It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming
up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to
work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of
labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
      The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour
weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货), saving us from
having to walk along long distances from where we live.
      I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story.
Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then
called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an
honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
      People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are
even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in
humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with
others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can
be everlasting.

1. Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A. They used it for work and daily life.
B. It was their only possession (财产).
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.
D. The man's job was bike racing.

2. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. the couple worked 60 hours a week
B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike
D. life was hard for the young family

3. What do the couple learn from their experience?

A. Strangers are usually of little help.
B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous.
D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

4. From this story,we can see humanity is _____.

A. selfish
B. commercial
C. kind
D. cold-hearted

      Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near
my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned
lessons from his experiences. He always told me, "You should have goals like climbing the mountain." Without
the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed,we couldn't have enough time to spend together because my
father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and
to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience (耐力).
      Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old.
During the first few hours of climbing. I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds' singing, but as time
passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my
father said to me, "You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can't see it before
you reach the top. Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, just like in life."
      At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got new hope and confidence.
I found myself standing at the top of the sky, which was as clear as crystal (水晶).

1. The passage tells us that mountain-climbing was _____ for Father and Son.

A. hard
B. enjoyable
C. painful
D. comfortable

2. The word "quit" in the passage means "_____".

A. carry on
B. put off
C. give up
D. pick up

3. Which of the following is the closest (最接近的) in meaning to the father's words in the second paragraph?

A. You will get all you need at the top of the mountain.
B. The sky is always as clear as crystal.
C. You can find life is full of nice things.
D. Never give up half-way.

4. We can infer (推断) from the last paragraph that _____.

A. the writer was very successful in his life.
B. the writer reached the top of the mountain.
C. thought the writer was young, he could understand his father.
D. the writer used to stop half-way when he climbed the mountain.

5. The best title (题目) for the passage is "_____".

A. Reaching the Top of the Mountain
B. Standing at the Top of the Mountain
C. Conversations between Father and Son
D. How to Get to the Top of the Mountain

      A little old lady went into a pet shop and saw a lovely-looking parrot. "I would like to buy that handsome
bird, please," she said to the owner. 
      "Oh you don't want 1______," the man replied. "He uses some pretty terrible 2______. Why don't you
get a puppy or a cat?"
      "I want that parrot!" the woman insisted, and proceeded to put her money 3______ the counter. The
owner shrugged his shoulders and made the sale.
      When the woman returned home, she started playing with her new friend. She was petting him and
poking at his feathers when all of a sudden he 4______ (start) swearing a blue streak. The woman was so
shocked 5______ she grabbed the parrot and stuck him in the refrigerator. When she took the shivering bird
out 6______ (late), she warned him that every time he used bad language he'd be put back 7______ it was
cold.
       The parrot's behavior was pretty good for 8______ couple of days, but then one morning while the cat
was putting her paw through his cage, he got 9______ (real) mad and started cursing again. This time the
woman grabbed the 10______ and stuck him in the freezer. As he sat there shivering and looking around,
he saw a frozen turkey right next to him. "Egad!" squawked the parrot. "What did you say?"

      I will never forget what my old headmaster taught me. Normally when you are only 15 years of age
you do not remember most of the things that are taught by your teachers. But this particular story is one
such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.
      It was a normal Monday morning, and he was making a speech to the students on important things in
life and about devoting ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:
      An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the
subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would
do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His
house was dirty, and a stench (恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled horrible. The neighbors could
not stand the smell any more, so they asked the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down
the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over
the years.
      The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited
outside his house to tell the good news to him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of
the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a
millionaire. He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up
as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Obviously,
this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything important for his life. We learn nothing from this story
other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.

1. The headmaster told the story to the students to ______.

A. make the students relaxed in the lesson
B. remind the students to think deeply
C. show how poor the old man was
D. encourage the students to become rich

2. After hearing what the officer said, the old man ______.

A. believed the officer was playing a joke on him.
B. didn't know many people respected him a lot.
C. was very angry to find his house broken into.
D. was not so excited as the officer had expected.

3. What did the author learn from the story?

A. One should devote himself to his dream.
B. The old man was foolish not to stop begging.
C. What the headmaster taught was very important.
D. People must have a plan before taking action.

4. Which word can best describe the author's attitude towards the old man?

A. Pity.
B. Disappointment.
C. Respect.
D. Anger.

5. We know from the passage that ______.

A. the author had a big dream at the age of 15.
B. the headmaster was popular with the students.
B. the old man begged every day without stopping.
D. the neighbors took great pity on the old man.

      One evening a police officer was driving slowly along a road. He was off duty and was wearing plain
clothes.
      Suddenly he saw two men running out of a building. He heard someone shouting, "Help! Help! Stop
thief!" The police officer was sure that the two men were thieves. He knew he must arrest them. However,
he was not only out of uniform (制服) but also unarmed (没有带枪). He knew if he got out of his car and
tried to arrest them, at least one of the men would easily escape. The police officer was facing a difficult
problem. He knew that he mustn't let the men escape, but how could he arrest them?
      He thought quickly and had an idea. It involved danger and it might not work, but he decided to try.
      He drove his car up to the men and stopped beside them. Then he put his head out of the window and
asked, "Do you want a lift?"
      "Yes, yes," the men answered, and quickly got into his car. "Please take us to the railway station," they
told him. "Very good," the police officer said and drove off. After a few minutes, one of the men cried out,
"But this isn't the way to the railway station. Where are you going?" "I must go this way," the police officer
explained. "There's a big fire and the traffic is held up. You don't want to sit in a traffic jam, do you?"
      "No, no," the men agreed. "Please take us the quickest way." The next moment, the police officer had
pulled up at the police station. He jumped out, shouted for help, and seconds later the two thieves were
arrested.

1. How did the police officer decide to try to arrest the two thieves?

A. By telephoning the police for help.
B. By letting them get into his car.
C. By going back to the police station for his gun.
D. By asking people around to help him.

2. The underlined word "involved" means "_____".

A. developed
B. offered
C. stopped
D. caused

3. Why did the police officer tell the two thieves to get into his car instead of going to catch them directly?

A. He was afraid he would be beaten by them.
B. He was afraid they would recognize him.
C. He was afraid one of them would escape.
D. He was afraid they would not escape.

4. Soon after the two thieves got into the car they found out that _____.

A. they were not on the way to the railway station
B. the police officer was taking them to the police station
C. they were on the way to the airport
D. they were caught by the policeman

      Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out
of the kitchen, complaining, "Mom, I can't peel (削皮) potatoes. I have only one hand." Mom never looked up
from sewing. "You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes," she told me, "And don't ever use that
as an excuse for anything again!"
      In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the
monkey bars (攀登架), swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head.
Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
      That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her "we'll see about that" look. The next
afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars. 
      "Now, pull up with your right arm," she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right
hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced and she praised me for every
rung (横档) I reached. I'll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs. I looked down at the kids who were
standing with their mouths open. 
      One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my
room. "Mom," I said, weeping,"None of the boys would dance with me." 
      For a long time, I didn't hear anything. Then she said, "Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys
off with a bat." Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down
her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered from my disability. She had never let me see her tears.