A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor(售票员) hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior , "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap interrupted (打断谈话), "I know his name. I call him Dad."
【小题1】The passengers were ________ to see the conductor's kindness to the woman and the child.

A．excited

B．pleased

C．interested

D．surprised

【小题2】One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______  .

A．make a demand for more buses

B．thank the conductor for his good service

C．criticize（批评） the conductor for his rude behavior

D．invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor

【小题3】What was the gentleman?

A．A teacher.

B．A newspaper reporter.

C．Not known from the story.

D．The conductor's friend from his company.

【小题4】The word "he" in the last paragraph refers to _______.

A．the gentleman

B．the conductor

C．the middle-aged man

D．the three-year-old child

Here’s an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician（魔术师）, 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(互动) with his audiences. He has a unique understanding of showmanship (演出技巧).
“It is actually thinking, rather than one’s manipulation(操作)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 intriguing(吸引人的),”Liu said.
Liu Qian’s success dates back to his childhood. Born in 1976 in Taiwan, 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 a decent(体面的)job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.
To refine（升华） his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for pedestrians(路人), policemen and farmers.
“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said.
【小题1】Why do people love to watch magic?

A．Because Liu Qian is known for his interaction with his audiences.

B．Because people love watching magicians make the impossible happen.

C．Because people want to know the secret of the magic.

D．Because people are curious about everything.

【小题2】Which word in the following is close to the underlined word “seasoned”?

A．Handsome.

B．Growing.

C．Fruitful.

D．Experienced.

【小题3】What is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?

A．He was good at magic when he was young.

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

C．He couldn’t find a decent job after graduation.

D．He became an amateur magician in his spare time.

【小题4】The passage is mainly about         .

A．why Liu Qian plays magic well

B．what magic tricks are

C．why people love magic

D．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician

Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany. As a child, he was slow to learn to talk. As a pupil, he was backward. But when he was fourteen years old, he became clever. He taught himself maths from textbooks. He studied hard because he wanted to be a physicist.
In 1901,Einstein began teaching. In 1902 he continued his studies at the University of Zurich. Several years later, he formulated(系统地阐述)his famous Theory of Relativity(相对论).To most people the law of relativity is difficult to explain. But once Einstein explained it very well to a group of young students. He said," When you sit with a good girl for two hours, you think it is only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That is relativity."
After Hitler came into power in Germany, Einstein went to America. In 1940 Einstein became an American citizen. In 1955, Einstein's life ended at the age of seventy-six.
【小题1】When Einstein was a pupil of twelve, he _______ .

A．was not quick in learning to talk	B．was poor in his studies
C．studied very hard	D．hardly lagged behind

【小题2】The law of relativity is_______ .

A．very hard for most people to understand

B．too hard for Einstein himself to explain

C．too hard to explain to anybody except Einstein

D．easy to understand only for the young students

【小题3】When did Einstein become an American citizen?

A．He was an American citizen until 1940.

B．Not until he had reached the age of 61 did he become an American citizen.

C．He did not become an American citizen until 1955.

D．He became an American citizen in the year when Hitler came into power.

【小题4】Which of the following do you think is true?

A．The Germans owed their scientific progress to Einstein.

B．The Americans owed all their economic development to Einstein.

C．Einstein gave a great deal to the modern world.

D．Einstein made a very great contribution to modern science.

【小题5】The title for this passage should be " _______ ".

A．Theory of Relativity	B．An American Citizen
C．Albert Einstein	D．Einstein's Contribution

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed (展现) herself as she did nowhere else. 
After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate (巨头) Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline's close friend and former White House social secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career in publishing . After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it. Perhaps she hoped to find there some ideas about how to live her own life .She became not less but more interested in reading. For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher's editor, first at Viking，then at Doubleday, pursuing a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined. During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books. Among the first books were In the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes. She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell to transform their popular television conversation into a book, The Power of Myth. The book went on to become an international best-seller. She dealt too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography(自传), Moonwalk.      
Jacqueline may have been hired for her name and for her social relations, but she soon proved her worth. Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself. In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind. Her books are the autobiography she never wrote. Her role as First Lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor. However, few knew that she had achieved so much. 
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline________.

A．became fond of reading after working as an editor

B．gained a lot from her career as an editor

C．promoted（促进） her books through social relations

D．was in charge of publishing 100 books

【小题2】The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that________.

A．Jacqueline's ended up as an editor rather than as First Lady

B．Jacqueline's life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor

C．Jacqueline's role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor

D．Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady

【小题3】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Jacqueline's two marriages lasted more than 20 years

B．Jacqueline's own publishing firm was set up eventually

C．Jacqueline's achievements were widely known

D．Jacqueline's views and beliefs were reflected（反映） in the books she edited

【小题4】The passage is mainly________.

A．a brief account（叙述） of Jacqueline's career as an editor in her last 20 years

B．a brief description of Jacqueline's lifelong experiences

C．an introduction of Jacqueline's life both as First Lady and as editor

D．an analysis of Jacqueline's social relations in publishing

In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father was an African and his mother was a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.
When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of the only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.
“I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince. But I kept asking myself who I am," said Obama.
However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president in US history.
Obama's unusual background made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol to help forget this question.
With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became the third black senator (参议员）in US history.
"Obama's success has made Martin Luther King's dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character," wrote ABC news.
【小题1】Obama was born in _______.

A．Britain

B．American

C．Kenya

D．Indonesia

【小题2】Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?

A．Obama's parents are both African

B．Obama was the first black senator in US history

C．Obama was once very depressed (压抑）because of his unusual background.

D．No other black students were in the school where Obama studied when he was ten.

【小题3】Obama became the first black president in US history when he was ______.

A．37

B．38

C．47

D．48

【小题4】From the passage we can learn that ______________.

A．Obama's father is a Kenyan prince.

B．Obama was a star in Harvard because he drank a lot

C．We should judge a person by what he did when he was young

D．Obama's success owes to his hard work

Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York., in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.
Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends (小商品 ) for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said five cents each. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.
Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store., selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly from the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.
By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always run his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: “ The customer is always right.”
【小题1】Frank took a short business course in order to ____________.

A．earn more money for his family	B．learn something from a salesman
C．get away from the farm	D．get enough to eat.

【小题2】The price of the knives was cut down by half because ______________.

A．the factory workers worked 24 hours a day.

B．knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory.

C．the knives were made in Germany, where labour (劳动力) was cheap.

D．the knives were produced in one factory.

【小题3】_____________ make Woolworth a world-famous man.

A．His business skills and his wealth.

B．The low price of the goods he sold.

C．His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives.

D．His natural skill for showing things.

【小题4】The belief that : “ The customer is always right” suggests that _______________.

A．whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right.

B．If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way.

C．stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money.

D．stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful.

Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real talk I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip (掷) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quite! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
【小题1】What did the author’s classmates think about his report?

A．Controversial.	B．Ridiculous.
C．Boring.	D．Puzzling.

【小题2】Why was the author confused about the task?

A．He was unfamiliar with American history.

B．He followed the advice and flipped a coin.

C．He forgot his teacher’s instruction.

D．He was new at the school.

【小题3】The underlined word “burning” in Para. 3 probably means _______.

A．annoyed	B．ashamed
C．ready	D．eager

【小题4】In the end, the author turned things around _______.

A．by redoing his task

B．through his own efforts

C．with the help of his grandfather

D．under the guidance of his headmaster

I arrived at the bus station much too early for the London bus, which was not to leave until five to twelve. I pushed through the crowds, looking for somewhere to sit down. Scores of people were standing about, or struggling along with their bags and the cases to find the right lines. There was a party of school girls. I could see teachers trying to keep them in order. But there was nowhere for me to sit.
I stepped into the station buffet. I looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. I found a seat opposite a large mirror on the wall. Just then a friend of mine called Jim came in and sat with me. "What time is your bus?" asked Jim. "Oh, there's a plenty of time yet," I answered. "Oh, I'll get some drinks then," said Jim. We talked while drinking. Then I looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going backward!" I cried. "A moment ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said Jim. I could kick myself for being so stupid. I had not realized that the marks for one and eleven on the face of the clock were the same. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. I have never liked mirror since then.
【小题1】The writer went to the station buffet because ________.

A．he was thirsty

B．he saw the station buffet was not so crowded

C．it was still early for his bus and he couldn't find a place to sit at the bus station

D．he had changed his mind; he wouldn't go to London

【小题2】The writer sat ________.

A．behind a mirror	B．facing a mirror
C．under a mirror	D．near a mirror

【小题3】Jim came to the station buffet at about ________.

A．twenty to twelve	B．twenty past twelve
C．half past one	D．twenty past eleven

【小题4】What time was it when the writer looked at the clock again?
It was ________.                                      

A．half past eleven	B．twelve thirty
C．twelve twenty	D．eleven thirty

Joey is loyal, encouraging and self-sacrificing, always putting others’ interests ahead of his own. He is a hard worker, who also loves to run and play. In short, he’s an ideal friend and a heroic character.
Here is the thing: Joey is a horse, who appears as the main character in Steven Spielberg’s new film War Horse.
It is based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel, which also caused the same-titled Tony Awards winning play.
The film follows the saga of Joey, a racehorse that’s trained for farm work under the loving care of Albert (Jeremy Irvine )after Albert’s drunk father Ted(Peter Mullan ) overpays for the animal at auction(拍卖会).
Then the World War I tears Albert and Joey apart. Joey is sold into the war effort for the British and starts his episodic adventures in Europe.
Splendidly staged, the battle plots in the film are visually astounding and impressive.
And with Spielberg’s unique, top-notch direction and storytelling skills, War Horse cannot escape its episodic nature, calling to mind another Spielberg film about the horrors of war and its effects upon soldiers and civilians—Saving Private Ryan.
While that film shocked with horrific scenes of bleeding, it relied on a company of easily-described characters and a focused storyline to present heroic themes.
Like Saving Private Ryan, War Horse clings to a series of characters, not only Albert, but also British officers, French civilians and German soldiers, who display courage in the face of danger. Everyone who comes in contact with Joey is either already in touch with their inner angel or is quickly moved to become more humane.
Although none of this covers the fact that we’ve seen this stuff elsewhere before, the lovely sentiment will steal your heart.
And the emotional signature of Spielberg can be felt as he establishes the relationship between the boy and the horse and the mood of the piece – there will be tears.
Therefore, calling this beautiful, dramatically incomplete film “ Saving Private Joey”, is entirely justifiable.
【小题1】In common with “ Saving Private Ryan”, the film  War Horse _________ .

A．is full of terrifying scenes of bleeding and killing

B．received the title of Tony Awards Winning Play

C．covers a lot of characters

D．tells the story happening in the Second World War

【小题2】Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．War Horse is based on the same-titled novel by Steven Spielberg.

B．Joey is a heroic character because he saved many people’s lives.

C．Albert sold Joey into the war effort for Europe.

D．Joey came to Albert’s care after Ted paid a lot of money for it.

【小题3】According to the passage, what does the underlined word astounding mean?

A．astonishing

B．confusing

C．satisfying

D．disappointing

【小题4】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Joey ─ a heroic race horse	B．Albert and Joey
C．Saving Private Joey	D．Spielberg’s Joey

Jack went to a barber's shop and had his hair cut, but when he came out, he was not happy with the result(结果). When his friend Bob saw him, he laughed and said, "What has happened to your hair, Jack?"
Jack said, "I tried a new barber's shop today, because I wasn't quite satisfied with my old one, but this one seems even worse."
Bob agreed(同意). "Yes, I think you're right, Jack. Now I'll tell you what to do when you go into a barber's shop next time: look at all the barber's hair, find out whose hair looks worst, and then go straight to him."
"Why shall I go to him?" Jack asked. "But that would be foolish!"
"Oh, no, it wouldn't," answered Bob. "Who cut that man's hair? Just think it. He couldn't cut it himself, could he? Another of the barbers cut it. So you know he can't be the worst barber."
【小题1】 When Jack went out of the barber's shop, he was not happy because ____.

A．nobody had cut his hair

B．the barber hadn't cut his hair well

C．the barber had cut his hair carefully

D．he was not satisfied with his old barber

【小题2】"I tried a new barber's shop today." means ____.

A．this barber's shop was a new one

B．this was the only barber's shop in this town

C．Jack often went to this barber's shop

D．Jack had not been to this barber's shop before

【小题3】After Jack had his hair cut, he thought ____.

A．the new barber's shop was the best one

B．the old barber's shop wasn't so good as the new one

C．the new barber's shop was worse than the old one

D．the old barber's shop was the worst one

【小题4】Bob told Jack to find out which barber's hair looked the worst and then go straight to him. Why?

A．Because he was certainly the best barber.

B．Because he was free all the time.

C．Because he was the worst barber.

D．Because he wasn't the worst barber.

【小题5】From the story we know that ____.

A．it's foolish to have one's hair cut at a barber's shop

B．barbers cut each other's hair

C．barbers never have their hair cut

D．a barber always cuts his hair by himself