Tom Becker has won the 2007 Waterstone's children's book prize with his first novel, Darkside, receiving a cheque for ??1,000 and the promise of display in branches of the book store across the country.

The 25-year-old author described winning as an "unbelievable feeling". "I didn't think my book would be on the shortlist and stood a chance of winning, and it's amazing to receive such an important award at the beginning of my writing career. Needless to say I am absolutely made up." he said.

The novel, inspired by film noir（黑色電影）, fantasy（幻想）and a fascination（迷戀）with the dark side of the 19th century, is for children between the ages of nine and 12. It tells the story of a boy, Jonathan Stirling, who discovers a similar world filled with vampires（吸血鬼）and werewolves（狼人）. This alternative reality has a clearly Victorian air, and is ruled by a descendant（后裔）of Jack the Ripper. Soon hunters from the other side begin searching for Jonathan, who finds himself driven into their world.

Waterstone's head children's buyer, Wayne Winstone, thought highly of Becker's "huge" achievement. He said: "Tom Becker's writing style attracts you in the same way that Darren Shan's does with his mix of adventure and the supernatural. 

"I have a feeling that Tom has real potential（潛能）and could be one of the big names in children's writing in the future."

This year's shortlist also included Michael Broad's Jake Cake, Philip Caveney's Sebastian Darke and Siobhan Dowd's A Swift Pure Cry. Last year's prize was won by Julia Golding with The Diamond of Drury Lane.

How did Tom Becker feel at the news that he had won the prize? 

A. He was proud of his ability of making up stories.        

B. He was shocked and didn’t believe it was true. 

C. He was very surprised and delighted. 

D. He had expected he would win the prize.

Why was Tom Becker’s novel successful according to Wayne Winstone? 

A. Because his novel was inspired by film noir, fantasy and a fascination.

B. Because the novel was about the dark side of the 19th century.

C. Because his novel was intended for teenagers between the ages of nine and 12.

D. Because his writing style is attracting with the mix of adventure and the supernatural

Which of the following is WRONG according to passage?

A. The novel Darkside is Tom Becker’s first novel.

B. The novel Darkside will be on display all over the country.

C. Philip Caveney also won the prize in 2007.

D. Jonathan is a major character in the novel Darkside.

What can we infer from the passage?

A. Tom Becker is likely to be a most promising novelist in children’s writing in the future.

B. Darren Shan’s novels are all very popular with children between the ages of 9 and 12.

C. The Waterstone’s children’s book prize is an important prize for young novelists.

D. The novels of Michael Broad, Philip Caveney and Siobhan Dowd will be on the shortlist next year.  

The best title for the passage is probably_______.

  A. Tom Becker— a great writer for children

B. First-time author wins children’s fiction prize

C. An imaginary big prize

D. Tom Becker's writing style

Take a taxi from Sydney Airport and chances are that the driver will not say “G’day” with the broad accent you might expect. Probe a little further and you will probably   1   that he was not born in Australia.   2   the United States, Australia is a society of   3  , and Sydney has been a preferred destination for many of these new   4  . Over the past half century the Anglo-Irish immigrants who   5   the city’s original population have been joined by successive waves of Italians, Greeks, Turks, Lebanese, and , more   6  , Asians. This mixture has   7  a cultural activeness and energy that were missing only a generation   8  . Sydney is a city   9  .

Compared with the traffic in the   10   of Australia, Sydney is fast and impatient. The more than 4 million people in this   11   work hard and play harder, moderation is something practiced by the citizens of Melbourne. Sydney   12   the tallest buildings, the most expensive real estate, the finest beaches, and the seediest nightlife of any Australian city. Most Australians   13   its loud brash ways with a mixture of fear and fascination,   14   Sydneysiders prefer to think of home as energetic rather than ordinary. Visiting this city is a(n)   15   part of an Australian experience. But remember, as you do so, that Sydney is no more representative of Australia   16   New York is of the United States. It has joined the   17   of the great global cities whose characters are essentially   18  , offering great looks, style, and sophistication. In 2000, the year that the Olympic Games   19   to the city, Sydney became one of the   20   destinations of the new millennium.

1. A. observe           B. discover         C. expect               D. catch

2. A. Like              B. As               C. With             D. For

3. A. settlers          B. immigrants           C. citizens         D. the rich

4. A. people            B. race             C. strangers            D. arrivals

5. A. took up           B. kept up         C. made up          D. brought

6. A. luckily           B. surprisingly         C. recently         D. possibly

7. A. created           B. supported            C. given                D. expressed

8. A. before            B. after                C. later                D. ago

9. A. in a panic        B. in a hurry           C. in a way         D. in a sense

10. A. rest         B. other                C. else             D. most

11. A. country          B. town             C. city             D. state

12. A. stands           B. lies             C. exists               D. has

13. A. compare      B. think                C. match                D. regard

14. A. if               B. unless               C. although         D. so

15. A. essential        B. final                C. proud                D. reasonable

16. A. than         B. what             C. that             D. and

17. A. routes           B. ranks                C. circles              D. ways

18. A. national         B. racial               C. personal         D. international

19. A. added            B. occurred         C. came             D. appeared

20. A. precious              B. fashionable               C. widespread               D. complex

Tom Becker has won the 2007 Waterstone's children's book prize with his first novel, Darkside, receiving a cheque for £1,000 and the promise of display in branches of the book store across the country.
The 25-year-old author described winning as an "unbelievable feeling". "I didn't think my book would be on the shortlist and stood a chance of winning, and it's amazing to receive such an important award at the beginning of my writing career. Needless to say I am absolutely made up." he said.
The novel, inspired by film noir（黑色電影）, fantasy（幻想）and a fascination（迷戀）with the dark side of the 19th century, is for children between the ages of nine and 12. It tells the story of a boy, Jonathan Stirling, who discovers a similar world filled with vampires（吸血鬼）and werewolves（狼人）. This alternative reality has a clearly Victorian air, and is ruled by a descendant（后裔）of Jack the Ripper. Soon hunters from the other side begin searching for Jonathan, who finds himself driven into their world.
Waterstone's head children's buyer, Wayne Winstone, thought highly of Becker's "huge" achievement. He said: "Tom Becker's writing style attracts you in the same way that Darren Shan's does with his mix of adventure and the supernatural. 
"I have a feeling that Tom has real potential（潛能）and could be one of the big names in children's writing in the future."
This year's shortlist also included Michael Broad's Jake Cake, Philip Caveney's Sebastian Darke and Siobhan Dowd's A Swift Pure Cry. Last year's prize was won by Julia Golding with The Diamond of Drury Lane.

1. 1.

   How did Tom Becker feel at the news that he had won the prize? 

   1. A.
      He was proud of his ability of making up stories.
   2. B.
      He was shocked and didn’t believe it was true.
   3. C.
      He was very surprised and delighted.
   4. D.
      He had expected he would win the prize.
2. 2.

   Why was Tom Becker’s novel successful according to Wayne Winstone? 

   1. A.
      Because his novel was inspired by film noir, fantasy and a fascination.
   2. B.
      Because the novel was about the dark side of the 19th century.
   3. C.
      Because his novel was intended for teenagers between the ages of nine and 12.
   4. D.
      Because his writing style is attracting with the mix of adventure and the supernatural
3. 3.

   Which of the following is WRONG according to passage?

   1. A.
      The novel Darkside is Tom Becker’s first novel.
   2. B.
      The novel Darkside will be on display all over the country.
   3. C.
      Philip Caveney also won the prize in 2007.
   4. D.
      Jonathan is a major character in the novel Darkside.
4. 4.

   What can we infer from the passage?

   1. A.
      Tom Becker is likely to be a most promising novelist in children’s writing in the future.
   2. B.
      Darren Shan’s novels are all very popular with children between the ages of 9 and 12.
   3. C.
      The Waterstone’s children’s book prize is an important prize for young novelists.
   4. D.
      The novels of Michael Broad, Philip Caveney and Siobhan Dowd will be on the shortlist next year.
5. 5.

   The best title for the passage is probably_______.

   1. A.
      Tom Becker— a great writer for children
   2. B.
      First-time author wins children’s fiction prize
   3. C.
      An imaginary big prize
   4. D.
      Tom Becker's writing style

Born in America, I spoke English, not Chinese, the language of my ancestors. When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese  21  at my face, but I pushed them  22  . My mom believed I would learn  23  I was ready. But the  24  never came.

On a Chinese New Year’s Eve, my uncle spoke to me in Chinese, but all I could do was 25 at him, confused, scratching my head. “Still can’t speak Chinese?” He  26  me , “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown .”

“Hey, this is America, not China. I’ll get some   27  with or without Chinese.” I replied and turned to my mom for  28  .

“Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu,” she said, handing over a $20 bill. I  29  the words, running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.

I found the fish  30  surrounded in a sea of customers. “I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I shouted to the fisherman. But he  31  my English words and turned to serve the next customer. The laugh of the people behind increased  32  their impatience. With every  33  ,the breath of the dragons on my back grew stronger—my blood boiling—  34  me to cry out. “ Xian Sheng Yu, please.” “Very Xian Shen ,” I repeated. The crowd erupted into laughter. My face turned  35  and I ran back home  36  , except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.

Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I should feel right at  37  . Instead, I was the joke , a disgrace (丟臉)to the language.

Sometimes, I laugh at my fish  38  , but, in the end, the joke is on  39  . Every laugh is a culture  40  ; every laugh is my heritage (傳統(tǒng)) fading away.

1.A. custom             B. games                C .characters       D. language

2.A. ahead              B. around               C. along            D. aside

3.A. when               B. before               C. unless           D. until

4.A. success                B. study                C. time         D. attempt

5.A. aim                    B. joke             C. nod          D. stare

6.A. cared about        B. laughed at           C. argued with      D. asked after

7.A. right now          B. from now         C. at times     D. in time

8.A. decision           B. permission       C. information      D. preparation

9.A. repeated               B. reviewed         C. spelled          D. kept

10.A. farm              B. stand                C. pond         D. market

11.A. guessed               B. forget               C. doubted      D. ignored[來

12.A. by                    B. as               C. with         D. from

13.A. second                B. effort               C. desire           D. movement

14.A. forcing               B. allowing         C. persuading       D. leading

15.A. bright                B. blank                C. pale         D. red

16.A. open-mouthed      B. tongue-tied          C. empty-handed D. broken-hearted

17.A. service               B. home             C. risk         D. root

18.A. trade             B. deed             C. challenge        D. incident

19.A. it                    B. us               C. me           D. them

20.A. thrown                B. lost             C. divided      D. reflected

While most students in the USA are worrying about getting into their dream universities, others worry about a bigger problem. Students brought to the USA illegally, who have to leave a   36   on applications that need their Social Security number, know they will not be accepted    37   their outstanding grades and performance. The young immigrants   38   from the U.S. school system, but only up through high school. Their education often    39   there due to a 1996 federal law that bans states from offering in-state tuition rate(學(xué)費(fèi)) to illegal immigrants    40   the state also offers it to all U.S. citizens. However, there may be some hope because of the DREAM Act, which will be voted on in Congress (國(guó)會(huì)).

The DREAM Act is a/an   41   aid program for the young illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. before they were 16. Those who apply for this program can get   42   and temporary residing (居住) status, which can be changed, once   43  , to a green card after six years. These immigrants can then use their newly acquired status to seek green cards for their   44  . In this way, it can also provide citizenship for the illegal foreigners who brought their children to the US.

“I don’t live in fear of being driven out of this   45  ,” says Juan, a high school junior born in Mexico. “I live a normal life here   46   that now everyone is getting their driver’s license, and I can’t.”

Juan came to the U.S. with his mother and older brother at eight. He is hoping for the DREAM Act to be      47 . While he admits that there is no obvious prejudice in high school, Juan   48   faces unfair racial treatment.

“It   49   me when people joke around and ask me for my green card,” Juan explains. “I   50  , but deep down I know they are offending me for   51   I have no control over. I was born in Mexico, but my   52   is here.”

His brother now attends a community (社區(qū)) college and plans to enter a university. Juan hopes to take a   53   path. “For long, I have no   54   that I can go to university” Juan says. “I know it’s going to be hard, but as long as I stay in this country, I have a/an   55  .”

1. A. blank             B. track        C. name         D. message

2. A. because of        B. instead of   C. in terms of      D. regardless of

3. A. suffer        B. benefit          C. learn        D. graduate

4. A. stops             B. begins       C. continues        D. changes

5. A. if            B. until        C. unless           D. after

6.A. legal              B. international    C. seasonal     D. educational

7.　A. low              B. conditional      C. stable       D. regular

8. A. denied        B. lost             C. bought       D. earned

9.A. children           B. parents          C. friends          D. relatives

10. A. school       B. program          C. system           D. country

11.A. with          B. in               C. except       D. now

12.A. introduced   B. discussed        C. passed       D. corrected

13.A. almost        B. still        C. even         D. only

14. A. bothers          B. worries          C. confuses         D. surprises

15. A. laugh        B. cry              C. shout        D. sigh

16. A. everything       B. nothing          C. something    D. anything

17. A. success          B. origin       C. life             D. experience

18. A. similar          B. right        C. different        D. direct

19. A. confidence  B. idea         C. interest         D. doubt

20. A. attempt          B. chance       C. dream        D.choice