On Christmas morning, I went to the Cockhedge Mall. People there were all busy buying their last
minute requirements. I needed to buy a birthday card for my son-in-law whose birthday is the 29th of
December. Picking up a few more things as well as my cared I went to join the line for the express
checkout which was for people who only had a few items in a basket and not a trolley load. This line
was next to the Customer Service desk.
     Seemingly waiting quite a long time, I was jogged out of my thoughts by a voice behind me making
comments on the things I bought.
     It was so funny when I realized that she was describing the contents of my basket. The owner of the
voice was a very pretty young lady. I said to her that I was going to buy a box of Christmas cookies but
the only ones left were not to my liking. The lady told me that just opposite Cockhedge in Superdrug they
had lots of cookies. I said, "I'm not going to bother now. I had enough of shops and I'm going home."
     The assistant from the Customer Service came across at this time saying"If there is anyone in the line
with a few items in their basket, none of which needed to be weighed, I will check out their groceries at
the desk." Because I had the sprouts (豆芽菜) which needed to be weighted, the young lady accepted the
offer and walked away waving goodbye.
     Eventually my turn came at the checkout. I was walking away when I met my new friend once again
who handed me a beautiful box of Christmas cookies. With a big hug she said "Hope you have a lovely
Christmas." She had been into Superdrug to buy me the cookies while I was still queuing in Cockhedge.
     What a generosity to a stranger! I was so surprised you could have knocked me down with a feather.
My Good Samaritan would never know what a joyful Christmas day I had with my family. Telling them
this story, as we ate around the table, kept everyone spellbound.

1. The underlined word "spellbound" in the last paragraph probably means _____.

A. interested
B. disappointed
C. astonished
D. frightened

2. Which of the following could be the best title of the story?

A. A Piece of Lucky Feather
B. A Surprise Christmas Gift
C. The Boring Shopping Experience
D. The Unforgettable Big Hug

3. How does the writer feel about the pretty young lady?

A. Worried.
B. Satisfied.
C. Grateful
D. Proud. 

4.What can we learn from the story?

A. Nobody is sure what will happen the next moment.
B. A simple action can bring other people happiness.
C. Being patient will decrease the waiting time.
D. Life without hope and faith is a full thing.

     NewYork Tuesday April 12-Dustin Hoffman fan Pamela Crack got the shock of her life when the
movie star telephoned her as she was doing her housework.. Crack, 58, said she was "flabbergasted"
when she picked up the phone and heard the star at the other end.
     "It's not every day you get a Hollywood superstar phoning you when you're doing the housework,"
Crack told The Sun, "It was a moment I'll never forget."
     Hoffman was in the back of a London taxi driven by Crack's husband, Dave, when he made the call
after being told Pamela was a fan. Dave Crack later became the star of Hoffman's speech at the Bafta
award ceremony Sunday, where the 62-year-old American actor presented the Best Film award.
     "He said to give him a mention," Hoffman told the audience to a burst of laughter. "Cheers Dave."
Taxi driver Crack said the Hollywood star was a joy to drive from the moment he got into the taxi eating
a cheese and tomato sandwich.
      "I said 'You're that Dustin Hoffman, aren't you?' and he said, 'Yes I am-would you like a sandwich?'
I was a bit surprised but I took a sandwich from him and ate it hungrily."

1. How did Dustin Hoffman learn that Pamela was a fan?

A. He learned it at a dinner party.
B. He learned it from Dave Crack.
C. He learned it when he was at the Bafta ceremony.
D. He learned it when he was watching a Hollywood movie.

2. What does the underlined word "flabbergasted" in the first paragraph probably mean?

A. pleased.
B. honored.
C. frightened.
D. surprised.

3. What was Hoffman doing when he talked about Dave Crack?

A. He was riding in a taxi.
B. He was presenting the Best Film award.
C. He was talking to Pamela on the phone.
D. He was eating a cheese and tomato sandwich.

4.Which of the following is the correct order of events mentioned in the article?
a. Hoffman mentioned Dave's name in his speech at the ceremony.
b. He got into Dave Crack's taxi in London.
c. He telephoned Pamela Crack.
d. He talked to Dave Crack.

A. bdca
B. bdac
C. cbda
D. cdba

     It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to
school I wondered what sort of questions the other boys would ask me and rehearsed (practiced) all
the answers: "I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven't lived here since I was two. I was living
in Farley. It's about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago." I also wondered if it
was the custom for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide
not to risk it.
     No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone
to say "hello", but no one spoke to me. When a teacher called my name and told me where my classroom
was, one or two boys looked at me but that was all the curiosity my arrival aroused.
     My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn't stand out there, either,
until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens and he had decided to
read aloud to us from David Copperfield, but first he asked several boys if they knew Dickens' birthplace,
but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: "Timbuktu", and Mr. Jones went
red in the face. Then he asked me. I said:"Portsmouth", and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said
I was right. This didn't make me very popular, of course.
     "He thinks he's clever," I heard Brian say.
     After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian's team, and he obviously had
Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.
     "He's big enough and useless enough," Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.
     I suppose Mr. Jones remembered Dickens, too, because when the game was nearly over, Brian pushed
one of the players on the other team, and he gave them a penalty. As the boy kicked the ball hard along the
ground to my right, I threw myself down instinctively and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My
bare knees were grazed and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.
     "Do you want to join my gang (team)?" he said.
     At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger.

1. The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT "_______".

A. How old are you?
B. where are you from?
C. Do you want to join my gang?
D. When did you come back to London?

2. We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. boys were usually unfriendly to new students
B. the writer was not greeted as he expected
C. Brian praised the writer for his cleverness
D. the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper

3. The underlined part "I didn't stand out" in paragraph 3 means that the writer was not _______.

A. noticeable
B. welcome
C. important
D. outstanding

4. The writer was offered a handkerchief because _______.

A. he threw himself down and saved the goal
B. he pushed a player on the other team
C. he was beginning to be accepted
D. he was no longer a new comer

     Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until
five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking
about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around
but there was nowhere for him to sit.
     He walked into the station café. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found
a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom's friends, came in and sat
with Tom.
     "What time is your bus?" asked John.
     "Oh, there is plenty of time yet," answered Tom.
     "Oh, I'll get you some more tea then," said John.
     They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.
     "Good heavens! It's going back-ward!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's
half past eleven."
      "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said John.
      Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has
never liked mirror since then.

1. The London bus left _____.

A. at 11:55
B. at 5:12
C. at 4:48
D. at 12:05

2. Tom walked into the station café because _____.

A. John asked him to have a cup of tea
B. he wanted a drink there
C. he would meet a friend of his
D. it was early yet and he could find a place to sit

3. When we look at a clock in the mirror we'll see _____.

A. the right time
B. it is going slower
C. it is going backward
D. it is going fast

4. Which of the following is true?

A. Tom missed his bus.
B. He liked mirror even before.
C. The next bus would leave soon.
D. Tom arrived London on time.

    Kenyon Scudder once told me a story about his friend, Michael. Michael happened to be on a train sitting
next to a young man who seemed worried. Finally the young man told the friend that he was a prisoner
returning home from a faraway prison. His behavior had brought shame on his family, and they had neither
visited him nor written. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too
busy to write.
    When he was set free, he had written to tell them he wanted to go home. To make matters easy for them,
however, he had asked them to put up a signal for him when the train passed their little farm. If the family had
forgiven him, they were to put up a white ribbon in the big apple tree near the railway. If they didn't want him
to be back, they were to do nothing, and he would stay on the train, and go far away.
    As the train got near his hometown, his suspense became so great that he was afraid to look out of the
window. He asked Michael to watch for the big apple tree. They changed seats. In a minute, Michael put his
hand on the young convict's shoulder. "There it is," he said, his eyes filled with sudden tears. "It's all right.
The whole tree is white with ribbons."

1. According to the passage, the white ribbon on the big apple tree means _____.

A. pleasure
B. forgiveness
C. happiness
D. education

2. The word "suspense" underlined in the last paragraph can be replaced by _____.

A. pain
B. interest
C. worry
D. happiness

3. Why was Michael asked to watch for the apple tree?

A. The young man was afraid that he was refused by his family.
B. The young man's seat was far from the window.
C. The young man was afraid of seeing the white ribbons in the tree.
D. The young man was sure that his family would accept him.

4. Why were Michael's eyes filled with tears?

A. The young man couldn't live with his family.
B. He was moved by what he saw.
C. He was touched by the young man.
D. The young man was very sad.

     Adrian's "Amazing Race" started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn't hear a thing,
not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired (听觉受损的), he learned sign language and
got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one
another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to
private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words.
     Later on, Adrian's parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them
from doing so, saying regular school couldn't take care of a special needs students. His parents were determined
to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work everyday because they wanted to prove that, given
the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge. The pace
(节奏) was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn't
always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school.
     The efforts made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top
high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal
to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06-being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so.
     But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from
his mother." "If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great results." She often said.

1. How did Adrian communicate with other children in the special school?

A. By speaking.
B. By using sign language
C. By reading lips
D. By making loud noises

2. Adrian's parents decided to send him to a regular school because _____.

A. they wanted him to live a normal life
B. they wanted to prove the headmaster wrong
C. he wouldn't mix with other disabled children
D. he wasn't taken good care of in the special school

3. How did Adrian finally succeed in his study?

A. He did a lot of outdoor activities.
B. He was pushed hard to study every day.
C. He attended private classes after school.
D. He worked very hard both in and after class

4. Why is Adrian's life described as an "Amazing Race"?

A. He did very well in his study
B. He succeeded in entering a regular school
C. He reached his goals in spite of his disability
D. He took part in the World Yacht Race 05/06

      Charlie studied in a famous college for four years. He studied hard and did well in all his subjects. He
hoped to become a good teacher. This year he left the college and began to work in a middle school. He likes
his students and is strict (严格的) with them. He does his best to make his classes lively and interesting. 
      One day he carefully explained a chemical reaction (反应) to the students of Grade 2 in the chemistry
lab. 
      "Be careful, everyone," he said loudly. "Before I make the experiment, there're twenty five atoms of
carbon (碳原子), but after I finish it, there're twenty four atoms of carbon left!" He stopped to watch the
classroom and hoped his students would go on explaining it. But the young men looked at each other and
nobody answered him. He had to ask, "What happens? What makes the atom lost?"
      The classroom was very quiet and none of the students looked at their teacher. "Who can tell us where
it has gone?" Suddenly a soft voice came from the back row, "We did not see anybody leave the lab!"

1. Charlie began to work in the middle school because _____.

A. he had been in the school for four years
B. he couldn't do anything except teaching
C. he hoped to become a good teacher
D. he did well in all his subjects

2. Charlie hopes _____, so he does his best to make his classes lively and interesting．

A. all his students could understand him
B. his students wouldn't be afraid of him
C. his students carefully watched him making the experiment
D. his students could do well in chemistry

3. That day Charlie wished _____.

A. his students could learn the chemical reaction
B. his students could find the atom of carbon
C. his students could count (数) the atoms of carbon
D. his students could make the experiment

4. The students couldn't answer Charlie's questions because _____.

A. none of them had seen the atoms
B. they didn't understand their teacher
C. the chemical reaction was too complicated
D. they all wanted to drop the subject

5. In fact, _____. 

A. Charlie failed that day
B. the student in the back row didn't watch her teacher carefully
C. the student in the back row hadn't learned chemistry before
D. Charlie failed in making the experiment

     I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's
for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I'll never
forget.
     I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from?
Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock (货物) and the stock that people buy all
the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they
couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in
specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced
by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in"seconds? (clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and
they are sold very cheaply.
     When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around
three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
      When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual,
came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for
protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a
battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
     Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted.
Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl (爬行) through people's legs and get
hold of things they couldn't get near themselves.
     Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first
served. Where had the famous English Queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my
temper (脾气)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham's were
happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
     In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what
they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
     You won't believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and
went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of
the sale.

1. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The customers gave up the queuing for which the English are famous.
B. The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.
C. Small children enjoyed crawling through people's legs.
D. The security guards were fearless of the crowd.

2. In the author's opinion, why were Graham's happy to make their expensive store into"Battlefield?

A. There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.
B. They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.
C. They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.
D. They wanted to make more money by having sales.

3. The expression "crashed out" means _______.

A. chatted with her friends
B. slept soundly
C. broke down
D. dined out

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Best Bargain.
B. Hunting for a job.
C. Sale Fever.
D. A Pleasant Fortnight.