I used to be a mortgage broker(貸款中間人) in the Phoenix area. In April 2007, the company that I had been with for a year went out of business. That was the latest of the four companies that I had worked for since 2000 .They all either went under or let most of the employees go, including me.
In December 2007, the bank took back my house, and I had no choice but to move in with my parents, five miles away. My sister has three children, and she had no room. My fiancée(未婚妻), Brandi Wetch, and I have been living in my parents’ house for about a year and a half now.
My mother, Sue, works part-time at a high school library. My father left for a job in the Marshall Islands a few months ago and will be gone for two years.
I’m trying to be patient with finding a new job, but it’s been hard. I check the Internet for jobs every morning. I have sent countless letters but have never got a job. I have no idea how many other people are applying for the same job.
I do the housework and washing, and I take care of the garden. Sometimes, I feel like the best part of my life is over. The worst part of the day is when I chat with my friends on the Internet. I’ve talked to about 10 old friends online. The first thing they usually ask is what I’m doing now.
My mother, who is in her 60s, has been so patient and supportive. She acts like she’s happy to have us, not like we’re crowding her. We have learned what’s important since I lived here.
小題1: We can infer that the writer is living a _________ life.
A．busy B．rich C．difficult D．hopeful
小題2: How long has the writer been out of work?
A．For more than a year B．For a year and a half
C．For less than two years D．For more than two years
小題3:Which of the following types of work is NOT done by the writer in his parents’ house?
A．Looking after children B．Doing the housework.
C．Washing clothes and dishesD．Applying for a job online.
小題4:It can be learned from the passage that the writer now________.
A．is preparing for his wedding B．is fond of doing the housework
C．is patient with job-hunting D．is afraid of being asked about work

小題1:C
小題2:D
小題3:A
小題4:D
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A thief entered the bedroom of the 30th President of the United States, who met him and helped him escape punishment．
The event happened in the early morning hours in one of the first days when Calvin Coolidge came into power, late in August, 1923．He and his family were living in the same third-floor suite (套房) at the Willard Hotel in Washington that they had occupied several years before．The former President’s wife was still living in the White House．
Coolidge awoke to see a stranger go through his clothes, remove a wallet and a watch chain．
Coolidge spoke, “I wish you wouldn’t take that．”
The thief, gaining his voice,  said, “Why?”
“I don’t mean the watch and chain, only the charm (表墜)．Take it near the window and read what is impressed on its back, “ the President said．
The thief read, “Presented to Calvin Coolidge．”
“Are you President Coolidge ? “ he asked．
The President answered, “Yes, and the House of Representatives (眾議院) gave me that watch charm．I’m fond of it．It would do you no good．You want money．Let’s talk this over．”
Holding up the wallet, the young man said in a low voice, “I’ll take this and leave everything else．”
Coolidge, knowing there was ＄80 in it, persuaded the young man to sit down and talk．He told the President he and his college roommate had overspent during their holiday and did not have enough money to pay their hotel bill．
Coolidge added up the roommate and two rail tickets back to the college．Then he counted out ＄32 said it was a loan (借款)．
He then told the young man, “There is a guard in the corridor．” The young man nodded and left through the same window as he had entered．
小題1:What caused the thief to meet the President?
A．He knew the President had lots of money．
B．He knew the President lived in the suite．
C．He wanted to be a rich businessman．
D．He wanted to steal some money．
小題2:Why did Calvin Coolidge live at the Willard Hotel in those days?
A．Because the former President was still living in the White House．
B．Because the former First Lady hadn’t left the White House．
C．Because the First Lady liked to live there．
D．Because he liked there．
小題3:Coolidge counted out ＄32 ______．
A．in order not to be killed by the thief
B．in order to be out of danger
C．so as to help the young student overcome his difficulty
D．because he had no more money
小題4:The young man’s roommate went back to the college ______．
A．by airB．by waterC．by busD．by train
小題5:Which of the following might happen afterwards?
A．The young student repaid the＄32．
B．The thief was put into prison．
C．The President told many reporters the thief’s name．
D．The President ordered the young man to repay the money．

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


第二節(jié)完形填空（共20小題；每題1．5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36-55各題所給的四個選項（A、Ｂ、Ｃ和Ｄ）中選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
There is a story told about how Neil set about winning over one particular boy．The boy was always causing trouble and clearly regarded all teachers   36 a hostile eye．On one occasion, Neil, out taking a   37 , had just rounded a corner when he came across the boy playing on his own．The boy, not noticing he was no longer   38 , picked up a stone and threw it through one of the school windows．Turning, he saw Neil．Instead of finding himself   39  at angrily as he expected, the boy was   40   to see Neil bend down, pick up a stone and hurl it at another window．The boy had to   41  to get the window repaired, so did Neil．  42  he thought this a small price to pay for   43   a bond between himself and the boy, whose   44 improved afterwards．
Neil was a remarkable character who knew just when to be   45  and just when to adopt a lighter touch when handling children．Not everyone is so   46 ．Willie Russell, the   47 , likes to talk about the time when he had freshly   48  from teacher training college and had just begun to work as a teacher．On his first day at the school he was left to do playground duty on his own, rather a（n）   49  experience for one so new to the job．Surrounded by children at morning break, he turned to see one of the children throwing a stone at a school window．When the boy saw that he had been   50   by a teacher, his face fell．  51  for this boy, Russell remembered the story about Neil．Stooping down he picked up a stone and propelled(投擲) it through another window．Turning to smile proudly at the boy his satisfaction was suddenly shattered by the sound of dozens of windows being   52  by flying stones．
Unfortunately he had failed to take into account the difference between his   53  and the one which Neil had faced, namely that he and the boy were not alone．It was at this point in his career that Russell decided that perhaps he was not quite cut out to be a teacher． Deciding after this that he was not suited to teaching he left to   54  playwriting．Most of his plays are very imaginative and  55 ．A bit like this story, in fact．
36．A．by     B．in      C．with  D．through
37．A．rest   B．exam C．walk  D．trip
38．A．seen  B．a(chǎn)lone C．lonely       D．heard
39．A．shouted    B．stared       C．pointed     D．come
40．A．excited     B．surprised   C．satisfied    D．frightened
41．A．punish      B．pay   C．a(chǎn)gree D．propose
42．A．As    B．While       C．Even if     D．But
43．A．breaking   B．making     C．establishing      D．showing
44．A．character  B．behavior   C．condition  D．grades
45．A．still   B．kind  C．calm  D．firm
46．A．humorous B．strange     C．successful D．clever
47．A．student     B．headmaster       C．playwright       D．teacher
48．A．graduated B．walked     C．studied     D．dismissed
49．A．exciting    B．challenging      C．surprising D．interesting
50．A．blamed     B．stopped     C．met   D．spotted
51．A．Generally B．Fortunately      C．Obviously D．Usually
52．A．hit    B．knocked   C．cleaned     D．brushed
53．A．condition  B．position    C．situation   D．occupation
54．A．pick up     B．take up     C．make up   D．put up
55．A．funny       B．serious      C．realistic    D．critical

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.” I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time,” and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said,  “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
59. By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and_____.
A. preferred to stay alone at home            B. lost interest in his studies
C. refused to talk to others                  D. began to dislike his mother
60. There was silence on the other end of the line because            .
A. the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother
B. the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking
C. the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice
D. the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother
61. The sentence “... he even made the honor roll” means that             .
A. he was even on the list to be praised at the parent-teacher meeting
B. he was even on the list of students who made progress in grades
C. he was even on the list of students who had turned themselves around
D. he was even on the list of the best students at school
62. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Children in single-parent families often have mental problems.
B. Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.
C. Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers.
D. School education doesn’t work without full support from parents.    

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Pete took his seat this day on his usual bench in Union Square．Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years Pete had taken this same seat exactly at one o'clock, and each time the same pleasant thing had happened．But this time Pete had come here more from habit than from hunger．Certainly today Pete was not hungry．Two rich old ladies gave him a Thanksgiving dinner of everything he could eat．
Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move．The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst．The November breeze and the first light fall of snow felt cool and pleasant to his face．He happened to look to the left and there in the distance he saw the old Gentleman coming toward him．He wanted to get up and run, but he was so full of food he stayed right there．Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, the Old Gentleman had come there, found Pete on this same bench, and then taken him to a restaurant and bought him a Thanksgiving dinner．It was a kind of tradition which the Old Gentleman, who had no family and lived alone, had tried to continue．
"How do you do' "said the Old Gentleman．" Glad to see that the changes of another year have permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world．"
Each time the Old Gentleman had said exactly this same thin? It was part of the tradition．Pete, too, began to feel as though he himself was now a part of the tradition, and he therefore did not have the courage to tell the old man that he had already eaten．This dinner seemed to mean so much to the Old Gentleman.
"Thank you, sir, " said Pete at last. “I’ll go with you gladly. I’m very hungry, sir.” Together the Old Gentleman and Pete walked south to the same restaurant where each year Pete had his Thanksgiving dinner. The Old Gentleman seemed pleased and happy. When the waiter brought dish after dish of food to Pete, the Old Gentlenman sat quietly and smiled．Under the circumstances, Pete had to eat．It was part of the tradition, and so he ate like a hero, although when he entered the restaurant even the smell of food almost made him sick．At last Pete leaned back with the battle won．
" Thank you, sir, " he said, with some effort, " for a fine dinner．"
They parted as they did each year at the door, the Old Gentlemen going south, Pete north．
Around the corner, Pete stopped for a moment, felt a terrible pain in his stomach, and then fell to the sidewalk unconscious．A little time later an ambulance came．In the hospital they discovered that he had had an attack of indigestion （消化不良）.
An hour later, another ambulance brought the Old Gentleman to the same hospital．At first they thought it was also indigestion but later one of the nurses said, "That nice old gentleman over there—you wouldn't think that it was a case of hunger．"
小題1:Where did Pete and the Old Gentleman meet every Thanksgiving Day?
A．In the restaurant．
B．In Union Square．
C．At the Old Gentleman's house．
D．At the hospital．
小題2:Which of the following sentences in the passage doesn't show Pete was full?
A．Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move．
B．The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst．
C．Glad to see that the changes of another year have permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world．
D．When he entered the restaurant even the smell of food almost made him sick．
小題3:The underlined sentence "I'm very hungry, sir．" in Paragraph 5 implies that        .
A．Pete didn't have the heart to refuse the offer
B．Pete was so greedy that he wanted to have another dinner
C．Pete was suffering from hunger
D．Pete enjoyed having the Thanksgiving dinner for free
小題4:Which of the following words can best describe the Old Gentleman?
A．Self-centred.B．Mosdest.
C．Stubborn．D．Generous

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Last week, I was invited to a doctor’s meeting at the Ruth Hospital. In one of the rooms a patient, an old man, got up from his bed and moved slowly towards me. I could see that he hadn’t long to live, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close to mine on the floor.
“Frank!” I cried in surprise. He couldn’t answer, as I knew, but he tried to smile, all the time keeping his foot close to mine.
My thoughts raced back more than thirty years － to the dark days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The scene was an air-raid shelter (防空洞), in which I and about a hundred other people slept every night. Among them were Mrs West and her son Frank, who lived nearby. Sharing wartime problems, we got to know each other very well. Frank interested me because he was not normal. He had never been normal, ever since he was born. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had less of a mind than a baby has. Mrs West, then about 75, was a strong, able woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank depended on her completely. He needed all the attention of a baby.
One night a policeman came into our shelter and told Mrs West that her house had been all destroyed. That wasn’t quite true, because the Wests went on living there for quite some time. But they certainly lost nearly everything they owned.
When that kind of thing happened, the rest of us helped the unlucky ones. So before we separated that morning, I stood beside Frank and measured my right foot against his.
They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a spare pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. As soon as he saw me, he came running － and paced his right foot against mine. After that, he always greeted me in the same way.
小題1: How did the writer know that the patient was Frank?
A．He was told that Frank was in the hospital.B．He was invited to study Frank’s illness.
C．Frank’s name was written on the door.D．Frank greeted him in a special way.
小題2: When and where did the writer first meet Frank?
A．In Mrs West’s house in 1941.
B．In an air-raid shelter during the war.
C．At the Ruth Hospital about ten years ago.
D．In London after he Wests’ house was destroyed.
小題3: The unlucky ones mentioned by the doctor were ______.
A．those who suffered from illnessB．those who slept in the air-raid shelter
C．those who were killed during the warD．those whose homes were destroyed in air-raids
小題4:The writer placed his foot against Frank’s before he left the shelter ______.
A．to be friendly towards Frank
B．to see if Frank’s feet were normal
C．to find out if Frank could put on his shoes
D．to teach Frank to greet people in a special way

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest – fach, near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all – expense – paid birthday treat to the capital he just could not refuse.
He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked.
Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said.
During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr Gareth Wardell.
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair – people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized – no wine, no tobacco and no anger.
Before setting off from Swansea with his 76 – year – old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”
小題1:The very reason that Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world is that                .
A．he had already been on the seas to Ilfracombe
B．he was too busy to go too far away from home
C．he couldn’t afford both the time and the money
D．he believed “East or west, home is the best”
小題2:Mr Evans didn’t like the wheelchair simply because                 .
A．he was not used to traveling in it
B．the wheelchair was of poor quality and not easy to operate
C．he actually preferred walking to sitting in it at home
D．he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip
小題3:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Mr Evans had to work hard to raise his family when young.
B．The trip to London excited Mr Evans very much.
C．Mr Evans could not really enjoy the trip because of his age.
D．Humor was one of Mr Evans’ characters.
小題4:The probable explanation to Mr Evans’ long life lies in                  .
A．his good living habitsB．his hard working for the family
C．his sticking to his hometownD．his living conditions near the Swansea

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (試演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.
Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”
In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (樣本唱片) tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil.
In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.
The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (對比) to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.
小題1:Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as      .
A．critical B．doubtfulC．indifferent D．optimistic
小題2:From Para. 4 we learn that Boyle      .
A．was slightly discouraged by her voice coach
B．entered Britain's Got Talent to prove her ability
C．decided to give up her singing career
D．was deeply affected by her mother's death
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?
A．Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008.
B．Her audition for My Kind of People failed.
C．She has never stopped singing since 1995.
D．She was the winner of Britain's Got Talent.
小題4:In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to      .
A．tell us how Boyle's dream came true
B．let us know more about Boyle's personal life
C．show how Boyle was influenced by her family
D．explain how to enter and win a talent show

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


第二節(jié)、完形填空（本題共20小題，每題1分，滿分20分）
閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。
Mr. West wanted to buy his wife a Christmas present, but he was always very   21   , so he was never able to find time to go to the shops. At last, when it was the week   22   Christmas, and the shops were very crowded, he decided that he could not   23  any longer. He worked in an office, and usually  24  lunch in a restaurant, but one day he bought some sandwiches, ate 25  quickly and went out to a big shop near his  26 during his lunch hour.
The shop was full of women, who were also buying   27   during their lunch hour. Mr. West stood   28   at the edge of a crowd of 29  who were pushing forward to try to get to the people who were  30   necklaces and earrings. He tried to move forwards slowly, taking his turn with the others, but more and more women were 31 into the shop the whole time and pushing selfishly (自私地) 32  him. After half an hour, he was just as 33    from the people who were selling the necklaces as he had been when he came in, and his lunch hour was coming to 34   , so he decided to change his 35   of doing things: he put his head down, gave a sudden loud shout and started to  36  his way towards the 37     of the crowd as hard as he could.
The women around him became very 38   when they saw what he was doing, and began to scold (責(zé)備) him. “Why can’t you behave (做事) like a  39  ?”, they shouted.
“Ladies,” he answered them, “I have been behaving like a gentleman for the past half hour, and it has got me   40  , so now I am starting to behave like a lady!”
(   )21. A. lazy            B. unwilling           C. busy              D. forgetful
(   )22. A. before         B. around           C. behind             D. after
(   )23. A. work           B. stay                C. wait               D. think
(   )24. A．had             B．have               C．eat                           D．took
(   )25. A. it                B. them               C. that                            D. those
(   )26. A. car                 B. house              C. restaurant          D. office 
(   )27. A. presents        B. sandwiches          C. clothes            D. food           
(   )28. A. alone           B. quietly             C. politely            D. freely
(   )29. A. women          B. children            C. men              D. strangers
(  )30. A. examining     B. selling              C. choosing           D. buying
(   )31. A. going              B. entering            C. coming            D. running
(   )32. A. behind             B. past              C. over             D. against
(   )33. A. near          B. up                C. far               D. out
(   )34. A. a top           B. an end              C. measure           D. the limit
(   )35. A. idea            B. measure            C. way              D. plan
(   )36. A. step            B. push               C. go               D. pull
(   )37. A. front           B. edge               C. center            D. back
(   )38. A. surprised        B. afraid              C. angry             D. nervous
(   )39. A. gentleman           B. lady              C. woman                 D. man
(   )40. A. anywhere        B. nowhere            C. somewhere        D. everywhere

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