Native Tongue

　　At first Kate thought the Romanian girl could not speak and understand English. Nadia would not reply to anything Kate said. Kate was in charge of showing Nadia around on her first day at Buckminster Grade School. Kate could not figure out why the school had put Nadia in a class where she could not understand what people were saying.

　　“Why did they do this?” Kate wondered aloud. “I mean, you can’t learn if you can’t understand the teacher.”

　　Nadia’s voile was a whisper. “I understand English. I will learn. ”Nadia’s English was perfect.

　　Kate was perplexed. She couldn’t understand why Nadia did not like to speak. Then she realized that moving to a new country probably wasn’t the easiest thing to do. There were hundreds of unfamiliar and unusual things to learn—all at the same time.

　　“There’re a lot of new things to learn, huh?” said Kate.

　　Nadia nodded rapidly. In a quiet voice she replied. “Many things people say, I do not understand. I have been speaking English and Romanian all my life, but I do not know what some children are saying. For example, yesterday a boy asked if I could help him find the USB port on a thin black box he was carrying. Isn’t a port a place for ships? It made no sense to me. ”

　　“Don’t worry,” said Kate, “You’ll figure everything out in time. You see, that thin black box was a computer. A USB port is a place where you can connect other machines to a computer. ”

　　Nadia and Kate were quiet after that. They took notes while the teacher gave a math lesson. To Kate’s surprise, Nadia put up her hand and offered to answer questions at the blackboard.

　　Nadia handled every question the teacher gave her. Some of the questions were really difficult, and no one understood what was going on except Nadia and the teacher. When the teacher said that Nadia answered everything correctly, the whole class clapped their hands.

　　Nadia was smiling when she sat back down next to Kate. “Some things,” she said in a normal voice, “are the same all over the word.”

　　1．At the beginning of Nadia’s first day at school, she was ________.

　　A．disappointed

　　B．helpful

　　C．lively

　　D．shy

　　2．The underlined word “perplexed” probably means ________.

　　A．puzzled

　　B．angry

　　C．shocked

　　D．serious

　　3．We can infer from the passage that ________.

　　A．Nadia did not like Kate

　　B．Nadia had lived by the sea before

　　C．Nadia had never seen a computer before

　　D．Nadia spoke in a soft voice out of politeness

　　4．Which of the following statements is true?

　　A．Nadia was better at math than other students.

　　B．Nadia found some of the math questions difficult.

　　C．Nadia was encouraged to answer questions in class.

　　D．Nadia understood the math teacher better than other teachers.

　　5．What is the message of the story?

　　A．Talking about something familiar gives you confidence in communication.

　　B．Answering questions in class makes you better understood by classmates.

　　C．Language plays an important role in communication between cultures.

　　D．Mathematics helps to improve communication between cultures. 

　　Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique（古董）shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception（接待）．I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.

　　The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.

　　I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said, “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg, ”I said. “Yes, I saw that, it’s nothing. ”

　　Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean?” You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair. ” “You’re right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me? I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused（感到有趣）by the whole thing.

　　1．We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.

　　A．was rather impolite

　　B．was warmly received

　　C．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair

　　D．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

　　2．The underlined word “approach” in the second paragraph means ________.

　　A．plan for dealing with things

　　B．decision to sell things

　　C．idea of repairing things

　　D．way of doing things

　　3．The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.

　　A．changed his mind

　　B．accepted the offer

　　C．saw the writer’s purpose

　　D．decided to help the writer

　　4．How much did the writer pay?

　　A．￡5.

　　B．￡7.

　　C．￡20.

　　D．￡27.

　　5．From the text, we can learn that the writer was

　　A．honest

　　B．careful

　　C．smart

　　D．funny

　　The two men, Lacey and Bames, waited in their car about a quarter of a mile from a big house. They sat there in the darkness, smoking, hardly talking. It was now a little after midnight.

　　At last they saw a light in one of the upstairs windows. It flashed once, twice, three times.

　　“That’s the sign,” Lacey said. Both men got out of the car. They were wearing dark clothes. They now put on gloves. Lacey had a small bag of tools. “Can I bring the gun?” Bames asked.

　　“How many times must I tell you! No guns!” Lacey said angrily. “Not while you’re working with me.” And they entered the garden through a small gate.

　　“I hope there aren’t any dogs,” Bames said as they climbed round the edge of the garden. They were going towards the back of the house.

　　“There are no dogs and no people here,” Lacey told him. “Except for our friend upstairs. Now keep quiet and follow me!”

　　They entered a big yard at the back of the house.

　　“That’s the window over there,” Lacey said, pointing to a small window near the kitchen door. “You wait here. I’ll get through the kitchen window. If I can’t open the door, you’ll have to climb through the window too. ”

　　Lacey crossed the yard. He opened the window without any difficulty and climbed through. But the kitchen door was locked and the key was not there. He went to the window and whistled to Bames.

　　“You’ll have to climb through the window, too,” he said.

　　Just at that moment they heard the sound of a car. It was getting closer to the house at great speed and its lights lit up the house as it got nearer. People got out and they could hear voices.

　　“That is the police!” Bames said, “It is a trap. I knew it. ”

　　“Don’t be worried！” Lacey told him. “Now listen to me. Go back to the car and wait for me there. I’ll join you as soon as I can. Off  you go and keep well in the shadows. ”

　　1．According to the contents, what are the two persons?

　　A．Thieves.

　　B．Cheats.

　　C．Policemen.

　　D．Climbers.

　　2．Which statement is NOT true?

　　A．Lacey was more an expert in stealing than Bames.

　　B．Neither Lacey nor Bames knew the place well.

　　C．The police have been fully prepared for the two persons.

　　D．Bames had been told before not to take guns while stealing into the house.

　　3．What is the correct order of the two persons carrying out their plan?

　　a．Lacey crossed the yard to the kitchen.

　　b．Lacey and Bames came to a yard.

　　c．Lacey and Bames entered the garden through a small gate.

　　d．Lacey told Bames to wait.

　　e．Lacey and Bames climbed round the side of the garden.

　　A．b, d, a, c, e

　　B．b, c, e, d, a

　　C．b, e, a, c, d

　　D．b, a, d, c, e

　　Bob and Annie had not known each other long before they became eager to get married: Bob because he wanted Annie and she（though she was fond of Bob in her own way）because she could at least lead a life away from her family. When Mrs. Thompson suggested that they marry and live with her in Dover Street until they could get a house of their own, Annie hesitated. Her idea of marriage had been something which brought her a husband and an orderly, well furnished home all at once. But she soon saw the advantages of this arrangement. She would, first of all, escape from her present life into a house which was quiet and efficiently run, not like her own; and she would be able to go on working so that she and Bob could save up all the money quickly for their own house. She would also get Bob, a good enough husband for any working-class girl; good-natured and ready to be bent to her way whenever it was necessary for her ends.

　　Things went well until mother-in-law’s death, when Annie had to give up her job and were at home all day. Her father-in-law became just a silent figure in the house and although Bob became used to him, Annie began to find the old man’s constant presence in the house a source of growing annoyance.

　　“He gets on my nerves, Bob,” she said one night when they were alone. “Just sitting there all day and me having to clean up around him. And he hardly says a word from getting up in a morning to going to bed. ”

　　“Well, I suppose he has a right to do as he like,” Bob said mildly. “It’s his house, not ours. We’re the lodgers. ” But to Annie, now looking after the house as if it were her own, it was beginning to seem the other way about.

　　1．The reason that Annie wanted to get married was ________.

　　A．she found she couldn’t leave Bob

　　B．she could at least escape the present life

　　C．she lived alone for a long time

　　D．she could live in a big house

　　2．Annie thought Bob was ________.

　　A．kind and easy-going

　　B．poor but good for working-class girls

　　C．in good health

　　D．good at making money

　　3．Annie found her father-in-law getting on her nerves because he ________.

　　A．sat when she was cleaning

　　B．never said what time he was getting up

　　C．rarely talked to her and Bob

　　D．caused her to give up her job

　　Tony Bennett, the American singer recently touring Britain, can’t remember how many times he had sung his standard hit” I Left My Heart in San Francisco. ”He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.

　　“I never get tired of singing it,”he said. “I like it too much. It’s a great city and it’s a good song. ”

　　Bennett is to record a TV special with American singer Lena Horne while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled “Listen Easy” will be published in June.

　　I like it here, he added quietly over whiskey. I would like to live here so many months of the year.

　　He already keeps a large flat in Grosvenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $ 4, 000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film which has been specially written for him called “Two Bits,” an informal expression for 50 cents. It’s about an Italian immigrant who goes to America, but he becomes a failure.

　　“In many ways it’s very close to my life the way the story has been written,” said Bennett. “My father, an Italian, was ill and died when I was nine. He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success. ”

　　The film is to be made by Italy’s top director Vittoria De Sica.

　　1．The phrase“standard hit’”most nearly means ________.

　　A．Bennett’s favourite song but it’s not very popular

　　B．a song that is always popular

　　C．a song which makes him standard

　　D．a song which is like a heavy blow to his audience

　　2．What was he doing when Tony Bennett was interviewed?

　　A．Recording a TV show

　　B．Making a musical film.

　　C．Staying with his wife.

　　D．Drinking.

　　3．Tony Bennett’s hobby is ________.

　　A．singing

　　B．drinking

　　C．playing

　　D．painting

　　4．Tony Bennett’s father ________.

　　A．was born in Italy and died in America

　　B．was a part of Bennett s achievement

　　C．liked his son’s singing

　　D．was glad that his son became famous

　　When he thought of the past, my grandfather would sometimes show us photographs of himself at school. They were brown and faded, and it was hard to believe that the blurred figure of the little boy in the short trousers and socks could ever have been grandfather. Besides, he wore a cap—all the boys in the photographs wore caps pulled so far forward that half of their faces was obscured. When grandfather asked us to pick him out from the group, we would surely point to the wrong boy.

　　On one such occasion my younger sister, aged six, burst into tears when grandfather proudly guided her finger to the right boy. “How could that boy be you?” she cried, “He should have a beard.” We were, of course, all convinced that grandfathers should have beards, preferably white and bushy, like our own grandfather’s. In fact, we would have been quite ready to argue the point if challenged.

　　“I was a good scholar,” grandfather would say, wagging his beard over the photographs. “I should have been top of the class if I hadn’t had to get up at six every morning to milk the cows and chop the wood, and again when I came home from school.”

　　“But Saturdays? What did you do on Saturdays?”

　　“Saturdays, if it was fine, I’d be out all day in the fields with the men,” replied grandfather. “And if it was wet, I’d be helping my mother with odd jobs round the house. There wasn’t much time for studying. ”

　　We all tried hard to imagine what it would have been like to have been grandfather getting up at crack of dawn and never, obviously, having a moment for himself. It seemed we had learnt something from what grandfather had said about his childhood.

　　1．In the first paragraph of this passage, what the author really tells us is that ________.

　　A．his grandfather used to wear short trousers, socks and a cap as well

　　B．it was difficult to tell which of the boys in the photographs was grandfather

　　C．he didn’t believe grandfather wore a cap pulled forward when he was at school

　　D．it was fun to watch boys in the photographs wearing caps pulled forward

　　2．The author’s sister burst into tears because ________.

　　A．she did not get a chance to pick out grandfather in the photographs

　　B．she was told which was the right boy before she herself could pick him out

　　C．other children did not agree with her that grandfather should have had a beard

　　D．she found grandfather in the photograph did not have a beard

　　3．When grandfather said “I should have been top of the class ...” he meant ________.

　　A．if he had had more time for studying, he would have been the best in his class

　　B．he should have spent more time studying rather than playing ball games

　　C．his school days should not have been so hard and miserable

　　D．he could have never been the best student even if he had studied still harder

　　4．In the last paragraph the author said” We all tried hard to imagine ...”because ________.

　　A．the figures of the boys in the photographs were small and blurred

　　B．the children had never experienced life like that of grandfather

　　C．the photographs grandfather showed them were brown and faded

　　D．grandfather failed to tell them about his childhood in detail

　　Ralph Wiley was born in 1926, on March 20. There were eight boys and four sisters, yet he says it wasn’t a hard life. His father worked in a sawmill（锯木厂）in the woods. When Ralph was in the fifth grade, the teacher told him to go outside to get a whip（鞭），because she wanted to whip one of the students.

　　He walked outside, got the whip and stood in the doorway with it. “If you want it bad enough, ”he told the teacher, “ come and get it, because I’m not coming back in. ”

　　That was his last day of school.

　　Ralph never did marry. He lived with his brother, Cliff. And he worked on a farm, with fifty whiteface cows.

　　Then he started collecting bottles and cans for the recycling（回收）center.

　　Then his brother died, and Ralph developed diabetes（糖尿病）and lost both legs.

　　Now he lives here in Bradbury Manor Nursing Home, and he likes it. He rolls around in his wheelchair all over the place. He’s a happy person who feels life has been good to him.

　　Why? After all, so many people would feel disappointed if they had never married ... If they hadn’t finished school ... If they were old and lost both their legs and were living in a nursing home. Why does Ralph Wiley feel life has been good to him?

　　“I just do, ”he says, “I get in bed by myself. I go to the bathroom by myself. I made my bed myself yesterday. ”

　　We all make our own beds, and we all have to lie in them. Ralph has made his exceptionally comfortable. Which is why he shall surely rest in peace.

　　1．Ralph’s childhood must have been________.

　　A．pleasant

　　B．hard

　　C．sweet

　　D．full of imagination

　　2．Why did Ralph leave school?

　　A．Because he made a serious mistake and was dismissed（开除）from school.

　　B．Because the teacher whipped him and he was afraid to go back to school.

　　C．Because he’s unwilling to see cruel punishment to happen in the classroom.

　　D．Because he’s tired of going to school.

　　3．What kind of people is Ralph? ①pessimistic（悲观的）②optimistic（乐观的）③timid（胆小的）④carefree ⑤irresponsible ⑥kind

　　A．①③⑤

　　B．②④⑥

　　C．②③⑥

　　D．②④⑤

　　4．What is the best title of the passage?

　　A．Life Is Good.

　　B．From a Child to an Adult.

　　C．Life.

　　D．Ralph Wiley.

　　Star talks of better half

　　The British film star Hugh Grant can’t seem to work out what women want.

　　“There’s no girl who only wants bastards（坏种），and no girl who wants a nice guy（伙计）．Women want both, ”the British star tells the May issue of Talk magazine.

　　“And, really, they’d like to alternate（交替）on a weekly basis. Can any man be both? I like to keep women guessing. ”

　　Since Grant’s breakup last year with his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, the thought of plunging into（投身于）another big relationship doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards.

　　“How easy do you think it is to find someone you can share   14   years of personal jokes with? Not easy. And I don’t know that I will,” he says.

　　Still, the 40-year-old star admits he can’t help thinking that his clock is ticking.

　　“In the end, I want to have kids（children）. But in the back of my mind, I never wanted to have kids until I’d done something I’m proud of—written a book, had my name on something really worthwhile , ”he says.

　　“I’m so determined not to be in front of the cameras anymore.”

　　With all of these concerns（心思）inside, has Grant ever considered seeing a psychiatrist to sort things out?

　　“I don’t think I need therapy（治疗），thank you, ” sniffs the star.

　　“I’m frightened of those people. And more than that, I don’t want to know what lies beneath. ”

　　1．Judging from what Hugh Grant says, the film star may consider himself________.

　　A．either a bastard or a nice guy

　　B．both a bastard and a nice guy at the same time

　　C．a bastard in one week and a nice guy in the other

　　D．neither a bastard nor a nice guy

　　2．Hugh Grant________.

　　A．is looking for another girlfriend at the present time

　　B．never feels sure of finding a girlfriend who can take the place of Elizabeth Hurley

　　C．considers it a shame to look for another girlfriend

　　D．doesn’t value much the relationship he had with Elizabeth Hurley

　　3．The underlined clause “his clock is ticking” possibly means________.

　　A．he’s having a good time

　　B．he can’t stand being single

　　C．his life is going to end soon

　　D．he is getting old

　　4．Hugh Grant thinks that he is not yet successful enough to be________.

　　A．a father

　　B．a film star

　　C．a husband

　　D．a nice guy

　　For 30 years, Randy J. Murphy drove without being stopped by the police—and without a driver’s license.

　　The 46-year-old man’s luck came to an end last May. On his way home from his job as a dishwasher, he turned up the radio in the car.

　　“I just turned the corner, and there was Mark,” Murphy said of the police officer who has since made such a difference in his life.

　　Officer Mark Taylor had stopped the car as he heard the blaring music. When he asked for a driver’s license, Murphy said that he didn’t have one.

　　Murphy told Taylor he couldn’t read well enough to take the written part of the licensing test. “He said people just don’t help any more. I told him if he was willing, I’d help him, ” said Taylor. He gave Murphy his phone number. That afternoon Murphy called the officer.

　　For the next three months, the men met several times a week to review the questions which might appear in the test. When Murphy took the test, Taylor went with him. Murphy passed on his sixth attempt. He then sailed through the road test. On September 5, he got his license.

　　Taylor’s act of kindness won him the Officer of the Month award from Knoxville Police Department. “People should help each other if they can, ”Taylor said. “Randy did all the work. I just guided him along. ”

　　Although Murphy has overcome the difficulty that kept him from getting a driver’s license, he hasn’t stopped there. “We still meet once a week to read, ”Taylor said. “We’ve also become friends. ”

　　“I m glad he pulled me over now, ”said Murphy.

　　1．Why did Taylor stop Murphy’s car one day?

　　A．The music in his car was too loud.

　　B．He drove without a driving license.

　　C．He made a wrong turn at a comer.

　　D．He listened to the radio while driving.

　　2．After learning Murphy’s situation, Taylor decided________.

　　A．to put an end to his luck

　　B．to help him learn how to read

　　C．to take away his driving license.

　　D．to stop him from doing silly things

　　3．The underlined phrase” sailed through” in the passage is close in meaning to________.

　　A．tried his best in

　　B．nearly failed in

　　C．suffered a lot in

　　D．easily succeeded in

　　4．According to the passage, Taylor helped Murphy pass the licensing test because________.

　　A．he felt sorry for the bad situation of the workers

　　B．he wanted to win the Officer of the Month award

　　C．he hated to see people in need of help were not helped

　　D．he thought it was a policeman’s duty to help people read

　　Trogmire Troll was dealing with a crisis. The new girl in class really liked him a lot. Trogmire was not happy about it.

　　Trogmire’s good friend, Tremor Troll, tried to comfort him. “What’s the big deal? I think Treasure Troll is kind of cute（可爱的）．And she seems to be nice enough. ”

　　Trogmire swallowed his last bite of poison sumac salad and glared at Tremor. “Then why don’t you ask her to be your girlfriend? There she is, sitting all by herself at the other end of the cafeteria. March over there and ask her to be your sweetiepoo!”

　　“She’s crazy about you, not me, ”Tremor replied. “Well, I don’t want any girlfriend, especially not a weird（古怪的）annoying（烦人的）one like her！”

　　Trogmire growled.

　　Tremor wouldn’t give up. “The only thing annoying about her is that she keeps writing you those notes and she stares.”

　　“Yucky love notes!” Trogmire interrupted. He took another sip of mole milk. “Did you notice those strange brown eyes? Why aren’t they normal red or pink?”

　　Tremor took another look at Treasure. “I think her face is a lovely shade of green. And her dark green curly hair is quite pretty. Besides, she’s very sweet and that’s what really matters. ”

　　Trogmire stuck out his tongue. “I think I’m going to be sick! I’d better save my apple pies for later. ”He crammed a small bag of Maggot Munchies into his even smaller shirt pocket. “The fact is, I have a problem.

　　That girl is getting on my nerves!”

　　Tremor followed Trogmire’s example and decided to save his apple pies for later. However, he carefully placed the bag into his lunch box. “Do you have any ideas about how to solve your problem?” Tremor asked.

　　“I’m going to be mean and rude to her,” Trogmire announced. “I’ll call her name and make ugly faces at her.”

　　“That’s how you treat everyone”, Tremor reminded his friend.

　　Trogmire nodded. “It’s time that Treasure got to know the real Trogmire Troll!”

　　1．How did Treasure Troll feel about Trogmire Troll?

　　A．She didn’t like him because he was rude.

　　B．She was annoyed by his strange appearance.

　　C．She didn’t have any strong feelings about him.

　　D．She liked him a lot.

　　2．How did Trogmire feel about Treasure?

　　A．He felt annoyed.

　　B．He enjoyed the attention.

　　C．He didn’t realize that she existed.

　　D．He was crazy about her.

　　3．Who did Trogmire want for a girlfriend?

　　A．No one.

　　B．Tremor’s sister.

　　C．Treasure Troll.

　　D．A weird girl from another class.

　　4．Which statement is true?

　　A．Trogmire pretended to be rude in order to make Treasure stop liking him.

　　B．Tremor thought that looks were more important than personality.

　　C．Tremor thought that Treasure was cute.

　　D．Trogmire offered his apple pies to Treasure to make her sick.