It’s ______ most beautiful furniture, by which I was struck at the first sight and I determined to take ______ possession of it some day.

A. the ; /B. / ; / C. a ; the D. a ; /

The prisoner was released early because of good ____________.

A. conduct B. praise C. comment D. condition

With more forests being destroyed, huge quantities of good earth _______each year.

A. is washing away B. is being washed away

C. are washing away D. are being washed away

In the reading room, we found her _______at the desk, with her attention ______on a book.

A. seated; fixing B. to sit; fixed C. seated; fixed D. seating; fixing

Some years ago when I was in my first year in college, I heard Salome Bey sing for the first time. The moment was exciting. Salome’s filled the room and brought the theater to life. I was so that I decided to write an article about her.

I Salome Bey, telling her I was from Essence magazine, and that I wanted to meet her to talk about her career. She and told me to come to her Studio next Tuesday. When I hung up, I was scared out of mind. I I was lying. I was not a writer at all and hadn’t even written a grocery list.

I interviewed Salome Bey the next Tuesday. I sat there , taking notes and asking questions that all began with, “Can you tell me…?” I soon realized that Salome Bey was one thing, but writing a story for a national magazine was just impossible. The was almost unbearable. I struggled for days draft（草稿）after draft. Finally I put my manuscript（手稿）into a large envelope and dropped it into a mailbox.

It didn’t take long. My manuscript . How stupid of me! I thought. How could I in a world of professional writers? Knowing I couldn’t the rejection letter, I threw the unopened envelope into a drawer.

Five years later, I was moving to California. While my apartment, I came across the unopened envelope. This time I opened it and read the editor’s letter in :

Ms Profit,

Your story on Salome Bey is fantastic. Yet we need some materials. Please add those and return the article immediately. We would like to your story soon.

Shocked, it took me a long time to . Fear of rejection cost me greatly. I lost at least five hundred dollars and the chance of having my article appear in a major magazine. More importantly, I lost years of writing. Today, I have become a full-time writer. Looking back on this , I learned a very important lesson: You can’t to doubt yourself.

1.A. joyB. voice C. speech D. smile

2.A. proudB. activeC. satisfiedD. moved

3.A. visited B. emailedC. phonedD. interviewed

4.A. agreedB. refusedC. hesitatedD. paused

5.A. repliedB. discoveredC. explainedD. knew

6.A. seriouslyB. patientlyC. nervouslyD. quietly

7.A. blamingB. foolingC. invitingD. urging

8.A. hardshipB. failureC. commentD. pressure

9.A. withB. byC. onD. in

10.A. disappearedB. returnedC. spreadD. improved

11.A. compareB. struggleC. surviveD. compete

12.A. ignore B. deliverC. faceD. receive

13.A. decoratingB. repairingC. cleaningD. leaving

14.A. surpriseB. anxietyC. horrorD. trouble

15.A. subjectiveB. detailedC. privateD. complex

16.A. broadcastB. createC. publishD. assess

17.A. recoverB. prepareC. escapeD. concentrate

18.A. energeticB. endlessC. typicalD. enjoyable

19.A. experienceB. successC. benefitD. accident

20.A. attemptB. affordC. expectD. pretend

When you practice reading with passages shorter than book length, do not try to take in each word separately, one after the other. It is much more difficult to grasp the broad theme of the passage this way, and you will also get the stuck on individual words which may not be absolutely essential to a general understanding of the passage. It is a good idea to skim through the passage very quickly first to get the general idea of each paragraph. Titles, paragraph headings and emphasized words can be a great help in getting this skeleton outline of the passage. It is surprising how many people do not read titles, introductions or paragraph headings. Can you, without looking back, remember the title of this passage and the heading of this paragraph?

Most paragraphs of a passage or chapter have a 'topic sentence' which expresses the central idea. The remaining sentences expand or support that idea. It has been estimated that between 50% and 90% of all expositive（說明的）paragraphs in English have the topic sentence first. Always pay special attention to the first sentence of a paragraph, it is most likely to give you the main idea.

Sometimes, though, the first sentence in the paragraph does not have the feel of 'main idea' sentence. It does not seem to give us enough new information to justify a paragraph. The next most likely place to look for the topic sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph.

Remember that the opening and closing paragraphs of a passage or chapter are particularly important. The opening paragraph suggests the general direction and content of the piece, while the closing paragraph often summarizes the very essence（精髓）.

1.It is a good idea to skim through a passage quickly first ____________.

A. at about 315 w.p.m.（words per minute）

B. to get the general idea of each paragraph

C. so that you can take in each work separately

D. to make sure you get to the end at least once

2.The topic sentence of an expository paragraph in English _____________.

A. usually comes in the middle

B. is most likely to be found at the end

C. is most often at the beginning

D. is usually left out in expository writing

3.Most expository paragraphs in English have a clearly defined topic sentence. In such paragraphs the topic sentence comes first ________.

A. in about 5% of cases B in about 80% of cases

C. in about 20% cases D. very rarely

4.Sometimes we know the first sentence is not the topic sentence because ____________.

A. it does not seem to give us enough new information

B. it is not long enough

C. it does not come at the beginning

D. it does not make a complete sentence

5.The closing paragraph of a piece of writing ____________.

A. is not really very important

B. is often unnecessary repetition

C. often comes at the end

D. often summarizes the essence of the passage

Toyota is the world's largest automaker, but its road to success has been long and filled with speed bumps（顛簸）.

1958：The company's first foray into the American market was the Toyopet in 1958. It was a flop.

1964：Toyota introduced their Corona line of automobiles and sales hit 6,400 in 1965, marking an increase in popularity.

1969：Toyota began importing the Corolla and in 1985 it would become the first Toyota built in the U.S.

1975：Toyota surpassed the popular German brand Volkswagen to become the top import sold in the U.S.

1986：The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered its first recall of Toyota cars due to "speed control" problems.

1988：The First North American Toyota plant opened in Georgetown, Ky.

1989：Toyota introduced the Lexus LS 400, the company's first U.S. luxury car. It was a major hit.

1997：Toyota debuted their Prius gas-electric hybrid car.

2002：The first consumer complaints emerged of the Camry's engine surging under braking.

2004：The NHTSA opened a defect investigation into 2002-2003 Camry, Camry Solara and Lexus ES models.

2006：Toyota "Americanizes" and opened a new plant in Texas to build full-size pickups

2007：Toyota surpassed General Motors to become the world's largest automaker.

2007：The NHTSA investigated pedal entrapment in some Toyota vehicles, which led recalls of floor mats on Camry and Lexus models.

2007：The NHTSA investigated pedal entrapment in some Toyota vehicles, which led recalls of floor mats on Camry and Lexus models.

Aug. 2009：An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and three family members were killed when their rental 2009 Lexus ES speeds out of control.

Nov. 2009：Toyota recalled 3.8 million Lexus and Toyota models to remove floor mats that can trap pedals.

Jan. 2010：Toyota recalled approximately 2.3 million more vehicles with potential sticking pedal problems. On Jan. 26, Toyota stopped selling eight models involved in the recall.

Feb. 2010：Prius and Lexus hybrids are now being recalled for brake problems in 2010 models.

1.Which of the following brands belong to Toyota family？

A. Toyopet, Volkswagen, Lexus, Prius

B. Camry, Prius, Lexus, Georgetown

C. Corona, Prius, Lexus, Corolla

D. General Motors, Lexus, Camry, Corolla

2.The underlined word in Para.6 probably means:

A. withdrawal B. sorrow C. appreciation D. resolve

3.We can infer from the passage that____________

A. Lexus LS 400 is a cheaper car

B. Prius may be a kind of environmentally friendly car

C. Corona became popular as soon as introduced to the US

D. Toyota’s plant opened in Georgetown symbolized its “Americanize” tactics

4.The purpose of this passage is to_________.

A. advertise for Toyota

B. display Toyota’s glory

C. uncover Toyota’s braking problems

D. introduce Toyota’ s struggle in the US

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. The world’s largest automaker B. The rise of Toyota

C. Toyota meeting problems in the US D. Toyota’s failure in the US

Would you jump off the Great Wall of China for 300 pounds a day?

A stunt (特技表演)person is a man or woman who does all the dangerous bits of acting work in films or on TV. This can be anything from a simple fall into a swimming pool, or walking off the top of a tall building. It sounds like a job that you would have to be made to try, but there are actually lots of people who want to do it.

Sarah France, twenty-four, is one of Britain’s sixteen professional stunt women ---there are one hundred and sixty stunt men in the country. We asked Sarah how she came to be a stunt woman.

“When I was young I was trained to be a dancer, and for seven years after school I was hardly out of work. A dancer’s life is pretty short, though, and my father suggested I should think about doing stunt work after I’d given up dancing. I thought about it for the next two years and decided to have a go. For six months, I worked really hard every day. I had to learn different skills---swimming, jumping, horse -riding, etc.”

Sarah finished the course in just five months and applied to the office which decides whether you’re accepted as a professional stunt person or not. Two weeks after she was accepted, Sarah was throwing off the Great Wall of China in Superman IV.

“I was very lucky to get work so quickly. I had a small part, playing a traveler who fell off the Wall after an earthquake. The traveler’s life was saved by Superman, of course! Actually, I fell forty-five feet into a pile of cardboard boxes! You can’t use anything softer than that or you will be brought back into view of the cinema. Instead you just have to learn to fall properly. It’s quite dangerous but I enjoy it.”

1.Quite a number of people want to do dangerous acts in films because___________.

A. they are mad B. they don’t think them dangerous

C. no training is needed D. they can earn much money

2.Sarah gave up dancing because___________.

A. her father persuaded her to do stunt work

B. she could not go on dancing forever

C. she had to work hard every day

D. she was often out of work

3.Soon after Sarah got her new job as a stunt person, ______________.

A. an earthquake took place near the Great Wall

B. she fell off the Great Wall and hurt herself

C. she was asked to act in Superman IV

D. she learned how to fall properly

4.Which of the following words best describes Sarah?

A. Healthy B. Adventurous C. Skillful D. Successful

5.The purpose of the first sentence of the passage is to ____________.

A. draw the readers’ attention to the whole passage

B. invite you to try jumping off the Great Wall for money

C. ask you to be a stunt person

D. raise a question for the readers to think about

While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as “Empty Nest syndrome”.

In order to find better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.

The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”.

1.According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.

A. their earlier experience of living alone

B. the poor living conditions in their native countries

C. the common worry that they have not saved much money

D. the distance between where parents live and where their children live

2.Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to ________.

A. realize their dreams in foreign countries

B. seek a better place for their aged parents

C. live in the countries with more money

D. continue their studies abroad

3.If young people go abroad, ________.

A. they do not hold to the value of duty at all

B. they can give some help to their parents back home

C. they cannot do what they should for their parents

D. they believe what they actually do is right

4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that ________.

A. the situations in the developed and developing countries are different

B. “Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society

C. children will become independent as soon as they go abroad

D. the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”

5.The society discussed in the passage is most probably ________.

A. France B. America C. China D. Britain

閱讀下面的短文并回答問題，然后將答案寫到題后的橫線上（請注意問題后的詞數(shù)要求）。

1 A flood is the overflow of a huge amount of water onto normally dry land. Flooding occurs when the overflowing water submerges (淹沒) land, and it causes a lot of problems. It is a cruel and violent expression of water.

2 Floods are often deadly and damaging. They kill lots of people, damage houses and crops, and cause extensive destruction. In broader terms, floods are of two types: natural floods and catastrophic floods. Natural floods are the floods that are caused naturally by the overflow of a huge volume of water, from rivers, lakes, oceans, or by heavy rain or downpours, hurricanes, and so on. Catastrophic floods are floods that are caused by some significant (重大的) or unexpected events, for instance, dam breakages.

3 Heavy rainfall is one of the major causes of floods. The level of water in rivers or lakes rises due to heavy rainfall. When the level of water rises above the river banks or dam, the water starts overflowing, which causes floods. Floods occur more in the regions that ____________.

4 Floods are also caused due to heavy snow melting. Global temperatures are rising due to global warming. The rising temperatures are making the snow caps melt faster. Continuous and fast melting snow raises the level of water in the oceans, which consequently raises the level of water in rivers, and when the level of water in rivers rises above the river banks, it causes floods.

5 Generally, floods occur more in low-lying areas or areas below sea level. One of the main reasons is that rivers flow slowly in these areas. The volume of water increases in low-lying areas. When the level of water rises in these regions, it causes floods.

6 Sometimes floods are caused due to poor dams that cannot hold great volume of water. Therefore, there are always different causes of floods. However, floods caused by humans can be avoided. Humans should let the nature go its own way.

1.What is the main idea of the passage? （no more than 5 words）

_____________________________________________________________________________

2.When do floods occur? (no more than 6 words)

_____________________________________________________________________________

3.What causes catastrophic floods? (no more than 8 words)

_____________________________________________________________________________

4.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 wit proper words. (no more than 4 words )

_____________________________________________________________________________

5.What does the word “They” (Line 1, Paragraph 2) probably refer to? (1 word)

_____________________________________________________________________________