■
　　- Passage 1 -
　　Several days ago， while I was logging onto QQ， my cousin’s QQ head popped out online. We hadn’t seen each other for a few months， so I decided to start a conversation with her. My cousin is studying in a college of our city. Her hobby is surfing the Internet. Every time I am on the computer， she is always online， listening to music or decorating her “personal space”. I like visiting her space. It’s creative and modern and worth a visit. I can’t imagine my designing such a colorful web page.
　　When I read the sentences she sent to me， I noticed that the Chinese characters had been changed， but I could still guess their meanings. I took a strong interest in this type of new characters. Further observation made me realize that they added some common Chinese radicals （部首） to the original characters， making them more vivid， a little like Japanese. My cousin said this gave new life to the Chinese language and culture.
　　It is true that the Internet has reinvented our language， but I still can’t accept this new cultural language. Some Chinese characters have meanings in the shapes； one shouldn’t superficially change them by adding an additional radical. So I persuaded my cousin to change her new idea and use standard （标准的） characters to communicate. And she willingly accepted my advice.
　　（ ）1. The author’s cousin was a（n）
　　.
　　A. engineer B. teacher
　　C. model D. student
　　（ ）2. The author would like to visit his cousin’s space because .
　　A. he wants to design a web page
　　B. the music is well worth listening to
　　C. it is very attractive and popular
　　D. it is the best one on the Internet
　　（ ）3. The underlined word “reinvented” in the passage means “ ”.
　　A. discovered B. improved
　　C. introduced D. destroyed
　　（ ）4. We can infer that .
　　A. the author is a teacher in a college
　　B. the author can design a webpage
　　creatively
　　C. the Chinese characters have been
　　changed into Japanese
　　D. the author thinks people should
　　use standard characters to
　　communicate
　　（ ）5. The last paragraph mainly tells us that
　　.
　　A. the Internet has an effect on the
　　Chinese characters
　　B. the Chinese people have learned
　　a lot from the Internet
　　C. the QQ message online is very
　　useful to everyone
　　D. the text messages is more impor- 　　tant than the QQ messages
　　- Passage 2 -
　　Gina， a six-year-old girl， was the only child of her parents. When she was a small child， her parents never refused her anything. And she， in turn， always thought that she should get what she wanted.
　　One day， Gina’s mother suddenly noticed that her daughter was not ready to share anything with her friends， such as a book， a toy or something to eat. Most children did not like to play with her daughter. They said she bossed （支配） them around and made them cry.
　　In fact， Gina had no friends until Rita joined her class. Rita sat next to Gina. They became desk mates. One day， the teacher
　　told Rita to do her math exercises again. The little girl cried because the whole class had laughed at her. Although the teacher told her how to do them， Rita was just not able to understand.
　　Gina told her mother about Rita’s cry-ing in class. “Why don’t you try to help her in a friendly way？” asked her mother， “She is new here. If you help her， she will understand. In this way， you might become good friends.”
　　“Mum， I don’t have time to waste. What can I do if she refuses me？” said Gina. “But Rita is your desk mate. If you don’t help her， who will？” advised her mother.
　　“OK， let me try.” Gina did so and finally they became good friends.
　　（ ）6. Most children disliked Gina because
　　.
　　A. she was the only child at home
　　B. her parents didn’t help others
　　C. she bossed and made them cry
　　D. she didn’t share things with
　　others
　　（ ）7. Gina had friend（s） until Rita came to her class.
　　A. no B. several
　　C. many D. one
　　（ ）8. Rita cried because .
　　A. she was new and had no friends B. she didn’t finish her homework
　　C. she couldn’t understand her lessons D. she was laughed by her classmates
　　（ ）9. Gina made friends with Rita by
　　.
　　A. laughing at her
　　B. helping her
　　C. bossing her
　　D. making her cry
　　（ ）10. We can infer that Gina’s mother
　　________.
　　A. also bossed others at home
　　B. was too busy with her work
　　C. was wise to help Gina make friends D. was clever to help Rita herself
　　- Passage 3 -
　　I began working in journalism when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself， and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition. 　　With my magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I tried to make sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was suppertime， I walked back home.
　　“How many did you sell， my boy？” my mother asked.
　　“None.”
　　“Where did you go？”
　　“The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
　　“What did you do？”
　　“Stood on the corner waiting for some-body to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
　　“You just stood there？”
　　“Didn’t sell a single one.”
　　“My God， Russell！”
　　Uncle Allen put in， “Well， I’ve decided to take the post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickel （五分镍币）. It was the first nickel I earned.
　　Later my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells， add-ress adults with self-confidence， and persuade them by saying that no one， no matter how poor， could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
　　One day， I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
　　“If you think you can change your mind like this，” she replied， “you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that， as soon as school was over， I should start ringing doorbells， selling magazines. Whenever I said no， she would scold me.
　　My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother， dissatisfied with my father’s plain （平淡的） workman’s life， determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that， forty years later， such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.
　　（ ）1. Why did the boy start his job young？
　　A. He wanted to be famous in the
　　future.
　　B. The job was quite easy for him.
　　C. His mother had high hopes for him.
　　D. The competition for the job was exciting.
　　（ ）2. From the dialogue between the boy and his mother， we learn that the mother was .
　　A. excited B. interested
　　C. ashamed D. disappointed
　　（ ）3. What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up？
　　A. She forced him to continue. B. She punished him.
　　C. She gave him some money. D. She changed her plan.
　　（ ）4. What does the underlined phrase “this battle” mean？
　　A. The war between the boy’s parents. 　　B. The arguing between the boy and his mother.
　　C. The quarrel between the boy and his customers.
　　D. The fight between the boy and his
　　father.
　　（ ）5. The passage is mainly about .
　　A. the early life of a journalist
　　B. the early success of a journalist
　　C. the happy childhood of the writer
　　D. the important role of the writer in
　　his family
　　- Passage 4 -
　　I worked as a music teacher for twenty-five years. I have always known that music touches the soul.
　　I would like to share how music broke through a physical problem and made a connection with a young student. For a few years I was happy to have the opportunity to teach pre-school disabled students one after-noon a week. One of my most memorable students was a young girl I will call Cindy. Cindy was six years old， had difficulty in walking， and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Cindy liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was “John the Rabbit”. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped twice while singing the repeating phrase， “Oh，yes！” Cindy liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. She never said or sang a word.
　　One day late in the school year， when the song was finished， Cindy turned around， looked me dead in the eye， clapped her tiny hands twice and said the words “Oh， yes！” I opened my mouth in surprise and for that moment I was the one who could not speak. When my heart finally started beating again， I looked over at the homeroom teacher to find her also speechless. Through music， we had made an amazing connection.
　　Several years later， I passed Cindy on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile and then clapped her hands twice， mimicking （模仿） the song we had performed so many times in our music class. This precious little girl， through her connection with music， left all impression on me that will last forever. Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us as educators to discover the way to reach every one of our students. We all must find each child’s 1ight.
　　（ ）1. How often did the writer have music lesson for pre-school disabled students？
　　A. Once a week.
　　B. Twice a week.
　　C. Once a month.
　　D. Twice a month.
　　（ ）2. Which of the following is NOT true about Cindy？
　　A. She had difficulty in walking. 　　Besides learning skills， study groups can make students have fun in their studies， because students see it as an activity instead of a task. So they will never get tired of study.
　　（ ）1. Form paragraph 2， we learn that a study group .
　　A. teach students how to do sports
　　B. helps students learn lessons only
　　C. encourages students to set a goal
　　D. can help students do teamwork
　　（ ）2. If Jim has trouble learning Math，
　　he’d better choose .
　　A. a study center
　　B. a study club
　　C. a study group
　　D. a sport group
　　（ ）3. By preparing for their lessons in a group， students can .
　　A. learn to deal with teachers
　　B. be confident in themselves
　　C. encourage each other
　　D. have fun taking part in activities
　　（ ）4. Students in a group have fun with study because ________.
　　A. they see it as an activity
　　B. they regard it as a task
　　C. they think of it as an order
　　D. they treat it as a discussion
　　（ ）5. From the passage we can learn that a study group .
　　A. is good for poor students
　　B. makes a lot of money
　　C. helps students a lot
　　D. encourages students in sports
　　- Passage 3 -
　　Most people want to be happy， but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting happiness. Aristotle， a Greek thinker， said， “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” In other words， we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.
　　The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often， we spend so much time thinking about the future—for example， getting into college or getting a good job—that
　　we fail to enjoy the present. You should enjoy life’s simple pleasures， such as reading a good book， listening to your favorite music， or spending time with close friends. People who have several close friends often live happier and healthier lives.
　　Another secret to living a happy life is to be active， and have hobbies where you forget your problems and time. Many people experi-ence this by dancing， or playing a sport， such as swimming. You can forget about your problems， and only think about the activity. Finally， many people find happiness in helping others. Studies show that people feel good when they spend their time helping others. If you want to feel happier， do good things for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies， go shopping to buy food for an elderly person， or simply help out around the house by washing the dishes. 　　（ ）1. The best title of the passage is
　　.
　　A. Money Makes You Happy
　　B. The Secrets of Happiness
　　C. Ideas for Helping Other People to Be Happy
　　D. Good Friends Make You Happy
　　（ ） 2. The second paragraph tells us that ________.
　　A. the more friends you have， the
　　happier you will be
　　B. we shouldn’t think about our
　　future
　　C. happiness is to enjoy the simple
　　things in life
　　D. some people fail to live a happy
　　life
　　（ ）3. The passage gives us ________ piece（s） of advice on happiness.
　　A. one B. two C. three D. four
　　（ ）4. The writer thinks that ________.
　　A. everyone knows how to live a
　　happier life
　　B. it’s wrong to spend time on work
　　C. hobbies take up too much time
　　D. doing good things for someone
　　can make you happier
　　（ ）5. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage？
　　A. Reading a good book.
　　B. Traveling to a foreign country.
　　C. Playing a sport.
　　D. Spending time with close friends.
　　- Passage 4 -
　　Many years ago my student asked me the question， “Mrs. Kindred， why do you teach？” Without taking time to think， I answered， “Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone’s life.” Even though I was sincere， that wasn’t a very good answer and he didn’t stop.
　　“Let me get this straight，” he said， “You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone？” He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away， looking confused （困惑的）.
　　Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach， there are days when I wonder. On those days， I remind myself of the real reasons I teach：
　　It’s in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher， and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 2010. She passed me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
　　Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond， the ripples （涟漪） go on and on until they reach the shore. You can’t have ripples without a “stone”. Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference， and that’s what I tried hard to do.
　　I really love teenagers.
　　I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs， and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life， I want to do so. If they allow me to celebrate their victories with them， I want to do it， too. 　　Teaching isn’t for everyone， but I know I made the right choice.
　　（ ）1. Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher？
　　A. Because he thought her answer was
　　unbelievable.
　　B. Because the writer wasn’t
　　sincere.
　　C. Because the student was naughty.
　　D. Because the answer was difficult to understand.
　　（ ）2. What do you think of the writer？
　　A. Stupid. B. Honest.
　　C. Creative. D. Polite.
　　（ ）3. The underlined word “potholes” means ________.
　　A. trouble B. happiness
　　C. pots D. lucky
　　（ ）4. We can infer from the text that ________.
　　A. the writer was also a good teacher in school
　　B. the writer often plays with her
　　students beside a pond
　　C. the writer devotes herself to
　　teaching and her students
　　D. the writer often goes home with
　　the students
　　（ ）5. The passage is mainly about ________.
　　A. a student’s silly question B. a good teacher who likes students
　　C. a confused student D. the reason why the author teach
　　- Passage 5 -
　　Lots of kids love video games. In fact， they like them so much that they might hear something like this from mom or dad： “Enough！ Stop and find something else to do！”
　　It can be good advice. Studies show that certain video games can improve hand-eye skills， problem-solving skills， and the
　　mind’s ability. But too much video games playing can cause health problems.
　　It’s hard to get enough active play and exercise if you’re always inside playing video games. And without enough exercise， kids can become overweight （超重的）.
　　Really too much video games playing can also be bad for kids’ friendships and school grades. But here’s the good news： Playing video games some of the time can be OK. Just aim for no more than 1 or 2 hours a day and choose good games.
　　What’s a good game？ That depends on how old you are. Your mom or dad can help choose some that suit you. If you can choose one to improve yourself and make progress， that’s even better.
　　As a teenager， you might challenge your mom， dad or even your grandma to play with them or try out some cartoons. By doing so， you can improve friendships with them and even make them feel more comfortable. However， most teens hate to do so. They prefer to play alone or with friends. But to be honest， this really makes great difference. 　　There’s a lot of discussion these days about video games. People who （parents， teachers） care want to know how to help kids to choose good games.
　　（ ）1. Studies show that for kids certain video games are ________.
　　A. harmful B. helpful
　　C. tiring D. embarrassing
　　（ ）2. It’s ________ for school children to play too much video games.
　　A. good B. friendly
　　C. bad D. lonely
　　（ ）3. Children can choose good games with the help of ________.
　　A. their parents B. their friends
　　C. the teachers D. the companies
　　（ ）4. Most children prefer to play games with others except ________.
　　A. parents B. friends
　　C. alone D. peers
　　（ ）5. The problem about playing video games is ________.
　　A. what to do with school work
　　B. how to plan their play time well
　　C. what to do with their friendships
　　D. how to help choose good games
　　- Passage 1 -
　　Why do dogs eat grass？ Do they have a health problem？ No. Dogs have a habit of eating grass. There are several reasons why dogs may eat grass.
　　Diet
　　A dog would eat grass because green grass is very important to a dog’s diet. Dogs often eat grass because they have not enough vitamins （维他命） in their bodies. Dogs can’t exactly tell people what they’re missing， so they find a way to solve the problem themselves. In order to have a well balanced diet， dogs often eat pieces of grass as a supplement （补充）.
　　Upset Stomach
　　Many dog owners find their dog vomiting （呕吐） after eating grass. So they think eating grass may make dogs sick. In fact， dogs eat grass when they’ve eaten something bad for them or if they have an upset stomach. Grass works as a stomach irritant （刺激品） to cause vomiting. Eating grass can make dogs feel better.
　　Danger
　　Not all grass and plants are healthy. Many plants are poisonous （有毒的）， so dog owners had better grow green grass in the garden. Dogs mustn’t eat mushrooms （蘑菇） because they might make dogs sick or even dead.
　　If you wish to stop your dog from eating grass， you can buy dog food with enough vitamins， such as food with greens and grains that your dog needs in its diet.
　　In a word， eating grass is healthy and common for most dogs.
　　（ ）1. If a dog is eating grass， it ________.
　　A. is its illness
　　B. is eating for fun
　　C. has a health problem
　　D. is its life habit
　　（ ）2. Dogs often eat grass because they ________.