The Donkey Mobile Library

It is a bright morning in the Ethiopian countryside. Yohannes walks beside a pair of donkeys that are pulling a two-wheeled cart. They arrive at the agricultural town of Awassa where Yohannes opens the sides of the cart to display, not the usual vegetables or tools, but children’s books. This is the Donkey Mobile Library, the first of its kind in Ethiopia and one of only a few in the world.

　 Yohannes was born in Ethiopia, North Africa, but trained to be a librarian in the USA and returned to Ethiopia years ago. The cart is full of picture books donated by American libraries, teachers and school children.

　 Yohannes arranges small painted benches in the shade of the trees, and suddenly Ethiopian children come shouting and racing down every road and path. It’s mobile library day! They circle the bookshelves with great excitement. Until the Donkey Mobile Library began its regular two-monthly visits, many of these children had never seen a book.

　 “Without books, education is very dull, like food without salt. You can survive but you can’t really come alive,” says Yohannes. “The ability to read is the basis for greater productivity, better health and longer life. Even though the children lack material goods, with books they can imagine a world of possibilities.”

　 Yohannes first worked in the children’s section of the main library in America. Surrounded by books he had never seen before, he realized how joyful and imaginative children’s literature is. He says, “I always thought of Ethiopia. But how could I bring children’s books to my home country when it had almost no libraries to keep the books in?”

　 He contacted Jane Kurtz, a writer born in America but brought up in Ethiopia, and together they created the Donkey Mobile Library. The children say that the Library has given them ideas about what they might do in the future. A child called Dareje wants to be a scientist and find a cure for life-threatening diseases. An eleven year-old girl, Fikerte, wants to do research about the moon and discover new facts about outer space. Tamrat, aged 10, comes every time.

　 “What brings you back here time and time again?” the librarian asks him.

　 “The stories,” Tamrat replies instantly.

31. How do the children feel when they see the Donkey Mobile Library?

　 A. Curious.　　 B. Surprised.　　　 C. Interested.　　　 D. Excited.

32. We can conclude from the passage that _______.　　

A. Ethiopian children have no idea about their future

B. Yohannes and Kurtz share similar life experiences

　 C. donkey carts in Awassa usually carry vegetables and tools

D. most books in the Donkey Mobile Library were bought in America

33. According to the passage, the Donkey Mobile Library ________ .

　 A. visits the countryside every day

B. benefits Ethiopian children a lot

C. was created by Yohannes himself

　 D. was the first of its kind in the world

34. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A. A news report.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. A book review.　

C. A historical story.　 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. An advertisement.

 “Oops.” I fell flat on my face and my books scattered (散落) on the ground. I muttered (咕噥) through closed teeth, “I forgot about that stupid bump (不平的路面). I’ve got to remember it tomorrow.”

Today there was a reason I was   11 . This was the day we had to   12  a poem in class. Although I had only lived in France for a few months, I still had to do all the homework from my classes in school.

Memorizing the poem had taken me hours, but I still wasn’t   13  if I would remember it when I stood up in front of class.

This   14  walk to school was always full of   15 . Every day I   16  pass a dog that lived by a church. The huge black animal with long teeth and a loud bark was my   17 . He had once  18  me so completely by surprise that I had jumped in front of a car and was nearly   19 .

But today I had remembered to collect some stones to   20 . He would   21  for all the times he had given me a shock...but the beast wasn’t around today! The one time I was   22  to fight him and he was  23 .

My mind   24  back to the poem. This was the first poem I’d tried to memorize.

When I got to school there were still a good five minutes before class. Then time came for the poem recitals.

“Would anyone like to   25 ?” asked Madame Thimonier.

I remembered my dad’s advice: “Just go first, and   26  everyone. Even if you forget part of the poem, you’ll have made a good impression!”

So I raised my hand. Madame Thimonier looked surprised.

I walked to the front of the room. I began and soon stumbled (結巴) on the first line but managed to   27  from my mistake and continue.   28  was all coming back to me. Those hours spent memorizing the poem had   29 .

I kept reciting at a rapid pace. I looked over at Madame Thimonier and saw a look of astonishment on her face.

I walked back to my desk full of   30  after I had said the whole poem perfectly.

11. A. forgetful             B. strange                     C. upset                       D. distracted

12. A. recite          B. explain                     C. remember                 D. analyze

13. A. clear                   B. sure                         C. doubtful                   D. aware

14. A. regular         B. long                         C. daily                        D. short

15. A. danger         B. excitement               C. astonishment            D. fright

16. A. had to               B. needed to                  C. hated to                    D. loved to

17. A. friend                 B. enemy               C. guide                       D. fellow

18. A. taken                  B. made                        C. brought                    D. caught

19. A. run off              B. broken down            C. knocked off             D. run over

20. A. have fun             B. train it               C. fight back                 D. give it a lesson

21. A. learn                   B. see                           C. regret                       D. pay

22. A. nervous              B. ready                       C. willing               D. determined

23. A. disappeared  B. gone                       C. missing                    D. lost

24. A. flew                   B. came                        C. got                          D. wandered

25. A. start                   B. try                           C. volunteer                  D. recite

26. A. impress              B. encourage          C. surprise                    D. show

27. A. recover        B. rise                          C. free                         D. break

28. A. This                   B. That                         C. It                      D. Memory

29. A. paid back            B. paid off                    C. worked out        D. made it

30. A. confidence   B. respect                     C. belief                       D. pride

 Spelling Bee is a contest ________ competitors, usually children, are asked to spell as many words as possible.

   A. which               B. what          C. where          D. when

 ______ some teenagers don’t realize is ________ difficult life can be after they get addicted to drugs.

   A. What; how        B. That; how   C. That; what           D. What; what a

 ---- Excuse me, sir!

---- __________?

---- Could you please tell me the way to the botanical garden?

A. Pardon           B. What            C. Yes            D. Please

 So absorbed __________ in her work that she didn’t realize it was time that she picked up her daughter.

   A. she was          B. was she    C. did she         D. she did

---- You’re going to publish my book. Are you serious?

---- _______ . It’s to be published next month.

　　　 A. No, I am not　　　　　　 B. No, I was just joking

　　　 C. Yes, I do　　　　　 　　 D. Yes, I have never been more serious

 Low-carbon lifestyle is of great benefit to improve the world environment._______ can be enjoyed from it until you have a deep understanding of it, however.

    A. Something      B. Much      C. Few                 D. Nothing

 A few days after the interview, I received a letter _______ me admission to the university.

      A. offering              B. offered           C. having offered   D. to be offered

 Jack had ________ feeling of excitement when hearing his article had been published in ____________ school magazine.

      A. the;  a           B. a;  the                  C.／;  the                   D the;  ／