1 . I recently had dinner with someone who told me that one of his best friends had been killed in a private plane crash, and something happened at the memorial service that he'll never forget. He shared the story with me.

At the memorial service, his friend's wife walked to the platform to speak to the gathering. She said a friend had asked her the best memory she had of their life together. At the moment, she had been too sad to answer, but she had thought about it since and wanted to answer the question.

They were in their late forties when he died, and she began talking about a time in their life almost twenty years earlier. She had quit her job to obtain her master's degree, and her husband never hesitated in his support.

He held down his own job and also did the cooking, cleaning, and other housework while she studied for her degree.

One time they both stayed up all night. She was finishing her paper, and he was preparing for an important business meeting. That morning, she walked out of her study, leaned against the door by the stairs, looked at her husband downstairs and just thought about how much she loved him. She knew how important this meeting was to his future, and she was feeling guilty that she didn't even have time to make his breakfast. He took his briefcase and hurried out. She heard the garage door open and close, but much to her surprise, she heard it open again about thirty seconds later. From above, she watched her husband dash into the house and walk over to the forgotten coffee table. Marking the surface of it with his finger through the dust with the words "I love you", then he raced back to his car.

The new widow then looked out at her audience and said, "John and I had a wonderful life together. We have been around the world several times. We've had everything money can buy. . . but nothing comes close to that moment."

Hearing this, I was deeply moved. "Love makes life worthwhile. "

1. Why did the woman quit her job?

A．She needed to concentrate on her studies.

B．She had too much housework to do.

C．She wanted to travel around the world.

D．She had to support her husband.

2. "He held down his own job…" in Paragraph 4 means that _________.

A．he needed help in his work	B．he managed to keep his job
C．he cancelled his job	D．he delayed his work

3. The woman mentioned an incident 20 years ago to show _________.

A．how busy their life was	B．how they improved their life
C．how her husband loved her	D．how hard her husband worked

2 . My grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of concern for his welfare, but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.

One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset. But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.

The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed. I’m sure my grandmother had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, “The war is over!” For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was a great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn’t last a tiny bit longer.

1. What the grandfather was most worried about was     .

A．the spread of the world war	B．his relatives killing each other
C．a drop in his living standards	D．the safety of his two cousins

2. The underlined phrase “draft notice” means “     ”.

A．note of warning	B．train ticket for Europe
C．letter of rejection	D．order for army service

3. Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?

A．Unexpected	B．Inspiring
C．Uncertain	D．Disappointing

4. Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?

A．The grandfather felt downhearted because he was afraid of receiving a draft notice

B．The train was traveling fast to the front when the news came that the war was over

C．Most people including the mother were disappointed that the war didn’t last a bit longer

D．Few soldiers on the train had training in advance

3 . Dear Derrick ,

Although under great pressure, we all get on well with each other in this large office. You are one of the people who keep the social temperature at such a comfortable setting. I don’t know anyone in the office who is better liked than you .

You can perhaps help with this. The collection of contributions towards gifts for employees’ personal-life events is becoming a little troubling. Certainly, the group sending of a gift is reasonable now and then. In the past month, however, there have been collections for two baby shower gifts, one wedding shower gift, two weeding gifts, one funeral remembrance, four birthday gifts, and three graduation gifts .

It’s not only the collected-from who are growing uncomfortable(and poor), but the collected-for feel uneasy receiving gifts from people who don’t know them outside the office, who wouldn’t even recognize their graduating children, their marrying daughters and sons, or their dead relatives.

This is basically a kind gesture (and one that people think well of you for), but the practice seems to have become too wide-ranging and feels improper in today’s office setting .

Thank you for understanding .

1. The underlined word “ contributions ” probably means _________ .

A．reports	B．suggestions
C．understanding	D．money

2. Derrick is expected to _________.

A．show more kindness

B．discontinue the present practice

C．quit being the organizer for gift giving

D．know more about co-workers’ families

3. This is basically a letter of _________.

A．apology	B．dissatisfaction
C．appreciation	D．sympathy

4 . GRANDMOTHER, Michelle Riotton, a 78 old, survived after falling down a mountain valley. She set off for a walk alone dressed only in a light jacket and trousers. "I slipped into a valley!" said Mrs. Riotton, who said the fall happened in a deep forest close to her home village.

It was warm and sunny when the accident happened, but temperatures dropped to very low when night fell, and it rained. "I wasn’t afraid," said Mrs Riotton. "But I was worried that my children and grandchildren would become too worried about me." Mrs Riotton said she covered herself in leaves when feeling cold, taking very small bites of two biscuits which she had in her pocket and drinking rainwater which fell down her face.

She spent six nights before she was found on Saturday. She was lying at the bottom of the valley, which was less than a mile from her home. The search had once been stopped, but Patrice Fossard, one of her neighbors, insisted that the search continue. "There was no way we could give up her, even if deep inside we felt we had little hope of finding her alive," said Mr Fossard. "It was a miracle that Michele was finally found."

Mrs Riotton said she would be taking life easier from now on. "Enough is enough!" she said. "No more forests--I don’t want to visit one again."

A mountain policeman said walking alone in the mountain was not recommended and that Mrs Riotton should have carried a mobile phone with her. "The mountains are particularly dangerous at this time of year as sunny afternoons can quickly change into cold, wet and stormy evenings," he said. "Anybody walking into the mountains should carry safety equipment and be prepared for any kind of emergency."

1. When Michelle Riotton was in the valley, she _________.

A．was hurt too badly to move	B．missed her home very much
C．didn’t feel afraid	D．felt very hungry

2. Michelle Riotton covered herself with leaves to __________.

A．keep warm during her suffering	B．prevent the harmful animals
C．make herself noticed by others	D．avoid getting wet in the rain

3. Michelle Riotton got lost on _________.

A．Saturday	B．Monday
C．Wednesday	D．Sunday

4. According to the mountain policeman, _________.

A．the mountains in the morning are very dangerous

B．one had better not walk in the mountains alone

C．people should carry safety equipment every day

D．people wouldn’t be safe without a mobile phone

5 . Habits Of Highly Successful Students
Never Over-Study
When you spend too much time studying you will quickly lose focus and the time spent in studying will become ‘junk time’. You think you're studying but you're just sitting there re-reading the same sentence about 100 times and you're not getting anywhere. Instead, take regular breaks.    1    Besides, it will give your mind some time to take in what you have been doing.
    2    
Top students don't just randomly sit down and complete work. They actually plan what they are going to do: They actually plan the time they will study and they set goals for what will be achieved. If you want to be successful, do as successful people do. Set a plan and, set a goal and stick to it, which will create a routine and a routine is the first step towards developing a habit.    3    
Front Up To The Toughest Work First
Many of us like to do the easy things first to build our confidence. That’s fair enough. The only challenge with this approach is that you use up your primary energy at the start of any study period and so if you are dealing with the easy parts with your primary energy your batteries will be low when it comes the time to deal with the hard part. So what happens then?    4    We all do it. We really shouldn't, though. So develop the habit of giving your primary energy to the hard tasks and completing the easy stuff last.
    5    
Do we really have to explain this? Just turn them off for an hour, we promise the world will still be there when you log back in! Don't text your friends, don't chat while doing memory activities，don't make phone calls, just focus on what you're doing. Even if you focus on work' for 15 minutes followed by 5 mins of chatting, it’s better than 30 minutes of work while also chatting! You get that right?

A．Plan Your Study

B．Achieve Your Goal

C．Positive habits decide future success.

D．Taking breaks can make you get everywhere.

E．You get tired and impatient and just give up.

F．Get Off Social Networking Sites And Turn Off The Phone

G．Taking breaks will make you energetic again and refresh your mind.

6 . A man walked into a small Irish pub and ordered three beers. Bartender was surprised, but he served that man three beers. One hour later the man ordered three beers again. The very next day that man ordered three beers again and drank quietly at a table. This repeated several times and shortly after the people of the town were whispering about the man, who was ordering three beers at once.
A couple of weeks later, the bartender decided to clear this out and inquired: “I do not want to pry, but could you explain, why do you order three beers all the time?” The man replied: “It seems strange, isn’t it? You see, my two brothers live abroad at the moment, one – in France and another – in Italy. We have made an agreement, that every time we go to pub each of us will order extra two beers and it will help keeping up the family bond ”.
Soon all the town have heard about the man’s answer and liked it a lot. The man became a local celebrity. Residents of the town were telling this story to newcomers or tourists and even invited them to that pub to look at Three Beer Man.
However, one day the man came to pub and ordered only two beers, not three as usual. The bartender served him with bad feeling. All that evening the man ordered and drank only two beers. The very next day all the town was talking about this news, some people pray for the soul of one of the brothers, others quietly grieve.
When the man came to pub the next time and ordered two beers again, the bartender asked him: “I would like to offer condolences to you, due to the death of your dear brother”. The man considered this for a moment and then replied: “Oh, you are probably surprised that I order only two beers now? Well, my two brothers are alive and well. It‘s just because of my decision. I promised myself to give up drinking.”
1. The man ordered three beers all the time because _______.

A．people were fond of drinking beers in this pub.

B．he missed his two brothers living abroad very much.

C．this would help him become a local celebrity.

D．it was an agreement with his brothers to keep up the family bond.

2. We can infer from the passage that______.

A．news traveled fast in the town.

B．the man became famous in the town because he was a heavy drinker

C．the man’s brothers liked drinking beer very much

D．the man was strong-minded to give up drinking

3. The bartender served the man with bad feeling because ________.

A．he thought the man should order three beers

B．he thought one of the man’s brothers had passed away

C．he would earn less money

D．the man decided to drink two beers

4. The underlined word “condolences” in the last paragraph can be replaced by______.

A．gratitude

B．sympathy

C．appreciation

D．surprise

7 . John Smith was a very handsome young man but he was lazy. He had finished his education and was happy to sit in his room and listen to the radio all day long. In fact, he had been doing nothing for almost six months, which worried his father a lot. One day Mr. Smith decided that he had to do something. “Johnny, When I was your age I was working and supporting my ten brothers and sisters. I want you to go out and get a job.” So that was what he did. In fact, in the next three months, Johnny started ten jobs and was fired from ten jobs. He explained to his father.
“They wanted me to be at work at 8:00 a. m. and told me to do all sorts of unpleasant things.”
“I don’t care how you do it,” Mr. Smith said. “Either you earn some money or move out of the house. I gave you one week’s time.”
In the next few days Johnny began to change. He still stayed in his room all day, but spent his time writing letters and reading through the newspapers. More and more posts began to arrive for him. He bought a new suit for himself and invited his parents to the theatre and for dinner afterwards at the most expensive restaurant in town. When his proud parents arrived home after their evening hour, a policeman was waiting at the front door.
“John Smith,” he said as he handed him a piece of paper, “I’ll see you in the court tomorrow.”
When he got outside, Johnny told his parents everything. “When you told me to earn some money, I decided to put an advertisement in the newspaper saying, ‘New way to money fast! Send me $ 5 and I’ll tell you my secret.’ When I received the money I wrote back telling people to do as I do.”
Johnny was fined $250 by the court and was ordered to pay all the people back. As he left the court house feeling very ashamed, a newspaper man came up to him, “Young man, would you like to tell your story to my newspaper for $2,500?”
1. Johnny was fired from the jobs because _______.

A．he liked listening to the radio

B．he had a big family to support

C．he spent a lot of time writing letters

D．he didn’t do the jobs well

2. Why was Johnny fined $ 250?

A．Because he was lazy.

B．Because he was out of work.

C．Because he cheated the people.

D．Because he didn’t pay for his new suit.

3. What would probably happen at last?

A．Johnny would get $2,500 from the newspaper.

B．The court would give $ 250 back to Johnny.

C．Johnny would continue to advertise in the newspaper.

D．Johnny would become a newspaper reporter.

4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．How did the parents feel when Johnny invited them to the theatre and dinner.

B．What’s Johnny’s secret.

C．What did the policeman want Johnny to do.

D．How much did Johnny have to pay all the people back.

8 . Being a good friend isn’t always easy，but taking the time to develop a lasting friendship is worth the effort.As the years pass，you will realize that each friendship you keep is priceless.    1     To be a good friend and deepen a friendship，just follow these steps.

Keep your promises.

Don’t ever make a promise that you can’t keep.If you say you’ll hang out with a friend and an unexpected situation arises，explain the situation.Give your friend a gift and tell him or her you are sorry.Nobody is perfect，and it’s okay if you break a promise once in a blue moon.    2    

Apologize when you’ve made a mistake.

    3    Though your friend won’t be happy that you made a mistake，he or she will be very pleased that you admit it instead of just pretending that nothing is wrong.

    4    

To be truly supportive，you will have to be able to watch out for your friend when he/she is having a difficult time.If you sense that your friend is getting into some trouble，help him or her away from the situation by not being afraid to speak up about it.

Give your friend some space when he or she needs it.

Part of being supportive means supporting the fact that your friend won’t always want to spend time with you.Learn to step back and give your friend space.    5     Don’t be jealous (嫉妒的) if your friend has lots of other friends.

A．However，don’t make it a regular thing.

B．Help your friend deal with his or her struggles.

C．Learn to forgive your friend and move forward.

D．Of course，to have a good friend，you must be one.

E．If you want your friend to believe in you，you can’t act like you’re perfect.

F．Understand if your friend wants to be alone or to have a walk with other people.

G．Take the time to truly understand your friend when he or she is talking to you.

9 . My wife and I have always been friendly with the clerks at the local store. I don’t think many people appreciate what a difficult job these clerks have. They work for a little money and I often wonder how they make ends meet.
One of the clerks, Charlie, was always wearing his glasses but he didn’t one day. I asked him about it and he said they’d been out of order and that he couldn’t afford a new pair. His family needed money. It was clear that he was having a difficult time.
We wanted to help him, so we turned to our own eye doctor for help with a plan. We had his secretary contact him, asking him to come in for an eye exam for free. We told the doctor to let him order whatever glasses he wanted and that we would pay for them. Although Charlie questioned what was going on, the doctor just told him that someone had offered the money for his new glasses. When we went in to pay the bill, the doctor told us he was touched by our idea so that he waived the exam fee and only charged us for half the price of the glasses!
It was so wonderful to see Charlie in his new glasses and he enjoyed telling all the regular customers how the gift came about. I’m sure that upon hearing his story, ideas of kindness may have come in the minds of many people.
1. Why didn’t the clerk Charlie wear glasses one day?

A．It was very warm and fine.

B．His glasses were missing.

C．His old glasses were broken.

D．He forgot to wear his glasses.

2. From the passage, we can infer that ______.

A．Charlie was a young man with skills

B．Charlie knew who paid the money for the new glasses

C．Charlie completely accepted the money for the new glasses

D．Charlie couldn’t support his family with enough money

3. The underlined word “waived” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.

A．took up	B．gave up
C．cut down	D．put off

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Customers’ Gift to an Employee

B．A Friendly Clerk — Charlie

C．The Wonderful Feeling of Helping others

D．An Expensive Pair of Glasses

10 . When I was a little girl, my mom would say, “Half the fun of doing anything is sharing it with others.”     1    Friends and mates allow us to enjoy our successes and our joys, comfort us in our hard moments, and provide a mirror for us to learn more about ourselves. I’ve always looked at friends as the family we choose. They enrich our lives. As Robert Louis Steven once said, “    2    ”.

To be a good friend or partner, it’s important to be a good listener. Hear what your friend or mate has to say first rather than jump to conclusions or get defensive.    3     When they hear their words repeated back to them, it can help them to realize what they said was not exactly what they meant to say.

    4     You know the old golden rule, “Care for others the way you would like them to care for you.” The support of a friend during a tough time could make the difference between success and failure. Encouragement and confidence are the gifts that can help change a person’s life.

Take care, though, with whom you choose to have close relationship, for they can have a great effect on yourself – respect and life path. As someone once told me “    5     They will either take you up or down.”

A．I am afraid so.

B．It is quite true

C．Friendship is the most important factor.

D．Sometimes it is useful to be their mirror.

E．A friend is a present which you give yourself.

F．The attitudes of your friends are like the buttons on a lift.

G．Patience, sympathy and understanding are also important qualities.