The dirty, homeless man sat on the pavement, staring at the atones. He thought back more than twenty years to when he was a boy living in a small red brick house on this very street. He recalled the flower garden, the swing his dad made, and the bike he had saved up for months to buy.
The man shrugged impatiently, for the brightness of those pictures hurt him, and his memory travelled on another ten years. He had a job by then, plenty of friends and started to come home less. He did not really want to remember those years, nor the day when, because o’ debts, he had gone home planning to ask for money. He felt embarrassed, but he knew exactly where his dad kept the money. When his parents stepped out of the room, he took what he wanted and left.
That was the last time he had seen them. Ashamed, he went abroad, and his parents knew nothing about the years of wandering or time in prison. But locked in his cell he often thought of home. Once free, he would love to see his parents again, if they were still alive, and still wanted to see him.
When his prison time was up, he found -a job, but couldn’t settle. Something was drawing him home. He did not want to arrive penniless, so he hitchhiked most of the long journey back. But less than a mile from his destination he started to feel sick with doubt. Could they ever accept this man who had so bitterly disappointed them?
He spent most of that day sitting under a tree. That evening he posted a letter which, although short, had taken him hours to write. It ended with:
I know it is unreasonable of me to suppose you want to see me ... so it’s up to you. I’ll come early Thursday morning. If you want me home, hang a white handkerchief in the window of my old bedroom. If it’s there, I’ll come in; if not, I’ll wave good-bye and go.
And now it was Thursday morning and he was sitting on the pavement at the end of the street. Finally he got up and walked slowly toward the old house. He drew a long breath and looked.
His parents were taking no risks. ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
The man threw his head back, gave a cry of relief and ran straight through the open front door.
【小題1】 Why did the man shrug impatiently (paragraph 2) while he was thinking of his childhood?

For many employers, Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites are already a threat （威脅） that cut into productivity．Now they have something else to worry about—the games hosted by these sites．
This new type of social gaming is called "asynchronous" gaming and allows people to play with their friends without having to be online at the same time．The low-intensity （低強度） engagement has made games such as FarmVille, Cafe World and Pet Society popular among employees who often log on during office hours．
"What we are seeing is that more and more people and organizations are recognizing the productivity lost so probably more chief information officers are blocking Facebook applications," Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research said．
Boston-based Nucleus Research, which conducted a recent study into the effects of social networking sites on productivity, said nearly half of office employees in the United States access social networking sites at work, which leads to an average loss of 1．5 percent of total office productivity．
Facebook, which has 350 million users, says at least 20 percent of its members play games online．Sebastien de Halleux, CEO and co-founder of online game creator Playfish, said Asia is growing at a faster pace than other regions．"We had no idea that it would spread so fast．．．when we had 100,000 users after one month, we thought it was the biggest success ever．Now with 60 million users we think this is only the beginning of something much bigger," he added．
Zynga's FarmVille, the best known game with over 70 million active users to date, allows players to own a virtual farm where they can grow crops and raise animals．
While companies try to limit access to social networking sites, not everyone sees the games as harmful．
61．We can learn that Pet Society is a game _____．
A．popular among employers             B．without having to be online
C．merely played during office hours      D．that can be played online at a different time
62．It can be inferred from the passage that ____．
A．Playfish is owned by Sebastien and Rebecca
B．Playfish has over 70 million active users to date
C．Asia will be the largest potential market for Playfish
D．Playing online games loses 1．5 percent of total office productivity
63．The best title of the passage would be ____．
A．Social Network Gaming             B．New Threat to Productivity
C．Social Networking Sites              D．Latest Survey on Productivity
64．What would most probably be discussed next after the last paragraph?
A．Opinions in favor of online games．
B．Measures to limit access to social networking sites．
       C．Suggestions on how to improve productivity．
D．More examples about the bad effects of online games．

四、閱讀理解 （2分×15=30分）閱讀下列短文,從每題所給的A、B、C和D項中，選出最佳選項。

Talk about a real-life hero! Ten-year-old Larry Champagne from St. Louis，Missouri, hit the brake (剎車) on a runaway school bus. He saved himself and 20 other kids on board from disaster.

It all happened in one terrible accident. On the way to school, the bus driver, Ernestine Blackman, suddenly fell ill. Seeing the car was running away, the other kids started to scream, but Larry ran to the front and stopped the bus.

“At first I thought, ‘We’re going to die,’” says Larry, “but after I pressed the brake, I felt safe.”

Larry’s speedy reaction made news all over the country. He appeared on TV shows as a hero. The bus company gave Larry a big gift. His school hung a medal of honor around his neck.

“My grandmother always tells me to do what’s right,” says Larry. He thanked his brother, Jerrick, 9, who “helped me get the bus driver up” during the emergency（緊急情況）. How did he know how to stop the bus? Larry is something of a mechanic（機械師）. He helps his grandfather work on his old truck. “He gets his hands dirty,” says his grandfather. One thing is for certain: Larry knows where to find the brakes.

1. What did Larry do to save the runaway bus?

A. He parked it for the sleeping bus driver. 

B. He helped all the kids climb out through the windows.

C. He dialed 911.              D. he pressed the brake.

2. When did Larry finally feel safe?

A. When the kids finally stopped screaming.        B. When the police officers arrived.

C. Once he pressed the brake, and the bus stopped.   D. When the bus driver started driving again.

3. Larry got the following as praise for his hero action Except            .

A. appearing on TV shows                                   B. a scholarship from his school

C. a big gift from the bus company                    D. a medal of honor

4. Larry thanked his brother Jerrick for             .

A. helping him get the bus driver up                           B. helping him work on his old truck

C. teaching him how to find the brake              D. teaching him how to stop the bus

5. The underlined sentence“Larry is something of a mechanic” tells us that               .

A. Larry’s job is a mechanic                                 B. Larry knows something about machines

C. Larry is a robot                                                   D. Larry knows nothing about machines

Answering the Community Needs of Our City

The Silver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2004. This chart shows how we have tried to make your life better.

Transport

☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded.

☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service.

☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January.

☆50 percent of city bus-stops have been upgraded.

☆Buses to the eastern suburbs will run every 15 minutes.

Education

☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2004 !

☆Rental for private schools has been reduced.

☆Teachers report that the 'no hat - no play' rule has been successful.

Communication

Protection and Security

☆Broadband cable is now available to all parts of the city.

☆A(yù)ll of the new Government buildings are ' smart'-wired for better computer service!

☆Extra police now patrol (巡邏 ) the tourist areas.

☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area.

Medical Facilities

Entertainment / Recreation

☆The new state-of-the-art Nightingale Hospital was opened in June.

☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been   employed from overseas.

☆The John Street basketball courts have been re-surfaced !

☆The new Central Community Building opened in May.

☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library.

44．The public notice is from _________.

A. the community               B. the local government

C. the citizens                D. a travel agency

45．The notice is mainly about _________.

A. the work carried out by the people of Silver City

B. the facilities available in Silver City

C. some improvements in Silver City

D. information for interested tourists

46．All the following are true EXCEPT that ___________.

A. both residents and tourists can enjoy more security now

B. Station Street Hospital had out-dated facilities before 2004

C. primary students had to pay for their textbooks in 2003

D. Dover Hospital is still short of trained medical staff

47．Which of the following changes would tourists to Silver City be most happy with?

A. Travel books are provided in the new library.

B. Traveling by train is more convenient in Silver City.

C. Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital.

D. There are more police officers on duty now.

Connie Lau hates smoking. “It smells awful, and it’s so bad for you. It breaks my heart to see my friends smoking. I try to get them to give up smoking.” She says.
So why does Connie walk into convenience stores and try to buy cigarettes? She is testing to see if stores will sell cigarettes to a kid who is younger than 18. “You have to be 18 to purchase cigarettes, and I’m 16, so if they sell to me, they’re breaking the law,” Connie says.
Connie isn’t a vigilante (治安隊員); She works with local police in her town of Castro Valley, California. Officers drive her to stores, and she goes in alone to try to buy cigarettes. If the person behind the counter sells her a pack, an officer comes in and writes the business a ticket for breaking the law.
Most stores obey the law and don’t sell her cigarettes. The law requires that customers show ID if store employees ask them to. “When they ask your age, you can’t lie,” Connie says. “Most stores don’t sell to me. In a year, we’ve visited almost 150 stores and had only 15 sales.”
Working undercover can be scary, even with police nearby. Connie said one cashier refused to sell her cigarettes and then got angry when he found out her age. He threatened to call the authorities. “To calm him down, the police went in to explain that I was undercover,” she says.
Most teens wouldn’t think of going undercover for the police. What’s Connie’s motivation (動機)? For starters, she can’t stand smoking. But she also believes it’s important for young people like her to try to make a real impact in their communities. In her view, teens can do more than get good grades in school, do chores at home, and do well in out-of-class activities.
Every time she stops the sale of cigarettes to children, she’s helping to uphold the law. “A single teenager can make a big difference,” Connie says. “For the most part, when stores get caught, they learn their lesson and don’t do it again.”
【小題1】According to the law what age of person can the store be allowed to sell cigarettes to?