Tim Richter and his wife, Linda, had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo, New York--he in computers,
she in special education. "Teaching means everything to us," Tim would say. In April1998, he learned he
would need a heart operation. It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life's purpose.
     Not long after the surgery, Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly
Parton' s foundation (基金会) that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer's
home town of Sevier, Tennessee. "I thought, maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire,"
Tim recalls. He placed the brochure on his desk, "as a reminder."
     Five years later, now retired and with that brochure still on the desk, Tim clicked on imagination library.
com. The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts.
     The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters. Rather than sign up online, they went to
Dollywood for a look-see."We didn't want to give the children rubbish," says Linda. The books-reviewed each
year by teachers, literacy specialists and Dollywood board members-included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats's
The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama series.
     Satisfied, the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work. Since 2004, they have shipped
more than 12,200 books to preschoolers in their in their area. Megan Williams, a mother of four, is more than
appreciative:"This program introduces us to books I've never heard of."
     The Richters spend about ＄400 a month sending books to 200 children. "Some people sit there and wait
to die," says Tim. "Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left."

1. What led Tim think seriously about the meaning of life?

A. His health problem.
B. His love for teaching.
C. The influence of his wife.
D. The news from the Web.

2. What did Tim want to do after learning about Imagination Library?

A. Give out brochures.
B.Do something similar.
C. Write books for children.
D. Retire from being a teacher.

3. According to the text, Dollly Parton is _____. 

A. a well-known surgeon
B. a mother of a four-year-old
C. a singer born in Tennessee
D. a computer programmer

4. Why did the Richters go to Dollywood?

A. To avoid signing up online.
B. To meet Dollywood board members.
C. To make sure the books were the newest.
D. To see if the books were of good quality.

5. What can we learn from Tim's words in the last paragraph?

A. He needs more money to help the children.
B. He wonders why some people are so busy.
C. He tries to save those waiting to die.
D. He considers his efforts worthwhile.

     Buster Brown was a thief-and a good one,too,he thought.  He'd never been caught by the police
because he never took chances. He was always Prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
     Confidently,he stood outside the house Of his intended victim (受害者) and read the sign On the
front gate of the house. "Don't worry about the dog-be aware of the owner!"  it said. Buster smiled
and found his way in.
     The house looked quite normal outside,but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on
display. As he began putting them into his bag,a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw
Buster, then wagged its tail madly and went over to. him,licking his outstretched hand. "Good boy,"
Buater whispered. "What a great guard dog you are-trying to lick me to death."
     Satisfied he'd made friends with the dog,Bluster began to wander round the house,choosing items
to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques (古董): a pair of silver candleholders,
a silver tea-and-coffee service,etc.. His new friend,the dog,sat and watched, as if wondering what was
happening.
     "Well, boy," Buster whispered,finally. "That might do. Any more and I won't be able to carry it!" He
swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his
eyes with his hand.
     "You're a very silly person," the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry em dust. As the man came
closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn't quite place
where he had seen him before.
     "You should have taken more notice of the sign outside," the man rasped." I knew about this
attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to
rob the house of the world's greatest fortune-teller!"

1. Why was Buster so confident?

A. He was not afraid of dogs.
B. He knew the owner of the house lived alone.
C. He had never been caught by the police.
D. The house had no security alarm.

2. Which of the definitions is closest in meeting to the word "exotic" in the third paragraph?

A. Messy and untidy.
B. Rich and expensive.
C. Comfortable and calming.
D. Foreign and unusual.

3. How did Buster decide which objects to take?

A. He took those that were easy to carry in his bag.
B. He took only the best antiques.
C. He took those that he knew he could sell easily.
D. He looked for silver objects.

4. What punishment waits for Buster Brown?

A. A prison sentence with hard labour.
B. A long prison sentence.
C. A heavy fine.
D. Community service for 20 years.

     Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents'
home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station (加油站) about 50 miles from Oklahoma City,
where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register (收款台),
I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
     I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped
and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas
station. They said they would take me to my friend's. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got
out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
     I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present
from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
     Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car
and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery (电池) was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly
Ford dealership－a shop selling cars－was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the
showroom.
     "Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck
to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say
thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and
say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.
     "Thank you"－two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.

1. The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City _____.

A. to visit a friend
B. to see his parents
C. to pay or the cash register
D. to have more gas for his car

2. The words "took off" underlined in Paragraph 2 mean "_____".

A. turned off
B. moved off
C. put up
D. set up

3. What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A. He had it pulled back to the gas station.
B. The couple sent him a business card.
C. The couple offered to help him.
D. He called his friend for help.

4. The battery of the author's car was dead because _____.

A. something went wrong with the lights
B. the meeting lasted a whole day
C. he forgot to turn off the lights
D. he drove too long a distance

5. By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show _____.

A. how to write a thank-you letter
B. how to deal with car problems
C. the kind-heartedness of older people
D. the importance of expressing thanks

     When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble-a word game-against herself, I
knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn't
sure my mother was ready for it After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker.
Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents' home. And so began my mother's
adventure in the world of computers.
     It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I've taught people of all ages, but I
never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all
my life: to cook and sew: to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give
something back.
     It wasn't easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my
mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I
decided it was time to introduce her to word processing (文字处理) This proved to be a bigger challenge
(挑战) to her, so I gave her some homework I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types,
colors and spaces.
     "Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?" she asked. 
     "No, of course not," I said. "They already know how to use a computer."
    My mother isn't the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my
father has finally got over his phone allergy (过敏反应). For as long as I can remember, any time I called,
my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we've
had in the past 20 years.

1. What does the author do?

A. She is a cook.
B. She is a teacher.
C. She is a housewife.
D. She is a computer engineer.

2. The author decided to give her mother a computer _____.

A. to let her have more chances to write letters
B. to support her in doing her homework
C. to help her through the bad times
D. to make her life more enjoyable

3. The author asked her mother to write her a letter _____.

A. because her mother had stopped using the telephone
B. because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother
C. so that her mother could practice what she had learned
D. so that her mother could be free from housework

4. After the computer was brought home, the author's father _____.

A. lost interest in cooking
B. took more phone calls
C. played more games
D. began to use it