“Yes, I’ll be ready at nine in the morning. Goodbye, dear, and thanks again.” It had not been an easy telephone call for Mrs. Robson to make. Her daughter had been very kind, of course, and had immediately agreed to pick her up and drive her to the station, but Mrs. Robson hated to admit that she needed help. Since her husband had died ten years before, she had always been proud of her independence. She had continued to live in their little house, alone.
On this evening, however, she was standing at her living-room window, staring out at the SOLD notice in the small front garden. Her feelings were mixed. Of course, she was sad at the thought of leaving the house, as it was full of so many memories. But at the same time she was looking forward to spending her last years near the sea, back in the little seaside town where she had been born. With the money from the sale of the house, she had bought a little apartment there. She turned from the living room window, and looked round at the walls. There was a small fish tank, with two goldfish in it. When asked why, her husband used to say, “It’s nice to have something alive in the room.” Since he had passed away, she had always kept some goldfish, had always had “something alive in the room.”
The next morning, as her train was pulling out of the station, Mrs. Robson called to her daughter, “Kate, you won’t forget to collect the goldfish, will you? The children will love them. It’s …” “I know,” Kate interrupted gently, “It’s nice to have something alive in the room.” 
小題1:According to the passage, we know that Mrs. Robson _________.

A．was tired of living alone

B．was not liked by her daughter

C．did not like asking people for help

D．did not want to be visited by her daughter

小題2:Mrs. Robson was going to _______.

A．be in hospital	B．live with her daughter
C．travel abroad alone	D．live where she was born

小題3:The feelings of Mrs. Robson on her last night in the house were________.

A．sad and hopeful	B．regretful and excited
C．sad and regretful	D．excited and hopeful

I moved to a new neighborhood two months ago. In the house with a large  21  across the road lived a taxi driver, a single parent with two school-age children. At the end of the day, he would  22  his taxi on the road. I  23  why he did not park it in the garage.
Then one day I learnt that he had another car in his garage. In the afternoon he would come home  24  work, leave his taxi and go out for his  25  affairs in his other car, not in his taxi. I felt it was  26 . 
I was curious to see his personal car but did not make it until I  27  to be outside one evening two weeks  28  ,when the garage door was  29   and he drove out in his “own” car: a Rolls-Royce（勞斯萊斯）! It shook me completely  30  I realized what that meant. You see, he was a taxi driver. But 31   inside, he saw himself as something else: a Rolls-Royce owner and a（n）32  . He drove others in his taxi but himself and his children in his Rolls-Royce. The world looked at his taxi and  33   him a taxi driver. But for him, a taxi was just something he drove for a living. Rolls-Royce was something he drove for a（n）34  . 
We go to bed every night and  35   every morning as parents or children, not as bankers, CEOs or professors. We go for a  36   as close friends or go for a vacation as a  37 . We love life as it is. Yet often, we base our entire happiness and success on how high we  38   the social ladder—how much bigger and better a  39 we have. And we ignore our Rolls-Royce, by keeping it dusty in our garage. We should focus more on  40  we are than what we do! 

小題1:	A．window B．garage C．door D．yard

小題2:	A．park B．stop C．check D．repair

小題3:	A．knew B．understood C．a(chǎn)sked D．wondered

小題4:	A．for B．out of C．without D．from

小題5:	A．business B．national C．personal D．public

小題6:	A．wasteful B．meaningful C．wonderful D．plentiful

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)ppeared B．intended C．expected D．happened

小題8:	A．later B．more C．a(chǎn)go D．before

小題9:	A．broken B．fine C．shut D．open

小題10:

A．once B．before C．when D．until

小題11:

A．far B．deep C．long D．little

小題12:

A．driver B．engineer C．father D．son

小題13:

A．called B．made C．elected D．turned

小題14:

A．experience B．earning C．life D．position

小題15:

A．stay up B．wake up C．stay home D．go home

小題16:

A．competition B．performance C．debate D．party

小題17:

A．family B．company C．team D．whole

小題18:

A．build B．climb C．stand D．lay

小題19:

A．house B．garage C．car D．taxi

小題20:

A．who B．what C．which D．Where

Friendship is one of the basic bonds (紐帶) between human beings. While the characteristics of friendship might vary from one country to another, people from all cultures not only enjoy friends but need them.
　　Many studies have shown that teenagers who have no friends often suffer from psychological disorders. It has been shown that teenagers, perhaps more than any other age group, need companionship and a sense of belonging. The negative consequences of loneliness have also been observed among the elderly. The death of a spouse often leaves a widow or a widower totally bereft (失去). If, however, they are surrounded by friends and relatives and if they are able to articulate（清楚表達(dá)） their feelings, they are more likely to recover from their grief.
　　“No man is an island.” In other words, we are all parts of society. We all need the love, admiration, respect and moral support of other people. If we are fortunate, our friends will provide us with all of these necessary aspects of life.
　　As most people observe, there are many levels of friendship. The degree or intensity of friendship varies depending on the personality of the individuals involved and the context of the relationships. Extroverts (性格外向者) enjoy being surrounded by many people whereas introverts（性格內(nèi)向者）are perhaps content with fewer but more intense friendships.
　　Everyone is not equally open with all their friends. The degree of intimacy (密切) is determined by many factors. Close friends can be formed at any stage in one’s life but they are usually very rare. Not very many people have more than a few really close friends. Irrespective of the level of intimacy, all friendships are based on reciprocity（相互性）, honesty and a certain amount of love and affection.
小題1:The second paragraph implies that _____..

A．teenagers without friends will suffer from psychological problems

B．a(chǎn) widow or a widower will die very soon without companionship

C．human beings need companionship and a sense of belonging

D．both A and B

小題2:The degree of intimacy of friendship mainly depends on _____ .

A．a(chǎn)ge

B．belonging

C．personality

D．culture

小題3:The author thinks that close friends _____ .

A．can be easily formed when one is young

B．cannot be long-lasting

C．a(chǎn)re not rare for everyone

D．a(chǎn)re rare for most people

小題4:The word “irrespective”(Last sentence, Para. 5) means _____ .

A．not respecting

B．dishonoring

C．regardless

D．Considering

When I come across a good article in reading newspapers, I often want to cut and keep it．But just as I am about to do so, I find the article on the   36  side is as much interesting．It may be a discussion of the way to  37  in good health, or  38  about how to behave and conduct oneself in society．If I cut the front article, the opposite one is likely to  39   damage, leaving out half of it or keeping the text 40  the title．Therefore, the scissors would  41  before they start,  42   halfway done when I find out the  43   result．
Sometimes two things are to be done at the same time, both worth your  44 ．You can only take up one of them, the other has to wait or be  45  up．
But you know the future is unpredictable—the changed situation may not allow you to do what is left 46  ．Thus you are  47   in a difficult position and feel sad．How  48  that nice chances and brilliant ideas should gather around all at once? It may happen that your life   49  greatly on your preference of one choice to the other．
In fact that is what  50  is like: we are often  51   with the two opposite sides of a thing which are both desirable like a newspaper cutting．It often occurs that your attention is drawn to one thing only  52   we get into another．The  53  may be more important than the latter and give rise to divided mind．I  54   remember a philosopher's remarks: "When one door shuts, another opens in life．" So a casual  55   may not be a bad one．

小題1:	A．front B．same C．opposite D．either

小題2:	A．get B．keep C．lead D．bring

小題3:	A．a(chǎn) report B．news C．a(chǎn) theory D．a(chǎn)dvice

小題4:	A．reduce B．suffer C．prevent D．cause

小題5:	A．on B．for C．without D．off

小題6:	A．use B．stay C．prepare D．handle

小題7:	A．or B．but C．so D．for

小題8:	A．satisfying B．surprising C．regretful D．impossible

小題9:	A．courage B．strength C．a(chǎn)ttention D．patience

小題10:

A．given B．held C．made D．picked

小題11:

A．near B．a(chǎn)lone C．behind D．a(chǎn)bout

小題12:

A．caught B．a(chǎn)ttracted C．filled D．struck

小題13:

A．dares B．deals C．comes D．does

小題14:

A．goes B．changes C．progresses D．improves

小題15:

A．life B．society C．nature D．study

小題16:

A．supplied B．faced C．connected D．fixed

小題17:

A．before B．a(chǎn)fter C．until D．a(chǎn)s

小題18:

A．following B．next C．a(chǎn)bove D．former

小題19:

A．a(chǎn)lmost B．a(chǎn)lso C．once D．still

小題20:

A．treatment B．choice C．a(chǎn)ction D．remark

Normally when I pop in to see my parents, my mum bursts out of the house with a big smile. Not today. "Your brother," she says, "he's showered twice this afternoon. Does he know how much it costs to run this house?" Are we limiting water now? I didn't think the recession(蕭條) had got that bad. My poor brother is a boomerang kid. Like 60 percent of guys immediately after university, he's back at home. Graduating ￡15,000 in debt and faced with unpaid internships(實(shí)習(xí)期) or low wages thanks to the flooding of the market with graduates, a lot of twenty some things simply don't have the necessary income or parental support to live independently.
Three years after getting their degree, most graduates are still not earning above the average salary. They have a near 50 percent tax burden, thanks to student loan repayments and council tax on top of income tax and national insurance. Unless you have parents who can afford to finance what is effectively a second home for them, returning to the parental nest is often the only affordable option.
The boomerang effect is becoming even more pronounced thanks to the recession. One in four of those losing their job during the downturn is under 25. Only 13 percent of final-year students have jobs. Home is the only place many are going: 111,000 16-29 year olds moved back home in 2008, five times the average of previous years.
Boomeranging is bad news. It poses serious problems for parents' finances. They've already supported their children through university, topping up loans with handouts, averaging ￡12,300 in total, to keep twenty somethings afloat. Now their retirement savings are being eaten away by continuously dependent children.
It’s bad for the returning kids too. Ambitious young people will be left frustrated, seeing their university peers from more wealthy backgrounds excel only because parents' money was there to support them through the initial period of poverty wages. Those living in rural areas are further disadvantaged by lack of access to cities where most new jobs are located. Half of all young people now feel they will not achieve their goals. Research by the Prince's Trust reveals that one-quarter of all 16-25 year olds are regularly down or depressed. And depression does not help self-motivation, the very trait needed to seek out job opportunities.
小題1:In paragraph 1, the mother’s criticizing her son for showering too often shows _________.

A．the price of water has increased

B．she thinks her son is selfish

C．her son is an economic burden

D．she wants to have a shower herself

小題2:What is the boomerang mentioned in the passage?

A．A person earning low income.

B．A person who has heavy tax burden.

C．A youth who cannot get parental support.

D．A youth returning to parents after graduation.

小題3:According to the passage, which of the following does NOT contribute to the tax bill of most young graduates?

A．National insurance.	B．Income tax.
C．Council income.	D．Student loans.

小題4:Who is comparatively most affected by the recession according to the passage?

A．Those who haven’t completed their university studies.

B．Those who are supported through by their parents.

C．Those who can have access to the urban facilities.

D．Those who were born into the well-off families.

小題5:Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Global Recession

B．Boomerang Kids

C．Unemployment Rate

D．Falling Incomes

In 1956 Phoenix, Arizona, was a city with boundless blue   1 . One day as I walked around the house with my sister Kathy’s new parakeet （小鸚鵡）on my finger, I wanted to show Perky what the sky looked like. I took him into the backyard, and then, to my horror , Perky flew off. The enormous, blue sky swallowed up my sister’s blue  2   and suddenly he had gone, clipped wings and all. 
I told Kathy about Perky's disappearance and I was anxious that she would blame me. But , unexpectedly, Kathy managed to   3  me. With fake optimism, she even tried to convince me that Perky would find a new    4   . But I was far too clever to   5   that such a thing was possible.
Decades later, I watched my own    6  growing. We shared their activities, spending soccer Saturdays in folding chairs with the   7 of the kids’ friends, the Kissells. The two families went camping around Arizona together. We became the best of friends. One evening, the game was to tell Great Pet stories. One person claimed（宣稱） to  8  the oldest living goldfish. Someone else had a psychic dog. Then Barry, the father of the other family, took the floor and ___9___that the Greatest Pet of All Time was his blue parakeet, Sweetie Pie.
"The best thing about Sweetie Pie," he said, "was the  10   we got him. One day, when I was about eight, out of the clear, blue sky, a little blue parakeet just  11   down and landed on my finger."
When I was finally able to  12 , we examined the amazing evidence. The dates and the locations and the pictures of the bird all  13 . It seems our two families had been  14  long before we ever met. Forty years later, I ran to my sister and said, "You were  15 ! Perky lived!"

小題1:	A．lake B．sky C．parakeet D．backyard

小題2:	A．pleasure B．sadness C．treasure D．sense

小題3:	A．forgive B．comfort C．help D．delight

小題4:	A．parent B．home C．nest D．fellow

小題5:	A．imagine B．suppose C．doubt D．believe

小題6:	A．birds B．happiness C．worries D．children

小題7:	A．parents B．birds C．interests D．games

小題8:	A．catch B．find C．buy D．have

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)nnounced B．said C．retold D．hoped

小題10:

A．day B．place C．way D．story

小題11:

A．floated B．dived C．settled D．went

小題12:

A．think B．speak C．interrupt D．explain

小題13:

A．came up B．turned up C．turned out D．matched up

小題14:

A．known B．fastened C．connected D．introduced

小題15:

A．right B．wrong C．silly D．mad

Once there was an old farmer, with a horse which was almost as old as himself. He __16__ one morning with his young son, 17   the horse before it died. Father and son walked, 18 the farmer did not want the horse to be 19 . ?
They met two men on the road20 said: “Why are you walking, farmer? You have a horse. It's __21__to market.” The farmer knew that this was__22__, so he rode on the horse, __23__his son walked. ?
Then they met two old ladies. “__24__are you doing up there, farmer? Can't you__25__how tired your boy is?” __26__the farmer got down, and his son rode__27__. ?__28__, three old men stopped them. One said: “Why are you walking, farmer?__29__. It's too hot for an old man like you to walk today.” So the farmer got up　 30__his son, and they__31__. __32__, a young woman passed them. “Why aren't you walking?” she asked. “It isn't __33_ to market. Give your poor old horse a rest.”
So the farmer, and his son, got down__34__.
It is a fact that you cannot please__35__the people all the time.

小題1:	A．set out B．set up C．set down D．set

小題2:	A．selling B．buying C．to sell D．to buy

小題3:	A．so B．because C．that D．when

小題4:	A．very tired B．too tired C．quite tired D．tiring

小題5:	A．which B．who C．a(chǎn)s D．where

小題6:	A．a(chǎn) short way B．a(chǎn) long way C．the right way D．the wrong way

小題7:	A．real　 B．true C．truly D．really

小題8:	A．while B．when C．a(chǎn)s D．during

小題9:	A．What B．How C．Why D．When

小題10:

A．see B．watch C．look D．notice

小題11:

A．Because B．As C．For D．So

小題12:

A．thus B．yet C．instead D．either

小題13:

A．First　 B．Finally C．Near D．Next

小題14:

A．Sit down B．Sit up C．Get up D．Get down

小題15:

A．behind B．a(chǎn)fter　 C．beside D．a(chǎn)bove

小題16:

A．walked on B．rode on C．moved on D．drove on

小題17:

A．Some time later B．A moment ago C．In no time D．At once

小題18:

A．near　 B．long C．far D．short

小題19:

A．once again B．on their own C．the other day D．a(chǎn)ll the same

小題20:

A．both B．each of C．a(chǎn)ll D．none of

One day a student went to see his teacher. He had been given an important position and now was coming to say goodbye to his teacher. The old man asked him how he would live among high officials. The student answered, “ I will be all right. I have prepared a hundred high hats, one for each official I will meet. I am sure I will succeed.” The teacher got angry on hearing this.  “What?” he cried. “Is this what ten years of my teaching has made of you? Nothing but flatterer(拍馬屁的人)?” “Excuse me, honored(尊敬的) master,” the student  rose to his feet and apologized hurriedly. “But you have always been absorbed in(沉浸于) your studies and don’t know how vulgar(庸俗的) the world has come to be. There are few men in the world who are above flatterers like you.” “There is something true in what you said,” the teacher nodded, smiling with one of the student’s “high hats” on.
小題1:The student came to say goodbye to his teacher because_____________.

A．he had got hundred hats to sell

B．he had got a fairly high position in society

C．he wanted to see his parents in his home town

D．he moved away to another city

小題2:The student would live among high officials by___________.

A．selling hats to them

B．making a hundred hats for them

C．flattering them

D．serving them

小題3:The teacher was angry with__________.

A．himself

B．the society

C．his student

D．high officials

小題4:The phrase “rose to his feet” means________.

A．stood up	B．kicked with his feet
C．became quite excited	D．raised his feet

小題5:The teacher____________.

A．liked to be flattered as well

B．really knew nothing about the vulgar world

C．was in need of a high hat

D．was satisfied with the new hat

A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.
“What’s the problem?” The vet asked him when he arrived.
“My cow’s ill,” the farmer said. “I don’t know what's the matter with her. She’s lying down and won’t eat. She’s making a strange noise.”
The vet looked over the cow. "She’s certainly ill," he said, "and she needs to take some very strong medicine."
He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, "Give her these. The pills should make her better."
“How should I give them to her?” the farmer asked.
The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That’ll make it."
The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.
“How’s your cow?” the vet asked.
“No change,” the farmer said, “and I’m feeling very strange myself.”
“Oh?” the vet said, "Why?"
“I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow’s mouth and then put two pills down it.”
“And?” the vet asked.
“The cow blew first,” the farmer said.
小題1:In the story, the vet must be _________.

A．the farmer's friend	B．a(chǎn) milk factory
C．a(chǎn) hospital for cows	D．a(chǎn) doctor for animals

小題2:The farmer asked the vet for help when his cow _______

A．couldn't lie down	B．didn't eat the pills
C．couldn't make any noise	D．was ill

小題3:What medicine did the vet give the farmer?

A．Bottle of pills.

B．A long tube.

C．Two pills.

D．A small box.

小題4:The vet taught the farmer how _________.

A．to blow the tube

B．to make the cow take the pills

C．to take the medicine

D．to put the tube in his mouth

小題5:Which of the following is true?

A．The farmer ate the pills himself.

B．The cow got better after taking the medicine.

C．The vet came to help the farmer change the cow the next day.

D．The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day.

Abuse can be defined as “to treat wrongfully or harmfully”. There are different categories of abuse that have been recognized and within our case study there appear to be two distinct forms of abuse, family abuse and child abuse. These can be subdivided into terms of physical abuse and psychological abuse. Physical abuse is the intentional physical injury or harm or deliberately not preventing harm occurring. The minimum physical signs seen in our study of James are bruises but they might feel more painful to his heart than the more serious invisible injuries. Emotional abuse is the continual failure to meet basic emotional needs. Emotional development is prevented and well-being harmed. The emotional signs in our case study can be seen in James by his actions of being withdrawn and non-communicative. The behavioural sign to abuse taking place to James is his aggressive behaviour.
The short term effect of physical abuse on James is physical pain. In the long term, injuries that often happen can result in secondary illness and complications, permanent scars or even disabilities. His emotional effects in the short term are a fear of people, withdrawal, and poor relationship with others. The long term emotional effects could be low self-respect, depression, inability to form relationships.
Abuse can arise for many reasons and there are a number of theoretical views which may be useful in clarifying why the abuse has taken place. The female view believes that sex and family roles give approval to a culture of abuse. Considering the historical and fixed ideas, men have power and control. In James’ case he lives in a re-constructed family with the father being rude and a heavy drinker. From a psychological angle, alcohol misuse can bring mental health problems which may increase aggression in the person and so James is more at risk from abuse by his stepfather. The relationship between the mother and James involves a dependency of James on his mother. With other problems in James’ mother’s life, this leads to increasing stress and the inability of his mother to cope with and manage a family with four children borne by two mothers. The attachment theory states that significant separations of a child from the carer in the early years can have an effect on their emotional development and can lead to psychological and social difficulties in later life. The loss of both his father and his half sister’s father with whom he lives may have contributed to his behaviour.
Abusive behaviour can sometimes be the result of mental health problems, brain damage or being abused themselves. By becoming the abuser they believe they are taking control; some even believe that they are not doing anything wrong and cannot stop themselves. When working with individuals who have abused, it is important to be aware that they may go on to abuse again and there is a need to protect the community from the abuser.
小題1:Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “bruises” in Paragraph 1?

A．Slight injury

B．Deep Cut

C．Body disability

D．Inner wound

小題2:According to the writer’s case study, which of the following cases can be defined as abuse?

A．A father scolds his son because he doesn’t pass the exam in school.

B．A car knocks down a woman but the driver doesn’t take her to hospital.

C．A father never talks to his daughter and shows no interest in what she does.

D．A husband is angry with his wife when she stays out late into the night.

小題3:From the passage we can infer that ______________.

A．James’ step father doesn’t show any concern for his mother

B．James’ mother gave birth to a girl in the re-constructed family

C．James’ stepfather is rude to all the children in the family

D．James’ mother loves her husband more than her own son

小題4:Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A．Categories of Abuse	B．How to Prevent Abuse
C．Abuse and Its Causes	D．Effects Caused by Abuse