Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always
tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes (糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself
with insulin (胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death.
And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
     After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton,
Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created
diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones-a place where over 1,100
people share personal stories, information, and resources.
     Jason Swencki's son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online
children's forums (论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says
Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."
     Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with
24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
     These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity (慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and
supplies to people-225 to date-who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about
$23,000-in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the
Caribbean.
     Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still
doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding
a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know
saying people need help now."

1. Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?

A. He needs to go to the doctor every day.
B. He studies the leading cause of diabetes.
C. He has a positive attitude to this disease.
D. He encourages diabetics by writing articles.

2. Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _____.

A. diabetics to communicate
B. volunteers to find jobs
C. children to amuse themselves
D. rock stars to share resources.

3. According to the text, Kody _____.

A. feel lonely because of his illness
B. benefits from diabeticrockstar.com
C. helps create the online kid's forums
D. writes children's stories online

4. What can we learn about Fight It? 

A. It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties.
B. It organizes parties for volunteer once a year.
C. It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics.
D. It owns a well-known medical website.

5. The last paragraph suggests that Thomas _____.

A. works full-time in a diabetes charity
B. employs 22 people for his website
C. helps diabetics in his own way
D. ties to find a cure for diabetes

     When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called "Brownie". My brothers and I all loved
Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there baths,
playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most
touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better
when she was around.
     One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up (咬破) one of my Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown
away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked
at her and said, "Bad girl," she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
     Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop
and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There
were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. He never
barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought
she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
     Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.

1. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?

A. Look at them sadly.
B. Keep them company.
C. Play games with them.
D. Touch them gently.

2. We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie _____.

A. would eat anything when hungry
B. felt sorry for her mistake
C. loved playing hide-and seek
D. disliked the author's dad

3. Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?

A. She was treated as a member of the family.
B. She played games with anyone she liked.
C. She was loved by everybody she met.
D. She went everywhere with the family.

4. Some people got frightened by Brownie when she _____.

A. smiled
B. barked
C. rushed to them
D. tried to be funny

5. Which of the following best describes Brownie?

A. Shy.
B. Polite.
C. Brave.
D. Caring.

     One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from
the humblest (卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly,
unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if
I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
     We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things. We never introduced ourselves.
I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go
back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
     "May I get you something?"
     "A coffee would be nice."
     Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose
to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,
     "How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?"
     "Who?"
     "The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs."
     I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world's
richest and most powerful men!
     My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter
who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.

1. What does the underlined word "disheveled" mean?

A. Unfriendly.
B. Untidy.
C. Gentle.
D. Kind.

2. The author bought coffee for the old man because _____.

A. he thought the old man was poor
B. he wanted to start a conversation
C. he intended to show his politeness
D. he would like to thank the old man

3. How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend?

A. Proud.
B. Pitiful.
C. Surprised.
D. Regretful.

4. What is the message mainly expressed in the story?

A. We should learn to be generous.
B. It is honorable to help those in need.
C. People in high positions are not like what we expect.
D. We should avoid judging people by their appearances.

                                                                       Goldie's Secret
     She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not
me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. "We're moving house." "No space
for her any more with the baby coming." "We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was
a present." People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful
dogs I had ever seen.
     I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name.
She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air of sadness about
her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at
her previous owner's. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether
we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
     That's why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We
were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless. Eventually I couldn't hold her
any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
     By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the
four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. "We didn't know what had happened to her," said
the woman at the door. "I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just
disappeared." "She must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from behind her. 
     I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I've learnt
a good lesson: not to judge people.

1. How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?

A. Shocked.
B. Sympathetic.
C. Annoyed.
D. Upset.

2. In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie _____.

A. felt worried
B. was angry
C. ate a little
D. sat by the fire

3. Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she _____.

A. saw her puppies
B. heard familiar barkings
C. wanted to leave the author
D. found her way to her old home

4. The passage is organized in order of _____.

A. time
B. effectiveness
C. importance
D. complexity

     In the kitchen of my mother's houses there has always been a wooden stand (木架) with a small notepad
(记事本) and a hole for a pencil.
     I'm looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over
forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and
pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can't be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the
wooden stand is definitely the original one.
     "I'm just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these year." I say to
her, walking bank into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. "You still use a pencil. Can't you
afford a pen?"
     My mother replies a little sharply. "It works perfectly well. I've always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never
knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days."
     Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the
pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, "One day I was cooking and
watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have
taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real
breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on."
     This story-which happened before I was born-reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a
gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later,
when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the
back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled
unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible (看不到的) exhibits
at every meal.

1. Why has the author's mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?

A. To leave messages.
B. To list her everyday tasks.
C. To note down maths problems.
D. To write down a flash of inspiration.

2. What is the author's original opinion about the wooden stand?

A. It has great value for the family.
B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.
C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.
D. It should be passed on to the next generation.

3. The author feels embarrassed for _____.

A. blaming her mother wrongly
B. giving her mother a lot of trouble
C. not making good use of time as her mother did
D. not making any breakthrough in her field

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.The mother is successful in her career.
B. The family members like traveling.
C. The author had little time to play when young.
D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.

5. In the author's mind,her mother is _____.

A. strange in behavior
B. keen on her research
C. fond of collecting old things
D. careless about her appearance

     When Dan Shaw gets up from the sofa in his home, Cuddles is never far away. When he wants to go
outside, he doesn't take Cuddles out for walk-Cuddles takes him for a walk. Cuddles is clearly no ordinary
family pet. It is a two-foot-high miniature horse and serves as the guiding eyes of Shaw, who is blind.
     When Shaw lost his sight, his wife suggested he apply for a guide dog. Shaw, an animal lover, said he
couldn't bear to part with a dog (which usually lives about eight to ten years) and get used to a new one,
perhaps several times in his life.
     Then Shaw heard of a program about the tiny guide horses. He learned that the horse possess many
qualities that that make them an excellent choice for guiding people. They are clean friendly, smart and have
great memories. They can be trained to remain calm in noisy and crowded places. Best of all, they live for
25-25years, which would enable Shaw to have the same guide companion for most or all of his life.
     Shaw immediately applied to be and was accepted as the first person to receive a guide horse. The instant
he met Cuddles, he knew he was making the right choice. Then he began his training.
     Through training,Shaw and Cuddles learned to find way on busy streets, step over curbs (便道沿儿)
and find elevator buttons. Cuddles even demonstrated (显示) its ability to step in front of Shaw and block
him, to prevent him from walking into a dangerous situation. The little horse also expertly led Shaw through
busy shopping malls. They got along without any difficulties. Now Shaw is confident that Cuddles will change
his life for the better.

1. What's the meaning of the underlined word "miniature" in Paragraph 1? (No more than 2 words)
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why didn't Shaw want to choose a dog as his guide? (No more than 15 words)
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us? (No more than 10 words)
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
4. How does Shaw feel about his future life with the help of Cuddles? (No more than 10 words)
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
5. In your opinion, what is the ideal relationship between man and animals? (No more than 20 words)
    _______________________________________________________________________________________