Let's Bake (烤) Sugar Cookies
     Nobody is actually sure who created the very first cookie. But the first cookie may have been a mistake.
Many cooking experts believe that a long time ago cooks who wanted to test the temperature of their ovens
would bake a little bit to find out if the oven was hot enough to bake an entire cake. These test cakes were
called keokje, which means "little cake" in the language used in the Netherlands. People from the Netherlands
brought the recipe to the United States. The word "cookie" may have come from their word keokje.
     Cookies are also very popular in England, but the English call them "biscuits", as do Australians. Almost
every country has a word for cookie. In Spain, they are called galletas, and in Italy, cookies are called biscotti.
Americans are not the only people who enjoy cookies.
     You can make cookies following these steps:
     ·Preheat oven to 150℃. Put a little butter on a cookie sheet.
     ·Mix together white sugar, brown sugar, butter and eggs. Then add vanilla.
     ·Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Then mix well.
     ·Drop by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.
     ·Bake at 150℃ for 12 minutes or until lightly brown.

1. In which country were the test cakes first made?

A. Spain.
B. Australia.
C. The Netherlands.
D. The United States.

2. What does the first paragraph talk about?

A. Describe how to bake a cake.
B. Tell why people like cookies.
C. Tell when people make cookies.
D. Describe the history of cookies.

3. What is the first step to bake cookies?

A. Heat oven t0 150℃.
B. Mix the butter and the sugar.
C. Test the temperature of the oven.
D. Brush the cookies with some oil.

4. If the cookies look lightly brown, what does this mean?

A. They have burned.
B. They are done.
C. They have become soft.
D. They need to cook for 12 minutes.

     Stamp collecting is fun and easy to do. You do not even have to buy stamps to start a collection. Ask
friends and members of your family for used stamps from letters and postcards. Here is some advice to
get you started.
     Think carefully what kinds of stamps you want to collect when you start. Some people get stamps from
all over the world. Others save stamps from just one country. You might want to save a special type of stamp,
such as animal stamps, sports stamps, or space stamps.
     Keep your stamps in your album, a special book, to protect them. It may have paper pages or plastic ones
with pockets to hold your stamps. Never tape or glue your stamps, because you may damage them.
     Joining a stamp club can help you learn more about stamps. You can also trade stamps with other collectors. 
     Now you know what to do. You can start collecting stamps today!

1. According to the author, collecting stamps is _____.

A. modern
B. easy
C. expensive
D. strange

2. What is the first thing to do in collecting stamps?

A. Trade stamps with foreigners.
B. Save your stamps in a pocket.
C. Decide what stamps to collect.
D. Ask your friends to write to you.

3. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. what are the best stamps to collect
B. why collecting stamps is important
C. how to start a stamp collection
D. where to find a stamp club

     Believe it or not, the ability to choose is the power to change. If you can choose to live your life differently,
will you be the same person?
     Well, choosing to do the following few "simple" things will help to change your life.
     Review your life. Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, "If I do the same thing I do every
day, will there be a change? If I want to change, where will my first step be?"
     Make careful choices. Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life; describe and think what you
really want.
     Keep up with chances. Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your
goals, write them down and see which one suits you most.
     Get down to business. Start working on your goals. People may bring you down; you may have difficulties;
you will fail and want to give up. But the most important thing is never to give up.
     If you try these "simple" things, you will find that success is something for everyone, and you will finally
become what you want to be. Remember, success is more than what you hold in your hands; it is something
from the heart.

1. How many pieces Of advice does the writer give on changing one's life?

A. Three.
B. Four.
C. Five.
D. Six.

2. Once you get down to business, the most important thing is to _____.

A. see possibilities
B. set goals
C. ask for help
D. keep on trying

3. The underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refers to _____.

A. choice
B. change
C. success
D. life

4. This passage mainly discusses the relationship between _____.

A. choice and change
B. power and life
C. choice and difficulty
D. power and success

     The holiday is upon us. Finally, after months of study, you have some time to yourself. So, why not read
a book? Well, some people will say, "Why bother with books? We have the Internet that offers a lot of more
colorful fun. Books are history!" But don't be fooled. I'm sure there's still a lot to be said for reading.
     One clear reason is that a well-chosen book can give you a lot of wonderful vocabulary, so long as you
have a good dictionary, of course. Believe me, it's far easier to get new English words and phrases from a
book or an article than it is from the TV or the Internet.
     But another more important point is that books give you something that the Internet simply can not. The
average webpage is picture-heavy and the text is often designed to make it as easy to read as possible. While
"easy" may attract you, unfortunately it's of little use for any long-term development of reading skills and the
general language level. Because of that, reading on the Internet cannot take the place of reading books.
     But perhaps the best single reason is that simply choosing what you read and doing it independently means
that it's something you do by and for yourself. You can choose what you want to read. It's hard work, but
somewhere down the line, you'll find that what once seemed like a duty is now a pleasure.

1. How many reasons for reading a book does the author mention in the passage?

A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.

2. One clear reason for reading books is that it is much easier to get new _____.

A. fun
B. articles
C. pictures
D. vocabulary

3. Some people say "Books are history!" because _____.

A. they like funny books
B. they don't like reading at all
C. they don't like history books
D. they like reading on the Internet

4. In the author's opinion, _____ can have long-term development of reading skills and the general language
    level.

A. reading books
B. reading on the Internet
C. taking holidays
D. checking dictionaries

5. The writer thinks we can find _____ in reading books.

A. pleasure
B. knowledge
C. facts
D. skills

     Every boy and every girl expects their parents to give them more pocket money. Why do their parents
just give them a certain amount? 1_____
     The amount of money that parents. give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to
family. 2_____ Some children get weekly pocket money. Others get monthly pocket money.
     First of all, children are expected to make a choice between spending and saving. Then parents should
make the children understand what is expected to pay for with the money. At first, some young children
may spend all of the money soon after they receive it. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money
until it is the right time. 3_____
     In order to encourage their children to do some housework, some parents give pocket money if the
children help around the home. Some experts think it not wise to pay the children for doing that. 4_____ 
     Pocket money can give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with the money.
They can spend it by giving it to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. 5_____
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. Saving can also open the door to future
saving and investing for children.

A. They can save it for future use.
B. Timing is another consideration.
C. As helping at home is a normal part of family life.
D. Some children are not good at managing their pocket money.
E. Learning how to get money is very important for every child.
F. One main purpose is to let kids learn how to manage their own money.
G. By doing so, these children will learn that spending must be done with a budget.

     Monday: Here I am, in the middle of nowhere. This camping trip idea is not getting off to a very good
start. It's raining and the tent leaks. The hiking seemed to take forever, and I still can't understand how it
could all have been up hill! How did I ever let my brother talk me into this? When we get home-if we ever
get home-he's going to have to do something great to get back on my good side. Maybe he should sponsor
a shopping spree (狂購) at the mall!
     Tuesday: Things are looking up. The sun came out today, so we were able to leave the tents and dry
out. We're camped at the edge of a small lake that I couldn't see before because of the rain and fog. The
mountains are all around us, and the forest is absolutely beautiful. We spent most of the day dragging out
everything out of our backpacks or tents and putting it where the sun could dry it out. Later in the afternoon
we tried to catch the fish for dinner, but the fish were smarter than we were. At night we built a fire and
sang songs happily.
     Wednesday: We hiked to the far side of the lake and climbed to the top of a small peak. From there we
could see how high the other mountains were and how far the forest spread around us. On the way up we
passed through a snowfield!
     Thursday: I caught my first fish! We followed the stream that fed the lake. After about two miles, we
came to a section that Carol said looked "fishy". She had a pack rod (竿), which can be carried in a backpack.
I asked to cast it, and I caught a fish on my first try. Carol caught a few more. But they were just too pretty
to eat for lunch, so we put them back in the stream.
     Friday: I can't believe we are going home already. It will be nice to get a hot shower, sleep in a real bed,
and eat junk food, but the trip has been wonderful. We're already talking about another camping adventure
next year where we canoe down a river. It's hard to believe, but I think this city girl has a little country
blood in her veins.

1. The writer went on this camping trip because _____.

A. she enjoyed camping
B. she wanted to go fishing
C. she was influenced by her brother
D. she was tired of staying home

2. The whole morning of Tuesday, the writer _____.

A. hiked along the lake
B. dried out her belongings
C. climbed the mountain
D. caught the fish for dinner

3. It can be inferred that Carol had a pack rod with her because _____.

A. she could not afford to buy a regular fishing pole
B. she needed it to get their main source of food
C. she thought the writer of the journal might need it
D. she expected to go fishing while they were hiking

4. It is likely that the writer will _____.

A. go on another camping trip
B. invite Carol to go fishing together
C. make her brother buy her something
D. convince her brother to go camping

                                                                    Count Me Out
     Call me old-fashioned. Call me old. Call me what you want, but I refuse to become part of this new Internet
world.
     I do not possess a computer at home or at the office. Actually, I stopped going to an office 35 years ago,
when all communications were done with a pen, a typewriter, or, if the matter was of world-shaking
importance, over the telephone. Likewise, if you liked something advertised in a newspaper or magazine, you
visited the shop selling it at the given address, or you phoned the number shown. Then you spoke to the fellow
and asked for further details. 
     Tell me what you think of the following ad that appeared the other day in the newspaper. It was for a cure
for cancer and this is what it said: Awareness is the key. Visit spfulford, corn at the awareness site." There was
no address or telephone number for the site. So what do unfortunate people without a computer do it they are
seeking a cure for their illness?
     There are, I am told, certain advantages in having access to the Internet. You can, for example, send love
messages across the world or even get married to someone that you meet online. This bit doesn't interest me;
I have been happily married for 60 years. There are, of course, other activities for Internet users besides finding
love. They can pay bills, order groceries, or discuss with their doctors.
     And this is by no means all. More amazing things are yet to come in the near future. I read a newspaper
report recently that quoted Stephen Hawking, an important British scientist. "The complexity of a computer as
it exists today is probably less than the brain of an earthworm," he said. "But, as technology advances,
computers will become more complex, and a time may come when the Internet may develop 'consciousness.'
In other words, the Internet will be able to think, have feelings, and may well be able to act on its own."
     If Professor Hawking is right, I may change my attitude about computers. As I grow older each day, I
would like one of those that not only thinks for me but also accepts responsibilities for all my mistakes.

1. What's the meaning of the title "Count Me Out"?

A. Get me out of the Internet world.
B. Computers are trying to take control of life.
C. Modern technology pushes old people away.
D. Do not expect me to be a supporter of the Internet.

2. According to Paragraph 2, the author thinks computers are _____.

A. unnecessary
B. convenient
C. expensive
D. advanced

3. What might the author like about the future computer?

A. Taking blames.
B. Curing illnesses.
C. Delivering messages.
D. Responding to emotions.