Three surfers rushed to save a man's life after he was left drifting on a notorious stretch of water. 
     The men stayed with Greg Popple for 30 minutes and had to be rescued themselves by helicopter as the
drama unfolded.
     The 45-year-old had floated out on a body board near Hutchwns Point at 8:30 am.He found himself in
trouble about half-a-mile from the shore and dangerously close to rocks. Surfers Graig Evans, 31, Robert Miles,
19, and Owain Daviees, 23, were risking their own safety to keep him floating for 30 minutes. Luckily a passer-
by noticed what was going on and raised the alarm. Porthcawl Coastguard, Porthcaw Lifeboat and an RAF
helicopter all took part in the rescue.
     "The man who got into trouble was a body boarder-there was a big tide where he was," said Joe Missen.
"Three other surfers spotted he was in difficulty and he was going down. They kept him afloat because he was
in a state of shock and out of energy. If Mr. Popple was closer to the rocks, it could have been a lot worse, but
they managed to keep him from harm". 
     Mr. Missen's mum Alison, also part of the rescue team, said, "That part of the water is notorious for taking
people out to nowhere".
     The three men had clocked off a night shift at Ford Motor Company shortly before the incident.
     "I headed straight down to the beach for a surf, when I saw him flailing (挥动). We just swam straight out
to him and kept him calm while the help came". 
     The four men were taken to the life boat house to recover, without injuries.

1. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Three Men to Be Praised
B. Notorious Place for Surfers
C. Surfers Rescue Man Caught in Tide
D. Greg Popple-a Lucky Dog

2. The helicopter came up at the request of _____.

A. Greg Popple
B. Craig Evans
C. Robert Miles
D. a passer-by

3. About the incident, we know that _____.

A. Mr. Popple moved with difficulty for loss of energy
B. The three men were badly injured
C. Mr. Popple'mum was also in the rescue team
D. Mr. Davies was going to work that morning

4. According to the text, what was the most important thing to do for the three men?

A. Keeping him farther away from the rocks.
B. Keeping Mr Popple swimming in the sea.
C. Asking him to have a good rest.
D. Keeping him floating everywhere.

5. What may the style of this passage be?

A. A story.
B. A news report.
C. A poster.
D. An advertisement.

     Two truck drivers didn't know each other when they arrived at the scene of a bad traffic accident on
Kentucky's mountain highway last June. Yet they worked together like long-time partners and saved two
drivers from near certain death. For their bravery, Terry and Floyd have been named Goodyear North
America Highway Heroes for 2003. The award was announced on Thursday at the Mid-America Trucking
Show. Terry and Floyd were rewarded $20,000 with a free trip to Nashville.
     On June 22, Terry and Floyd, driving trucks separately, came across an accident involving a jeep and a
car on mountain parkway. The quick-thinking men broke the back window of the upside-down jeep, freed
the driver from his seat belt, and dragged him to safety. But the driver of the car was made unable to move
with a lot of weight on him inside the car, and the fire from the jeep was spreading dangerously close.
     "The paint was melting (融化) on the car; it was so hot," recalled Floyd.
     Terry and Floyd fastened a nylon strap (带子) between Floyd's truck and the car in an effort to pull it
away from the burning jeep. The first two failed. On the third try, the strap held and Floyd pulled the car to
safety. Soon afterward, the fire reached the jeep's gas tank, creating a fireball that took in the area where the
car had been located.
     When rescue people arrived, Floyd, an experienced technician (技师), used the Jaws-of-Life to free the
car driver.

1. The underlined word"Jaws-of-Life" in the last paragraph refers to _____.

A. a kind of tool
B. a kind of jeep
C. a kind of car
D. an experienced partner

2. From the passage we know Terry and Floyd _____.

A. were long-time partners
B. didn't see each other again after the accident
C. saved two drivers from two trucks
D. succeeded in the rescuing work

3. The driver in the car got _____ and faced the danger of being burnt.

A. frightening
B. stuck in
C. dead
D. drunk

4. What happened to the jeep later in that accident?

A. It was repaired immediately.
B. It lost the gas tank.
C. It blew up.
D. It fell down the side of the mountain.

     Kerry and Alice were both artists in Britain. They taught drawing and painting at Cambridge University.
Although they were friends, each thought oneself to be the better painter.
     One day, Kerry promised marriage to Alice. Surprised and pleased by the offer, the girl was not sure
whether she would spend her future as a wife or a painter. After a moment she replied as follows, "Each
of us must paint a picture. If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife. If not, please drop
the question." Then it was decided to give it the following day.
     The next morning, Alice hung her picture on the gate. It showed a bunch of flowers and won high praise
from everyone who passed by. In fact, a crowd collected in front of her masterpiece and fixed eyes on it.
     Several hours passed. Then Kerry was seen coming along to the gate with what appeared to be a beautiful
leather suitcase in his hand. When he finally stopped before Alice, the girl artist brushed like a rose and agreed
to marry him without any hesitation. Why?

1. What did Alice think Kerry's offer?

A. She liked Kerry, but she didn't expect him to promise marriage to her.
B. She didn't want to marry anybody.
C. She didn't like it at all.
D. She thought the offer wasn't polite.

2. In the sentence "If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife". "superior to" here means _____.

A. not so better than
B. better than
C. as bad as
D. as good as

3. Which of the following is true?

A. Kerry didn't accept Alice's suggestion.
B. Kerry wasn't sure of his painting so he dropped his offer.
C. Kerry did go the next day, but he failed to take a picture.
D. Kerry agreed to Alice's suggestion.

4. Alice's picture won high praise because _____.

A. it was true to nature
B. the flowers were red
C. it showed so large a bunch of flowers
D. people felt it strange to hang it on the gate

5. The "leather suitcase" was in fact _____.

A. a real one
B. a painting drawn by Kerry
C. a box with a picture in it
D. made up of leather

     Most young architects-particularly those in big cities-can only dream about working in a building of their
own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is
exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile
electrical-parts film in Atlanta. Form the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door
and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的) walls.
     In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city's West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been
abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum
bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (排除), pulling rubbish out through the roof,
because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to
think about what he wanted to do, and "to treasure what was there- the walls, the rust, and the light." Yocum
said. "Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It's like an art installation (装置) in
there-a slow-motion show."
     Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building
to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working
area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer (缓冲) zone between the front and the back
contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings
that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
     Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the
decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has
also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.

1. According to the passage, it is _____ for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their
   own.

A. easy
B. unnecessary
C. unrealistic
D. common

2. Yocum bought the old building because _____.

A. it was a bargain to him
B. it was still in good condition
C. it was located in the city center
D. it looked attractive from the outside

3. Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell _____.

A. pulled rubbish out through the roof
B. removed the skylights from the bathroom
C. presentd a slow-motion show in an art gallery
D. built a kitchen at the back part of the old building

4. It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell _____.

A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof
B. turned more old buildings into art galleries
C. got inspiration from decorating their old building
D. paid more attention to the outside of the art gallery

5. The main idea of the passage is that _____.

A. people can learn a lot from their failures
B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building
C. people should not judge things by their appearance
D. creative people can make the best of what they have

     It was Sunday. Mrs. Read got up early in the morning. She had some housework to do. After breakfast
she had a look at the watch and found it didn't work. She bought it ten years ago, so she wanted to buy a
new one. Her daughter Sue was only four. Her husband was busy with his work that day and nobody looked
after the girl, she couldn't leave her at home. So she took Sue to the nearest shop in the town.
     It was fine that day and there were a lot of people in the shop. Mrs. Read and her daughter went upstairs
and they got to the third floor and she began to pick a watch there. But when she bought one, she couldn't
find Sue. She ran to the manager's office and asked for help. Mr. King began to go up and down to look for
the little girl with her.
     Suddenly the woman heard someone calling, "Kate" She found it was her daughter. How happy she and
the girl were!
     "Whose name did you call, dear?" asked the woman.
     "Yours."
     "Why not call 'Mother?'"
     "There are lots of mothers in the shop," said the girl. "Which mother answered me?"

1. Mrs. Read got up early to _____ that Sunday.

A. buy a new watch
B. do some housework
C. helped her husband
D. take her daughter to the shop

2. Mrs. Read went to the nearest shop because _____.

A. she brought her daughter
B. she knew the manager there
C. the things were cheap there
D. she was too tired to go further

3. Sue left her mother _____.

A. when they went to the shop
B. when they reached the shop
C. when Mrs. Read was picking a watch
D. when they came out of the shop

4. What was the woman's name?

A. Her name was Kate Read
B. Her name was Sue Read
C. Her name was Kate King
D. Her name was Sue King

5. The girl called her mother's name because _____.

A. she didn't like her
B. she couldn't find her
C. she didn't know where she was
D. she could easily find her

     Pop singer star Britney Spears would feel happy (or amused) if she knew what her songs can do for some
German farmers.
     Recently, some farmers in Germany have been playing Britney's songs very often on their farms. Not that
they like her songs a lot, but that her songs can drive away the troublesome wild boars (野猪)!
     As the boars are an endangered animal in Germany, people can't shoot or kill them. Farmers there tried their
best to stop the boars from destroying their crops but failed.
     One day, one of the German farmers noticed that all the boars were scared away when he started to play
one of Britney's songs!
     The farmer was delighted and then he tried some other singers on the boars. Madonna's and Robbie
Williams' songs didn't work at all.
     Only Britney's songs seemed to have the magical power. Every time her songs were played on his farm, the
boars would go running away in a rush.
     It's reported quite a number of German farmers are using Britney's magic songs to protect their vegetable
and fruits.

1. The farmers play Britney's songs on their farms so that _____.

A. they can protect their crops and fruits
B. they don't feel tired from working
C. their crops may grow better
D. they can get some money from the music company

2. The farmers cannot shoot the boars because _____.

A. they are not allowed to own guns
B. they are afraid the boars might attack them
C. the boars are protected by law
D. the boars are owned by some other farmers

3. Which of the following statements is true ac-cording to the text?

A. Animals like to listen to music by different singers.
B. Not all the singers' songs are liked by the boars in Germany.
C. Boars in Germany like Britney's songs very much.
D. Britney's songs seem to be quite different from other singers'.