On the first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder(肩膀). “Hi, girl! My name is Rose, I’m 87 years old.”
“Why are you in college at such a young age?” I asked jokingly.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!”she replied. Rose became a college symbol(象征) this year and she easily on her from the other students.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football party. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old, we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor(幽默) every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose you dreams, you die!”she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do anything, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
She ended her speech by singing The Song of Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live then out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college education she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose did peacefully in her sleep.

1. 1.

   Rose went to college because she         .

   1. A.
      wanted to live longer
   2. B.
      loved to stay with the young
   3. C.
      wanted to realize her dream
   4. D.
      planned to enjoy her life there
2. 2.

   From the story we can see that Rose was    during her stay in college.

   1. A.
      outgoing and popular
   2. B.
      brave and hard-working
   3. C.
      honest and athletic
   4. D.
      calm and creative
3. 3.

   Which of the following is included in Rose’s speech?

   1. A.
      People won’t grow old if they stop playing.
   2. B.
      The more you laugh, the younger you will be.
   3. C.
      People easily become old if they do more things.
   4. D.
      Time is especially important for young people.
4. 4.

   At the end of her speech, Rose asked each of her classmates          .

   1. A.
      to sing along with her
   2. B.
      to sing one’s own song
   3. C.
      to recite the lyrics
   4. D.
      to do as the lyrics said
5. 5.

   Which of the following can best describe the story?

   1. A.
      Live with your dream.
   2. B.
      Find secrets of staying young.
   3. C.
      Learn wherever you are.
   4. D.
      Be happy every day.

A week ago, Columbus Middle School asked the parents of their school to choose a sport for their child to play. Here’s some information about the sports.
Sports 1: Basketball
We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. So students should sign up (报名) as soon as possible. Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park. Each student will have to pay $ 10 each time for the cost of the bus. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game.
Sports 2: Gym
We will use St. Peter’s Park. There are two reasons for choosing this park. First, it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 p.m. Second, it has lots of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent from being thirsty. All the activities here are free. And there will be a teacher on duty for each activity.
Sports 3: Hiking
Hiking (远足)will be at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2:30 p.m. and finish 90 minutes later. There will be 15 students in each group. And three teachers will be with the students. This sport will cost $ 75 per hour. Students should take plenty of water and sunglasses.
Sports 4: Swimming
The Kowloon City Swimming Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and watch the students from the poolside. We will only be able to use the pool for one hour (2: 45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.). Only students skillful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards on watch. Girls must wear swimming suits. The cost is $ 15 per visit.

1. 1.

   The students of Columbus Middle School should __________.

   1. A.
      sign up as soon as possible
   2. B.
      choose a sport to play
   3. C.
      ask their parents to play a sport
   4. D.
      pay money for each sport
2. 2.

   According to this passage, __________ will probably have the most students.

   1. A.
      gym
   2. B.
      hiking
   3. C.
      swimming
   4. D.
      basketball
3. 3.

   One of the reasons for choosing St. Peter’s Park is that__________.

   1. A.
      There is a lot of shade there
   2. B.
      all the activities there are cheap
   3. C.
      the park is very busy before 6: 00 p. m.
   4. D.
      there aren’t many people after 6:00 p. m. there.
4. 4.

   A student need to pay __________ if he goes swimming three times a week..

   1. A.
      $ 10
   2. B.
      $ 15
   3. C.
      $ 45
   4. D.
      $ 75
5. 5.

   From the passage, we know that __________.

   1. A.
      students are able to take part in one of the four activities.
   2. B.
      students will take a free bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park.
   3. C.
      students should take plenty of water and sunglasses at St. Peter’s Park.
   4. D.
      students can take a 10-minute walk to the Kowloon City Swimming from home.

A lift is wonderful. It is really only a small room. Rooms usually stay in one place. Lifts travel up and down all day long.
Sometimes a worker stands in the lift. He or she operates it up and down. In modern lifts there is no worker. The people walk in. They know what floor they want. They push a button and the lift goes to that floor. It is all very fast and easy.
Lifts are very important to us. Why? Think about a tall building. Maybe it has twenty floors. Maybe it has fifty or more. Who can walk up all the stairs? Maybe people can climb them one time. Can someone climb thirty floors to an office every day? Can small children walk up to their room on the twenty-fourth floor? Can their mother and father carry food up all those stairs? Of course not.
We can have high buildings because we have lifts. We could not have all the beautiful tall buildings in the world without lifts. They are really wonderful.

1. 1.

   Which of the following is true?

   1. A.
      A modern lift has no buttons.
   2. B.
      A modern lift has a worker to operate it.
   3. C.
      A modern lift can go up and down with no worker in it.
   4. D.
      A modern lift knows what floor people want.
2. 2.

   If you want to go to the floor you want, you_______.

   1. A.
      ask for help
   2. B.
      open the door of the lift
   3. C.
      ring the bell
   4. D.
      push the right button
3. 3.

   Why do people have to use lifts? Because________.

   1. A.
      they have tall buildings
   2. B.
      they can't walk up and down
   3. C.
      old people and children need them
   4. D.
      lifts are wonderful

Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady