I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would
try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
     The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical
passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, "Love is an act of will. A person can
choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that
would change.
     And it did. On arriving at the beach cottage, I kissed Evelyn meeting me at the door and said, "That
new yellow sweater looks great on you." "Oh, Tom, you noticed", she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe
a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I
started to refuse, but then I thought, "Evelyn's been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants
to be alone with me." We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
     So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell
museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I
made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.
     There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about
it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest
expression.
     "What's the matter?" I asked her.
     "Tom," she said in a voice filled with distress, "I don't?"
     "What do you mean?"
     "Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me?
Tom, you've been so good to me…am I dying?"
     It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.
     "No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms. "You're not dying; I'm just starting to live."

1. From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage _____.

A. with his family
B. with Evelyn
C. alone
D. with his children

2. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because _____.

A. he was determined to be a good husband
B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm
C. she looked lovely in her new clothes
D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill

3. The author says, "There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment." What does "one thing"
     refer to?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.
B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.
C. He knew something about her illness but didn't tell her.
D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

4. By saying "I'm just starting to live," Tom means that _____.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life
B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband
C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change
D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

     Mary and Peter were having a picnic with some friends near a river when Mary notice an object overhead.
"Look!" she shouted to her friends. "That's a spaceship up there and it's going to land here."
     Frightened by the strange silver-colored spaceship, most of the young people got in their cars and drove
away quickly. Peter was fond of Mary and always stayed close to her. They, more curious than frightened,
watched the spaceship land and saw a door open. When nobody came out, they went to the spaceship and
entered inside. Peter followed Mary into the spaceship and did not hear the door closed behind him. The
temperature fell rapidly and the two young people lost consciousness.
     When they woke up, they were surprised to see that they were back by the river again. The spaceship had
gone. Their car was nearby.
     "What happened?" asked Mary.
     Peter scratched (抓) his head, saying slowly, "Don't ask me. Perhaps we had a dream. Did you...Did you
see a spaceship?"
     "Yes," said Mary. "And we both went into it. Then..." she looked at her wrist. "That's funny. My watch
has stopped. Oh, well, come on. It's time to go home."
     Driving about fifty meters, they found their way blocked by a thick wall made of something like glass.
They got out of the car and tried to find their way round the wall but discovered that they were inside a
circular wall. It was like a mirror and prevented them from seeing through it.
     On the other side of the wall, strange creatures walked past slowly. A few stopped to stare through the
wall and read a new notice which, translated into English, said:"New arrivals at the zoo: a pair of Earthlings
in their natural surroundings with their mobile house."

1. When the spaceship arrived, why didn't Peter drive away?

A. He did not like leaving Mary.
B. He knew that the spaceship was harmless.
C. He was too frightened to drive.
D. There was a wall blocking the road.

2. Why did Peter enter the spaceship?

A. He saw the food and was hungry.
B. Mary told him to enter it.
C. He just followed Mary.
D. He wanted to study it.

3. Peter scratched his head so we know that _____.

A. he had lost consciousness
B. he was puzzled and did not know what to say to Mary
C. he had lost his memory
D. he was still half asleep

4. What do the words "strange creatures" mean to tell us?

A. They were wild animals in a zoo.
B. They were robbers.
C. They had landed on Earth in a spaceship and lived there.
D. The young couple were on another planet.

5. Which word in the notice tells us that Mary and Peter were not on earth?

A. natural
B. surroundings
C. Earthlings
D. house

     On a recent morning in Clearwater, Florida, Maja Kazazic jumped down into water. From a distance, the
dolphin seemed friendly enough. Still, Kazazic felt a little panic slide into her excitement. In spite of her fear,
she felt strong wearing her new leg.
     In second grade in Bosnia, Kazazic lost her cousin, Jasmina. Kazazic promised she would honor Jasmina
by swimming with a dolphin, an animal that both girls loved. "Jasmina never got the chance to do it," says
Kazazic,"so I decided that someday I'd do it for her."
     However, in 1993, during the Bosnian civil war, Kazazic was badly injured. Her left leg was cut just below
the knee and she received her first artificial (人工的) leg in the US. Because there was so little bone left, and
with her right leg also damaged, walking was rather painful, but she managed to graduate from college. She
was able to play golf or tennis.
     Then one day a young dolphin, Winter, who had lost her tail, caught Kazazic's eye. Trainers were fitting
Winter with a high-tech tail. When they were done, Winter dashed off through the water.
     Kazazic was excited. If she can do this, there's no way I can't, she thought. Within ten days, she had a
new leg with the help of the inventor. Eight months later, Kazazic was ready to keep the promise. "After being
in a war, this should be a piece of cake," Kazazic said as she lowered herself into the tank. Then and there the
two went on an hour-long swim around the pool.
     When Kazazic climbed out, she quietly said, "I feel like I owed (欠) somebody something, and now I've
paid my debt." Out in the parking lot, she got into her car and cried till she lost her voice.

1. Which of the following might serve as the best title of the passage?

A. Kazazic's Promise.
B. Jasmina's Death.
C. Kazazic's Debt.
D. A Dolphin's Tail.

2. What does the underlined word "panic" mean in the first paragraph?

A. Fear.
B. Surprise.
C. Excitement.
D. Satisfaction.

3. Which is the correct order of the following events?
    a. Kazazic was treated and received a new leg in the US.
    b. Kazazic made a promise to swim with a dolphin.
    c. Jasmina died in Bosnia when Kazazic was in second grade.
    d. Kazazic overcame difficulties and carried out her promise.
    e. Kazazic was badly injured in her legs during the war.

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

4. Kazazic cried in her car after she swam with the dolphin because _____.

A. she was sad her cousin couldn't do it with her
B. she was excited her promise had come true
C. she was afraid she would lose the other leg
D. she was proud she didn't owe money to anybody