1 . The Doll and the White Rose
I was walking around in a mall, when I saw a cashier hand this little boy some money back．The cashier said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll．”The little boy seemed very disappointed．
I walked toward him and asked him who he wished to give this doll to. "It's the doll that my sister wanted so much for Christmas．She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her. But Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there．"His eyes were so sad．"My sister has gone to be with God．Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister."
My heart nearly stopped．The little boy looked up at me and continued, "I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall."
I quickly reached for my wallet and said," Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll．"
"OK, I hope I do have enough," he said．I put some of my money with his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money．
Surprisingly, the little boy cried, "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that Mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much．But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose ! "
Then I remembered two days before a local newspaper reported an accident in which a woman and a little girl were badly injured．The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state．Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after I met the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the woman had passed away．I couldn't stop myself from going to the funeral. Teary-eyed, I felt that my life had been changed forever．
1. The boy wanted to buy the doll because____________．

A．he had always been eager for such a doll

B．Santa Claus didn't give him any Christmas gift

C．he would give it to his mother as a birthday surprise

D．he wanted to turn his sister's Christmas wish into reality

2. We can learn from the story that__________．

A．the boy's sister died after staying in hospital for two weeks

B．the boy's family were all seriously injured in a car accident

C．the author gave the boy some extra money without his notice

D．the boy's mother always wished to receive a white rose on Christmas

3. The story most probably conveys the message that ．

A．a kind act can bring joy and hope to others

B．a gift is a perfect way to express love for others

C．losing a family member is a heavy blow to children

D．a religiou s belief can help one solve problems in his life

2 . Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.

It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her illness in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke(中风) and she went steadily(不断地) downhill after that.

Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.

several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.

“Whirr,” she said weakly.

“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.

Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could gather said, “Not was, say were!”

It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”

Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe (敬畏) of a remarkable teacher.

1. When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?

A．She wanted to tell her sons her will.

B．She wanted to have something to eat before she died.

C．She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.

D．She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT right?

A．Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.

B．Mom was always making her teaching fun.

C．Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.

D．Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.

3. What does the writer think of his mother?

A．He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching at home.

B．His mother should forget her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.

C．His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.

D．His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.

4. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Once a teacher, always a teacher	B．Mom’s will
C．A teacher’s life	D．A teacher’s devotion

3 . My l4-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat at the same time in a second-hand clothing store. It stood out among big and old coats. It had beautiful tailoring and an unbelievable price: $28. I looked at my son and we both said nothing, but John’s eyes shone. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular with teenage boys, but they could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better. John tried it on and turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror. The fit was perfect.
John wore the coat to school the next day and came home with a big grin. “Did the kids like your coat?” I asked. “They loved it.” he said.
Over the next few weeks, John changed. He was polite, less argumentative, more thoughtful, and on the whole much happier. “Good dinner, mom.” he would say every evening. Without a word of objection he would carry in wood for the stove. One day when I suggested that he might start on his homework before dinner, John, who always put things off, said: “You’re right. I guess I will.” When I mentioned this incident to one of his teachers, she joked that the coat must have changed him.
John and I both know we should never mistake a person’s clothes for the real person within them. But there is something to be said for wearing a standard of excellence for the world to see, for practicing standards of excellence in thought, speech, and behavior, and for matching what is on the inside to what is on the outside.
1. What does the author try to express in the first paragraph?

A．The coat looked like a magical coat.

B．They were good at shopping.

C．The coat was a real bargain.

D．They had the same taste in clothes.

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

A．A wide smile.	B．A worried look.
C．A low spirit.	D．A joking voice.

3. After John wore the new coat, the author found he _______.
a. was happier and better-behaved
b. received more praise from his teachers
c. was willing to follow suggestions
d. made rapid progress in study
e. would say sweet words to please her

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

4. What message does the author intend to deliver in the article?

A．We should not judge people by their appearance.

B．Life is full of possibilities when we are young.

C．It’s beneficial to try different things in our lives.

D．What we wear could help shape who we are inside.

4 . In many African countries, the care of orphans has been mainly led by foreign donor organizations. However, Sister Florence has changed all that. Using her own resources, Sister Florence is leading the work of raising orphans from different backgrounds. Sister Florence Wanjala’s biggest motivation to start the orphan program was when she saw a little boy whose parents had died. The boy was living with a cruel grandparent and he would visit the grave of his mother, crying for support. Sister Wanjala wanted to give a helping hand and give him hope. From that time, she started feeling the call to help a larger number of orphans.

She opened an office with a few friends and coordinated (协调)a program to help the orphans. All the registrations were done in the office and the program so far has 8000 children. Sister Wanjala said, “My dream is to help the orphan to live a holistic (完整)life and be a good Kenyan citizen to help this country. Many people think that the way to support orphans is to put them in an institution. Others support them up to the age of eighteen, but here, we do it very differently.” For Sister Wanjala, putting a child in an institution is normally her last choice . She prefers the orphans to live in a foster home.

She said, “I’m so encouraged and happy to see the orphans succeeding. When they come first or second in class, it shows how the program has helped them, and that’s encouraging to me as I continue to coordinate the program.” Through her charity work, more than 1000 orphans have been able to find a home. Sister Wanjala, as a mother, takes care of her own family.

1. What inspired Sister Wanjala to start the orphan program

A．Her preference for kids.

B．Her own similar experience.

C．A sad story about an orphan.

D．Her successful charity work.

2. Sister Wanjala opened an office mainly to ______.

A．set up as many institutions as possible for orphans

B．start a program to offer orphans a foster family

C．provide school education for those orphans

D．raise more money for the homeless kids

3. What does the underlined sentence probably mean

A．She didn’t want orphans to live in an institution.

B．She preferred to put orphans into an institution.

C．She had no choice but to put orphans in institutions.

D．She sent orphans into an institution in the end.

4. What can we learn from the text

A．Sister Wanjala finally adopted the little boy.

B．Sister Wanjala found foster homes for 8000 orphans.

C．Sister Wanjala was too busy to care for her own family.

D．Sister Wanjala was not alone in helping orphans.

5 . A few days ago I got a call from my old college friend whom I haven’t seen for a very long time. The topic, which was about all the good old times that we had changed to a touching story when he started talking about his father.
His father’s declining health made him stay at the hospital. Because of his illness, his father suffered from insomnia(失眠) and often talked to himself. My friend, who had not been able to sleep for a few days as he had to keep watching his father’s condition, became irritated and told his father to keep silent and try to get some sleep. His father said that he really wanted to sleep well because he was very tired and told my friend to leave him alone in the hospital if he did not want to keep him company.
After his father finished talking, he fell unconscious. My friend was very sorry for speaking the ill words towards his father. My friend, whom I knew as a tough person, cried as a baby on the other end of the telephone. He said that from that moment on, he prayed every day, asking God to let his father wake up from his coma. He promised himself that whatever words came out from his father’s mouth after he regained his consciousness, he would gladly take them. His only hope for God was to give him a chance to rectify his past mistake.
Often, we complain when we have to accompany or watch over our parents for years, months, days, hours or even minutes. But do we realize that our parents keep us company and watch over us for as long as we (or they)live? From the day we were born to our adulthood, and even when deaths come to us, they are always at our side.
Imagine how sad our parents will be when they hear a seemingly innocent word of “no” come out from our mouths. We can make promises to ourselves that from now on there will be no more complaints that come out from our mouths when we have to watch over or accompany our parents. No more complaints come out from our mouths when we feel that our parents have treated us like little children. There are so many unlucky ones who have neither fathers nor mothers. They long to have the things that we most complain about, but never have them.
Actually, it takes only a second to think and light the lamp that will bring us to a place where peace is dwelling.
1. Which of the following word can be used to describe the writer’s friend?

A．Sad

B．Sorry

C．Regretful

D．Pitiful

2. What does the underlined word “rectify” mean in Para. 3?

A．put…right

B．recite…by heart

C．realize

D．recognize

3. What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?

A．Your parents will keep talking to themselves when they are old.

B．Be good to your parents when you still have the chance.

C．You will regret in your life if you don’t show your kindness to your parents.

D．It is not easy to take good care of sick old parents.

6 . Most people watching Jeremy Lin these past two months saw Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks star; but I, watching him, saw someone else. That was my elder brother, Bob, who is athletic and energetic. He could never sit still when he was in second grade; he had to get up every now and then and run around the room. And sure enough, he grew up to be a starting player for an N.C.A.A. championship lacrosse（长曲棍球）team. He was a Nike-endorsed marathoner, too, and reached the top of Mt. Everest, unguided, in his 50s.
And yet my family never watched his lacrosse games. We did watch some of his marathons, but that wasn’t until he was in his 20s. When Bob was in his glory days, our Shanghainese-born parents were bent on getting him into medical school. There was a loving aspect to it: I can remember my father working through math books with him, lesson by lesson, at the big blackboard in the attic. Bob never did become a doctor, though; and neither did I. It wasn’t until my younger sister came along that someone in the family finally wore a white coat.
Bob today could be the fittest 58-year-old on the planet. His doctor estimates his biological age at 35; he’s still climbing big mountains in the Himalayas. And, like Jeremy Lin, he’s charming. No one sees Bob without leaving with a laugh. He sometimes jokes he could be mayor of his building, and it’s true. To know him is to cheer for him.
And yet my parents did not cheer for him. What if my mother had sat on the sidelines with her statistics, like Jeremy Lin’s mother? What if my father had played videos of athletes for my brother to watch and imitate? It’s hard not to wonder.
And how did Jeremy Lin’s parents manage to do these remarkable things? Amy Chua, the tiger mother, recalls her immigrant father beating the kids whenever they mispronounced a Chinese word. How is it that Jeremy Lin’s immigrant father in particular, Gie-Ming Lin, encouraged his son to follow such an untraditional path?
1. Bob’s glory days were those ________.

A．when he was doing well in math

B．when he was in second grade

C．when he was made mayor of his building

D．when he showed his talents in sports

2. From the passage we can tell that Bob is ____________.

A．active and optimistic

B．clever and determined

C．brave and helpful

D．considerate and independent

3. Which of the following statements is probably TRUE?

A．Bob was always ignored by his parents

B．Bob could also have been a sport star.

C．Bob’s parents often watched his games.

D．Nobody in the author’s family was a doctor.

4. From the last two paragraphs we can infer that ___________.

A．parents should always study together with their children

B．parents should know how to educate their children properly

C．children should be punished when they do anything wrong

D．children should try to live up to the hopes of their parents

7 . After successfully serving their term for 4 years, military service men and women are given the choice to stay in the military or return to civilian(平民)life.

For some, having to readjust to civilian life is one of the most challenging assignments our returning soldiers and marines(水兵)will ever have to undertake. While people may think readjusting should be simple, they must take into consideration all the physical and mental stress our servicemen went through.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder(创伤后应急障碍),　or PTSD, is a mental disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat(打仗).

Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. In the military, the marines are given a two-week course on how to return to civilian life.

Unfortunately, some will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD.

People who suffer from PTSD have difficulty sleeping because they are often reliving the experience through nightmares(梦魇)and flashbacks, and feel deserted or often stand off, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly damage the person’s daily life.

Fullerton College, like most colleges, has its own Veteran’s(老兵)Office. Ray Bustos has been running the office for 3 years. Bustos acts as a liaison(联络) for the school and the veteran students. He makes sure the veterans returning to school get the right benefits. There are various types of financial aid for soldiers and marines. He strongly encourages the use of the Veterans Affairs website.

The website is very informative and extremely helpful for veterans as well as for friends and relatives of veterans who want to learn more.

1. One purpose of the writer in writing the passage is ________________.

A．to introduce some methods to cure PTSD

B．to instruct PTSD patients to return to civilian life

C．to recommend a website for veterans and people concerned

D．to give military service men and women advice on civilian life

2. What problems will some returning soldiers and marines meet with?

A．How to readjust to civilian life.	B．How to get rid of mental diseases
C．How to get along with PTSD patients	D．How to return to school for benefits.

3. Which of the following is true about Ray Bustos?

A．He’s a veteran who has just come back from a military combat.

B．He runs Fullerton College with a veteran office.

C．He’s in charge of an office dealing with veteran affairs.

D．He provides a lot of financial aid for soldiers and marines.

4. The best title for the passage is __________.

A．PTSD: Killer of A Civilian Life.	B．The Last Assignment For All Military Persons
C．How to Overcome PTSD.	D．Ready for a Civilian Life?

8 . Prince Charles yesterday pledged to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.

The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental pact of their activities.

He said, “Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, ‘How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded, how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities? ’ These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked.”

He added, “At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone’s books… Yet they are real, they are incurred now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy.” He said the world was “running up the biggest global credit card debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid”.

Flanked by the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James’s Palace, the prince said his new “accounting for sustainability” project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet.

Duchy Originals, the prince’s food company, is taking steps to work out how much carbon dioxide and other green-house gas are emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products. The changes to the prince’s travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences. Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmorals estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff. Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June , when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emission.

1. One of the moves Prince Charles will take to reduce the royal impact on the environment is ______.

A．taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy

B．taking helicopters instead of private jets

C．taking trains instead of scheduled flights

D．taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters

2. How does Prince Charles feel about business leaders in terms of environmental protection?

A．Dissatisfied.

B．Disappointed.

C．Doubtful.

D．Impatient.

3. In response to Prince Charles’ calls, Duchy Originals will ______.

A．make as much green food as possible	B．cut down its cost.
C．figure out its greenhouse gas emission	D．continue its greenhouse gas emission.

4. The underlined phrase “the biggest global credit card debt” in paragraph 3 probably refers to ______.

A．the great amount of waste produced by industry

B．the great damage caused to the environment

C．the great amount of debts of the royal family

D．the high cost of industry in their producing process

5. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Prince Charles Pledges Greener Royal Lifestyle

B．Better Late than Never

C．Prince Charles and His Concern for Environment

D．The Royal Family Has a Role to Play in Environment Protection