A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at the risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000, a legacy(遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty.” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents—should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
【小题1】According to the text, the Fusses ________.

A．were employed by a truck company	B．led a difficult life
C．worked in a school cafeteria	D．lost their home

【小题2】What can we learn about the Hatches?

A．They had their children during the Great Depression.

B．They left the old house to live on their family farm.

C．They gave away their possessions（财产）to their neighbors.

D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs.

【小题3】What Sandy Van Weelden said mainly tells us that the Hatches were _________.

A．understanding

B．kind

C．childlike

D．wealthy

Billy and Bobby were small boys. They were brothers, and they often fought each other.
Last Saturday their mother said to them, “I’m going to cook our lunch now, go out and play in the garden……and be good.”
“Yes, Mum,” the two boys answered, and they went out.
They played in the garden for half an hour, and then Billy ran in. “Mum,” he said, “Bobby’s broken a window in Mrs Allen’s house.” Mrs Allen was one of their neighbours.
“He’s a bad boy,” his mother said. “How did he break it?”
“I threw a stone at him,” Billy answered, “and he quickly moved down.”
【小题1】Billy and Bobby were           .

A．sisters

B．classmates

C．not often kind to each other

D．always kind to each other

【小题2】Last Saturday their mother asked them           .

A．not to play in the garden	B．to cook their lunch
C．not to go out	D．to be good

【小题3】          broke the window.

A．Mrs Allen

B．Billy

C．Bobby

D．The mother

【小题4】Mrs Allen was            .

A．Billy’s mother

B．their neighbour

C．their mother

D．Bobby’s aunt

Michael Jackson fans are coming a Chicago museum to see a 3,000 year old Egyptian statue which looks remarkably like the late king of pop. Staff have been rushed off their feet since Jackson's death as thousands of mourners visit the exhibition to pay tribute to the star.
The statue has skinny cheeks and - most strikingly - a tipless nose. It is on display at the Ancient Egypt exhibition at The Field Museum in the United States. The bust(半身像) was bought in Cairo in 1889 and has been on display at the museum for 21 years.
But its popularity has risen rapidly since Michael Jackson's death after fans started writing about the ancient statue on internet blogs. The bust was carved during the New Kingdom Period, which ran between 1550 BC to 1050 BC. This was around the same time as famous Egyptians Ramesses and King Tut.
The museum's 4,500 daily visitors are banned from touching or kissing the statue, which is protected behind a glass screen. Astonished fans stand admiring the statue and discussing its likeness with others who have travelled to see it.
Darnell Williams, the director of guest relations, said some fans were treating a visit to the museum like a pilgrimage(朝圣). He said: "The statue has been here for years but interest has been raised since Michael Jackson's death. People are coming from all over the country to see the statue and compare its likeness to the king of pop.
"They want to touch and kiss the model like it is some sort of God but it is behind a screen to protect it from damage. Once people see it they are astounded and can't stop talking about its likeness. It really is remarkable."
James Phillips, manager of near east and north African exhibits, said little was known about the origins of the model.
He said: "The likeness is astonishing but I think it is probably a coincidence. We do not believe Michael Jackson ever visited the museum or saw the exhibit and there is therefore little chance he based his image on it. We believe the model is missing a nose because early Christians or Muslims removed noses from paintings and models to make them non-human.
【小题1】Many people are streaming to see the Egyptian statue to ­­­­­_______.

A．satisfy their curiosity

B．show their respect to Jackson

C．enjoy the splendid Egyptian culture

D．learn about the history of Egyptian

【小题2】The underlined words “rushed off their feet” in the first paragraph mean”______”.

A．extremely busy	B．rather tired
C．very annoyed	D．quite surprised

【小题3】The statue is rapidly getting popular mainly because of ________.

A．Jackson’s death	B．its archaeological value
C．the Internet	D．its long history

【小题4】It can be inferred that the exhibits at the Ancient Egypt exhibition are classified by _________.

A．age

B．area

C．kind

D．value

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 I 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.
【小题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

【小题2】The author used to think of her mother’s English as      .

A．impolite

B．amusing

C．imperfect

D．practical

【小题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’s mother had positive influence on her.

D．Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

【小题4】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.

Born into a poor family，two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art，but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy(院校)．
After discussions，the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin．The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy．Then，when the winner completed his studies，he would support the other brother，either with sales of his art work or，if necessary，by working in the mines．So they tossed a coin．Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg．Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother，whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success，and by graduation，he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works．
When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming， Albrecht drank a toast to his brother，“Now，Albert，it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream，and I will take care of you．”
Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks，glanced at the faces he loved，and said softly，“No，brother．It is too late for me．Look….look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once，and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast，much 1ess make lines on canvas(画布)with a pen or a brush．No，brother …for me it is too 1ate．”
Therefore，Albrecht took pains to draw his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands”．
【小题1】The passage is mainly about

A．the early life of Albrecht Durer

B．the story behind “The Praying Hands”

C．the sacrifice Albrecht made for his brother

D．a young man showing his talent through effort

【小题2】According to the two brothers’ agreement，．

A．they let the coin decide who would go to the academy first

B．the winner would work at the academy in exchange for the loser’s help

C．the loser would go to the mines and earn money to pay for his own education

D．the winner would work in the mines after graduation in return for the loser's support

【小题3】Albert refused his brother’s offer because．

A．he was too old to learn drawing

B．he suffered an accident.

C．he was not used to holding a pen or brush

D．his hands were out of shape as a result of hard work

【小题4】The artist created the masterpiece “The Praying Hands”

A．to show kindness to his poor brother

B．to encourage people to realize their dreams

C．in praise of his brother’s sacrifice and love

D．in honor of his brother as a symbol of working people

In 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers (探险者) landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise. “Why?” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H. G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Chunnel”, a tunnel (隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities.” The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome (太阳能穹顶) would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells “moon people” would agree. Would you?
【小题1】The explorers in H. G. Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people” .

A．knew so much about the earth

B．understood their language

C．lived in so many underground cities

D．were ahead of them in space technology

【小题2】What does the underlined word “it” (paragraph 2) refer to?

A．Discovering the moon’s inner space.

B．Using the earth’s inner space.

C．Meeting the “moon people” again.

D．Traveling to outer space.

【小题3】What sort of underground systems are already here with us?

A．Offices, shopping areas, power stations.

B．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas.

C．Gardens, car parks, power stations.

D．Tunnels, gardens, offices.

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Alice Cities—cities of the future

B．Space travel with H. G. Wells

C．Enjoy living underground

D．Building down, not up

Light for the City
Edison and his assistants came to New York to set up an electric power system. They hoped it would provide enough electricity to light up a part of the great city.
They bought several machines with them. These were called generators, which produced electricity power for lamps in Edison’s building.
Soon there were lights for the building. Edison lived in a room facing the street and he often worked over night. The light burned brightly and steadily and he often worked over night. People often came and stopped their horse-drawn carriage to look. Everyone knew that Thomas Edison was in town.
First, the inventor and his assistants produced several large generators. A great deal of power would be needed to light up even a small part of the city.
Then the workers were busy digging deep trenches(沟) in the hard earth below the city streets, and Edison had fourteen miles of wire laid into the trenches. The wire connected each building to a generator.
Setting up an electric power system was not an easy job. It took a year and a half. In September, 1882, the job was finished.
A small group of men stood around Edison inside the power house. The big moment came at last. The inventor, taking a deep breath, pulled a switch. The electric lights flashed up.
“Very good! Very good!” a man nearby shouted to praise Edison for what he had done.
“Sir,” said Edison, “this is only the beginning!” And Edison was right. Soon Edison’s lamp were lighting up cities all over the world.                
【小题1】The generators they brought with them could produce as much as electricity as ______ needed.

A．Edison’s building

B．a small part of the city

C．the whole city

D．the world

【小题2】At that time carriages ______ by horse could be seen in the street.

A．draw

B．drew

C．drawn

D．drawing

【小题3】Trenches were dug to ______.

A．set up generators

B．lay wires

C．built city streets

D．build a power house

【小题4】It took a year and a half to ______.

A．set up the electric system	B．produce several large generators
C．dig the deep trenches	D．lay fourteen miles of wire into the trench

Bill Robinson is on trial for murder（因谋杀而受审）．He grew up in a small town in Ohio and then went to Kent State University for one year．When he was nineteen years old，he was asked to join the army and was soon sent to fight in Vietnam．He was very unhappy there as he hated the war and he hated killing people．Two years later he returned home and tried to pick up where he had left off，but things were never quite the same again for the young black man．For one thing，he always had terrible dreams about the war．He could not concentrate on his studies and soon he had to leave school．Then he was fired from one job after another．He wanted to meet someone nice and get married，but he just couldn't seem to get close to anyone．He became angry easily and people avoided him．He was always lonely．Finally one day，while eating at a restaurant，Bill lost control of himself and shot someone for no reason at all．Bill's lawyer hopes that he will not be held responsible for the shooting．He hopes that the judge and the jury（陪审团）will understand that Bill was“temporarily insane（一时精神错乱）”and did not really choose to kill anyone．
【小题1】What did Bill Robinson do after he returned from abroad？

A．He gave up the chance to go back to college．	B．He tried to go back to his normal life．
C．He picked up his things and left again．	D．He found what he had dreamed of．

【小题2】He failed to complete his college education because he ____ ．

A．hated school	B．joined the army
C．didn't study hard	D．found it difficult to keep his mind on his studies

【小题3】He never married because ____ ．

A．there were no nice girls around	B．he didn't care to meet any girls
C．he hadn't met girls that he liked	D．he found it hard to make friends with girls

【小题4】The best title for this article is ____ ．

A．Robinson on Trial	B．Murder at a Restaurant
C．A Young Black Man	D．A Victim of the Vietnam War

It was Saturday when the entire summer world was bright and fresh. Tom looked at the fence, which was long and high, feeling all enthusiasm leaving him. He dipped his brush into the whitewash before moving it along the top board of the fence. He knew other boys would arrive soon with all minds of interesting plans for this day. As walking past him, they would tease him for having to work on a beautiful Saturday—which burnt him like fire.
He, putting his hands into his pockets and taking out all he owned with the expectation of letting someone paint, found nothing that could buy half an hour of freedom. At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea occurred to him, pouring a great bright light into his mind. He took up his brush and continued to work pleasantly with calm and quietness.
Presently, Ben Rogers came in sight—munching an apple and making joyful noises like the sound of a riverboat as he walked along. Tom went on whitewashing, paying no attention to the steamboat. 
“Hello!” Ben said, “I’m going swimming, but you can’t go, can you?”
No answer. Tom moved his brush gently along the fence and surveyed the result. Ben came nearer. Tom’s mouth watered for Ben’s apple while he kept painting the fence.
Ben said, “That’s a lot of work, isn’t it?”
Tom turned suddenly saying “Here you are! Ben! I didn’t notice you.”
“I’m going swimming,” Ben said. “Don’t you wish you could go? Or would you rather work?”
Tom said, “Work? What do you mean ‘work’?”
“Isn’t that work?”
Tom continued painting and answered carelessly, “Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. All I know is it suits Tom Sawyer.”
“Do you mean that you enjoy it?”
“I don’t see why I oughtn’t to enjoy it.”
“Does a boy have a chance to paint a fence frequently” said Tom.
Ben stopped munching his apple.
Tom moved his brush back and forth—stepped back to note the effect—added a little paint here and there. Ben watched every move, getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed1. After a short time, he said, “Tom, let me whitewash a little.”
Tom seemed to be thinking for a moment before he said, “No, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. If it was the back fence, maybe you could do it. But this fence beside the street is where everybody can see it. It has to be done right.”
“Oh, come on, let me try. I’ll be careful. Listen, Tom. I’ll give you part of my apple if you let me paint.”
“No, Ben, I’m afraid—”
“I’ll give you all the apple!”
Tom handed the brush to Ben with unwillingness on his face but alacrity in his heart. While the riverboat worked and sweated in the hot sun, Tom, an artist sat in the shade close by, munching his apple, and planning how he could trick more of the boys.
Before long there were enough boys each of whom came along the street; stopped to laugh but soon begged to be allowed to paint. By the middle of the afternoon, Tom had got many treasures while the fence had had three layers of whitewash on it. If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, he would have owned everything belonging to the boys in the village.
Tom said to himself that the world was not so depressing after all. He had discovered a great law of human action: in order to make a man cover a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.
【小题1】By using “Tom continued painting and answered carelessly”, the author shows Tom ______ when he was talking to Ben.

A．made mistakes

B．damaged things

C．was natural

D．wasn’t concentrating

【小题2】The underlined word “alacrity” in the last but two paragraph most probable means “______”.

A．kindness

B．discouragement

C．sympathy

D．eagerness

【小题3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? ________

A．Tom did not want to go swimming at all

B．Tom was asked to help Aunt Polly paint the fence

C．Tom did not get along well with his friends

D．Tom was very busy that Saturday afternoon.

【小题4】We can draw a conclusion from the last paragraph that _______.

A．forbidden fruit is sweet.	B．a friend in need is a friend indeed.
C．all good things must come to an end.	D．a bad excuse is better than none.

When I first got an e-mail account ten years ago, I received communications only from family, friends, and colleagues. Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail, I have an endless series of advertisements and other correspondence that do not interest me at all. If we want e-mail to continue to be useful, we need specific laws that make spamming(发送垃圾邮件) a crime.
If lawmakers do not do something soon to prohibit spam, the problem will certainly get much worse. Computer programs allow spammers to send hundreds of millions of e-mails almost instantly. As more and more advertisers turn to spam to sell their products, individual(个人的) e-mail boxes are often flooded with spam e-mails. Would people continue to use e-mail if they had to deal with an annoying amount of spam each time?
This problem is troubling for individuals and companies as well. Many spam e-mails contain computer viruses that can shut down the entire network of a company. Companies rely on e-mail for their employees to communicate with each other. Spam frequently causes failures in their local communications networks, and their employees are thus unable to communicate effectively. Such a situation results in a loss of productivity and requires companies to repeatedly repair their networks. These computer problems raise production costs of companies, which are, in the end, passes on to the consumer.
For these reasons, I believe that lawmakers need to legislate (立法) against spam. Spammers should be fined, and perhaps sent to prison if they continue to disturb people. E-mail is a tool which helps people all over the world to communicate conveniently, but spam is destroying this convenience.
【小题1】According to the text, what is the major cause of the flooding spam?    

A．Companies rely on e-mail for communications.

B．More people in the world communicate by e-mail.

C．More advertisers begin to promote sales through spam.

D．Many computer viruses contain spam e-mail.

【小题2】According to Paragraph 3, who is the final victim of spam?             

A．The business

B．The advertiser

C．The consumer

D．The employee

【小题3】What is the purpose of the text?

A．To inform

B．To educate

C．To instruct

D．To persuade