--Which car is better, the red one or the black one?

--I prefer the red one, but it is really a matter of personal________.

A. taste B. style

C. affair D. tradition

--How about your trip to Italy?

--Oh, ________ the fine weather, we enjoyed ourselves indeed.

A. but for B. thanks to

C. in spite of D. in favor of

A lot of dirty clothes require ________ so she will not go out shopping this weekend.

A. clean B. to clean

C. being cleaned D. cleaning

She was invited but she didn’t want to go to the party, so she________an excuse.

A. put up B. gave up

C. made up D. showed up

--What shall we do tonight then?

--________ --whatever you want.

A. Help yourself B. It’s a deal

C. No problem D. It’s up to you

An old man lived in the suburb of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single of his life. He sat at the street corner and begged for almost 20 years.

His house was , and a stench (惡臭) came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The could not stand the smell anymore, they asked the police officers to clean the place. The officers down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had over the years.

The police the money, and they soon that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

He said nothing at all: he went into his house and the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and to beg.

, this old man had no great plans, or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story except staying on the things we enjoy doing, commitment (專心,敬業(yè)). We should remain true to our , although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally . Just keep it in mind that commitment attracts .

1.A. bus B. car C. taxi D. train

2.A. day B. week C. month D. year

3.A. wide B. dark C. same D. lonely

4.A. huge B. dirty C. pleasant D. neat

5.A. officials B. neighbors C. onlookers D. children

6.A. but B. so C. yet D. as

7.A. knocked B. climbed C. jumped D. rolled

8.A. stolen B. donated C. collected D. hidden

9.A. counted B. washed C. burned D. made

10.A. admitted B. denied C. agreed D. realized

11.A. enjoy B. share C. hear D. announce

12.A. doubt B. evidence C. need D. time

13.A. locked B. opened C. cleaned D. broke

14.A. refused B. continued C. learned D. requested

15.A. Sadly B. Surprisingly C. Obviously D. Luckily

16.A. cars B. friends C. jobs D. dreams

17.A. focused B. calm C. open-minded D. silent

18.A. career B. god C. money D. country

19.A. agree B. enjoy C. disapprove D. advise

20.A. confidence B. courage C. attention D. wealth

Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.

He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock(鬧鐘). He tried to shave(刮臉) quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed, he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing(熨), so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter(表). He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.

In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.

1.Harry had .

A. a lucky day B. an unlucky day

C. a busy day D. a good day

2.Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.

a. The man who read the electricity meter came.

b. Harry ironed his shirt.

c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.

d. There was a knock at the door.

e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.

A. a, b, c, d, e B. b, a, d, c, e

C. b, a, c, d, e D. c, b, d, a, e

3.Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?

A. The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt.

B. The only other needed ironing.

C. He had only one shirt.

D. He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt.

4.Harry was taken to the police station because .

A. his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there

B. there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi

C. a man killed a woman with a knife

D. the murderer was seen to run away in a taxi

5.His boss told him to go away and find another job because .

A. he had been kept by the police

B. there was blood on his shirt

C. he was late for work

D. he had killed a woman

You choose to be a winner!

The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account (交易賬戶) where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7–that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers:

●No account keeping fees!

You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees!

●Excellent interest rates!

You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits (儲蓄) without taking them out in a month.

●Convenient

Teenagers are busy–we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet … You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part–time job!

●Mega magazine included

Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.

The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form. You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key–card) but it is easy. We can’t wait to hear from you. It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!

1.The Winners Club is a bank account intended for .

A. parents B. teenagers

C. winners D. adults

2.Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?

A. Special gifts are ready for parents.

B. The bank opens only on work days.

C. Services are convenient for its members.

D. Fees are necessary for the account keeping.

3.The Winners Club provides magazines which .

A. encourage spending

B. are free to all teenagers

C. are full of adventure stories

D. help to make more of your money

4.If you want to be a member of the Club, you must .

A. be an Internet user

B. be permitted by your parent

C. have a big sum of money

D. be in your twenties

5.What is the purpose of this text?

A. To set up a club.

B. To provide part–time jobs.

C. To organize key–cards.

D. To introduce a new banking service.

For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.

Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.

The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.

A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.

Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise--he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.

1.There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage.

A. 3 B. 4 C. 6 D. 7

2.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_________”.

A. I give him the cold shoulder

B. I think he is a cold-blooded man

C. I think he is a cold fish

D. I’m likely to get cold feet

3.If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________.

A. she is a cold-blooded killer

B. she gets cold feet

C. she is a cold fish

D. she is out in the cold

4.We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.

A. cold-blooded B. cold shoulder

C. cold feet D. cold-hearted

5.The topic of this passage is about _________.

A. the relationship between cold and our body

B. some expressions about friendship

C. some expressions connected with cold

D. how cold weather comes into being

Do you blank out or feel so nervous in exams that you have trouble writing answers to questions that you knew just last night? If so, you likely have a case of test anxiety.

But, don’t be afraid. By recognizing the problem, you are taking the first step towards overcoming it.

Believe it or not, a touch of nervousness can sharpen your mind, allowing you to perform more quickly. This is because under stress, the body releases the hormone adrenaline (腎上腺素), which prepares it for something important that will happen. However, too much anxiety can result in sleeplessness, loss of appetite before tests, and poor performance. Some people might feel hot and tired. With great anger they often shout or complain for no reason.

If you worry a lot or are a perfectionist, you are more likely to have trouble with test anxiety. Those who have prepared poorly for a test or have had negative experiences taking tests may also experience test anxiety.

When you feel a storm of anxiety coming on, stop what you’re doing and make your mind a blank. If possible, actually tell yourself to “STOP!” This will get your mind off the stress. Then think of being at a place of comfort and let your body relax. As you continue the test, find questions you know the answers to and answer them first. This will help restore your confidence.

Important of all, talk to yourself using positive languages. Make it a habit to replace each negative thought with a logical reason. For example: “I've studied hard and I know the material, so I'm ready to do the best I can.”

Another thing you can do is to learn to accept mistakes. In fact, they can be valuable learning opportunities.

Last but not least, start test preparation early-three to five days ahead of the quiz or test. After all, good study habits and skills-for example, time management and note?taking will give you the feeling that you are in control.

1.What is probably the best title of the passage? ( No more than 10 words )

________________________________

2.Who will more easily suffer from test anxiety according to the passage? ( No more than 10 words)

3.What does the underlined word “hot” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? (No more than 3 words)

________________________________

4.What makes you feel that you are in control of the test in the last paragraph? (No more than 7 words)

________________________________

5.Do you think that a touch of anxiety can have a positive effect? And why? (No more than 20 words)