What separates me from everyone else? The difference is not what clothes I wear or the music I listen
to, 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 2 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 following 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 good football player      
B. realized he was being himself
C. was still 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

     Parents divorced, little Buddy was in the care of his mother's large Alabama family. Over the years,
Buddy seldom saw either of his parents. But he was happy where he was and he had many kindly
relatives, among whom Miss Sook was by far his best friend. Before Christmas, Buddy's father had
managed to get legal custody(法定监护) of him for this Christmas. So, he had a new suit, with a card
pinned with his name and address and made the trip alone, by bus, to New Orleans.
     Several things occurred that kept me awake the whole night. First, the footfalls, the noise of my father
running up and down the stairs, breathing heavily, I had to see what he was up to. So I hid and watched.
There was a Christmas tree and the fireplace downstairs. Moreover, I could see my father. He was
crawling around under the tree arranging a pyramid of packages. I felt dizzy, for what I saw forced me to
reconsider everything. If these were presents intended for me, then obviously they had not been ordered
by the Lord and delivered by Santa Claus; no, they were gifts bought and wrapped by my father,which
meant that my rotten little cousin Billy Bob and other rotten kids like him weren't lying when they laughed
at me and told me there was no Santa Claus. The worst thought was: Had Sook known the truth, and lied
to me? No, Sook would never lie to me. She believed. It was just that-well, though she was
sixty-something, in some ways she was at least as much of a child as I was.
     I waited until I was sure he was in bed and sound asleep. Then I crept downstairs and examined the
tags attached to each of the packages. They all said: "For Buddy." I decided to open the packages: It
was Christmas morning. I was awake, so why not? I won't bother to describe what was inside them: just
shirts and sweaters and dull stuff like that. The only thing I appreciated was a toy gun. Somehow I got the
idea it would be fun to waken my father by firing it. So I did. Bang. Bang. Bang. He raced out of his room, wild-eyed, Bang. Bang. Bang. "Buddy-what the hell do you think you're doing?" Bang. Bang. Bang. "Stop that!" I laughed. "Look, Daddy. Look at all wonderful things Santa Claus brought me."
     Calm now, he walked into the room and hugged me. "You like what Santa Claus brought you?"
     I smiled at him. He smiled at me. There was a tender lingering (逗留不去的) moment, damaged when I said: "Yes. But what are you going to give me, Daddy?" His smile evaporated. His eyes narrowed
suspiciously-you could see that he thought I was pulling some kind of trick. But then he blushed, as though he was ashamed to be thinking what he was thinking. He patted my head, and coughed and said: "Well, I
thought  I'd wait and let you pick out something you wanted. Is there anything particular you want?"
I reminded him of the airplane we had seen in the toy store on Canal Street. His face sagged. Oh, yes, he
remembered the airplane and how expensive it was. Nevertheless, the next day I was sitting in that
airplane dreaming I was zooming toward heaven while my father wrote out a check for a happy salesman, who promised to help ship the plane on the bus.
But I wasn't free of New Orleans yet. The problem was a large bottle of wine; maybe it was because of
my departure, but anyway my father had been drinking it all day, and on the way to the bus station, he
scared me by grabbing my wrist and harshly whispering: "I'm not going to let you go. I can't let you go back to that crazy family in that crazy old house. Just look at what they've done to you. A boy six, almost
seven, talking about Santa Claus! It's all their fault, all those sour old spinsters with their Bibles and their
knitting needles, those drunken uncles. Listen to me, Buddy. There is no God! There is no Santa Claus.
" He was squeezing my wrist so hard that it ached. "Kiss me. Please. Please. Kiss me. Tell your daddy
that you love him." But I couldn't speak. I was terrified I was going to miss my bus. And I was worried
about my plane, which was strapped to the top of the taxi. "Say it: 'I love you.' Say it. Please. Buddy. Say
it."
     It was lucky for me that our taxi-driver was a good-hearted man. Because if it hadn't been for his help, and the help of some efficient porters and a friendly policeman, I don't know what would have happened
when we reached the station. My father was so drunk he could hardly walk, but the policeman talked to
him, quieted him down, helped him to stand straight, and the taxi-man promised to take him safely home.
But my father would not leave until he had seen the porters put me on the bus.
     Once I was on the bus, I crouched in a seat and shut my eyes. I felt the strangest pain. A crushing pain
that hurt everywhere. I thought if I took off my heavy city shoes, those crucifying monsters, the agony
would ease. I took them off, but the mysterious pain did not leave me. In a way it never has; never will.
     Twelve hours later I was home in bed. The room was dark. Sook was sitting beside me, rocking in a
rocking chair, a sound as soothing (令人舒畅的) as ocean waves. I had tried to tell her everything that
had happened, and only stopped when I was hoarse (嘶哑的) as a howling dog. She stroked her fingers
through my hair, and said: "Of course there is a Santa Clause. It's just that no single somebody could do
all he has to do. So the Lord has spread the task among us all. That's why everybody is Santa Claus. I am. You are. Even you cousin Billy Bob. Now go to sleep. Count stars. Think of the quietest thing. Like snow. I'm sorry you didn't get to see any. But now snow is falling through the stars-" Stars sparkled, snow whirled inside my head; the last thing I remembered was the peaceful voice of the Lord telling me something I
must do. And the next day I did it. I went with Sook to the post office and bought a penny postcard. That same postcard exists today. It was found in my father's safety deposit box when he died last year. Here is what I had written him: Hello pop hope you are well I am and I am turning to pedal my plane so fast I will
soon be in the sky so keep your eyes open and yes I love you Buddy.

1. When Buddy asked his Daddy for Christmas presents, his father's reaction suggested that _______.

A. He felt sorry he forgot to prepare presents for his son.
B. He thought his son should have known all the presents were sent by him, not Santa Claus.
C. It was difficult for him to accept that his son is so greedy.
D. He was ashamed of not knowing what his son liked.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Buddy didn't tell his Daddy "I love you" until his death.
B Buddy's father and Miss Sook were people of different personalities.
C. Buddy still held the belief that there was Santa Claus.
D. Buddy finally mailed a postcard to his father.

3. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A. Cousin Billy Bob had a good relationship with Buddy.
B. Miss Sook had no idea of Santa Clause, and lied to Buddy.
C. Father loved Buddy very much and prepared a lot of gifts for him.
D. Buddy was afraid of his father for they had been separated long time.

4. The following words can describe Miss Sook except _______.

A. old            
B. clever          
C. naughty          
D. trusted

5. Which of the following can be the best title of passage?

A. Is There a Santa Clause in the World?
B. A Christmas Memory
C. How to Celebrate Christmas in a Meaningful Way?
D. A Christmas of a Divorced Family

     My friend got married. His mother carried two bags of cotton from the countryside by bus and train to his city. After arriving at the city, there was still a long way to his house without any bus passing by the
house. His mother walked to his home breathlessly for 40 minutes without taking a taxi in order to save
money.
     My friend felt bitter as well as funny at his mother's deeds. He pointed to the cashmere and silk quilts
and said, "So long as you have money, you can buy anything in the supermarket. There is no need for you
to carry so much cotton here in such a long way."
     But his mother insisted and said, "The cotton of this year is light and warmth-keeping. Have a try and
you will know!"
     Maybe every parent is the same, caring for their children with stubborn love without caring about
whether they know or like it.
     This early spring, I went to visit my grandmother. We had dry beans stew (炖菜), eggplant salad bar,
sauce radish (酱萝卜条)for our dinner, all of which were dried by my grandmother last autumn and tasted wonderful. I loved the dishes to my heart's content and could not help praising them again and again.
     After a few days, my grandmother, who seldom visited us, came to my home and unpacked her bag,
smilingly taking out bags of dried eggplants, dried beans and dried vegetable. She told me that I left so
hastily last time that she forgot to give me some of these foods, so she took this chance to bring me what
I liked.
     I was speechless at that time. Due to my casual complimentary her food, my grandmother, a nearly
70-year-old lady, by taking three buses from the west of the city to the east, came to my home with the
food I liked. But she was bus-sick in life and even seldom went strolling in the street.
    My pretty girlfriend had a failed marriage in the past. After divorce, her parents shed the deepest
protection and care to her by helping her attend to the child and offering financial aids. Her parents' love
made her pull herself together and forgot the man who had hurt her before.
     Nonetheless, her father, an honest and upright old man, after hearing his ex-son-in-law got promoted
in his company, felt terrifically irritated and went to his company to question his boss why a philandering
man with corrupt conducts could get promoted. The whole office fell into a mess immediately and many
staff just watched on the sidelines. Some people even whispered lightly, "It is a new era now and the
relationship between men and women is very open. No one would care about that any more!"
     The old man stood silently in the office with his hands shivering and eyes tearing.
     That night, my girlfriend cried heavily in front of me. I asked her whether it was her father's stupid
deeds that made her feel humiliated. But she said that she felt guilty for her dad and that though the rest of
the whole world betrayed her, her old father would still back her up and help her get the justice she
deserved, just as when she was young and the neighboring boy grabbed her ball, her father would get it
back for her. However, this changed world was no longer the stage for her old father and his deeds
became funnily obsolete. No one managed to see the real and ever-lasting love to his daughter behind his
seemingly rude behaviors.
     Now we have grown up so much so that we could support our family and have our own children. But
in our parents' heart, they are still worried that we do not have sufficient quilts and dried vegetables. They would not feel troubled to bring all these to us regardless of long tough journey. They even would not like
us to suffer a bit and try all means to protect us without caring about whether what they do is awkward
and stupid or not.
     Who in the world would love us so deeply and relentlessly without asking for any repay? Only our parents!

1.What does the author want to tell us?

A. The love from our parents is real and deep though sometimes it doesn't appear so.
B. The love from our parents is awkward sometimes, which is rather annoying.
C. Children should appreciate parents' love because their life is so hard.
D. The world is changing so the love of parents should change too.

2.The underlined world "humiliate" in the eleventh paragraph means ________.

A. guilty        
B. moved
C. happy      
D. ashamed      

3. How many examples of older generation's love are mentioned in the passage?

A. One        
B. Two        
C. Three      
D. four

4. After the author's girlfriend's former husband got promoted, her father _____.

A. congratulated him      
B. made his daughter marry him again
C. had a quarrel with him  
D. argued with his boss

5. From the passage we can learn the author's grandmother is ___________.

A. upright and honest  
B. loving and troublesome    
C. thoughtful and careful
D. generous and active

     Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who
stand still, die," is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the
Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year,
Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in
order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some
humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others."
    Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to
do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to
train the brain are essential for senior citizens.
    Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt
Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of
a listless elderly generation.
    Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best
known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The
role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that
serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day
working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a
gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.
    Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be
at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they
come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for
a "good stage role".
   Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has
described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she
and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.
   With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers.

1. From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______. 

A. being active at 102 is achievable for everybody
B. Oliveira owes his long life to his mother's help
C. being fit in old age is a matter of luck and character
D. social skills and wisdom are difficult for the senior

2. How many centenarians are mentioned in this passage?

A. 4
B. 5
C. 6
D. 7

3. By saying "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" in Paragraph 5,
    Heesters shows us he ________.

A. wants to sit or lie in comfort
B. is waiting for people to pick him up
C. is willing to work till he dies
D. prefers to give performance at home

4. In the passage so many examples were given to show ________.

A. old age is a big problem if you want to succeed
B. as a senior citizen, you have to be open-minded and optimistic
C. old people should never think of themselves as old
D. old age can not prevent a great person from achieving a lot

5. In the writer's opinion, the architect Oscar Niemeyer is not ________.

A. intelligent    
B. pessimistic  
C. positive    
D. diligent

     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 est 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.

1. To support the family, Delia worked as             .

A. a tutor
B. a music teacher
C. an artist
D. a laundry assistant

2. It happened that             .

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

3. Who hurt Delia's hand?

A. The general
B. Clemantina    
C. Herself
D. A girl

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

5. The couple's attitude towards each other is             .

A. faithful         
B. honest
C. ashamed
D. heartbreaking

6. Which do you think is the best title of the story?

A. A service of love
B. A story of Joe and Delia
C. Lies and truth
D. Servants of love

     One Tuesday evening in the beginning of the fall 1996 semester at Shippensburg University, sirens
(警笛) sounded.These sirens were not in celebration; they were a cry to the university that something
was wrong. A house, only one block away, was on fire.Nine of the university's students lived there.
From the minute the word got out that help was needed, it seemed like everyone showed up.The victims
of the fire were offered endless invitations for housing for the night.The very next day, everyone got into
gear to do their part in helping them.Flyers (小传单) were posted with items that were immediatelyneeded, just to get these students through this next couple of days.Boxes for donations and money jarswere
placed in every residence hall(学生宿舍).
     As a residence director,I went before the students in my hall to ask them to do what they could.I
knew that college students don't have much, but I asked them to clo their best: "Every little bit will help."
I really didn't think they could do much.l.was proved wrong.
     At the hall council meeting the night after the fire, my residents decided to have a wing competition,
where each wing of the building would team up to see who could bring in the most donations.l announced.
that the wing who won would receive a free pizza party.
     Thursday evening we announced over the PA system that we were beginning the wing competition.
Within minutes, the place exploded.The single large box that I had placed in the lobby (太厅) was
over-flowing.We quickly grabbed more boxes, and we watched in amazement as they, too, filled to the
brim.Members of the resident assistant staff and I began t.o count the items.l was astonished by what I
saw, andI was inspired by these kids.
     When we came to the final tally(得分), the winners tumed to me and announced that they would like
to donate their winnings as well.They wanted the victims of the fire to have their pizza party.
    Tears welled up in my eyes.I had watched these students jump to action, work tirelessly and donateall
that they could.And then, as if that were not enough, they handed over their reward.l was touchedand so
very proud of them.

1.The writer mainly wanted to       by the story.

A. tell us the suffering of nine of the college students from a fire
B. praise the college students helping the victims selflessly
C. tell us how successful the wing competition was
D. show he was deeply moved by the college students' action

2. The phrase "get into gear" in the second paragraph means       .

A. be eager
B. take action
C. be prepared
D. start working

3. At first, the residence director thought       .

A. it was impossible to expect the college students to donate anything
B. it was easy to collect a lot of donations from the college students
C. the college students would donate not much
D. the college students would donate all the items they had

4. The wing competition was held       .

A. on Tuesday evening
B. on Thursday
C. on Wednesday evening
D. the very next day

5. How did the resi ence director feel when he saw the brimful boxes?

A. Terrible.
B. Funny.
C. Surprised.
D. Serious