1 . It was late on a Thursday evening in Austin, Texas, and I had just finished my shift downtown waiting tables. I hopped into my truck and headed away from the chaos to my own personal oasis, Dan’s Depot. It was on a four-lane road that went straight from the heart of Austin to West Texas. Once, Dan’s Depot had been outside of the city. But with Austin’s population growing and the city’s expansion, it was swallowed up by high-rise buildings and skyscrapers.

I’ve been familiar with Dan’s Depot since I played my first show there. Like most waiters in Austin, I’m actually a musician. The woman who welcomes customers is Dan’s wife Maude.

I slid my truck into the last free spot and headed to the door. “How’s it going, Maude?” I asked. “David, I just don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said. “Our contract with the landlord is up for renewal at the end of the month, and he has doubled the rent. Even if we charged twice as much for the snacks and shows, we could never make ends meet.”

My heart dropped. On some level, I’d been expecting to hear this news for as long as I’d been coming to Dan’s Depot. After all, Dan’s Depot was now sandwiched between a shop selling yoga pants to people who could afford personal trainers and a luxury furniture store where even a simple dining chair cost more than S1, 000. How could this little live music bar survive with those kinds of neighbors?

“What are you going to do with this place? Are you moving?” I asked. She shook her head slowly. “I just don’t know. Dan and I are not as young as we used to be.”

I patted her on the shoulder and made my way to the tables near the stage. Memories sprung up in my mind. Most of my musical ideas came to me while I was watching live shows here at Dan’s Depot. When the song ended, I got up and went back to Maude.

“What if I run the new Dan’s Depot?” I asked her. She stared at me, surprised.

“Hear me out,” I said. “I’ve got enough money to go in with you and Dan as a third partner. I know the Texas music scene in and out, and I can get the best new bands in here every week. We’ll move it way down South Congress Avenue, where it’s still close enough to be accessible from downtown but the rent is more affordable. And most importantly, this place means a lot to me.”

Maude was still staring at me silently. I began to grow uneasy. Had I offended her? I started apologizing. She cut me off with a huge embrace. “Honey, I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

1. The underlined word “oasis” in Paragraph 1 refers to a place where the author ________.

A．parks his truck	B．finds joy and relaxation
C．works full-time	D．grabs a meal at night

2. Why did the author say he had long expected to hear the news Maude told him?

A．He pointed out Dan’s Depot was in poor management

B．He felt the sandwiches in Dan’s Depot were too expensive.

C．He thought Dan’s Depot was out of tune with its surroundings.

D．He suggested Dan and Maude retire early and enjoy their lives.

3. What does the author advise Maude to do?

A．Sell Dan’s Depot to him.	B．Hire him as a lead singer.
C．Find another way to run the business.	D．Advertise for a third partner.

4. Which statement is probably true according to the passage?

A．The author’s words offended Maude.

B．The author gave his advice immediately.

C．The author worked as a waiter in Dan’s Depot.

D．The author drew musical inspiration from Dan’s Depot.

2 . Bookstores are fascinating places. That’s because the books on the shelves can take you away to magical lands, help you learn a foreign language, or cook a delicious meal. But when your community is too small to house a real brick bookstore, sometimes you have to make a compromise. A mobile bookstore that brings books around the country was the result. That is the case for Rita Collins, 70, who dreamed of opening a used bookstore after retiring from teaching.

A business planning class from the American Booksellers Association convinced Collins to abandon her idea that opening a bookstore in the small town where she lives, which would not be sustainable. Eureka, Montana, located just seven miles from the Canadian border, only has a population of 1,517. Collins asked her instructors about a traveling bookstore on wheels and they were skeptical. But she persevered.

Collins was inspired by Dylans Mobile Bookstore, a traveling bookstore in Wales run by Jeff Towns. She contacted Jeff for advice but she was largely on her own when it came to building her bookstore. First, she had to find a vehicle large enough to stand in. Then she had to have it refitted with shelves that would hold the books at a 15-degree angle so that they would stay in place while in transit. Collins named her bookstore St Rita’s Traveling Bookstore, which has been on the road since 2015.

At first, she drove through Montana and then she made her first cross-country trip in 2016. After she retired in 2017, it became a full-time job all year round. Collins and her mobile bookstore have visited 30 states, stopping at festivals and events along the way. While the locations change, some things always stay the same. Collins loves meeting people and making connections. While she loves what she does, Collins doesn’t think she can keep doing it. In several years, she hopes to pass her traveling bookstore onto another bibliophile who shares the same interest and will keep it on the road.

1. Why did Collins abandon opening a bookstore?

A．It would cost a lot of money.	B．It was not promising.
C．It would be out of date.	D．It was not approved.

2. Why were the shelves designed at a 15-degree angle?

A．To beautify the mobile bookstore.

B．To make full use of space of the shelves.

C．To keep the bookstore’s balance.

D．To protect the books from falling down.

3. Which of the following can best describe Collins?

A．Merciful and delightful.	B．Intelligent and reasonable.
C．Determined and social.	D．Generous and lovely.

4. What does the underlined word “bibliophile” in the last paragraph mean?

A．A book lover.	B．A publisher.
C．A famous writer.	D．An editor.

3 . Our room was on the second floor but you could still hear the roar of the ocean and see the stars at night. I used to take long walks along the water. The food in town was wonderful and the people were very friendly. The area was very quiet and peaceful, and fairly deserted.

The last evening of our vacation, however, we all heard strange footsteps following closely behind us as we were walking up to our room in the holiday centre. We turned around and noticed a fairly young man moving very rapidly across the beach and getting closer to us. He was tall and wore a baseball cap. We didn't have any cell phones on us. I never saw Dad as worried as he was then and knew that something was terribly wrong. The sense of fear started to overwhelm Mom and me. We had had such a good time in town. Now, the night was rapidly turning into a dangerous situation．

We could hear the man's footsteps getting closer. Dad's face was almost pale．The so﹣called intruder（侵入者）had moved nearer and nearer when all of a sudden, the nearby vending（自动贩卖）machine started going crazy and spitting out cans of soda! The noise actually scared the intruder and he ran out of sight. My parents were shaking, but we all turned around to see who had put money into the vending machine downstairs, and actually saved us, but no one was around at all. Not a soul.

It's one vacation I will never forget.

1. Where did the author spend her vacation?

A．Near a lake.	B．In a village.
C．At the seaside.	D．In a mountain.

2. What happened to the author's family on the last evening of their vacation?

A．They saw a stranger walking up to their room.

B．Their cell phones were missing.

C．They were robbed by a tall man.

D．They were followed by a stranger.

3. What does the underlined word“overwhelm”in Paragraph 2 mean.

A．Control	B．impress
C．excite	D．move

4. What helped them get out of the trouble?

A．Their quick action.

B．The noise from the vending machine.

C．Other people's kind help.

D．The young man's warning.

4 . When Kirk Alexander went missing for 11 days, an unlikely savior came to his rescue: his neighborhood pizza store.

Almost every night for more than ten years. Kirk Alexander, 48, of Salem, Oregon ordered a late dinner from his local Domino’s pizza store. He had no signature order. Sometimes he would call for a salad, sometimes a pie, sometimes chicken wings. The only sure thing for the staff of the Silverton Road Domino’s was that they would see Alexander’s name show up on their online ordering site sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight several times a week.

Until suddenly, for nearly two weeks at the end of April 2016, they didn’t.

It was a slow Saturday night on May 7th when Domino’s general manager Sarah Fuller felt she could no longer ignore Alexander’s recent absence.

“I went and looked up to see how long it had been since he last ordered,” Fuller told KATU.com. It was 11 days, which was not like him at all.

Fuller knew Alexander worked from home, and neighbors said he rarely left. She also knew that he had suffered some health issues in the past. Something, Fuller worried, was wrong.

Around 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 8, Fuller sent longtime delivery driver Tracey Hamblen to stop in at Alexander’s home. Hamblen approached Alexander’s door as he had countless times before and knocked. He could plainly see that Alexander’s TV set was on, as were his lights; but after several minutes, Alexander still didn’t answer the door.

Hamblen rushed back to the store to relay the upsetting developments to Fuller. She encouraged Hamblen to dial 911. Soon, officers were on their way.

When deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s office arrived at Alexander’s house, they heard a man calling for help from inside the residence, deputies said. They broke the door down, and found Alexander on the floor in need of immediate medical attention. One day later, and they might have been too late.

Alexander was rushed to Salem Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition shortly after the dramatic rescue. In the following weeks, Fuller, Hamblen, and other store employees went to visit him with flowers and cards, noting that Alexander greeted them with knowing smiles.

1. How did Fuller sense that something was wrong?

A．She knew Alexander had serious health problems.

B．Alexander hadn’t ordered chicken wings for nearly 2 weeks.

C．Alexander had never broken his routine in the store for 10 years.

D．Alexander had disappeared from the store’s ordering system for about 2 weeks.

2. What does the underlined word mean in the eighth paragraph?

A．Convey.

B．Emphasize.

C．Complain.

D．Share.

3. In which column of a newspaper will you probably read this article?

A．Life.

B．Technology.

C．Healthy.

D．Entertainment.

4. Which of the following saying can we learn from the story?

A．Born in distress (忧患), die in peace.

B．Details determine success or failure.

C．Even the wise are not always free from error.

D．Better late than never.

5 . I wonder if I’m getting to be transparent. I can see waiters, but they can’t see me. Ticket agents look right through me at the person next in line. I have the same feeling when I try to catch the attention of salesgirls, taxi drivers and my wife.

I’m substantial enough, maybe a little too substantial in places. And there’s an undeniable air of authority about the way I stride (阔步行走) into a restaurant, pull my necktie into place and signal to the headwaiter. The headwaiter’s glance sweeps my way, and then comes to rest on a section of flowered wallpaper directly behind me. He considers it for a moment, and looks away. Five minutes later I manage to catch his eye. He strides in my direction, takes a menu from the pile at my elbow and walks back across the room. Another 10 minutes passes, and our eyes meet head-on. His face lights up and he hurries toward me, saying to the couple right beside me, “This way, please.”

Maybe I could arouse interest by pulling off the tablecloth. Maybe the best plan is to get up and start out of the restaurant without paying—a trick which never fails to earn me the whole attention of every waiter in the place.

On the other hand, people have no trouble making me out when I don’t want them to. I never can avoid a friend who has been having a little bad luck lately and who would like to borrow some money. I’ll spot him half a block away, and cross the street to the other side. He crosses at the same time. I stop and stare at a store window until he has passed, but his eye encounters mine in the reflection of the glass. I lend him the money, but from that moment on he can’t see me.

1. What can we learn about the author from paragraphs 2 and 3?

A．He cares about his appearance.	B．He feels ignored by the waiter.
C．He usually flees without paying.	D．He often puts on an air of humbleness.

2. In his opinion, the author can be seen when ________.

A．expected to offer help	B．enjoying others’ service
C．caught borrowing money	D．suffering a little bad luck

3. What’s the tone of the passage?

A．Serious.

B．Humorous.

C．Cautious.

D．Anxious.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the passage?

A．I’m a Nobody	B．There Is Nowhere to Hide
C．Am I a Reliable Friend?	D．Has Anybody Seen Me Lately?

7 . After a serious earthquake happened, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to his sons school, only to find that the building where his son studied had collapsed and looked like a pancake.

He was shocked. He didn’t know what he should do for a while, then he remembered the words he had said to his son, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you!” And tears began to fill his eyes. He started digging through the ruins.

As he was digging, other helpless parents and the firemen arrived and tried to pull him off the ruins, saying, “It’s too late! They’re all dead! There’s nothing you can do!” To them he replied with one line, “Are you going to help me now?” And then he kept on digging.

No one helped, however. He went on alone because he needed to know for himself, “Is my boy alive or is he dead?” He dug for eight hours…12 hours.….24 hours.….36 hours.. then in the 39th hour, he pulled back a rock and heard his son’s words. He shouted his son’s name, “ARMAND!” He heard back, “Dad!?! It’s me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you’d save me and when you saved me, they’d be saved. You promised, ‘No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you!’ You did it Dad!”

“What’s going on there? How is it?” the father asked.

“There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We’re frightened, hungry, thirsty and thankful you’re here. When the building fell down, it made a triangle, and it saved us.”

“Come out, boy!”

“No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you’ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you’ll always be there for me!”

1. The underlined word “collapsed” probably means_________

A．fallen down

B．shaken violently

C．stood by

D．gone off

2. Other parents and the firemen wanted to pull him off the ruins because they thought ____________

A．he was mad	B．all the children had died in the earthquake
C．he was too dangerous to others	D．it was not his job to dig

3. How many students were still alive when the father found them in the ruins?

A．Fourteen.

B．Thirty three

C．Forty seven

D．Nineteen.

4. We can learn from the passage that_________

A．it took the father one day to find his son and other students

B．his wife died in the earthquake

C．his son was the last one to come out of the ruins

D．the son didn’t believe his father would come to save him

8 . At 1,345 meters above sea level, Ben Nevis is definitely not the world’s most difficult mountain to climb. But things get considerably tricky if instead of hiking shoes you put on a pair of 5-inch high heels, especially if you’re a guy. One English teenager recently proved that it was not impossible.

Ben Conway, a 19-year-old art student from London, recently took up the challenge as a way to stand out in an application for a scholarship for the School of Communication Arts in Brixton. He started his unusual high-heel climb at 8 a.m., on June 27, and was joined by Callum MacKenzie Allen, a friend from his art foundation year, who videotaped the whole thing for a two-minute video that served as his application project. The whole climb took five hours and wasn’t the smoothest experience.

Halfway up Ben Navis, one of his shoes broke, so he had to tape the shoes to his feet to make sure they stayed on. The weather didn’t make it easy for him either, as he claimed that it rained pretty much the whole time, and he had to go against 40 to 50 miles an hour winds. Due to these difficult conditions, Ben and his friend had to turn back after reaching 900 meters up the mountain.

Apart from providing a unique art school application project, the high-heel climb also allowed the 19-year-old to raise some money for worthy causes, like Sal’s Shoes, which provides footwear for barefoot children around the world.

“Raising money for charity brings happiness to people’s lives and if I can do something ridiculous and bring someone happiness, then that’s what it’s all about”, Ben said.

1. What can replace the underlined word “tricky” in Paragraph 1?

A．Pleasant.

B．Boring.

C．Tough.

D．Smooth.

2. Why did Allen videotape the high-heel climb for Ben?

A．To prove nothing is impossible.	B．To record a special experience.
C．To promote their friendship.	D．To assist in Ben’s application.

3. What does Paragraph 3 focus on?

A．The difficulties in the climb.	B．The climbing route.
C．The terrible weather.	D．The unexpected incident.

4. What can best describe Ben’s story?

A．Puzzling.

B．Inspiring.

C．Exciting.

D．Frightening.

9 . One day I was walking around in a national park when I saw a beautiful tarantula (狼蛛) crossing a path. I just stopped and decided to observe its walking.

Behind me there was a family going up the same way and they also noticed the tarantula. Without doubting it, a kid shouted, “Quick, Dad, kill it.” His brother also encouraged their dad to do that.

Then I stopped their dad. “Wait. This is the last place the tarantula has to live in. Do you really want to kill it?”

“Well, it’s dangerous and we have kids here…”

“Why not stand still and let it cross safely? Then you can go and admire the rest of the park.”

After some discussions I persuaded them to stand still and watch. Soon, the tarantula crossed and hid into the bushes.

Their dad thanked me and said, “You’re right. I was about to make a mistake.” The children even said good bye to the tarantula and they learned something too.

1. What did the family want to do on seeing the tarantula?

A．To watch it.

B．To kill it.

C．To stand by

D．To hide away.

2. What did the dad think of the tarantula?

A．Dangerous.

B．Interesting.

C．Powerful.

D．Beautiful.

3. What is the author’s advice on how to deal with the tarantula?

A．To stop it quickly.	B．To greet it politely.
C．To let it cross safely.	D．To drive it into the bushes.

10 . Quietly sitting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s announcements. Train travelers will surely agree that when the guard makes an announcement, whether it’s the recorded message or the guard’s message, few people listen to it, because it’s often quite dull or hard to understand. This one was different.I noticed that other passengers appeared to be listening, too. Not only that, everyone was smiling!

Why was so much attention being paid to this message? As best I can recall, the guard said something along these lines, Good Morning Ladies,Gentlemen and Children, this is the7:35 am from Penrith to Central and you’ll be pleased to know that we are right on time. And what a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining,birds are singing, and all’s right with the world.I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for catching my train this morning.

Quite a few people (obviously previous strangers) started talking to one another about the guard’s excellent message and how good it had made everyone feel. I started thinking about this, and then I found the young guard and said “Were you the guard on the 7:35 am from Penrith?” The guard seemed a bit stunned at first, replying, “Yes, yyyyes.”   “Well, I really appreciate your announcement. Thank you for your extremely good message, which gave me and the other passengers such a good start to the day. Please keep doing it.” I said.

There are two messages for me in what happened that day. Firstly, when people are happy in their work it shows in what they do and say. Secondly, the story attaches much importance to the benefits that accumulate from thanking people for something they’ve done, particularly when it’s not expected.

1. Why do few train travelers usually listen to the announcements?

A．They usually feel sleepy.	B．They are absorbed in books.
C．The guard's voice is not clear.	D．The messages are unattractive.

2. How did the passengers react to the announcement on the train from Penrith to Central?

A．They listened to it and smiled.	B．They seemed to get bored by it.
C．They listened to it with eyes closed.	D．They continued what they were doing.

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

A．Patient.

B．Surprised.

C．Worried.

D．Excited.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A boring train story	B．An intelligent guard
C．A lovely morning in Sydney	D．A different train announcement