5．What would be the best title for the text?

　　　 A．A Program for Agricultural Science Students

　　　 B．A Program for Animal Science Students

　　　 C．A Program for Medical Science Lovers

　　　 D．A Program for Future Science Lovers

4．The underlined expression “on the cutting edge” in paragraph 5 means “on the most _____ position.”

　　　 A．important 　　　　　　 B．favourable　　　　 C．astonishing 　　　　　 D．advanced

3．When the program was over, the students ______.

　　　 A．entered that college　　　　　　 　　　 B．wrote research reports

　　　 C．paid for their research　　　　　　 　　 D．found way to make money

2．It can be inferred from the text that the students in poorer areas ____.

　　　 A．had little chance to go to college

B．could often take part in the program

　　　 C．found the program useful to their future

　　　 D．showed much interest in their high school experiments

1．The research program is chiefly designed for ______.

　　　 A．high school advisers from Houston

　　　 B．college students majoring in agriculture

　　　 C．high school students from different places

　　　 D．researchers at the College of Agriculture and Life Science

4．Which of the following best describes the boy?

　　　 A．Brave and polite．　　　 　　　　　　　 B．Kind and smart.

　　　 C．Honest and thankful．　　　　 　　　　　 D．Shy and nervous.

五十

Instead of hitting the beach, fourteen high school students traded swimming suits for lab coats last summer and turned their attention to scientific experiments.

The High School Research Program offers high school students guidance with researchers in Texas A＆M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences．Jennifer Funkhouser, academic adviser for the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, directs this four-week summer program designed to increase understanding of research and its career potential (潜能).

Several considerations go into selecting students, including grades, school involvement and interest in science and agriculture．And many students come from poorer school districts, Funkhouser says．“This is their chance to learn techniques and do experiments they never would have a chance to do in high school.”

Warner Ervin of Houston is interested in animal science and learned how to tell male from female mosquitoes (蚊子)．His adviser, Craig Coates, studies the genes of mosquitoes that allow them to fight against malaria and yellow fever．Coates thought this experience would be fun and helpful to the high school students.

The agricultural research at A＆M differs from stereotypes．It’s “molecular (分子) science on the cutting edge,” Funkhouser says．The program broadened students’ knowledge．Victor Garcia of Rio Grande City hopes to become a biology teacher and says he learned a lot about chemistry from the program.

At the end of the program, the students presented papers on their research．They’re also paid ＄ 600 for their work-another way this program differs from others, which often charge a fee.

Fourteen students got paid to learn that science is fun, that agriculture is a lot more than milking and plowing and that research can open many doors.

3．Why did the author give his money to the boy?

　　　 A．Because he had enough money to do that.

　　　 B．Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.

　　　 C．Because he held a higher position in the society.

　　　 D．Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.

2．The second time the author met the boy, the boy _____.

　　　 A．told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts　

　　　 B．wanted to express his thanks

　　　 C．asked him for money for his schoolbooks　　

　　　 D．tried to take advantage of him

1．What was the author’s first impression of the boy?

　　　 A．He seemed to be poor and greedy． 　　 B．He seemed to have suffered a lot.

　　　 C．He seemed younger than his age　　　　　　 D．He seemed good at bargaining.

4．What is probably the best title for the passage?

　　　 A．Provide Homes For Our Family　　　 B．Take Up Horse-riding

　　　 C．Value This Very Day　　　　　　　　 D．Stay Alive

四十九

The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his hunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts．Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life．“Banana 300 naira．Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice．I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts．When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill．He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry．He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.

When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun．My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.

I pulled over and rolled down my window．He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready．I waved them away．“What’s up?” I asked him．“I … I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills．“Will this help?” I asked．He looked around nervously before taking the money．One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year．“Thank you, sir,” he said．“Thank you very much!”

When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks．What if he’s a swindler (骗子)? And then I wondered why I did it．Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.

Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria．Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive．When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.

“Oh, gosh! Long time.”

“Are you in school now?” I asked.

He nodded.

“That’s good,” I said．A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted．“Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill．“Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt．“What’s wrong?” I asked．“It’s a gift.”

He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back．His face shone with sweat (汗水)．He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”