Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing ___1___ was something she picked up by herself. After her first____2____, teaching disabled children, she became a part-time writer for IBM. ___3___, writing stories was simply a ___4___. interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher（出版商）.___5___, they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single one long___6___and paid Tracy a $ 50,000 advance. "A pretty money," said the publisher, "for___7____writer.”

___8___Traey's characters（人物） are interesting, her stories sometimes___9___readem uneasy: those about the supernatural. "My mother believed I could___10___the afterlife world," she told a close friend. "She used to have me speak with my grandmother, who died many years ago."

"Can I? I don't think I can," Tracy said with a laugh. "But l do have___11___ when things come to me___12___. " Once, she was wondering how to complete a ___13___set in ancient （古代的） China. ___14___the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx delivery man, with a copy of a book on Chinese ___15___. It came without her having ___16___it.

Though she has published 10 books, Tracy has remained ___17___by her fame. She lives in the same ___18___she lived 27 years ago - although in a mom comfortable home. There' s more room for___19___in her life - and it wasn’t just ___20___.

1 A. skill                   B. experience          C. practice                 D. method

2. A. duty                  B. effort                  C. job                         D. task

3. A. Instead               B. Normally             C. Certainly         D. Then

4. A. general               B. deep                  C. personal                D. lively

5. A. Interested             B. Anxiously            C. Seriously              D. Encouraged

6. A. film                  B. story                   C. program              D. article

7. A. a foreign                  B. a popular            C. an unusual              D. an unknown

8 A. Now that               B. Even though        C. Just because           D. Except that

9. A. find               B. turn                   C.leave             D. hold

10. A. make up            B. 'connect with      C. control                   D. explain

11 A. events               B. chances              C. feelings          D. moments

12. A. for no reason        B. from a distance   C. by accident       D. as gifts

13. A. description          B. pointing               C. scene            D. talk

14 A. Surprisingly           B. Suddenly             C. Expectedly             D. Fortunately

15. A. cooking              B. history                C. play             D. medicine

16. A. known               B. sent                    C. realized          D. ordered       

17. A. unchanged           B. excited         C. determined             D. unmoved     

18. A. life                 B. city                     C. house            D. way

19. A. success            B. work             C. joy              D. variety

20. A. writing              B. reporting        C. luck                  D. fun

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker' s Comer. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.    

Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 2Os, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands d people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street comers. Just talk.     

Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.     

    They don't collect money. They don't push religion （宗教）. So what's the point?

    "To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication（交流）."

    Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

    "It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."

    Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

    Marcia had lest her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.

    To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

    They may plan more parties or try to attract mare people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.

1. What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?      

A. Chatting with people.

B. Setting up street signs.

C. Telling stories to strangers.

D. Organizing a speaker's comer.

2. What they have been doing can be described as______. 

A. pointless                      B. normal                C. crazy                   D. successful

3. Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?        

A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B. They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C. They organized the get-together in the city park.

D. They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

4. What will Liz and Bill do in the future?     

A. Go in for publishing.                                 B. Do more television programs.

C. Continue what they am doing.             D. Spend more time reading books.

5. How do they like the idea of writing a book?      

A. They have decided to wait a year or two.   

B. They will think about it carefully.

C. They agreed immediately.           

D. They find it hard to do that.

My first reaction was annoyance. It was Friday afternoon, and I was within an hour of finishing my work for the week. As I was leaving, a nurse brought me one more patient message. The statement read: "Mm. Jones called to say that she has had blurred vision （視覺模糊） ever since her medical test this morning. " I smiled.  Suddenly our tests were causing eye problems.

    This week my patients had questioned everything. My patient with high blood pressure had stopped coming to her treatment on the advice of an Internet chat room. A woman who had a mental problem was substituting （ 用......代替） St. John' s word for her medication. Now Mrs. Jones was imagining problems. I rolled my eyes.

    My second reaction was worry. As I looked through her record, I tried to figure out why she would have blurred vision, but nothing in her record explained the new problem. She' s probably just anxious, I thought. Still, she wouldn't have called if she had been all right. I picked up the phone.

    What 1 next felt can only be described as delight. Before I made the call, the nurse ran in: Mrs. Jones called. Her vision is fine. Turns out she picked up the wrong glasses when she left the office. The X-ray technician has been having the same problem. I let out a lugh. Mrs. Jones had been right. Her vision had been blurred. Now we know why.

Finally I felt shame. I came to realize what Mrs. Jones had taught me. I had first known she was wrong, that her anxiety had clouded hex judgment. Instead, my medical training had clouded mine. Now I feel thankful that Mrs. Jones figured it out before I made a mistake about our relationship. Patients come to me for my help. They pay me to listen, diagnose （診斷）, treat and talk. That suggests trust; I must remember that, and trust them too.               

1. The writer smiled while reading the patient message because he knew_____.

A. Mrs. Jones would ask for more tests

B. the patient was being unreasonable

C. the nurse was joking with him

D. Mrs. Jones would call him

2. What has caused Mrs. Jones' eye problem? 

A. Wrong glasses.                              B. Medical checkup.

C. Her own imagination.            D. Chatting on the Internet.

3. The underlined words "clouded her judgment" in the last paragraph probably mean_______.           

A. made her less trustful toward the doctor

B. put her in control of her own feelings

C. made her less able to think clearly

D. put her in a dangerous situation

It's not the flashiest car in the world. Not even close. But the 1971 Volkswagen named Helios can do something most cars can't: nm on solar energy - energy from the sun's light and heat!

    Joshua Bechtold, 14, and the other students at the Riverside School in Lyndonville, Vermont, worked many months to get Helios ready for the 1999  American Tour de Sol （ "Sol" is the Latin word for "sun"）. They named their car after Helios, the sun god in Greek mythology（神話）.

    The 4-year-old Tour de Sol encourages the use of "green", or environmentally friendly, cars to help reduce pollution and save energy. It' s not a race. Cars are  judged on fuel efficiency（耗油量） rather than speed. In the week-long event, 44 cars took the 350-mile tour from Waterbury, Connecticut, to Lake George, New York. Of the 23 student cars, Helios was the only one built by middle school students.

    A teacher drove Helios, but the children talked with people wherever they stopped along the mad. "That was my favorite part," says Anna Browne, 15. "We explained how the car runs.”

    Due in part to old, inefficient batteries（電池）, Helios finished fourth - out of four - in its kind, the sun-powered class. "We were there for the fun of it," Anna says. "We're proud of Helios," says Ariel Gleicher, 14. "It's a car that's good for the environment."

1. What is special about the car Helios in the text?        

A. It was built by middle school students.

B. It has an' attractive design.

C. It was made in 1971.

D. It won the fourth prize.

2. How many sun-powered cars took part in the race?      

A. 1.      B. 4.               C. 23.                    D. 44.

3. What would be the best title for the text.'?       

A. The Making of Helios

B. 1999 American Tour de Sol

C. Sun-powered Cars on the Road

D. Use of Green Cars in Connecticut

4. The students felt proud of Helios because______.

A. it could run as far as 350 miles                   B. it was favored by many children

C. it had high-quality batteries                      D. it was driven by clean energy

The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was 7.30pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song.

By 9.45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11.00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left hungry and angry.

Their experience suggests that the words an the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6.30 -8.30pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8.00pm or 8.30pm means possible dinner, but 9.30pm and any time thereafter means no food, oat beforehand, roll up late.

But this is not always the case. If asked to a students' party at 6.30pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive - looking eager - is social death. When my mother is asked to a party for 6.30, she likes to be them, if not on lime, then no later than seven. My age group （late thirties） falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're  young, we're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.

The accepted custom at present is confusing （混亂的）, sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element （成分） of surprise.

1. The underlined words "off their heads" probably mean______.

A. tired                          B. crazy                C. curious                D. hopeless

2. Jane and David' s story is used to show that______ .

A. petty-goer8 usually get hungry at parties

B. party invitations can be confusing

C. people should ask for food at parties

D. birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull

3. For some young people, arriving on time for a students' party will probably be considered_______.

A. very difficult                                              B. particularly thoughtful

C. friendly and polite                                   D. socially unacceptable

4. According to the writer, people in their late thirties_______.

A. are likely to arrive late for a party

B. care little about the party time

C. haven' t really grown up yet

D. like surprises at parties

5. What is the general idea of the text?     

A. It' s safe to arrive late just when food is served.

B. It' s wise to eat something before going to a party.

C. It' s important to follow social rules of party-going.

D. It' s necessary to read invitations carefully.

假設你是李華，加拿大一所學校將于今年暑假組織學生來你校訪問。其間，Andy Smith將借住你家。請你代表全家寫信給Andy，歡迎他的到來，并告知有關事宜。信的要點如下：

   ※ 上午：學校活動

   ※ 下午：游覽市區(qū)

   ※ 晚上：看電視，玩游戲，聊天

注意：1．詞數：100左右

      2．可適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫

3．參考詞匯：安排-arrange   

The famous American gorilla（大猩猩） expert Diane Fossey had a completely new way to study gorillas - she pretended to be one of them. She copied their actions and way of life - eating plants and getting down on her hands and knees to walk the way a gorilla does. It was a new relationship.

      Diane Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 and her story was made into the popular film Gorillas in the Mist. It was a long way from King Kong, which is about a gorilla as a monster （a frightening animal）, and helped to show a new idea: the real monster is man, while the gorilla is to be admired.

      Today there are thought to be around 48,000 lowland gorillas and maybe 400-450 mountain gorillas in the wild. From the Congo in West Africa, to Rwanda and Uganda further east, they are endangered by hunting and by the cutting down of their forest homes.

      Some time ago, I found in my letterbox a little magazine from the World Wide Fund for Nature. It had two photos side by side. One was of a young gorilla. “This is a species of mammal（哺乳類動物）,” said the words below it. “It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.” The other photo showed a human baby. The words also read, “This is a species of mammal,” but then went on: “It is the most destructive（破壞性的） on earth. We must retrain it for its own good.”

1．The text mainly talks about _____.

A. Diane Fossey                                   B. the gorillas in Rwanda

C. the protection of the gorillas                         D. the film Gorillas in the Mist

2．We can learn from the text that _____.

A. Gorillas in the mist was based Fossey’s experiences

B. Lowland gorillas live longer than mountain gorillas

C. King Kong showed us that a gorilla is admirable

D. Diane Fossey was murdered by a gorilla

3． What message can we get from the two photos in the magazine?

A. Gorillas are man’s close friends.  

B. Both man and the gorilla need to be saved.

C. Young gorillas are as lovely as human babies.

D. Man should live peacefully with the gorilla.

Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.

      Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive（印象深刻的）  as the building itself.

      First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial（紀念物） to celebrate their love.

      When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.

Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.

      And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Hehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact － imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it－until he was buried next to his wife.

      Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired（激發(fā)……的靈感） its construction.

1.The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____.

A.the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

B. ancient Indian emperors were cruel

C. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

D. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

2．The Taj Mahal was first built as _____.

A. a prison                                                   B. a gift to Mumtaz    

C. a memorial building      D. a tourist attraction

3．We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____.

A. 1626                       B. 1632               C. 1634                 D. 1653

4．The underlined word “happiness” in the last sentence refers to _____.

A. the married happiness of the emperor and his wife

B. the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power

C. the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal

D. the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal

The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy（喜�。�, that is exactly what happens.

Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical（典型的） American way of life, except for one thing－h(huán)e looks exactly like the President, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation’s leader is that he is very nice!

      The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to “serve his country” by becoming one. However, things go wrong. The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever.

      Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic（經典）.

      The film is 100% American. However, if you’ve ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you’ll enjoy Dave!

1．What is the purpose of the text?

A. To tell the reader about the American government.

B. To discus the Americans’ ideas about the President.

C. To make a comparison between Dave and other films.

D. To introduce a new film to the reader.

2．Who plays the role of the President in the film?

A. Sigourney Weaver.     B. Kevin Kline. 

C. Bill Mitchell.                D. Ivan Reitman.

3．The underlined word “one” in the 3rd paragraph refers to _____.

A. the President              B. the director        C. an actor                D. a look-alike

4．Which of the following is best supported by the text?

A. The author makes fun of the President.

B. The author thinks highly of the film.

C. The author is a fan of Hollywood comedies.

D. The author wishes to become the American President.

Discover

      Newsmagazine of science devoted to the wonders an stories of modern science, written for the educated general reader. Published（出版） by Disney Magazine Publishing Co., Discover tells many of the same stories professionals（專業(yè)人員） read in Scientific American. A truly delightful family science magazine, each issue（每期） brings to light new and newsworthy topics to make dinnertime and water-cooler conversations interesting.

Cover Price: $59.88

Price: $19.95（$1.66/issue）

You Save: $39.93（67%）

Issues: 12 issues/12 months

Self

      Published by conde Nast Publications Inc., Self is a handbook devoted to women’s overall physical and mental health. Every issue contains usable articles such as “Style Lab”, in which wearable clothes are mixed and matched on non-models and the “Eat-right Road Map”, with tips on how to eat properly.

Cover Price: $35.86

Price: $15.00（$2.5/issue）

You Save: $20.86（58%）

Issues: 10 issues/12 months

Instyle

      Instyle is a guide to the lives and lifestyles of the world’s famous people. The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities. With photos and articles, it opens the door to these people’s homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles. Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company.

Cover Price: $47.88

Price: $23.88（$2.38/issue）

You Save: $24.00（50%）

Issues: 10 issues/12 months

Wired

      This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, design and education industries. Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Wired often carries articles on how technology changes people’s lives.

Cover Price: $59.40

Price: $10.00（$1.00/issue）

You save: $49.40（83%）

Issues: 10 issues/12months

1．Which of the following magazines is published monthly?

A. Discover                      B. Self                     C. Instyle                   D. Wired

2．Which two magazines are published by the same publisher?

A. Wired and Instyle        B. Discover and Instyle 

C. Self and Discover          D. Self and Wired

3．Which magazine offers the biggest price cut?

A. Instyle                      B. Wired                     C. Discover               D. Self

4．The “Style Lab” in Self provides readers with articles which _____.

A. offer advice to ordinary women on clothes

B. show how a woman can become famous

C. introduce places with the best food

D. discuss ways of training models

5．Those who are interested in management and the use of high technology would probably choose

_____.

A. Instyle                         B. Self                     C. Wired                     D. Discover