When he was16, his father seriously said to him, "I'll give you whatever youwant before you are 18.
But after that, Iwon't care much about you, and you should give me whatever I want." When his 18th
birthday was coming, the young man began thinking about looking for aj ob. So he sent resumes (簡歷)
to many companies he liked on the internet. "But, most got no reply," hesaid. "Maybe they were surprised
about my primary school education."
      By chance, one of hisfriends was looking for someone, who could work as an egg porter (搬運工)
in the supermarket, for 0.5 yuan a box. Facing lots of difficulties in getting a job, hesaid, "I'll take this job.
Atl east Ican make some money for my petrol (汽油)." Then everyday, he drove his car, his18th birthday
gift, to work in the supermarket. He did that for three months. 
      Later, he heard that a newspaper was looking for a net work technician (網(wǎng)絡技術員), so he asked
for it. Butthey were also worried about his school education. He practiced his skill right in front of the
computer, and showed them an agers webpage she had designed. He started to work the next day, and
became the director of net work department in less than a year. 
      And now, the 23-year-old man is a boss. In January 2005, he started amagazine for children, with
himself as the editorin chief (主編). And the only writer was his father.

1.It was difficult for the young man to get a job because ______.

A.he was only 18 year sold
B.his father cared too much about him
C.he had an expensive car
D.he didn't have enough school education

2.What did the 18 thbirthday mean to the young man?

A.He could get a car as a gift.
B.He had to make a living all by himself.
C.He had to leave his parents.
D.He had to work in a supermarket.

3.The young man's father might be ______.

A.a wel-known and rich writer
B.a computer programmer
C.a very old and kind man
D.a manager of a big company

4.The young man got the job as a net work technician because ______.

A.he wanted to be a director　
B.his resumes were sent throughi nternet
C.he was very good at computer
D.he decided to work for the newspaper

5.The magazine the young man started was perhaps ______.

A.about net work technicians
B.about working for newspapers
C.made of many funny stories
D.sold only in supermarkets

     Nick is twenty-three and works in a middle school. Two and a half years ago he was ill in hospital and
there he knew a beautiful nurse named Rita. The girl took good care of him and he made friends with her.
They loved each other. About six months later they married.
     Nick likes reading. When he comes home, he always reads some newspaper or books. Rita begins to
cook in the kitchen. And when the meat is roasted (烤), she always tells her husband to cut it in two. Then
they begin to have supper together. After supper they go out for a walk, or they go to the cinema. And they
enjoy themselves. 
    One day Nick planted trees with his students. They climbed up a mountain and worked hard. When he
got home, he felt hungry. His wife roasted a piece of chicken that evening and told him to cut it. This time
he chose a bigger piece of chicken for himself and gave her the smaller one.
     "I remember, dear," Rita said with a smile. "When we married, you always gave me the bigger part. Why
do you give me the smaller one now?"
     Nick felt shy and didn't know what to say. He thought for a while and said, "You cook better now than
before."

1. What does Nick do? He is ______.

A. a teacher
B. a nurse
C. a doctor
D. a player

2. Why did Nick make friends with Rita? Because she ______.

A. worked in a hospital
B. was good at roasting
C. worked hard
D. took good care of him

3. What did Nick choose for himself this? He chose ______.

A. the bigger part of the roast beef
B. the smaller part of the roast chicken
C. the bigger part of the roast chicken
D. the smaller part of the roast beef

                                                             Just a Little Smile
     Mark was walking home from school one day when he saw the boy in front of him fall over and drop
all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a basketball and a walkman (隨身聽). Mark
stopped and helped the boy pick up (撿起) these things. Since they were going the same way, he helped
to carry some of his things. As they walked, Mark knew that the boy's name was Bill, that he loved
computer games, basketball and history, and that he was having lots of troubles with his other subjects
and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.
    They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The
afternoon passed happily with a few laughs and some small talk, then Mark went home. They often saw
each other at school, had lunch together once or twice, and then they both finished middle school. They
ended up in the same high school where they sometimes saw and talked with each other over the years.
At last just three weeks before they finished high school, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
     Bill asked Mark if he still remembered the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever think
why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker (鎖柜)
because I didn't want to leave anything for anyone else. I had put away some of my mother's sleeping pills
and I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I began
to understand that if I killed myself, I would have missed (錯過) that time and so many others that might
follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. You saved
my life."

1. When Mark met him the first time, Bill was going ___.

A. to have a basketball game
B. to his classroom
C. to see Mark
D. back home

2. From what Bill was carrying, we can know that he ____. 

A. was a good student
B. liked sports and music
C. liked all the subjects in school
D. was a good friend

3. Mark and Bill ____.

A. were in the same middle school and high school
B. were in the same middle school but not in the same high school
C. often had lunch together at school
D. had known each other before they began to study in middle school

4. In this passage, the phrase "break up" means "____".

A. 相處很好
B. 和好如初
C. 關系破裂
D. 保持聯(lián)系

5. When Mark helped Bill to pick up some of his things, he ____.

A. knew he could save Bill's life
B. knew who Bill was and wanted to help him
C. didn't know why he was going to help him
D. didn't know what he was doing was very important to Bill

     Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed that the boy ahead of him had tripped and
dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape
recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same
way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked, Mark discovered that the boy's name was Bill, that
he loved video games, basebaii and history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that
he had just broken up with his close friend.
     They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The
afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talks, and then Mark went home. They
continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both graduated from
junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally
the long last year came, and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could have a talk.
     Bill reminded him of the day years before when they had first met. "Do you ever wonder why I was
carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to
leave a mess for anyone else. I decided to drop out of school. But after we spent some time together talking and
laughing, I realized that if I had left school, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow.
So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You helped me out."

1. Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Bill?
    a. Bill tripped and dropped all of his books he was carrying.
    b. Bill broke up with his close friend. 
    c. Bill graduated from junior high school.
    d. Bill cleaned his locker.
    e. Bill decided to drop out of school.

A. d-e-a-b-c
B. e-d-b-a-c
C. b-d-e-a-c
D. b-e-d-a-c

2. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. Bill loved video games, baseball and geography
B. Bill and Mark studied at the same senior school
C. because they were good friends, Mark picked up Bill's books
D. Mark knew Bill was having a lot of trouble before he was told

3. The author's purpose in writing this passage is to _____.

A. remind us that we should pick up the articles others dropped
B. tell people schoolboys are easy to get along with each other
C. tell us that everybody can be great if he has a heart full of love
D. tell us that schoolboys should make as many friends as they can

     There was a man who had a little boy that he loved very much. Every day after work the man would come
home and play with the little boy. He would always spend all of his spare time playing with the little boy.
     One day, while the man was at work, he realized that he had extra work to do for the evening, and that he
wouldn't be able to play with his little boy. But, he wanted to be able to give the boy something to keep him
busy. So, looking around his office, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an
idea. He removed the map, and then patiently tore it up into small pieces. Then he put all the pieces in his coat
pocket.
     When he got home, the little boy came running to him and was ready to play. The man explained that he
had extra work to do and couldn' t play with him, but he led the little boy into the dining room. He took out all
the pieces of the map and spread them on the table. He explained that it was a map of the world, and that by
the time he put it back together, his extra work would be finished and they could both play. Surely this would
keep the child busy for hours, he thought.
     About half an hour later the boy came to the man and said, "Okay, it's finished. Can we play now?" The
man was surprised, saying, "That' s impossible. Let's go and see." And sure enough, there was the picture of
the world; all put together, every piece in its place.
     The man said, "That's amazing! How did you do that?" the boy said, "it was simple. On the back of the
page was a picture of a man. When I put the man together, the whole world fell into place."

1. The man told his son to put a map back together because _____. 

A. he had little time to play with his son
B. he was tired of playing with his son
C. he had to overwork in the office
D. he wanted his son to play alone

2. The son spent _____ putting the map back together.

A thirty minutes
B. several hours
C. the whole evening
D. the whole day

3. What can you infer from this story?

A. Children often make adults mad.
B. Adults know little about children.
C. Sometimes children surprise adults.
D. Adults always care for their children.

     My aunt Edith, working as a secretary, was a single mother. Doctors discovered that she got a very serious
heart disease when she was 50. 
     1_____ She began studying medical reports in the library and found an article in a magazine about a well-
known heart surgeon (外科醫(yī)生), Dr Michael DeBakey, in Houston, Texas. He had saved the life of someone
with the same disease. The article said Dr DeBakey's fees (診療費) were very high. 2_____ But could Dr
Michael tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
     So Aunt Edith wrote to him. She simply listed her reasons for wanting to be alive. She had three children,
and they would be on their own in three or four more years. 3_____ nere wasn't a word of self-pity-only
warmth and humor and the joy of living. She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer.
     A few days later, my doorbell rang. Aunt Edith didn't wait to come in. She stood in the hall and read aloud:"
Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply. If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the
hospital or the operation. Signed-Michael DeBakey."
     That was seven years ago. 4_____ Her three children are happily married. For her age, she is one of the
youngest, most alive people I know-all because of an open-heart surgeon who knew how to honor his
profession, and how to open his own heart.

A. Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world.
B. Aunt Edith couldn't possibly pay them.
C. Aunt Edith didn't give up.
D. Aunt Edith decided to ask him to save her.