The son agreed. So they tied the donkey’s four legs to a long pole. Then, placing the ends of the pole on their shoulders, they started to walk to the village with the donkey hanging upside down between them.

As they walked along the road, a group of people saw them and began laughing. “Ho, ho, ho! Why are these stupid people carrying a donkey? Hey, both of you! Are you crazy carrying a donkey on a pole? Why don’t you get on his back and ride him?”

Chow Khok and his son heard the crowd’s laughter and were greatly embarrassed(局促不安的). They discussed the matter together. “I suppose we must look strange to these people. Let’s untie our donkey and get on him. But he is really too small for both of us to ride. What shall we do?”

After thinking a bit, Chow Khok said to his son, “I know. You ride the donkey, since you are smaller, and I will walk behind. ”

His son agreed. So they untied the donkey’s legs and continued down the road, the son riding and the father walking behind.

When they arrived at the edge of the village, some people called out to the son, “Who is that old man walking behind you?”

“Oh, ” replied the son. “He is my father. ”

Then a villager scolded(训斥)the boy. “You are an ungrateful(不觉得感激的) son. You shouldn’t let your father walk behind you like a servant. Get off and let your father ride. ”

The embarrassed son turned to look at his father, who quickly whispered, “Yes, yes. I will get on the donkey. You walk in front. ”

So the father got on the donkey and the boy walked ahead. Soon they arrived at the village well, where many girls were getting water for their families. Seeing the young boy walking tall in front of the donkey, all the girls thought him quite handsome.

“Hey!” they called to the old father on the donkey. “This donkey is beautiful and the tall boy is handsome. You look like an ugly old monkey sitting up there. Why don’t you get off and let this handsome boy ride?”

When the son heard the girls, he turned to his father and said, “Papa, now we made a mistake again. These girls say that I should ride the donkey. What do you think?”

Wearily(疲惫的), his father answered, “First you ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Then I ride the donkey and it is a mistake. Now, suppose you come up here and sit in front of me and we will ride together. ”

The boy climbed up and they continued through the village until they reached the custom house（税务所）. The customs officer stopped them and asked, “Where are you both going with that donkey?”

“Sir, ” Chow Khok answered, “we are taking the donkey to sell him at the village market. ”

The officer scowled(皱眉) at him. “That donkey is very small, ” he said. “Why are you both sitting on him? You’ll break his back and then you’ll never be able to sell him. A little donkey like that! You should carry him. ”

Chow Khok and his son listened in embarrassment. Shaking his head hopelessly, Chow Khok said, “How can we satisfy all the people in this world? When we carried our donkey on a pole, they said we should ride him. When you rode our donkey, they said that you were an ungrateful son. When I rode our donkey, they said that I looked like a monkey. When we both rode our donkey, they said that we would break his back. How can we satisfy all the people in this world? What shall we do now?”

Taken from Cambodian Folk Stories from the Gatiloke

1. Folk tales often teach a lesson about how people should behave. Which of these lessons might you learn from the folk tale?

A. People are usually unkind.

B. It’s impossible to please everyone.

C. You should never listen to other people.

D. You should trust yourself all the time.

2. What can you infer about Chow Khok based on his actions?

A. Other people’s opinions were important to Chow Khok.

B. He was a generous man.

C. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to other people.

D. He was stupid.

3. Which statement best describes Chow Khok at the end of the story?

A. He’s very angry. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. He is happy.

C. He is confused. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　D. He is comfortable.

He wrote books about his travels and about his animals that he collected. The money from the books helped to pay for all the food that these animals ate.

One day, when Mr. King was out looking for drinking water, he found oil. He needed money for his travels and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for what he needed all his life, but he knew that if he told anyone else about it, it would be the end of his zoo and his life’s work. So he decided not to tell anyone else about what he had found, because oil and water couldn’t mix.

1. Mr. King traveled all over the world for collecting_______.

A. oil   　　　　　　   B. water　　　　　　    C. animals   　　　　　　   D. money

2. Mr. King was afraid that people would find him someday because_______.

A. he hadn’t got enough money for them

B. that would be the end of his zoo

C. he hadn’t got enough water and oil

D. they would buy his animals

3. Mr. King wrote books to_______.

A. tell people about his story　　　　　　    B. tell people how to find oil

C. get enough money for his animals    D. make money for his travels

4. In the passage, “oil and water couldn’t mix” means that “_______”.

A. Mr. King needed not only water but also oil

B. oil and water were rather difficult to be mixed together

C. Mr. King’s animals only needed water, not oil

D. if he told the others he found oil, his life’s work would be stopped

Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.

Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, “Talk to Me, ” they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

They don’t collect money. They don’t push religion(宗教). So what’s the point?

“To see what happens, ” said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication. ”

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

“It started as a crazy idea, ” Liz said. “We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything. ”

Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

Marcia had left her husband to a serious disease.  “That was very heavy on my mind, ” Marcia said. “To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good, ” she explained.

To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they’ll consider.

1.  What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

A.  Chatting with people.

B.  Setting up street signs.

C.   Telling stories to strangers.

D.  Organizing a speaker’s corner.

2.  What they have been doing can be described as_______.

A. pointless 　　　　　　　　 B. normal　　　　　　　　　　 C. crazy   　　　　   D. successful

3.  Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B. They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C. They organized the get-together in the city park.

D. They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

4.  What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

A.  Go in for publishing.

B.  Do more television programs.

C.  Continue what they are doing.

D.  Spend more time reading books.

5.  How do they like the idea of writing a book?

A. They have decided to wait a year or two.

B. They will think about it carefully.

C. They agreed immediately. [KG6]

D. They find it hard to do that.

People who travel the skies are not certain about air safety. A great deal of money is spent on new and bigger aircraft and airports to deal with the vast increase in passengers traveling by air. Only a small percentage of this money is spent on navigation（导航）and other aids. Actually, suitable electronic equipment has long existed, and many companies market safety aids designed to make it safer for aircraft to take off, fly any distance, and land, whatever the weather. Yet, there are two problems to be solved. The first is to get governments, airlines and airport officials to agree to basic levels of safety aids. The second problem is to find a way of meeting these basic requirements.

But no matter how well the equipment works, operators of the equipment still play an important role. Communications between pilots and ground controllers are extremely important to air safety. It is worth pointing out that the mishearing or misunderstanding of instructions in English, and the use of another language, in an international conversation, have led to two recent aircraft accidents. A new type of instrument（仪器）called FLIGHTWATCH would help pilots prevent airport collisions. It would be particularly helpful near airports.

1. The increasing number of flights leads to the fact that_______.

A. flying is no longer limited in the sky

B. there is no empty space for aids to aviation control

C. piloting and controlling planes is getting more difficult

D. the pressure on the ground becomes greater

2. There is uncertainty about air safety because_______.

A. planes become bigger for the increasing number of passengers

B. money spent on electronic equipment is far from enough

C. suitable electronic equipment hasn’t been invented yet

D. it is dangerous for planes to take off or land

3. The underlined word “collisions ” probably means_______.

A. accidents in which two planes hit each other

B. misunderstandings between pilots and ground controllers

C. quarrels among passengers

D. breakdowns of new types of instrument

4. It can be inferred from the passage that_______.

A. governments and officials have paid great attention to air safety

B. there should be more companies to sell new safety aids

C. English should be used in an international conversation

D. understanding between pilots and ground controllers should be improved

We spend our one-hour class discussing two or three of the paintings, many of which are by artists that we have already studied in class.

The professor begins by selecting one work of art. After giving us a quick background on the artist, he’ll open up for class discussion. Everyone is strongly encouraged to give opinions to the work. Not every piece we study is necessarily famous or striking in appearance and subject matter, yet we always manage to make some interesting observations.

In America, professors always take every opportunity to push textbooks aside and expose students to real world experiences.

With some creativity, almost any subject can be applied to such beyond the classroom learning.

My art history class trips to the gallery are but one example.

Many other subjects also offer opportunities to learn outside the classroom, for example, business, psychology, art, journalism and biology.

A friend of mine from Yale taking an advanced psychology course spends every Saturday working with mentally disabled children.

Her mornings are spent playing with the kids and studying their sometimes uncontrolled behavior. Then in the afternoon she writes a report on her observations.

Students generally appreciate these unique learning opportunities. They’re almost always fun and interesting, and professors like them because students learn so much in just a few short months.

No one denies(否认) the value of classroom learning. But it can only take students so far.

Slides and textbooks may do a good job of carrying facts and dates, but creativity and originality(创造性) of thought cannot be taught. They can only be got through firsthand experience.

1.  The writer studies art history_______.

A. in a lecture hall   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. in an art gallery

C. in a simple way   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. in a practical way

2.  In American universities it is popular for professors to_______.

A. create textbooks by themselves

B. teach their lectures through real world experiences

C. ask their students to memorize the texts

D. share their experiences with the students

3.  The writer holds the opinion that_______.

A. learning outside the classroom is the best way

B. teachers should develop students’ creativity

C. professors had better shorten their lectures

D. students should put their textbooks away

The Internet is a way of life for US college students, with research showing them to be one of the most connected groups.

A recent study by Harris Interactive and 360 Youths found that 93 percent of American college students visit the Internet, and this market is expected to grow from 15.2 million in 2003 to 16.4 million in 2007.

That is slow but it could be the result of the already high number of college Internet users.

About 88 percent of American college students own a computer, and more than half have broadband(宽带)connections. Furthermore, 67 percent own cell phones and 36 percent use their mobile devices to visit the Internet.

Study findings are that 42 percent go online mainly to communicate socially, and 72 percent of college students check emails at least once a day, with 66 percent using at least two email addresses.

The most popular online social activity is forwarding messages to friends or family, with 37 percent of college students saying they do so.

The study also looked beyond the Internet surfing(冲浪)habits and into the buying habits of this group, and found them responsible for more than US $210 billion in sales last year alone.

College students have learned how to spend their money, with 93 percent saying low prices were important when shopping.

The study also showed that 65 percent make loan(贷款)payments;41 percent of freshmen have a credit card; and 79 percent of seniors have a credit card.

A significant number of charges on those credit cards are likely to be for entertainment and leisure expenses.

1. College students in the US, as this passage shows, ________________.

A. don’t have to learn their lessons in their classrooms

B. spend too much time visiting the Internet

C. lead an exciting life by using the Internet

D. waste much time visiting the Internet

2. From the fourth paragraph we can find that in the US________________.

A. most college students are from rich families

B. college students can have a computer from their colleges

C. cell phones will take the place of computers in colleges

D. mobile phones make Internet life easy for college students

3. By using the Internet, college students in the US can do the following except________________.

A. reading newspapers

B. chatting with friends

C. buying goods

D. going swimming

4. The underlined word “charges” in the last paragraph means________________.

A. cost for goods or services

B. work given as a duty

C. sudden attack at high speed

D. money in small unit

Once, while riding a street car in Berlin, he told the conductor that he hadn’t given him the right change. The conductor counted the change again and found it to be correct, so he handed it back to Einstein, saying, “The trouble with you is you don’t know your figures. ”

Einstein said that there were only twelve people living who understood his Theory of Relativity, although a good many books had been written to explain it.

He himself explained relativity in this very simple way: When you sit with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute; but when you sit on a hot stove(烤炉)for a minute, it seems like an hour.

He had nothing but contempt(轻视)for the things most people set their hearts on—for fame and money. He didn’t want money or praise. He made his own happiness out of such simple things as his work and playing the violin and sailing his boat. Einstein’s violin brought him more joy than anything else in life.

He led a very simple sort of life, went around in old clothes that needed pressing, seldom wore a hat. He shaved(刮胡子)with the same soap that he used for his bath. The man who was trying to solve the most difficult problems of the universe said that using two kinds of soap made his life completely too complicated(复杂的).

1. From this passage we know Einstein was________________.

A. the greatest scientist of his age

B. a strange man

C. a simple but noble man

D. all of the above

2. From the 2nd paragraph we know________________.

A. Einstein didn’t care about money at all

B. Einstein didn’t know his figures

C. Einstein met with a trouble in figures

D. Einstein didn’t get along well with the conductor

3. In this passage Einstein took an example to explain________________.

A. the relationship between a boy and a girl

B. the relationship between a man and a thing

C. relativity

D. time

4. Einstein’s happiness came from________________.

A. fame and money

B. money and praise

C. simple things

D. work

5. “…using two kinds of soap made Einstein’s life completely too complicated” suggests that________________.

A. Einstein wanted to live a simple life

B. Einstein was a man of humor

C. Einstein didn’t listen to others

D. Einstein has his own freedom of choice

Faye Wong(Wang Fei) is set to finally release her long-awaited new Mandarin album(国语 专辑).

“Future Love” is Wong's debut(首次演出) album for Sony, and is set to launch a spectacular(惊人的) attack on the charts by the Beijing-born star.

Wong could not have picked a better time to release her new record. She won the title of Asia's best female singer at the CCTV-MTV awards—in spite of not having had a new record for two years.

Born in Beijing, Wong moved to Hong Kong at the age of 18 and released her first album, the gold-selling “Wang Jingwen” the following year.

“Coming Home” though, was the album that shot her to stardom(明星地位)—several of its songs becoming big hits, notably(著名的) “Fragile Woman”(Rong Yi Shou Shang de Nü Ren).

Wong's charm lies not only in her artistic talent(艺术家的才能), but in her in-and-cool style. “She is just too  different—her voice, her manner of dressing and her persistence(坚持) in her own way of life, ”says Xiao Liao, one of Wong's fans, “she is now more a pop-culture idol(偶像) than a talented singer. ”

Wong is indeed a unique(独特的), down-to-earth(朴实的) idol. “I’m lazy and I smoke, ”she says, “I’m a straightforward(坦率) person and often offend(冒犯) people. I throw my temper around. I’m not motivated(有积极性的), and I’m always thinking of holidays. I’m not an idol, so please don’t treat me as one!”

1. Faye Wong achieved success as a singer with her album ________________.

A. “Future Love”

B. “Wang Jingwen”

C. “Coming Home”

D. “Fragile Woman”

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. “Future Love” is her first album since Faye Wong signed up Sony.

B. Faye Wong moved to Hong Kong at the age of 18 and released her first album, the gold-selling “Wang Jingwen”.

C. With “Coming Home” Faye Wong made a big success in her career.

D. Her Fans regard Faye Wong as a pop-culture idol.

3. Which of the following doesn’t describe Faye Wong?

A. She is frank.

B. She often offends people.

C. She is talented.

D. She is warmhearted.

“Organic produce is always better. ”Gold said. “The food is free of pesticides(农药), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than that it is locally(本地)grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty. ” Gold is one of the growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported(进口)to meet growing demand. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market, ”said Sue Hock, a specialist in this line of business.

1. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because________________.

A. they are getting richer

B. they can get the food anywhere

C. they consider the food free of pollution

D. they like home-grown fruit

2. Which of the following statements is true to the facts about most organic produce sold in Britain?

A. It grows indoors all year round.

B. It is produced outside Britain.

C. It is grown on family farms.

D. It is produced on large farms.

3. What is the meaning of “the organic trend” as the words are used in the text?

A. Growing interesting in organic food.

B. Better quality of organic food.

C. Rising market for organic food.

D. Higher prices of organic food.

4. What is the best title for this news story?

A. Organic Food—Healthy, or Just for the Wealthy?

B. The Making of Organic Food in Britain.

C. Organic Food—to Import or Not?

D. Good Qualities of Organic Food.

Many governments and private buildings have “No Smoking” regulations(规则). In airplanes, on trains and at cinemas, Golf courses are seriously thinking of keeping out smokers, so are schools, shopping malls and even football fields.

So where do people go to fill their lungs with nicotine? The government is working on it.

One suggestion is that the government set aside a piece of land somewhere in the United States where smokers could go when they want a cigarette. Yellow Stone Park has been on the list, but many people don’t agree because they fear that second-hand smoking would make the bears there sick.

The Mojave Desert in California is also being studied, and so are Las Vegas Casinos(拉斯维加斯赌场).

The smokers were not too nervous about the government idea. They say they are not going to California just to light up. They have a right to smoke at home. To make life more pleasant for those who find it hard to give up smoking, the government is seriously thinking of getting somewhere for the smokers.

The officials in the government say they realize that they are bringing trouble to people by making them go so far away to blow smoke rings. But they just had to do this or to ban(禁止) smoking in the entire country. Once everyone gets used to the idea, all will be better off soon.

The tobacco companies are fighting the idea like mad. They say nobody has proved that cigarettes are bad for you. They say as a matter of fact, the doctors have proved that a cigarette saved a person’s life after that person was shot.

Other places under consideration are: the cold areas in Alaska, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the Whitewater River in Arkansas.

1. Smokers in the U. S.  ________________ to light a cigarette now.

A. find nowhere

B. are not so free

C. have a right

D. have to travel a long way

2. The smokers are not too nervous about the government banning smoking for they think ________________.

A. it is not a good idea

B. it is still far away

C. they have right to smoke anywhere

D. they may smoke at home

3. The tobacco companies don’t like the idea because they ________________.

A. want to save persons’ lives

B. wish smokers to stay at home

C. wish smokers to feel easy

D. want to improve their cigarettes

4. Which is right about the writer’s opinion according to the passage?

A. He thinks the government should help the smokers to find a proper place.

B. None of the places in the passage is proper for the smokers.

C. The places are too far away for the smokers to light up their cigarettes.

D. Smokers are not welcome in the U. S.