or cat curls up for naps. Animals sleep for the same reason as you do to give the body a tiny vacation.

Not only is sleep necessary for your body, it’s important for your brain, too. Though no one is exactly sure what work the brain does when you’re asleep, some scientists think that the brain sorts through and stores information, replaces chemicals, and solves problems while you snooze.

Most kids between 5 and12 get about 9.5 hours a night, but experts agree that most need 10 or 11 hours each night. Sleep is an individual thing and some kids need more than others.

When your body doesn’t have enough hours to rest, you may feel tired or cranky; or you may be unable to think clearly. You might have a hard time following directions, or you might have an argument with a friend over something really stupid . A school assignment that’s normally easy may feel impossible, or your may feel clumsy playing your favorite sport or instrument.

One more reason to get enough sleep: If you don’t you may not grow as well. That’s right, researchers believe too little sleep affect growth and you immune system-which keeps you from getting sick.

59. The underlined sentence means_____.

A. the author is too tired to write any more

B. the author doesn’t want the kids to do anything at school

C. the author is angry with what the kids do at school

D. the author thinks the kids are busy all day at school

60. The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to tell us_______.

A. why everyone needs to have enough sleep

B. animals need to sleep every like us

C. most kids need to sleep at least nine hours a day

D. kids are busy doing a lot of things every day

61. If you don’t have enough sleep you may__________.

A. finish your work ahead of time   B. not get on well with your work

C. work out a problem easily          D. not find your way back home

62. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. You need a sleep to let your body rest every day.

B. Feeling tired means that you need to have a rest.

C. Kids who need more sleep than others must be ill.

D. If you want to grow normally you should have enough sleep.

　　Tom Dyson tried to find out what his new machine could do．One day he fixed the small box to a flowering plant that was growing in a pot．He didn't say anything at all, but he began to think some cruel thoughts．“I'm going to cut off these flowers．They're getting old and ugly．So I'll cut them off．”

　　The needle on the machine climbed quickly from zero to 8, then 10, 12, 15．It stopped at 17．The plant was in trouble! Something was worrying it．Was it fear or sadness? The thought of being cut? The flowers bent their heads．They suddenly looked old and tired, and Tom felt sorry for them．“No, no!” he cried．“I won't cut you．You're my friends．I just want you to grow and be lovely．I'll take you outside, into the sunshine．You'll like that, won't you?”

　　The flowers lifted their heads slowly and seemed to smile at him．The needle returned to zero．Tom put away the machine, picked up the plant, and walked outside．It was very nice in the garden that morning．All plants enjoy their owner's love and care and kindness．They know the sound of their ．voice．They also seem to understand people's thoughts．So if you have flowers of your own, think about them with love．They will return your kindness in the only way they can; they will grow strong and beautiful．

1．Choose the right order of the events given in the passage．

a．The needle pointed to 17．

b．Tom felt sorry for the flowers．

c．Tom thought of cutting off the flowers．

d．The flowers looked old and tired．

e．Tom fixed the machine to a plant．

f．Tom took the plant outside．

g．The needle returned to zero,

h．Tom cried, I won't cut you．

[　　]

2．The only way in which plants can show their love is ________．

[　　]

A．enjoying their owner's love

B．growing nicely

C．holding up their heads

D．smiling at their owners

3．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Tom wanted to cut off the flowers with a knife．

B．Tom said nothing, but the flowers could understand him．

C．The machine didn't work properly and Tom felt sad．

D．The flowers were getting bad looking and refused to grow．

Here’s an unusual story：a diamond ring was recently found in an egg．The magician，Liu Qian，discovered it，in front of an audience of millions at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala．Liu’s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable once again，and made him the hottest magician in China．

As a seasoned young magician from Taiwan，Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows．Countries he has performed in include the United States，Japan，South Korea and the UK．

Witnessing something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’s love for magic．

Liu is known for his interaction with his audiences．He has a unique understanding of showmanship (演出技巧) ．

 “It’s actually thinking rather than one’s manipulation skills”，that is more important to achieving a successful magic show．We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively，to make them appear more interesting．Liu said

Liu Qian’s success dated back to his childhood．Born in 1976 in Tatwan，he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old．At the age of 12，he won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest，which was judged by the great American magician，David Copperfield．

Yet，Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician．He studied Japanese literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur  (业余的) magician in his spare time．However，his failure to find d proper job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career．

To refine his performing skills，he has performed on streets，roads and fields，for passersby，policemen and farmers．

“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians．We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said．

36．The story is about________________．

  A．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician

  B．why people love magic

  C．what magic tricks are

  D．how fashionable magic is

37．People love to watch magic because___________________．

  A．they can’t figure out the secret of magic

  B．it arouses their curiosity

  C．they love watching, magicians make the impossible happen

  D．it is a centuries-old art

38．Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his care?

  A．He was interested in magic when he was little

  B．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest．

  C．He became all amateur magician in his spare time．

  D．He couldn’t find a acceptable job after graduation．

39．From the story we know that_______________．

  A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions

  B．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic show

  C．Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fame

  D．Liu Qian does street show to make money

40．What does the word “seasoned” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．季节性的         B．刚出道的      C．老练的            D．职业的