Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there at first, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”
“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband, “A big party will be the easiest thing, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.”
So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I’ll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December.”
“How many people will you invite?” Mr. Harris asked, “Don’t invite too many.”
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.”
“That isn’t very nice, is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go at 8:30. Maybe it is impolite.” So Mrs. Harris just wrote “Party: 6:30 p.m.”
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained(抱怨).”
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Who complained about the noise?”
“I did,” Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.
【小题1】What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?

A．It was easy to hold a big party at home.

B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers.

C．They had gone to other people’s parties many times.

D．They liked making friends with others.

【小题2】How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?

A．From the morning till night.	B．About fourteen hours.
C．About two hours.	D．Till midnight

【小题3】When did the party end that evening?

A．About twelve o’clock.

B．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone.

C．At about 8:30.

D．When someone telephoned the police station.

【小题4】Who telephoned the policeman?

A．One of the guests.	B．One of the neighbors.
C．Mr. Harris.	D．Mrs. Harris.

【小题5】It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．Mr. Harris was unfriendly to the guests

B．Mrs. Harris was very angry with his husband

C．the guests were very tired at the party

D．Mr. Harris didn’t want his friends to stay late at the party

Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy. Sometimes, he brought some materials to the factory, and most of the time, he had to carry the goods to the customers of the factory. It was not an easy job, but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework to give him a comfortable home for a rest after work. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife had told him not to do it for many times, but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup(拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. After the meal, he felt very lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”
【小题1】Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.

A．she couldn’t find any work

B．she thought her husband was tired

C．her husband spent all time in gambling

D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling

【小题2】_______, so he was put into lockup.

A．Mr. Lang often gambled

B．Mr. Lang was late for work

C．Mr. Lang didn’t help his wife at home

D．Mr. Lang wasn’t polite to the police

【小题3】The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.

A．he didn’t love her any longer

B．he wouldn’t stop gambling

C．he had been put into lockup

D．he was hardly sent away by the factory

【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．the boy hoped his father to be put into lockup again

B．the boy thought his father needed some policemen

C．the boy hoped his father to stop gambling soon

D．the boy hoped his mother to come back

【小题5】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．An able woman	B．A busy driver
C．The disadvantage of gambling	D．Son’s help

“Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher.” You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organizational decision making. For years March (possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.
He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning: “Experience is respected；experience is sought；experience is explained.” The problem is that learning from experience involves serious complications (复杂化), ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.
In one interesting part of the book, for example, he turns a doubtful eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. In our efforts to make stories interesting, he argues, we lose part of the complicated truth of things. He says “The more accurately reality is presented, the less understandable the story, and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”
Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher, March is also a poet, and his gift shines through in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding: Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life.
【小题1】According to the text, James March is ________.

A．a poet who uses experience in his writing

B．a teacher who teachers story writing in university

C．a researcher who studies the way humans think and act

D．a professor who helps organizations make important decisions

【小题2】According to James March, experience ________.

A．is overvalued	B．is easy to explain
C．should be actively sought	D．should be highly respected

【小题3】What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Experience makes stories more accurate.

B．Stories made interesting fail to fully present the truth.

C．The use of stories is the best way of experiential learning.

D．Stories are easier to understand when reality is more accurately described.

【小题4】What’s the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce a book.	B．To describe a researcher.
C．To explain experiential learning.	D．To discuss organizational decision making.

Some say every day miracles are predestined (注定的)---- All that’s necessary is readiness, the right circumstance for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere.  
In 1999, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, and giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give, the boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped.  
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute,she had changed  her shift (轮班) at the hospital, and she was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions (按压). And he came to life.
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time.
Kevin, now 17, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking .
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts, the food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
“The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe,” she said. She thought she was dying. “I was very frightened.”
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown.
【小题1】Kevin Stephan fell to the ground and fainted probably because ________.

A．he stood close to the boy who was swinging his bat

B．he suffered from heart attack all of a sudden

C．he was too excited when watching the game

D．he swung the bat too hard to keep his balance

【小题2】Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan?

A．He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life.

B．He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills.

C．He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college.

D．He saved Penny Brown though he didn’t really know how to deal with food choke

【小题3】Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?

A．She was there to give her son directions.

B．She volunteered to give medical services.

C．She was a little worried about her son’s safety.

D．She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him .

After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a spe­cial student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Dick,
My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Matthew
【小题1】The boy looked forward to meeting the author because _________. 

A．he was one of the author’s fans

B．he wanted to get to the Olympics and win a medal

C．he was also good at weight lifting

D．he admired the author for his courage very much

【小题2】From the passage we learn that _________. 

A．Matthew was an athlete

B．Matthew was an optimistic and determined boy

C．The author used to have the same disease as Matthew had

D．Matthew became a champion before he died

【小题3】Matthew didn’t accept the author’s medal because _________.  

A．he thought it was too expensive

B．he was sure that he could win one in the future

C．he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon

D．he would not be pitied by others

【小题4】What would be the best title for this passage? 

A．A sick boy.

B．A special friend.

C．A real champion.

D．A famous athlete.

Joe came to New York from the Middle West, dreaming about painting. Delia came to New York from the South, dreaming about music. Joe and Delia met in a studio. Before long they were good friends and got married.
They had only a small flat to live in, but they were happy. They loved each other, and they were both interested in art. Everything was fine until one day they found they had spent all their money.
Delia decided to give music lessons. One afternoon she said to her husband:
“Joe, , I’ve found a pupil, a general’s daughter. She is a sweet girl. I’m to give three lessons a week and get $5 a lesson.”
But Joe was not glad.
“But how about me?” he said.” Do you think I’m going to watch you work while I play with my art? No, I want to earn some money too.”
“Joe, , you are silly,” said Delia. “You must keep at your studies. We can live quite happily on $15 a week.”
“Well, perhaps I can sell some of my pictures,” said Joe.
Every day they parted in the morning and met in the evening. A week passed and Delia brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little tired.
“Clementina sometimes gets on my nerves. I’m afraid she doesn’t practice enough. But the general is the nicest old man! I wish you could know him, Joe.”
And then Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket.
“I’ve sold one of my pictures to a man from Peoria,” he said, “and he has ordered another.”
“I’m so glad,” said Delia. “Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much to spend before. We’ll have a good supper tonight.”
Next week Joe came home and put another eighteen dollars on the table. In half an hour Delia came, her right hand in a bandage.
“What’s the matter with your hand?” said Joe. Delia laughed and said:
“Oh, a funny thing happened! Clemantina gave me a plate of soup and spilled some of it on my hand. She was very sorry for it. And so was the old general. But why are you looking at me like that, Joe?”
“What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Delia?”
“Five o’clock, I think. The iron-I mean the soup-was ready about five, Why?”
“Delia, come and sit here,” said Joe. He drew her to the couch and sat beside her.
“What do you do every day, Delia? Do you really give music lesson? Tell me the truth.”
She began to cry.
“I couldn’t get any pupils,” she said, “So I got a place in a laundry ironing shirts. This afternoon a girl accidentally set down an iron on my hand and I got a bad burn. But tell me, Joe, how did you guess that I wasn’t giving music lessons?”
“It’s very simple,” said Joe. “I knew all about your bandages because I had to send them upstairs to a girl in the laundry who had an accident with a hot iron. You see, I work in the engine-room of the same laundry where you work.”
“And your pictures? Did you sell any to that man from Peoria?”
“Well, your general with his Clemantina is an invention, and so is my man from Peoria.”
And then they both laughed.
【小题1】To support the family, Delia worked as             .

A．a tutor

B．a music teacher

C．a laundry assistant

D．an artist

【小题2】It happened that             .

A．a man from Peoria liked Joe’s pictures	B．Delia earned $15 dollars a week easily
C．Clemantina and the general were kind	D．the couple worked at the same laundry

【小题3】Who hurt Delia’s hand?

A．The general

B．Clemantina

C．A girl

D．Herself

【小题4】We can infer from the underlined sentence that             .

A．Clemantina was an invention of the general

B．Clemantina was an invention of the man from Peoria

C．the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria were the couple’s clients

D．there were no such men as the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria

【小题5】The couple’s attitude towards each other is             .

A．honest

B．faithful

C．ashamed

D．heartbreaking

Son’s Help
Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup(拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”
【小题1】Mr. Lang was paid much because _______.

A．he was a driver	B．he worked in a factory
C．he had worked there for a long time	D．he had a lot of work to do

【小题2】Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.

A．she thought her husband was tired	B．she couldn’t find any work
C．her husband spent all time in gambling	D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling

【小题3】_______, so he was put into lockup.

A．Mr. Lang was late for work	B．Mr. Lang often gambled
C．Mr. Lang didn’t help his wife at home	D．Mr. Lang wasn’t polite to the police

【小题4】The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.

A．he wouldn’t stop gambling	B．he didn’t love her any longer
C．he had been put into lockup	D．he was hardly sent away by the factory

【小题5】Which of the following is right?

A．The boy thought his father needed some policemen

B．The boy hoped his father to be put into lockup again.

C．The boy hoped his father to stop gambling soon.

D．The boy hoped his mother to come back.

As the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, she quickened her pace. She didn’t want to turn around as the memory of that morning’s newspaper headline made her afraid of what she would see: “City Killer Claims Fourth Victim.”
“Why did I stop for a few drinks in the bar after work?” she thought to herself. Now it was dark and the streets deserted. She was alone and a sitting duck.
She felt as if she was walking in the rain. Her clothes were damp from nervous sweat and as each short hot breath hit the night air, it turned to steam, coating her glasses in a thin film so all she saw seemed covered in fog.
The footsteps were closer now. She needed to get off this street. Her eyes began a useless search for an open store or lighted window. Passing a small lane she looked through，for a possible escape route. But the lane was a dead - end and she laughed to herself at the irony.
The sound of a car behind her turning onto the street interrupted her self – pity. Escape was at hand. But as she was about to throw herself onto the road and shout for the car to stop, the car’s headlights cast a shadow that paralyzed （使瘫痪） her with terror.
It was the footsteps’ owner. The figure was huge and in its raised arm it held what looked like a lead-pipe, no doubt the one that was about to claim victim number five.
The shadow dissolved as the car passed by and disappeared into the distance. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was all happening as if in slow – motion. She was waiting for her life to flash before her eyes like all those novels said it would – but it didn’t. The only thing she thought of was her dear husband. She recalled phoning him from work that very afternoon and joking about, of all things, the city killer. It was a night full of ironies.
There was a voice talking to her now but she was lost in thoughts of her fate and didn’t respond. The hand then began turning her around. It was surprisingly gentle given what was about to come. She allowed it to guide her without resistance. （抵抗；反抗）
She looked up. She recognized the face, but she didn’t know from where. Its mouth was still talking to her but she couldn’t understand. Then she remembered. The face belonged to the foreign looking man who had served her at the bar. She looked down to his hand and saw in it not a lead – pipe but a rolled up copy of a work report she had been correcting in the bar as she drank.
His words suddenly started to register in her brain and she could hear him. “Miss, Miss. Are you OK? You left this in the bar and it looked important so I thought I’d better give it to you.”
【小题1】The woman was feeling nervous because        .

A．she had left her report in the bar

B．there was a killer in the city

C．she was being followed by someone

D．the streets were dark and empty

【小题2】The underlined expression “a sitting duck” (paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “        ”.

A．an easy target	B．a frightened person
C．a foolish animal	D．a still position

【小题3】What is the correct order of events that happened to the woman on the day of the story?
a. She went for a drink in a bar.   b. She corrected the report.
c. She heard loud footsteps.    d. She read the newspaper.
e. She called her husband.  f. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

A．d,c,a,e,b,f

B．c,d,a,e,f,b

C．d,a,b,e,c,f

D．d,e,a,b,c,f

【小题4】Why did the woman laugh when she looked into the lane?

A．She was excited because she thought it may be a way to escape.

B．She felt bitter because she had no chance to escape.

C．She was becoming more and more nervous.

D．She realized that she was behaving foolishly.

【小题5】Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A．It was raining when she left the bar.

B．The woman had felt nervous about the city killer for days.

C．The temperature was very low that evening.

D．The woman was behaving unreasonably.

Billie Holiday was one of the greatest jazz(爵士音乐) singers in America. Her life was just a mixture of success and tragedy. Her singing expressed her experiences and feelings.
Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents were Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday. They were young when their daughter was born. Their marriage failed because Clarence Holiday was often out. He traveled as a musician with some of the earliest jazz bands and inspired his daughter.
Sadie Fagan cleaned people’s houses to make a living. But she could not support her family with the money she earned. So she moved to New York City where the pay was higher. She left her daughter in Baltimore with one of her distant relatives.
The young girl Eleanora Fagan changed her name to Billie, because she liked a movie star, Billie Dove. The talented Billie Holiday loved singing. She sang and listened  to music whenever she could. In one place near her home there was a machine that played records. The building was a theater where many famous singers also performed their newly-made songs for free.
Billie cleaned floors and did other jobs for the theater so that she could listen to the records. It was there that young Billie first heard the records of some famous black American blues artists of the 1920s. she heard Bessie Smith sing the blues. And she heard Louis Armstrong play the horn. Both musicians had a great influence on her.
Billie Holiday once said, “I do not think I’m singing. I feel like I am playing a horn. What comes out is what I feel. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That is all I know.”
【小题1】Billie Holiday’s parents divorced because _______.

A．Sadie Fagan wanted to move to New York City

B．the family couldn’t support itself

C．Clarence Holiday spent too much time in working

D．Clerence Holiday was a strange person

【小题2】Who might originally have had an influence on Billie Holiday’s career in music?

A．Sadie Fagan

B．Clerence Holiday.

C．Bessie Smith.

D．Louis Armstrong

【小题3】From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A．Sadie Fagan was fond of living in New York

B．Clerence Holiday didn’t love his wife at all

C．Billie lived a happy childhood

D．Billie had a gift for music

【小题4】The underlined sentence “ What comes out is what I feel” means _____.

A．Billie Holiday doesn’t like to sing for others

B．Billie Holiday’s songs reflect her unhappy childhood

C．Billie Holiday is fond of the songs written for herself

D．Billie Holiday’s music is greatly determined by her emotions

【小题5】In order to listen to the records in the theater, Billie Holiday_______.

A．cleaned floors for the theater	B．changed her name
C．moved to New York	D．separated from her parents

Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5：30 and at 6：30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door , she nearly tripped over (被绊倒)Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (兽医).
When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure.” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately, ”said the doctor's voice. “I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched (发出尖锐的声音)to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She’s fine, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now. ”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white—faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God, ” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat：it turned out to be three human fingers.”
【小题1】What was Joanne supposed to do at 6：30？

A．To walk her dog.	B．To see her doctor.
C．To attend a club meeting.	D．To play tennis with her friends.

【小题2】Joanne wanted to get back to her home again __________ .            .

A．to dress up for the meeting	B．to phone the police station
C．to catch the badly hurt burglar	D．to wait for her dog to be cured

【小题3】From the passage, we can infer that________ .          .

A．Sheba fought against the burglar

B．the police found the burglar had broken in

C．Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting

D．the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog

【小题4】In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is _________  .

A．clever

B．friendly

C．frightening

D．devoted

【小题5】The underlined word “a burglar” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A．a cleaner

B．a physician

C．a thief

D．a murderer