My son Karl talked little 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the more I tried, the more withdrawn he became. His report card arrived, saying that he had been absent 95
times from classes and failed in the exams. I sent him to the school advisor, and I even begged him. Nothing
worked.
     One day, 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, 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 marked (顯著的) improvement in his grades. Last week I attended a parent-
teacher meeting with Karl. His teachers praised him a lot and were amazed 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."

1. The word "withdrawn" in the first paragraph probably means _____.

A. 好奇
B. 孤僻
C. 害羞
D. 脆弱

2. The phone call the mother got was made by _____.

A. Karl
B. a stranger
C. her husband
D. the headmaster

3. There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.

A. the line was busy at that time
B. something might be wrong With the line
C. the speaker was too moved to say anything
D. the speaker waited for her to finish speaking

4. Karl turned himself around because _____.

A. his teachers asked him to do so
B. he failed many times in the exams
C. he wanted to make his mother proud
D. the headmaster had phoned his mother 

5. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Children in single-parent families often have problems.
B. Mother's love plays an important role in children's life.
C. Being understood by parents is very important to children.
D. School education doesn't work without support from parents.

     Joe and Helen Mills had two small children. One was six and the other four. They always resisted (拒絕)
going to bed, and Helen was always complaining (抱怨) about this and asking Joe for help. But as he did not
come home until after they had gone to bed during the week, he was unable to help except at weekends.
     Joe considered hint: self a good singer, but really his voice was not at all musical. However, he decided that
if he sang to the children when they went to bed, it would help them to relax, and they would soon go to sleep.
     He did this every Saturday and Sunday night until he heard his small son whisper to his younger sister, "If
you pretend that you're asleep, he stops."

1. The children always resisted going to bed, which _____.

A. made Helen happy
B. satisfied their mother
C. Helen was not satisfied with
D. pleased their father

2. The husband couldn't help the wife to look after the children _____.

A. because he came back from work early
B. since his voice sounded like a singer's
C. except on Saturday and Sunday
D. for he did not come home at weekends

3. Joe worked _____.

A. all the week including Saturday and Sunday
B. during the week including the weekends
C. every day but Saturday and Sunday
D. every week except on Sunday

4. What can we learn from the above story?

A. Joe's song helped the children to relax.
B. With Joe's help, the children went to sleep.
C. The wife must be thankful to her husband for the great help.
D. The children were so tired of their father's voice that they pretended to be asleep.

5. This joke tells about _____.

A. Joe and Helen
B. Helen's trouble
C. Joe's silly action
D. the bright idea of Joe

     A father of 20 has been reunited with 11 of his estranged (分開的) children thanks to a photographer
he met after saving a Blaina stab (刺) victim's life.
     Mr. Holpin was enjoying a night out at Blaina Fair when he witnessed a young girl attacked by a man
with a knife. He bravely removed the weapon from the attacker, and saved the girl.
     Betina Skovbro was sent to photograph Mr. Holpin for a newspaper covering the story, and they had
a pleasant conversation. Miss Skoybro said, "He mentioned he was a father to 20 children, 11 of whom
he had no contact with, and he showed me the tatto (紋身) on his back of a huge family tree covered with
all his children's names, which I thought was amazing."
     Betina was moved by his story and decided to help him, so they began looking for his missing children
and documented the process with photographs.
     "It was strange at first being photographed, but I got used to it. We ended up spending a year together,
and Betina became like a member of the family-she even spent Christmas Day with us." With Benita's help,
they searched for the missing children from four previous relationships.
     One of the last photographs Belina took was published in National Geographic magazine. It was about
Mr. Holpin cradling (抱) his youngest child, while the baby's name was added to the family tree on his back.
     He said, "Each time I met one of my children, I had no idea what to say. I told them that the reason I
have my tattoo is because even though I had no way of getting in contact I was always thinking about them."
     Mr Holpin's children were just as shocked as he was to meet with their father-one daughter had even been
told that he was dead. A lot of his kids had been told bad things about him. He said, "I have had my troubles
in the past, but hopefully the story about the stabbing and Miss Skovbro's photographs have helped prove that
I am not a bad guy after all, and I really love all my children."
     Now, he is really close to his kids and they're close to him. He expressed that he wouldn't lose touch with
them again.

1. Betina met Mr. Holpin for the first time to _____.

A. take a photo for him for a newspaper
B. help him find his missing children
C. document the process with photographs
D. spend the Christmas Day with his family

2. Mr Holpin thought that he kept the tattoo on his back _____.

A. not to lose contact with his family
B. to search for the missing children
C. be reported by a newspaper
D. not to forget all his children all the time

3. What might most of Mr. Holpin's missing children think of him?

A. He had died.
B. He was a bad father.
C. He must have some troubles.
D. He loved them very much.

4. Which would be the best title of the passage?

A. Father of 20 Finds Children
B. A Father and His 20 Children
C. A Father Saved a Girl Bravely
D. A Father and His Story

     When I walked into the house after school, the first thing I noticed was a box with items I recognized
from my dad's office. When he told me that he was laid off, I thought he was joking. Then I noticed his
seriousness and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker. He has prided
himself on his career. 1_____ I guess I had taken his work for granted. 
     2_____ For starters, he was home all the time. It meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up,
and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer
searching for jobs. 3_____ He seemed down, though he tried to be optimistic. He asked my brother and
me to spend less. I gave up my spending money, which wasn't much. I also found a part-time job. 
     4_____ He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business.
Day by day, I watched him build it. One evening I asked if he needed help. "Only if it doesn't affect school,"
he said. I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. 
     5_____ The terrible experience for our family taught me how to deal with difficulties. Now I know that
through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plan B. I can ask for help and take risks. What I have
learned from my dad's understanding of business and his work ethic (信條) are two of the most important
lessons I will ever learn. And they will be my principles for success.

A. Providing for our family has been his joy.
B. I made every effort to solve his problems.
C. I began to notice how losing his job had affected him.
D. My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives.
E. After months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction.
F. His courage and determination helped him to become successful in his new career.
G. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action influenced me a lot.

     No one else knew about the extra club in Zach Nash's golf bag. It belonged to a friend, and Zach forgot
it was there as he played his way to victory in a junior tournament (錦標賽) last summer in Wisconsin, US.
     The 14-year-old accepted his medal, celebrated with his grandparents who had come from a long way
to watch. But when he stopped by his country club to share the news, a professional player noticed something
wrong. "Count your clubs," he told the teenager.
     Fifteen-one more than allowed. Zach's eyes filled with tears.
     If Zach had just won a basketball championship or a soccer game and someone had discovered a violation
after the win, it would not have mattered. It is nothing unusual for a soccer player to dive to the turf to draw
fouls (假摔以使對方犯規(guī)).
     Golf is different. In a win-at-all-costs world, the game holds itself to a higher standard. Golf isn't a game
where referees watch closely. In golf tournaments, dozens of competitors are spread across acres of land, so
officials cannot hope to see each shot. Competitors call penalties (處罰) on themselves.
     "It was a sport for gentlemen, and gentlemen did not care about winning. They care about doing the right
thing," said Robert Simon, a golf coach at Hamilton College in New York.
     Honesty became a medal of honor. When one of the game's early stars, Bobby Jones, was praised for
calling a penalty on himself at the 1925 US Open, he replied:"You might as well praise a man for not robbing
a bank."
     So even the error had no effect on Zach's final score-he has never used the extra club, the teenager packed
up his medal and dropped it in the mail. "But this is golf, and rules are rules. I just knew what I had to do," he
said.
     Then came another tournament. Before teeing off (開球), Zach counted his clubs-four times.

1. What can we infer from the text?

A. A friend put an extra club in Zach's bag.
B. Zach returned the medal that he had won.
C. Zach's grandparents encouraged him to play fair.
D. Zach regretted meeting with the professional player.

2. According to Robert, golf is different from other sports in that _____.

A. honor comes before victory
B. players are superior to coaches
C. referees have to watch each shot
D. players needn't care about medals

3. What can be learned from the underlined sentence?

A. One should be praised-for not robbing a bank.
B. Bobby looked down upon bank robbers.
C. Little did Bobby care about the penalty.
D. Observing rules demands no praise.

4. Why did Zach count his clubs four times before the following tournament?

A. He remembered the lesson.
B. He lacked self-confidence.
C. He felt a little too nervous.
D. He was no good with numbers.