"I swear, I didn't steal anything!" I shouted over the alarm. Obviously the security guard didn't believe me
because he seized the shopping bag right out of my hand.
     "Do you have a receipt of this?" he asked doubtfully, putting any new back-to-school outfit (全套設備)
onto the dusty floor near the mall entrance.
     "Of course I do," I replied, fishing my wallet out of my coat pocket. Elsie and Monica, my two best friends,
stood beside me. They were laughing their heads off!
     I almost tore my wallet apart for the receipt, but it had disappeared. "Let me look again," I said nervously.
Then I looked again, and again, and again! My face was getting hotter by the minute, and my heart was beating
like a racehorse.
     Finally, I looked back at the guard and whispered, "It's not here." The guard picked up my clothes and said,
"You'll have to come with me, Miss."
     When he opened the office door, I saw a man sitting behind a big metal desk. It was the manager. Then I
had an idea.
     "May I say something?" I asked. "I can prove I didn't steal this thing." "Then I explained all about the cashier
(出納員). She said that she had bought the exact same outfit as a birthday present for her little sister." "We'll
just see about that," the manager said and went off to find her. Ten minutes later, I was free!
     It was terrible to be unfairly accused of something! Then I remembered shouting at my sister that very
morning for taking my new hair clips.
     Had she really taken them? I made a promise that day never to accuse someone of something without
proof, and I haven't. At last, something good came out of my terrible experience.

1. Why didn't the security guard believe the author?

A. Because she looked nervous at that time.
B. Because she had no money in her wallet.
C. Because she didn't have a receipt for the outfit.
D. Because her face turned red after being caught.

2. That the author's two friends laughed their heads off showed _____.

A. they didn't believe the author
B. they laughed at the author who stole things
C. they expected the author to be caught
D. they played a trick on the author

3. We can infer the author was very _____ from the underlined part in Paragraph 4.

A. careful
B. nervous
C. frightened
D. excited

4. Who proved that the author hadn't stolen anything?

A. The manager.
B. The cashier.
C. The author's friends.
D. The security guard.

5. From her experience, the author learned that _____.

A. you should believe in yourself in face of difficulty
B. it is a terrible thing to be suspected (懷疑) by friends
C. you should ask for a receipt for whatever you buy
D. you should not doubt others if you can't prove it

     Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old
swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving
behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
     He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, a crocodile was
swimming toward him. His mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw the two. In great
fear, she ran toward the water, shouting to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy
became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the
crocodile reached him. From the shore, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the crocodile
snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The crocodile was much stronger
than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard
their screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the crocodile.
     Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely
scarred by the attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails
dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
     The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted
his legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on
my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go."
     Never judge another person's scars, because you don't know how they were made.

1. Which of the following will be the best title for the text?

[     ]

A. Scars of Love
B. A Brave Mother
C. A Terrible Experience
D. Don't Judge by Appearance

2. Hearing Mother's shouts, the boy _____.

[     ]

A. remained in the middle at a loss
B. didn't stop swimming forwards
C. swam back towards the shore
D. was ready to fight the crocodile

3. Which of the following statements is True according to the text?

[     ]

A. A crocodile attacked him when the boy and his mother were swimming.
B. The crocodile bit the arms of the boy when it reached him.
C. There is always an interesting story behind every scar.
D. It was the farmer who shot the crocodile.

4. By saying "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too" in paragraph 4, the boy really wants
to show _____.

[     ]

A. how deep the scars were
B. what a brave boy he was
C. how great and beloved his mother was
D. how many scars and scratches he had

     I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother who owned a bookshop hired me
for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very proud to earn my own pocket money and my parents
never interfered (干涉) with how I spent it, even when I was spending it foolishly. They believed that by
earning money, spending it, and learning from the mistakes, I would become more mature and responsible
about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.
     Like many American parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they worried
a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I
wanted to spend the summer months traveling around Europe. My mother was against the idea of my traveling
alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great experience for me. In the end, my father
won the argument on the condition that I limited my traveling to France, my mother' s home, where I had
many uncles, aunts and cousins spread out through the country who could provide shelter and help if I needed
them.
     Three years later, my younger brother decided to take a year off after his first year in university and travel
through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not eager to see my
brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a fascinating year working his way
on trains and ships to earn passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and
people.
     These kinds of experiences are probably rare for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly
common. Most parents start pushing their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the
time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the
US or other countries on their own, have selected the university they plan to attend and maybe even decided
on their future career, and so on.

1. The writer's parents allowed their kids to travel so that _____.

A. it could make the kids become braver
B. the kids could earn some pocket money
C. the kids could find jobs more easily
D. it could bring good to the kids' future

2. The writer thinks _____.

A. his brother gained valuable experiences during the travel
B. his brother earned a lot of money by working
C. his brother didn't disappoint his father
D. his brother's travel was better than his to France

3. Which of the following statements is True?

A. The author went to France in order to see his relatives.
B. The author's mother managed to stop the kids doing dangerous traveling.
C. The author's brother gave up his university to travel in the USA and the Caribbean.
D. Many American parents encourage their kids do things independently to prepare for the future.

4. The text is mainly about the writer and his brother's stories to _____.

A. do some part-time jobs
B. become independent
C. travel for experiences
D. earn pocket money

     I'm a 20-year-old boy, and the following is my story.
     A month after I graduated from high school in August, 2007, I was coming home from swim practice
in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in
a coma for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital.
     I suffered a lot from the experience of dying eight times during my coma and I couldn't open my mouth
to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around. At that time, it seemed that walking was never
going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body, my dreams were completely destroyed.
But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams.
     After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions, I had to make every great effort to learn
to talk, eat, walk, shower, and live on my own again. When I was out of hospital, I still had to go to outpatient
therapy in Waldorf, Maryland. After I spent a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my
own. It was a miracle that I was able to walk again, but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but
also run. When it came true, I wanted to get back into the pool again. After having a few lung tests, I was able
to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training, I began my freshman year at St.
Mary's College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team.
     By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world. I am just trying to live each day to
the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is to them. I
remember when I was still in my hospital bed, I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair
to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members. I wanted to let them
know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow, things would work out for the best.

1. The underlined word "coma" in Paragraph 2 probably has the meaning of "_____".

A. operation
B. unconsciousness
C. treatment
D. emergency

2. According to Paragraph 3, it can be inferred that the author _____.

A. was unable to talk or communicate
B. was in despair
C. faced physical and mental challenges
D. felt anxious about his state

3. What is the correct order of the following events?
    a. went to outpatient therapy
    b. received membership of the swim team
    c. was pushed around to visit other patients
    d. walked like a baby e. learnt to live all by himself

A. d、a、c、b、e
B. e、c、d、a、b
C. d、c、a、b、e
D. e、c、a、d、b

4. In the last paragraph, the author mainly wants to show _____.

A. his positive influence on other patients
B. his meaningful life
C. his purpose of sharing his story
D. his great achievements

5. The best title for the passage would be "_____".

A. Attitude is everything
B. Actions speak louder than words
C. Everything happens for a reason
D. A good beginning is half done