I first heard this story a few years ago from a girl. Probably the story is one of those mysterious bits of folklore that reappear every few years. However, I still like to think that it really did happen, somewhere, sometime.
They were going to Fort Lauderdale-- three boys and three girls -- and when they boarded the bus, they were carrying sandwiches and wine, dreaming of golden beaches and sea tides as the gray, cold spring of New York vanished behind them.
As the bus passed through New Jersey, they began to notice Vingo. He sat in front of them, dressed in a plain ill-fitting suit, never moving, his dusty face masking his age. He kept chewing the inside of his lip a lot, frozen into complete silence.
Deep into the night, the bus pulled into Howard Johnson's, and everybody got off except Vingo. He sat rooted in his seat, and the young people began to wonder about him: perhaps he was a sea captain, a runaway from his wife, an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself.
¨We're going to Florida," she said brightly. “I hear it's really beautiful. "
"It is," he said quietly, as if remembering something he had tried to forget.
“Want some wine?" she said. He thanked her and retreated again into his silence. After a while, she went back to the others, and Vingo nodded in sleep.
In the morning, they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's, and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He seemed very shy, and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again, and after a while, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in jail in New York for the past four years, and now he was going home.
¨Are you married?"
“I don't know. "
“You don’t know?" she said.
“Well, when I was in jail I wrote to my wife," he said. ¨‘I told her that I was going to be away a long time, and that if she couldn't stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, she could just forget me. I'd understand. Get a new guy, I said - she's a wonderful woman – and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write me. And she didn't. Not for three and a half years. "
"And you're going home now, not knowing?"
" Yeah," he said shyly. ‘‘Last week, when I was sure the parole was coming through, I wrote her again. There's a big oak tree just as you come into town, I told her that if she didn't have a new guy and if she'd take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I'd get off and come home. If she didn't want me, forget it - no handkerchief, and I'd go on through. "
"Wow," the girl exclaimed. "Wow. "
She told the others, and soon all of them were in it, caught up in the approach of Brunswick, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children.
Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seats, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment.
Then Brunswick was 10 miles, and then five. Then, suddenly, all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying. All except Vingo. Vingo sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs —20 of them, 30 of them, maybe hundreds. As the young people shouted, the old con slowly rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the bus to go home

1. 1.

   According to the passage, which statement is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The young people are travelling from Florida to New York
   2. B.
      Vingo was put in prison ten years ago, and now he was set free to go home
   3. C.
      The young people around Vingo were quite curious about his silence
   4. D.
      At last, Vingo went home together with the three boys and three girls
2. 2.

   From the underlined sentences in Para 3, we can infer that _____

   1. A.
      Vingo was nervous because he didn't know whether his wife would accept him
   2. B.
      Vingo was very disappointed because his wife didn't answer his letter
   3. C.
      Vingo was very shy because he knew someone was watching him
   4. D.
      Vingo was excited because he could go home and meet his wife and children
3. 3.

   The underlined word "fortify" in the passage has the same meaning as that in Sentence___

   1. A.
      The French soldiers are working hard to fortify airbase
   2. B.
      The food has been fortified with Vitamin
   3. C.
   4. D.
      People in the whole city were fortified by the moving story about their hero
   5. E.
      We had to drink some more coffee to fortify ourselves for the journey
4. 4.

   Which word do you think can best describe Vingo's wife?

   1. A.
      humorous
   2. B.
      loyal
   3. C.
      generous
   4. D.
      hard-working
5. 5.

   After reading the whole story, we can probably make a conclusion that_____

   1. A.
      Young people are always curious about everything new around them
   2. B.
      Home is always the first place a person wants to go
   3. C.
      Don’t laugh at a person who has no home
   4. D.
      It is impolite to ask questions about one's privacy that he or she doesn't want to tell
6. 6.

   What's the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      A story of a poor man
   2. B.
      The power of love
   3. C.
      Help from strangers
   4. D.
      Going home

Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after years-long and highly public battle with cancer．Mourners （ 哀悼者 ） gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world．
Steve Jobs made technology fun．As tech leaders, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life．Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar．
Steve Jobs was a college dropout．He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant． They supported his early interest in electronics．He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer —now just called Apple —in 1976．They stayed at the company until 1985．That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a debate with the chief executive．
Mr．Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer．He rejoined Apple in 1997 after it bought NeXT．He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today．However, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health．He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement．Steve left behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple．
President Obama said in a statement: by building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, Steve Jobs exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity （独创性的）．By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive （有直觉力的） and fun．
The fact that he was able to redesign American business top to bottom and across is really stunning．He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the greatest of all time．Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business．Steve Jobs was remembered as a "great visionary and leader" and a " marketing genius"．
【小题1】According to the second paragraph, the author wants to show that _____．

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that her husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop(笔记本电脑) and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.

In the mean time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband’s burial. He was a minister of many years who had been “called home to glory” following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted(昏厥)and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife

From: Your Departed Husband

Subject: I’ve arrived!

I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful(平静)as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Why did the couple decide to go to Florida for weekend?

       A. To visit their family and friends         B. To escape from the cold winter

       C. To escape from their busy work         D. To attend a friend’s funeral

What mistake did the husband make after checking into the hotel?

       A. He checked into a wrong hotel           B. He forget to bring the laptop

       C. He misspelled her wife’s address         D. He forgot to mail his letter

The expression “called home to glory” probably suggests that the man had           .

       A. gone back to his hometown            B. called his family to say hello

       C. been awarded an honor               D. died and gone to heaven

How did the woman probably feel after reading the e-mail?

       A. Pleased       B. Inspired        C. Frightened          D. Moved

Which of the following is true according to the text?

       A. The woman’s husband died of a heart attack

       B. The woman liked to chat with her friends by e-mail

       C. The couple held their wedding in Florida 20 years ago.

       D. His wife wouldn’t go to Florida for his error.

Steve Jobs made technology fun.The co-founder of Apple died last Wednesday at the age of fifty-six He had fought for years against cancer.Mourners gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world.
Tim Bajarin, president of a high-tech research and consulting company, said "If you actually look at a tech leader, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life.Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar."
Steve Jobs was a college dropout.He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant.They supported his early interest in electronics.
He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer—now just called Apple—in nineteen seventy-six.They stayed at the company until nineteen eighty-five.That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a dispute（分歧）with the chief executive.
Mr.Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer.He rejoined Apple in nineteen ninety-seven after it bought NeXT.He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today.
Steve Wozniak, speaking on CNN, remembered his longtime friend as a "great visionary and leader'' and a "marketing genius（天才）".
President Obama said in a statement: "By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity.By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun."
David Carroll is a professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City.He says Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business.
"The fact that he was able to redesign American commerce top to bottom and across is really stunning （令人惊奇的）.He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the great[s] of all time." David Carroll said.
Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health.He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement.Apple's new chief, Tim Cook, will also have to deal with the new Kindle Fire tablet computer from Amazon.com.It costs less than half as much as an iPad but also does less.

1. 1.

   Why did people all over the world mourn Steve Jobs?

   1. A.
      He was very courageous in the face of cancer.
   2. B.
      He became very rich though dropping out college.
   3. C.
      He released a new iPhone version before death.
   4. D.
      He revolutionized technology and made it enjoyable.
2. 2.

   Which of the following can easily prove that Jobs is a "marketing genius"?

   1. A.
      After Apple, he founded NeXT Computer.
   2. B.
      He made Apple very valuable once again in the world.
   3. C.
      He developed a series of Apple products.
   4. D.
      He was considered the greatest industrial figure of all time.
3. 3.

   What does the underlined part in Paragraph 7 mean?

   1. A.
      Jobs was a typical example of American spirit of creation.
   2. B.
      Jobs enriched the American spirit of science and freedom.
   3. C.
      Jobs eventually realized his American dream.
   4. D.
      American people are good at inventing things.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is true according to the text?

   1. A.
      Jobs's parents discouraged him from working on electronics
   2. B.
      Jobs stayed in Apple as chief executive for about 24 years.
   3. C.
      Jobs started his career in his family garage.
   4. D.
      Run unsuccessfully, Apple was sold to NeXT Computer.

Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the  greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56,  after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer. Mourners gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world.                         

Steve Jobs made technology fun. As tech leaders, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life. Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar.

Steve Jobs was a college dropout. He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant. They supported his early interest in electronics. He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer—now just called Apple—in 1976. They stayed at the company until 1985. That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a dispute with the chief executive.

Mr. Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer. He rejoined Apple in 1997 after it bought NeXT, He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today. However, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August, 2011 because of his health. He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement. Steve left behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

President Obama said in a statement: by building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, Steve Jobs showed the spirit of American ingenuity (独创性). By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible but intuitive (直觉的) and fun.

The fact that he was able to redesign American commerce top to bottom and across is really astonishing. He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the greatest of all time. Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business. Steve Jobs was remembered as a " great visionary and leader" and a marketing genius.

1.What does the underlined word "dispute" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

2.According to Paragraph 2, the author wants to show that _____.

3.Which of the following statements about Steve Jobs is NOT TRUE?

4.How long did Steve Jobs work for Apple?

5.This passage is mainly about _____.