What makes 15,000 men and women run for hours, and what makes them run through the streets on a
cold day without coats? I was one of those runners. The race is called marathon (馬拉松).
    I had never run more than eight miles before, and here I was training. Since the race is in April, I had to
run throughout the winter, and in Boston, winters are cold. For most people, just putting on their shirts,
sweaters, jackets, and hats is exercise enough. I found myself out on the dark streets, running along ice
sidewalks (人行道). Even in gloves, my fingers got so cold that they looked like red carrots. My nose didn't
get warm until lunchtime!
    Finally, the big day arrived. The weather was cold, with ice and rain. Bang! The gun sounded, and we
started. I didn't go anywhere at first because I was standing behind so many people. I had to wait for them
to move.
    At first, the running was easy. The other runners just seemed to pull me along. Somewhere around the
20-mile mark I even said to myself, "This is nothing, why did I train so hard?"
    Then I hit "the wall". "The wall" is what marathon runners call the special point. I knew my body reached
the point and I thought I couldn't go any more. I was out of breath and my legs turned into pieces of wood.
I was almost falling down. I can't remember anything about the last five miles of the race.
    I kept running though. At last, I heard a voice at the finishing line.
    "You look good," my friend Ted said. "How did it feel?"
    "Wonderful!" I replied.
    For everything, if you devote yourself into it, there will be a way. I finished the race, at least, in my heart,
I was the winner.

1. Which one best describes the weather on the race day?

A. Cold and rainy.
B. Cold and sunny.
C. Dry and cloudy.
D. Wet and foggy.

2. How did the writer feel about the race during the first 20 miles?

A. Difficult.
B. Boring.
C. Easy.
D. Interesting.

3. According to the article, what must someone do to prepare for a marathon?

A. One must eat certain food and get plenty of sleep.
B. One must be willing to eat, sleep, and train twenty-four hours a day.
C. One must run along ice sidewalks every day.
D. One must be willing to train a lot and doesn't give up easily.

4. Then I hit "the wall". What do you think "hit the wall" means here?

A. 撞擊墻壁
B. 到達極限
C. 抵達終點
D. 中途加速

       It was a fine morning. At 7:30,Carlos went to his friend's home. He knocked al the door. "Hey,Bob! Come on!"he called,Carlos waited for three minutes. Then he knocked at the door again. At last the door opened. Bob came out. It seemed that he was sleeping. He was putting his coat on and getting some books.
     "Wake up,Bob!" said Carlos,"What's the matter with you?"
      Bob opened one eye. "Well, I watched TV last night. It was very late,but it was very good film. It was about spies. I like it very much."
       "Come on!"Carlos said,"Now we are late for school. "Carlos pushed open the door and they went to school.
    "Hey,look at that!"said Carlos. 
     Bob turned and looked."Oh,wow!"said Bob.
     A wounded(受傷的)man was coming to them. Bob and Carlos saw some blood(血)on that man's coat and trousers. The man stopped when he saw the boys.
     "Help!"he said,"Help me!"
     Carlos took Bob's arm. "We had better get out of here. That man looks like trouble!"
     The boys wanted to run away. But the wounded man ran to the boys when a black car was coming.

1. Carlos and Bob were _______ .

A. policemen
B. workers
C. teachers
D. students

2. Carlos knocked at Bob's door, and Bob _______ .

A. got up at once    
B. didn't get up all the time
C. didn't get up until three minutes later    
D. went to bed again

3. Bob liked the film on TV very much because it was about ______ .

A. doctors
B. spies
C. a wounded man
D. policemen

4. "The man looks trouble!"here means _________ .

A. he doesn't look well
B. he needs some help
C. he may be a bad man
D. he wants to help us

5. The black car ________ .

A. saw Bob and Carlos
B. found some blood on the man's coat and trousers
C. ran to the boys
D. was running after the man

         Mark Twain(馬克·吐溫) was an American writer. One day he went to a city by train. He wanted to see
one of his friends there. Mark Twain was a very busy man. He usually forgot something. 　　
         When he was in the train, the conductor asked him for his ticket. Mark Twain looked for the ticket here a
nd there, but he couldn't find it. The conductor knew Mark Twain. She said, "show me your ticket on your way
back .And if you can't find it, it doesn't matter." 　　
         "Oh, but it does," said Mark Twain.?"I must find the ticket .If I can't find it, how can I know where I'm
going?"

A. teacher 　　　
B. student　　　　
C. doctor 　　　
D. writer

2. Mark Twain went to the city to _____________.

A. see his friend 　　　
B. buy some paper 　　
C. sell his books　　　
D. see his parents

3. When he was in the train, the conductor asked him for _________.

A. some books 　　　　　
B. the ticket　　　　
C. a pen 　　　
D. some food

4. Mrak Twain didn't show his ticket because he couldn't ______it.

A. buy　　　　　　　　　
B. find 　　　　　　　
C. look for 　　
D. know

閱讀下面短文，根據(jù)短文內容完成下列句子。

     Long ago in Germany,  a little boy named George Frederick Handel loved music very much.  He
wanted to learn how to play the piano. But his father wanted him to become a lawyer and would not let
him take music lessons. There was a little, old piano up in the attic(閣樓).At night, when everybody was
asleep, the little boy crept up(爬上)the stairs and played softly.    
     When he was about 7.he went with his father to visit a rich duke (公爵).There was a wonderful
organ(風琴)in his house. Little Handel walked up to the organ and began to play.  His little hands moved
over the keys and the sweetest music came out. When he finished, he saw his father and the duke looking at him. The duke asked him where he had learned to play, and the boy told him about the piano in the
attic.    
     Then the duke persuaded(說服)Handel's father to let him study music. Afew years later, young
Handel became a famous composer(作曲家).

1. George Frederick Handel always played the piano in___________before he was famous.
2. His father would like Ceorge to be a___________when he grew up.
3. Little George often crept up the stairs and___________at night.
4. When che boy with his father visited a rich duke, the duke found___________.
5. After the duke persuaded Handel's father, he could___________ and then young Handel became a famous composer.

     Last year I went to an old-fashioned bar with Lisa and her mother. When it was my turn to order, I
had a problem. I was dyslexic (誦讀困難的). I had difficulty reading words. I felt embarrassed
(尷尬的) about it and didn't want others to know it. Every time in restaurants I pretended (假裝) that I
could understand menus and ordered something that almost every restaurant could have. Luckily, I
succeeded every time. This time I did as usual. I had a look at the menu and asked for a dish of vanilla
ice cream. I thought it was safe. A place like this bar should have this kind of ice cream. But as soon as
Lisa heard me, she said, "Didn't you read the menu? There isn't any vanilla ice cream at all." After I heard
this, my face turned red. And I had to tell them the truth. "Dyslexia is quite common, Betty. My friend's
daughter had this problem four years ago, but she is better now," Lisa's mother said to me. Then she
passed me a business card and said, "Go to see this doctor! Believe me! He can help you." I am better
now. I understand that sometimes it isn't the thing itself but what we have done that makes us embarrassed. I have learned to face my problems. I won't escape (逃避) from them anymore.
根據(jù)短文內容，選擇正確答案。
1. What problem did Betty have when it was her turn to order?
A. She couldn't read the words on the menu.
B. She thought ice cream in the bar was too expensive.
C. She didn't know what kind of ice cream was delicious.
D. The menu was written in English, but she wasn't good at it.
2. How did Betty usually order food when she had meals with her friends in restaurants?
A. She ordered what she liked.
B. She ordered common food.
C. She ordered something delicious.
D. She ordered cheap food.
3. What did Betty mean by saying "I thought it was safe"?
A. She thought vanilla ice cream was cheap.
B. She thought the bar would sell vanilla ice cream.
C. She thought vanilla ice cream tasted delicious.
D. She thought eating vanilla ice cream was good for her health.
4. What did Lisa's mother do when Betty told the truth?
A. She criticized Betty.
B. She advised Betty to forget her problem.
C. She encouraged Betty to go to see a doctor.
D. She asked Betty to choose another kind of ice cream.
5. The writer wrote this story to tell us ______.
A. not to eat too much ice cream
B. not to worry about illness
C. to go to see a doctor regularly
D. to learn to face problems bravely

     Last July, many newspapers carried a moving photo: a woman pushing a tricycle (三輪腳踏車) in the
rain. According to one of the newspapers, the woman is the head teacher of Hoping Primary School in
out-of-the-way Huaiyang County. Her name is Li Ling.
     At only 27, she was known as the most beautiful teacher of 2009. In 2002, after leaving school, she
set up a primary school in her hometown in order to help rural children get education. She has borrowed
more than 100,000 yuan for school facilities (設施) since then.
     Because the students couldn't afford books, she went to Zhengzhou during the summer vacation to buy
second-hand reading materials for them. She went alone, riding her tricycle through the streets under the
burning sun, with only one aim (目的)—to set up a simple "reading room" for 300 students.
     "Each time I see students from other schools sitting and reading in a bright reading room, I feel sad. I
also want to set up a reading room for my students, even the simplest one,"she said.
     She is a beautiful young rural teacher, and always ready to help her students. 

 1. In which season was the picture taken?

A. Spring.
B. Summer.
C. Autumn.
D. Winter.

2. At the age of _____, Li Ling set up a primary school in her hometown.

A. 17
B. 20
C. 22
D. 27

3. Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined word "second-hand"?

A. Similar.
B. Popular.
C. Not new.
D. Not difficult.

4. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?

A. The photo became well-known.
B. Li Ling set up the school to make money.
C. Li Ling is very rich.
D. Li Ling works in Zhengzhou City.

5. What does the writer think Li Ling is like?

A. Silly.
B. Smart.
C. Great.
D. Clever.

     Lily is a poor fourteen-year-old girl. Her parents died when she was little, and she now lives with her
 grandma. They are so poor that Lily's grandma has to recycle (回收) things on the street to make a living.
  She works hard to give Lily the things that she needs in life.
     One day, a man riding his bike very fast knocked Grandma down when she was walking on the street.
  Grandma was badly hurt and she had to be in bed for a long time. Lily was very sad, and she had to look
  after her grandmother and herself. After school, she did all the housework herself. And she also did the
 recycling to make some money on weekends. After doing this, she knew how nice Grandma was. It made
  her really appreciate what Grandma had been doing for her.
     Fortunately, Grandma got well a few months later. Lily made up her mind to be a doctor. She wants to
  help people who are in need and make a lot of money to help her grandma. She works hard because she
  knows it will not be easy to make her dream come true. And she will never give up. 

1. What's the story mainly about?

    A. An accident.
    B. A poor family's life.
    C. The importance of recycling.
    D. A poor but hard-working girl.

2. What do we learn about Lily's grandmother?

    A. She is funny.
    B. She is rich.
    C. She is strict with Lily.
    D. She is very kind to Lily.

3. Which of the following is true?

    A. Grandma can't walk any more.
    B. Grandma needed a long rest after the accident.
    C. Grandma got hurt in a car accident.
    D. Lily recycled things every day.

4. Why does Lily want to be a doctor?

    A. Because she hopes to help others.
    B. Because she wants to become rich.
    C. Because she hates recycling.
    D. Because she wants to leave her family.

5. What does the underlined word "appreciate" mean?

    A. 迷惑
    B. 懷疑
    C. 討厭
    D. 感激