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!

1. What did the author's classmates think about his report?

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

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.

3. The underlined word "burning" in Para. 3 probably means _______.

A. annoyed                      
B. ashamed
C. ready                        
D. eager

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

                                                               Wilderness
     "In wilderness(荒野) is the preservation of the world." This is a famous saying from a writer regarded
as one of the fathers of environmentalism. The frequency with which it is borrowed mirrors a heated
debate on environmental protection: whether to place wilderness at the heart of what is to be preserved.  
      As John Sauven of Greenpeace UK points out, there is a strong appeal in images of the wild, the
untouched; more than anything else, they speak of the nature that many people value most dearly. The
urge to leave the subject of such images untouched is strong, and the danger exploitation(开发) brings to
such landscapes(景观) is real. Some of these wildernesses also perform functions that humans need-the
rainforests, for example, store carbon in vast quantities. To Mr.Sauven, these "ecosystem services" far
outweigh the gains from exploitation.
     Lee Lane, a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, takes the opposing view. He acknowledges that
wildernesses do provide useful services, such as water conservation. But that is not, he argues, a reason
to avoid all human presence, or indeed commercial and industrial exploitation. There are ever more
people on the  Earth, and they reasonably and rightfully want to have better lives, rather than merely
struggle for survival. While the ways of using resources have improved, there is still a growing need for
raw materials, and some wildernesses contain them in abundance. If they can be tapped without reducing
the services those wildernesses provide, the argument goes, there is no further reason not to do so. Being
untouched is not, in itself, a characteristic worth valuing above all others.
     I look forwards to seeing these views taken further, and to their being challenged by the other
participants. One challenge that suggests itself to me is that both cases need to take on the question of
spiritual value a little more directly. And there is a practical question as to whether wildernesses can be
exploited without harm.
     This is a topic that calls for not only free expression of feelings, but also the guidance of reason. What
position wilderness should enjoy in the preservation of the world obviously deserves much more serious
thinking.

1.  John Sauven holds that_____.

A. many people value nature too much
B. exploitation of wildernesses is harmful
C. wildernesses provide humans with necessities
D. the urge to develop the ecosystem services is strong

2. What is the main idea of Para. 3? 

A. The exploitation is necessary for the poor people.
B. Wildernesses cannot guarantee better use of raw materials.
C. Useful services of wildernesses are not the reason for no exploitation.
D. All the characteristics concerning the exploitation should be treated equally.

3. What is the author's attitude towards this debate?  

A. Objective.           
B. Disapproving.
C. Sceptical.                  
D. Optimistic.

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A. B. C. D.
CP: Central PointP: PointSp: Sub-point(次要点)C: Conclusion

                                                     How I Turned to Be Optimistic
       I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house,
and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying,
and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the
thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.  
      I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was
saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was
going to see - the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I
was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.  
       The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me
at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost-having to study in three schools as a result
of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things
became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each
other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times."
        My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at
home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my
grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company
representatives.  
         From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles eventually go
away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I
believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.  

1. How did the author get to know America? 

A. From her relatives                
B. From her mother 
C. From books and pictures      
D. From radio programs

2. For the first two years in New York, the author _________.  

A. often lost her way                            
B. did not think about her future 
C. studied in three different schools    
D. got on well with her stepfather

3. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4? 

A. She worked as a translator 
B. She attended a lot of job interviews 
C. She paid telephone bills for her family 
D. She helped her family with her English

4. The author believes that _________.

A. her future will be free from troubles 
B. it is difficult to learn to become patient 
C. there are more good things than bad things 
D. good things will happen if one keeps trying

     As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mill carrier, and
on Saturdays he would ask me to go with him. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure:
There were animals to see, people to visit, and chocolate cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad
did.
     In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chickens, and when 1 was a boy it was such a fun to
stick y our finger 'through one of the holes of the boxes and let the baby birds peck on your fingers.
     On Dad' s final day of work, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least
one member from each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years
of service. "Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route." he used to say, "and a story at every
one. " One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind.
Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills.
     Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read. "Nat, take
these eggs to Marian; she's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs. " Mailboxes might be buried in the
snow, or broken, or lying on the groom:. bat the mail was always delivered On cold days Dad might find
one of his customers waiting for him with a cup of hot chocolate. A young wrote letters but had no
stamps, so she left a few button on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One
businessman used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox for Dad to take to the bank. Once, the
amount came to 8 32,000.
     A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad's death,  the
mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't
the case.
     As I drove home, I noticed two lamp poles, one on each side of the street. When my dad was
around, those poles supported wooden boxes about four feet off the ground. One box was painted green
and the other was red, and each had a long narrow hole at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those holes.
     I made a turn at the comer and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps. There, at the door, stood Frank
Townsend, Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So we all sat down at the table and began
to tell stories.
     At one point Frank looked at me with tears in his eyes. " What are we going to do about the letters
this Christmas?" he asked.
     "The letters?"
     'I guess you never knew. "
     "Knew what?"
     " Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in those green and red
boxes on Main Street? It was your dad who answered all those letters every year. "
     I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn't hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old table in
our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the
people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were
that Santa had known so much about their homes and families.
     For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that the writer regarded his travels with Dad us_____.

A.great chances to help other people
B.happy occasions to play with baby chickens
C.exciting experience* with a lot of fun
D.  good opportunities to enjoy chocolate cookies

2. The writer provides the detail about the businessman to show that_____.

A. Dad had a strong sense of duty
B. Dad was an honest and reliable man
C. Dad had a strong sense of honor
D. Dad was a kind and generous man

3. According to the passage, which of the following impressed the writer most?

A. Dad read letters for a blind lady for years.
B. Dad paid for the stamps for a young girl.
C. Dad delivered some eggs to Marian.
D. Dad answered children's Christmas letters every year.

4.The method the writer uses to develop Paragraph 4 is______.

A. offering analyses
B. providing explanations
C. giving examples
D. making comparisons

5.What surprised the children most when they received letters in reply from Santa Claus every year?

A. Santa Claus lived alone in the cold North Pole.
B. Santa Claus answered all their letters every year.
C. Santa Claus had unique mailboxes for the children.
D. Santa Claus had so much information about their families.

6. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. The Mail
B. Christmas Letters
C Special Mailboxes
D. Memorable Travels

     What separates me from everyone else? The difference is not what clothes I wear or the music I listen
too, but what I feel inside.
     Ever since I was young, I have loved professional wrestling. I woke up every Saturday to watch my
favorite "Superstars." As I grew older, I got a lot of flak for watching this "fake" sport. My peers would
laugh at me for following what was called a "man's soap opera." So, I put my love for wrestling on the
shelf. Like everyone else, I wanted to be associated with the cool clique. I yearned to be invited to the
parties of the in-crowd and hang out with the popular kids. I became pretty successful. Although my
Friday evenings were busy with parties, I would still wake up early Saturdays to watch wrestling. It
wasn't until freshman year that I realized I wasn't being myself.
     That year, I tried many new things and activities and made new friends. In my town, football was the
sport, so I decided to play football, thinking it might give me a head start in popularity. The team started
with 48 athletes. At the end, there were 14 of us left. I stuck it out not because I liked it, but because I
am not a quitter. That long season taught me a lesson: I wasn't a football player. More importantly, it
taught me to be myself.
     After that season, I went back to being a wrestling fan. I watched it religiously, no matter what insults
were thrown my way. I came across a quote: "Don't Dream It, Be It." When I read this, my friend Dan
had the same idea I had.
     "What if we build a wrestling ring?" we asked. We acquired the necessary wood and equipment for
its construction. The following weekend, we met at his house. We saw our dream in a pile in his
backyard. We worked from dawn to dusk to build our great establishment. By Sunday night, our
mission was complete.  Our hard work (combined with a little creativity) had paid off. We had a real
ring. We decided to hold an "event." We practiced for hours, trying to improve every aspect of our
wrestling ability. The date was May 24th. Our show had a start time of 9: 00 p.m. To our surprise, about
one hundred family, friends and fans showed up to support us. It was the most important night of my life
and a complete success. Since that time, we have held five shows with as many as two hundred and fifty
people turning out. We continue to live this dream. We accomplished what we set out to do. We are
now well known throughout school. When  I walk down the halls, I am respected by my peers. Some are
the same peers who ridiculed me for watching wrestling when I was younger. When they approach me,
they often say, "Good match, Chris." I humbly say, "Thank you," knowing I did something I believed in.
     As my senior year winds down, I'll remember all of my high school memories. But what will stick out
most is the memory that I did something I loved, despite what everyone said or thought. I accomplished
my goal ... I lived my dream.

1. What makes the writer different from the others is __________.

A. the different sports he loves        
B. the different clothes he wears and the different music he listens to
C. that he is younger than the others.    
D. the different ideas he has

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph mean?

A. I practiced wrestling secretly in my spare time.    
B. I put the clothes for wrestling on the shelf.
C. I decided to quit practicing wrestling.            
D. I began not to watch wrestling on TV.

3. When the writer was a freshman, he ___________.

A. knew he couldn't be a football player.    
B. realized he was being himself.
C. became very sociable.                
D. built a wrestling ring.

4. The writer built the wrestling ring in order to ________.

A. play football there    
B. make his dream realized  
C. be a professional player    
D. have parties there.

5. What is the writer's attitude towards his experience in high school?

A. Optimistic    
B. Pessimistic    
C. Doubtful    
D. Surprised

     "What are you doing asleep on a park bench in the middle of the day naked?"
     "Well, you see, officer, it all started this morning. I woke up to the sound of the big master's alarm
clock and jumped off my doggy bed. I wandered down into the kitchen and sat down to wait for
breakfast."
     " Hang on! What do you mean by doggy bed?"
     "Well, I am actually a dog. Let me finish my explanation. Anyway, when the big master came
downstairs I could tell that it would be a busy day, because he was rushing around. He fed me quickly
and ran out of the door, not even bothering to get some breakfast for himself. This was fairly normal-he
hardly ate in the morning. "
     I finished my breakfast soon, and then I went upstairs to wake up the little master. After that, I had to
wake up the big mistress. Because I knew how much she hates it , I cautiously walked into the big room
and tried to wake her up gently. Unfortunately, as soon as my nose touched her side, she jumped straight
up and yelled at me to get out of her room. I did that straight away. I headed downstairs again. The little
master was already downstairs. After eating breakfast, he ran out. I followed him as usual and made sure
he got to school safely.
     On my way home, a van stopped beside me. Then I was stuck in a net and thrown into the van. I
started struggling and barking. Immediately I was given a needle and calmed down. When I woke up, I
was lying on a bed. Looking around, I realized I was in a science lab. Strangely, I found I wasn't a dog
anymore! I was human! I started yelling for help and an old man walked in. On seeing me, he shouted
excitedly, 'It worked! It worked!' Then I was given another needle. The next thing I remember is that
you woke me up. So that's why I ended up asleep here naked."
     "Very funny son, now come with me. By the way, what's your name?"

1. From what the man said we know that ________.

A. his big mistress seldom had breakfast
B. there were at least two bedrooms upstairs
C. he waited till his little master returned home
D. he woke up all his masters with his nose

2. What does the underlined word "it" in the fifth paragraph refer to?

A. Being woken up.
B. The dog entering the room.
C. Preparing breakfast.
D. The sound of the alarm clock.

3. What does the officer think of the man's explanation?

A. Funny and believable.
B. Reasonable and acceptable.
C. Unbelievable but interesting.
D. Imaginary but out of date.

4. What most probably will the officer do next?

A. Help the man find his big master.
B. Pursue the old man immediately.
C. Take the man to the police station.
D. Warn dog owners to look after their dogs.