Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph

. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

1.                                                                                                     The text is mainly about ________.

2.          People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.

3.          Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .

4.          What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

5.          The idea of skating______

I love secondhand books far more than new ones! I especially like books that someone else has gone through first. It’s a kind of connection — and an experience of wondering exactly who has been there before…I don’t mind god-eared （折角的）corners；I don’t mind the coffee stain—who cares? Indeed, I don’t even mind the comments at the edge.  
If it were an orginal classic, then the book would be of some importance. But the fact that its pages have been read and probably loved by dozens of people since it was produced is incredible, fascinating and wonderful. Just think — you can find old books that were touched by people in the nineteen fifties. That is interesting, as those people would probably have just come through World War Ⅱ.
But books from the 20s and 30s are even more wonderful to touch. Was it an old lady who poured over my aging Dodi Smith paperback that I found in a secondhand bookshop?
I once sat in the British Library reading books published in the 17th century, touching them, and the excitement was considerable. Imagine — these are books that people read, touched , and wrote comments about hundreds of years ago. Who have touched these books? What were they wearing? What was their work? How did the books make them think?
Now you see— I am just a woman who likes to explore the past. I like anything except the new. Who wants new things? The smell of the chemicals, the sense of being mass-produced…
No! No!
46. We can know that when the writer reads a second-hand book, she usually__________.
A. cleans the coffee stain         B. writes comments at the edge
C. wonders who has read it before  D. only reads the comments written by others
47. According to Paragraph 2, what does the writer find fascinating?
A. The economic value of an original classic.
B. The fact that many old books are about World War Ⅱ.
C. The fact that many people like reading what she likes reading.
D. The fact that a book has been read and loved by many people.
48. The underlined part “Dodi Smith paperback” in Paragraph 3 refers to “ ______”.
A. an old lady         B. a book by Dodi Smith
C. a famous writer      D. a secondhand bookshop
49. After reading the passage, we know that the writer __________.
A. only buys books with dog-eared corners
B. seldom looks back on her past
C. likes the smell of new books
D. doesn’t like things mass-produced today 
50. What is this passage mainly about?
A. The advantages of reading old books.
B. Some of the writer’s strange hobbies.
C. The writer’s love for secondhand books.
D. What the writer does in her spare time.

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND—A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported a proposal to employ dogs as classroom assistants.
At the annual conference of the Professional Association of teachers in Southport, northwest of England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate “accidents”. Wendy Dyble, a Shetland Islands woman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not “barking mad”. They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions(弃权票).
She said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order. “A big dog would also be helpful for breaking up fights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls,” Dyble said at the conference. “The dog will also be useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to,” she added. “It would be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit（犯过者）.” 
The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas.
Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand.
51. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants________
A. is a wonderful idea             
B. can improve the relation between children and animals
C. is beyond ordinary people's minds 
D. can make some teachers lose jobs
52. The phrase “own up to” in the third paragraph means_________
A. admire        B. admit            C. dislike           D. interest
53. What Dyble said at the conference___________.
A. gained some support from the members      B. frightened everyone at the conference
C. interested everyone at the conference        D. caused some trouble to trained dogs
54. A spokesman for Education Secretary           .
A. once used a dog as classroom assistant       B. sang high praise for Dyble's idea
C. would employ dogs as teachers             D. benefited from dogs more than others
55. The last paragraph of this passage   .
A. has nothing to do with the topic of this passage
B. shows there are too many exams in British school
C. provides further facts about the teaching union
D. shows the writer's anger to the union

When other nine-year–old kids were playing games , she was working at a petrol station．When other teens were studying or going out , she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street．But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholar and gain entry to Harvard University．
Her amazing story has inspired a move , “ Homeless to Harvard : The Liz Murray Story ”, shown in late April．
Liz Murray , a year- old American girl , has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination．
Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted．There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house．Liz was the only member of the family who had a job．
Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old．The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life．Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died , she decided to do something about it．
Liz went back to school．She threw herself into her studies , never telling her teachers that she was homeless．At night , she lived on the streets．
“ What drove me to survive had to do with understanding , by understanding that there was a whole other way of being．I had only experienced a small part of the society , ” she wrote in her book “ Breaking Night ”．
She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on．She used the benefits that come easily to others , such as a safe living environment , to encourage herself that “ next to nothing could hold me down ”．
She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University．But Liz decided to leave her top university for a couple of moths earlier this year in order to take care of her father , who has also developed AIDS．“ I love my parents so much．They are drug addicts．But I never forget that they love me all the time．”
Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “ as simple a making a decision．”
【小题1】In which order did the following thing happen to Liz ?
a．Mum died                            b．Worked at the petrol station
c．Got admitted into Harvard           d．had trouble finding a place to sleep

 ---_____________________

--- It’s only five minutes’ walk from here.

A. Could you show me the way to the hospital?  B. Turn left at the traffic light.

C. Shall I take a taxi?                       D. Is it far from here?