Computer programmer David Jones earns $35.000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot
find a bank ready to let him have a credit card (信用卡). Instead he has been told to wait another two years
until he is 18. The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool where the problem of most young people
of his age is finding a job. David's firm releases (推出) two new games for the fast growing computer market
each month
     But David's biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot he cannot drive a
car take out a mortgage (抵押贷款), or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpool-based company
four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop "I got
the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs" he said. David spends
some of his money on records and clothes and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time
is spent working
     "Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school" he said "But I had been studying it in books
and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on
at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway" David added:"I would like to earn a million and
I suppose early retirement (退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear."

1. In what way is David different from people of his age?

A. He often goes out with friends
B. He lives with his mother
C. He has a handsome income
D. He graduated with six O-levels

2. What is one of the problems that David is facing now?

A. He is too young to get a credit card
B. He has no time to learn driving
C. He has very little spare time
D. He will soon lose his job

3. Why was David able to get the job in the company?

A. He had done well in all his exams
B. He had written some computer programs
C. He was good at playing computer games
D. He had learnt to use computers at school

4. Why did David decide to leave school and start working?

A. He received lots of job offers
B. He was eager to help his mother
C. He lost interest in school studies
D. He wanted to earn his own living

     It was the first snow of winter-an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up until now,
I had been old enough to dress myself, but today would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten
teacher, had been through first snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one.
     I managed to get into my wool snow trousers. But I struggled won my jacket because it didn't fit well.
It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and if made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes, At
least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson
help me with my boots (靴子).
     In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots."
I didn't realize at the at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence (信心).
     I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected grown-ups to do all the
work. After much pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second
one on too.
     I announced, "They're on the wrong feet."
     She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again.
     "They're my brother's boots, you know," I said. "I hate them".
     Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn't an annoying (烦人的) little
girl, She struggle with me, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens (连指手套)?"
     I looked into her eyes and said, "I didn't want to lose them, so I hid them in the toes of my boots."

1. The little girl was more satisfied with her _____.

A. trousers
B. jacket
C. boots
D. hat

2. Miss Finlayson had difficulty with the girl's boots mainly because _____.

A. the girl got them from her brother
B. the girl put something in them
C. they were on the wrong feet
D. they did not fit the girl well

3. Why does the author Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?

A. Because the little girl was in her brother's clothes.
B. Because it was the most exciting day of the winter.
C. Because the little girl played a trick on her.
D. Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf.

4. We can learn from the text that Miss Finlayson _____.

A. was losing confidence in the little girl.
B. gradually lost patience with the little girl.
C. became disappointed with the little girl.
D. was getting bored with the little girl.

     Brian arrived at the San Francisco airport two hours before the flight to Paris. He was wearing three shirts,
a jacket, two pairs of socks, a pair of shorts, and two pairs of jeans. He was carrying one small backpack,
which was very full, but he didn't have any other luggage. Brian needed to meet a man named Tony before he
checked in for his flight. He found Tony near the Air France counter. Tony gave him a round-trip ticket and
a small package.
     "Give this package to Jean-Paul at the airport in Paris. He will have a sign with your name on it. I think you
can find him easily," Tony said. "You don't have any luggage, right?"
     "Only this backpack," Brian answered. "You said I could bring one carry-on bag."
     "That's right, one carry-on bag is fine. Have a good trip."
     "Thanks."
     Is Brian a criminal (犯罪)? Not at all. He is an air courier. And he paid only $110 for the round-trip ticket to
Paris. Air couriers get cheap airline tickets because they take important packages and papers to foreign countries.
Businesses sometimes need to get packages and papers to people in foreign countries by the next day. Often,
the only way they can do this is to use an air-courier company. It is not cheap for a business to send a package
with an air courier, but it is quick.
     Every year about 80, 000 people worldwide travel as air couriers. The number of tickets for courier travel
is growing by about 10 percent a year. However, air-courier travel isn't for everyone. But if you have very little
money, can be flexible (灵活的) about your travel plans, and don't mind wearing the same clothes for a week,
it can be a great way to take a vacation!

1. Why was Brian wearing so many clothes for his travel?

A. Because they were the uniform for air couriers.
B. Because that made him easier to be recognized.
C. Because his backpack had no room for his clothes.
D. because he did not have any luggage with him.

2. An air courier is a person who _____.

A. manages a business company in foreign countries
B. organizes international flights for tourists
C. travels around the world with cheap tickets
D. delivers papers and packages to foreign countries

3. Businesses choose the air-courier service because _____.

A. it costs less
B. it is flexible
C. it saves time
D. it grows fast

4. One of the disadvantages of traveling as an air courier is that he _____.

A. cannot decide when and where to travel
B. cannot take any luggage with him
C. has to wear two pairs of jeans
D. saves little money from the travel

5. The author of the text mainly _____.

A. describes the activities of a law-breaker
B. suggests an ideal way to travel
C. argues against the air-courier travel
D. tells us about a developing business

     Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
     "I'll be the first millionaire in Coleford!" Richard used to boast.
     "And you'll be sorry you knew me," George would reply "because I'll be the best lawyer in town!"
     George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened
bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which
made the competition between them worse.
     Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his
narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival (竞争对手).
Perhaps he missed him?
     George was very interested in old dictionaries, He'd recently found a collector in Australia who was
selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was
delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book
had been wrapped in. He was astonished-the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable!
Trembling, George started reading.
     "Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire
Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia."

1. George and Rivhard were _____ at school.

A. roommates
B. good friends
C. competitors
D. booksellers

2. How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

A. He envied Richard's marriage.
B. He thought of Richard from time to time.
C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.
D. He was guilty of Richard's death.

3. George got information about Richard from _____.

A. a dictionary collector in Australia
B. the latter's rivals Dylans
C. a rare first edition of a dictionary
D. the wrapping paper of a book

4. What happened to George and Richard in the end?

A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.
B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.
C. George established a successful business white Richard was missing.
D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.

     July 21^st 2007 was a typical English summer's day-it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from
work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5pm. However, the
road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door. a wave
of waters greeted me. Thank God the kids weren't wish me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We
lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the wall's ceilings pulled down.
     At first we tried to push on through. We didn't want to move the children out of home, so we camped
upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we
felt very sick, so we move to a wooden house in a park. The house was small. but at first we were all just
delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10
months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a
community (社区). We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbors, and I'd never thought how much
I, I'd miss that.
     Although our situation was very bad, it's difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what's
happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought. "We didn't have
a straw hut (茅草房) that was for Christmas. But I can't wait-I'm going to throw a party for our friends in
the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won't need any gifts-living away from home for months
has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things,
there's really no rush-we have our home back and that's the main thing.

1. What does the underlined word "amiss" in the first paragraph mean?

A. Wrong.
B. Missing.
C. Right.
D. Found

2. It can be inferred from the text that the author _____.

A. was sick of staying upstairs
B. cared much about her children
C. could not stand living in a wooden house
D. did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood

3. Why does the author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?

A. Because her situation was not serious.
B. Because many other paces were flooded.
C. Because she had been to Northern India.
D. Because some others suffered even more.

4. What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?

A. She valued human feelings more than before.
B. She realized she almost didn't need possession.
C. She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed.
D. She thought her own home was the most important.

     I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language-the way it can evoke
(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And
I use them all-all the Englishes I grew up with.
     Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I've been giving more thought to the kind
of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as "broken" English. But feel
embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than "broken",
as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I've heard other terms used,
"limited English," for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people's
perceptions (认识) of the limited English speaker.
     I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother's "limited" English limited my perception
of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.
That is,because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to
support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously,
did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
     I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won't get into today, I began to write stories using all
the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described
as "broken", and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal (内在的) language, and for
that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what
language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of
her thoughts.

1. By saying "Language is the tool of my trade", the author means that _____.

A. she uses English in foreign trade
B. she is fascinated by languages
C. she works as a translator
D. she is a writer by profession

2. The author used to think of her mother's English as _____.

A. impolite
B. amusing
C. imperfect
D. practical

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A. Americans do not understand broken English.
B. The author's mother was not respected sometimes.
C. The author' mother had positive influence on her.
D. Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

4. The author gradually realizes her mother's English is _____.

A. well structured
B. in the old style
C. easy to translate
D. rich in meaning

5. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The changes of the author's attitude to her mother's English.
B. The limitation of the author's perception of her mother.
C. The author's misunderstanding of "limited" English.
D. The author's experiences of using broken English.