Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or the money-to make the trip from his home near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. "There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling =" 1/20" pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then." he said.
During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a whistle-stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move him about if he gets tired. "I don’t like the chair business--people will think I am getting old," he said.
His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized--no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped," I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket. "
【小题1】It was reported that Mr. Evans’s healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his ______.

A．wine drinking

B．proper smoking

C．mild temper

D．sense of humor

【小题2】 Which of the following statements is true?

A．A single trip from Mr. Evans’s home to the White City used to be ten shillings.

B．The first place for Mr. Evans to visit is the Houses of Parliament.

C．He appreciated people’s arrangement of a wheelchair during his visit.

D．Mr. Evans once made the journey to London at the turn of the century.

【小题3】The word "quip" in the last sentence most probably means _______.

A．to make a witty remark	B．to express a happy message
C．to make a wish	D．to tell a joke

【小题4】What might be the best title for this passage?

A．110-Year-Old Tourist	B．Secret for Long and Healthy Life
C．Free Return Ticket	D．Sightseeing in London

Bobby Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen, a tough working-class neighborhood on Manhattan's West Side. But Hell's Kitchen lies right next door to Broadway, and the bright lights attracted Bobby from the time he was a teen. Being stage-struck was hardly what a street kid could admit to his partners. Fearing their ridicule, he told no one, not even his girlfriend, when he started taking acting lessons at age 17. If you were a kid from the neighborhood, you became a cop, construction worker, longshoreman or criminal. Not an actor.
Moresco struggled to make that long walk a few blocks east. He studied acting, turned out for all the cattle calls -- and during the decade of the 1970s made a total of $2,000. "I wasn't a good actor, but I had a driving need to do something different with my life," he says.
He moved to Hollywood, where he drove a cab and worked as a bartender. "My father said, 'Stop this craziness and get a job; you have a wife and daughter.' “But Moresco kept working at his chosen craft.
Then in 1983 his younger brother Thomas was murdered in a mob-linked killing. Moresco moved back to his old neighborhood and started writing as a way to explore the pain and the patrimony of Hell's Kitchen. Half-Deserted Streets, based on his brother's killing, opened at a small Off-Broadway theater in 1988. A Hollywood producer saw it and asked him to work on a screenplay.
His reputation grew, and he got enough assignments to move back to Hollywood. By 2003, he was again out of work and out of cash when he got a call from Paul Haggis, a director who had befriended him. Haggis wanted help writing a film about the country after September 11. The two worked on the writing, but every studio in town turned it down. They kept pitching it. Studio executives, however, thought no one wanted to see a severe, honest vision of race and fear and lives in collision in modern America.
Moresco believed so strongly in the script that he borrowed money, sold his house. He and Haggis kept pushing. At last the writers found an independent film producer who would take a chance, but the upfront money was too little, Moresco delayed his salary.
Crash slipped into the theaters in May 2005, and quietly became both a hit and a critical success. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three -- Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Paul Haggis and the kid from Hell's Kitchen.
At age 54, Bobby Moresco became an overnight success. "If you have something you want to do in life, don't think about the problems," he says, "think about other ways to get it done."
【小题1】 Rearrange the following statements in term of time order:
a. His work Half-Deserted Streets drew attention as it opened at a small Off-Broadway theater
b. Unexpectedly Crash became both a hit and a huge success.
c. He moved to Hollywood to be a taxi driver and a waiter.
d. He started learn acting in spite of hardness with the belief of doing something diiferent.
e. His younger brother Thomas was killed in conflict among bullies.

A．d; c; e; a; b

B．d; e; c; b; a

C．c; d; e; a; b

D．c; e; d; b; a

【小题2】 Why Bobby Moresco did not tell anyone that he started taking lessons at age 17?

A．He wnted to give his girlfriend a surprise.

B．His girlfriend did not allow him to do this.

C．He was afraid of being laughed at.

D．He had no talent for acting.

【小题3】 Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A．His father did not support his work as a bartender.

B．Before he became an overnight success, his life experienced ups and downs.

C．His brother’s death inspired his writing Half-Deserted Streets.

D．Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen which is a few blocks east of Broadway.

【小题4】The Studio executives turned the script Crash down because ______________.

A．they thought the script would not be popular.

B．the script was not well written.

C．they had no money to make the film based on the script.

D．they thought Moresco was not famous.

【小题5】What’s the best title of the article?

A．The Road to Success	B．Try It a Different Way
C．A Talented man—Moresco	D．Moresco’s Perseverance

【小题6】 Which of the following can best describe Bobby Moresco?

A．initiative and persistent	B．shy but hardworking
C．caring and brave	D．aggressive and modest

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which was very curious about hell. When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn’t master the flying skills, she would go to hell. She was so curious about hell that she always asked others what hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there. Some said hell was a place full of water, and others told her that hell was full of burning fire. However, the bird knew they were lying. She wanted to find out what hell was.
When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them. She thought in this way she could go to hell and see what hell looked like. However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy. The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift. The old man liked her very much. He made a delicate cage and put her in it. The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn’t find out what hell was like staying in this small cage. However, she couldn’t escape. Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying. She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder. At last, she became ill. The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly. Lying no the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time.
“What does hell look like?”
“Hell is a small well-decorated cage.” Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “master” in the first paragraph mean?

A．Miss.

B．Finish.

C．Follow.

D．Learn well.

【小题2】Why did the bird hide herself when other birds were learning flying skills?

A．Because she was lazy.

B．Because she didn’t like learning flying skills.

C．Because she thought she could go to hell by doing this.

D．Because she thought she didn’t have to learn flying skills.

【小题3】According to the passage, the bird at last found that     .

A．hell was a place full of water.	B．hell was a place full of burning fire
C．there was no hell	D．hell was a small well-decorated cage

Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah, aren’t you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.
“Mother, you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with,” Farah answered.
“Really? And what are the rules?” her mother asked.
“Well, only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so…you know …dark.”
“I cannot believe it,”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen, her father called her from the living room.
Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands. “Farah, what has happened to your grades? You have failed in Mathematics,” her father said.
Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah,  it says that you can take part in supplementary exams（补考）. If your grades don’t improve then, I’ll cancel（职消）your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina, the leader of Purple Girls Club. “Gina, can you help me to complete my notes before the exams?”
Gina laughed. “Exams? Who cares about exams?”
One by one, she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her, but Hafsa said, “If you need any help, just let me know. We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday, as two friends entered the school together, Gina called out.
“Farah, you know our rules. You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina, I have a new rule about friendship,” Farah replied.
【小题1】After Farah became a member of Purple Girls Club, she chose a friend according to a person’s      .

A．looks

B．usual activities

C．grades

D．favorite colors

【小题2】Farah became pale after going to her father because    .

A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain	B．she didn’t do well in her exams
C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club	D．he asked her to improve her grades

【小题3】．Which word can best describe Hafsa?

A．Silly

B．Beautiful

C．Rude

D．Kind

【小题4】From the passage, we can know that        .

A．Hafsa is a member of Purple Girls Club

B．Gina will help Farah with her exams

C．Gina doesn’t care about exams

D．Farah would like to invite Hafsa to the party

【小题5】What lesson can we learn from the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.	B．A perfect friend will never be found.
C．Be slow in choosing a friend.	D．Friendship can be developed easily.

Mr. Brown’s horse was stolen at night. All of his friends were very sorry about it and came to see him together. After they had been told about it, one of them said, “Why did not you lock the door of your stable (马房)that night? I think it is your fault.”
“You aren’t deaf, are you?” the second man said, “Didn’t you hear anything at that moment? The thief must have driven the beast out of the gate, and couldn’t have carried it on his back.”
“I agree with them!” Blamed the third, “How careless you are! Every evening before I go to bed, I lock my stable first and hide the key in my box. Why didn’t you do so?”
The more they said, the more excited they became. At last Mr. Brown couldn’t bear it any more and said, “I am glad that you have come to see me. But none of you would help me either look for my horse or catch the thief. Do you think that it’s all my fault? Why don’t you blame the thief?
【小题1】 The first man thought it’s Mr. Brown’s fault because _______.

A．let the door open	B．locked the door
C．had the door unlocked	D．had the horse locked up

【小题2】 The second man thought Mr. Brown _________________.

1. was a deaf                        

B. was very careful
C. must hear something when the thief stole the horse     
D. couldn’t hear anything at that time
【小题3】 The third man thought ________________.

A．the horse must be driven out	B．Mr. Brown did hide his key in his box
C．Mr. Brown wasn’t blamed by the third	D．Mr. Brown wasn’t careful.

【小题4】 The more his friends said the more Mr. Brown ______________.
A. became excited    B got angry    C could bear       D blamed them
【小题5】____________ should be blamed.
A. Mr. Brown      B his friends       C The thief      D All of them

It was time for Mr. Rocco to shut up shop when I hurried into the florist’s. “Now, what is it you want?” Mr. Rocco turned to me. “I want the most beautiful flower you have.” I replied. “And just how much do you have to pay for this most beautiful flower?” I held out a wet hand showing a quarter and dime. He nodded, and then showed me a plant on the counter. “I can give you this one for 35 cents.” he said. “Aw, gee,” I protested, “it looks like a weed!” About 18 inches high, the plant was in a small pot covered with faded red paper. “Now trust me, boy—I promise that tomorrow morning when you get up, you will find your most beautiful flower.” said Mr. Rocco. I knew him to be a good honest man, so I agreed to take it.
It was almost midnight when I arrived home. Mom was seriously sick and using the front bedroom. I looked in to see if she was asleep, and then quietly tiptoed in and set the plant on the table beside her bed. I wanted her to be surprised when she woke on Mother’s Day.
The next morning, I dressed and hurried downstairs. The sun was shining through kitchen window as I looked into Mom’s room. She motioned for me to come in, then glanced over at the table where the plant was. Holy mackerel! There were three big yellow trumpet-shaped（喇叭状的）blooms. It was just like Mr. Rocco said—the most beautiful flower I ever saw! When I looked at Mom, she was smiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She held out her hand for me to come near, then pulled me close and hugged till it hurt. Then, remembering her contagious condition and that she wasn’t supposed to touch me, she quickly let me go.
My dear mom died the next night. The moment she hugged me turned out to be the most wonderful moment of my life. Not only had that beautiful plant helped show just how much I loved her, but I’d always know how much she loved me.
【小题1】   The author didn’t like the plant recommended by Mr. Rocco at first because ______.

A．the packing of the plant was shabby

B．the plant was more a weed than a flower

C．the plant appeared too ordinary to be the most beautiful

D．he thought Mr. Rocco was reluctant to do the deal with him

【小题2】   Mother’s condition was contagious (Line 6, Para.3) for ______.

A．she was at the death’s door	B．she suffered from the illness
C．others were sick of her appearance	D．virus might spread from her to others

【小题3】 When mother hugged the author tightly, she was showing that ______.

A．she liked being given gifts

B．she valued what the author had done for her

C．she was aware of the approaching of death

D．she was touched by the beauty of the flower

【小题4】 The story is mainly developed by______________.

A．time

B．logic

C．comparison

D．cause and result

【小题5】Which may be the best title of the passage?

A．Flowers of Love	B．A Son’s Love for Mother
C．Low Price, High Value	D．A Special Mother’s Day

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition（试镜）for My Kind of People, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn’t perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Susan was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.
Susan suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Susan put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother, Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan’s possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain’s Got Talent. We used to watch it together,” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”
In 1999, Susan used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo（样本唱片）tape, which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Susan began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O’Neil.
In 2007, her mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”. She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O’Neil urged her to try out for Britain’s Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Susan auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables（《悲惨世界》）, in the first round of the show, which was aired on April 11, 2009.
The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast（对比）to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.
【小题1】Bridget Boyle’s attitude towards her daughter’s musical talent can be described as ___.

A．critical

B．doubtful

C．indifferent

D．confident

【小题2】 From Paragraph 4, we can learn that Susan _____.

A．was slightly discouraged by her voice coac	B．entered Britain’s Got Talent to prove her ability
C．decided to give up her singing career	D．was deeply affected by her mother’s death

【小题3】 Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A．Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008.	B．Her audition for My Kind of People failed.
C．She has never stopped singing since 1995.	D．She was the winner of Britain’s Got Talent.

【小题4】 We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．Susan Boyle was convinced by her brother that her plain looks were disadvantageous to her success

B．It was at the age of forty that Susan Boyle established a student-teacher relationship with O’Neil.

C．Susan Boyle was so struck by her father’s death that she shut herself out from the neighborhood.

D．The online views of Les Miserables numbered over 40 million within a week in 2009.

【小题5】In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ______.

A．tell us how Susan’s dream come true	B．let us know more about Susan’s personal life
C．show how Susan was influenced by her family	D．explain how to enter and win a talent show

Many parents who welcome the idea of turning off the TV and spending more time with the family are still worried that without TV they would constantly be on call as entertainers for their children. They remember thinking up all sorts of things to do when they were kids. But their own kids seem different, less resourceful, somehow. When there’s nothing to do, these parents observe regretfully, their kids seem unable to come up with anything to do besides turning on the TV.
One father, for example, says, “When I was a kid, we were always thinking up things to do, projects and games. We certainly never complained in an annoying way to our parents. ‘I have nothing to do’.” He compares this with his own children today: “They’re simply lazy. If someone doesn’t entertain them, they’ll happily sit there watching TV all day.”
There is one word for this father’s disappointment: unfair. It is as if he were disappointed in them for not reading Greek though they have never studied the language. He deplores (哀叹) his children’s lack of inventiveness, as if the ability to play were something born that his children are missing. In fact, while the tendency to play is built into the human species, the actual ability to play – to imagine, to invent, to elaborate on reality in a playful way –and the ability to gain fulfillment from it, these are skills that have to be learned and developed.
Such disappointment, however, is not only unjust, it is also destructive. Sensing their parents’ disappointment, children come to believe that they are, indeed, lacking something, and that this makes them less worthy of admiration and respect. Giving children the opportunity to develop new resources, to enlarge their horizons and discover the pleasure of doing things on their own is, on the other hand, a way to help children develop a confident feeling about themselves as capable and interesting people.
【小题1】 According to many parents, if there’s nothing to do, the children would        .

A．turn on the TV	B．complain to their parents
C．ask their parents to play with them	D．do all of the above

【小题2】 Many parents think that, instead of watching a lot of TV their children should       .

A．sit silently studying Greek	B．think up things to entertain themselves
C．find chances to talk with parents	D．enjoy themselves outdoors

【小题3】The father often blames their children for not being able to entertain themselves. This is unfair because        .

A．the children are not really lazy, but there’s nothing for them to do

B．they do not lack the ability to play

C．they have to learn and develop their playing ability gradually

D．the father have done nothing to help the children

【小题4】 When parents show constant disappointment in their children, the children will         .

A．lose their confidence and respectability

B．be much more disappointed

C．refuse to learn new things

D．discover the pleasures of doing things on their own

【小题5】What is the author’s main idea?

A．Today’s children are becoming less capable and independent than before.

B．Parents should give children more help on how to be creative.

C．Turning off the TV will help us solve a lot of family problems.

D．It’s not just for parents and children to complain each other.

My father came to the United States as a Ukrainian immigrant (移民) when he was 14 years old. Unable to speak English but willing to do anything to succeed, he learned the language, became a barber, and opened up his own business in a small town. He put my sister and me through college during a time when most people thought that women didn’t need an education and that they should be satisfied with getting married and having children. He gave us values and ambition. But this story didn’t really start until my father was 60 years old.
I was preparing to get married and my father was attempting to practice the polke, a must at any Ukrainian wedding. But he just couldn’t do it! He had lost mobility in his leg and was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤). After surgery, this energetic, hard-working man was forced to retire as a result of significant paralysis (瘫痪) in his right arm and leg. My dad had always worked two jobs and spent his spare time working around the house. Now that kind of life came to a sudden stop. Yet never once did he complain. He bought rubber balls and spent his days trying to regain his hand mobility by squeezing those balls over and over.
After his last operation, he chatted with me pleasantly in the hospital room until a nurse flew into the room, waving her finger at me, and yelling, “You’d better tell your father to stay in bed. He is paralyzed and will never walk again. He needs to stop trying to get out of bed and accept the fact that he can’t walk now or ever. I am sick of picking him up and you’d better warn him to stay put!” My father smiled. He spent a great deal of time on the floor that year, but he eventually got up and walked.
My father lived nineteen more years after that operation. He bought himself a motor scooter (小型摩托车) and spent years zipping around the streets of Philadelphia. He was proud, free, and always smiling.
【小题1】 In what way was the author’s father different from most other people in his times?

A．He succeeded in migrating to the U.S.

B．He learned the new language easily and quickly.

C．He achieved his life goal by working as a barber.

D．He had his daughters educated.

【小题2】 The underlined word “polke” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to        .

A．a song

B．a dance

C．a musical instrument

D．a tool for painting

【小题3】The author’s father used the rubber balls to         .

A．kill his too much spare time	B．relieve himself from work pressure
C．get his hand’s function back	D．recover from his operation

【小题4】 Which of the following can be used to describe the author’s father?

A．Perfect.

B．Strong-minded.

C．Creative.

D．Impractical.

【小题5】 What can we learn from the text?

A．Love can do wonders.	B．Failure is the mother of success.
C．A father’s love is most valuable.	D．Never give up on your life.

The Worst Part
Mom is usually home on Sunday but this week she was going to a big golf game and I was all alone in the house. I was mad at Mom for divorcing Dad.
I kept looking at the telephone until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I picked up the receiver and dialed Dad’s number over in Bakersfield. I even remembered to dial 1 first because it was long distance. “You promised to phone me this week but you didn’t,” I said, feeling I had to talk to him.
“Take it easy, kid,” he said. “I just didn’t get around to it. I was going to call this evening. The week isn’t over yet.”
I thought about that.
“Something on your mind?” he asked.
“I hoped you would call, so I waited and waited.” Then I was sorry I said it.
“There was heavy snow in the morning,” he said, “I had to chain up on highway 80 and lost time.”
I know putting chains on eight big wheels in the snow is no fun. I felt a little better, as long as we were talking. “How is Bandit?” I asked.
There was a funny silence. For a minute I thought the line was dead. Then I knew something must have happened to my dog.
“Well, kid—”, he began. “My name is Leigh!” I almost yelled. “I’m not just some kid you met on the street!”
“Keep your shirt on, Leigh,” he said. “When I had to stop along with some other truck drivers to put on chains, I left Bandit out of the cab, I thought he would get back … I have sent out a call to CB radio, but I didn’t get an answer yet.” I was about to say I understood when there came the bad part, the really bad part. I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey, Bill, Mom wants to know when we’re going out to get the pizza?”
【小题1】We can conclude from the passage that              .

A．Leigh’s mother often went to golf games	B．Leigh was a deserted boy
C．Leigh’s dad never had a rest on Sundays	D．Leigh’s father lived in another city

【小题2】Which is true about Bandit?

A．It was killed by a truck	B．It was let out of the cab and got lost
C．It was frozen to death.	D．It ran off Highway 80 and into the mountain.

【小题3】The underlined sentence “Keep your shirt on”（last para） probably means “       ”.

A．Cool down

B．Stop talking

C．Be quiet

D．Keep warm

【小题4】The worst part in Leigh’s eyes may be that           .

A．he forgot to go to get the pizza	B．his parents got divorced
C．his dad got remarried	D．his dad didn’t love him