When milk arrived on the doorstep
     When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our
doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy,
I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery
and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
     Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change
our order, my mother would pen a note-"Please add a bottle of butter- milk next delivery"-and place it in
the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
     All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and
their milkmen Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that
we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time
taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
     There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk,
thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete (竞争). Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may
just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
     Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it
home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I
start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer _____.

A. to show his magical power
B. to pay for the delivery
C. to satisfy his curiosity
D. to please his mother

2. What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?

A. He wanted to have tea there.
B. He was a respectable person.
C. He was treated as a family member.
D. He was fully trusted by the family.

3. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist? 

A. Nobody wants to be a milkman now.
B. It has been driven out of the market.
C. Its service is getting poor.
D. It is forbidden by law.

4. Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A. He missed the good old days.
B. He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C. He needed it for his milk bottles.
D. He planted flowers in it.

     Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there
a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
     My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family
but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult,I feared him and
felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight As and unhappy with my boyfriends if
their fathers were not as "successful" as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to
struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
     On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We
walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial
expressions. Gone was my father's critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my
father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
     The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own
childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I'm delighted with my new
friend. My dad in his new home in Arizona is back to me from where he was.

1. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He did not love his children.
B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He was silent most of the time.
D. He expected too much of her.

2. When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ______.

A. nervous
B. sorry
C. tired
D. safe

3. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A. More critical
B. More talkative
C. Gentle and friendly
D. Strict and hard-working

4. The underlined words "my new friend" in the last paragraph refer to _______.

A. the author's son
B. the author's father
C. the friend of the author's father
D. the cafe owner

     Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money.
To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be
no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part drivers.
     DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop
robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is
to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the
starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after
1.9 miles.
     One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote
(远距离的) control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence ; another managed to go for six
miles but stuck on a rock. The "winner," if there was any, reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow
hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
     "You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things," says Reinhold Behringer, who helped
design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics. "Even ants (蚂蚁) can do all these tasks
effortlessly. It's very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines."
     The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS
guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes
immediately, Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice
off her face, but she already knows that when there's a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and
that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine
humans have designed.

1. Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because _____.

A. they did not have any human guidance
B. the road was not familiar to the drivers
C. the distance was too long for the vehicles
D. the prize money was unattractive to the drivers

2. DARPA organized the race in order to _____.

A. raise money for producing more robotic vehicles
B. push the development of vehicle industry
C. train more people to drive in the desert
D. improve the vehicles for future wars

3. From the passage we know "robotic vehicles" are a kind of machines that _____.

A. can do effortlessly whatever tasks living thing can
B. can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit
C. can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down
D. can move from place to place without being driven by human beings

4. In the race, the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was _____.

A. about eight miles
B. six miles
C. almost two miles
D. about one mile

5. In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is a long way to go _____.

A. for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties
B. for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table
C. for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve
D. for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face

     Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into action. An
experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for
the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it's not hard to lose patience over their slowness.
But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my
register (收款机) with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (现金), had just moved into his room, and
had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
     I couldn't help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and
what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone
in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn't allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
     Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable."Charge it
to me," was all he said.
     What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring
in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket
and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart
and taught me compassion.

1. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits ______.

A. promised to obey the store rules
B. forgot to take any money with him
C. hoped to have the food first and pay later
D. could not afford anything more expensive 

2. Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?

A. kind and lucky
B. poor and lonely
C. friendly and helpful
D. hurt and disappointed

3. The writer acted upon the store rules because ______.

A. he wanted to keep his present job
B. he felt no pity for the old gentleman
C. he considered the old man dishonest
D. he expected someone else to pay for the old man

4. What does the writer learn from his experience?

A. Wealth is more important than anything else.
B. Helping others is easier said than done.
C. Experience is better gained through practice.
D. Obeying the rules means more than compassion.