“Reading makes a full man” (Bacon, 1597). Novels written by the writers like Jane Austen, Victor Hugo and Ernest Hemingway help us to know more about our history, culture and many other things.

Jane Austen was one of the most well-known women writers of the world. She was born in England in 1775. Jane loved reading and writing. She wrote a number of famous novels in her life. Among them, Pride and Prejudice written in 1779 was the most popular.

 

Victor Hugo, born in 1802 in France, was one of the best writers in the19th century. The talent in writing and hard work brought great success to Hugo at an early age. His most popular novel, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, was written in 1831. The book was so successful that it was quickly translated into many other languages across Europe.

 

Ernest Hemingway, an outstanding American writer and reporter, was born in 1899. His life experience had a great influence on his writing style. Hemingway lived in France and Italy between the 1920s and 1950s. Most of his books such as The Sun Also Rises were written at that time. He won the Nobel Prize in 1954 mainly because of the novel The Old Man and the Sea.

 
小題1:When was Jane Austen born?

A．In 1775

B．In 1799

C．In 1802

D．In 1899

小題2:Where was Victor Hugo from?

A．England.

B．America.

C．Italy.

D．France.

小題3:Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel Prize mainly because of _________.

A．The Hunchback of Notre-Dame	B．Pride and Prejudice
C．The Old man and the Sea	D．The Sun Also Rises

I grew up in New Hampshire, a small town in South Canada, where in my father’s words for the seasons were “Spring, Summer, Fairtime and Winter!” At that time, a week-long fair was held in the town every autumn. Thousands of people from other towns came to sell and buy things. It was the busiest time of the year.
When “Fairtime” came, my grandma became the most “useful” and busiest person of the family. Grandma was a kind, well-educated old lady. She was good at cooking. All her rrelatives liked the foodshe cooked. During “fairtime”, they would come to live in her house and have meals there. Grandma was always happy to look after them.
Year after year, many people moved to big cities. There was no loner “Fairtime”. Grandma became very old and was gradually going blind. My parents and I moved to live with Granma in her house. We did our best to make her day-to-day life as comfortable as possible. I was at high school then. What I often did at home was to help Grandma with the daily newspaper’s crossword puzzle. However, she didn’t look happy. She often sat in her room for hours, without saying a word.
To attract people to move back, the Town Hall decided to reopen the Fair. One day, when I came back room school, I saw Grandma wearing her glasses, washing the dishes in the kitchen. With a big smile on her face, she looked a lot much younger. She told me that her two nieces would come. “They said the food I cooked was very delicious and they want to stay in my house again.” Grandma said happily. “They will stay here for one week and we can have a big party. That must be the busiest week I’ve had in years!”
I suddenly realized that Grandma didn’t want to be looked after. She wanted to be “useful”, appreciated and helpful.
小題1:Thousands of people came to the town to __________ at the Fair.

A．enjoy Grandma’s food	B．sell and buy things
C．learn to cook	D．have a big party

小題2:Why was Grandma unhappy?
A.She was too busy.   B. No one lived with her.
B.She was not “useful”.  D. She couldn’t see anything
小題3:Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Grandma was good at cooking

B．Many people moved to big cities.

C．Grandma didn’t like “Fairtime”

D．Grandma was a kind old lady.

小題4:What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Fairtime	B．My “Old” Grandma
C．A Small Town	D．Grandma’s Family

閱讀下面短文, 從短文后所給各題的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng), 并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Perhaps the only test score that I remember is the 41. I was in high school. The test was the final for the class. It was a rather   36   test. I didn’t know how   37  I had done but I knew there were things on   38   that I didn’t know.
I remember   39  waiting for the result. When Mr. Bales   40  my paper on my desk, I was    41   . There in big   42   numbers, circled to draw attention, was my grade — 41! I   43   my paper so that others couldn’t see it. A 41 was not   44    that you wanted your classmates to see. Finally, Mr. Bales stood behind the desk and   45  the class. “The grades were not very good;    46  of you passed,” he announced. “ The highest grade in the class was a 41, so all of you failed.”
A 41. That was me. Suddenly my dismal (陰沉的) face didn’t look quite so bad. I had the highest grade. I felt a lot   47  . As soon as I got home, my mother asked me, “How did you do on your test?” “I made a 41,” I said. My mother’s   48   changed suddenly. “You failed.” “But I had the highest grade in the class!” I replied. “ I don’t    49   what everyone else had. You failed. It doesn’t matter if everyone else failed too; what matters is what you do,” my mother    50   answered.
For years, I thought that was a harsh (嚴(yán)厲的) judgment. My mother was always that   51   . It didn’t matter what the other kids did; it only mattered what I did and    52     I did it excellently.
We often don’t understand the wisdom of good parents until we ourselves stand   53   the parenting shoes. My mother’s philosophy（人生態(tài)度）has    54   me throughout life. The path of the crowd is wide but the path to pass the tests of life is   55   and there are very few people on it.

小題1:	A．easy B．difficult C．exciting D．disappointed

小題2:	A．much B．good C．well D．long

小題3:	A．this B．them C．it D．one

小題4:	A．happily B．a(chǎn)nxiously C．excitedly D．calmly

小題5:	A．fell B．handed C．dropped D．lay

小題6:	A．excited B．worried C．delighted D．shocked

小題7:	A．red B．black C．blue D．green

小題8:	A．collected B．gathered C．hid D．kept

小題9:	A．everything B．something C．a(chǎn)nything D．nothing

小題10:

A．talked B．declared C．spoke D．a(chǎn)ddressed

小題11:

A．some B．each C．none D．most

小題12:

A．worse B．better C．best D．good

小題13:

A．judgment B．a(chǎn)ppearance C．eyes D．expression

小題14:

A．understand B．care C．mind D．want

小題15:

A．rudely B．politely C．firmly D．impatiently

小題16:

A．method B．manner C．behavior D．way

小題17:

A．this B．that C．which D．what

小題18:

A．on B．a(chǎn)t C．in D．of

小題19:

A．taken B．told C．understood D．supported

小題20:

A．wide B．deep C．narrow D．straight

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. If we didn’t see some rain soon we would lose everything.
　　I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
Moments later, however, he was once again walking toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking cautiously to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I went out of the house and followed him on his journey.
　　He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them. Branches and thorns (荊棘) slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site.
　　Several large deer appeared threatening in front of him. But Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water, lift its head with great effort to drink the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.
　　I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart working so hard to save a life. As my tears began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops... and more drops... and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride.
小題1:Why did the author follow her son?

A．Because there might be danger.

B．Because her son was doing a good deed.

C．Because she was curious.

D．Because she intended to help.

小題2:Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?

A．Rain was in great need.

B．There were few trees in the woods.

C．Billy carried water with his small hands.

D．Billy walked into the woods and then returned over and over again.

小題3:What Billy did mainly showed that he was ________.

A．caring

B．beautiful

C．childlike

D．brave

小題4:Which is the correct order of the development of the story?
① The author was moved to tears.
② Billy fed the water to the baby deer.
③ Billy walked towards the large deer.
④ It began to rain.
⑤ The author followed Billy into the woods.

A．③②⑤①④

B．④①③②⑤

C．⑤③②①④

D．⑤②①③④

A man claiming to be a pastor(牧師) apparently tried to stiff a waiter on a tip, explaining that his work for God allowed him not to leave one.
A photo of the receipt, posted to Reddit.com, shows a bill for $34.93 with an automatic 18 percent gratuity(小費(fèi)) (or $6.29) added above a blank space for an additional tip.
“I give God 10%,” the diner wrote on the receipt, scratching out the automatic tip. “Why do you get 18?” He then wrote “Pastor” above his signature, and an emphatic “0” where the additional tip would be. (The automatic gratuity, however, had already been added to the total.)
The Reddit user who submitted the image explained in the comments section that the receipt was part of a total bill for a party of 20, which is why the gratuity was automatically added.
“Parties up to eight ... may tip whatever they’d like, but larger parties receive an automatic gratuity," the server wrote. "It’s in the computer; it’s not something I do.”
The server added: “They had no problem with my service, and told me I was great. They just didn’t want to pay when the time came.”
Scribbling(亂涂) notes on receipts has become something of a trend. Earlier this month, the manager of a North Carolina Red Robin surprised an overdue pregnant woman by comping her meal.
“Once seated, a manager came up to us and started talking,” the woman's husband told Consumerist. “He was extremely friendly and jokingly asked my wife if this was her last meal before heading to the hospital.”
When the check came, a note from the manager next to her portion of the bill read: “MOM 2 BEE GOOD LUC.”
“It was a pleasant surprise and made my tired-of-being-pregnant wife a little more cheery,” the man said.
小題1:What did the pastor mean by saying, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”

A．He was bargaining with the waiter.

B．He didn’t mean to pay the gratuity at all.

C．God gave him the privilege not to pay a gratuity.

D．The gratuity had already been paid by his friends.

小題2:What do you learn from the article?

A．The pastor paid ten percent gratuity of the meal to God.

B．A party of six diners can choose whatever gratuity they want to pay.

C．According to the husband, the wife enjoyed the process of being pregnant.

D．The pastor paid $34.93 in total for the meal.

小題3:What does the underlined word “stiff” mean?

A．a(chǎn)muse

B．a(chǎn)buse

C．persuade

D．fail to pay

As an experienced photojournalist in Nashville, Tennessee, I was hired by USA Today newspaper to photograph a spinal bifida (脊柱畸形) corrective surgical procedure. It was to be performed on a twenty-one week old fetus（胎兒）in uterus（子宮）at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At that time, in 1999, twenty-one weeks in uterus was the earliest that the surgical team would consider for surgery. The worst possible outcome would be that the surgery would cause premature delivery, and no child born earlier than twenty-three weeks had survived.
The tension could be felt in the operating room as the surgery began. A typical C-section cut was made to access the uterus, which was then lifted out and laid at the junction of the mother’s thighs（大腿）. The entire procedure would take place within the uterus, and no part of the child was to breach the surgical opening. During the procedure, the position of the fetus was adjusted by gently moving the outside of the uterus. The entire surgical procedure on the child was completed in one hour and thirteen minutes. When it was over, the surgical team breathed a sigh of relief, as did I.
As a doctor asked me what speed of film I was using, out of the corner of my eye I saw the uterus shake, but no one’s hands were near it. It was shaking from within. Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of the opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The doctor reached over and lifted the hand, which reacted and squeezed the doctor’s finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow! It happened so fast that the nurse standing next to me asked, “What happened?” “The child reached out,” I said. “Oh. They do that all the time,” she responded.
The surgical opening to the uterus was closed and the uterus was then put back into the mother and the C-section opening was closed.
It was ten days before I knew if the picture was even in focus(對(duì)焦). To ensure no digital manipulation(篡改) of images before they see them, USA Today requires that film be submitted unprocessed. When the photo editor finally phoned me he said, “It’s the most incredible picture I’ve ever seen.”
小題1:What may be the best title for the passage?

A．An Amazing Moment	B．A Pitiful Fetus
C．An Honorable Job as a Photographer	D．An Impressive Surgeon

小題2:In 1999, people believed that it was ________.

A．possible for a fetus 21 weeks born to survive

B．likely for a fetus born 21 weeks to become abnormal

C．right time for a fetus born 21 weeks to receive an operation

D．risky for a fetus 21 weeks in uterus to receive an operation

小題3:From the second paragraph, we can see that the surgery was ________.

A．challenging but successful	B．demanding and unsuccessful
C．simple and short	D．long-lasting and difficult

小題4:The underlined “It” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A．the uterus	B．the arm of the fetus
C．the picture	D．the head of the fetus

小題5:From what the editor said in the last paragraph, we know he was very ________.

A．disappointed

B．satisfied

C．confident

D．depressed

Brief  Introduction
(Adeline) Virginia Woolf (née Stephen; 25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941) was an English novelist and essayist, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929), with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
Main  body
My dear，
'Dearest, I feel certain I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came. I can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that - everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer.
I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been...........................from the last letter of virginia woolf
小題1:According to the first paragraph we can infer that            

A．During the interwar period，virginia woolf was important for London people.

B．She has been living for 55 years

C．Her first the novels Mrs Dalloway in 1925

D．She regarded as one of the foremost romanticism literary figures of the twentieth century

小題2:what is form of The main body？

A．letter of resignation	B．Letter of condolence
C．Letter of suicide	D．Letters of Apologies ;

小題3:Where can I see this article？

A．newspaper	B．biography
C．German Literature	D．television

小題4:According to the main body, which of the following is not the reason of her Dutch act（自殺）？

A．She can't go on spoiling your life any longer

B．I feel certain I am going mad again

C．She cannot bear her husband's interference

D．The approach of war makes her psychological problems aggravated

Living in South Africa, I had always taken the wildlife pretty much for granted. Not to say that we were surrounded by it, but the accessibility of game parks and wildlife sanctuaries（避難所，庇護(hù)所） always made it seem like a natural part of the environment. For this reason, I suppose that the way my European friends used to talk to me, wasn’t so strange after all. They would ask me what I thought at the time were really silly questions which got on my nerves. They’d say things like ‘Do you have a pet baboon?’ or ‘Do you travel to school by elephant?’.
When Amanda, a friend of mine who was visiting from England, invited me to join her and a group of friends on a wildlife expedition, I was not filled with enthusiasm. However, from the moment we entered the gates of the Zaluzi game reserve, I knew that this was not going to be anything like I had expected. We had been traveling along the National Road when, suddenly, we turned onto a dirt track which seemed to be hidden in the middle of nowhere. Amazingly, the scenery changed dramatically. The civilized environment took on a wild, chaotic（混沌的；一片混亂的） aspect and continued to do so as we walked deeper into the bush.
After having a good night’s sleep at one of the reserve’s bungalows, we were woken at the crack of dawn. After a quick breakfast we piled into a jeep and set off. Our guide assured us that the early start was necessary in order to have the best chance of seeing what was really worthwhile. Armed with just a thermos of coffee, we set out towards the shore of a small lake where it was expected that we could see that animals that used it as their morning watering hole.
On the way to our destination, we topped a hill and there, against the emerging morning light, were a group of animals.  It was a stunning sight. As we moved closer, the animals did not appear to be alarmed by our presence. Pet baboons aside, I had never before come within such close range of a pride of lions. It did cross my mind, however, that we might be in a certain amount of danger. When I asked Timothy, our game ranger, if we were actually in any danger, he replied straightforwardly that one is never entirely safe in the bush, but his knowledge and experience allowed him to anticipate any danger with reasonable accuracy.
However, the following day there was some cause for alarm. Not having started out so early, we missed the sightings of the day before. We decided to drive around for a while, hoping to come across something of interest. Suddenly our tracker perched up on the back of our vehicle, signaled to the driver to halt and at the same moment I realized that this time we had stumbled right into a pride of lions. The driver promptly turned off the engine and in a low voice warned us to remain seated and not to make any abrupt movements. The lions were picking at what looked like the remains of a zebra. Timothy, later told us how much to our advantage this was. Had their bellies not been full, their reaction to us would surely have been otherwise. As the nearest lion was less than three meters away from the jeep, I considered that we had been very lucky indeed.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Our near miss with the lions was without a doubt the highlight, but what it taught me yet again was how easy it is to be indifferent to our surroundings and not to have a full appreciation of the beauty around us.
小題1:How did the writer feel about the questions her European friends asked?

A．ridiculous

B．a(chǎn)nnoyed

C．strange

D．embarrassed

小題2:When did the writer’s attitude change about the expedition?

A．When she was traveling along the dirt track.

B．When she received her invitation.

C．When she arrived at the game reserve.

D．When her friend arrived from England.

小題3:What does the underlined word ‘It’ (in the fourth paragraph) refer to?

A．the pride of lions	B．the destination
C．the top of the hill	D．the morning light

小題4:Timothy’s experience as a game ranger was valuable because he ______________

A．could supply a straightforward answer to any question.

B．knew how to frighten the animals.

C．knew the game reserve well.

D．could identify trouble in advance.

小題5:What does the writer mean by the underlined sentence ‘we had been very lucky indeed’ in the fifth paragraph?

A．They had seen the lions up close.	B．They hadn’t been attacked.
C．They had a good guide with them.	D．They had gone on a trip.

小題6:What conclusion does the writer of the text come to?

A．We often do not realize how attractive our environment really is.

B．It is not clever to unnecessarily put ourselves in dangerous situations.

C．We don’t respect wild animals enough.

D．We should protect our surroundings.

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Never would I forget the other night when I came across an unforgettable sight while watching the Olympics. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a   36   of determination and courage.
The   37  was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. Two of them, however, were disqualified(取消資格) due to   38  starts. That left only one to   39  . That would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race   40  . I watched the man dive off the   41  and knew right away that something was   42  . Now I’m not an expert swimmer but I do know a good dive from a poor one, and this man was far from being a medal winner. When he   43  , it was clear that the man was not out for gold. I listened to the crowd begin to   44   at this poor man that was clearly having a   45  time. Finally he   46  his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few all-out strokes(劃水) and you could   47  he was worn out.
__48___in those few awkward strokes, the crowd had ____49____. No longer were they laughing, but beginning to ____50____. Some ____51___began to stand and yell things like, “Come on, you can do it!” and, “Go for it!” He did. A clear minute slower than the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his   52  . The crowd went    53  . You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other   54  .
A man that gave his all -- knowing that he had no chance, but competed because of the   55  of the games.

小題1:	A．taste B．show C．sense D．member

小題2:	A．program B．sport C．event D．a(chǎn)ccident

小題3:	A．straight B．false C．eager D．right

小題4:	A．compete B．match C．win D．succeed

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)gainst B．for C．to D．with

小題6:	A．banks B．blocks C．benches D．boards

小題7:	A．new B．funny C．wrong D．terrible

小題8:	A．recovered B．resurfaced C．renewed D．returned

小題9:	A．stare B．point C．laugh D．glare

小題10:

A．happy B．hard C．good D．long

小題11:

A．miss B．made C．catch D．carry

小題12:

A．forget B．believe C．a(chǎn)dmit D．tell

小題13:

A．But B．So C．Or D．Thus

小題14:

A．moved B．left C．changed D．stopped

小題15:

A．cheer B．chat C．quarrel D．debate

小題16:

A．ever B．still C．even D．never

小題17:

A．duty B．turn C．a(chǎn)ction D．race

小題18:

A．bad B．wrong C．hungry D．wild

小題19:

A．a(chǎn)udience B．a(chǎn)thletes C．judges D．experts

小題20:

A．spirit B．progress C．skill D．secret

Recently I fully understood that a little favor could really make a big difference. My daughter and I were, accidentally, in time to catch a falling heart just before it hit the ground.
It all started when Charlene, one of my co-volunteers at the library, asked if I could do her duty on Tuesday since her doctor appointment had been unexpectedly changed. I agreed, which meant I  was home on Friday instead of volunteering as previously planned.
My daughter, Mary, managers a book store in town. Mid-morning, she called to ask me for help. Would I buy a fifty dollar gift card, birthday card, and cake for one of Mary’s assistant managers, Cindy?
Mary explained she had to call Cindy in to take the place of another assistant manager who was sick, but felt terrible about it when she discovered it was Cindy’s birthday. Cindy insisted that it was just fine. But that was not what Mary thought, so she gathered enough money from other employees to throw a surprise party for Cindy. Since neither Mary, nor any of the other employees, could leave to pick up the goodies, they were turning to me for help. Days later, Mary told me the wonderful rest of the story, “Cindy cried and cried when we surprised her. After the party, Cindy told us that her boyfriend had chosen that morning to break up with her. To top that off, she only had 26 cents left in her bank account.”
We were surprised at the series of unexpected events that took place in order to circle Cindy with love and catch her falling heart just before it hit the ground.
小題1:Why did Charlene ask a favor of the writer?

A．ShehadtoseethedoctoronFriday.

B．Shewantedtocelebrateherdaughter’sbirthday.

C．ShehadanunexpectedappointmentonTuesday.

D．Sheneededtoprepareforherdaughter’sbirthday.

小題2:What can we learn about Mary?

A．Shewasalearned careerwoman.

B．Shehaduneasyrelationshipswithherassistants.

C．SheknewCindy’slovestorybeforethesurpriseparty.

D．Sheplayedthemostimportantroleinthiscircleoflove.

小題3:Which of the following couldn’t be the reason why Cindy cried?

A．She had to work on her birthday.

B．She had little money in her bank account.

C．She was greatly moved by Mary’s care and kindness.

D．She and her boyfriend parted that very morning.

小題4:The underlined word “goodies” refers to_________.

A．Gifts for Cindy

B．Good stories

C．Close friends

D．Goods on sale