One Sunday morning in August I went to local music festival. I left it early because I had an appointment
1______ (late) that day. My friends walked me to the bus stop and waited with me 2______ the bus arrived.
I got on the bus and found a seat near the back, and then I noticed a man 3______ (sit) at the front. He 
4______ (pretend) that a tiger toy was real and giving it a voice. He must be 5______ (mental) disabled.
     Behind him were other people to 6______ he was trying to talk, but after some minutes 7______ walked
away and sat near me, looking annoyed.
     I didn't want to be laughed at for talking to him but I didn't like leaving him 8______ his own either.
     After a while I rose from my seat and walked to the front of the bus. I sat next to the man and introduced
myself. We had 9______ amazing conversation. He got off the bus before me and I felt very happy the rest
of the way home.
     I'm glad I made a choice. It made 10______ of us feel good.

     Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When
I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
     I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice.
     After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a
small suitcase.
     I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked
slowly toward the car.
     She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the
way I would want my mother treated."
     "Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then
asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
     "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
     "Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice (临终医院). I don't have any family left.
The doctor says I don't have very long."
     I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (计价器).
     For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once
worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where
she had gone dancing as a girl.
     Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the
darkness, saying nothing.
     At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
     We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
     "How much do I owe you?" she asked.
     "Nothing." I said.
     "You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.
     Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto tightly. Our hug ended with her remark,
"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy."

1. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to _____.

A. show she was familiar with the city
B. see some places for the last time
C. let the driver earn more money
D. reach the destination on time

2. The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he _____.

A. wanted to do her a favor
B. shut off the meter by mistake
C. had received her payment in advance
D. was in a hurry to take other passengers

3. What can we learn from the story?

A. Giving is always a pleasure.
B. People should respect each other.
C. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.
D. People should learn to appreciate others' concern.

     After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletes and viewers have gone home and the television
audience has switched off, another group of athletes and fans will arrive at the host city, and another
competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability.But in Beijing in 2008,
for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics will not be taking part.
     She is a British by the name of Tanni Grey-Thompson. Born with spinal bifida (脊椎裂) which left her
paralyzed from the waist down, Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. At first, she was not keen on sport,
apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more
seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back.
     Indeed, Tanni's athletic career took off. In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the
100 metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games.
     In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympics Games in Soul. She bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater
success followed at the 1992 Barcelona. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres
relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved the first of her six London
Wheelchair Marathon victories.
     Tanni's enduring success has been part motivation (动机), part preparation. "The training I do that enable
me to be a good sprinter (短跑运动员) enable me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year
and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I went to race …I am still competing at a very high level,
but as I get order things get harder and I went to retire before I fall apart."
     Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympics World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young
athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
     In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her fate lying down. In her splendid life,she has won an amazing
eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in a series of Paralympics-a top lever athletic career covering
two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and
she has set over thirty world records.
     What advice does she have for young athletes? "Work hard at your studies, and then train, train again."

1. Which of the following sports did Tanni like before thirteen?

A. Basketball.
B. Swimming.
C. Tennis.
D. Horse-riding

2. When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal?

A. In 1984.
B. In 1988.
C. In 1992.
D. In 2007.

3. The underlined word"that'' in the 5th paragraph refers to _____.

A. fifty weeks' training
B. being a good sprinter
C. training almost every day
D. part motivation and part preparation

4. What's the right order of the events related to Tanni?
    a. She works as a coach.
    b. She took up athletics.
    c. She won four gold medals in Barcelona.
    d. She competed in her first Paralympics Games.
    e. She achieved a victory in her first London Wheelchair Marathon.

A. b, d, c, e, a
B. a, d, b, c, e
C. a, d, c, e, b
D. b, d, a, e, c

5. What can we learn from Tanni's success?

A. Union is strength
B. Never too late to learn
C. Well begun is half done
D. No pains, no gains

     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 A's 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 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. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A. He was silent most of the time.
B. He was too proud of himself.
C. He did not love his children.
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. Strict and hard-working

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 café owner

     It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca
about his plan for the future. "I'm going to college, but I need a way to pay for it," Deluca recalls saying.
"Buck said, 'you should open a sandwich shop.'"
     That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After
doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut,
and when they couldn't cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
     But business didn't go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, "After six months, we were doing
poorly, but we didn't know how badly, because we didn't have any financial controls." All he and Buck
knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
     Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working
at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They'd meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas
for keeping the business running. "We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could
tell the public. We are so successful, we are opening a second store.'" And they did-in the spring of 1966.
Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
     But the partners' learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca
would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies. "It probably took me two and a half
hours and it wasn't necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal
relationships established really helped out," Deluca says.
     And having a goal was also important. "There are so many problems that can get you down. You just
have to keep working toward your goal," Deluca adds. Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the
multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.

1. Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to _____.

A. support his family
B. pay for his college education
C. help his partner expand business
D. do some research

2. Which of the following is true of Buck?

A. He put money into the sandwich business.
B. He was a professor of business administration.
C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.
D. He rented a storefront for Deluca.

3. What can we learn about their first shop?

A. It stood at an unfavorable place.
B. It lowered the prices to poor management.
C. It made no profits due to poor management.
D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwich.

4. They decided to open a second store because they _____.

A. had enough money to do it
B. had succeeded in their business
C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers
D. wanted to make believe that they were successful

5. What contributes most do their success according to the author? 

A. Learning by trial and error.
B. Making friends with supplies.
C. Finding a good partner.
D. Opening chain stores.

                                                         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. Upon leaving for America the author felt _____.

A. confused
B. excited
C. worried
D. amazed

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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