Yes, according to a study of people who went to hospital emergency rooms(急診室) with injuries(傷)from skating.

The most common accident

Young, beginning skaters who wear little or no protective gear(裝備) lose balance or hit small stones and fall, landing on their hands which are pushed out.

Types(類型) of injuries

The result of a survey about skaters’ wearing protective gear

How to reduce your injuries

The skater without elbow pads is 10 times more likely to get hurt than a person who wears them. Wrist guards(護腕) provide the same amount of protection. Study found less powerful protection from wearing a helmet or knee pads.

24. According to the article, most injuries happen to skaters’ wrists probably because_______.

A. the wrist is the weakest body part

B. skaters wear improper protective gear

C. skaters don’t care about their wrist injuries

D. skaters often push out their hands when falling

25. Among the skaters who were studied, which of the following groups has the most people?

A. Those who wore helmets.                          B. Those who wore knee pads.

C. Those who wore wrist guards.                      D. Those who wore no protective gear.

26. To reduce most injuries, it is suggested that a skater should at least wear_______.

A. wrist guards and knee pads                 B. a helmet and knee pads

C. wrist guards and elbow pads                 D. a helmet and elbow pads

I have forgotten the name of the old lady, who was a customer(顧客) on my newspaper route when I was twelve. Yet she taught me a lesson that I shall never forget.

On a winter afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the roof of the old lady’s house near her garden. I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and threw it. The stone was too smooth, however, so it slipped(滑) from my hand as I let it go and headed straight for a small window on the lady’s door. At the sound of broken glass, we knew we were in trouble. We ran faster than any of our stones flew off her roof.

I was too scared about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in winter. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn’t been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her trouble. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the newspaper, but I was no longer able to act comfortably when seeing her.

I decided that I would save my paper delivery(送) money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I thought would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope (信封) with a note saying that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost of repairing it.

The next day, I handed the old lady her paper. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of biscuits she had made herself. I thanked her and ate the biscuits as I continued my route.

After several biscuits, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was shocked. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I’m proud of you.”

21. What do the underlined words “be concerned about” mean?

A. wait for　 　　　　　　 B. worry about　　 　 C. argue with 　　　　　　 　　　 D. look after

22. Of the following people, who has similar qualities to the writer that paid for the broken　window?　　

A. Alice, who used to spend most of her pocket money on snacks, now saves money and　donates it to help the elderly. 　　

B. Tom, who used to be shy, kept practising speaking in front of his classmates and has become confident.

C. Ann, who was weak in maths, now often asks her friends for help and has made much progress.

D. Millie, who had stolen her aunt’s necklace, realized her mistake and returned it to her aunt.

23. What can we infer(推斷)from the story?

A. The old lady was such a rich woman that she didn’t care about the money.

B. The old lady forgave the boy for what he had done and returned him the money.

C. The old lady was too proud to accept the money the boy paid for the broken window.

D. The old lady didn’t forgive the boy for what he had done though he said sorry to her.

Around two weeks ago, I was invited to be a judge(裁判) at a college. All of the students had been given a piece of paper with a topic written on it. The first one to speak looked a little   11   . “My dear friends and judges,” he said loudly, “this is an unfair    12   ! I have been given the paper,” he continued, “to speak on the topic with just a few minutes’ preparation,    13   those who come after me have more time to   14   their speeches!” He then left the stage and went out of the hall.

I met him later by chance. “Who said life is   15   ?” I asked him with a smile, and I asked him to walk with me to my car. “Have you seen the figures(數字) they show when a new car is   16   into the market, saying how good it is?” 

“Yes,” he nodded.

“But they put a   17   after all these figures. They say all the figures are in ideal road conditions!”

“Yes,” he said again.

“Can you show me some ideal road conditions?” I asked him, and he smiled. “The car that sells well is the one   18   will provide power and speed on the   19   roads. That car is the winner.”

We had got to the car. “Don’t look for ideal competition conditions,” I said. “   20    the unfair and come out a winner!”

I looked back as I drove away and saw him smile and wave, and I knew he would do as I said.

11. A. unhappy                   B. afraid                   C. ungrateful            D. tired

12. A. college                  B. competition          C. topic             D. judge

13. A. when                   B. so                  C. since             D. while

14. A. wait for                  B. care about          C. work on          D. find out

15. A. easy                    B. fair                C. sweet              D. boring

16. A. produced                B. imported            C. advertised           D. introduced

17. A. word                  B. guide             C. line                D. letter

18. A. that                    B. what               C. who               D. whatever

19. A. best                   B. worst              C. busiest             D. longest

20. A. Fight                  B. Balance             C. Blame            D. Change

— Excuse me. Is the museum open every day?

— 　　　　. It’s only open from Monday to Friday.

A. Yes, of course　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. That’s right

C. I’m not sure 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. I’m afraid not

 As the curtain        , the famous singer came out. The fans        and screamed with excitement.

A. was raised; rose                        B. had been raised; were raised

C. rose; were raised                          D. had risen; raised

 Make a note of the questions you want to ask when you revise your lessons.         , you will surely forget some of them.

A. Therefore             B. Anyway            C. However           D. Otherwise

— Tom, what do you think of the school?

— Oh, no other school is　　　 in the city. It’s　　　 one.

A. better; a better　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. the best; the best

C. better; the best　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. the best; a better

— Just a minute, Tom. Is this the report you need to hand in today?

— Oh, yes, Mum. I thought I had put　　　 in my schoolbag. Thank you.

A. everything　　　 B. something　　　 　 C. nothing　　　　 　 D. anything

— Why have you got so much water here?

— For the trailwalkers. After they finish the tough hike, they need to　　　 lots of water.

　 A. keep off　　　 　　　 B. give out　　　　 C. take in　　　　　 D. put up

 We want to know        he will come back, as we are worried about his safety.

     A. how often         B. how soon           C. how much          D. how long