4 . Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.

The writer was born in a refugee camp (难民营) for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School.

The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions.

Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai’s father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai’s parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.

“I didn’t know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn’t find any records of her,” Kochai said.

Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung’s doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.

Lung’s husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai’s reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.

“I had no idea they were going to be there,” Kochai said. “It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever.”

Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.

1. How did Mrs. Lung help Kochai?

A．By dropping by his house regularly.	B．By asking him to read more in class.
C．By spending extra time tutoring him.	D．By saving him out of a refugee camp.

2. Why did Kochai have difficulty finding Mrs. Lung?

A．There were few records about her.	B．His parents provided little support.
C．He was too young to remember her.	D．He had limited information about her.

3. How did Kochai feel when seeing Mrs. Lung at his reading event?

A．Surprised and delighted.	B．Shocked and angry.
C．Ashamed and regretful.	D．Proud and grateful.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A Distinguished Guest Showed Up at a Reading Event

B．A Writer Was Finally Reunited With His Former Teacher

C．A Famous Teacher Saved a Poor Student’s Whole Life

D．A Book Changed a Celebrity and a Retired Teacher

5 . Explore China’s Ancient Water Towns

Nanxun

This water town typically draws smaller crowds. The architecture is a unique mix of traditional Chinese and Western styles. As you walk along the ancient canals, you’re likely to see locals playing cards or having tea outdoors. The town dates back to the Chunyou Period of the Song Dynasty, between the years of 1241 to 1252. Today, it’s considered to be the best destination for weddings.

Tongli

Tongli is considered a mini Venice, with nearly every building on or by a canal. The town itself is composed of seven small islands, separated by 15 canals and joined by more than 40 bridges—plus, five lakes surround the town itself. Tongli is more than 1,000 years old, and the oldest bridge in the town dates back to the Song Dynasty, which began in the year 960. Visitors here should check out the wedding museum, which has antique Chinese wedding clothes and items on display.

Zhouzhuang

This is the most famous and most commercialized ancient water town in China. The architecture here dates back more than 900 years, with about 60 original brick archways and 100 original courtyards. More recently, a tower called Quanfu Temple was built in 1987. Climb to the top to get the best view of the ancient town. Or for a more authentic experience, visit Chengxu Taoist Temple, which was built between 1086 and 1093. It’s one of the most famous Taoist temples in the area.

Xitang

Xitang separates itself from other water towns with sheltered waterside streets, allowing locals and guests to comfortably walk alongside the canals even during the rainy season. Thanks to a less commercial atmosphere, visitors will be rewarded with opportunities that aren’t likely to be found in other water towns-like fishing with locals on the canals and having dinner on a boat. Xitang is truly ancient, dating back to the Warring States Period of 476 BC to 221 BC.

1. Which town will an ancient Chinese wedding culture lover most probably prefer?

A．Nanxun.

B．Xitang.

C．Tongli.

D．Zhouzhuang.

2. When was Quanfu Temple built?

A．In 900.

B．In 1086.

C．In 1093.

D．In 1987.

3. What is unique about Xitang?

A．Its famous Taoist temples.	B．Its sheltered waterside streets.
C．Its various ancient bridges.	D．Its commercial atmosphere.

6 . As you walk around the UK in March, you might notice that some people are wearing a daffodil(水仙花) on their coats. The British wear these yellow flowers to show they support one of this country’s best-known charities: the Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The Marie Curie Cancer Care tries to ensure everyone diagnosed with cancer is cared for in the best possible way. It also helps fund research into possible cures through other organizations. Founded in 1948, it has been continuing with its goal ever since.

The charity was named after Marie Curie, a renowned scientist. She experimented with newly-discovered elements to create the theory of radioactivity. Unfortunately, over-exposure to the radioactive elements made her develop a disease and die in 1934. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in two different fields. Because of her pioneering work which led to chemotherapy (化学疗法), the charity shared the name of Marie Curie.

The daffodil is one of the first plants to flower during spring in the UK, which marks the return of flowering plants to the ecosystem after winter. Because of this, the charity uses the daffodil as a metaphor for bringing life to other people through charitable giving.

Everyone you see wearing a daffodil has donated money to the charity, but each daffodil is worth only what you want to pay for it. The charity does ask that you stick to a minimum amount of £1.

The charity encourages people to start wearing their daffodils at the start of March, when the “Great Daffodil Appeal” kicks off. But that doesn’t mean you can only wear them in March. People are sometimes seen walking around with daffodils on their clothes all year round.

1. What does it mean when the British wear a daffodil on their coats?

A．They support a charity.	B．They are recovering from cancer.
C．They’ve been helped by a charity.	D．They’ve been diagnosed with cancer.

2. What does the underlined word “renowned” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Beautiful.

B．Modest.

C．Famous.

D．Humorous.

3. Why was the charity named after Marie Curie?

A．Because patients required that.	B．Because it was launched by her.
C．Because she greatly supported it.	D．Because it could show respect for her.

4. What can we learn about the daffodil from the text?

A．It can be used as medicine.	B．It’s thought to stand for hope.
C．It’s widely worn worldwide.	D．It’s sold to the wearers at a high price.

8 . Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas. He didn’t care much for high school. One day during his senior year, he cut class and walked into the school library. He discovered a book written by Frank Yerby. The book was The Treasure of Pleasant Valley and it attracted Neal’s attention. But there was one problem — if Neal took the book to the check out counter (收银台), his friends would know he was reading books.

“Then my fame (名誉) would be down,” Neal said. “I wanted them to know that all I could do was fight and cuss (咒骂).” Finally, Neal decided to steal the book.

A week later, Neal had finished the book. He brought it back to the library. But when he put it back, there was another book by Yerby. He took it as well. The same thing happened again. He read four of Yerby’s books that term — checking out none of them.

But Neal’s sneaky action turned out not to have been so sneaky after all. Attending his 13-year high school get-together, Neal met the school’s librarian, Mildred Grady. She saw Neal take that book. She said, “My first thought was to call him out, and then I realized what his situation was. So I decided that if Neal was showing an interest in books, I would find another one for him and put it in the same place where the one he had taken was.”

This was not an easy matter, because Frank Yerby’s books were not especially available. But the woman’s efforts paid off: Neal went on to attend law school and later became a great judge. When Grady died, Neal told the story and he said, “I thank Mrs. Grady for helping me get into the habit of enjoying reading, so that I was able to go to law school and survive.”

1. Why did Neal steal the book instead of checking it out?

A．To prove he was a skillful thief.

B．To show the book to his friends.

C．To keep being known as a troublemaker.

D．To avoid communicating with the librarian.

2. What does the underlined word “sneaky” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Secret.

B．Dangerous.

C．Brave.

D．Illegal.

3. How did Mrs. Grady influence Neal?

A．She taught Neal how to survive.

B．She persuaded Neal to be honest.

C．She encouraged Neal to study law.

D．She helped Neal develop reading habits.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Reading changes people’s life

B．A librarian changed a boy’s life

C．A senior student became a judge

D．Frank Yerby’s books attracted a boy

10 . The “Challenger Deep”, in the southern part of the Mariana Trench, at a depth of 11,000 meters(about 36,000 feet), is the deepest point of the ocean floor, world over. The Mariana Trench was formed from collision of two tectonic (构造的) plates, which were parts of the oceanic crust. One plate sank while the other climbed over, creating the deepest point of the ocean.

If Mount Everest is placed in the depths of the Mariana Trench, it would be totally submerged in water, with about 2,000 meters of water above it! The “Challenger Deep” gets its name from the British Navy vessel called “HMS Challenger” which made a first measurement of its depth in 1875.

In 1960, man reached the ultimate depth through a special underwater exploring space craft, called “Bathyscaphe”. The submersible (可下沉的) vessel called the “Trieste” reached the “Challenger Deep” on 23nd January, 1960. At that depth, the two men who were operating the submersible had about 7 miles of water over them, which exerted a pressure of 16,000 pounds per square inch! Unfortunately, they could do little except measuring the depth as their descent raised debris which reduced their visibility to zero.

Later in 1996, the Japanese unmanned remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), Kaiko made the deepest unmanned dive ever and brought home samples of bacteria living in these depths. The most productive dive of the “Challenger Deep” was made very recently in May 2009.The US built hybrid ROV “Nereus” reached the “Challenger Deep” and spent 10 hours on the ocean floor, sending live video data and collecting biological samples.

1. What does the “Challenger Deep” get its name from?

A．An explorer.

B．An island.

C．A ship.

D．A voyage.

2. Why is Mount Everest mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．To show the depth of the Mariana Trench.

B．To compare it to the “Challenger Deep”.

C．To show how the Mariana Trench was formed.

D．To show the importance of the Mariana Trench.

3. What did the two men do during the 1960 exploration of the “Challenger Deep”?

A．They failed to measure the depth of it.

B．They only measured the depth of it.

C．They gave a more exact measurement of it.

D．They measured the depth of it with ease.

4. What contributions did the Japanese explorers make?

A．They made the deepest dive.	B．They made the most productive dive.
C．They spent most time underwater.	D．They brought up living organisms.