My mind seems always to return to the day when I met Carl. The city bus stopped at a corner to pick up the daily commuters (someone who travels regularly to and from work), a group in which I was included. Boarding the bus, I looked for a place to sit. At last, I found a place near the back.
The occupant of the seat next to the one I was going for was an older man in a grey suit, well-worn dress shoes, and a black hat like I always pictured reporters wearing, but without the little press card. Seated myself, I began to read the book I had been carrying, which was Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The man in the seat next to me introduced himself by asking if I had read any other book like the one I was holding. When I told him I had, he seemed to become interested, and so did I. He introduced himself as Carl and asked if I liked jazz, and I told him that I didn’t really listen to it, and that I liked rock and roll. Waiting for Carl to tell me that I should listen to real music, I was shocked when he just smiled and nodded. He said, “You remind me of myself when I was your age. I remember how my parents hated jazz, how they couldn’t see how I could listen to that awful noise. I bet your parents say the same thing, don’t they?” Now it was my turn to smile, amused with how right he was.
As the bus ferried us from one side of the city to the other, Carl and I talked about a lot of different things. The more we talked, the more amazed I became at how much the two of us really had in common, despite the age difference. I haven’t seen him since we parted, but the thought of our connection that day rarely leaves my mind.
Carl really made me think about how much we can learn from each other if we just break through the blocks between us we’ve got. I mean, I would have never thought before that day that I could have anything in common with someone so much older than I, just because of age. But Carl taught me that no matter what, we are all just people, and that we should make an extra effort to try and get to know our neighbors and people we see every day, regardless of age, race, religion, sex, or anything else. If we all take the time to attempt to understand each other, I think that the world would be a much better place that we could share together, as humans.
【小题1】From the first paragraph we know that the author _______.

A．did not mind whether there was a seat or not

B．hoped to have a seat when getting on the bus

C．thought the bus was overcrowded

D．looked for a seat but failed

【小题2】The author usually imagined a reporter as one who _______.

A．liked jazz music

B．enjoyed talking with others

C．liked reading Jack Kerouac’s works

D．usually wore a black hat and press card

【小题3】After talking with Carl, the author realized that _______.

A．older people were nice to talk to

B．he should have known Carl earlier

C．his parents were so different from Carl’s in listening to music

D．age was not necessarily a problem in heart-to-heart communication

【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．the author hasn’t seen the old man since then

B．jazz music used to be more popular than rock and roll

C．the author was not satisfied with human relationships in the world

D．Carl made the author realize how much people could learn from each other

My Garden
-----by Nelson Mandela
In early 1977, the authorities (当局) announced the physical labour and arranged some kind of work for us to do in the courtyard. The free time also allowed me to hunt what became two of my favorite hobbies in Robben Island---gardening and tennis.
To survive in prison, one must develop ways to take satisfaction in one's daily life. One can feel fulfilled (充实) by washing one's clothes so that they are particularly clean. Just as one takes pride in important tasks outside of prison, one can find the same pride in doing small things inside prison. Almost from the beginning of my sentence on Robben Island, I asked the authorities for permission to start a garden in the courtyard. For years, they refused without offering a reason. But finally they gave in, and we were able to cut out a small garden in the prison.
The soil in the courtyard was dry and rocky. In order to start my garden, I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plant room to grow.
The authorities supplied me with seeds. At first, I planned tomatoes and onions, because these plants did not require rich earth or constant care. The early harvests were poor, but they soon improved.
I began to order books on gardening. I studied different gardening techniques and types of fertilizers (肥料). For a time, I tried to grow peanuts, and used different soils and fertilizers, but finally I gave up. It was one of my few failures.
A garden was one of the few things in prison that one could control. The processes of planting a seed, watching it grow, taking care of it and then harvesting it offered a simple but long-lasting satisfaction. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom.
【小题1】Mandela's hobbies on Robben Island were ____.

A．hunting and physical labour

B．gardening and tennis

C．washing his clothes

D．gardening techniques and types of fertilizers

【小题2】When did Mandela ask the prison authorities for the permission to start a small garden?

A．Soon after 1997.

B．Some time in early 1977.

C．Almost as soon as he went to prison there.

D．Long after he went to prison there.

【小题3】Why did Mandela wash his clothes especially clean although he was in prison?

A．To show he could do it as well as others.

B．To get some sense of pride and satisfaction from it.

C．To show others that he preferred to be clean.

D．To gain the authorities' permission to start a garden.

【小题4】Hard as he tried, he failed ____ at last.

A．to get a sense of satisfaction and freedom

B．to grow tomatoes and onions

C．to grow peanuts

D．to get the same pride inside prison.

Artie Shaw was born in New York City in 1910. His name was Arthur Arshawsky. His parents were poor immigrants who had come to the United States from Eastern Europe. His family later moved to New Haven, Connecticut.
At the age of fourteen, he began to play the saxophone and then the clarinet. From a very young age, Artie Shaw wanted to play his clarinet better than anyone. He wanted his sound and music to be perfect. He worked at this task much of his life.
He began working as a professional musician when he was fifteen. He left home and began playing in bands across the United States.
In 1928, young Artie Shaw traveled to Chicago, Illinois to hear the great trumpet player, Louis Armstrong. He immediately understood that Armstrong's great jazz sound was the beginning of something new and exciting. Artie left Chicago with a growing interest in jazz music. Soon after, he moved to New York City.
He got work playing the clarinet for the Columbia Broadcast System radio network. In 1936, he was given a chance to form a small group and play at New York's famous Imperial Theater on Broadway. His group was not the top band in the show. But the crowd loved his music. This proved to be a major step in his career.
Artie Shaw was always trying something new, something different. He heard a young black woman sing and hired her for his band. This was the first time that a black woman sang with white musicians. Racial separation was the rule in many states. Artie Shaw did not care.
Artie Shaw wrote several books in his later years. He wrote stories for magazines. He spoke about music at colleges and universities. But he had very little to do with the world of recording or music. During those years however, he received many awards and honors for his music. These included a Hall of Fame award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
【小题1】When he was very young, Artie Shaw was ________.

A．born to a wealthy family

B．a famous singer

C．a man with a great dream

D．was in love with music when he was a baby

【小题2】To achieve his music dream, Artie Shaw ________.

A．first began to play the clarinet

B．wanted to be the most famous musician around the world

C．began playing in bands across the United States

D．became a famous musician when he was fifteen

【小题3】When Artie Shaw became an adult, ________.

A．he showed a growing interest in jazz music

B．he worked for Columbia Broadcast System radio network as a singer

C．he formed a small band when he was twenty three

D．he thought that racial separation should be the rule of the society

【小题4】 In his later years, Artie Shaw ________.

A．almost stopped playing music

B．worked for a magazine as an professional writer

C．he made many speeches about his life at colleges

D．he received many awards and honors for his books

【小题5】Which one can be the title of the passage?

A．Artie Shaw’s Life Stories	B．Artie Shaw — A Crazy Musician
C．Artie Shaw — A Great Writer	D．Artie Shaw’s Music Life

Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit (成套设备)and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: "If those old people next - door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened."
【小题1】Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?

A．Because she didn't mean to disturb others.

B．Because she didn't want others to hear her play.

C．Because she didn't have her own room.

D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors.

【小题2】Brenda started to give concerts _______.

A．when people came to see her in the space bubble

B．when she became part of the unique space journey

C．after she became a real musical astronaut

D．after she practiced in her space bubble

【小题3】Brenda became famous because _______.

A．she was good at music and science

B．she invented a special way of practice

C．she became a real musical astronaut

D．she played well and had a talent

【小题4】Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?

A．Lovely, brave and kind.

B．Brave, kind and hardworking.

C．Kind, hardworking and clever.

D．Nervous, kind and clever.

I was telling my boy Sonny the story of the hare and the tortoise. At the end I said, “ Son, remember: Be slow and steady, and that will win the race. Don’t you think there’s something to learn from the tortoise?”
Sonny opened his eyes wide, “Do you mean next time when I’m entering for the 60-metre race I should wish that Billy, Tony and Sandy would all fall asleep halfway?”
I was shocked, “But the tortoise didn’t wish that the hare would fall asleep!”
“He must have wished that,” Sonny said, “Otherwise how could he be so foolish as to race with the hare? He knew very well the hare ran a hundred times faster than he himself did.”
“He didn’t have such a wish,” I insisted. “He won the race by perseverance, by pushing on steadily.”
Sonny thought a while. “That’s a lie,” he said. “He won it because he was lucky. If the hare hadn’t happened to fall asleep, the tortoise would never have won the race. He could be as steady as you like, or a hundred times steadier, but he’d never have won the race. That’s for sure.”
I gave up. Today’s children are not like what we used to be. They’re just hopeless.
【小题1】The writer argued with his son because _______.

A．he liked tortoises while his son liked hares

B．they disagreed about whether the tortoise was stupid

C．he tried to teach his son the moral lesson of the story but the son refused it

D．he liked the story of the hare and the tortoise while his son didn't

【小题2】Sonny believed that the tortoise ______________.

A．won the race by his own hard working

B．took a risk by agreeing to run a race

C．was not given a fair chance in the race

D．in fact did win the race luckily

【小题3】Billy, Tony and Sandy must be_______________.

A．boys who were unknown to Sonny’s father

B．boys who Sonny has run races with before

C．boys who Sonny has never raced with before

D．boys who Sonny did not expect to race with again

【小题4】 The writer thinks that his generation (一代人) ______________.

A．are cleverer than Sonny’s generation

B．have the same ideas about life as Sonny’s generation

C．are more hopeful than Sonny’s generation

D．have different ideas about life from Sonny’s generation

【小题5】According to the passage, who do you think learnt a lesson? ______________.

A．The tortoise	B．Sonny
C．The hare	D．Sonny’s father

My father had always been an alert observer of human character. Within seconds of meeting someone, he could sum up their strengths and weaknesses. It was always a challenge to see if any of my boyfriends could pass Dad’s test. None did. Dad was always right—they didn’t pass my test either. After Dad died, I wondered how I’d figure it out on my own.
That’s when Jack arrived on the scene. He was different from any other guy I’d dated. He could sit for hours on the piano bench with my mother, discussing some composers. My brother Rick loudly announced that Jack wasn’t a turkey like the other guys I’d brought home. Jack passed my family’s test. But what about Dad’s?
Then came my mother’s birthday. The day he was supposed to drive, I got a call. “Don’t worry,” he said, “but I’ve been in an accident. I’m fine, but I need you to pick me up.”
When I got there, we rushed to a flower shop for something for Mom. “How about gardenias（栀子花）?” Jack said, pointing at a beautiful white corsage (胸花). The florist put the corsage in a box.
The entire ride, Jack was unusually quiet. “Are you all right?” I asked. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he said. “I might be moving.” Moving? Then he added, “Moving in with you.” I nearly put the car on the sidewalk. “What?” I asked. “I think we should get married,” he said. He told me he’d planned his proposal in a fancy restaurant, but after the accident, he decided to do it right away. “Yes,” I whispered. We both sat dumbfounded, tears running down our cheeks. I’d never known such a tender moment. If only Dad were here to give his final approval.
“Oh, let’s just go inside.” Jack laughed. My mother opened the door. “Happy Birthday!” we shouted. Jack handed the box to her. She opened it up. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. “Mom, what’s wrong?” I asked. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes. “This is only the second gardenia corsage I’ve ever received. I was given one years ago, long before you kids were born.” “From who?” I asked. “Your father,” Mom said. “He gave me one right before we were engaged.” My eyes locked on Jack’s as I blinked away(眨掉) tears. Dad’s test? I knew Jack had passed.
【小题1】 According to the text, we know the writer’s father was __________.

A．interested in observing things around

B．good at judging one’s character

C．strict with her boyfriend

D．fond of challenges

【小题2】What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．Jack got the family’s approval except Dad’s.

B．Jack was different from any other boy.

C．Jack was getting on well with Mother.

D．Jack knew a lot about piano.

【小题3】The underlined word “proposal” in Paragraph 5 means __________.

A．piece of advice	B．wedding ceremony
C．celebration of birthday	D．offer of marriage

【小题4】On hearing “moving in with you”, the writer felt __________.

A．pleased	B．worried
C．surprised	D．disappointed

【小题5】Why did the writer’s mother cry?

A．The gift was the same as the one her husband gave her.

B．She had never received such a beautiful gift.

C．Her daughter found her life partner at last.

D．The gardenia corsage was too expensive.

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me if I didn’t got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was.  Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to try hard to think out things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe.  We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
【小题1】Why did the author feel bitter(痛苦) about her father as a young adult?

A．He was silent most of the time.	B．He was too proud of himself.
C．He didn’t love his children.	D．He expected too much of her.

【小题2】When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.

A．nervous

B．sorry

C．tired

D．safe

【小题3】What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A．More critical.	B．More humorous.
C．Easy-going and friendly.	D．Strict and hard-working.

【小题4】The underlined words in the last paragraph refer to ________.

A．the author’s son	B．the author’s father
C．the friend of the author’s father	D．the cafe owner

【小题5】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．the writer's father used to be strict with her when he was a child

B．the writer's father worked hard but cared less for his family

C．it was possibly the first time that the writer had visited her father's new home

D．as a child, the writer loved her father

Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(种族隔离). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(学位证书) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison.

B．The achievements of Nelson Mandela.

C．Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career.

D．Unknown things about Nelson Mandela.

【小题2】 Why did Nelson Mandela love boxing?

A．Because he wanted to be a boxer.

B．Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing.

C．Because he appreciated the strategy in boxing.

D．Because he had nothing else to do in the prison.

【小题3】What happened to Mandela when he was about to give the speech?

A．He broke his glasses into pieces.

B．He had to use his wife’s glasses.

C．He left his own glasses at home.

D．His wife wanted to borrow his glasses.

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Nelson Mandela was not his original name.

B．Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher.

C．Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years.

D．Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree.

My father was a St. Bernard (圣伯纳犬), and my mother was a collie (科利牧羊犬). This was what my mother had told me. I did not know these nice differences myself. My mother like to say them and see other dogs look surprised and jealous(嫉妒的), wondering how she got so much education. But, indeed, it was not real education.
She got the words by listening in the dining room and the sitting room when there were people talking, and by going with the children to school and listening there. Whenever she heard a word showing great knowledge, she said it to herself many times so that she could keep it until there was a meeting in the neighbourhood. Then, she would show off her knowledge and surprise them all, from small-sized dogs to large-sized dogs.
If there was a stranger being doubtful and getting his breath to ask her what it meant, she always explained to him in detail. He had never expected this but thought he would make fool of her. However, in the end, he was the one who was fooled. The others knew what was going to happen, because they had experienced that. When she explained the meaning of a big world, no dogs doubted if it was right. It was natural, because, for one thing, she answered very quickly and confidently, and for another, there were no knowledgeable dogs pointing out the answer was wrong.
When I was older, she brought home the word, “unintellectual”, and worked on it very hard all the week at different meetings. It was at this time that I realized she made up a fresh meaning of the same word every time. It showed that she was more calm than knowledgeable.
(From A Dog’s Tale, by Mark Twain)
【小题1】Why were other dogs jealous of “my” mother?

A．Because her child was not a dog.

B．Because “my” mother knew everything.

C．Because they knew nothing about “me”.

D．Because they thought “my” mother was educated.

【小题2】Where did “my” mother learn the words?

A．She made up the words by herself.

B．She learnt the words studying at school.

C．She listened and memorized when others were talking.

D．She attended meetings to learnt the words from other dogs.

【小题3】How could “my” mother always fool other dogs?

A．Other dogs all liked to be fooled.

B．She could explain anything in detail correctly.

C．She learnt a lot of tricks to make fool of others.

D．Other dogs were not knowledgeable enough to find out her mistakes.

【小题4】What words can be used to describe “my” mother?

A．friendly and clever	B．calm and confident
C．quick and experienced	D．devoted and knowledgeable

Robert Frost was at heart a mean-spirited human being, not the kind of man one would expect to write poetry. He was born in San Francisco. Frost entered Dartmouth University in 1893, but dropped out, and switched to Harvard, which he attended for two years. He started a brief teaching career, where he was inspired to become a poet by some of his students’ work. Frost stopped teaching and became a farmer. During this time he wrote numerous poems, and a couple of short stories. While he was a farmer he started to think seriously about becoming a famous poet.
In almost all of his poems, Frost wrote in the first person. The first widely-read poem that he published was called My Butterfly. At first his audience was very small, but with his Collected Poems he became famous. Robert Frost received almost all the awards that there were for poetry. His poetry describes the forces of nature, and the violence and deep emotional(情感的) needs of human beings, which reflect the experiences of his childhood.
Robert Frost will always be known as one of the best poets in history. His way of putting emotion and violence into words is remarkable(非同寻常的). His talent for poetry is natural-born and he had discovered this when he started to farm. Even though he treated his wife and children terribly, he still became one of the best-known poets of his and our day.
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．Robert Frost had been a famous writer before he started teaching

B．Robert Frost wrote his poems mostly in the first person

C．Robert Frost was very famous at the beginning of his writing career

D．Robert Frost began to write poems when he was a teacher

【小题2】According to the passage, Robert Frost was famous for ________.

A．his teaching career

B．his life experiences

C．showing strong feeling in his poems

D．his interest in poems

【小题3】The last paragraph of the passage mainly tells us ________.

A．why Robert Frost stopped farming

B．why Robert Frost was so famous

C．about his masterpieces(杰作)

D．about the way he treated his wife and children

【小题4】From the passage we know that ________.

A．Robert Frost’s most famous poem is My Butterfly

B．Robert Frost began to write when he was in college

C．Robert Frost gave up studying at Dartmouth University

D．his poetry showed the violence of war and his childhood